On Saturday night, I attended the New York City premiere of Fanny: The Right to Rock. It is the fourth time I've seen the film and have nothing to add regarding its substance.
Fanny: The Right to Rock was being screened as part of the Doc NYC Film Festival and they seem to have recruited the rudest and surliest volunteers they could possibly find going out of their way to raise their voices. Staff tried to escort me out of the theatre and had to make it clear in language they could understand that I was attempting to buy merchandise. It was a far cry from the warm, intimate feeling I had when the film was screened in Cambridge last month at the Brattle Theatre. It is yet another reason why I prefer Boston to New York.
Perhaps it was just as well. The principle reason I made the trek from Boston to New York was to see Fanny reunite on stage or at least hear a reasonable Fanny-simile version. While nearly the entire band reunited in Los Angeles back in August, this time around we were treated to the triumvirate of Brie Howard Darling, Patti Quatro and June Millington who did a three song set - "Girls on the Road", "Butter Boy" and "When We Need Her". On the latter song, Darling invited all the women in the audience to join them on stage.
I must admit I am partial to Fanny from the Reprise years. But given that Darling and Quatro played on Rock 'n Roll Survivors (of which I bought a copy on CD) it was appropriate they played "Butter Boy" if for no other reason than to pay homage to Jean Millington in absentia. "Butter Boy" was sandwiched between two songs from the 2018 Fanny Walked The Earth album which is one of the main focal points of Fanny: The Right to Rock. Fanny is not seeking to be a nostalgia act and with the way they played one gets the sense there is unfinished business to attend. In that sense, Fanny exercised its right to rock on their own terms and perhaps in a way that could not 50 years ago.
On a personal note, I was disappointed not to have the opportunity to meet Darling and Quatro in person, but I did get to renew acquaintances with June Millington for a few minutes. In the grand scheme of things it is far more than what I could have reasonably asked. Had I gone to a Fanny concert in the 1970's, the chances of me meeting any of them would have been practically nil. Well, that and I would have been all of two years old.
All things considered, I was unaware Fanny existed until just under 18 months ago. Over this past year and a half, I have experienced things with Fanny I have experienced with no other musical act. With this in mind, it is my hope that this journey continues.
Fanny Rox!!
ReplyDelete