Anyone ever see these earlier musical legends in conert?

[stooka]

Fer sure....

 

Do all the old blues guys I saw count? Sunnyland Slim, Otis Rush, Hounddog Taylor, Willie Dixon, etc.

Or the jazz guys?? Sonny Rollins, Raahsan Roland Kirk, Oscar Petterson, Keith Jarrett, etc.

 

LouieB

 

 

[LouieB]

Not really so astounding....they were all still alive at that point. Actually I saw all kinds of folks (with the emphasis on folks) including Sandy Denny with Fairport Convention. As mentioned before, telling these stories out of context gets pretty boring. But there was a fantastic club in Evanston called Amazingrace that was originally a coffee house on the Northwestern campus and then moved off to a club they designed where you sat on the floor (carpeted) or found a seat in the back. There was a nice balcony too. We would go see people there at least once or twice a month. it was like $3.50 - $5.50 per ticket and they had folk, jazz, and rock groups, usually a main group and an opener. No smoking no eating no drinking, but it didn't matter. It was the best. Sometimes it was wall to wall other times you could lay out on the floor. Unlike the clubs (Quiet Knight which was also a legendary club) that had small tables and you had to buy two over priced drinks, this was heaven. I did not keep ticket stubs in those days, but I saw Doc Watson, John Hartford, the aforementioned Fairport, Don Cherry, Keith Jarrett, Sonny Rollins, Leon Redbone, Bob Gibson and Hamilton Camp, Tom Rush, Proctor and Bergman (Firesign Theater), Vassar Clements, hell I don't know, just lots of folks I can't even remember now I saw there. Sadly it closed down around the turn of the 1980s. It is now a convenience store (corner of Chicago and Main in Evanston.) Heck the Special Consensus Bluegrass Band used to open for folks at this club, now they are like semi-famous just for having been there.

 

Did I mention I saw Bill Monroe at Bean Blossom in Indiana?? That was a fun if slightly weird experience. There are plenty of musicians I wish I had seen, but I think I did pretty well for myself as a poor social service worker at the time.

 

If I try and remember who I saw at different clubs it is easier. At the Jazz Showcase I saw McCoy Tyner, Yusef Lateef, Dexter Gordon, Old and New Dreams, Sonny Stitt, Elvin Jones, Art Blakey, that's all I can remember at the moment.

 

LouieB

[Analogman]

Not really so astounding....they were all still alive at that point. Actually I saw all kinds of folks (with the emphasis on folks) including Sandy Denny with Fairport Convention. As mentioned before, telling these stories out of context gets pretty boring.

LouieB

 

Not boring to me - but then again, I love to hear stories. That would have been something to see Fairport Convention then - I just got into them last year. And oddly enough, I was just thinking of the song Come All Ye before I looked at your post.

[Guest Cousin Tupelo]

This is more like the inverse of your question.

I had tickets to see the Dead in June of 1995. I got really sick and skipped it. Less than 2 months later, Jerry died. Never got to see them.

I saw the Dead in 1986. ... at least I think I did ...

[PopTodd]

I saw a legend that I had no idea was a legend until he started playing:

 

Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham

 

They opened for Nick Lowe about 10 years ago when I saw him at the Park West (Chicago) and, although their names sounded familiar, I had no idea what I was in for. You may know Spooner from Neil Young's Harvest band. But Dan is the songwriter who brought you such classics as "Cry Like a Baby" (The Box Tops), "Cry Like a Man" (The Purify Brothers), "Dark End Of the Street" (Aretha Franklin/The Commitments/Flying Burrito Brothers), "Do Right Woman/Do Right Man" (Aretha Franklin), and too many more.

 

I sat there in awe, stunned that what I was watching was a performance by a man who was nothing less than a national treasure. Awesome.

[remphish1]

I enjoy the stories too. I am not sure why people would find it boring. I enjoy it. The thread has over 100 post so it appears people like to share their stories too!

 

[Lammycat]

I enjoy the stories too. I am not sure why people would find it boring. I enjoy it. The thread has over 100 post so it appears people like to share their stories too!

