by Jim Snyder
I saw a great show on September 18th 2021 at Summerfest in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Nationally touring funk band Turkauz appeared at the event with major rock and roll veterans with Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew would be gracing US celluar stage and we were in store for a treat!
The show was billed as Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew w/ Turkuaz Remain in the Light and I just had to go! Remain in the light is my favorite Talking Heads records. I was fortunate enough to see that show it three-times in 1981 , and Yes, Adrian Belew was the lead guitar player on that tour. His playing back then blew me away so I just had to se this show and I wanted to photograph it, also.
I have been out of the media game for a bunch of years so I called a good friend Gary Tanin in Milwaukee to see if he could help me out with getting photo access. Gary said sure I will make some calls and see how it shakes out! 2 weeks before the show I get a call from Gary and says your all in; the stage manager has you all set to shoot the whole show.
This show was so fun to photograph. I have new photographed or seen Turkuaz before but they amazingly tight on this night. Now I see why Jerry choose them for him and Adrian to fit into the fun and tight band.
Starting out the night with Psycho Killer really started the energy out right ! Then Talking Heads’ masterpiece album Remain in the Light was performed from top to bottom. You couldnt have asked for a better performance than what they gave us for the last night of Summerfest 2021.
There were a couple of tasty surprises including King Crimson’s Thela Hun Ginjeet. Another unexpected addition was Jerry Harrison’s 1988 release, Rev It Up.
This will be a show to remember for years to come . I would so like to see performance this again and again. Also, I am so thankful for all the staff at the Us Cellular stage that night as they were so helpful in every way. Marcus- you have a great staff and Gary thanks so much for the hook up.
As things turn out, this was to be among the last of a batch of performances which culminated in the unexpected implosion of the band just about six weeks later. It’s hard to say if Turkuaz will return whether in a new form or as a resurrection of the original crew, and who knows when we will see Adrian Belew and Jerry Harrison performing this music together with anyone else. Grag life by the horns and be sure to catch any shows you can these days, who knows what tomorrow may bring.
Setlist
Psycho Killer
Crosseyed and Painless
Houses in Motion
I Zimbra
Electricity (Drugs) (followed by Dave band intro)
Ophidiophobia
Born Under Punches
Cities (follwoed by Jerry intro)
Rev It Up (Jerry Harrison cover)
Slippery People
Life During Wartime
Once in a Lifetime
Take Me to the River (Al Green cover)
The Great Curve
Note: Featuring Jerry Harrison & Adrian Belew
About Turkuaz:
The Brooklyn-based nonet were Dave Brandwein [guitar, vocals], Taylor Shell [bass], Craig Brodhead [guitar, keys], Michelangelo Carubba [drums], Chris Brouwers [trumpet, keys], Greg Sanderson [tenor sax], Josh Schwartz [baritone sax, vocals], Sammi Garett [vocals], and Shira Elias [vocals]. The band known to ignite an explosion of energy punctuated by neon hues, deft musicality, and show-stopping singalongs.
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