The Verve Pipe
Mohegan Sun Wolf Den
January 11, 2018
The Wolf Den at Mohegan Sun audience was treated to an evening of 90s rock with an updated vibe. The Verve Pipe, a post grunge era band, was in full swing giving the audience an enjoyable night of great music.
Although Brian Vander Ark, lead singer and guitar player, is the only original member of the band that has its roots in the Midwest he surrounds himself with a group of musicians who gel as if they’ve been together from the beginning.
The Verve Pipe formed in East Lansing, Michigan and garnered a sizable following before hitting the top 10 on the Billboard charts for their best know hit “The Freshman” off their platinum album “Villains” which was released in 1996. Following that hit they remained current including the releases of “Overboard” in 2014 and their latest offering “Parachute” in 2017, though the lineup of band members has changed through the years.
The 2019 members of The Verve Pipe are Brian Vander Ark on lead vocals and guitar, Channing Lee on tambourine and backup vocals, Lou Musa on guitar, Joel Ferguson on bass, Randy Sly on keyboard and accordion, Sam Briggs on drums and Jeffrey Niemeier on violin.
The set began the evening with “Villains” switched between the driving rock numbers “Photograph” and tamer ballads before switching up to more up tempo cuts off a few of their late 90s albums.
Prior to singing “Colorful” Vander Ark mentioned how pleased he was that his song was included in Mark Wahlberg’s movie “Rock Star.” Not only for the fact that it was good for the ego to be in a movie but also the royalties from the soundtrack didn’t hurt either.
Lou Musa disappeared during a portion of the show only to show up above the audience in the rocks lining the Wolf Den and took up playing a solo looking down on the crowd. The crowd loved it, and he raised the show literally to another level. The entire band fed off the intimate venue the Wolf Den has to offer and Vander Ark commented how he liked the closeness of the crowd to the stage dancing in front of him before launching into another tune.
The band did covers of “(Don’t Fear) The Reaper” by Blue Oyster Cult and Fleetwood Mac’s “The Chain” as well as their own songs. Both covers were performed exceptionally and were perfect choices for this band.
The band meshed very well and complemented each other. The band had a good time and interacted with the Wolf Den fans, many who knew the songs and didn’t hesitate to dance along. Channing Lee beautifully backed up Vander Ark and added depth to each of the songs with her harmonies.
Having heard their music but never seeing The Verve Pipe live before this show, and I was pleasantly pleased at how great they sounded. Vander Ark’s voice has not diminished over the years and the band had a contagious energy that had the audience both standing and singing along to many of the songs. The band all seemed genuinely appreciative of the participation.
Many bands fade into obscurity with the passing of decades but The Verve Pipe with Vander Ark’s leadership still contributes to the ever changing music scene by adapting their sound and adding fresh new songs to their collection. Though they have not reached the top of the charts again it’s still a distinct possibility with the top notch talent in the band presented in 2019.
It was an enjoyable concert and refreshing to see a talented group who wanted nothing more than to give the fans a night to cut loose and forget the cares of the world for an evening. If you get the chance to catch The Verve Pipe live I recommend it for an evening of great music.
https://www.thevervepipe.com/
Review by Donna Erichsen
Images by George Bekris
Setlist:
Villains
Photograph
Never Let You Down
Hero
(Don’t Fear) The Reaper (Blue Oyster Cult cover)
I Want All of You
If I Could Make You Feel
Colorful
Cup of Tea
The Freshman
Veneer
Medicate Myself
Happiness Is
Encore
Supergig
The Chain (Fleetwood Mac cover)