 

I don't mind the stories either and that wasn't my point a few pages back.

[MattZ]

Not really so astounding....

 

Lou- you keep saying that but then continue to post in this thread about all the people you've seen. What gives?

 

I think it's very cool, and the stories are fun. Keep em coming.

[LouieB]

Dan Penn & Spooner Oldham

I was thinking of mentioning these guys too, luckily they are still alive. I saw them when Brother Ray was fairly young so it must have been at least 12-14 years ago. They played a side stage at Blues Fest. We stood there in the light rain and watched the two of them play the hits and some other stuff. It was really a moving show. Sadly I stretched Brother Ray only so far and we left before the very end, but seeing them was extremely special all in all. I am sure they do the same show all the time, but if you get a chance to see them, do it. (The album out a few years back of them playing these songs is pretty good too if you can't see them.) Incidently Dark End of the Street was originally written for James Carr and his version is worth seeking out. It is also Dan Penn's favorite version, although all the other versions certainly made him tons of dough.

 

It isn't that I think talking about this stuff is boring per se, it is just the context issue. I have never NOT talked about seeing these kinds of acts, but I honestly don't want it to appear I am bragging or whatever. I mean when I got to Chicago I was far less educated about music in general, even though I was collecting records back then. We have always had great clubs here, but as mentioned the traditional night club was sometimes an expensive proposition (you got a cramped seat and had to buy two drinks per set if they let you stay beyond one set.) Amazingrace was an ex-student run club and they knew that many people didn't have the money to go to the clubs and see music. It was only years later that clubs took out the tables and stuffed people in standing up. (See threads from 5 years ago about this.) Now we are all used to and like this arrangement, but Amazingrace was first come first served, but they made you sit down for most of the show (we stood if it was rockin at the end). Even some of the blues clubs like Wise Fools had tables and chairs. Biddy Mulligans on the other hand was a bar and had some tables and seating around a large bar, but they packed so many folks in there that people stood too (and got very drunk....). Even though I saw lots of blues musicians there, maybe the highlight of my blues bar going was one night I was in there with friends and standing against the back wall and some guy pushed me aside and walkedinto the wall and fell down. You don't get to see crazy shit like that every night.

 

Did I mention I saw Jethro Tull a couple times..... Actually Lee Michaels opened the first show and his drummer Frosty was a maniac and played this incredible drum solo with his HANDS. I had not seen anything like this before and it was really nuts.

 

LouieB

[Guest Cousin Tupelo]

Did I mention I saw Jethro Tull a couple times..... Actually Lee Michaels opened the first show and his drummer Frosty was a maniac and played this incredible drum solo with his HANDS. I had not seen anything like this before and it was really nuts.

 

LouieB

 

I went through a period of a man crush on Ian Anderson, and would have loved to seen Jethro Tull either in their early blues days or about the time when they recorded "Bursting Out Live." Anderson was like Jeff Tweedy, only, an asshole.

[LouieB]

I went through a period of a man crush on Ian Anderson, and would have loved to seen Jethro Tull either in their early blues days or about the time when they recorded "Bursting Out Live." Anderson was like Jeff Tweedy, only, an asshole.

Yea, I would guess that is probably true. JT (that's Jethro Tull not Jeff Tweedy) gets alot of negative press these days, but their first few albums were some of the first I had and I played the grooves out of them. A rock group with a flute was pretty cool. Offshoot group Blodwyn Pig was pretty good too.

 

I just remember Ian Anderson treating the lead guitarist like shit.

 

LouieB

[Analogman]

I rather like these albums:

 

This Was (1968)

Stand Up (1969)

Benefit (1970)

Aqualung (1971)

[Guest Cousin Tupelo]

Yea, I would guess that is probably true. JT (that's Jethro Tull not Jeff Tweedy) gets alot of negative press these days, but their first few albums were some of the first I had and I played the grooves out of them. A rock group with a flute was pretty cool. Offshoot group Blodwyn Pig was pretty good too.

 

I just remember Ian Anderson treating the lead guitarist like shit.

 

LouieB

Martin Barre!

