By Thomas S. Orwat Jr.
Niagara Falls, NY – It was a truly spectacular and some might say, a magical night, as the original line-up of Talas, the legendary band from Buffalo, NY reunited, and triumphantly performed their first concert together in ten years. They played to a jammed packed closed off street adjacent to the Hard Rock Cafe (in downtown Niagara Falls, NY) in front of 15,000 plus dedicated and fanatical fans.
Talas consists of world renown bass guitar virtuoso, Billy Sheehan, Dave Constantino – guitar/vocals and Paul Varga – drums/vocals. The band was WNY’s most popular band during the 1970’s-80’s. During this time, they dominated local radio, sold out theaters and clubs, headlined for bands like U-2 and the Police, and even opened on a leg of the Van Halen tour in 1981. They were a band that should have been just as big internationally as they were in WNY, but for some reason, no fault of their own, it never happened.
Talas kicked the evening off with one of their most popular and intense, hard hitting tracks, “Sink Your Teeth.” It was very impressive how in-synch the band sounded from the first note, especially considering the fact that the band only rehearsed for less than a week. It’s a true testament to their level of musicianship. However, the band suffered a minor setback, when a wireless transmitter fell and then one of Constantino’s Marshalls shut off before the second song, “You.” Being the professionals that they are, they laughed it off and Sheehan did an impromptu bass solo for a few minutes until all was fixed.
Throughout their 90 minute set, it become very obvious that WNY rockers really love and adore this band. Also, the chemistry that Sheehan, Constantino and Varga have is truly undeniable. Their 90 set consisted of a good mix of original material and some great covers that they used to perform back in their heyday. When Talas does a song, they truly make it their own, as was evident on “Battlescar” by Max Webster and the closer, “Stealin,” by Uriah Heep. However, it was the band’s vintage original material that made the biggest impact. Songs such as “Most People” sung by Sheehan, and “Tell Me True” and “See Saw”showcased the band’s pitch perfect harmonies. The hard rocker “Shy Boy” showcased Varga’s spot on drumming and Constantino’s killer solo, with his perfect and unique guitar tone. Sheehan took the spotlight and mesmerized the audience with a mid-show (this time full length) solo, proving that he is still the god of bass guitar.
This was an incredible event, which many are referring to as the concert of the summer. Kudos to the Hard Rock Cafe for having the foresight to make it all happen. I really hope that this successful and extraordinary show brings Sheehan, Constantino and Varga closer together, and they will finish the job by giving us one more amazing record.
Special thanks to Carolyn Moser for allowing RockMusicStar to be one of the select media outlets to cover this special event.
Setlist
Sink Your Teeth
You
Most People
Thick Head
Tell Me True
Expert On Me
Never See Me Cry
Shy Boy
My Generation
Farandole
Any Other Day
See Saw
Bass Solo
Battle Scar
I’m Goin Home
I’m Your Captain
Stealin’
For more on Dave Constantino, please go to www.daveconstantino.com
Thomas S. Orwat Jr.
RockMusicStar.com 
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