By J.R. Taylor

SEARCHIN' "You're just in time for the ventriloquist," I'm told while entering the back of the Cutting Room. You don't hear that often in a Manhattan rock club. But there onstage is the lovely Carla Rhodes, performing her rock 'n' roll ventriloquism act for a packed house. My first assumption is that the Cutting Room regular must be on tour with the Searchers. Her banter with foam effigies of Mick Jagger and Keith Richards would fit in perfectly with the group's next show at the Mohegan Sun.

The crowd certainly seems happy. When you've been around for more than 40 years, your audience isn't exactly looking for an act that's going to blow you off the stage. The Searchers rate as true British Invasion icons, with a decent amount of hits in the States, plus an impressive 80s comeback as a power-pop act.

They also sport two original members, with bassist/singer/emcee Frank Allen making this the best oldies act since Flo & Eddie went out on the road as the Turtles. He quickly acknowledges that the Searchers' audience ranges from "the impossibly young to the rapidly-approaching-death." He'll later ask a nine-year-old attendee if this is "a punishment, or do you actually like this music?"

Spencer James handles a lot of vocals, despite not becoming a Searcher until 1986. However, his earlier stint in First Class—acknowledged with a snippet of "Beach Baby"—ties him to a whole other branch of epic British pop.

And the show's an official big deal for the presence of John McNally, fairly introduced as a living legend. The lead guitarist created gorgeous jangly folk back in 1963, but amazingly enough, this doesn't keep the Searchers from then covering "Mr. Tambourine Man." That's like seeing Aerosmith cover a song by the Firm, or Robert Plant paying tribute to the Joe Perry Project.

Things lull toward the end, as the Searchers commit the Oldies Sin of asking the audience to do a lot of work. Yes, they covered "Twist and Shout" on 1963's Meet The Searchers, but it's likely presented here because they trust concertgoers to know the words. Same with "Young Girl." Then the band performs Bette Midler's "The Rose." I've seen other oldies acts drag that one out. It must be more fun to perform than to hear.

But then the band comes back strong with a concert-closing rush of "Needles and Pins," "When You Walk in the Room" and "Rockin' All Over the World." That leaves nothing to complain about—although the closing medley recapping hits like "Sweets for the Sweet" and "Love Potion No. 9" is a little strange. Those same songs were done earlier in the set. Maybe it's just hard to keep track of that many classics. This would also explain that concert where the Ramones knocked out "California Sun" twice. o