Story & Photographs by Diane Fleischman
It was a near sold out crowd Friday night at Musikfest Café, opener, William H Travis, from North Bethlehem, warmed up an anxious crowd on acoustic guitar.
Making their Bethlehem debut, L.A. based, Dennis Quaid and the Sharks, headlined the evening.
Many audience members must have questioned, is this another actor to hop on the rock and roll bandwagon? Or maybe a musician who became an actor, along the likes of Juliette Lewis or Johnny Depp? With over 50 movie credits under his belt, and a serious interest in music since his pre-teen years, Quaid has proven he’s got the chops to rock.
Dennis Quaid and The Sharks, dubbed ‘Country Soul’, formed seventeen years ago, and initially kept their shows in California. It was Quaid’s son, who named the band ‘The Sharks’, as Quaid once remarked he was grateful his son wasn’t into dinosaurs at that time.
Quaid, as the front man, offered a strong stage presence, as he covered the stage corner to corner, and at one moment, left the stage and ran a full lap through the Café without missing a note on his guitar. He danced, and his facial and body gestures were large. And while one may think he brought his acting creed to the stage, it became obvious that this was Quaid having fun. At 63 years old, it was an amazing feat to watch Quaid’s non-stop energy.
The musical selection was a mix of Shark original tunes, and classic cover songs which seemed chronically placed in order from the 50’s to the 80’s, that included: “Not Fade Away”(Buddy Holly), “Good Man, Bad Boy”, “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On”(Jerry Lee Lewis), “Riders on the Storm”, “L.A. Woman”, (The Doors), and “Should I Stay or Should I Go” (The Clash). The set closed with “Gloria” (Van Morrison) and the audience sang along.
Dennis Quaid and The Sharks returned for a two-song encore, closing the show with “Great Balls of Fire” (Jerry Lee Lewis). As this band continues on a national tour, with scrutiny on Quaid to follow, it can’t be overlooked that this band as a unit, with seventeen years of history performing together is rock solid, and will make sure everyone (including themselves) has a great time.
