Talas - The Hard Rock Cafe concert series - Niagara Falls, NY - 07-28-2012
Sunday, July 29, 2012 at 10:01AM 
Niagara Falls, NY - It was a truly spectacular and some might say, a magical night, as the original line-up of Talas, the legendary band from Buffalo, NY reunited, and triumphantly performed their first concert together in ten years. They played to a jammed packed closed off street adjacent to the Hard Rock Cafe (in downtown Niagara Falls, NY) in front of 15,000 plus dedicated and fanatical fans.
Talas consists of world renown bass guitar virtuoso, Billy Sheehan, Dave Constantino - guitar/vocals and Paul Varga - drums/vocals. The band was WNY's most popular band during the 1970's-80's. During this time, they dominated local radio, sold out theaters and clubs, headlined for bands like U-2 and the Police, and even opened on a leg of the Van Halen tour in 1981. They were a band that should have been just as big internationally as they were in WNY, but for some reason, no fault of their own, it never happened.
Talas kicked the evening off with one of their most popular and intense, hard hitting tracks, "Sink Your Teeth." It was very impressive how in-synch the band sounded from the first note, especially considering the fact that the band only rehearsed for less than a week. It's a true testament to their level of musicianship. However, the band suffered a minor setback, when a wireless transmitter fell and then one of Constantino's Marshalls shut off before the second song, "You." Being the professionals that they are, they laughed it off and Sheehan did an impromptu bass solo for a few minutes until all was fixed.
Throughout their 90 minute set, it become very obvious that WNY rockers really love and adore this band. Also, the chemistry that Sheehan, Constantino and Varga have is truly undeniable. Their 90 set consisted of a good mix of original material and some great covers that they used to perform back in their heyday. When Talas does a song, they truly make it their own, as was evident on "Battlescar" by Max Webster and the closer, "Stealin," by Uriah Heep. However, it was the band's vintage original material that made the biggest impact. Songs such as "Most People" sung by Sheehan, and "Tell Me True" and "See Saw"showcased the band's pitch perfect harmonies. The hard rocker "Shy Boy" showcased Varga's spot on drumming and Constantino's killer solo, with his perfect and unique guitar tone. Sheehan took the spotlight and mesmerized the audience with a mid-show (this time full length) solo, proving that he is still the god of bass guitar.
This was an incredible event, which many are referring to as the concert of the summer. Kudos to the Hard Rock Cafe for having the foresight to make it all happen. I really hope that this successful and extraordinary show brings Sheehan, Constantino and Varga closer together, and they will finish the job by giving us one more amazing record.
Special thanks to Carolyn Moser for allowing RockMusicStar to be one of the select media outlets to cover this special event.
Setlist
Sink Your Teeth
You
Most People
Thick Head
Tell Me True
Expert On Me
Never See Me Cry
Shy Boy
My Generation
Farandole
Any Other Day
See Saw
Bass Solo
Battle Scar
I'm Goin Home
I'm Your Captain
Stealin'
For more on Dave Constantino, please go to www.daveconstantino.com
Thomas
Reader Comments (4)
You got it right, Carolyn Moser is the one we need to thank for this happening. and also right My cousins Ken and Bob Wilczak (Fat Brat) opening was a nice appetizer, then, The Road, and their exrtraordinary harmony, who I have not see play since my High school senior prom (West Seneca East Sr. High School) at the Palamwood house on Transit Rd in West Seneca(which is now Mayer Brothers spring water building) and then Talas who just blew the roof off the open air concert with its awesome style and showmanship. I wish it could have lasted longer but they played their behinds off that night and everyone who left there knew they were in the presence of a "happening". I even noticed youngsters who were there with their folks seemed to be having a great time listening to the music. I want to add, thank you to all the sponsors who helped puit this on, Hard Rock Niagara Falls USA, Carolyn Moser, Fat Brat,The Road, and Talas for one of the most memorable nights in my 55 years of being here as a native of the Buffalo, NY area.
Great article n some nice pictures, but I think you over looked placing any pictures of Paul Varga in there. Maybe it was just accidentally done but it is due right that there should of been at the very least one picture of Paul, the powerful drummer with his unique vocals for this article.
Ringo.
Sorry Ringo, I didn't get many good shots of Paul. However, I did add one. He really is an awesome musician,
I agree that Pictures of Paul should have been added as he is the beat of this band.