Paul Revere’s Raiders form a good-time oldies rock band but their concert Monday in the Savannah Center was bittersweet for Villager Ellen Stitsinger.
Paul Revere, 76, died last year after a battle with cancer. He was married to Stitsinger’s step-daughter, Eileen, for over three decades.
This was the first time since Revere’s death that Stitsinger, who lives in Amelia with her husband Don, saw the band perform. “It’s sad, in a way, but time marches on and it’s wonderful to see what Paul started will continue. For Paul, his fans and the band was his life.”
Stitsinger recalled that Revere would visit The Villages a couple times each year. “He loved coming here and he loved classic cars. There are a lot of those cars in The Villages.”
The last time Revere came here was about two years ago. “He was sick, but he always talked about music and his fans.” Stitsinger said. “On stage, Paul was crazy, but off stage, he was a quiet, sensitive person. He was an astute businessman and he really loved rock and roll.”
The Raiders, including Paul’s son Jamie on guitar, can still rock the house. Lead singer and showman extraordinaire Darren Dowler – along with Ron Foos, Doug Heath, Danny Krause and Tom Scheckel – had the Savannah Center jumping all night long.
The original Raiders hit the big time in the mid-‘60s with such hits as “Kicks,” “Indian Reservation,” “Hungry,” “Just Like Me,” “Steppin’ Out,” and “Good Thing.” Mark Lindsay was the band’s original lead singer and while Dowler couldn’t match Lindsay’s voice, he gave the group a powerful vocal and sometimes comedic presence.
Revere started with rock bands in the late 1950s. He recorded one of the earliest versions of the garage rock classic, “Louie Louie.” Revere liked to call himself “the madman of rock and roll.” The Raiders rose to national fame as the house band on Dick Clark’s TV show, “Where the Action Is.” Revere and the boys were known for their wild stage antics and glossy rock songs.
It didn’t take long for the current Raiders to kick out some serious jams. Dowler was howling into the microphone on a rollicking version of “Just Like Me.” Then came another Raiders’ classic, “Steppin’ Out,” with the stuttering wail, “you’ve been step-step-step-steppin’ out on me.”
Next came a surprise, “I’m Not Your Steppin Stone.”
“For those of you who have never seen us before, we’re the Monkees,” Dowler joked with the crowd. The Monkees had the big hit with “Steppin Stone,” but Dowler said the Raiders did the song first.
Watch video of the Raiders’ performance here:
The Raiders looked snazzy in tight black pants, high riding boots and gold and black colonial jackets, just like in the Revolutionary War days of another Paul Revere.
“Just call us old men in tights,” cracked Doug Heath.
These rocking Raiders hark back to another revolutionary time – the ‘60s, that long-gone decade of sex, drugs and rock and roll.
Paul Revere and his band helped provide the musical backdrop of that time and “Kicks” was one of the band’s deepest songs. It’s a dire warning against drug abuse and still holds up with lyrics like these:
“Well, there’s nothin’ that you ain’t tried/
To fill the emptiness inside/
When you come back down…/
Still ain’t feelin’ right/
Kicks just keep gettin’ harder to find/
And all your kicks ain’t bringin’ you peace of mind.”
The Raiders were tripping on some ‘60s’ classics. A highlight was a tribute to Vietnam veterans that included some of the songs that defined that era: “For What It’s Worth,” “We Gotta Get Out of This Place” and “Born to Be Wild.”
Dowler had a ball doing musical imitations, including Sammy Davis Jr., Tom Jones and Elvis.
The band showed its chops on a scorching sample of Led Zeppelin’s “Whole Lotta Love.”
All in all, it was a typically, wild and unpredictable Raiders show. The only thing missing was Paul Revere.
“We loved Paul and we miss him,” said Raiders fan Tina Gaines, who drove from St. Petersburg with fellow Raiders disciple Betty Hood. Both were sporting white-feathered Raiders’ hats.
“Paul made this band a lot of fun and it’s still that way,” Gaines said. “I think he would be happy.”
Villagers Alice and Tom Nicholas agreed.
“The Raiders always put on a good show and they always appreciate their fans,” Alice said. “They have a lot of crazy antics on stage, but they are outstanding musicians.”
Tom Nicholas said it’s the music “that matters. We miss Paul, but the music is still great.”
