Favorite Rock And Jazz Shows (1966-Last Weekend)

The Beatles, Seattle Coliseum, August 25, 1966. Yeah, four bucks (it cost six to get a decent seat). It was cooler for the Beatle proximity, for being part of the Beatlemania phenomena, than it was for the actual music, which was just barely perceptible WAY DOWN THERE at the end of the hall. You could tell which tune they were playing ("I think it's Help"), but it was a murky soup at best. In those early days of rock concerts in big rooms, the amps and PAs were not up to the job, especially with ten thousand girls screaming at the tops of their lungs. This was one of the very last Beatles shows. They performed at Dodgers Stadium in L.A. three days later, and the night after that at Candlestick Park in San Francisco. They never played in public again (except the famous rooftop show right before they broke up). I definitely got my four bucks worth. This was not inconsiderable, since my family was poor, and lived on about $330 a month.

Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, and the Steve Miller Band Sicks Stadium, Seattle, July 26, 1970. Eat your hearts out! It was Jimi's last visit home to Seattle. Jimi and Janis would both die a few months later, both 27 years old. Although you probably know him by his lame rock radio hits ("Fly Like An Eagle"), in 1990, Steve Miller was smoking and had put out some great music like Your Saving Grace, Space Cowboy, and Living In The USA. And yeah, Jimi was stoned, and he lit into the hometown audience (you know how coming home can be?). He berated us for being small-town hicks. But we loved him anyhow. Janis: what's not to love? If you want to see her around this period, rent or buy the movie Festival Express. When she was on, she was ON.

Jethro Tull, Led Zeppelin (and, alas, Three Dog Night) at the Green Lake Aqua Theater, May 11th, 1969, Seattle. The one that got away. I missed this show and regret it. You can't believe how small this venue is. I'd be surprised if it holds much more than 700 people. It would have been cool to see Led Zeppelin back then. Kevin Curran was at that show. Maybe he will fill us in on the details.

The Sky River Rock Festival and Lighter Than Air Fair, August 30, 1968, near Sultan, in Snohomish County, Washington. I went with Larry Auker. They say this was America's first multi-day, outdoor rock concert. I turned 15 the day the festival started. It was a big moment. After that, Boy Scouts was kind of over for me. This was the moment when I knew it was music that would get me through it. Who was there? Santana, Big Mama Thornton, James Cotton, Country Joe and the Fish, Richard Pryor, It's a Beautiful Day, Peanut Butter Conspiracy, the Youngbloods, New Lost City Ramblers, and many others, including some local groups. The Grateful Dead arrive and played unscheduled! As big a fan as I became in later life, I remember nothing of their performance. I have no recollection of actually seeing Richard Pryor, one of the great comedians of my lifetime. (Photo: hot dog vendor at Sky River, 1968, breasts and pubic area censored by me: Protect The Children!).

The Satsop River Rock Festival 1971, Satsop, Wash. Albert Collins , The Youngbloods, The Buoys, Jimmy Witherspoon, Eric Burdon, Wishbone Ash, and Delaney and Bonnie. This was a lot of fun. I was really knocked out by Jimmy Witherspoon and The Youngbloods. This show was a mindf***er. It plumbed the highs and lows (not the music but what you witnessed among the viewers). It was notable, perhaps, for being the first time I ever attempted to have a normal conversation with a naked girl. I'm still not very good at that.

I should also mention that Delaney, Bonnie & Friends has a great sideman on guitar. It was Eric Clapton. After burning out on Cream and his various supergroups (Blind Faith etc.), he kind of took a back seat (or maybe he took the back seat not because he was burned out, but because that was in the years he was heavy into smack?)

Rock shows, 1977-82, New York City. We saw a lot of great people and a lot of memorable shows at CBGB, which closed last week. Just check out this list. I remember the night the B 52s made their New York debut. They pulled up and unloaded their gear from a battered station wagon. Of this list, we saw the Talking Heads, Blondie, and The Ramones numerous times. We saw many other groups I can't even remember. I worked at Carl Fischer, two blocks up The Bowery from CBGB.

