Browse 73974 Reviews & Comments (Page 3658)

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 Rock's In My Head FEB 28: TEN YEARS AFTER / DOUG KERSHAW/ ZEPHYR @ FILLMORE EAST It was only one full week after Savoy Brown and I was back doing what I loved to do.This time it was a late show on a Saturday night, a midnight extravaganza featuring TEN YEARS AFTER, Zephyr, and Doug Kershaw. Kershaw, a Cajun violinist (fiddle player) was just okay, a bit too quirky for me. Zephyr had a fabulous guitarist, Tommy Bolin, and their girl singer, Cindy Givens, was a blast; Hard Charging Woman, Huna Buna, St James Infirmary, great tunes played by a pretty decent band ( I would follow Tommy Bolin’s career for a few years until his untimely death in 1976). Finally TYA, my favorite band for the moment, with our fourth row Fillmore East seats, this was the night of nights to remember with a full set of their usual fare followed by an eighteen (18) song encore featuring many, many Chuck Berry tunes. No matter how cold it was outside, this band was hot inside. Goin’ Home (funny how I slipped that there) we took what was labeled by the late night LIRR riders as the notorious “drunk” train. Ten Years After / Zephyr / John Hammond Jr. Apr 23, 2018
 Rock's In My Head FEB 21: SAVOY BROWN/THE KinKs/ RENAISSANCE @ FILLMORE EAST New York is always cold and this night it was extremely cold and then at the Fillmore The KinKs cancelled out at the last minute making my already sour mood worse.  The VOICES OF EAST HARLEM started the night off by showing a video of the ensemble singing, running down the streets of Manhattan. Suddenly the video shows the group turning onto Second Avenue, oh look the Fillmore marquee on the screen, then, the actual group is running down the aisles toward the stage singing to the song being played on the video. Very cool. RENAISSANCE was the left over Yardbirds, quite different from what I expected. Last up, when Savoy Brown hit the stage they BOOGIED and then they BOOGIED some more. Chris Youlden was great on vocals, performing with a top hat while smoking a cigar, Noonan (a Fillmore stage hand but truly a playwright of some note) danced to the beat while Kim Simmonds rocked out on guitar. Nice show. But The KinKs cancelled and despite Savoy Brown saving somewhat of the show, my evening was a bust, no KinKs. Savoy Brown / Renaissance / Voices of East Harlem Apr 23, 2018
 Rock's In My Head FEB 7: DELANEY, BONNIE and FRIENDS with ERIC CLAPTON/ SEALS AND CROFTS/WILBERT HARRISON@ FILLMORE EAST With a bottle or two of red wine and two tickets to see Delaney Bonnie Friends with Eric Clapton we head out into a bitter cold night Saturday night. ERIC CLAPTON was now touring as a member of DBF. This was a dream come true show with Clapton away from that Blind Faith fiasco in MSG of last summer. Eric Clapton was the man tonight with the Fillmore East acoustics making him sound amazingly good. This was so much better than The Garden sound system when he played with Blind Faith. Seals and Crofts opened this night as did Wilbert Harrison. Both acts paled in comparison to the guitarist revered as GOD. Eric Clapton / Delaney & Bonnie and Friends / Wilbert Harrison / Seals & Crofts Apr 23, 2018
 Rock's In My Head JAN 24: My 18th BIRTHDAY with QUICKSILVER MESSENGER SERVICE and Country Joe Fish at FILLMORE EAST This beautiful but cold Saturday morning began when my brother purchased the new Quicksilver album SHADY GROVE as my present. When we got home from the record store Mom asked if there was anything special I wanted for my birthday. While she probably meant for dinner, maybe a special meal, I selfishly requested two tickets to see Quicksilver for that evening. Twenty bucks slipped into a HAPPY BIRTHDAY card, a quick kiss on the cheek and away I went. Real proof of age as I was now legal to drink in New York State, I got a bottle of wine for the train ride in. With a pack of Marlboro Reds, two round trip LIRR tickets and money for two Fillmore tickets my birthday gift money was well spent. Thanks Mom. Eric Mercury AKA THE ELECTRIC BLACK MAN opened the show with COUNTRY JOE AND THE FISH following. Then Quicksilver Messenger Service with Nicky Hopkins (piano) and Dino Valenti on vocals gave us quite a show. Not the Quicksilver I was expecting but a San Fran jam fest no less. Quicksilver Messenger Service / Country Joe and the Fish / Eric Mercury Apr 22, 2018
