"Next Great Band": The Light is Still On

I wasn’t all that anxious to watch “The Next Great American Band” this week since I knew Thursday who was eliminated thanks to an Internet spoiler. But last night, I finally got around to watching the bands perform the music of Rod Stewart.

So who got eliminated? Unfortunately it was the most fun band on the show (and also the one with the best name), Tres Bien.

Here’s the rundown on the five remaining bands…

Dot Dot Dot: “Young Turks”
It was a little too tame for me since I prefer Adam without the guitar, so I almost agreed with the judges’ criticisms this time—although I think Sheila was too harsh on Adam. But John said it was their best performance ever, and I completely disagree with that. B+

Denver and the Mile High Orchestra: “Baby Jane”
In the opening, we saw these guys struggling to pick a song, because many Rod Stewart songs have lyrics too risqué for their faith. They chose this one I’m not familiar with, so I didn’t know what Dicko was talking about when he chastised them for taking out too much of it. Denver’s vocal was good, but he’s still too stiff. B-

Sixwire: “Hot Legs”
This one gave the guys the chance to rock a little, complete with guitar solos. I don’t really like the song, but it was a good performance—despite the heavily criticized bass solo. A

The Clark Brothers: “You’re In My Heart”
The guys tried to turn this one into a slow, heartfelt ballad, but it didn’t work. Ashley’s vocal was extremely weak and the arrangement was sluggish. But apparently the judges were listening to something else because they loved it and Sheila was brought to tears. C

Light of Doom: “Infatuation”
Tres Bien had to know they didn’t stand a chance against the crowd favorite. And Erik responded with his strongest vocal of the season (He’s apparently taking voice lessons.). I never really thought of this one as a possible hard rock song, but it somehow worked. A-

So who should go home? Even though I gave The Clark Brothers the worst grade, I think it’s time for Denver and the Mile High Orchestra to go home. Obviously, Light of Doom is the worst of the remaining bands, but based on the audience, they’re not going anywhere—especially after a good performance.

Again, I have to express my concern that Light of Doom is going to win this thing. And Vote for the Worst will take all the credit, but they have nothing to do with it. It’s all about the novelty—although I’m terribly concerned that Mitchell, the 12-year-old drummer is inspired by Tommy Lee…

It’s interesting to note that according to Dicko, the bands can hire and fire anyone they want at this stage (which surprised The Clark Brothers). Dicko encouraged The Clark Brothers to bring in a fourth member, but I hope they don’t. If I was Denver and the MHO, I’d fire Denver…

Next week, the four remaining bands take on the music of Queen one hour later (9 p.m.). I’m going to go out on a limb, and predict that Light of Doom will do “We Are the Champions”…