Concert Stories

Oh shit I forgot Robin Trower and wait for it....AIR SUPPLY :laughings: I'M NOT IN LOVE!
 
I saw Johnny Winter back in the day in a club called the Sunshine Inn in Asbury Park N.J. There were columns holding up the rafters. Me and a buddy climbed up the columns and worked our way out over the stage. We were about twenty to thirty feet directly above Johnny cheering him on. He looked up a few times and must have thought, damn kids. Stuff you can't get away with at concerts these days. Another time at the Pocono Mountain Festival in '72, the bikers had gotten there bikes out on the raceway and were running the track at full speed in opposite directions. Trying to cross that track while doing a couple of hits of sunshine was quite the adventure.
 
I saw Johnny Winter back in the day in a club called the Sunshine Inn in Asbury Park N.J. There were columns holding up the rafters. Me and a buddy climbed up the columns and worked our way out over the stage. We were about twenty to thirty feet directly above Johnny cheering him on. He looked up a few times and must have thought, damn kids. Stuff you can't get away with at concerts these days.

I take it you live or lived in New Jersey...?

I saw Johnny Winter several times...including the tour he was doing with Muddy Watters, James Cotton and Pinetop Perkins....AWESOME concert at the old Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ ...but we also got to see Johnny once in a local club down in central Jersey, Emmett's Inn, Jamesburg, NJ (I lived in Jamesburg back in the late '70s/early '80s)...and we stood 3' feet in front of Johnny while he played. :guitar::cool:
 
The water cancelled show was British band Showaddywaddy, who go back to the 70's popular for good old fashioned rock and roll. The drummer is the same guy from the early 70s, and they've been playing non-stop ever since. We have quite a few bands from those days including some 60s favourites like Marty Wilde, the Tremelos, the Searchers, Gerry and the Pacemakers, all going strong, bar the Searchers who just retired! Hard to imagine 50yrs plus in one band!

I think I know a few guys who have been with the same band just as long Dave Hill and Don Powell of SLADE. They never made it in the US. But, I remember going into a record store and seeing the fists with SLADE and SLAYED in 72 and fell in love. Holder and Lea wrote albums worth of magnificent songs. Their Christmas album is wonderful, and just an all around excellent band that's been shafted from the rock history books.

It took me a few years to buy Jim Lea's Therapy and it's just as good as everything Slade did. Years ago I went to Brighton (rented a car in London) to see The 70s tour Slade 2 (minus Lea and Holder) and Suzi Quatro. I was right against the barricade in the front. 15,000 drunk brits and what did they play for warm up music throughout? ABBA. I did not get that at all. But, both 2 and Suzi kicked ass for old timers. On the way out of the park a couple asked me for a lift. Since it was a guy and girl I felt safe. They pointed out 2 other guys and said "you gotta give my mates a lift". Now it's 3 guys and 1 girl. They told me a "short cut" to their house, which turned out to be a small dirt road dead end. I did not come close to a stop making the U turn. If they were going to kill me, they'd have to do it while in motion. They turned out to be really nice. They filled my rental with gas, and invited me in to party the rest of the night. I declined. I had to get back to the airport.

When it was time for Sinead to go, she couldn't get her son to go with her as he was enjoying himself so much. I presume his name was Jake because all you could hear was her shouting out "Jakey ! Jakey ! It's time to go. Come on, we have to go ! Now !" and stuff of that nature. I'd heard of her but didn't really know who she was. It was just intriguing seeing a bald Irish woman at around midday on a Saturday ! I always remember one of the comedian kids, a really funny Black kid we used to call FKB, commenting that her coming into the playground was like him going to a National Front meeting. I just said to him, "um, not quite" as I laughed my cares away.

I've seen her many times in concert, would love to meet her on the street. I'd talk some sense into her. Because it'd be like she's looking in the same awful mirror.

Wow lived in La La land all my life and never thought to drive 20 miles east and check out how the rich and famous live....for that matter never thought rich n famous folks did garage sales but for sure estate sales...Sounds like a fun Saturday thing to do sometime in the near future...

