Francis Dunnery was once again invited to perform at the historic house on Harvard Avenue of Ray and Maureen Heffernan, his third go-round on Staten Island. This time he featured tracks from his Tall Blonde Helicopter record from 1995. It deals with Dunnery’s transition from major label rock stardom with his band It Bites to that of a solo artist/touring axe man and subsequent casualty of Atlantic Records. During this time he worked through his new sobriety in light of vocation and marriage; both were crumbling before him but he was in fact discovering a man with other intentions—a man facing the reality of his craft, personal relationships, and his past.
Dunnery sang and played guitar to a household of about 35 guests, interweaving stories throughout the set. One of his more engaging metaphors which got the biggest laughs was that everyone is carrying a big bag of shit with them throughout their lives full of dysfunction, inadequacies, and hurt, and when we meet someone new, we essentially drop the bag and say, “here, have a look at this!”
Host Ray Heffernan relaxes after the Dunnery show, the third of its kind in his Staten Island home.
Francis Dunnery sporting his obligatory home-concert soccer jersey as he prepares to leave for the evening.
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