Ray Manzarek plays "Love Me Two Times" during his performance Saturday night with Roy Rogers at the Paramount Theatre. - Eric Johnson / This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Ray Manzarek and Roy Rogers got a standing ovation at the Paramount Theatre Saturday night before either played a single note.

The audience gave a warm welcome to Manzarek, the co-founder and keyboardist of famed rock ‘n’ roll band The Doors, and renowned slide guitarist Roy Rogers. The duet performed their last performance on their Midwest tour in support of their album “Translucent Blues,” which is set to release May 24. Manzarek and Rogers opened with “Boogie Woogie.”

“This is what got me into rock ‘n’ roll,” Manzarek said of the song.

Despite one loud, unruly fan and stuck A and C keys on Manzarek’s Roland RD-600 keyboard, Manzarek and Rogers played on for two hours, covering various genres.

“I’m under a handicap tonight,” Manzarek told the crowd. “My A note has decided to stick. And for a keyboard player, you know what it means when your A note sticks: Sounds dirty.”

Manzarek and Rogers played mostly blues and rock ‘n’ roll, but the duo delved into classical and jazz, playing songs from Miles Davis albums “Sketches of Spain” and “Kind of Blue.”

The duo played three songs by The Doors. Manzarek provided vocals on “Love Me Two Times” and “Riders On The Storm,” which closed the set. Manzarek also performed a solo instrumental version of “The Crystal Ship.”

At times, the duo ventured into jams with Manzarek shouting phrases like “B flat … and the F. All the way up now” to guide Rogers’ slide guitar soloing.

At one point, Manzarek teased the crowd by playing just the introduction to The Doors’ “Light My Fire.”

“He’s playing it right here, right now — you know that classic song,” Manzarek said.

Partway through, he changed the sound of his keyboard from a piano sound to a high-pitched organ sound.

“What a goofy sounding instrument,” Manzarek said of the keyboard when he stopped.

Along with the music, Manzarek and Rogers took questions from the audience. Manzarek gave the audience insight on Doors singer Jim Morrison.

“What was Jim Morrison really like? Sex machine,” Manzarek said jokingly before making the audience repeat the phrase.

Most fans expressed admiration for The Doors before asking their question. One fan commended Manzarek for continuing to play during a 1969 Miami concert after the stage collapsed.

“Someone had to score the madness,” Manzarek said. After the Miami concert, Morrison was charged with indecent exposure.

Manzarek talked about the collaborative writing process of The Doors, especially on the band’s first self-titled album. Writing credits were given to The Doors, rather than individual members.

While guitarist Robby Krieger is often credited with writing “Light My Fire,” Manzarek said he wrote the song’s keyboard introduction, John Densmore suggested adding a Latin twist.

“Jim did ‘The time to hesitate is through, no time to wallow in the mire,’” Manzarek said.

Manzarek was asked what would have been next for The Doors had Morrison not died in Paris at the age of 27 and could the band have topped the recording of “L.A. Woman.”

“That was just halfway through,” Manzarek said.

“We had a lot more stuff in us,” he added.

If Morrison had come back from Paris, Manzarek said the band would have recorded an album like “An American Prayer,” which the band recorded after Morrison died using recordings of Morrison’s spoken-word poetry.

After that, Manzarek said the band likely would have gotten into film, and then maybe more lofty aspirations.

“This is the plan of Ray Manzarek: Jim Morrison is going to be president of the United States. This is before he became the Lizard King,” Manzarek said, mentioning Morrison’s nickname.

Rogers and Manzarek will take a few weeks off before adding a drummer and bass player for an East Coast tour starting in May.

Source: Austin Daily Herald