 

Benefit and Stand Up are awesome. I liked the woodsy, acoustic stage of the band too, but it was somewhat inconsequential.

[LouieB]

I rather like these albums:

 

This Was (1968)

Stand Up (1969)

Benefit (1970)

Aqualung (1971)

Oh yea.....all were great. By the time Aqualung came out they were a huge act and never quite the same again, but the first three were the best of what later came to be known as "progressive rock" or now known pejoratively "prog rock". FYI I was in college when these all came out so very long ago.

 

Yea, Ian used to dump on Martin, but that was after he forced out Mick Abrahams (who I did not see) who started Blodwyn Pig. Martin Barre was an excellent guitarist however.

 

LouieB

[Analogman]

Although - the first album is really a British rock blues deal (somewhat). After Ian took over, then things changed. The only cd that is out of Aqualung sound like total shit - I hope that gets re-released someday. I have the re-masters of the other ones, they sound good.

[LouieB]

Damn-it..I am supposed to be working at home today..... Just in case anyone was wondering what I am doing here during the day for a change. At noon I am on vacation.

 

Aqualung and many of the songs on it have been classic rock staples for so long that it would seem that a reissue of it would be in order. The later JT albums I managed to collect from resale shops (including the original version of Thick as a Brick... ) and none of them did for me what the first four did.

 

LouieB

[people are leaving]

elton john - 75 - oakland

the who - grateful dead - 75 - oakland

jeff beck w/Jan Hammer- 76 - oakland

zeppelin (both days) - 77 - oakland

pink floyd - 77 - oakland

queen - 77 - sf - winterland

lynyrd skynyrd - 77 - oakland

stones 78 - some girls tour - oakland

black sabbath - van halen - 12/2/78 - oakland

police & iggy pop - 79 - oakland

clapton - 79 - oakland (he was wearing a black t - "No Snow, No Show"

devo - 79 - berkeley community theatre

the clash (opening for The Who) - 80 - oakland

u2 - 80 - san jose state university

tony bennett - 80-81 - venetian room - sf

undertones 80 - keystone berkeley -

rem - 83 - keystone berkeley

ramones - 83 - greek theatre - berkeley

roxy music - 83 - oakland - as well as other dates that year

sinatra - early 80's - circle star theatre - san jose

the replacements - 84 - ibeam - sf

xtc - (skylarking sessions) - 86 - @ The Tubes recording studio

elvis costello - the la's - 90-91 - concord pavillion

miles - 90-91 - paramount theatre - oakland

nirvana - 93 (NY Eve) - Oakland

guided by voices - 94 - bottom of the hill - sf

son volt - 97 - fillmore - sf

elliott smith (solo) - 97 - bottom of the hill - sf

whiskeytown - 97 - the infamous fillmore show - sf

wilco ( and it all began) - 98 - comcord pavillion folk festival

neutral milk hotel - 98 - bottom of the hill - sf

 

bob dylan (maybe 2-3 years ago) @ The Grand - SF in front of 300 people

 

....and Fleet Foxes - (last week) - Bottom of the Hill (unf**king believable)

 

.....and I would have loved to see -

Fairport Convention - Duke Ellington - Nick Drake - Coltrane - Charlie Parker - Johnny Hartman - The Miles (on Prestige) Quintet - Harry James - Hank Williams - Elvis Presley w/Scotty Moore & Bill Black

 

-among countless others.

[Analogman]

Damn-it..I am supposed to be working at home today..... Just in case anyone was wondering what I am doing here during the day for a change. At noon I am on vacation.

 

Aqualung and many of the songs on it have been classic rock staples for so long that it would seem that a reissue of it would be in order. The later JT albums I managed to collect from resale shops (including the original version of Thick as a Brick... ) and none of them did for me what the first four did.

