Blue Oyster Cult, Foghat, and Whitford/St. Holmes: 10/9/1981

Here is why it was so cool growing up in the 70s and 80s. A great triple bill for a whopping $9.00! Even though I had seen Blue Oyster Cult earlier in 1981 with Heart, I could not pass up on this one.

First to play was Whitford/St. Holmes, a band comprised of Brad Whitford from Aerosmith and Derek St. Holmes from Ted Nugent’s band. This was one of those moments in rock history, where I had the chance to see a band that really was not around very long, but was very cool.

Next up was Foghat, and if memory serves me well, this was the first time I saw them. I admit I was into Foghat as a teenager, so seeing them live was a big deal for me (I would see them more times than I care to admit afterwards). They played a short, tight set that included all their hits, and the generally intolerant Sportatorium crowd was appreciative.

Then came BOC. As always, they were nothing short of excellent. This was the Fire of Unknown Origin tour, which was definitely a high point in the band’s career. I have some distinct memories from this performance, like the amazing version of “Godzilla” and “Roadhouse Blues” for the encore, at the end of which Buck Dharma systematically popped his guitar strings one by one during the closing solo, grasping and tearing the last string as the final note decayed. It was rock and roll at its finest.

So as I was researching this show online and I found the setlists for Foghat and BOC, I discovered something ultra-cool. It seems that “The Red &The Black”, “Joan Crawford”, “Burnin’ For You”, “Godzilla”, “Veterans of the Psychic Wars” and “E.T.I (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)” were all recorded at this show and released on the Extraterrestrial Live album (here is track list on Wikipedia). Once this Shelter-in-Place restriction is lifted, I will definitely be scouring the record stores to get a copy of this.

Anyway, here are the setlists. Rock on!

Foghat Setlist:

• Stone Blue
• My Babe
• Eight Days on the Road
• Wide Boy
• Fool for the City
• Third Time Lucky (First Time I Was a Fool)
• Honey Hush
• Live Now Pay Later
• Slow Ride
• I Just Want to Make Love to You

Blue Oyster Cult Setlist:

• The Red & the Black
• E.T.I. (Extra Terrestrial Intelligence)
• Joan Crawford
• Burnin’ for You
• Cities on Flame With Rock and Roll
• Veteran of the Psychic Wars
• ME 262
• Godzilla
• Born to Be Wild

Encore:

• (Don’t Fear) The Reaper
• Roadhouse Blues

Alice Cooper: 7/6/2003

This is one of my favorite ticket stubs. I mean, Alice Cooper, in Liverpool England, the home of the Beatles. How cool is that?

I was in England visiting family at this time, which was a very difficult period in my life. I was working like crazy because I owned a small business, and let’s say that my business partner was the antithesis of helpful. My wife and I were struggling financially, I was physically and mentally exhausted, and things were pretty grim. But there was a huge family gathering happening in England and one of my uncles offered to buy me a ticket to fly there, so I packed my bags and flew across the pond.

I was staying with family not far from Liverpool, and discovered much to my surprise that Alice was playing there. My cousin P., who is one of the most awesome people in the world, knew how much I liked Alice Cooper and bought two tickets so that I could go with one of my uncles. So my Uncle B. and  I headed down to Kings Dock to see the Coop.

The venue was surreal. It was like a big tent set up on the dock, so it had that crazy carnival feel, which is apropos for a Cooper concert.

The lights went down, and the band took the stage, opening with “Hello Hooray,” arguably the best opening song ever. And then it was all classic Cooper.

He broke out some really cool tunes that were surprising, like “Desperado,” “Public Animal #9,” and “Long Way to Go,” a highly underrated song off the “Love It To Death” album. The tour was dubbed the “Bare Bones Tour,” so it was missing the elaborate stage props (no guillotine or snake), just Alice and the band playing a solid set of killer tunes.

Although I was teetering on the brink of depression, seeing Alice in England was a nice boost for me. And getting to go to a concert with my uncle is a memory that I will treasure for the rest of my days. Anyway, here’s the setlist. Rock on!

Setlist

• Hello Hooray
• No More Mr. Nice Guy
• Billion Dollar Babies
• Long Way to Go
• Public Animal #9
• Be My Lover
• Lost in America
• I’m Eighteen
• Serious
• Desperado
• Halo of Flies
• Welcome to My Nightmare
• Cold Ethyl
• Only Women Bleed
• Ballad of Dwight Fry
• Guilty
• School’s Out

Encore:

• Poison
• Elected
• Disgraceland
• Under My Wheels

R.E.M.: 4/29/1989

The 80’s was a good time to see R.E.M. They were definitely riding the wave of success and were coming out with some great music. In fact, this tour was in support of the album “Green,” which is probably my favorite R.E.M. album

I went to this show with my long-time concert buddy Jim. Neither of us had seen the band before, so we were both pretty psyched. We went to downtown Miami, to the now-gone Miami Arena, and joined the fans.

I don’t have a whole lot to share about this concert, other than I thought the band was excellent. Nothing crazy happened, just had a fun night digging on some cool music.

