Chip Davis and his Mannheim Steamroller are welcome in Salt Lake City any time! That was the clear message sent by a packed house blending environmentalists with hard-core Steamroller devotees who came Saturday night to see Davis perform his Yellowstone Park benefit concert, "The Music of Nature," backed by an 80-piece orchestra.
Unfortunately, it began on a discordant note - not from the orchestra made up mostly of Utah musicians who combined with Steamroller stars Jackson Berkey on keyboards, Ron Cooley on guitar and keyboards and violinist Arnie Roth, the concertmaster. Rather, the sour note sounded when Congressman Wayne Owens took the microphone to plug his legislation aimed at putting wolves back into national parks ("There is only one recorded episode of a wolf eating a child - and that was Little Red Riding Hood and SHE lived"). Big Jim Fowler followed, giving an irritating commercial for Mutual of Omaha and "Wild Kingdom." It made more sense after intermission when the superintendent of Yellowstone Park appeared in uniform to explain why Yellowstone needs money and to thank Davis for his efforts.The concert itself was vintage Davis, building slowly and effectively from the sounds of the city to those of nature - then turning into sadness when the images of fire appeared on the 20-by-40-foot screens above the orchestra - then ending in triumph with a new Yellowstone surviving dramatically with Davis' amazing performance as percussionist.
There were some problems: The Salt Palace is not adequate to the Davis sound, and so the softer nuances of nature got lost in the dead hall, especially in the first half of the concert. There was a persistent temptation to wonder how much better it would have been in Symphony Hall with one large screen as a backdrop. In fact, it IS better at home on the stereo. Yet an appearance in the Salt Palace was undoubtedly preferable to a man who created a musical empire by selling warmed-over classics to buyers who don't know any better. He has been trying since 1974 to spoon-feed culture to baby boomers. He was successful here too, as evidenced by the great diversity of the audience, including all ages and styles.
The screens overhead seemed awkward and were placed too high for those seated on the floor to enjoy without craning their necks. The slides were disappointing and no match for the music. The built-in strobe lights, though, provided some convincing effects of nature, the most sensational of which was a startling lightning bolt that lit up the entire hall. The periodic blasts of smoke, however, were lame and seemed to be misfiring.
The contraption was reminiscent of "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," and left the strong impression that at the conclusion of the concert it would descend farther and open so that Davis and his cohorts could embark on a trip into outer space.
The highlights of the program were Steamroller's well-known "Come Home To The Sea," from Fresh Aire VI, which effectively ended the first half; Ferde Grofe's breathtaking "Grand Canyon Suite"; and the climactic number, "Return to Earth," symbolizing renewal and presenting an opportunity for Davis to hit the drums and bring the audience to its feet. The finale was like a large rock band going out of control, and the audience loved it. But there was that unsatisfied feeling when it was over, the kind that pleads, "Just play two or three trademark Mannheim Steamroller pieces from any of the incomparable Fresh Aire albums."
If you missed the concert, pick up the albums - they are better.