 Rock's In My Head Jan 18:THE DOORS / LONNIE MACK at The FELT FORUM, my second shot at seeing this legendary band. But again, the rants and poems by Morrison while the group played a pedestrian beat in the background made me think...ah, he (Morrison) is not that good.Yet the women in the crowd loved him, they actually roared with delight at his antics and his profanity. Lonnie Mack opened the show and was as good as last time I saw him. John Sebastian joined the Doors on harmonica for their opening tune ROADHOUSE BLUES. The Doors / Lonnie Mack Apr 22, 2018
 Rock's In My Head Dec 6 :JETHRO TULL/FAT MATRESS/GRAND FUNK RAILROAD @ FILLMORE EAST Tickets arrive and away we go. A few bottles of wine for the train ride and some Marlboro Reds, orchestra seats far back on the right side. Grand Funk Railroad opened and were loud, very loud, fast and so loud, with a hair flowing lead guitarist running about on the stage. Geez, they got an encore and then another encore...WHAT? An opening act at Fillmore East getting multiple encores? Grand What? It was unusual even with my limited concert experience to see an opening band called back more than once. I was not too impressed saying so later to my friends. Oh, not too cool on my part as most everyone in our little group loved them. Then, FAT MATTRESS hit the stage, a band which was basically Noel Redding the ex-bassist for Hendrix's Experience, now on his own playing lead guitar and singing. Seems like he hooked up with a bunch of his drinking buddies to form this band. Fat Mattress was not particularly good, terrible actually. They did a tune called ALL NIGHT DRINKER to which I think Noel wrote because he was a drunk and proud of it. Then JETHRO TULL hits the stage opening with NOTHING IS EASY and played most of their new album STAND UP. Jethro Tull / Grand Funk Railroad / Fat Mattress Apr 22, 2018
 Rock's In My Head NOV 29: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE/ YOUNGBLOODS/ JOSEPH EGER’S CROSSOVER @ FILLMORE EAST The day after seeing The Stones I was back on the train to enjoy Jefferson Airplane once again. Man, I loved that band. Tonight they were sharing the bill with another San Franciscan band, The Youngbloods. Joseph Eger was a classical horn player trying to infuse rock and jazz into what he did, hence CROSSOVER, which was strange even for a Fillmore opening act. Crossover was followed by The Youngbloods who played a nice, truly enjoyable, laid back set. Jesse Colin Young had a great voice, smooth as silk. Then, THE AIRPLANE landed even hotter than the last time. Happy Thanksgiving weekend, I couldn’t believe it, with The Airplane and The Rolling Stones Joseph Egar's CROSSOVER / The Youngbloods / Jefferson Airplane Apr 22, 2018
 Rock's In My Head NOV 28: THE ROLLING STONES/ IKE AND TINA TURNER/ TERRY REID @ MADISON SQUARE GARDEN I tried in vain to get STONES tickets for their MADISON SQUARE GARDEN performance. Skipping school the day tickets went on sale, I took the train after my Dad’s train so as to not be caught, to Brooklyn and then by subway to my cousin’s house off of Church Ave. When I arrived I asked my aunt not to say anything to my mom, her sister, when the spoke next. She just smiled.The box office was to open at 10AM, which it did and the shows were SOLD OUT in a manner of minutes. No tickets. However, The Rock Gods must have found redemption as a few night later while going to the aforementioned Cocker Show, I hit the Garden Box Office and found eight (8) tickets at 5 bucks each for a newly announced afternoon matinee show of... The Rolling Stones, Ike and Tina Turner and Terry Reid@ MADISON SQUARE GARDEN for November 28, 1969 the day after Thanksgiving at 2PM. Hallelujah, I'm in. Terry Reid (third time for me) was killer as an opening act. Ike and Tina's Revue was tight but should have been called Tina Turner's Revue, Then the point I had anticipated, light dimmed finally THE ROLLING STONES. Terry Reid / Ike & Tina Turner / The Rolling Stones Apr 22, 2018