Here’s the full setlist. (I had forgotten they did three encores.)

Setlist:

• Pop Song 89
• Exhuming McCarthy
• Welcome to the Occupation
• Turn You Inside-Out
• Sitting Still
• Orange Crush
• Fall on Me
• Feeling Gravity’s Pull
• Cuyahoga
• World Leader Pretend
• Begin the Begin
• Pretty Persuasion
• Rotary Ten
• I Believe
• I Remember California
• Get Up
• Auctioneer (Another Engine)
• It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)

Encore:

• Stand
• Academy Fight Song
• You Are the Everything

Encore 2:

• Finest Worksong
• King of Birds
• Swan Swan H
• Life and How to Live It

Encore 3:

• Harpers
• Summertime
• Crazy
• Perfect Circle
• After Hours

AC/DC: 11/25/1983

Pretty sure I went to this show with my then girlfriend Enid, but I am not sure. This was the “Flick of the Switch” tour, and Fastway was the opening act (a most forgettable band; only when I saw the name online when looking up the setlist did I have a glimmer of recollection).

Anyway, not much I need to say about this show. It was AC/DC in the early 80’s. They were loud, high-energy, and totally kicked ass. I’ll let the setlist speak for itself.

Setlist:

• Guns for Hire
• Shoot to Thrill
• Sin City
• This House Is on Fire
• Back in Black
• Bad Boy Boogie
• Rock and Roll Ain’t Noise Pollution
• Flick of the Switch
• Hells Bells
• The Jack
• Highway to Hell
• Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
• Whole Lotta Rosie
• Let There Be Rock

Encore:

• T.N.T.
• For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)

The Who: 8/16/1997

“Quadrophenia” is one of my favorite Who albums, so when I saw they were touring and performing the album in its entirety, I didn’t even hesitate. My friend Jim also wanted to go, so we got the general admission field tickets, which were pretty cheap. We figured we would get there early and snag a decent spot, which was what we did.

Drivin’ n’ Cryin’ was the opening act. I had not seen them before, but I had heard of them. They were good; better than your average opener. But I was definitely stoked to see The Who.

How to describe the energy when the band kicked in to “The Real Me”? Words fail me. John Entwistle was all over that bass with his spider fingers. “The Real Me” was my buddy Jim’s favorite Who song, so he was instantly blown away.

The rest of the show was nothing short of excellent. They played through all of “Quadrophenia” and then returned for an encore which was actually more like a second set. They even tossed in some Who silliness and played a little bit of “It’s a Small World,” conjuring the Disney energy of being in Florida.

But what stands out the most for me about this particular show was the very end… the last note of “Who Are You.” Pete took his guitar and slammed in into the stage. While this was not the wanton guitar destruction of yore, it was the only time I saw Townsend “smash” a guitar on stage. It is one of those iconic rock images that is burned into the collective rock and roll consciousness.

I would see The Who perform Quadrophenia again years later, after Entwistle’s death. That show was great for other reasons, but this one has a warm spot in my heart.

Here is the full setlist. “Long Live Rock!”

Quadrophenia

• I Am the Sea
• The Real Me
• Quadrophenia
• Cut My Hair
• The Punk and the Godfather
• I’m One
• The Dirty Jobs
• Helpless Dancer
• Is It in My Head?
• I’ve Had Enough
• 5:15
• Sea and Sand
• Drowned
• Bell Boy
• Doctor Jimmy
• The Rock
• Love, Reign O’er Me

Encore

• I’m the Face
• Won’t Get Fooled Again
• Behind Blue Eyes
• Substitute
• I Can’t Explain
• It’s a Small World ([Disney] cover) (Partial; sung by Roger)
• The Kids Are Alright
• Who Are You

New Riders of the Purple Sage: 6/16/1989

Pretty sure I went to this show with my friends Crispy Craig and/or Joe the Mailman, but not 100% sure about that. What I am sure about is that was that I got the late John Dawson (aka Marmaduke) to sign my copy of the NRPS’s first album (see below). THAT was way cool.

So Musician’s Exchange Café was a small venue in Fort Lauderdale, and there were tables so you could sit around and watch the musicians perform. We got there early (not that difficult for a concert starting at midnight), and secured a table in the front. That was how I was able to slip my album up to Marmaduke and have him sign it.

John Dawson made his final ride into the psychedelic sunset on July 21, 2009. I still treasure this album.

Sorry, could not find the setlist for this show, but it was a damn good performance, and they played “Sutter’s Mill,” which made my night.

Def Leppard and Ratt: 5/20/1983

I had seen Def Leppard open for Ozzy on the Blizzard of Ozz tour, which was cool. But “Pyromania” was the band’s mega-album, so this was a tour worth seeing.

My girlfriend at the time really wanted to go to the show, and I was totally down for it, especially for $10. I thought “Pyromania” was a great album, even though I could tell the band was going down the commercial pathway. And I was right, and to date, this would be my last time seeing them live.

