The band War brought their classic California funk rock sound to the Bears Den, inside the Seneca Niagara Casino, in Niagara Falls, NY, on Saturday night. War has gone through many line-up changes since the band began in the late 1960s, leaving Leroy “Lonnie” Jordan (lead vocals, keyboards) as the only original member currently in the band. Lonnie has a band of excellent musicians backing him up, including Buffalo, New York native Stuart Ziff on guitar. Sal Rodriquez (drums/vocals), Fernando Harkles (saxophone/flute), Marcos Reyes (percussion), Francisco “Pancho” Tomaselli (bass) and Stan Behrens (harmonica) round out the group.
War took the stage a few minutes after 8:00 PM and played a solid two hour set. Their laid-back funk vibe began with “Me and Baby Brother” and not far into the show, Lonnie took a seat in the first row as the audience sang the chorus for “The Cisco Kid.” The band did not follow any particular set list. Instead, they seemed to “feel” their way through the music. Lonnie is quite the showman. He offered up comedic references between songs and even rendered a glass of wine from a fan during “Spill The Wine.” He also noted that he did his drinking in the 70s and no longer imbibes. An extended version of each song was played, making it feel like you were watching a private a jam session, complete with fun ad-libbed lyrics at times. The intimate setting of the Bears Den helped to create a “private showing” atmosphere.
Fernando Harkles was absolutely amazing on the saxophone and playing the sax in unison with Stan Behrens on the harmonica made for great melodies. That blending of instruments, in my opinion, is what gives the band its unique sound. Drummer Sal Rodriquez sang “So” and his voice was smooth and powerful. Lonnie’s vocals were also spot on. Although each member of the band had shining moments throughout the show, “Low Rider” was the song to catch as the band was introduced and each member did a solo. The musicianship was fantastic and the audience was thunderous when guitarist Stuart Ziff was introduced. Lonnie made a point to tell the crowd that Stuart was from Buffalo but he now resides in California.
This was a fun concert. The vibe was great and it was apparent that the band was also having a great time. It was one of the tightest “jam” sessions I’ve ever seen or heard. A medley of songs was played within “Low Rider,” including the Star Spangled Banner on harmonica and musical snippets from “Sunshine Of Your Love” (Cream), “Iron Man” (Black Sabbath) and “Hey Joe” (Billy Roberts). Upon Lonnie’s introduction, he hopped off the stage and ran up and down the isle high-fiving fans while singing “I Want To Take You Higher” before wrapping things up with more “Low Rider” and exiting the stage. War fan or not, this band is definitely worth seeing live.
Set List:
Me and Baby Brother
Slippin’ Into Darkness
The Cisco Kid
The World is a Ghetto
Get Down
Spill the Wine
Galaxy
So (Sung by Sal Rodriquez)
All Day Music
Bollero
Why Can’t We Be Friends
Low Rider(band intros and solos)
Star Spangled Banner
Sunshine of your Love (Cream cover)
Iron Man (Black Sabbath cover)
Hey Joe (Billy Roberts cover)
I Want to Take You Higher (Sly and the Family Stone cover)
Low Rider (reprise)
We would like to thank Tony Astran from the Seneca Niagara Casino for allowing BackstageAxxess.com to review the show.
