Concert Review :

Y&T Review
Mystic Theater, Petaluma CA
11-10-01
By Dan Wall

When they write about big rock and roll reunions in the future, the re-grouping of Bay Area rock stalwarts Y and T (once known as Yesterday and Today) will hardly register as a footnote in rock annuals.

But there are those in the know-especially here in Northern California-that feel Y and T is one of the most underrated and under-appreciated groups of all time. And with just one break, this tour might be taking place in arenas and not on the club circuit.

 The hard-rocking quartet, which now features Benicia resident Stef Burns (who also plays guitar with Huey Lewis and the News), played before a packed house at the Mystic Theater in Petaluma on Saturday night, and it seemed like 1980 all over again. Big riffs. Screaming leads. Melodic, heavy songs. And this time, with fan favorite Leonard Haze back on drums.

Haze, he of the lightning quick right foot and the big, burly drum sound, helped raise the level of this performance to those when the band was one of the hottest groups in Northern California in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Back then, the band was such a scary option for big touring groups as an opening act that they were forced out to headline packed Bay Area clubs.

When the crowds got bigger, the band took over for the Tubes as the Concord Pavilion’s annual Halloween headliner. As long as the gigs were in California, Texas, Europe or Japan, the scene was repeated over and over again-packed houses and thrilling performances. The group couldn’t get arrested in most of this country, however, and thus the band never reached the heights of some of the groups they opened for, such as Aerosmith, Montrose, Boston, Black Sabbath and Journey. Even contemporaries like Dokken, Great White, Poison and Tesla went onto bigger and better things, as Y and T retreated to the Bay, where a good time could always be found.

It all came crashing down in the mid-80’s, when Haze left the group in a haze (of booze and drugs) and original guitarist Joey Alves also took his leave. Replacements Jimmy DeGrasso (now the drummer in Megadeth) and Burns helped original members Dave Meniketti (guitar, vocals) and Phil Kennemore (bass) keep the fire burning until 1991, when Meniketti shut the whole thing down for a solo career.

Despite being one of the best guitarists you’ve never heard of, Meniketti’s solo stuff never took hold and he looked back to Y and T for solace. The band has re-grouped many times for gigs and has released two records in the past five years, but this time it looks and sounds like the old fire is back. Saturday’s performance rivals the best of the original band—and I’ve seen this group over 50 times so I should know. Meniketti was absolutely on fire, providing riffs and solos that few can match. The end solo that is tied on to what I think is his best song, “I Believe in You,” nearly brought the house down. Burns is no slouch either, his rhythm and leads easily surpassing those of the now-very ill Alves (and let me take this opportunity to wish Joey good luck in his battle with cancer).

Kennemore was always the true rock star of the group, his solid thumping and high-pitched backing vocals reminding one of the support Michael Anthony offers the Van Halen boys. And Haze is still Haze, as solid as John Bonham, and fortunately, a drug and alcohol survivor, and not a casualty.

Never much for the Kiss-like theatrical show, it was the songs that always separated this band from the pack in my opinion, and on Saturday the group played 18 classics during its two hours onstage. Kicking things off with the usual “Open Fire,” a slew of classics followed (“Struck Down, “ “Alcohol,” “Black Tiger, “ “Forever, “ “Summertime Girls, “ “Don’t Stop Running, “ “Mean Streak,” “Rescue Me”).  And for the less educated, “Dirty Girl, “ “Barroom Boogie,” “Hell or High Water” and “25 Hours a Day” were there to remind you that Y and T was more than just a hit machine.

The group sold-out this show so quickly that another is scheduled for this Friday in Petaluma. It’s sounds like there is a lot of interest (here in the Bay Area, anyway) for a full-scale reunion, and if the band can find time to juggle it’s and Burns’ schedules, we may get a full-scale tour and a record. Maybe this time, the rock crowd around this country will get it right and afford Y and T the reception it receives here and deserves everywhere.