The Talking Heads. We saw them five or six times between Central Park, Saturday Night Live, and CBGB.
Sick F**ks
Patti Smith
The Ramones. I think I saw them four or five times. I met and hand a drink once with Joey Ramone--with my friend Fuzzy (aka Dwight Henry Thompson)--at The Great Guildersleeves, where he and Fuzzy engaged in some sort of pharmacological transaction).
Richard Hell and the Voidoids
Circle Jerks
Sonic Youth
The Laughing Dogs (our downstairs neighbors in a loft in Brooklyn). They signed with Warner.
The Kojacks (the Laughing Dogs in Kojack disguises)
The Dead Boys. These were some loud and spooky dudes.
Blondie. We saw her at least three times. Fun shows.
The B 52s
Screamin' Jay Hawkins
Television
The Shirts
Mink DeVille
The Plasmatics (my most vivid memory is of Wendy O. Williams removing her clothes to perform some disturbing gynecological feats).
The NY Ni**ers

Stan Getz, 1974, Seattle. At the 1974 Bumbershoot Arts Fair. I'm glad I saw him. He had great tone and could really swing. A fun fact about Stan. In his early years, he spent some time in jail in Seattle. I think he pulled a robbery for smack money.

Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention, March 15, 1974, Paramount Theatre, Seattle. This was one of the tight, extremely rehearsed Zappa bands. It was a fantastic show. They played some of my favorites: (Cheepnis, Inca Roads, Montana, Andy, Camarillo Brillo).

The Grateful Dead, various years from 1973-1995 in Seattle, Vancouver, Berkeley, New York City, and Eugene, OR. Every show was great, but some of my favorites were the last ones. . .the shows they played in May, 1995 at Memorial Stadium in Seattle shortly before the death of Jerry Garcia. Web sites and various fans call these last Seattle shows some of the best Dead of the 90's. Dave Hokit and I took our kids to first of these shows, and went on our own the next night (which I wrote about here a month or so ago).

Jazz, 1977-82 in New York City:

Dizzy Gillespie. At the Bottom Line around 1979. He was sweet. I saw Diz one more time, in Seattle, where he brought his protege Wynton Marsalis on tour.

Miles Davis. I don't remember where I saw Miles. I do remember that he played only a few bars of trumpet, and mostly only played a Hammond B3.

Phil Woods at a club in the village. A great alto player, although, interestingly, my favorite solo by him is on a Steely Dan Record (the awesome sax break on Doctor Wu on the album Katy Lied).

Alberta Hunter, The blues legend. She quit music for many years to care for her mother and returned to singing when she was 82. When Keelin and I saw her at The Cookery (twice), she would have been about 86 years old. . .

Benny Carter at a club on the Upper West Side after he returned from exile in Europe.

Betty Carter - I can't remember where. Probably the Bitter End or The Bottom Line.

The Brecker Brothers at their club on 7th Avenue South.
Woody Shaw - At a club in the village. Bob Cranshaw, an acquaintance, played with him that night.

John McLaughlin and Carlos Santana, Love, Devotion, Surrender tour 1973, Seattle Center Arena. These guys just smoked playing Coltrane. It was loud and the interplay between the guitars was fantastic (on the album, one plays on the right speaker and one on the left). This, and the Return To Forever show are what got me plugged into jazz (along with Charles Lloyd's early 70's recordings).

Scatman Crothers, Auburn, Wash., about 1974. Keelin and I went to see Scatman, who was teaching a class how to scat sing. It was fun. He, of course, performed a few songs and gave us lots of demos of how to do it. You might know him as Dick Hallorann--the guy who tries to rescue the wife and son in Kubrick's The Shining...

