Yardbirds - Des Plaines Theater, Des Plaines, 18/4/2025

  by Lisa Torem

published: 8 / 7 / 2025

Singer/rhythm guitarist John Idan, lead guitarist Godfrey Townshend, bassist Kenny Aronson and blues harpist/percussionist Myke Scavone were not in the scene when Jim McCarty, original drummer, co-founder of The Yardbirds,’ and his colleagues came to fame in the 1960s, but this lineup (formed in 2015) brought the famed British Invasion band’s legacy to life the last night of their 2025 tour. Fans familiar with the band’s colorful history, but who longed to hear their live music, as well as, fans who never heard he origin story came to the right place. The concert was perfectly balanced. McCarty performed on his kit later in the show but spent the first half downstage chronicling The Yardbirds’ rise to success and his own backstory. He had developed an early fascination for American culture before coming to the U.S. “It was a great dream for us to come to America, where all the gangster movies were from,” he joked. McCarty had developed an early appreciation for “roots music” which was heightened when, as a young musician, he saw Muddy Waters, Howlin’ Wolf, and other legends, perform at a National Jazz Federation concert in the UK. As the last original band member spoke, visuals on overhead screens segued from psychedelic colors and shots of London’s iconic Carnaby Street to live moments with those Chicago-based artists. That imagery ushered us back in time. Band members demonstrated iconic riffs and alternative guitar tunings reminiscent of guitar greats: Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and Jeff Beck, who polished their skill sets with The Yardbirds before forming solo careers. We also heard full-blown arrangements, like, ‘Heart Full of Soul’ (he Yardbird’s first single), featuring Townshend’s dazzling electric guitar solos. This song reflected Indian musical influences of the era. McCarty namechecked Graham Gouldman, the British songwriter who also wrote ‘For Your Love,’ a harpsichord-centric tune that employed unique tempo changes. The Yardbirds got their big break at The Crawdaddy Club in Richmond when the Rolling Stones toured, and the venue needed a house band. They had already developed an outstanding repertoire but what really sold the management was the “rave-up.” Earlier in the month, I asked McCarty about the origins of this phenomenon. Tonight, he shared what I learned with the audience: “Paul Samwell-Smith [the original Yardbirds’ bass player] would double-up the time on bass, build to a crescendo and bring it all down.” He also emphasized that the band would then drop down quietly, and that this crowd--pleasing antic excited their audience night after night. Like clockwork, bassist, Kenny Aronson followed McCarty’s cue, and within seconds, the lineup reenacted the “rave-up” to the crowd’s delight. As super fans know, The Yardbirds were ground zero for legendary guitarists: Eric Clapton, Jimmy Page, and Jeff Beck, who went on to form successful solo careers. Regarding the early days with Clapton, McCarty talked about the early, ensemble process: “We developed a style playing all the blues records,” but also explained that Clapton left the band because the band was open to multiple styles; Clapton focused on the blues. McCarty exclaimed that after Clapton left, “we were struggling without a guitar player.” They asked Jimmy Page, future Led Zeppelin lead guitarist to join the band. At first, Page handled the bass until Chris Dreja took over. McCarty described Page as a musician who created “lots of weird, psychedelic sounds.” Jeff Beck would leave the band, too. “He put all his emotions into his music,” McCarty said, but was otherwise hard to reach. Their early tour dates were full of surprises—they played a state fair, surrounded by corndog kiosks, a giant Ferris wheel and only a handful of people. They were excited to go to Disneyland but were denied access because of their long hair. When they got to Memphis, Tennessee to meet Sam Philips, former producer of Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Carl Perkins, they found out, “Sam was out fishing.” The band went home with empty pockets but found new management with Giorgio Gomelsky. Suddenly the band station wagon got replaced by a blue Corvette. The music was extraordinary, and with McCarty’s detailed narration, many myths were set straight. For example, while ‘Dazed and Confused’ has often been attributed to Led Zeppelin, it actually took root with The Yardbirds and was based on a folk arrangement by Jake Holmes. To clarify, Townshend isolated the haunting riff that made ‘Dazed and Confused’ such a beloved hit, before the band went into full tilt for that piece de resistance. The ‘White Summer’ instrumental made famous by Jimmy Page also garnered attention as a model for discussion and was performed with Aronson’s slap bass and double drums. The progressive, ‘Happenings Ten Years Time Ago,’ released in 1966 was a fitting homage to a psychedelic and open-minded era. And along those lines ’ ‘Shapes of Things,’ an exploration of environmental Armageddon, written by the original members: McCarty, Keith Relf and Paul Samwell-Smith, plus the follow-up, ‘Over Under Sideways Down’ featured John Idan’s exceptional phrasing and Townshend’s electronic effects. ‘For Your Love’ with Scavone slamming the bongos got the audience roaring for more. Bo Didley’s, ‘I’m a Man’ also got Scavone onstage, this time, on blues-harp. Tiny Bradshaw’s ‘Train Kept a Rollin’’ aligned with fantastic visual images, and ‘Evil Hearted You’ by the afore-mentioned Graham Gouldman were choice covers. Mike and Brian Huggs’ ’You’re a Better Man Than I,’ which opened The Yardbirds’ 1965 album ’Having a Rave Up with the Yardbirds’ was an expansive piece which brought out the best of each musician. From beginning to end, the show was pure magic, and in part, a tribute to Chicagoland, with McCarty exploding on the kit on ‘Smokestack Lightning’ and more. The Yardbirds spent their last night on tour with Chicagoland fans, exalting our blues heroes, honoring their own history and sharing trade secrets. I can’t wait until they’re back.

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