THE RENDEZVOUS BAND, WAYNE KRAMER
The Magic Stick - Detroit, Michigan
September 9-10, 1999

The Rendezvous Band - a one-off reformation of the surviving members of Sonic's Rendezvous Band supplemeted by ex-Radio Birdman guitarist Deniz Tek - hit the stage at the Detroit Gutterfest festival to an overwhelming roar from the crowd. Wasting no time in breaking out the heavy artillery, they opened with Electrophonic Tonic and proceeded to lay down the classics one after another.

Things were a bit tentative at first (especially with Deniz, although that was to be expected as he was filling the spot held by the late Fred "Sonic" Smith - and he acquitted himself very well in what was essentially an unfillable position!), but with the feeling-out process concluded, the group put in a strong performance that left many in the crowd glowing from ear to ear at show's end!

Tek laid waste to the clubscape with two blistering tunes from his Radio Birdman days, Breaks My Heart and New Race, and a surprise rendition of Dirt (the Stooges song) had everyone groovin' to the sinewy, high-wire rhythms! I was talking to Ron Asheton when they pulled this out, and my comment of "sounds like dejavu" elicited a wry smile on his face.

Overall, a great effort by The Rendezvous Band and a reaffirmation that these legends (especially Rock Action!) have lost nothing in the chops department. Plenty of photographers (including yours truly), video cameras (someone was filming this for ?!) and the occasional audio cassette recorder were spotted throughout the crowd, so there should be plenty of audio & visual documentation to come.

Set Lists -
The Rendezvous Band (September 9): Electrophonic Tonic, Dangerous, Let's Do It Again, Hearts, Earthy, You're So Great, Sweet Nothing, Breaks My Heart , New Race*, Heaven, Dirt, Getting There (Is Half The Fun), Gone With the Dogs, Detroit. Encore: City Slang. *The official set list had New Race after Dirt!

(Rating based on Crowd & Environment, Karma & Energy, Band Enthusiasm & Effort. Everything felt right & everyone was PSYCHED to see this! Very positive vibes...)

Wayne Kramer (September 10): Dope For Democracy, Queen Of The Triple X(?), It's Never Enough, Revolution In Apt. 29, Crack In The Universe, Junkie Romance, Rocket Reducer No. 62 (Rama Lama Fa Fa Fa), Bomb Day In Paris, Poison, No Easy Way Out , Dangerous Madness, Kick Out The Jams. Backed by The Streetwalkin' Cheetahs (whose previous high energy set featured Brother Wayne on a blistering "Looking At You"), Kramer took to the stage at 1:20 am, and kicked 'em out to an appreciative crowd until around 2:30 am!
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