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

RatDog: 10/13/1996

After Jerry Garcia’s death on August 9, 1995, Bob Weir’s solo project RatDog, which featured Rob Wasserman on bass, became one of the regular bands for lost Deadheads to flock to. I think this might have been my first RatDog show, since I don’t recall seeing them while Jerry was still alive, but if I discover an older stub, I will certainly amend this post.

The show was originally booked at The Edge, a club in Fort Lauderdale, FL. But the venue was changed to the Sunrise Musical Theatre, presumably because tickets were in such high demand that they needed a larger location.

According to the RadDog website, a band called Low and Sweet Orchestra opened, but I have no recollection of them. In fact, I don’t remember much about this show, although I have an impression of seeing Bobby performing “Bomb’s Away” and “Blackbird” at the Sunrise. This is a common problem when you have seen as many Dead-type shows as I have. They all tend to blend together after a while, and subtle distinctions are lost.

Anyway, here’s the setlist, courtesy of the RadDog site. Rock on!

Setlist:

• Bombs Away >
• Salt Lake City
• City Girls >
• Eternity
• Blackbird
• Desolation Row
• Tanqueray
• I Know You Rider
• Little Red Rooster
• Minglewood Blues
• The Winners
• Cassidy >
• Bass/Drums >
• Throwing Stones

Encore:

• Johnny B. Goode

Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band: 3/27/1999

This was my second time seeing Ringo.  The first time was cool, but this show was light years better.

The lineup for this incarnation of the All-Starr Band was nothing short of mind-blowing.

• Ringo Starr – drums, vocals
• Todd Rundgren (from Nazz and Utopia) – guitar, percussion, vocals
• Gary Brooker (from Procol Harum) – organ, keyboards, vocals
• Jack Bruce (from Cream) – bass, keyboards, vocals
• Simon Kirke (from Free and Bad Company) – drums, vocals
• Timmy Cappello – saxophone, keyboards, harmonica, guitar, vocals

The band opened the show with “It Don’t Come Easy,” which is maybe my favorite Ringo solo song and one that he did not play the first time I saw him. This show also had a nice amount of Beatles tunes woven in. And the songs from the other members—WOW! Todd actually played some Utopia, Simon sang some Bad Co. and a Free song, Gary Brooker sang some classic Procol Harum stuff, including Conquistador, and Jack Bruce belted out several Cream hits. There was absolutely no weak spots anywhere in this show.

Here’s the full setlist. Rock on!

Setlist:

• It Don’t Come Easy
• Act Naturally
• Whisky Train
• I Saw the Light
• Sunshine of Your Love
• Shooting Star
• Boys
• Love Me Do
• Yellow Submarine
• Conquistador
• Hammer in My Heart
• I’m the Greatest
• No No Song
• I Feel Free
• All Right Now
• I Wanna Be Your Man
• Bang the Drum All Day
• White Room
• A Whiter Shade of Pale
• Photograph

Encore:

• You’re Sixteen
• With a Little Help From My Friends

Warren Haynes 21st Christmas Jam: 12/12/2009

Another year, and another Christmas Jam. This one was special for me because my wife and I took our older daughter, along with some of her friends. This was the only Christmas Jam that she attended with us, and I have great memories of how excited she and her friends were.

The lineup for this show was a little more eclectic than most jams. The main acts included:

• Counting Crows
• Ani DiFranco
• Gov’t Mule
• moe.
• George Porter Jr.
• Eric Krasno
• Nigel Hall & Adam Deitch
• Stax Records Legend William Bell

In addition, there was a nice group of guest musicians who augmented the headliners.

Special Guests:

• Aerosmith’s Brad Whitford
• Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews
• Jeff Austin
• Mike Barnes
• DJ Logic
• Jackie Greene
• Col. Bruce Hampton
• Jimmy Herring of Widespread Panic
• Kevn Kinney
• Collective Soul’s Ed Roland

Counting Crows was definitely cool. They did a cover of The Beatles’ “Golden Slumbers” medley, which was excellent. I also enjoyed Ani DiFranco. She is someone that I probably never would have paid to see by herself, but she was better than I expected. Glad to be able to check her off the list. William Bell was also really great. I wasn’t familiar with him, but was very impressed with his performance.

