Concert review: Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger

Overall the band gave stellar musical performances and the instrumental segments were definitely the most enjoyable part of the show.

By ELANA KIRSH
Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger (photo credit: Elana Kirsh)
Ray Manzarek and Robbie Krieger
(photo credit: Elana Kirsh)
Israeli fans of The Doors got a taste, but not necessarily a good one, of the evocative 1960s band on Tuesday night, when organist Ray Manzarek and guitarist Robbie Krieger performed at Tel Aviv’s Hangar 11. Though Jim Morrison look-a-like Dave Brock did a decent job as frontman, there was no avoiding the fact that something, or more accurately someone, was missing. Coming off as something of a dark, aged cover band, the group may have fit in better at a crowded pub, especially when they invited the Israeli winner of a Jim Morrison impersonator competition to perform “Love me two times” on stage with the band.
The surprisingly young crowd didn’t seem to mind though, for the most part, with the usual sea of LCD screens capturing bootleg clips and photos throughout the show.
The band made a dramatic entrance to Carl Orff's “O Fortuna,” then opened with “Roadhouse Blues” followed by “Break on through,” to thunderous applause. Other highlights included Doors classics “When the music’s over” and “Alabama song (Whiskey bar),” and a psychedelic cover of Van Morrison's “Gloria.” For the encore, the group played a drawn-out “Riders of the storm,” complete with obvious storm footage, and an energetic “Light my fire.”
For the Israel element, Krieger told the crowd that he’s “the Jewish one in the group” and commented that he had family members in the audience. For his part, Manzarek gave a short, rambling monologue about “making love not war,” inserting a half-hearted “even in the Gaza Strip,” which led onto a montage of violent arrest scenes, vintage cars, naked women to “LA woman.”
Overall, Manzarek and Krieger, as well as drummer Ty Dennis and bassist Phil Chen, gave stellar musical performances, and the instrumental segments were definitely the most enjoyable part of the show. For Doors enthusiasts, the group is worth seeing, but with tickets at NIS 380 each, probably just for the serious fans.
Hangar 11, Tel Aviv, July 5