Tom Ciurczak at Molly Malone's, 8-8-25 Concert Review

Tom Ciurczak playing "The Watcher"

My two passions (apart from the special people in my life) are music and Shakespeare, and occasionally the two are combined. Tom Ciurczak's new album is titled Yorick, named after the jester in Hamlet who is reduced to a chapless skull, a stark reminder of where we're all heading, which Hamlet encounters just before four major characters, including Hamlet himself, meet their own demise. I ended up really liking the title track, but there were others songs on the album, unrelated to Shakespeare, that I enjoyed even more. And last night I got a chance to see Tom perform some of those songs at Molly Malone's.

"The Watcher"

Tom Ciurczak performs in a six-person band, and at 9 o'clock his band mates were ready, playfully calling for Tom to come to the stage. A moment later Tom strapped on his guitar, donned his shades, and, after a bit of tuning, was ready to go. Tom opened the set with "The Watcher," the lead track from Yorick, a perfect way to get things in motion. Afterward, he turned to his band mates and said, "Okay, let's rock this place." Backing vocalist Melissa Robin asked for more Tom in her monitor, and some folks in the audience picked up on it, joyfully hollering, "More Tom." "The Watcher" was followed by "Wild One," which also follows it on the new album. The song featured some great stuff by Ken Harrill on lead guitar. The band then played "All Night Long," which had a great rock beat. This is a song from Tom Ciurczak's I Ain't Ever Growing Up Volume I. By the way, bass player Phil Stein was sporting a T-shirt that read, "I ain't ever growing up." I enjoyed watching him attack that bass throughout the set. "All Night Long" had a cool section where each of the band members got a moment to shine. That was followed by another song from the new album, "Malleus Maleficarum," with Tom first mentioning the new release.

"Mine Torne Road"

In introducing "Mexican Jail," Tom said they were now going to have some fun, and he wasn't kidding. Really, the whole set was fun, but this was a particularly enjoyable number. It comes from I Ain't Ever Growing Up Volume II. It was followed by "Mine Torne Road," from Call Me Ishmael, a song in the great tradition of Bruce Springsteen, and featuring some good stuff by Chris McKinney on keyboard. That song led straight into "Small Town Girls," the lead track from I Ain't Ever Growing Up Volume II, and another highlight of the set. That was followed by "Bonnie And Clyde," a song with a great energy, particularly to the vocal work. Tom then played "Where Do I Belong," one of my favorite songs from the new album. It was great getting a chance to see him play this one. Tom then concluded the set with "I Ain't Ever Growing Up," first mentioning that it is the song they usually choose to close their shows. "So here we go." The energy was high for this one too.

Set List

1. The Watcher
2. Wild One
3. All Night Long
4. Malleus Maleficarum
5. Mexican Jail
6. Mine Torne Road >
7. Small Town Girls
8. Bonnie And Clyde
9. Where Do I Belong
10. I Ain't Ever Growing Up

Here are a few more photos from the show:

"The Watcher"

"The Watcher"

"Wild One"

"Malleus Maleficarum"

"Mine Torne Road"

"Where Do I Belong"

"I Ain't Ever Growing Up"

Molly Malone's Irish Pub is located at 575 South Fairfax Ave. in Los Angeles, California.