Tom Kenny & The Hi-Seas w/ The Damselles @The King Of Clubs, Syracuse 3-5-22 Review & Photos By: Ed Conway

Are you ready kids?
Aye, aye Captain
Who lives in a pineapple under the sea
SpongeBob SquarePants
Who came to Syracuse for us to see
Spon..um Tom Kenny!

Tom Kenny, otherwise known as the voice of the lovable character SpongeBob SquarePants came to
Syracuse to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual Sammys ceremony. Kenny, a local
native brought his band, The Hi-Seas, as well as the Damselles, a 60s style girl group, who frequently
appear as back-up singers to Kenny, and who also perform their own shows, from the west coast for a
one off show at The King Of Clubs in downtown Syracuse.

To say it was important for Kenny to perform in front of his hometown crowd would be an understatement as the Hi-Seas are a 9 piece band
complete with a 3 piece sax section, and added to the 3 Damselles made for a crowded stage, but also
made for a wall of sound that perfectly complemented the selection of blues, R&B and straight up rock.
Kenny was in his glory as he breezed through the 2 set night that included a wardrobe change at the
break. He was a constant ball of movement for the nearly 3 hours of singing. In each set, he stepped off
the stage and let the Damselles shine on their own, as each took turns on lead vocals on the 60s Girl
Band standards. He also brought in some guests, such as his brother Dan who took some hot soloes on
harmonica and Arty Lenin and Gary Fenay from the Syracuse based Flashcubes.

I wasn’t sure what to expect for the night from a Los Angeles area band. While I knew the music would
be great, I was surprised to see the turnout was well above what I think even Kenny hoped for.
Everyone piled in to see the hometown hero. It was plain to see Kenny was proud of the attendance,
which included a very special audience member, his mom….oh and Bobcat Goldthwait was there as
well. While the crowd thinned slightly at the break, as shows tend to do, most of the people were there
for the duration. And why not, we were having the time of our lives. It wasn’t a concert, it was a party!
And the icing on the cake was the last song of the night, SpongeBob’s “The Best Day Ever” which, of
course, he sang in SpongeBob’s voice. Needless to say, it was the perfect ending to a perfect night!