Belly’s ‘King’ Anniversary Tour Showcases one of 1995’s Greatest Albums
Having been a devotee of the band Belly since the mid-90s — and seen the four-piece play at least six or seven times — I can objectively say that Sunday night’s show at District Music Hall in Norwalk, Connecticut, did not disappoint. The concert, a pitstop on the band’s 30th Anniversary Tour for their second album, King, was tailor made for longtime Gen X alt rockers, with an 8 p.m. start time, a 15-minute break between sets, and the band’s crafty balance of edgier rock tunes with more introspective, mid-tempo ballads.
Kicking off with King‘s opening track, “Puberty,” the band — Donelly (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Chris Gorman (drums), Thomas Gorman (lead guitar, backing vocals), Gail Greenwood (bass, backing vocals) — played the entire album start to finish, which thrilled concert goers who largely knew all the lyrics to the album’s big singles (like “Red” (my favorite) and “Super-Connected”).
The camaraderie between the slightly more reserved Donelly and extreme extrovert Greenwood warmed my heart, yet again, as the latter pranced the stage and cracked jokes to the delight of her adoring fan base. I was reminded that this is a record Greenwood knows well, having joined the band after its first album, Star, dropped in 1993, giving the band an extra bit of sparkle.
Belly devoted their second set to “the best of the rest,” according to Greenwood, starting with my personal favorite, “Low Red Moon,” an epic anthem that segues from quieter moodier chords to big choruses, highlighting the band’s power and Donelly’s vocal chops. The crowd pulled out their phones in droves to capture videos of the big Belly hits, notably “Slow Dog,” “Geppetto,” and “Feed The Tree,” while appreciating the Star B-sides like “Dusted.” Another crowd pleaser – the band’s cover of Jimi Hendrix’s “Are You Experienced,” a hybrid mashup with “Shiny One,” from Belly’s third-album Dove.
All in all, the show was everything I could have hoped for, and I’m glad I captured so many videos (to see all of them, check out Rockmommy’s YouTube channel).
Awesome band and a nice write up. Well done.
thank you! :) It was an awesome show and fun going back to theater for the first time since my band played there!