Audience assistance enhances Chubby Checker concert

Most people who attended the June 27 Chubby Checker concert at Pala Casino's Palomar Starlight Theater knew that Checker was 73 years old or approximately that age. It's possible to look up that data, which would also confirm the 1960 date of his number one hit "The Twist". When Checker spoke about his musical roots during the concert he noted that he was born on October 3, 1941, in Spring Gulley, South Carolina.

Other than such facts, however, Checker's performance didn't display that he has aged since "The Twist", "Pony Time", "The Fly", "Let's Twist Again", "Limbo Rock", and "Slow Twistin'" were top 10 hits between 1960 and 1962.

Although his childhood nickname was "Chubby", the man born Ernest Evans and who took the name Chubby Checker basically as a tribute to Fats Domino showed no signs of being overweight during his June stage performance. (Checker's Pala concert included the Fats Domino songs "I'm Walking" and "Blueberry Hill" as well as the six hit songs already mentioned.) During his 80-minute concert, which included 22 songs, he was twisting as well as singing.

The exceptions to keeping up his energy level involved his explanation of his musical roots and the slower-tempo songs "Changes" and "Rollin' with the Flow". His explanation resulted in a more personal atmosphere with his audience. "Changes" showed that Chubby was capable of more than just the country, blues, and rockabilly pedigree reflected in his top hits while "Rollin' with the Flow" followed his explanation of listening to country music before rock and roll existed.

So from the time he began the concert with "Good Good Lovin'" to the time he closed with "Let's Twist Again" it was clear that Checker can still put on an entertaining and enjoyable concert. But the concert benefited from assistance. The necessary assistance included two guitar players, a saxophone musician, a keyboardist, and a drummer accompanying Checker.

What really made the Chubby Checker concert stand out was the audience's response to his requested assistance. The performance included not only Checker inviting the audience to replace him in the singing of well-known lyrics but also Chubby inviting individual and group audience members to show him their moves.

The concert's seventh song was "Slow Twistin'". During the song Chubby walked off the stage and in front of the front row. He began twisting with the women in the front row. He then went into the aisle and began twisting with both women and men. "Work it," he said as he encouraged the audience members one at a time to show how well they could "work it."

Chubby's 13th song was "The Fly". "You can't do the fly without doing the shake," he said.

"It looked so stupid," Checker said. "Then they slowed down the beat."

That wasn't Chubby's only comment which resulted in audience laughter. The audience was more than willing to do the fly with Checker.

Chubby saved many of his top hits for later in the concert. "Limbo Rock" was the 15th song, and the lack of a limbo bar was a sign that many of the audience members were old enough to have known about Chubby Checker for decades and no longer can go as low as they used to go. Two songs later, however, most of the audience was up and dancing for "Pony Time".

The 20th song was "The Hucklebuck". Once again Chubby encouraged individuals one at a time to show how well they could do the hucklebuck dance.

His next song was "The Twist". The audience responded by twisting, and then Chubby invited the men to come up on stage and twist. Several men took up that offer and joined Chubby on stage.

Chubby had significant assistance from the audience during the concert. But like the other musicians, that assistance enhanced the performance rather than relieved Checker of activities he showed he could still do. The audience didn't just get to hear Chubby Checker in concert. They were able to be part of it.