Yeah I have seen several fantastic concerts at the Bowl...The Greek is equally cool but you're right about the history...Shrine auditorium is a damn nice venue too! Love outdoor amphitheaters though....

As mentioned previously I saw Pink Floyd's DSOTM in 72 pre-release in quad at the bowl...positioned smack dab in front of the sound men directly in the middle of the venue...First big concert I ever saw and still probably the #1 of all I have ever seen...Steely dan at the Sopwith Camel in a tiny little venue was pretty awesome...of course Zep, The Who, The Stones, Waylon. Johnny and Edgar, Alvin Lee, Rory Galagher, BB King, Skynard, Supertramp, Traffic, JoJo Gun, Foghat, Alice, Zappa, J Geils, Santana, Rod Stewart, Elton, ELO, Suzy Quatro, Larry Coryell, Wings, Billy Preston, Yes, REO, Alman Brothers, Charlie Daniels, Atlanta Rhythm section ( with that bad ass spectacled, chubby bass player) , Golden earring, John Fogerty, Starship, Heart and a sit load more but my head hurts from trying remember....Did I mention I earned a "self given" PHD in Rock Concerts?.....but having Quiet Riot open for my band Cheap Day Return when Randy Rhodes was still in the band and opening for VH after they were signed but before their album was released at the Snowcrest lodge up at Mount Baldy were pretty cool concerts too!

Maybe it wasn't Hollywood. The garage sales we went to were in beautiful massive homes in the hills where it's almost impossible to make a U turn. One we walked into had ceilings so high you'd need a very large ladder to get to. The furniture was huge. I couldn't even imagine how they got it into the room in the first place. Incredible to gawk at, but not beautiful. Tacky in a way. I like antiques. Estate and garage sales are always fun. People sell shit cheap that they don't want. We paid $5 for a little box that's worth over $700.

You've seen some great shows. I've seen quite a few of those artists. Elton John in Central Park. I read The Empire Strikes Back while we waited. On the way home Joan Jett (before Bad Reputation) was walking through Penn Station and I got her to sign the book. She stood there like we were going to have a conversation. But, nothing was said and she walked away. She opened for XTC at the Palladium and I was the only person standing in the front row moving to her songs. She walked over at the end, shook my hand and handed me her guitar pick. It's in the shape of a shark's tooth. She's always great.

I would have loved to see Rhodes. Such a tragedy. Quiet Riot made it big on Slade songs.

Zeppelin was my first concert. Opening night MSG 1977, I was 16. $11 ticket. But, my sister bought it for me and I know she paid more. We were across the stage, and it didn't matter. Still my favorite show (It has to be the fact it's your first). I remember arguing with a guitarist at school who said the show sucked. I thought it was great. Recently I was able to buy the entire show on 3 CDs from the board. It is as great as I thought. Page and Plant shows were also magnificent. The first tour with the Middle Eastern Orchestras was stunning. I almost cried when they did Kashmir and it felt like the walls of MSG were going to come down. That riff reverberating off the walls is one of the most incredible moments I've had in a venue, along with the floor under my feet moving at U2.

I saw Johnny Winter back in the day in a club called the Sunshine Inn in Asbury Park N.J. There were columns holding up the rafters. Me and a buddy climbed up the columns and worked our way out over the stage. We were about twenty to thirty feet directly above Johnny cheering him on. He looked up a few times and must have thought, damn kids. Stuff you can't get away with at concerts these days. Another time at the Pocono Mountain Festival in '72, the bikers had gotten there bikes out on the raceway and were running the track at full speed in opposite directions. Trying to cross that track while doing a couple of hits of sunshine was quite the adventure.

