The Tubes in concert!

While I was in Oroville, the Tubes, one of my all-time favorite bands was playing a free casino show on Halloween Night. They've always been visually and musically appealing but, the big stage shows, props and dancers are now gone, as well as some extra musicians. The Tubes remain as potent as ever, with their songs still as vicious in social commentary as ever. I challenged myself to get some good concert shots in that small and uncrowded venue. Some exposures used a slow shutter speed in order to keep the flash turned off (as required by house rules).

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Fee Waybill, their lead singer, has always played different roles in the different songs that they play. Maybe since it was Halloween, they wanted to play "Mr Hate" and dress the part of a real-life Frisco killer, in this picture below.

On a lighter note, in one of the Tubes' greatest hits, Fee comes out dressed as his "hawker" character, singing the praises of the "One in a Million Girl" adult peepshow.

In one of my own favorite songs, Fee is a TV Game Show host on "What Do You Want From Life". He actually did produce an "autographed picture of Randy Mantooth", one of the objects you might want from life being given away in the mythical show. The performed song has lost a little punch, without all the stage props and dancing girls but, it is still a great song and they do it so well.

(Randy Mantooth was the dark-haired teenage heart throb TV star of "Emergency!", back in the 70's)

One of Fee's characters is a British Glam-Rock star, Quay Lewd, who is boozed and drugged, and who now is made more believable with Fee getting older. Spandex, big hair and even bigger heels showcase their showstopper number in "White Punks on Dope". Again, the Tubes pulled it off without the dancers and stage props.

Here's a view of "Quay" that doesn't show where he stuck that second microphone! You can also see how freakin' big those heels are, too. Luckily for you, I'm not going to post the "Mondo Bondage" pictures!