Big Star, Death Cab for Cutie, The Posies (acoustic), The Showbox, Seattle, Dec 22, 2000. I was pretty bored with Deathcab, who were the warm up act and have since gone on to great fame and fortune. Big Star was great, as always...Alex Chilton was chipper and in fine voice. The Posies acoustic set was, as usual, an amazing bombardment of melody and harmony. Then they joined Alex Chilton and Jody Stephens for the Big Star set. Jon and Ken have now basically been members of Big Star since 1992 (the first reunion show). Big Star has a CD of new music coming out this month on Rykodisc, with Alex, Jody, Ken, and Jon... Note: just last weekend, September 4, 2005, at the Bumbershoot festival, The Posies performed for the hometown crowd. They blew the doors off the place, and turned in what I thought was one of their best shows ever. Click that link to see my notes on the show. I have seen The Posies play maybe ten times. They are stars in the pantheon.

Los Lobos, Seattle Center Coliseum, Bumbershoot Arts Fair, August 31, 1986. The first time I ever saw Los Lobos. Great show, focusing on the How Will The Wolf Survive and By The Light of The Moon albums. I have seen them at least two other times pver the years at Bumbershoot.

Elvis Costello with the Imposters, Sept. 22, 2002 Seattle, WA, Paramount Theatre. This was a smoking show! He played lots of tunes from Brutal Youth and from his current CD, When I was Cruel. I remember his poignant Shipbuilding and What's So Funny About Peace Love And Understanding? as being standouts. I love this guy. I foolishly missed his shows in New York in 1978 when he played four clubs in one night.

Elvis Costello And The Attractions, September 1983, Greek Theatre, Berkeley, California. Another fine show from Elvis, marred just a bit by the tour being in support of Punch The Clock--not his worst album, but close. He even goofed on stage a little. He played alot of old stuff too. And performed Pills And Soap...certainly one of the weirdest and creepiest tunes he ever did...yet somehow oddly compelling. As for the Greek Theatre (where I also saw the Dead in 1983, just before I moved from Berkeley)...it is one of the greatest theatres in America. Steeply raked, with great sight lines, and it is nestled in the trees in the Berkeley Hills. A beautiful place to hear music.

CTI Jazz shows 1973 and 1974, Seattle. CTI records sent their stars out on tour a few times. I saw them twice at Paramount Northwest. The lineup was incredible: George Benson, Herbie Hancock, Grover Washington, Jr. , Hubert Laws, Stanley Turrentine, Freddy Hubbard, Bob James, and Hank Crawford. . .and others I am forgetting...

Divine, 1980, New York City. One of the strangest shows I've ever seen. You may have seen Divine in a John Waters movie. She/he was truly one of a kind. We met her after the show with our friends Pinky and Cheryl. She was something else. I can't say this is a favorite show, but it was one of the most memorable ones...

Rod Stewart and Faces,1972, Seattle. This was either at the Coliseum or Arena. We somehow smuggled in tons of alcohol. This show rocked and stands out as one of my favorites of all time, just for the great good times vibe. I don't know if we, or Faces were drunker. Ron Wood (Rolling Stones) and Rod were amazingly sloppy on stage, and we were on our feet all night. They played all the great early Faces rockers like Stay With Me, Maggie May, and Cut Across Shorty.

Crosby Stills, Nash & Young -Tacoma Dome, First Set, February 1, 2000. I liked hearing the songs live (agter all they were the soundtrack for my life in 1971), but this was not a band at the height of their powers. I was, however, astounded by Crosby's powerful vocals, especially on Long Time Gone. He sounded 20 years old. The highlight for me was seeing one of my musical heroes, Neil Young. For some reason, I had never seen him live before. He literally made the show and was the sparkplug for nearly every great musical moment. I have yet to see him with Crazy Horse (except on film and video).