At one point, I took all the youngsters down onto the floor for a bit, while my wife held the seats. While on the floor, Brad Whitford joined some musicians on stage and did a cool version of “Last Child,” one of my fav songs from Aerosmith’s “Rocks” album. As we were cramped into the floor space, I noticed some older freak offering his pipe to one of the younger girls I was chaperoning. I caught his eye and gave him a look that basically said, “You’ll most regret doing that.” He heeded the silent warning and melted back into the sea of people.

As always, the show went on until the wee hours of the morning. I was not able to find all the setlists, but I found a few. Here are the ones I was able to locate. Rock on!

Setlists:

Ani DiFranco:

• Anticipate
• Untouchable Face
• Manhole
• As Is
• Present/Infant
• Fuel (with Nigel Hall)
• ¿Which Side Are You On? (with Warren Haynes & Jeff Austin)
• Overlap (with Adam Deitch, George Porter Jr., Jeff Austin, Nigel Hall, Warren Haynes, Eric Krasno & Xmas Jam)

Counting Crows:

• Round Here
• Golden Slumbers / Carry That Weight / The End
• Miami
• Goodnight L.A.
• 1492
• Washington Square
• A Long December
• Rain King (with Warren Haynes)
• With a Little Help From My Friends (with Warren Haynes & Jeff Austin)
• Rain King (with Warren Haynes) (reprise)
• This Land Is Your Land (with Warren Haynes)

Ed Roland:

• The World I Know
• Shine

George Porter Jr.:

• Little Old Money Maker
• Leave Me Alone (w/ Trombone Shorty )
• Fire on the Bayou (w/Jimmy Herring, and Xmas Jam Horn Section)
• Hard to Handle (w/William Bell, Audley Freed & Xmas Jam Horn Section)
• Everyday Will Be Like a Holiday (w/William Bell, Warren Haynes, and Audley Freed)
• You Don’t Miss Your Water (w/William Bell, Audley Freed, and Xmas Jam Horn Section)
• Everybody Loves a Winner (w/William Bell, Audley Freed, and Xmas Jam Horn Section)
• Born Under a Bad Sign (w/William Bell, Brad Whitford, Audley Freed, Xmas Jam Horn Section, and Warren Haynes)

Gov’t Mule:

• Broke Down on the Brazos
• Steppin’ Lightly
• Railroad Boy
• Frozen Fear
• Devil Likes It Slow (with Jimmy Herring and Ron Holloway)
• Patchwork Quilt (with Jimmy Herring and Fred Eltringham)
• Sugaree (with Jackie Greene, Jimmy Herring & Fred Eltringham)
• Don’t Let Me Down (with Jackie Greene and Fred Eltringham)
• I Feel Like Breaking Up Somebody’s Home (with Brad Whitford, Ron Holloway & Fred Eltringham)
• Train Kept A-Rollin’ (with Brad Whitford and Fred Eltringham)
• I Shall Be Released

Warren Haynes:

• Wild Horses

moe.:

• Captain America (with DJ Logic)
• Tailspin
• Together at Christmas
• Z0Z (Zed Nought Z)
• Happy Hour Hero (with Jimmy Herring)
• George

Julian Lennon: 4/2/1985

Julian Lennon had a brief moment in the sun in the mid 1980’s. He had some videos on MTV, and of course, he had a somewhat famous dad. His music was pretty good, but a little on the poppy side for my personal tastes. That said, when he booked a couple of shows nearby, I decided go and check one out, figuring he would likely do a couple of his dad’s songs too.

I went with my girlfriend, and we had decent seats. The Sunrise was a nice small venue, so anywhere you sat was good, but we were fairly close to the stage on the side.

The show was pretty much what I had expected. He focused on his own material, but then tossed in a Beatles song as well as a couple other covers at the end that John would have approved of. In fact, John had also recorded a great cover version of “Stand By Me.”

While definitely not the greatest show I had seen, it was enjoyable and I am glad that I got to see him. Here’s the setlist.

Setlist:

• Well I Don’t Know
• O.K. for You
• On the Phone
• Lonely
• Say You’re Wrong
• Let Me Be
• Valotte
• Jesse
• Space
• Big Mama
• Too Late for Goodbyes
• Stand by Me
• Day Tripper
• Slippin’ and Slidin’

Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band: 6/2/1992

This was my first time seeing Ringo. What can I say—he’s a Beatle and therefore resides in the hall of rock and roll royalty.

