Fanny Left Us Wanting More - As Usual

Last night, I wrote in anticipation of Fanny's long awaited reunion in Los Angeles following the showing of Bobbi Jo Hart's Fanny: The Right to Rock. 

For those of us who could not get to L.A. to see Fanny's show, Hart had indicated she would try to stream it on her documentary's Facebook page. While I did not get to see as it happened (alas I am on the East Coast and had to get up early) it was up when I awoke and Hart delivered once again. 

After watching the show after I awoke, I watched it again this evening. Why? Because Fanny always leaves me wanting more. This was true of their live music in 1971 and it is equally true in 2021. 

Their five song set was bookended with two songs from their 2018 album Fanny Walked The Earth ("Not My Monkey" and "When We Need Her"). In between their newer material, Fanny performed "Butter Boy". It was a nod to both Brie Howard-Darling and Patti Quatro from the Rock 'n Roll Survivors LP but it gave Jean Millington an opportunity to sing lead as her stroke has rendered her unable to play bass. 

Perhaps the most interesting song choice was "Soul Child" from Fanny's second album Charity Ball simply by virtue of the fact that I had never heard it live and I got to see Alice de Buhr take over the drum kit. When I listen to Fanny's studio albums I invariably wonder how these would have sounded live. Now I know at least where it concerns "Soul Child".

Of course, all Fanny fans have heard the live version of "Thinking of You" so it was great to hear it again a half century later. Long time Fanny friend and fan Jeff "Skunk" Baxter of Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers fame was a mensch to lend June Millington his guitar and amp. All the more remarkable is how the elder Millington sister flew to L.A. fresh off radiation treatment. There was also the sight of Jean Millington standing out of her wheelchair to sing "When We Need Her". As fellow Fanny fan Nigel Langridge says, "Fanny is not for wimps!!!"

I'm sure I'm not alone in wishing there was someone to play keyboard or piano for a Nickey Barclay song like "Blind Alley" or "Borrowed Time". But we're all on borrowed time and this was the first time in a long time. What we got was enough to leave me wanting more. Whether we will ever get more of Fanny live and in person very much remains to be seen. As such it is all the more reason to treasure the 25 minute or so minutes we got last night. Because there were no guarantees we would get those 25 minutes.

As for the future, we can get our fill of Fanny watching their live performances and studio cuts on YouTube, buying their merch from FannyRocks.com, listening to the Get Behind Fanny podcast every two weeks and going to your local movie theatre to see Fanny: The Right to Rock. Maybe if we're very lucky we'll get see Fanny in concert again. Because let's face it. We want more.