Great Concerts: Tell us about one's you've seen

[Jim75]

Tell us about some of the memorable concerts you've attended. Maybe details about the performance, the light show, the venue, the crowd, or whatever pops into your head.

[Ron Whitfield]

This should be fun

Hanging out in Hollywierd and on The Sunset Strip in the 60s was a gas, especially when the LAPD started launching them cannisters!
Saw groups that I had no clue of, but remember seeing Love, Steppenwolf, The Stooges and Johnny Rivers. iwas just a grommet and had to get adults to bring me in as there eventually were age limits, unless accompanied.
Also caught the end of one of Dick Dale's historic shows at the Renezvous Ballroom. My cousin dated him at the apex of his fame.

My first real concert was in '67 at The Elysian Park grounds in larger Griffith Park, in LA., which was the sight of the first 'Love In'. Experienced a lot of firsts that day. Lot's of fun and growing up in the span of half a day.
Went with a good friend and his older brother who was a good drummer and he turned me on to The Doors and Jimi Hendrix.

The crowd was all abuzz about The Doors, LA's band, having a show that day and I was super stoked. It ended up being one of the biggest disappointments of my life, as finally the show started in late afternoon, without The Lizard King. He was too busy with all the babes to make it on stage, so Ray did his vocals too as he often had to. Couldn't tell you if it was good or not. I was almost in tears. But that was soon remedied by yet another cute girl.

[tutusue]

Re: Great Concerts: Tell us about one's you've seen

Oooooh...fun memories!!! Dick Dale at the Rendezvous Ballroom was a regular week-end event for me. The Rendezvous was on the Newport peninsula and I lived 20 minutes down the road in Laguna. We did the Rendezvous Stomp for hours, every week-end, for a few years! Aerobic exercise at it's best...before the term was conceived!

Prior to dancing 'til we dropped we'd stop off at the Prison of Socrates, a coffee house somewhat close to the Rendezvous, to listen to Tim Morgan sing. Wow! I can't believe I was able to come up with those names. I'm going back over 45 years here! Tim was a great folk singer and adorable. All us Laguna Rendezvous Stompers had a crush on him. IIRC, my high school class committee hired Tim for one of our reunions...think it was #20 in 1982!

OH MY GAWD!!! I found him!!! And there are CDs to be had! I'm in sentimental heaven! I even found Dick Dale playing his signature song altho' it's for a movie and not at his regular gig! It's amazing the Rendevous' demise was by fire and not the hundreds upon hundred of stompers every week-end! One could stand outside on the sidewalk and feel the vibration!

Don't know if Jim75 had weekly concerts in mind when he started this thread but, WOW, whatta blast from the past!

I've been to some great concerts in Hawaii...Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Michael Franks, Victor Borge, ad infinitum. But those nights at the Prison/Rendezvous will never be beat! Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane, Ron! Aha! I, too, saw The Doors...at the Whiskey A Go Go, iirc...before they made it big...musta been mid 1960s.

[Jim75]

Re: Great Concerts: Tell us about one's you've seen

Don't know if Jim75 had weekly concerts in mind when he started this thread but, WOW, whatta blast from the past!

Great stories Ron and Sue. Just the kind of stuff I was hoping we'd get into!

[SusieMisajon]

Re: Great Concerts: Tell us about one's you've seen

Well, I tried to go and get tickets to see Glen Campbell at the HIC, but we had a flat tire on the way and didn't get there on the day of the ticket sales...by the time we did, the concert had been cancelled for lack of enthusiasm.

Maybe if we hadn't have had the flat tire...

[Ron Whitfield]

Awesome, tutusue!

I always envied those just a bit older than me that could get down there and dig that stuff regularly.

The night I mentioned, we got there late because our respective parents couldn't grasp the importance of the moment and wouldn't go without dinner at a restaurant first and a bunch of gab, sheesh! And then, they wouldn't stick around for the second show, boy, the fur sure flew between us all that night.

Another cool beach spot was The Lighthouse, a true 'hole in the wall' but legendary jazz club near the Santa Monica pier. Small, dark, and smokey. Saw lot's of great music there, mostly unknown to me, but remember Gabor Zsabo, The Girl From Impanea guy's - Astrid Giberto and the guitar guy...?, Stan Getz, all late '60s & early '70s. Just missed one of my all-time heros there, Chet Baker, and never did get to see him.

[tutusue]

Re: Awesome, tutusue!

[...]
Another cool beach spot was The Lighthouse, a true 'hole in the wall' but legendary jazz club near the Santa Monica pier.[...]

Hmmm...The Lighthouse I'm familiar with is in Hermosa Beach, near the pier. It's been around since before I lived in Hermosa in 1964. It's a landmark at this point! I haven't been back to that area in a coupla decades...at least. I did see Joe Sample at a club in Redondo Beach during the early 90s, tho'. Great concert. Also saw him in Waikiki at Trappers during the 80s. Love his music!

[LikaNui]

Re: Awesome, tutusue!

Hmmm...The Lighthouse I'm familiar with is in Hermosa Beach, near the pier. It's been around since before I lived in Hermosa in 1964. It's a landmark at this point!

Right you are, TutuSue. Hermosa. I imagine that's the same one Ron was thinking of.
What a great place that was!

