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duhvoodooman
March 10th, 2006, 01:18 PM
On the eastern outskirts of Schenectady NY, a couple of guys converted an old bowling alley to a small Fillmore-like venue called the Aerodrome. I think it opened sometime in 1968 and closed by late '70 or early '71. But this was the days before arena rock, and they had some first-rate acts there. In the summer of '69, I had just graduated from HS and I caught a couple of memorable shows there. Three of them really stick out in my mind. What was particularly cool was, that if you got there an hour or two early, you could sit on the floor right in front of the stage--literally a few feet from the performers. Just amazingly intimate.

The first I recall was a show by the original line-up of Chicago, then known as Chicago Transit Authority. At the time, just their first album (the one with the black background cover) was out. While it has some of their strongest material, they didn't really hit big until Chicago II came out in early '70. But the band put on a great show, and I was particularly impressed by guitarist Terry Kath, who was also an excellent vocalist. The horns were something fairly new in mainstream rock at that time, with Al Kooper's Blood, Sweat & Tears having blazed the trail a couple of years earlier. Tremendous energy in the performance, and the crowd loved 'em. A real shame that Terry died so tragically a few years later.

The second one I remember was the Jeff Beck Group, with Rod Stewart on vocals and (I think he was still with them) Ronnie Wood on bass. Within a few months, the band had split up, but it was fun to see them. The show, however, wasn't particularly good. It was obvious that these guys were in a seriously altered state of consciousness (alcohol + whatever else), and it showed in the performance. Still, I enjoyed much of the material (I'd been playing the grooves off the "Truth" album for several months) and it was an experience to see what would become three legendary names in rock history together on the same stage. Loved Jeff's gorgeous LP.

The third show of note was Led Zeppelin. This one is especially vivid in my mind because I got there early enough that I was one of the first 20 or so people in the door and sat with my feet against the stage, dead center. Zeppelin was new at the time, with their first album just having been released that spring. They played several tunes that would appear on LZII, like "Whole Lotta Love", "The Lemon Song" and "Heartbreaker", but it was the more familiar stuff off the first album that really had the crowd rockin'. The band worked their tails off, esp. Plant and Page. First time I ever saw an LP played with a violin bow. When either Jimmy or "Percy" came to the front of the stage, I could have literally reached up and touched their feet. Great, great show and another beautiful LP to admire. Wished I'd had the presence of mind back then to write down the set list!

OK, end of my "Glory Days" reminiscing. Who's going to keep it going with some of their favorite live show memories?

duhvoodooman
March 11th, 2006, 11:27 AM
OK, end of my "Glory Days" reminiscing. Who's going to keep it going with some of their favorite live show memories?

C'mon--some of you guys must have some good stories of memorable shows you saw in your youth! Share 'em!!!

Tone2TheBone
March 12th, 2006, 08:11 PM
Voodoo,

I cannot top Percy and Jim. I never got to see Led Zeppelin but I did see Jimmy during the1985 "The Firm" tour. I kinda always felt sorry for Paul Rodgers because everyone here in town would just chant JIMMY PAGE JIMMY PAGE during the entire set. I was pretty much in the front of the stage near Jim though and he did pull out his #1 and bow.

Hmmm...I used to go to a bunch of concerts lets see....

I have funny teenage memories of watching kids climb this tall ponderosa pine tree near the colosium trying to "sneak in" for free at the top of the tree near some open "windows" at almost every concert at that venue. I always paid my 10 bucks or so to watch the show though. Most of the time I was pretty wasted but I did have some good ideas as to what the guys in the band were doing. I was THE guitar player in my high school "gang" so everyone always assumed I was "into" the whole scene...which I was. :)

Overall I attended some great shows...nothing that would top Zep or Jeff Beck Group...but I do have fond memories of those times when things felt so fresh and bigger than life.

Nelskie
March 15th, 2006, 09:30 PM
Teenage memories - man oh man, where do I start? Wait a sec . . . a few of us visited this same topic on a thread back in January, starting with 69SL's post under #8, and goin' on through about #18. If you were growin' up in the 70's, brother this is what wuz' happenin':

http://www.thefret.net/showthread.php?t=279

Now on the topic of bands, man, I saw some killer shows back in my youth. But there was one show that totally flipped my switch as far as guitar was concerned. And the band behind that vivid memory: a raw, young act from southern California that had recently burst upon the music scene: Van Halen!