He performed at the Sunrise Musical Theatre, a small venue that had good acoustics, and we had fourth-row seats, which was especially nice. I went with my wife, who is a huge Todd Rundgren fan, so she was especially excited that Todd was a part of Ringo’s band. His band truly was an all-star lineup:

• Ringo Starr – drums, percussion, cowbell, vocals
• Joe Walsh – guitar, keyboards, talk box, bass drum, vocals
• Nils Lofgren – guitar, vocals
• Todd Rundgren – guitar, keyboards, drums, percussion, tambourine, vocals
• Dave Edmunds – guitar, vocals
• Burton Cummings – keyboards, guitar, tambourine, harmonica, flute, vocals
• Timothy B. Schmit – bass, guitar, vocals
• Zak Starkey – drums
• Timmy Cappello – saxophone, percussion, keyboards, vocals

What was really cool about this show was that Ringo allowed all the other members of his band to perform a couple of their songs, so the set was very egalitarian. Todd singing “Bang the Drum All Day” and Dave Edmunds singing “I Hear You Knocking” particularly stood out for me.

What was really bizarre, though, was Burton Cummings. I’d seen him with the Guess Who, and he was cool. He sang and performed well at this show, but he was doing some strange things on stage. He kept licking the microphone stand, like he was performing fellatio or something, then stroking it furiously in masturbatory fashion. Not that I was offended—all’s fair in rock and roll as far as I’m concerned—it just seemed out of place with the rest of the band and what they were doing.

As far as Ringo’s songs, he sang a nice mix of Beatles’ tunes and solo material. The only song that was noticeably absent was “It Don’t Come Easy.” That was one song I pretty much expected to hear, but didn’t. Still, it was a great show, and I would see Ringo perform “It Don’t Come Easy” the next time I saw him.

Here’s the full setlist.

Setlist:

• I’m the Greatest
• No No Song
• No Time
• Girls Talk
• Look at Us Now
• I Can’t Tell You Why
• Shine Silently
• Bang the Drum All Day
• Don’t Go Where the Road Don’t Go
• Yellow Submarine
• Pretty Maids All in a Row
• Love of the Common Man
• Keep On Tryin’
• Wiggle
• Black Maria
• In the City
• You’re Sixteen
• Weight of the World
• Walkin’ Nerve
• I Hear You Knocking
• American Woman
• Photograph

Encore:

• Act Naturally
• With a Little Help From My Friends

Pat Benatar: 9/25/1981

Back in 1981, Pat Benatar was definitely one of the top women of rock. Not only did her songs rock, but they were really empowering for young women, which was a great thing in my opinion.

I don’t recall with whom I went to this concert, but I do have a clear memory of her on stage. The first thing that struck me was that she was quite short. For some reason, she seemed taller in the MTV videos. But regardless of stature, she was pure energy on stage. I recall being amazed at the level of power which she projected.

I wish I had more to share about this show. I looked at a few setlists from that tour, and this was pretty much the standard one. As I read it, I recalled “Helter Skelter,” which I had forgotten. It’s great when memories are rekindled.

Rock on!

Setlist (generic from tour):

• You Better Run
• Treat Me Right
• Fire and Ice
• Out-A-Touch
• I Need a Lover
• Promises in the Dark
• Hit Me With Your Best Shot
• Hell Is for Children
• Heartbreaker
• Precious Time
• In the Heat of the Night
• We Live for Love
• Helter Skelter
• Just Like Me
• I’m Gonna Follow You
• It’s a Tuff Life

Beatles – LOVE (Cirque du Soleil): 1/28/2018

This is the third and final show that my wife and I saw on our Las Vegas trip. Lots of people had raved about how great the show is, and since I had never seen a cirque du soleil performance before, I figured it was something worth checking out. It definitely lived up to all the hype and my expectations.

My initial impression of cirque du soleil is that it was amazing, visually stunning, but somewhat disorienting. So much was happening at the same time that it was a veritable assault on the senses. I did not know which way to look, and frequently felt like I was missing something. But everything that my eyes did take in was beautifully choreographed and executed with brilliant precision.

The music of the Beatles really lends itself well to this kind of performance. Songs like “Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite” and “Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds” were interpreted beautifully, as were all the other pieces. There was nothing weak, and my only disappointment was that I wished it would go on longer. I enjoyed losing myself in the phantasmagoria of sight and sound, and really did not want to return to reality.

