Whenever I think about going to see the musical heroes of my youth, especially if it’s been a while since I’ve seen them perform live, I always experience the same tension — do I go hoping they can still capture their former magic, perhaps for the last time? Or will they leave me sad for what they once were? Would I be better off just staying home and listening to the music that made them matter to me in the first place?
Graham Parker is 75 years old. His first album, Howlin’ Wind, was released 50 years ago. I think the last time I saw him perform was 30-40 years ago. What would a Parker performance be like today?
In short, it was perfect. He didn’t take the standard approach many aging rockers take, of adding extra musicians to his band to provide some of the missing energy. Instead, he stepped onstage solo at Rams Head On Stage with an acoustic guitar, said, “Good Evening,” and spent the next hour and a half playing a beautiful overview of a formidable career. The former so-called angry young man still sounds great, plays some fine guitar, and is a very engaging entertainer. He still squeezes out the sparks when needed, and he’s a delightfully funny storyteller. His only apparent concession to age is a fingerless glove and a special guitar pick with “a liquid added to them to make them kinda join in with your flesh — something to do with human endocrine juice” to help with some problems with his right hand.
He also did not play a greatest hits set on May 2. In fact, he only played a few of his hit singles. Howlin’ Wind featured prominently in the set, including “White Honey,” “Lady Doctor,” “Silly Thing,” “Between You and Me,” “Not If It Pleases Me,” and “Don’t Ask Me Questions.” Several songs, such as “Ancient Past,” “Lost Track of Time,” and the newly written “I Live in the Past,” provoked observations about aging and the passage of time. He mentioned that he remembers the songs from the first five records, and the last two. But he also included songs from his 40-year “middle period.”
Several songs were starkly relevant, including “Short Memories,” a song that “sadly, will never go out of date.” He added a cover of The Rolling Stones’ “Dead Flowers” in honor of playing on Kentucky Derby Day.
“Ancient Past” and “High Horse” featured a kazoo, which he revealed he learned from “a kazoo teacher named Feng Shui at a secretive Buddhist enclave in Trenton, New Jersey.” He also sprinkled in some tasty harmonica, which led to a funny moment at the start of the encore when he inadvertently began “Back in Time” with the harmonic part from Neil Young’s “Heart of Gold” — and he had to stop and remember his own harmonica part. “I think I stole it, didn’t I?,” he laughed.
Watch Graham Parker perform “Ancient Past” live for Paste Studios on YouTube:
Parker switched to a Fender Telecaster for the second, electric, half of the show.
As he described the start of his career, “Prog rock ruled in England in 1976. I was trying to destroy it even though I’d been listening to it a year or two whilst staring at the ceiling watching it change shape to Pink Floyd.” Parker explained that he was a “stoner for life” because of Steve Miller, because it was only possible to read the title on the cover of Children of the Future if you were stoned. But, musically, he wanted people to “stand up and dance. Enough of this inside stuff. You can still get stoned but you can stand up and dance.”
Parker, who has himself written several books, is the subject of new book by Jay Nachman — Graham Parker’s Howlin’ Wind, which tells the story of the making of that first album. He also mentioned that he has a new live album, Five Old Souls, coming out backed up by The Goldtops, The Rumour Brass, and his old Rumour bandmate Martin Belmont that’s “pretty fuckin’ rockin’, I’ll tell you that.” Both are available at his website.
The concert ended with an encore of the previously mentioned “Back in Time” and “Don’t Let It Break You Down,” from The Mona Lisa’s Sister, and a singalong to the original reggae-style version of “Don’t Ask Me Questions” from Howlin’ Wind.
Did I make the right choice? Absolutely. In Parker’s own words, “You’ve come to see me. You must be pretty fucking smart.”
Here are some pictures of Graham Parker performing live at Rams Head on Stage on Sept. 2, 2026. All photos copyright and courtesy of Steve Satzberg.
Loved your review Steve. I too wrestle with the fear that my love of an artist will be tarnished if I go and see them when their powers have diminished. Great to hear that GP is still sparking. I’m jealous you got the chance to see him. I’d love it if he could get out here to Australia in the not too distant future. That said maybe you know something we don’t. Your review ends with your terrific photos from the Rams Head gig which you say was on September 2nd 2026. September 2nd is my birthday and unless I’ve lost four months somewhere it hasn’t happened yet. Maybe GP will get over here and I’m in for a special birthday gift this year?!
Thanks for the kind review of a great singer songwriter. I found him in the late 70’s as I was lounging on the North Shore of Oahu squeezing out a little spark of Aloha. Follow him to the Long Beach Arena in So Cal early 80’s and was fortunate to see him at the Roxy w the reformed Rumour during the 3 Chords Good and Paul Rudd time. Then last week in the inti”mate” setting of the 150 seat world famous McCabe’s Guitar Store in Santa Monica he was his feisty old self of stories and songs. Lots of good Graham we didn’t know about and the $35 guitar pick he was selling all set . He went through the catalog of a career in 1 1/2 hours with a extraordinary vocal performance like a young lad south of London
Thanks Graham for coming West and can’t wait to read the book while
Iistening to the new vinyl I purchased at the table. Lots of Parkerilla’s were smiling after that Gig with Graham ❤️