[SusieMisajon]

Re: Great Concerts: Tell us about one's you've seen

Hmmm...we have a real lighthouse here, over at Biarrizt. It's a great white phallic symbol, and funnily enough, it turns out that this is the beach where the gay men hang out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09DR_-v8ojA

Sorry for the thread drift.

[Nords]

Re: Great Concerts: Tell us about one's you've seen

Blue Oyster Cult (where's the umlaut?!), Foghat, & DC Star (local band) at the Washington DC Cap Center (long since demolished) in 1982.

I was busted at the gate with the pint of Southern Comfort and "had" to finish it in the van. (To this day the smell of SC makes me nauseous.) This rather enhanced the concert experience, or at least what I can remember of it. BOC's smoke & light show during "Godzilla" inspired more than a few in the audience to start bad trips and led to an impressive line pile of bodies outside the medical office. They also did an impressive cover of the Doors' "Roadhouse". We started the pre-show as the sun was going down and returned home as the sun was rising.

I eventually sobered up but was functionally deaf for over two days.

Saw some impressive college concerts, including the Doobies (1979) and Jimmy Buffett (1980? '81?). He took the stage with his leg in a cast and still threw a better show than any of the big productions.

[TATTRAT]

Re: Great Concerts: Tell us about one's you've seen

I got to see YES with the Va Symphony Orchestra, AWESOME SHOW!!!!awesome everything really, and a very mixed crowd.

Been to more Phish concerts then I can keep track of(or remember). Crowds were mixed, alot of artsy people, hippy people, dealers, everything really. The more adult fun, the better the shows were.

Seen Pink Floyd on the final tour at RFK.

Most recently, saw the Police...I was bummed, they seemed "out of it".

Steel Pulse, I am never disappointed, every show is better then the last, imo.

[Ron Whitfield]

Re: The Lighthouse Was I ever really there?

Funny what 40+ years does to the memory. I could swear the Santa Monica Pier neon sign was/is half a block away as a beautiful backdrop.
Oh well..., la la la...memories...la la la

One thing I always found interesting going to concerts in So. Cal was the extremely exciting atmosphere outside the venue when true super groups of the time like The Who, Tull, The Stones, Zep were just hours away from putting on a show that everybody knew would be in our minds forever. Where just driving towards parking areas of The Fabulous Forum, or wherever, the 'feel' was increasingly stimulating to the point of near uncontrolable. You knew it was going to be a great night, and the air was absolutely thick with anticipation. Everybody was on the same wavelenght, carloads were getting 'primed' and dying to get it on.
You don't find that much these days.

[Leo Lakio]

Re: Great Concerts: Tell us about one's you've seen

Best ones I recall (and I've seen hundreds of shows - heck, I used to produce 'em!) often involved newer artists just before they became huge stars - Tori Amos comes to mind, on her first tour behind the "Little Earthquakes" album. Another would be Barenaked Ladies, when they weren't really known outside of Canada. In these cases, you could feel the energy of the artists, playing in little clubs, and know that they were just about to burst forth to something bigger - and you'd never get that level of intimacy with them again.

[scrivener]

Re: Great Concerts: Tell us about one's you've seen

...and Jimmy Buffett (1980? '81?). He took the stage with his leg in a cast and still threw a better show than any of the big productions.

A few weeks after Hurricane Iniki, there was a benefit concert in Honolulu for the people of Kauai. CSN, Jackson Browne, and Bonnie Raitt, with a special secret guest. The special guest turned out to be Jimmy Buffett, who walked out with just an acoustic guitar, a t-shirt, a pair of shorts, and flip-flops. He did "Margaritaville," "Changes in Latitude," and one other (I was hoping he'd do "When the Volcano Blows" or whatever it's called, 'cause it seemed appropriate, but he didn't). As much as I love those other artists, the three-song-set Jimmy played was the highlight. I was actually quite annoyed with Browne (who didn't play any of the favorites) and with Stills (who spent most of the show down left, while Crosby and Nash were down center). But Jimmy was perfect.

I got to see YES with the Va Symphony Orchestra, AWESOME SHOW!!!!awesome everything really, and a very mixed crowd.

They played here a few years ago with the Honolulu Symphony. The mix was bad for the half with the symphony, but the band was great for the whole show. I've now seen my favorite drummer (Neal Peart) and my favorite guitarist (Steve Howe) in concert.

Best ones I recall (and I've seen hundreds of shows - heck, I used to produce 'em!) often involved newer artists just before they became huge stars.

Did she do "Smells Like Teen Spirit?"

We get lots of opportunities like that here, but most people don't think to take advantage of it. Minus the Bear played here a couple of months ago and I am kicking myself for missing out on them, 'though I guess the success they're about to experience is not as huge as Tori or BNL. However, we did get Nirvana and Smashing Pumpkins at local clubs and Pearl Jam at Andrews Amphitheater, all before the bands broke out big-time. That list could be really long; those are just the ones I remember.

[SusieMisajon]

Re: Great Concerts: Tell us about one's you've seen

I was once asked to be a children's chaperone and take them to a concert in London of Iron Maiden...it was amazing, head-banger dads with their head-banger kids...and there was a surprise guest...just beforethe band came on a little old lady came up on the stage and was fooling around and then started playing and singing and threw off her wig and it was the Great Ozzie Osbourne himself!