I had no recollection of the opening act, but according to what I found online, Ratt was the opener. Hah! I went most of my life thinking I had avoided seeing Ratt in concert. I suppose it’s another band I can now check off the list.

Def Leppard definitely rocked. This show was a long time ago, so many of the details are gone, but I remember parts of it vividly, including the kick-ass version of Creedence’s “Travelin’ Band.” Glad I got to see them at their peak. Rock on!!

Setlist:

• Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)
• Rock Brigade
• High & Dry (Saturday Night)
• Another Hit and Run
• Billy’s Got a Gun
• Mirror, Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)
• Foolin’
• Photograph
• Rock of Ages
• Bringin’ on the Heartbreak
• Switch 625
• Guitar Solo
• Let It Go
• Guitar Solo
• Wasted
• Stagefright
• Travelin’ Band

Alice Cooper: 12/31/1998

What better way to rock in the New Year than with Alice Cooper, right? But wait – it gets even better. So the ticket says Row 2, which I have to say, I was pretty psyched about. But when my friend Jim and I arrived at the show, lo and behold, Row 2 was actually front row! So even though we were off on the side, we were still deep in the madness and mayhem, and we were graced by Alice’s presence when he slunk over to our side of the stage.

The theme of this show was kind of a psycho-circus motif. There were demented clowns providing Alice with his various implements of destruction, and just grinning menacingly like something out of a Stephen King novel.

There were some nice surprises in this show, notably “Public Animal #9,” a classic from the School’s Out album, and “Unfinished Sweet,” where the clowns shoved Alice into an Egyptian sarcophagus and skewered him with swords. Also, Alice made a nod to Elvis, one of his influences, by playing “Jailhouse Rock” for an encore, decked out in a sequined jacket and some fly shades.

There were so many high points at this show, it was basically just one long high point. From the first chords of “Hello Hooray” until the last note of “Under My Wheels,” it was all Killer and no filler.

Here’s the full setlist. Rock on!

Setlistlowns

• Hello Hooray
• Sideshow
• Billion Dollar Babies
• No More Mr. Nice Guy
• Public Animal #9
• Be My Lover
• Lost in America
• I’m Eighteen
• From the Inside
• Only Women Bleed
• Steven
• Halo of Flies
• Nothing’s Free
• Cleansed by Fire
• Poison
• Cold Ethyl
• Unfinished Sweet
• School’s Out

Encore:

• Jailhouse Rock
• Under My Wheels

Rodrigo y Gabriela: 3/15/2010

If you have not listened to this acoustic guitar duo, you need to. They are nothing short of amazing. As a guitarist, when I heard they were coming to town, I was psyched and immediately bought tickets. I went with my friend Joe and we got to the Orange Peel early enough to stake out a good spot.

They important thing about being a successful duo is that your playing really needs to complement your partner’s, and vice versa. Rodrigo and Gabriela do just that. Gabriela’s percussive rhythm is like a heartbeat that allows Rodrigo to spiral off into intricate Latin-influenced guitar solos. I left the show both awe-struck and inspired.

On the way out, Joe picked up a copy of the group’s current cd, “11:11.” He later gave it to me as a gift. I have to say, I listened to it extensively. Such a great album!

Sorry I could not find the setlist for this show online, but as a consolation, here is a YouTube video to check out and get a sense of this group’s amazing musicianship. Enjoy!

Rodrigo y Gabriela – ‘Tamacun’

Rush: 6/8/2011

I had seen Rush several times prior to this show, but my wife had never seen them so we decided to go and check them out. What was cool about this tour, dubbed the Time Machine Tour, was that they were performing the “Moving Pictures” album in its entirety. I had seen Rush on the “Moving Pictures” tour, but they did not play the entire album, so I was pretty psyched about seeing it performed.

If you look closely, you’ll notice that the ticket says Comp, with a cost of $0.00. No, we did not get freebies. We had bought the cheapest seats way in the back corner near the last row. But when we got there, they upgraded us to better seats. I suppose they figured it was easier to close the section and move everyone in that area in with the rest of the rock and roll mass. Fine with me. I had no complaint there.

The band opened with “The Spirit of Radio,” and it was just an audio and visual treat for the rest of the night. They played two solid sets (second set included all of Moving Pictures), and a rockin’ encore. By the time the last note of “Working Man” faded to silence, I was totally rocked out.

This would be my last time seeing Rush. Unless they decided to come back out of retirement (something bands NEVER do), I don’t think I will have another opportunity to see them again. Here’s the setlist. Rock on!

Set 1:

• The Spirit of Radio
• Time Stand Still
• Presto
• Stick It Out
• Workin’ Them Angels
• Leave That Thing Alone
• Faithless
• BU2B
• Freewill
• Marathon
• Subdivisions

Set 2 (Moving Pictures):

• Tom Sawyer
• Red Barchetta
• YYZ
• Limelight
• The Camera Eye
• Witch Hunt
• Vital Signs
• Caravan
• Closer to the Heart
• 2112 Part I: Overture
• 2112 Part II: The Temples of Syrinx
• Far Cry

Encore:

• La Villa Strangiato
• Working Man