 Rock's In My Head NOV 22: JOE COCKER and THE GREASE BAND/ FLEETWOOD MAC/ KING CRIMSON Going nearly a month without a show was tough. While working out some personal difficulties with my folks I was doing well in school, meeting more and more new “friends" and still pulling full time hours in the cassette factory when I saw the VILLAGE VOICE ad: Joe Cocker at Fillmore East. The  bill also included (Peter Green’s) Fleetwood Mac and King Crimson who recently got some radio play. So, why not? Great seats arrived. King Crimson opened the show and performed most of their amazing debut THE COURT OF THE CRIMSON KING (which I bought the very next week) followed by Peter Green's FLEETWOOD MAC which was simply outstanding. Greenie was playing the blues so sweetly and the band tight, so very, very tight. Peter Green became a guitar idol for me at that moment. Joe Cocker and The Grease Band held their own, opening with HITCHCOCK RAILWAY from his second album, and he threw in two Beatle tunes before closing with WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS. Having seen Cocker two times in as few months, I was not sure if I wanted to see him again for a while. But FLEETWOOD MAC, yes I will be back. Joe Cocker and The Grease Band / Peter Green's Fleetwood Mac / King Crimson Apr 22, 2018
 Rock's In My Head OCT 25: THE WHO “TOMMY” @ FILLMORE EAST Six nights, just THE WHO WOW was this loud as THE WHO brought their own sound system, all 45 speaker cabinets worth to premier their rock opera TOMMY, mixed in with a few hits and misses. First time a band played FILLMORE EAST midweek and for 6 consecutive days AND allowed to use their PA.Two sets with an intermission between. WOW is all I wrote in my notebook after the show. The Who Apr 22, 2018
 Rock's In My Head SEPT 20: CROSBY, STILLS, NASH and YOUNG/ LONNIE MACK @ FILLMORE EAST The following weekend we two, my girl and I, were back at the same hall, almost the same orchestra seats as the TYA show, middle section a few rows back from the stage to see Crosby Stills Nash who now added Neil Young. This show was originally schedule as CROSBY,STILLS and NASH for August but was postponed. Now, a month after Woodstock here they were as CSN&YOUNG. Ahhhhh... The opening act, Lonnie Mack playing his Flying V Gibson was very tasty, and of course he did his version of Memphis. CSN played Suite:Judy followed by a few tunes before Neil joined in as did a bass player and drummer. The highlights were Broken Arrow, Wooden Ships and the closer, Down By The River. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young / Lonnie Mack Apr 21, 2018
 Rock's In My Head SEPT 13: TEN YEARS AFTER?MOTHER EARTH/ THE FLOCK @ FILLMORE EAST. I grabbed some good Orchestra tickets for the Saturday night early show fully anticipating another great night of scorching TEN YEARS AFTER blues/rock. The show was as advertised, great. The Flock, a horn ensemble with a violin player to boot opened the festivities for the evening and closed their set with a KinKs tune, TIRED OF WAITING. Very cool. Mother Earth was next up. “Boring as boring can be” is the way I described that act to my friends. Still to this day one of my all time LEAST FAVORITE ACTS is Tracy Nelson fronting MOTHER EARTH. TYA, that’s what was printed on the buttons we were handed as we entered the venue, rocked the house (Spoonful,Good Morning Little School Girl, I Can't Keep From Crying, Hobbit,Help Me and of course I’m Going Home, the same exact set as played a few weeks ago in Freeport (and I bet same set they played at Woodstock) with a few Chuck Berry encores thrown in. TYA did Chuck Berry better than Chuck Berry. Alvin Lee was tearing it up, Leo Lyons’ head bouncing along to his bounding bass, Chick Churchill standing, clapping, leading the audience from atop his Leslie, and Ric Lee pounding out the back beat. Sold, they were my new FAVORITE live band, a sentiment which could change nightly. Sweating we hit the night air totally satisfied and spent. The gang walked slowly through the Village proudly wearing our TYA buttons. Ten Years After / the flock / Mother Earth (US) Apr 21, 2018
