The Van Buren, Phoenix, June 3, 2019
They are one of my all time favorites. But I didn’t know what to expect. I’ve seen the Specials before. But the ’90s version without Terry. And they were fun. But as much as Roddy tried singing lead, there was something missing without Terry’s distinctive tone. So I was concerned at this version has been reduced even more. Neville moved on due to health issues and Roddy moved on for reasons more personality driven (from what I hear). The Specials are now Terry, Lynval, and Horace. How would they fare? I love their new album, Encore. I love that it is political, that it has poignant covers, and is diverse. It feels like a better follow up to their eponymous debut than “More Specials” was. And I got my answer….live, they were even better than I had hoped.
So with a new lineup and a new album that plays a big part of the setlist, how would they be? Impressive. Fun. And relevant. While they may be missing Neville’s energy and Roddy’s knock kneed solos, the three Specials left are not missing a beat. Lynval is just cool doing double time with rhythm guitar and filling in for Neville, both vocally and by working the crowd. And no one looks like they are enjoying themselves as much as Horace. But this is Terry’s band. And his voice makes the songs work. And even though he really didn’t seem like he wanted to be there, that’s Terry and The Specials and we wouldn’t have had it any other way. He’s an introvert, awkward, shuns the spotlight. And I love it. Imagine The Specials with Terry running around like David Lee Roth…see it doesn’t work.
Their setlist was quite a mix with classics, a few lesser known from the second album, a b-side, and new stuff (that includes a Fun Boy Three cover). And it all worked. While I’ll always jump for “Gansters” or “Rudy”, a couple of highlights are from the new record, Encore. I loved the cover/remake of Fun Boy Three’s “The Lunatics…”. Unfortunately it as relevant today as ever. And Saffiyah Khan joining them to rightly call out Prince Buster’s “10 Commandments” with their own new version was certainly appropriate. If you don’t know of her, read up on her story. From Lynval’s opening “Warning, warning, nuclear attack…” to the crowd singing along to “you’re wondering now what to do now your know this is the end…” it was a great night of old and new. And all of it was relevant.
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/the-specials/2019/the-van-buren-phoenix-az-391ad23.html