#The hillbenders pinball wizard full
#The hillbenders pinball wizard professional

The grand finale is “We’re Not Gonna Take It/See Me Feel Me,” where Tommy retreats inward again.

Then, Tommy’s Uncle Ernie invites everyone to “Tommy’s Holiday Camp,” a number which features tight vocals which alternate with advanced country pickin’. On “Sensation,” Tommy realizes that he can become a powerful leader singing, “You’ll feel me coming/A new vibration/From afar you’ll see me/I’m a sensation.” Here, mandolinist Nolan Lawrence takes a moment to verbally advance the narrative by revealing that people have come from all over the world to see Tommy including followers like “Sally Simpson.” On this number, Lawrence’s beautiful tenor rings out clear and strong above the picking strings.Īnother musical highlight is “I’m Free,” where The HillBenders play rock power chords with a bluegrass flavor. On this countrified-funk offering, The HillBenders rock out as their voices “rise, rise, rise, rise, rise” much to the crowd’s delight!

#The hillbenders pinball wizard full

Accompanying the full choir of voices is Chad “Gravy Boat” Gains who strums as he struts around the stage and then squats as he skillfully plays his dobro.Īs the “opry” continues, Tommy’s mother decides to “Smash the Mirror” - an action which removes Tommy’s mental block and enables him to recover his senses.

#The hillbenders pinball wizard professional

Then, on “There’s a Doctor,” we learn that a medical professional explains to Tommy’s parents that his ailments are psychosomatic and in “Go to the Mirror,” they realize the doctor is correct in that they notice his ability to stare at his own reflection.Īnother highlight performance ensues when The HillBenders play “Tommy Can You Hear Me?” and invite the audience to sing and clap along as they vocalize in five-part harmony.

On one of the highlight performances of the evening, Jim Rea’s acoustic guitar strumming introduces “Pinball Wizard.” On Rea’s tasty bluegrass string and vocal arrangement, The HillBenders invite the audience to sing along on the famous “Sure plays a mean pinball” lyric, as they twang their strings and make the music of Tommy come alive!įollowing excited applause, banjo player Mark Cassidy continues the story about Tommy, telling the audience they are looking for a doctor to cure the boy, and inquiring, “Is there a doctor here in Toms River who can cure him?” Throughout this trio of songs, The HillBenders use their acoustic instruments and voices to communicate the energy of The Who’s original concept rock opera to the audience, but without the benefit of electric guitars or drums.

Through the narrative, we learn that Tommy’s parents alternately leave him with his sadistic “Cousin Kevin,” his inappropriate Uncle Ernie who likes to “Fiddle About,” and The Hawker’s drug-addicted wife, “The Acid Queen,” who provides Tommy with a hallucinogenic experience by giving him LSD. Segueing into “Christmas,” the tempo quickens and Jim Rea’s expressive lead pleads, “Tommy, can you hear me?” Then, Nolan Lawrence emotionally portrays Tommy by asking if anyone can “see me, feel me, touch me, heal me” as he deftly accompanies himself on the mandolin. As such, on “Eyesight to the Blind: The Hawker,” the group sings, “She’s got the power to heal you/Never fear/She’s got the power to heal you/Never fear/Just a word from her lips/And the deaf begin to hear.” The interplay between the musicians helps to bring Tommy’s amazing journey to life for this audience who appreciates the band’s talent and reacts with hearty applause!Īs the story progresses, a man known as The Hawker claims that his wife can cure Tommy. Going on to rely on his sense of touch and imagination on his “Amazing Journey,” on this well-known number, the musicians - notably Chad “Gravy Boat” Graves on dobro - take turns coming forward to perform for the audience.Īs Graves plays his dobro - an acoustic resonator guitar which produces sound by carrying the vibration of the strings through the bridge to metal cones known as resonators - he not only holds the instrument down low by his feet but also holds it up high in the air at strategic times. In “1921,” the HillBenders’ vocalists - voicing the role of Tommy’s mother - emphatically sing,“You didn’t hear it/You didn’t see it/You won’t say nothing to no-one/Never in your life.”Īs a result, Tommy becomes deaf, dumb, and blind. His mother remarries, but Captain Walker returns home and, in a fit of rage, murders Tommy’s stepfather right in front of Tommy’s eyes. Taking a moment to verbally explain the story of Tommy, the musicians reveal that Tommy’s father, Captain Walker, has gone missing in action.