 Rock's In My Head SEPT 3 : MC-5/ THE STOOGES/DAVID PEEL and The LOWER EAST SIDE @ THE PAVILION With only one full day of my senior year of high school under my belt I needed a rest so I took the afternoon off from work and travelled back to The Pavilion grabbing tickets at the door to see The MC-5, The Stooges with David Peel and The Lower East Side. These bands, two from Detroit, and Peel from NYC,were not my usual fare of British blues bands or San Franciscan hippies. These guys were what has been called “radical chic”. After seeing a TV news segment about The Stooges I knew that this band intrigued me and I should make an attempt to see them LIVE when they hit town. This particular show was enlightening to say the very least. It started late, finished later, and the crowd, not as dense in population as the Led Zeppelin show a week earlier, can best be described as “crazy”. The Stooges had a nice droning sound with a lead singer with....ah, charisma? Eventually he had no shirt and pants that barely stayed on his hips while shaking his skinny ass toward the crowd. His performance had every one’s attention...I WANNA BE YOUR DOG, 1969 OKAY, What were they doing? What were they saying? I didn't exactly know what was happening musically but I knew this was different, very, very different. The stars of the evening,The MC5 were awesome, almost in the way The Who did it for me a few months previously. These guys were loud, fast, riotous, revolutionary, all with a coordinated choreography. The dance steps were just as amazing as the music was loud. I took something away from this show… on the car ride home I heard a new Creedence song on the FM radio and thought to myself, "What is that shit?", yeah, The 5 and Stooges helped steer me in new direction; guitars, bass and drums...loud and louder if possible, and the lead singer doesn't necessarily need to know how to sing. Who needs love songs anyway? And I needed to skip school the next day. MC5 / The Stooges / David Peel and The Lower East Side Apr 21, 2018
 Rock's In My Head AUGUST 30 : LED ZEPPELIN/BUDDY GUY & Jr. WELLS/ RAVEN @ PAVILION, Queens , New York My END OF THE SUMMER celebration show was to finish the season where it started with Led Zeppelin. One full year to the day since I saw The Rascals, in a stadium only a football’s throw away I was ready for LED ZEPPELIN, BUDDY GUY &JR. WELLS and RAVEN. Originally to be at The Singer Bowl this show was rescheduled for the opened air, standing room only, the former site of New York State Pavilion at The World's Fair. This show would prove to be a totally different experience for me. Standing Room Only, first come first in, no reserved seating and I was very reluctant. Yet, we got there early enough to be one of the first in line, standing outside prior to opening the doors, hoping to find a viewing spot in front, maybe at mid stage. Originally, there were about 60 or so of us standing there. A girl about my age showed up and engaged many of the 60 in a conversation. She was obviously very high. What bothered me the most, was not her slurred speech or her falling down. No, it was the bugs that swarmed in her long, dirty, hair. Those bugs freaked me out and my girlfriend was crazed beyond belief anytime this girl got close to her. But the druggie’s plan worked for when the doors opened, “BUGGY” was the first thru the door and made her way to the stage, cutting every one standing in the line. We got a spot stage right, in front of where I knew Jimmy Page would stand. RAVEN was as most opening acts would be, an opening act and forgetable when they finished but Buddy Guy/ Jr. Wells was a great addition to the bill. Buddy played angelically, and nasty as sin when need be. At one point a balloon from the audience was bounced to him mid song to which he captured and used as a slide on his guitar. To my amazement the balloon did NOT break. This spot where we were standing became dangerous as LED ZEPPELIN time grew nearer, and more so as the show progressed. About the time they performed MOBY DICK, I had had enough and was up stairs walking around the balcony area having given up our prime location. And yes, this IS the show where Bonzo collapsed on the drums to end the night. And the “Bug girl” was seen on stage with the band..NOTE: My ticket stub is featured on the LED ZEPPELIN website. Led Zeppelin / Buddy Guy & Junior Wells / Raven Apr 21, 2018
