Norman Freakin' Nardini!!!

[Jim Price]

The undisputed, undefeated, uncrowned King of Pittsburgh Rock N Roll, Norman Nardini, lit up the house at Burgi's Roundhouse this past Saturday night! "The manful handful, the beauty on duty, the wop wit da bop, the guinea wit da skinny, the Pittsburglar, the high priest from the church of Rock N Roll" - and his supremely talented bandmates, Hollidaysburg's Whitey Cooper on drums and Clearfield product Harry Bottoms on bass - brought the party - tasty rock'n'blues'n'soul original tunes and select favorites, excellent all-around musicianship, and Norman's trademark wit, sass and humor! Although Norman himself was a total show, he constantly allowed Whitey and Harry to enjoy some spotlight - I was especially blown away by Whitey's soulful higher-ranged voice!

Norman also welcomed a former bandmate, Gerry Stanek, to step up and play bass on two songs during the last set.

And the laughs! Norman's wit was alive and well. Some of the classic lines he delivered this night:

"Young and pretty like Conway Twitty..."

(to a lady celebrating her birthday) "May the Monkey of Love light up your evening..."

"One pump dump"

"If you're a man wearing the silken undershort, please leave the building."

"May you get your monkey kissed..."

(when two ladies enveloped a guy on the dance floor) "We have a Manwich on the dance floor!"

It was great to see a big crowd in the house, including a bunch of Rockpagers...Big Jim, Ronnyd, YankeeRose, getclosertothemusic, Skatetoad, nakedtwister, grimmbass and more.

I spoke with a few fans who hadn't seen Norman perform since the 80's when he played at Cisco's and Coaches Inn (now City Limits), and they were amazed that he was still as talented, wild and crazy as they remember him from back then. It was also cool to see the reaction of new fans witnessing him for the first time.

Bottom line, an excellent evening! And watch for "Norman, Roosevelt, Aloysius, Nicodemus, Amadeus, Valentino, Giovanni, Romeo, Bruno, Raphael, Lucien Nardini" to return to Burgi's some time this spring!

A few pics...


Norman Nardini, working some of his guitar magic at Burgi's.

One of Norman's former bandmates, Gerry Stanek, sat in on bass for two songs.

Hollidaysburg native Mark "Whitey" Cooper. Whitey has been playing drums with Norman for 30 years.

Norman and his band, having fun at Burgi's.

Once again, Norman Nardini.

After the show, Ronny D of Half Tempted and Norman Nardini.

And then there were these two marquee photos...


Norman Nardini may have been the drawing attraction on Saturday, but it looks like things at Burgi's could have been interesting on Friday after Steve Summerhill...

It appears the nextdoor pet store was running an interesting sale...

[Big Jim]

JP,

Yes indeed, that show was everything you said, and more!! I enjoyed every song they did, and it is cool to read again some of the crazy things Norman said throughout the night. Plus, the band made themselves readilly available before, after, and during breaks in the show to chat with everyone. I'm looking forward to the next show. I'm sure Norman is thrilled that the Steelers won today since he was leading some "cheers" throughout the night. Great crowd too.

[nakedtwister]

I for one was a first timer to see Norma Nardini. I was totally blown away by the skills of all the musicians on stage. They were all very approachable guys and great to talk to. It's great to see acts like this in our area. Ranks right up there with the ' Canes. One of the most fun nights out in awhile.

[YankeeRose]

It was my first time, too. As I said in the Upcoming Shows Forum: Norman Nardini is a one of a kind total talent. He's not only an amazing Musician, he's also entertainingly funny! I heard, felt and absorbed some great Rock, Rock-a-Billy, Soul and Blues...and what a capital time it was.
There was even a tune from "Animal House" - I heard the line of "...ooo mow, mow, oh, oh, oh, oh"...and my memory of: "Do you mind if we dance with your dates?" made me (and several others) burst out in laughter!

[Ronnyd]

I never laugh harder then when I am with Jim,From the Pie Nazi to huge pussy sale .We must do that more often.By the way,Norm still KICKS ASS!

[songsmith]

Stormin' Norman and Ronny D go into a bar... there's a joke waiting to happen. Wish I'd been there, but I had to go see my boys, Scream. Of course, my wife "helped decide" that one, but I did have a good time. Still, all front men should go see The Pittsburglar for patter lessons, and his road stories are legendary. Get him to tell you about the practice closet and the penis-shaped weedpipe. ------->JMS