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Looking for Superman?
Dee Allen's Bright Idea @Tsunami, 12-16-04
Musical super-heroes seem to be a thing of the past, but if you are in Branson when you catch Dee Allen's Bright Idea, you will find they still exist. From the classics of the 70's & 80's that we all know and love, to Dee's original songs, the show never slows down. Not the type of music you usually find in Branson, they are fulfilling a niche the children of the 70's yearn to hear. The band is made up of Dee Allen on lead vocals and guitar, Brad Allen - drums, Matt Hanshaw - lead guitar and Scott Lancaster on bass. They recently performed at Tsunami on December 16th and plan to return on a monthly basis in 2005. Tsunami has recently expanded and now the acoustics are more balanced and the band sounded great!
The show is a series of twists and turns from songs you know and love, like "Miss You", "Hysteria", "In The Dark" and "Heart-Shaped Box", mixed with great originals like "Angel Of Seduction" and "Drowning Pool". Dee's originals show real emotions and are songs that the crowds get behind. One listener came up to me and said "They play the kind of music I love to hear, the older songs as well as great new ones - we have to support the new up-and-coming bands!" (This just proves that Dee needs to record another CD)
With strong lyrics and deep, dark emotions, Dee's songs are reminiscent of the great guitar bands of the 70's and 80's. "The Happy Song" is one of my personal favorites, asking the question, "Do you need me to make you happy?" It is definitely a song which I can relate to as I often ponder that very thought. "Worry Like I Do" is a driving rock song with a tune that is unique and inspirational, and powerful lyrics about the blissful ignorance of today's average joe.
Some of the known hits played included the classic 80's tune "Twilight Zone" which sounded better than I ever remember it - and the crowd was up and dancing the night away. Scott Lancaster took over on lead vocals during the Cars hit "My Best Friends Girl", while Brad Allen really got with it on drums! The KISS song "Sure Know Something" got all the gals up and line dancing (Jackie Hanshaw, you're good - I didn't know that was possible) This version was worth listening to. Not a huge KISS fan, I went looking for the cd the next day with this song on it. You can almost always count on hearing a Kings X song, as Dee believes they are one of the greatest bands in the world. They played "Believe", which Jimmy Ponder joined in on harmony vocals; Matt Hanshaw played an incredible guitar solo and is always a crowd pleaser. Dee does an excellent job on vocals with the ballad "Fields of Gold"! It is much better than any recorded version I own and could make any woman melt (Especially looking at this hot set of men on stage!).
At the end of the evening the whole place was chanting for an encore,
which the band was more than happy to oblige. Indiscriminate in their music,
this band can go from ballads to blues to classic rock and keep the house
rockin' all night without missing a beat! If you've never been to heaven,
check out Dee Allen's Bright Idea. Once you arrive it is a roller coaster
of music you'll want to ride all night long.
-Nicole Bandell
