POP MUSIC REVIEWS : Levon Helm: Having a Good Time at Palomino

Levon Helm didn’t do an overwhelming amount of drumming Thursday at the Palomino--a second drummer provided most of the rhythm--but the grinning, tousled, ruggedly handsome ex-Band member did at least keep his hands consistently busy during the informal, good-time set before a hooting and hollering crowd.

Pain from an old foot injury reportedly keeps Helm from doing as much drumming as he’d like to. Though he stayed behind his kit--with his familiar hunched stance, chin about halfway down his chest--Helm mostly kept himself occupied singing, playing harmonica, playing the cymbals with his harmonica, chain-smoking, chain-beer-drinking, and offering various amusing hand signals to band members or fans on the dance floor (and sometimes two or three of the above diversions at once).

Most of all, Helm offered that gruff voice that remains the most recognizable of the gruff voices from the Band. Here it was in the service of hardy blues and R&B; chestnuts, some easily recognizable (“Shotgun,” “Willie and the Hand Jive”), most more obscure.

His five supporting players were tight enough to pull off the several all-instrumental numbers, despite evidence (like long musicianly chats between songs) that this was a loosely planned affair. Plenty of slide guitar, piano and sax solos reinforced the friendly roadhouse feel--once again, Helm was avoiding anything resembling a star turn in favor of taking part in a band .

A lengthy encore call from the celebrity-filled crowd went unheeded; Helm seemed in good enough cheer that he might’ve done one if it had occurred to him, but he was already too busy greeting well-wishers over at the bar, it seemed, to notice the demand for his return. At most joints that favor this kind of stuff, you’d just wait for the band to come back same time next week, but with a rarely seen star’s roadhouse band, hey, you take what you can get.