I saw Johnny many times. He was always excellent. The last time I saw him was a blues show at the Count Basie in Red Bank. It was Rick Derringer (Guitars and Women is one of my favorite albums. Used to see him all the time), Leslie West, Edgar Winter and Johnny Winter. Derringer comes out and he's OLD and UGLY now. But, still pretty good. Leslie West is brought out in a wheelchair and he only has one leg. It was amputated from diabetes. Edgar came out and it was the first time I'd seen him and he was OK. Johnny had to be helped onto the stage. He was put on a chair, sat and played. They were all still good. But, I always think of what Grace Slick said about retiring. No one wants to see a 70 year old acting like they're 20. That's what I thought when I left.

Another sad show at Count Basie was Glen Campbell. I saw him in a tiny room at Mohegan Sun (or Foxwoods) just before he was diagnosed. He was EXCELLENT. I got his guitar pick. I went to the Basie show and his kids were playing with him. By this time he was partially gone. He couldn't remember words to his hits. Barely played guitar and when he did, the bad notes were shining through, and at one point he was wandering around the stage like he had no idea where he was. He got caught between the keyboards and drum riser. If he went on tour to make money to leave to his family, I applaud him. But, if his family talked this sick man into going on tour, they should be ashamed of themselves. It was heartbreaking. But, the people around me were loving it. You can't not enjoy the songs. But, the man's mind wasn't even present for most of them.
 
I lived in Jersey for 21 years, got out and never looked back. Been to the Capitol Theater a few times. Saw the Byrds final concert there. Saw Genesis with Peter Gabriel there. The only thing I know about Jamesburg is they had a youth correctional facility there that I almost got to visit. Instead I got to visit Yardville Maximum Security prison, now know as Yardville Youth Correction facility. Another good reason to get out of Dodge.
 
I was at the Zep concert when they filmed The Song Remains the Same. Saw Elton John there the following week and his band made Zep sound like boy scouts!
 
I lived in Jersey for 21 years, got out and never looked back. Been to the Capitol Theater a few times. Saw the Byrds final concert there. Saw Genesis with Peter Gabriel there. The only thing I know about Jamesburg is they had a youth correctional facility there that I almost got to visit. Instead I got to visit Yardville Maximum Security prison, now know as Yardville Youth Correction facility. Another good reason to get out of Dodge.

Yes...the youth correctional facility was just down the road...you actually passed it when going to Emmett's Inn from my house.

I left NJ in '84...and I never looked back either...though some good memories come from those younger years in Jamesburg.
 
I think I know a few guys who have been with the same band just as long Dave Hill and Don Powell of SLADE. They never made it in the US. But, I remember going into a record store and seeing the fists with SLADE and SLAYED in 72 and fell in love. Holder and Lea wrote albums worth of magnificent songs. Their Christmas album is wonderful, and just an all around excellent band that's been shafted from the rock history books.

Slade wrote their own stuff and could play their music. Tis a shame outside those who grew up with them in the early 70's they arent remembered for the great songs they did. They would have blown the top off any rock stadium in the world. But are sadly remembered for concerts full of kids with scarfs tied to their wrists and platforms on 'Top of the Pops'. (An ex-Teeny pop tv program.)

Years later when they got their chance they got to do the 'Reading Rock Festival'. They blew everybody away and managed to dump the 'Glam Rock Teeny' image. This gave them a second career for a few years.
 
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Abba is STILL a phenomenon here. It's kind of compulsory to say you don't know any but be able to sing along with them all. My band supported Status Quo year back at a stadium - we're a Beach Boy tribute, and the better know other support was Shakin' Stevens - another rock and roller. The UK is a very odd place because supports are rarely in the style of the main act. We did a cruise - us, a Rolling Stones tribute and the Kinks - and we discovered they were NOT a tribute, and had two members of the original band. Nobody cared.

If we're doing stories, my funniest work gig was George Michael - again a big stadium tour. The stage was a huge vertical LED screen - the band in little cutouts either side. No lights bar two follow spots and some stuff lighting the band - the screen was the feature. One bit had him standing on the horizontal portion of the stage. The front near the pit barrier was the sea, he stood on the beach, and behind him the dunes turned into sky and sun. Beautiful, then the screen went black and a little message popped up WINDOWS HAS HAD TO CLOSE. We had GM in a black suit, on a black background and two followspots. Mega millions and Windows wrecked it!
 
