Gillioz Theatre

Daredevils were well worth the wait
Ozark Mountain Daredevils' "revival" concert lives up to well-deserved hype.

Michael A. Brothers
News-Leader

It's nice when something long in the making actually lives up the hype. It's even nicer when the hype has to do with some hometown heroes.

I attended the Ozark Mountain Daredevils' third and final "revival" concert Saturday night at the Gillioz Theater. I brought my wife and parents, who were fans of the group back in its 1970s heyday.

For them and for the majority of the 1,100 people in the gorgeously renovated Gillioz that night, the show was a quarter-century in the making, as five of the six original members were on stage together playing in the band's hometown for the first time since late '70s.

We could sense the party atmosphere from the moment we stepped into the theater, as people were shouting friends' names from across the lobby and giving hugs and handshakes.

The dimming of the lights brought loud applause and a few shrieks of anticipation.

A brief and fiery introduction from "the Rev." Jim Wunderle, Good Book in hand, set the stage for the revival and fired up the crowd. The curtain rose, and we were riding on a "Chicken Train."

Good music knows no timestamp, and once the show began it didn't matter when you'd first heard these songs, only that we were hearing the five songwriters playing and singing them now. It was my first time seeing the Daredevils, in any form, play live.

Randle Chowning, Larry Lee, Steve Cash, John Dillon and Michael "Supe" Granda were backed by "sparedevils" Kelly Brown on keys, Ron Gremp on drums and Dave Painter on guitar. The group played for nearly three hours, taking only a brief break for an intermission.

There were dozens of classics from throughout the band's recording career, from "Standin' On the Rock" and "Black Sky" from the band's debut album to "Dream-O" from the 1997 album "13." "Southern Cross," "You Made It Right," "Homemade Wine," "It Couldn't Be Better" and "Jackie Blue" were there, too.

The sight lines in the Gillioz were fantastic, but the sound took a while to lock in. Cash's harmonica was tough to hear at times, as was Dillon's mouthbow on "Chicken Train." But overall the sound quality was solid through most of the show.

Many songs featured the classic three-part harmonies of Chowning, Lee and Dillon, which was one of the band's biggest strengths of its '70s recordings.

Ironically it was a new song, "The Vine and the Rose" that best showcased the three voices together.

Though the lyrics were written by Cash and Chowning some 30 years ago, they were never set to music until now. The spare, haunting melody sounded like it was just unearthed from a time capsule.

There were about a half dozen new songs, some of them very new. Dillon's soft-spoken "Mine and Yours" was a reflection on life, love and change. Chowning's rocking "Tornado Alley" featured an organ whirlwind from Brown, and Granda's "Ode to Mel Bay" lightened the mood.

Personally, I like hearing a few new songs when I see a band live.

But I'm also a music geek who counts "stuff I've never heard before" as one of my favorite "types" of music. Given the reunion feeling of the evening, many others probably just wanted to hear the old songs they knew, but the crowd obliged either way.

My mom commented at one point that she'd love to have a recording of those new songs, and I'm sure she's not the only one.

I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Painter's versatile guitar playing. The original members of the band will be quick to point out that they are songwriters, not ace musicians, and the addition of Painter brought a tasty melodic element to nearly every song, especially the extended coda of "Jackie Blue," which closed the first set.

With the crowd on its feet and clapping, the Daredevils closed the second set with "If You Wanna Get to Heaven" then finished the show with an encore by playing "It'll Shine When It Shines."

That was wholly appropriate. Just like the "good old boy that's learned to wait" in the song, the fans at the Gillioz on Saturday learned that some things are worth waiting for.

Those who weren't able to attend can watch "Live at the Gillioz: The Ozark Mountain Daredevils" at 8 p.m. Saturday on the Ozarks CW (channel 15 broadcast; channel 5 on Mediacom).

