Holland Greco at Gold Diggers, 10-29-19 Concert Review

Holland Greco performing "Saint"

Last night, Boys School, led by guitarist and vocalist Brett Farkas, put on a special show at Gold Diggers in Hollywood. It was a benefit for My Friend’s Place, which helps shelter local homeless youth. It was also a Halloween party, and for the occasion Boys School was called Boys School Zombie Prom Band. Holland Greco got the night off to a fantastic start with a set designed to get folks dancing and smiling. She had a full band backing her, including a horn section. Her set featured mostly original material, though of course there was one Misfits song to help celebrate the upcoming holiday.

At 8:14 p.m., Holland Greco took the stage, and the band wasted no time with introductions or tuning, getting right to the music and positive vibes with “I Found Love.” This is a song for which Holland & Clark released a goofy and delightful video a while back, and if you haven’t seen it yet, you should check it out. “I Found Love” was an excellent choice for set opener, setting the tone for the evening, and featuring a seriously wonderful vocal performance. “I’m not concerned with carrying around the weight of the world.” Holland was on keys for this song, and for most of the set actually, playing her electric ukulele on only a couple of tunes. She followed “I Found Love” with “Lovestruck,” which began with a cool groove on bass to get people moving. And soon a fun disco beat was developed. This venue, by the way, had a spinning disco ball above the dance floor, surrounded by four golden globes, adding to the festive atmosphere. “It’s Tuesday, but it’s close to Halloween, so it’s like a holiday week,” Holland told the crowd after “Lovestruck,” gently urging them to let loose. “Toast To Life” also began with a strong groove. How can you not be affected by that bass line?

“Saint” is one of my personal favorites of Holland’s new material, and it was a lot of fun last night, even though that song did not feature that great horn section. “So hot, so hot.” Things got funky there toward the end. And, yes, Holland did make use of her fan prop. She followed that with a much older song, “Flashback,” one I am always happy to hear. I was particularly fond of what the horns brought to the song last night. Holland then switched from keys to electric ukulele for an excellent rendition of “Guilty Pleasure Zone,” a song that she played during the soundcheck and one for which she has changed her approach somewhat. I’ve always enjoyed this song, but I think it now sounds better than ever before. It was one of the highlights of the set for me.

Halloween is the best holiday of the year (followed closely by St. Patrick’s Day), and Holland Greco helped get the crowd into the spirit of the holiday with a cool Misfits cover, “Hollywood Babylon.” She played electric ukulele on this one too, adding a few interesting touches on it I don’t recall hearing her do before. She followed that with “We Could Still (Get It On),” her new single, which is available on vinyl. “We put a lot of heart and soul and love into the making of it, the writing of it, the recording of it, everything, so I’m happy to play it for you guys tonight,” Holland told the audience. The song has some soul, a bit of funk, and a lot of joy. She also delivered a thoroughly enjoyable rendition of “What Is Dark.” “Don’t give up on our love/Don’t give up on me.” She then wrapped up her set with the bright and cheerful “Real Love,” another song to get folks dancing. But Holland was not quite done, for she joined Boys School on tambourine for “Spooky,” and then sang lead on “He’s A Rebel.” Yeah, Boys School’s set last night featured a lot of classic rock and pop tunes, most of them fitting the holiday, such as “I Put A Spell On You.” It was a fun night, to be sure.

Holland Greco’s Set List

1. I Found Fun
2. Lovestruck
3. Toast To Life
4. Saint
5. Flashback
6. Guilty Pleasure Zone
7. Hollywood Babylon
8. We Could Still (Get It On)
9. What Is Dark
10. Real Love

Here are a few photos from her set:

"Toast To Life"

"Saint"

 

"Guilty Pleasure Zone"

"Guilty Pleasure Zone"

"What Is Dark"

Gold Diggers is located at 5632 Santa Monica Blvd., in Hollywood, California. By the way, the beers on tap are all local treats, and are not overpriced, a pleasant surprise.