I still remember getting out of school, and having my friend's older brother pick us up to bring us down to the arena. He, of course, had some "business" to take care of outside before the show, but casually reminded us that if we weren't back at the car at precisely 11:30 PM, we would be taking the "heel-toe express" back to their house after the show. Unless, of course, the band was still playing their encore, of which he'd allow a suitable, yet wholly-to-be-determined-by-him timeframe by which to make it back to the car. We nodded our heads like little toy dogs in the package tray of a car's rear window. Even though we didn't even care if we had to walk home, it was always a smart idea to stay on his good side.

We arrived at the Civic Center around 3:45 PM, and promptly sprinted to the SW door, which would allow the fastest access to the prime standing areas along the stage barricade. When the doors opened up at 4:30, we sprinted like mad fools, and were promptly rewarded with the best seats in the house: center stage, on the barricade. Life was good. Now those 3+ hours before the band took the stage were somewhat arduous, in that we could have easily been muscled out of our slots by older, tougher dudes. But we kept our cool, didn't cause a fuss, and somehow managed to stay in the same place until the show started.

When the lights went down, a shiver of electricity shot up my spine. Dancing flashlights spotted the band to their stage positions, followed by the obligatory "chukk" of Mike and Eddie's instruments being plugged in. Then, a few random licks to make sure all was in tune. As the crowd's excitement began to build, Eddie decided to get things going with a huge dive-bomb from his locking vibrato. I'd never heard anything like it before. It sounded like a huge airplane descending down from the rafters. I looked at my buddy, mouth agape, and he just said, "wooooowwww". We knew we were in for a long, crazy night!

After the stereotypical "OK BISMARCK, ARE YOU READY TO ROCK?!!" introduction by the local radio personality, it was time. As Eddie launched into the first few opening bars of On Fire, a light came on behind Alex' riser, which in turn, silouetted the outline of a man front of the drum riser. In the seconds it took us to noticed that, the front stage lights came on, and David Lee launched himself, spread-eagled, off onto the stage below. In two bounces he was front and center on his "ego ramp", arched over nearly backwards, and emitting his trademark high-pitched scream. Eddie and Mike criss-crossed running backwards on the front of the stage, which put Eddie squarely in front of my buddy and I. Mouth open, Franken-strat in hand, and assuming one of his best "power poses", Eddie's fingers seemed to roam as if by remote control over nearly every part of the finger board. We cheered wildly. Flashing that big, toothy, trademark EVH grin, he then took position on top the monitor in front of us, and extending Franken-strat outward, above the crowd, he effortlessly wrangled out a few more choice licks, much to the delight of our entire section. As much as DLR commanded the center-stage activities, I could not look at anyone else but Eddie. Brown sound roaring through several stacks of Marshalls, the ground beneath us shuddered under the sheer mass of the Mighty Van Halen in full gallop. And for the next two and half hours, we were treated to perhaps the most fantastic display of raw fretboard showmanship that most, if not all of us had ever had the pleasure of witnessing.

Oh, there were some amazing songs played that night, pretty much the entire Van Halen I album, the better part of the second one, too. Naturally, Eruption was delivered in most stupendous, awe-inspiring form. But I'd be lying to you if I said I'd remembered anything other than walking out of that show thinking that Eddie Van Halen was the greatest guitar super hero on the planet, and that I'd seen enough hot, half-naked young ladies to keep me smiling for the next couple of weeks. Thank you David Lee. :p

That concert was back in the fall of '78, and I was all of (13) years old. Indeed, my life would never be the same. Ever.

Tone2TheBone
March 16th, 2006, 09:44 AM
Dude I remember VH when they first came out too. I was a little further back from where you were (not in the same venue though bummer) but my memories are very similar to yours, especially the sweet little babes with shirts off and smiles galore.

I think during that time nobody had a sound like Eddie. Tom Scholz had the really cool and full gain power soak sound which no one else had at that time either. I distinctly remember those 2 bands in particular back in '76-78' for their wicked guitar sound.