This site brought to you by

Ronald and Nancy Reagan Center Jim D. Morris Arts Building Gillioz Theatre
325 Park Central East Springfield, MO 65806 417-863-7843


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Daredevils were well worth the wait Ozark Mountain Daredevils' "revival" concert lives up to well-deserved hype. Michael A. Brothers News-Leader It's nice when something long in the making actually lives up the hype. It's even nicer when the hype has to do with some hometown heroes. I attended the Ozark Mountain Daredevils' third and final "revival" concert Saturday night at the Gillioz Theater. I brought my wife and parents, who were fans of the group back in its 1970s heyday. For them and for the majority of the 1,100 people in the gorgeously renovated Gillioz that night, the show was a quarter-century in the making, as five of the six original members were on stage together playing in the band's hometown for the first time since late '70s. We could sense the party atmosphere from the moment we stepped into the theater, as people were shouting friends' names from across the lobby and giving hugs and handshakes. The dimming of the lights brought loud applause and a few shrieks of anticipation. A brief and fiery introduction from "the Rev." Jim Wunderle, Good Book in hand, set the stage for the revival and fired up the crowd. The curtain rose, and we were riding on a "Chicken Train." Good music knows no timestamp, and once the show began it didn't matter when you'd first heard these songs, only that we were hearing the five songwriters playing and singing them now. It was my first time seeing the Daredevils, in any form, play live. Randle Chowning, Larry Lee, Steve Cash, John Dillon and Michael "Supe" Granda were backed by "sparedevils" Kelly Brown on keys, Ron Gremp on drums and Dave Painter on guitar. The group played for nearly three hours, taking only a brief break for an intermission. There were dozens of classics from throughout the band's recording career, from "Standin' On the Rock" and "Black Sky" from the band's debut album to "Dream-O" from the 1997 album "13." "Southern Cross," "You Made It Right," "Homemade Wine," "It Couldn't Be Better" and "Jackie Blue" were there, too. The sight lines in the Gillioz were fantastic, but the sound took a while to lock in. Cash's harmonica was tough to hear at times, as was Dillon's mouthbow on "Chicken Train." But overall the sound quality was solid through most of the show. Many songs featured the classic three-part harmonies of Chowning, Lee and Dillon, which was one of the band's biggest strengths of its '70s recordings. Ironically it was a new song, "The Vine and the Rose" that best showcased the three voices together. Though the lyrics were written by Cash and Chowning some 30 years ago, they were never set to music until now. The spare, haunting melody sounded like it was just unearthed from a time capsule. There were about a half dozen new songs, some of them very new. Dillon's soft-spoken "Mine and Yours" was a reflection on life, love and change. Chowning's rocking "Tornado Alley" featured an organ whirlwind from Brown, and Granda's "Ode to Mel Bay" lightened the mood. Personally, I like hearing a few new songs when I see a band live. But I'm also a music geek who counts "stuff I've never heard before" as one of my favorite "types" of music. Given the reunion feeling of the evening, many others probably just wanted to hear the old songs they knew, but the crowd obliged either way. My mom commented at one point that she'd love to have a recording of those new songs, and I'm sure she's not the only one. I'd be remiss if I didn't mention Painter's versatile guitar playing. The original members of the band will be quick to point out that they are songwriters, not ace musicians, and the addition of Painter brought a tasty melodic element to nearly every song, especially the extended coda of "Jackie Blue," which closed the first set. With the crowd on its feet and clapping, the Daredevils closed the second set with "If You Wanna Get to Heaven" then finished the show with an encore by playing "It'll Shine When It Shines." That was wholly appropriate. Just like the "good old boy that's learned to wait" in the song, the fans at the Gillioz on Saturday learned that some things are worth waiting for. Those who weren't able to attend can watch "Live at the Gillioz: The Ozark Mountain Daredevils" at 8 p.m. Saturday on the Ozarks CW (channel 15 broadcast; channel 5 on Mediacom). This site brought to you by Ronald and Nancy Reagan Center Jim D. Morris Arts Building Gillioz Theatre 325 Park Central East Springfield, MO 65806 417-863-7843