NEIL SLADE ROCKS THE MASSES (In Concert)
Review by WESTON WELLS, Denver Academy

On Saturday, March 2, Neil Slade performed a concert, the likes of which you've never seen. Libraries are normally a quiet haven for the socially timid. But the Cherry Creek Branch of the Denver Public Library now has a new reputation, and broke the old stuffy mold when Neil Slade and friends came out of retirement and shattered the hallowed library silence.

Greeting audience at the entrance was the ubiquitous "Brain X", a mascot and driving force behind this one man hurricane (Brain-X being a real human brain in a jar on educational loan from Colorado's Dormant Brain Research and Development Laboratory). Assisting Neil at this show, was the rhythm devil of the day- Fred Poindexter, a palpitating percussion personality who magnified the effect of the music in logarithmic fashion.

Ensorcelling the audience as always were the multifaceted talents of Neil "that funky brain man" Slade, who picked up instruments as naturally as a housewife picks up ripe fruit from the produce section at Safeway. No instrument felt left out from the cornucopia of aural delicacies- acoustic and electric guitars, the mysterious "Zo" guitar , voice, and acoustic piano. Poindexter pounded out the beat on a plethora of primitive and modern drums, like a mad blacksmith forging raw steel.

The large community room was filled to the gunnels: standing room only- all seats were filled. Reactions typical of the broad based audience were: "Neil played with such vigor and enthusiasm, it was like the music exploded out of his chest!", and "My amygdalas clicked forward at the beginning of the show- and something really freaky happened to my brain!"

During the hour long set, including a short but informative brain anatomy pause, nobody was seen leaving even to go to the bathroom, despite gallons of free lemonade. There was consistent quality of performance, as well as variety, from the eerie yet sublime "Submarine" to the snappy and superlative "Shauna". Apparently the inclusion of many new songs from Slade's newest release "Tippy" hypnotized the audience into helpless submission in a most delightful manner.

After the show, library patrons were guided through the mind boggling maze of the Internet by Slade. He led ecstatic "newbies" on a journey through cyberspace, with a stop at his very own extensive World Wide Web Site, "Neil Slade's Amazing Brain Music Adventure" (http://www.BrainRadar.com).

In conclusion, if you are looking for explosive musical neural pleasures, look no further than the latest offering from Neil Slade Music and Company.