 Rock's In My Head AUGUST 9: JEFFERSON AIRPLANE/ JOE COCKER/ SPONTANEOUS SOUND @ FILLMORE EAST IT’S BEAUTY THAT KILLED THE BEAST: It’s a week before those "3 Days of Arts, Music and Fun” aka WOODSTOCK that Fillmore East hosts Jefferson Airplane and Joe Cocker. SPONTANEOUS SOUND, a one man percussionist (if that’s what he was) ran amok on the stage, banging, hitting cymbals, drums, bells, the works, with long hair flowing and with no shirt; What an idiot, I thought. After his fifteen minutes of fame was over I was both confused and amused. Joe Cocker was up next and having had his first LP on heavy rotation in my room, Cocker turned out to be not what I expected at all. He was a visual experience, hands gesturing as he sings, yet this British white dude sounded like Ray Charles. Familiar cover songs he introduced were played and each seemed to take on a new persona, they became Joe Cocker tunes: LET’S GO GET STONED, FELLIN’ ALRIGHT, BYE BYE BLACKBIRD and of course WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS. The AIRPLANE was a trip, really a trip. I had been waiting a long time to see these guys, since that NEWSWEEK article and that conversation with my neighbor many months ago and now here I was. As the final scene from the King Kong movie played behind the band, they tuned up and “It wasn’t the airplane, it was beauty that killed the beast” and away we went with Ballad of You, Me and PoohNeil with The Glenn Mc Kay Headlights behind the band projecting images on the screen.The amps cranked up really loudly, three vocalists, a bass player who stalked around, a drummer who with his cowboy hat looked like a sheriff and a guitarist making the strangest feedback. Jefferson Airplane / Joe Cocker / Spontaneous Sound Apr 21, 2018
 Rock's In My Head AUGUST 6: TWO WEEKS BEFORE WOODSTOCK Not much happening on the circuit as the FILLMORE was closing down in anticipation of WOODSTOCK. My first festival, not WOODSTOCK was a one night event called the LONG ISLAND ROCK FESTIVAL @ Freeport Race Track, August 6,1969 (2 weeks before Woodstock) featuring CANNED HEAT, TEN YEARS AFTER, CAT MOTHER AND THE ALL NIGHT NEWSBOYS, and a Boston band ORPHEUS. TEN YEARS AFTER was the tease for me. In total after all is said and done, I have seen TYA eighteen times with this being the first time. ORPHEUS was good with a nice version of their hit record CAN’T FIND THE TIME. CAT MOTHER, a New York ensemble did their hit GOOD OLE ROCK AND ROLL and finally TEN YEARS AFTER, the band I really wanted to see. They were unbelievably good, remember this is two weeks before their legendary performance at Woodstock. They played SPOONFUL, GOOD MORNING LITTLE SCHOOL GIRL, HOBBIT (drum solo), I CAN’T KEEP FROM CRYING, HELP ME, and I’M GOING HOME. After an extensive intermission CANNED HEAT, the full ensemble with the Blind Owl in tow, closed the show. A 45 minute boogie was a bit much for me as the novocaine didn’t work any longer. I nodded off while laying on a blanket with my girlfriend. TYA made my night. Canned Heat / Ten Years After / Cat Mother and the All Night Newsboys / Orpheus / Back River Circus Apr 21, 2018
 Rock's In My Head JULY 19: CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL with TERRY REID and AUM, July 19, 1969 at FILLMORE EAST. With my kid brother, a fan of Creedence at my side, I was there to see the undercard,Terry Reid, having loved both of his albums. San Francisco’s AUM opened the show and closed their set with GOD IS BACK IN TOWN, a song which was getting some air play at the time. Terry Reid hit the stage announcing that his favorite Les Paul guitar was stolen the previous night and he begged for its return. Despite not having his trustworthy axe, Terry had the place on its feet by sets end. Then the hit makers CCR rocked the house. Dressed like rich hippies with flannel shirts, jeans and boots, these swamp rockers closed it all out with a 20 minute version of “KEEP ON CHOOGLIN”. Even with my limited experience I knew this band would not be playing for the East Village hippies much longer. Bigger pay days in shittier, larger halls would be their destiny. Creedence Clearwater Revival / Terry Reid / AUM Apr 21, 2018