Dude those days are long gone. The sights the smells the heat and the energy of the times. Ok so it wasn't the 60s, but the 70s yielded some history of it's own. ;) Thanks for taking us back with your words bro.

duhvoodooman
March 16th, 2006, 10:40 AM
That concert was back in the fall of '78, and I was all of (13) years old. Indeed, my life would never be the same. Ever.
NOW, THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKIN' ABOUT!! Great story, Nelskie.

Let hear some more, guys! Tell us the tales that shaped your love of music & guitar! :R

Spudman
March 16th, 2006, 11:38 AM
One of my very first big concerts and most memorable events came in the late 1970's. My band was on the road touring full time and we were going to finally have a weekend off. So homeless as I was I went with the rest of the band back to Billings Montana for the weekend. That weekends concert at the Metra, a large arena, was Loverboy and Quiet Riot.

We went to or friends music store and he told us that if we hung around Quiet Riot would be here shortly at the store. So we started to meander and plink around on stuff and soon thereafter the band arrived. I walked over to this guy who had way more hair than I did at the time while he was playing a bass and introduced myself. He said, I'm Rudy. I said, that's our bass player over there and we'll be coming to the show tonight. Should we bring watermelons to throw. They are in season, I asked? He said, no tomatoes would be fine. Next I walked over to the blond guy playing guitar and asked if he liked the acoustic he was playing. He said, ya it's really nice. I shook his hand and we exchanged introductions. Then off I went plinking on something else.

Being the good boy that I was I did as Rudy suggested and picked up a bag of tomatoes and went off to the show. We sat in the bleachers just in front of the bass player. During the breaks between songs I would stand up and shout "hey Rudy" and lob a tomato at the stage. Nobody could tell where they were coming from. They just saw them as the came into the light and rolled against the amps.

Ah, such pleasant memories of the night I threw tomatoes at Rudy Sarzo - Randy Rhoads, Quiet Riot, and Whitesnakes bass player.

I have plenty of other but not so comical stories of working with Fishbone, The Commitments, Leo Kotke, Chris Duarte, String Cheese Incident, Robert Earl Keen, Eric Burdon, CJ Chenier, Ansly Dunbar, Lee Rocker, Larry Carlton and many more.

Hey Nelskie - Billy Gibbons even asked me to sell him a mountain bike.

Tone2TheBone
March 16th, 2006, 11:48 AM
Spudster - I can't imagine the Reverend on any bike much less a mountain bike. You figured he'd be scared of ripping his beard off should it'd have gotten stuck in the spokes. ah ow ow ow owww.

Great story Spud. Nothing like hurling fruit at fellow musicians I always say. LMAO

duhvoodooman
March 16th, 2006, 11:57 AM
Throwing tomatoes at a big-league bass player?? Bad monkey! Bad monkey! :D

Hey, this thread's finally starting to heat up. Keep 'em coming, guys!!!

Tim
March 16th, 2006, 12:40 PM
Well I am a late bloomer. My first concert was in 1986. When my wife and I were living in Ft. Worth Texas we went over to Dallas to see the Moody Blues. Everyone was sitting either on the ground with blankets or sitting in bring your own lawn chairs. People near us had picnic baskets with cheese and wine. I had three six packs of beer with sub sandwiches. The Moody Blues came one stage at 9:00 PM and did not leave until after 2:00 AM. I thought it would never end.

We saw the Moody Blues again in 1991 in Cincinnati, Ohio. We took all three children with us. What a blast that was. Now that we have a quiet nest (if you say empty nest, some how they find their way back), we hope to attend concerts in the Jacksonville/Orlando areas.

Presently I have 3 of the Moody Blue’s DVDs. Thanks to Warren I hope to collect a few other band and guitar player DVDs. I need to learn who and what is out there. Oh yea, I received Eric Clapton’s “One More Car – One More Rider” DVD as a gift from my children for my birthday. Now that was a performance I wish I had attended.

Spudman
March 16th, 2006, 12:46 PM
Tim
Joe Satriani is coming your way next month. Check out who is with him.