 

LouieB

 

Yea, I have a hard time with anything after that. I just bought those not all that long ago - I don't think I ever really owned any as a kid. A friend mine was really into them back in high school - he really liked:

 

Too Old to Rock 'n' Roll: Too Young to Die! (1976)

Songs from the Wood (1977)

Heavy Horses (1978)

Stormwatch (1979)

[Analogman]

zeppelin (both days) - 77 - oakland

 

Led Zeppelin, Alameda County Coliseum

July 23, 1977, Oakland, California

 

Disc 1

1. The Song Remains The Same

2. The Rover (intro) / Sick Again

3. Nobody's Fault But Mine

4. Over The Hills And Far Away

5. Since I've Been Loving You

6. No Quarter

 

Disc 2

1. Ten Years Gone

2. The Battle Of Evermore

3. Going To California

4. Black Country Woman

5. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp

6. Trampled Underfoot

7. White Summer/Black Mountain Side

8. Kashmir

 

Disc 3

1. Guitar Solo

2. Achilles Last Stand

3. Stairway To Heaven

4. Whole Lotta Love

5. Rock And Roll

6. Black Dog

 

Led Zeppelin, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum

July 24, 1977, Oakland, California

 

1. Intro

2. The Song Remains The Same

3. Sick Again

4. Nobody's Fault But Mine

5. Over The Hills And Far Away

6. Since I've Been Loving You

7. No Quarter

8. Ten Years Gone

9. The Battle Of Evermore

10. Going To California (CD2)

11. Mystery Train

12. Black Country Woman

13. Bron-Yr-Aur Stomp

14. Trampled Underfoot

15. White Summer/Black Mountain Side

16. Kashmir

17. Guitar Solo

18. Achilles Last Stand

19. Stairway To Heaven

20. Whole Lotta Love

21. Rock And Roll

[Moe_Syzlak]

the who - grateful dead - 75 - oakland

'76, no?

 

These shows:

 

10/09/76 (Sat) Oakland-Alameda County Stadium - Oakland, CA

Set 1: Promised Land, Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodeloo, Cassidy, Tennessee Jed, Looks Like Rain, They Love Each Other, Minglewood Blues, Scarlet Begonias, Lazy Lightning > Supplication, Sugaree

 

Set 2: St. Stephen > Not Fade Away > St. Stephen > Help On The Way > Slipknot > Drums > Samson & Delilah > Slipknot > Franklin's Tower > One More Saturday Night, E: U.S. Blues

 

Comment: "Day on the Green #8" With The Who

 

10/10/76 (Sun) Oakland-Alameda County Stadium - Oakland, CA

Set 1: Might As Well, Mama Tried, Ramble On Rose, Cassidy, Deal, El Paso, Loser, Promised Land, Friend Of The Devil, Dancing In The Streets > Wharf Rat > Dancing In The Streets

 

Set 2: Samson & Delilah, Brown Eyed Women, Playing In The Band > Drums > The Wheel > The Other One > Stella Blue > Playing In The Band > Sugar Magnolia, E: Johnny B. Goode

 

Comment: "Day on the Green #9" With The Who

[Analogman]

There use to be some photos of those shows up at dead.net.

[remphish1]

elton john - 75 - oakland

the who - grateful dead - 75 - oakland

jeff beck w/Jan Hammer- 76 - oakland

zeppelin (both days) - 77 - oakland

pink floyd - 77 - oakland

queen - 77 - sf - winterland

lynyrd skynyrd - 77 - oakland

stones 78 - some girls tour - oakland

black sabbath - van halen - 12/2/78 - oakland

police & iggy pop - 79 - oakland

clapton - 79 - oakland (he was wearing a black t - "No Snow, No Show"

devo - 79 - berkeley community theatre

the clash (opening for The Who) - 80 - oakland

u2 - 80 - san jose state university

tony bennett - 80-81 - venetian room - sf

undertones 80 - keystone berkeley -

rem - 83 - keystone berkeley

ramones - 83 - greek theatre - berkeley

roxy music - 83 - oakland - as well as other dates that year

sinatra - early 80's - circle star theatre - san jose

the replacements - 84 - ibeam - sf

xtc - (skylarking sessions) - 86 - @ The Tubes recording studio

elvis costello - the la's - 90-91 - concord pavillion

miles - 90-91 - paramount theatre - oakland

nirvana - 93 (NY Eve) - Oakland

guided by voices - 94 - bottom of the hill - sf

son volt - 97 - fillmore - sf

elliott smith (solo) - 97 - bottom of the hill - sf

whiskeytown - 97 - the infamous fillmore show - sf

wilco ( and it all began) - 98 - comcord pavillion folk festival

neutral milk hotel - 98 - bottom of the hill - sf

 

bob dylan (maybe 2-3 years ago) @ The Grand - SF in front of 300 people

 