 Rock's In My Head JULY 12: BLIND FAITH/DELANEY, BONNIE and Friends/ FREE at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN For some strange reason in the late sixties record companies coined the phrase SUPER GROUP, as in CREAM the first and then BLIND FAITH the most notable. TIME magazine even wrote about the “supergroup” as a "potent but short-lived rock phenomenon" which was an "amalgam formed by the talented malcontents of other bands." The article acknowledged that groups such as Cream and Blind Faith "played enormous arenas and made megabucks, and sometimes megamusic”.Harsh words but somewhat true especially in the case of BLIND FAITH, JULY 12,1969 at MADISON SQUARE GARDEN. To put BLIND FAITH in context, the week they performed at THE GARDEN, the song “IN THE YEAR 2525” by Zager and Evans was a Number 1 hit across the nation. Lord help us. So for what in today’s economic standards would be a meager $6.50 but was costly in ‘69 I ventured out to see the American debut of BLIND FAITH the “newest” SUPER GROUP featuring Eric Clapton (guitar/vocals) and Ginger Baker(drums) from the aforementioned “supergroup” CREAM, Ric Grech (bass and violin) from FAMILY and Steve Winwood(vocals, guitar,keyboards) from TRAFFIC, on a bill with FREE, and Delaney Bonnie and Friends. All to be showcased on a revolving stage set in the middle of the cavernous arena; which in hindsight, having the stage located where it was… was not a good idea. A few of my thoughts on the performance are a bit cloudy, musically that is, especially the BLIND FAITH portion of the show as their first lp was still days away from hitting the shops and most of their live material that night was unfamiliar to the attending audience, especially me. It was believed that their musicianship when blended together should have perked up our ears, as these members were already “musical legends”. In hindsight one could say that these guys as a band hit the road a bit too early. Add to that, the sound system used that evening was atrocious. The English group FREE kicked off their American career with an enthusiast set to which the audience responded in kind, some even positive. Most of their tunes were unfamiliar to this crowd as would be BLIND FAITH’s set. This night was my second shot at seeing DB and F in only a month’s time. Again the sound system hindered their funky proselytizing but from where I sat they worked and wooed the crowd to its feet. They were a band on the rise. Blind Faith on the other hand was dead in the water from the opening tune.They appeared underrehearsed, seemingly uncomfortable with each other on stage and then there was the poor sound system to deal with. About 18,000 people awaiting to hear songs they were unfamiliar with didn’t add anything positive to the mix. It was truly a “blind faith” on our part for showing up as only one song had been released by this “super group”. Being familiar with Traffic and Cream I was anticipating a blend of both from this outfit and Blind Faith did their Cream/Traffic thing as expected until tensions in the crowd grew and the show was ended by the NYPD. Ginger Baker the drummer, left his throne, walked to the edge of the stage where he hit a security guard (NYPD) who allegedly "manhandled" a girl. Show or the musical portion of the show anyway was over, now the dramatics began as the security team attempted to get the “supergroup” through the crowd surrounding the circular stage in the center of Madison Square Garden. From what I remember the NYPD who were slighted by Mr. Baker did little to control the crowd hindering the security attempt to exit the band. Despite all this drama and a poor sound equipment, overall, this show was a great concert experience for my young concert days. Yes, sometimes the crowd IS the show as it was tonight and yes, sometimes the undercard (Free and DB&F) is better than the head liner. The BLIND FAITH set list is from a bootleg which has circulated for some time:Had To Cry Today, Can't Find My Way Home, Sleeping In The Ground ,Well All Right ,In The Presence Of The Lord ,Sea Of Joy Do What You Like ,Means To An End Blind Faith / Delaney & Bonnie and Friends / Free Apr 21, 2018
