Patty Smyth Delivers Dynamic Set At The Den

Patty Smyth & Scandal
The Bears Den at Seneca Niagara Casino
Niagara Falls, NY
Saturday November 5, 2011
By Joseph Suto

Quite appropriate while waiting for singer Patty Smyth to appear Saturday night, that Foreigner belted out from the PA. Flashback to June 28, 1987, when Foreigner singer Lou Gramm was set to headline Shea’s Performing Arts Center with Patty on the bill as his special guest. Due to poor ticket sales the concert was cancelled a few weeks prior. Almost a quarter of a century later this reviewer along with several others finally had the chance to see Patty perform in the comfort of the divine Bears Den inside Seneca Niagara Casino.

As Patty finally took the stage albeit a few minutes past the 8pm start time, the wait was well worth it. Starting off with minor Scandal hit “Love’s Got A Line On You”, followed by “Hands Tied” one could tell Patty still sounded as good as ever. She even took the time to say how proud she was to still sing the songs in the same key as they were recorded. Quite a feat considering many from her era can no longer accomplish the same. Her voice has had lots of down time over the years as she has been busy being a homemaker and raising six kids alongside her world renown husband John McEnroe. Yes that John McEnroe- the tennis star. Patty was in a very chatty mood as she told a story how they were detained in Canada trying to visit the Canadian Side of the Falls.

Her backing band were billed as Scandal, the name of the band that Smyth had her first taste of success with back in 1982. The lone remaining member from Scandal in today’s version is guitarist Keith Mack. The updated rhythm section featured bassist Tom Welsch and drummer Eran Asias. Richard Maheux is the current keyboardist.

Although the set list was quite short she still played the three biggest songs of her career. Her duet with Den Henley, “Sometimes Love Just Ain’t Enough” peaked at #2 on the charts in 1992 and sounded splendid. She saved her smashes “The Warrior” and “Goodbye To You” for the end. Surprisingly she did not play “Never Enough” or “Downtown Train” both being some of her better songs. Instead she opted for a cover she coveted since she was young, paying homage to Tina Turner with “River Deep Mountain High”. It was quite a night, seeing Patty perform live is highly recommended for any fan of both her and Scandal.

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