The Heart of Rock and Roll
By Sarah Czerwonka
HLN Today Reporter
Marion, Ohio; Marion Popcorn Festival, Downtown Marion; September 10, 1999 - Even though the night was cold, Huey Lewis and the News warmed everything and everyone up with a wonderful performance. They kicked the show off with "(She's) Some Kind of Wonderful," "My Other's Woman's Got Another Man," "The Heart of Rock and Roll" with a very bluesy-harmonica intro, "Doin' it all for My Baby," and "Power of Love," where Chris blew everyone away with a very intense guitar solo.
Huey then took a quick break and introduced the News, which resulted in a lot of screams from all the women. They then sang the a capella "60 Minute Man," which made all the women scream even more. "A Little Bit of Soap" followed, where Sean had an excellent vocal solo. Huey and Co. then started rocking again with "Perfect World," and Chris had a another great guitar solo, followed by "If This Is It." The band's energy sky- rocketed with "Too Hip To Be Square," and Johnny had a great saxophone solo. The band them took a break, while Huey talked about the new CD that they just finished up. He said, "the CD is all new material, but don't get excited because it won't be out till March or April."
The band then slowed things down with "Let Her Go And Start Over," but picked right back up with "But It's Alright," and "I Want A New Drug," including more great solo work from Chris. Finally they wrapped everything up with "We're Not Here For A Long Time, But We're Here For a Good Time."
The concert ended at 9:40pm, but after chanting for a few minutes, the band came back out for an encore. By now, the audience was on their feet, dancing like crazy in the aisle. Before they started playing, Huey introduced the brass section, then launched into "Plan B," in which the audience participated, and each horn player was showcased. This was followed by "Stuck With You," which Huey dedicated to the town of Marion where he mentioned that he used to live. And finally, the band ended with "Workin' for a Livin'," and Bill showed off by doing a great drum solo.
All in all, a great time was had by everyone. Unfortunately it had to end, but even though Huey Lewis and the News weren't there for a long time, they were there for a good time.