 Rock's In My Head JUNE 6: THE WHO/CHUCK BERRY/ ALBERT KING @ FILLMORE EAST After finding out how easy it was to obtain tickets for shows at FILLMORE EAST, I ordered two seats for CHUCK BERRY and ALBERT KING for the Friday night early show, June 6. I was especially looking forward to hearing Albert King live as I wore out his LIVE WIRE BLUES POWER album. The tickets arrived in record time. When I attended the Zeppelin show I looked for where I would be seated for the Albert King show(fourth row aisle seat on the left). Too cool, really nice sight lines. Then it happened. At the Led Zeppelin show, the stage announcement was made that an additional act would be added to the Albert King Chuck Berry bill, headlining now would be.... THE WHO. OMG... I was ecstatic…But How? Actually, The Who had played the Fillmore East only two weeks prior to the Led Zeppelin show. During their performance that weekend a fire occurred in the adjoining building. A Fire Marshall, not in uniform, attempted to evacuate the premises of the Fillmore by taking the stage. Pete Townshend The Who’s guitarist got into an altercation with the “undercover” official. Townshend thinking that this guy was a nut job hit him and an arrest of Pete Townshend abruptly ended the show. So this new show, the one I had two tickets for was labeled as THE TRIUMPHANT RETURN OF THE WHO. Their album which has been labeled a “rock opera” TOMMY was released only a few short days(May23) before this rescheduled performance and the songs from TOMMY were already in heavy rotation on the radio. So there I sat four rows back from Albert King, he dressed to the nines in a dark suit, white shirt and tie, while playing a short but sweet set on his Flying V guitar, BORN UNDER A BAD SIGN, PERSONAL MANAGER,AS THE YEARS GO PASSING BY and STORMY MONDAY. I was amazed at his performance, his grace, and his size, the man was HUGE. Chuck Berry, a rock and roll legend was up next doing what I found out years later was his traditional set list. It was nothing too outstanding for my eyes and ears except seeing him doing his duck walk. Chuck was a visual performer and closed with MY DING A LING a really stupid sing along song which I found embarrassing. He reappeared for an encore and was gone and forgotten by me almost that quickly. THE WHO on the other hand was fantastic. I sat in awe the entire time, mouth opened kind of awe, brought on by the sheer power of the band. Daltry,bared chested, drabbed with a fringed vest was swinging his microphone, Townshend windmilling on the guitar, Entwistle's magical fingers running up and down the frets on his bass, and then Keith Moon on the kit, all amazing, and so very loud. CAN’T EXPLAIN, New TOMMY stuff, SUMMERTIME BLUES, MAGIC BUS, needless to say my very limited concert experiences just had a new threshold to beat and that would be... THE WHO. Live music to me became a real education and soon an obsession. The Who / Chuck Berry / Albert King Apr 21, 2018
 Rock's In My Head Oct 18: SPIRIT/THE KinKs/BONZO DOG BAND @ FILLMORE EAST The KinKs was one of my favorite bands from the early British Invasion days. They had not played live in the USA in quite some time so this show scheduled for October 18 at FILLMORE EAST was a “must see” for me. From the very first time I heard YOU REALLY GOT ME on my small transistor radio I knew these guys were different. We even played that tune with THE TRIANGLE my doomed band of yesteryear. So when the opportunity to see The KinKs live became a reality I jumped at the chance. The Bonzo Dog Band opened the show. While the crowd waited for their "hit" URBAN SPACEMAN, we were treated to some of the best comedy, music, and visuals I had ever seen (in my limited experience). Just sheer joy, I laughed hysterically throughout their entire set. The singer pretending he was urinating on the light show, the silly hats they wore, the large eyeglasses, and hundreds of props. They were GREAT. Needless to say I purchased two Bonzo albums the next week.Then the amazing KinKs were introduced. Even though it was a short set and one without their pianist who as Ray Davies said, "cracked his skull” so Ray played piano for a few tunes. Overall, it was a fabulous set. Upon leaving the show I remember thinking, ahhh The KinKs and The Who, two of my favorite bands, all I need is The Stones and The Beatles. BTW SPIRIT, the headliners, hit the stage after The Kinks and were decent but Randy California is NOT Raymond Douglas Davies by any stretch of the imagination. So tonight it was The KinKs. BONZO DOG BAND / The Kinks / Spirit Apr 21, 2018