Stationed near Nuremberg in US Army in '75. Saw Bad Company at a pretty small venue. It was a theater but had no seating setup, just open floor space. The deal was, the band wouldn't go on till everyone was seated on the floor. I don't recall an opening act and I think we may have arrived late, so we sat on the floor and slithered our way to the center - good view of stage.

They were rocking and really the sound was pretty good but not great. Music good - sound not so much in that place. Paul Rodgers came out alone with a 12 string to do Seagull. He said something like, hey, I'm going to do an acoustic thing now and the sound system isn't that great so everyone please just be cool and sit quietly and listen. He got a couple chords into it an a handful of stupid, drunken American GIs started hissing and booing and hollering turn it up and shit like that. He stopped playing and at the mic again asked everyone to cool it. Got quiet, he started up again and same thing. So he quit, stormed off stage, and the band didn't come back for over a half hour. They did, however, come back and finish strong, but no Seagull.

Moral of the story, American GIs can be real shitheads!!
 
Queen in 1980 when the NEC opened with 14500 seats and I got to see them the second rock people to ever play there. They bought the house down with their new lighting rig and all.

Next time was in 84 at the start of their 'Works' tour.
 
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First time I heard Queen was around 73 I guess. Keep Yourself Alive. Upon the first hearing I knew those guys were going to make millions.
 
On the way home Joan Jett (before Bad Reputation) was walking through Penn Station and I got her to sign the book. She stood there like we were going to have a conversation. But, nothing was said and she walked away. She opened for XTC at the Palladium and I was the only person standing in the front row moving to her songs. She walked over at the end, shook my hand and handed me her guitar pick. It's in the shape of a shark's tooth. She's always great.

I would have loved to see Rhodes. Such a tragedy. Quiet Riot made it big on Slade songs.


Maybe Brentwood or Beverly Hills on the mansions...

Joan Jett actually went to Covina High for a short stint.... It must be the San Gabriel Valley water....in a population of under 30K in the late 70's VH, Boingo, Motley Crue, Joan Jett, Quiet Riot and many other great bands arose from our little valley east of LA...course go 20 miles further east and it grew Frank Zappa in Cucamonga...what a name Cucamonga...Safaris came form SGV too!

When I saw Randy live he was in quiet Riot and they opened for us ...( all unsigned at the time) I had heard good things about this band, they had a big following and that they had this great guitarist maybe even on par with our guitarist Dave Macias...So I made the extra effort to get there early and watch them...Damn kid could sure play guitar and sure had a fun time while doing it...A charisma and engaging personality that makes the difference from being just an amazing player to being a super star...
 
LEO, why? People were storming the barricades to get in and LEO was trying to prevent them, it was the sixties, what else can I say?
 