....and Fleet Foxes - (last week) - Bottom of the Hill (unf**king believable)

 

.....and I would have loved to see -

Fairport Convention - Duke Ellington - Nick Drake - Coltrane - Charlie Parker - Johnny Hartman - The Miles (on Prestige) Quintet - Harry James - Hank Williams - Elvis Presley w/Scotty Moore & Bill Black

 

-among countless others.

Nice list! Tell me more about that Queen show. Be interested into hearing any memories of the U2 and REM shows also!

[poppydawn]

Lots of Uncle Tupelo/early Wilco/early Son Volt shows when I was a student at MU-Columbia in the early '90s. Sadly, I don't remember much in the way of details. At the time they were bar bands I liked and I didn't think much beyond that.

 

Chuck Berry, as he still plays in St. Louis once a month. Obviously, I didn't see him in his heyday but for a guy in his 80s, he can still whallop that guitar at times.

 

Bo Diddly in 1987. Again, not in his prime. He was playing the Missouri State Fair in my hometown.

 

I saw Beck at Lollapalooza in 1995. Early on, but late enough that he was playing on the main stage.

 

In 1994, when the Stones played college stadiums, I sat on the hood of my car outside my apartment two blocks from the stadium and listened to the show. Too broke to buy an actual ticket. I was offered a free ticket to a show on their '97 tour but, 1) I didn't have much interest in seeing them, and 2) I was pretty sure I was expected to put out and it wasn't worth that. Yuck.

 

Johnny and June Carter Cash stayed at a hotel where I worked during the tour for his first American Recordings album. He sang "Amazing Grace" with my boss. The irony is, I missed not only this display, but the concert itself because I was on a business trip. In Memphis. So while I was listening to his original recordings at Sun Studios, I was missing the opportunity to meet him. Fourteen years later and I'm still kinda bitter about that.

 

I'm drawing a blank on any other legends I've seen. I was born too late (1972) to see a lot of them in their early days or prime. I've seen lots of U2 and Springsteen shows, but those have all occurred in the past decade. I'm generally not a fan of nostalgia acts. Aretha Franklin played a venue near my hometown a few years ago, and as much as I love her I didn't go. I can't stand seeing performers long past their prime, doing shows where they're obviously phoning it in. It makes me feel dirty to be a part of that.

 

That said, I saw a "reunion" of the Mamas and the Papas in 1990. It was John and Mackinzie Phillips (Julie!) and two unknowns. The whole event was pretty disenchanting.

 

The Ozark Music Festival was in my hometown shortly before my second birthday. While no one in my family was at any of the shows, I've heard many, many tales of The Week the Hippies Invaded Sedalia, including stories from my grandpa about people skinny-dipping in the creek near his farm. I have all the newspapers from that week, which my aunt saved. Personally, I think the hyperbole-ridden stories are probably as entertaining as the concerts themselves must have been. But I like stories.

[Analogman]

In 1994, when the Stones played college stadiums, I sat on the hood of my car outside my apartment two blocks from the stadium and listened to the show. Too broke to buy an actual ticket. I was offered a free ticket to a show on their '97 tour but, 1) I didn't have much interest in seeing them, and 2) I was pretty sure I was expected to put out and it wasn't worth that. Yuck.

 

So you could have had one of Mick's kids?

[people are leaving]

'76, no?

 

Eh, looks right. While some of the shows I know are exact time frames, others I will admit could be a a year away in either direction. What I do remember as a soon to be 16 year-old as being incredibly bored by the Dead. (I wish I knew then what I know now). The other thing I remember....50,000 people surging forward as Townsend's guitar hit that Open E chord after the keyboard intro of Baba O'Reily.

 

Incredible rock n roll moment.