As promised, the surviving members of the Lovin’ Spoonful reunited onstage for the first time in 20 years Saturday at an all-star benefit concert celebrating the Sixties hitmakers.
John Sebastian and former band mates Joe Butler and Steve Boone performed together for the first time since their 2000 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction, with the group delivering their hits “Summer in the City” and “Do You Believe in Magic?” Sebastian also played his solo single “Welcome Back.”
Micky Dolenz, Carnie Wilson, Dave Alvin, Iain Matthews, Susan Cowsill and more covered the Lovin’ Spoonful’s music at the Glendale, California benefit concert, the Wild Honey Orchestra’s annual show in support of the Autism Think Tank.
In the lead-up to the performance, Sebastian reiterated that the concert was not a proper Lovin’ Spoonful reunion, since co-founding member Zal Yanovsky died in 2002.
“I’m delighted to be honored this month by the Wild Honey Orchestra, the musical team that’s doing an Autism Think Tank benefit this year in Glendale, California. And this year their subject is the Lovin’ Spoonful,” Sebastian said in a statement, noting that the performance isn’t a true Lovin’ Spoonful reunion.
Since Steve, Joe and I agreed to attend, I’ve gotten correspondence about a Lovin’ Spoonful ‘reunion,’ and I want to clarify. Spoonful reunions without Zalman (Zal) Yanovsky are more like get-togethers. Most of the music at the show is played by a great assortment of studio musicians, not always including us. It’ll be a blast but a reunion would be a misnomer.”