July 25, 1976, Schaeffer Stadium, Foxboro, MA (the old stadium, since rebuilt for the New England Patriots) - Boz Scaggs, Fleetwood Mac, Eagles.
Me and half a dozen friends arrived at 3 or 4pm to try to get a decent spot on the field to watch the concert - we were back around the 40 yard line, with the stage set up in the field's "end zone" area. Despite being named for a beer, the stadium had no beer for sale. They had soda, no ice for it, so your $4 would get a cup of warm soda syrup mixed with soda water. One friend smuggled in 2 cans of beer in her purse, we passed it around.
Around 5pm we heard music coming from the stage, thought it was taped (we were sitting on the astroturf, so couldn't see the stage past all the standing people). There had been no announcement that the show was starting.
Someone said 'hey this song sounds familiar', we stood up to see Boz Scaggs was playing his set already. He wasn't the act people came for, so more people ignored him than paid attention.
After his set, stage change, we sat down on the astroturf again. The field was getting filled up, and the seats one either side were 1/4 full, at most.
It was just starting to get dark when Fleetwood Mac took the stage - this was before Rumours had been released. I grabbed the hands of two friends and told them we'd try to get close to the stage, and started edging our way through the crowd. Eventually I separated from them, and half-way through FM's set I had got up against the plywood barrier that had been set up about 10 feet in front of the stage. The crowd behind was slowly pushing forward, literally crushing everyone against the barrier. Stevie Nicks was 20 feet away from me as I watched security guys lift girls who had fainted from the heat and crush, but couldn't fall down as they were pushed up against the plywood. They'd carry the girls away somewhere.
When FM finished their set, I realized I would not be able to stand there for another 2 hours with the crush of people, so slowly pried my way though the crowd. It took me 20 minutes to get as far as the 20 yard line of the field, which is where some people were sitting, waiting for the headliners - the Eagles. I finally was able to get over to the sidelines, went to the restrooms under the stands, then watched the Eagles from various vantage points in the stands. This was the first tour with Joe Walsh - Hotel California had not been released yet - so we got a few Joe/James Gang songs in the set list.
The excitement of being at such a big show was paled by the reality of a general admission crowd, and I have never been to a big GA show since. I don't even like smaller GA shows, and avoid them whenever I have an option to see the band in a venue with assigned seating.
 
Yeah huge ass general admission concerts generally suck from actually seeing and enjoying the bands you came to see. Now for the "party" aspect under the right circumstances when you're a young single adult they could be fun...but generally they suck...

If there is seating and it's a first come gets the seat..That works but no seating forget about it...

I'v been to several "stadium" gigs that I had a decent time at and a few that generally just blew..

In 1974 we had our california version of woodstock called the Cal Jam 300 to 400,000 people yikes! It was an amazing event for all the famous bands that were there but as a spectator it was a nightmare.....

They let us bring ice chest and booze in and water....wtf? so there we are several of my friends getting drunk n stoned among this ocean of people...all of sudden some dumbass decides it'd be a good idea to chuck a gallon water jug in the air...and the masses all seem to agree....the sky was filled with the gallon jugs falling back into the crowd and fucking people up as they come back down..We were a group of about 6 we all stood together back to back looking up in the sky watching and ready to deflect if we were going to get hit...damn scary moment...The sound totally sucked and yeah I could say I saw ELP and Black Sabbath and several other famous acts...but it was from a half mile away...

Nice line up

Rare Earth
Earth, Wind & Fire
Eagles
Seals and Crofts
Black Oak Arkansas
Black Sabbath
Deep Purple
Emerson, Lake & Palmer

But lame

CAL JAM 1974
 
At Nassau Coliseum you were not allowed to bring in booze. They'd pat you down and shit. They had 55 gallon drums at every door, and they were overflowing with bottles. The parties they must have thrown after the shows were over.
 
Melanie Martinez

I don't remember how I found Melanie Martinez, but I loved her original style of dress, look and content.



One day I did some research and found out she was playing that night 20 miles from my house. I went to the show, and it was like a roller rink or something like that. It was filled with teenage girls and boys. Since you can't push your way through teens, I kept trying to find a spot with a good vantage point, and ended up on the side of the stage filled with adults. I started up a conversation with a few and one asked "how many kids did you bring?" I said "None. I'm here to see her." From their look, they thought the worst. These adults were the parents of these children. The show sucked. All the originality of the person in this video did not show up that night. She was just a lame ass pop singer. But, I did buy her CD and a really cool t-shirt I wear all the time. The CD is excellent. Her new one is really good also. Just not up to par with the first.

The thing I find surprising is so many of her songs use the word fuck. I remember Star Star by the Stones. It was one song. Almost all her songs uses that word. Her new album K12 every song has it. So, every teenager who listens to her, gets a crash course in the many uses of that word.

Her career crashed a few years ago when her friend accused her of rape. They were lying on the bed together smoking weed. Melanie went down on her, and she didn't like it. Martinez spent five million on her full length movie for K12, and it only grossed 300 thousand when it was released.
 
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