Concert Review
Orleans
Thursday Rocktober 6, 2022
Bear’s Den
Inside Seneca Niagara Casino & Resort
Niagara Falls, NY
Review: Joseph Suto
Photos: Joseph Suto
The last time we saw Orleans was at the Riviera Theatre in March. At that time the band were forced to perform as a four piece unit due to circumstances that arose. Thursday night the band was at full throttle with guitarist Fly Amero back in the mix to compliment Tom Lane. The Hoppen Brothers with Lance on bass and Lane on keyboards were also accompanied by the solid drumming of Brady Spencer. The band sounded refreshed and with the venue’s immaculate acoustics simply made it top notch.
Kicking the show off with the appropriate song “Let There Be Music” set the tone. While it took a while for the sound to be dialed in, once it was the rest of the show sounded pristine. The acoustics during the smash “Dance With Me” made the song stand out even more. Each band member with the exception of Spencer were able to demonstrate their vocal abilities throughout the show.
Other highlights included “Beautiful World” a song Lance wrote with his brother Larry. Each time I hear the song it seems to get better and better. Of course the big hits always go over well. “Love Takes Time” which almost cracked the top-10 but stalled at #11 in 1979, and ending with the classic “Still The One” which to this day remains the band’s highest charting song at #5 had the crowd singing and clapping.
Orleans has been at it one way or another for fifty plus years. The lineups may have changed over the years but the band has done one thing right and that is by adding very talented musicians to offset any departures. Like Lance Hoppen stated he wasn’t sure if they would carry on following the death of his brother Larry in 2012, who up to that point was the backbone of the band. While we do not know how much longer Orleans will carry on for one thing is certain, the band will continue to play as long as they deem themselves putting on a respectable performance. Many bands carry on longer than they should. Orleans is the exception and if you attend an Orleans concert you will see a band that truly appreciates the relationship they have with their fans.
Set List
Let There Be Music
Crazy
She’s Into Somethin’
Time Passes On
Dance With Me
Spring Fever
Mission of Mercy
Dancing in the Moonlight (King Harvest Cover)
Miss Grace
Beautiful World
Sexy Little Things
Reach
No More Than You Can Handle
Love Takes Time
Juliet
Still the One
Encore
Turn Out the Light