It's A Beautiful Day - Paramount Northwest, Seattle, 1974. Their radio hits like White Bird, and Hot Summer Day notwithstanding, they rocked the house. It was maybe the first time I ever heard a violin in a rock band. One reason I remember the show is that it was being filmed, and the audience was bathed in harsh Klieg lights. It was still a good show. I went with Jerry Melin and Phil Kendall to this one.

Rockpile, 1979?, Central Park, New York City. I remember liking this show a lot, but I don't remember many details. I have seen Nick Lowe over the years several times at Bumbershoot as well. He has written about 20 really good songs over the years. Dave Edmunds, I am fairly indifferent about...

The Kinks, Asbury Park, New Jersey 1977. It was fabulous to see my longtime heroes, The Kinks, performing songs from way way back in the 60s up to Soap Opera, Everybody's In Show Biz, Preservation, and Schoolboys In Disgrace. Ray's voice was spot on, and Dave's guitar shredded. I liked them when they were part of the British Invasion, and my interest in them was reignited by the great double LP Everybody's In Show Biz, Preservation, and some of the other late masterpieces. I lost interest in the later new stuff along the lines of Come Dancing, Father Christmas, and Destroyer...

Them (starring Van Morrison), Tiffany's Skating Rink, 1968, Kent, WA. Remember, even the biggies played small halls back then. Them, in my hometown of 10,000 people! They played their hits, of course: Gloria, Brown Eyed Girl, and Here Comes The Night.

Bob Dylan and The Band, Vancouver, B.C., 1974. The Band supported Dylan on Planet Waves and its accompanying tour, which became the most successful tour in rock & roll history; it was captured on 1974's double-live album Before the Flood. Although I am a lifelong fan, this is the only time I have ever seen Bob play live.

John Prine, 1974, Bellingham Wash. He played at my college. I loved his humor and his ragged vocals. This was around the time of his second or third album, so he already had a great store of songs. I specifically remember him playing Dear Abby, Paradise, and Sam Stone.

McCoy Tyner, 1974, Bellingham, Wash. I had never heard a solo piano concert before. It was something new, and ignited me with the desire to hear more of his former boss John Coltrane (and I've been listening ever since). The best part of solo McCoy is seeing his foot never stop stamping.

Weather Report, WWU, Bellingham, Wash. 1973. A smoking show if you liked fusion, and the only time I got to see Wayne Shorter or Joseph Zawinul. Curiously, this show was opened by the fake Fleetwood Mac that was touring the country (note: this is pre-McVie, Buckingham, and Nicks). Somehow, they resurrected a real Fleetwood Mac later in the decade.

Return To Forever, Paramount Northwest, Seattle, 1975. This jazz-fusion group put out some great tunes and a rocking show. Chick Corea, Stanley Clarke, Lenny White and Al Dimiola rocked just enough to help suck me into the jazz fold.

Blind Boys of Alabama, Pantages Theatre, Tacoma, Wash. January 2002, and Kentwood Performing Arts Center, 2004. The Blind Boys play spiritual and gospel music amped up. This music can give you goosebumps. They always have great arrangements, and interesting harmonies. Age has taken its toll, but member Jimmy Carter usually stands up the entire show and cuts loose with some happy feet antics. One of the members recently died, but they keep on making music. They have won four Grammys in recent years. This is some of my favorite gospel music.

The Bluebirds (Linda Ronstadt with Maria Muldaur and Laurie Lewis and Lews's band, Guest House, with Ron Stewart on fiddle. Wintergrass Festival, Tacoma, Wash., 2005. The Bluebirds formed as more or less a one-off. This was their first, and maybe only show. You couldn't tell. They sounded like they had rehearsed for a year. The harmonies were excellent, the band played some fine bluegrass. Linda Ronstadt was phenomenal. This is one of the greatest vocal performances I have ever witnessed. I had the feeling at times she was even holding back...since it was supposed to be a group effort. I would go see her sing anytime, anywhere. Not only have her vocal chops not diminished, but she is stronger and better sounding than ever.
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