Joe Satriani Super Colossal US Tour
Joe Satriani w/ very special guest Eric Johnson

April '06
01 Sat Ogden Theatre Denver, CO US Buy
02 Sun Uptown Theater Kansas City, MO US Buy
03 Mon Orpheum Theatre Omaha, NE US
05 Wed House Of Blues Chicago, IL US Buy
06 Thu House Of Blues Chicago, IL US Buy
07 Fri The Palace Theater Greensburg, PA US Buy
08 Sat Agora Theatre Cleveland, OH US Buy
09 Sun State Theater Detroit, MI US Buy
10 Mon Center for the Arts @ University of Buffalo Buffalo, NY US Buy
12 Wed Massey Hall Toronto, Ontario CA Buy
13 Thu Nokia Theatre New York, NY US Buy
14 Fri Berklee Performance Center Boston, MA US Buy
15 Sat Metropolis Montreal, Quebec CA Buy
17 Mon Rams Head Live Baltimore, MD US Buy
18 Tue Starland Ballroom Sayreville, NJ US Buy
19 Wed Tower Theatre Upper Darby, PA US Buy
20 Thu Jammy Awards - Madison Square Garden New York, NY US Buy
The Sixth Annual Jammy Awards will feature performances by: moe., Little Feat, Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, Joe Satriani, Blues Traveler, Peter Frampton, Richie Havens, Baaba Maal, Mutaytor, McCoy Tyner, Savion Glover, Mad Professor, Angelique Kidjo, Steve Kimock, Stephen Perkins of Jane's Addiction, Bettye LaVette, Guster, Martin Sexton, DJ Logic and more names to be announced!

21 Fri House Of Blues Orlando, FL US Buy
22 Sat Mizner Amphitheatre Boca Raton, FL US Buy
24 Mon Tampa Bay Performing Arts Center Tampa, FL US Buy
25 Tue Variety Playhouse Atlanta, GA US Buy
26 Wed House Of Blues New Orleans, LA US Buy
27 Thu Nokia Theatre Grand Prarie, TX US Buy
28 Fri Paramount Theatre Austin, TX US Buy
29 Sat Cynthia Woods Pavilion Woodlands, TX US Buy

SuperSwede
March 16th, 2006, 12:53 PM
"Baaba Maal" sounds like something really delicious... Come on in and grab a Baaba Maal, fresh from the grill.
Or I´d like a Baaba Meal and a Pepsi light please.

I went out fishing and catched this HUGE Baaba Maal..

Tim
March 16th, 2006, 01:12 PM
Ok guys. I think Super S & Spudman have becoem a tag team here on the Fret Net.

Spuds - Thanks for the list. I reviewed the acts which will be on the Sixth Annual Jammy Awards. Boy am I out of touch with reality. Half those people I do not know. I think I need to spend more time listening to the 80s & 90 XM channels. I need to re-familiarize myself with some of the more known groups also.

duhvoodooman
March 16th, 2006, 01:18 PM
Tim, if you're looking for good guitar performance DVD's, may I humbly suggest the Clapton "Crossroad Guitar Festival" DVD. This was a benefit 3-day event to raise money for EC's Crossroads Center addiction recovery clinic in Antigua, and featured some of the world's very best pickers. The breadth of styles represented is incredible. Check it out:

Crossroads Festival DVD (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002Y4T92/002-2024037-2193637?v=glance&n=130)

Stevie Ray Vaughan Live at Montreux 1982 & 1985 (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0002SPPSC/ref=pd_bxgy_img_b/002-2024037-2193637?%5Fencoding=UTF8&v=glance&n=130) is very cool, too. If you want to be just flat amazed by watching a guitarist perform, SRV is a good place to start.

duhvoodooman
March 16th, 2006, 01:21 PM
...I´d like a Baaba Meal and a Pepsi light please.

You want fries with that Baaba Maal, sir?

Tim
March 16th, 2006, 03:14 PM
Tim, if you're looking for good guitar performance DVD's, may I humbly suggest the Clapton "Crossroad Guitar Festival" DVD.

Vaughan Live at Montreux 1982 & 1985[/URL] is very cool, too. If you want to be just flat amazed by watching a guitarist perform, SRV is a good place to start.

VooDoo - I do not understand how I could of forgotten Crossroads. I bought that one year ago. I agree, it is an awesome DVD with lots of stars.

My friend Warren introduced me to the SRV Live at Montreux DVD when I visited him a few weeks back. I would like to obtain that DVD also.