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View Full Version : Kasim at the Beachland Ballroom, Cleveland Ohio, 29 Aug. 2006


Kathy
03 Sep 2006, 19:35
I am so very glad I went up to Cleveland for this show - it was excellent and I had such a good time! I had seen Kasim open for Meat several times on the HOTD tour, but this was only the second time I'd seen one of his solo gigs. A lot of elements seemed to come together to make this an unforgettable evening: Kasim sounded fantastic, he was in a great mood, the audience was smart, receptive and enthusiastic (hey, it's Cleveland!) and Kasim spent a lot of time talking to the crowd, joking and telling tall tales. It was obvious both during and after the show that Kasim truly appreciates his fans, and responds to them with warm-hearted affection.

He started out with "Somebody Loves You" - a song that's grown on me, and I've never heard him sing it better than he did that night. At his best, Kasim puts a great deal of passion into his performance. Another one he really let go on was "One World." And I don't mean he just turns up the volume - he puts a lot of feeling into his singing. I enjoy the songs that use his voice in the slightly lower registers, such as "I Don't Mind At All" (there are others that do). The audience loved the show, and knew the songs better than I did - they participated by singing a line during "There Goes My Inspiration", and cheered after "Cliche." I always enjoy "Drive." But my favorite song of the evening, by far, was "Sometimes Love is a Dangerous Thing." I had only heard it once that I recall, in Clearwater, Florida when Kasim opened for Meat. So I didn't recognize it at first, but after the opening line I thought, "Whoa! This is going to be a GOOD one!!" It was even better than I'd remembered. At the conclusion of the song I found myself involuntarily going "WOOOO!" along with most everybody else in the room. And I've just learned that Kasim co-authored this song. I hope he can find a way to include it on his next album.

Kasim told the crowd about Bat Out of Hell III, the shows in London and New York, and said Cleveland would certainly be on the schedule when Meat Loaf's tour starts early next year! He also mentioned that he plans to rejoin The New Cars in November.

Off the cuff, Kasim is a funny guy. He told the story of their 770 mile road trip from Staten Island to their gig in South Carolina, which they drove in one shot (that's brutal - I can relate!!), embellishing the story a little bit, then embellishing a little more, lol, and had the Beachland Ballroom in stitches. But he said "If I read anything about this on the internet, I will get your IP address, track you down and sic Jack on you" ...... who's Jack? I don't know - don't WANT to know either, so you won't hear anything about pitchers vs. catchers from me!

A little while later, Kasim said "I still haven't really introduced my band!"
Smiling and turning, he said "Your name's Doug, right?"
...and Doug deadpanned, "Yes." [slight pause] "I'm not gay." which just about brought the house down - Mr. Kennedy's timing was perfect!

So, if you have the opportunity to see one of Kasim's solo shows, go. Over the course of an evening, you become aware that Kasim is a man of quicksilver emotions; he gives, he takes away a little, he gives some more - but he never hides. I think that's a great gift to his audience, and the immediacy makes for a great show. For an encore, Kasim had apparently been planning to do "Ticket to Ride" but at the last minute said "You know what? I don't want to do that one" and instead sang "One Sure Thing." And you know what? I'm glad he did!
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About the Beachland Ballroom:

Less than half a mile from Lake Erie's shore, the Beachland is a comfortable neighborhood tavern, maybe a little larger than most. A fair-sized stage at the back and a bar running along the right, with room in the middle for seven rows of ten folding chairs each for Kasim's fans. And plenty more room for the large number of people who remained standing during the show. There may have been 100 happy people there that night! Nice atmosphere - I was seated right under some old horror movie posters: "Satan's Satellites!" "Skabenga, the Killer Lust!" (hmm, sounds ok except for the killer part) and "Door-to-Door Maniac!" starring Johnny Cash and Ronnie Howard, "the young star of The Music Man!"

The tavern management apparently encourages younger acts just starting out as well as established ones, and I think that's wonderful. After Kasim's show was over, a young man came over to the bar and handed me a CD with three songs on it, and said give it a listen - they'd be playing here at the Beachland next week. I looked at the CD and held it while he was talking, thanked him, and then several minutes later, after narrowing my eyes and failing to bring it into focus, realized I had been holding it upside down the whole time - lol, "Blind As a Bat", that's me. Anyway, their name is Lost State of Franklin; they're a new country band and I think they're very good!

And last but not least, the Beachland Ballroom has Guinness on tap. What more could you ask for?

(This state park is just a few miles west of the Beachland, and a scenic place to walk. It was a warm but very windy day)
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-Kathy

Jeanie
03 Sep 2006, 20:31
Thanks for the share, Kathy. :)) Sounds like you, Kasim and everyone had a great time. :))

J.