Music DVD Review: Dispatch - Dispatch Zimbabwe - Live At Madison Square Garden - Page 2

As each band member is a multi-instrumentalist, there was shuffling back and forth between guitar and bass on the part of Chad and Pete, and with Braddigan coming out from behind his drum set on occasion (unfortunately the press kit sent out with the advance DVD didn't include credits and I didn't catch the replacement drummer's name) to play guitar and contribute lead vocals, the band's sound continually underwent subtle shifts. Musically they sound as if they took a quick tour of Jamaica to pick up some Ska and Reggae licks, swung through New Orleans and New York and learned a little funk, stopped off in England to hear electric Blues from forty years ago, threw it all up in the air and grabbed which ever bit felt right for the moment.

On the surface that sounds as if it should be a right cacophony; maybe in the hands of lesser musicians it would have been, but these guys made it work. Now it may sound obvious, but the key is that these three guys genuinely listen to each other while they're playing. It doesn't hurt that none of them is the "lead," except in terms of who happens to be singing lead vocal at a particular moment. That means they all take equal responsibility for a songs success or failure.

Yet, what really makes these guys such a joy to watch is the complete lack of pretense and attitude. These guys couldn't do rock star casual, cool if you paid them. It's hard to tell who's more excited about the concert, them or their rabid fans. I don't remember the last time I've watched band members on stage actually look like they are having fun, while at the same time appreciating the magnitude of what they have accomplished. Exuberance seems like too tame a word to describe them on stage but since I can't think of anything else it will have to do.

Of course they played those concerts for a purpose those three nights back in July, to raise money for and awareness about the current situation in Zimbabwe. To help them out they had some special guests come in from Africa for the shows. Bongo Love is a percussion group whose members play traditional Zimbabwe instruments and they did two incredible numbers with the boys. But I think the ones who stole everybody's hearts were the kids from the African Children's Choir. Made up of children from three of Africa's hardest hit countries, Rwanda, Uganda, and Zimbabwe, they joined the band on stage for three songs and led the audience through participatory singing.

Article Author: Richard Marcus

Richard Marcus is the author of the forthcoming book What Will Happen In Eragon IV? and has had his work published in print and on line all over the world. The not so long-haired Canadian iconoclast writes reviews and opines on the world as he sees …

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