After this show, I was done with Vegas. Personally, I have no desire to ever go back there. The shows I saw were great, but the city really has nothing else to offer, since I don’t drink and work way too hard to gamble my money away. But I’m glad I went, and saw the shows I did, and am able to check Vegas off the bucket list.

Martin Barre: 3/24/2017

Martin Barre is the guitarist from Jethro Tull, and since Tull is on an extended hiatus, he is performing solo with a backing band.

I had planned to go to this concert with my youngest daughter, who really likes Jethro Tull (proof I’ve raised my kids right), but she was unfortunately sick and could not muster the strength to go, so my friend Dan acquired my extra, and he and his significant other Angie joined me for the show.

First, I want to say that at 70 years old, Martin is as great of a guitarist as he was when I saw Jethro Tull for the first time in the late 70’s. His technical performance, tone, and energy were those of someone half his age. There was also a maturity in his playing, and I mean that in only the best sense of the word.

There was no opening act, and the band played two sets and an encore. Early in the first set, they played “Minstrel in the Gallery,” probably my favorite Tull song. I have seen Tull three times and the only time they played “Minstrel” was as an encore the first time I saw them, so hearing Martin and his band play it was amazing for me. After the song, I told Dan I could leave now and be happy. But I’m glad I stayed. The rest of the night was packed with incredible music, including an abundance of Tull songs and some really nice cover tunes (see setlist below).

After the show, I went out to my car and grabbed my record cover of “Minstrel in the Gallery,” which I brought with me in the hopes of getting autographed. I waited around with the other old rockers (a reference to a Tull song here) and after a short while, Martin came out to sign autographs. When it was my turn to meet him, I told him that I had attended a guitar clinic that he hosted at Ace Music in Miami many years ago. He clearly remembered the clinic and shared his memories of staying at the Fontainebleau Hotel. He was really pleasant and friendly, and I left feeling grateful to have met someone whose music was so inspiring to me throughout my life.

Here is the setlist, and remember, you’re never too old to rock and roll if you’re too young to die.

Set 1

• Hammer
• To Cry You a Song
• Minstrel in the Gallery
• Steal Your Heart Away
• Back to Steel
• Love Story
• After You After Me
• Eleanor Rigby
• I Want You (She’s So Heavy)
• Sweet Dream
• Sealion
• Thick as a Brick

Set 2

• Blackest Eyes
• Nothing to Say
• Skating Away on the Thin Ice of the New Day
• Cross Road Blues
• Bad Man
• A Song for Jeffrey
• Moment of Madness
• Teacher
• Fat Man
• A New Day Yesterday

Encore:

• Locomotive Breath

Paul McCartney: 7/28/2010

This was the second time that I went to see Sir Paul McCartney in concert, but it holds a special place in my heart because I went with my two daughters, who are both Beatles fans (I raised them well). I had seen McCartney 20 years before (I think there is a song reference here), but was particularly excited about this show because it was indoors as opposed to a big stadium show. My friend Bob was also taking his two daughters, so we all piled into his van and made the journey to Charlotte for the show.

We got there with time to get dinner, so we went for pizza. The streets were teeming with McCartney fans, which was very cool. There was a real sense that we were all part of something big.

After entering the arena, we had to split up, since we did not all have seats together. My daughters and I had seats in the upper deck on the side of the stage, which was cool because we looked right down on Paul and when he played piano, he was facing right at us. We missed some of the video stuff, but that was not a big deal for me.

Paul opened the show with Venus and Mars > Rock Show > Jet. I was floored right off the bat. Not what I would have expected, but Rock Show is one of my favorite Wings songs. The rest of the concert was heavy on the Beatles stuff, with a good dose of Wings and McCartney solo material. What was really cool, though, was that he played some George and John stuff, which was totally a surprise for me. It was like he was acknowledging the influence his former bandmates had on his musical career. I found it to be very moving.

Watching my kids dance and sing along to these songs made me happier than I can really express. My mom was a huge Beatles fan and actually went to school with Ringo in Liverpool. So watching my kids at this concert, it was like the music formed a bridge connecting generations. Music is like that. It transcends.

Paul played a marathon concert. I was really impressed with how long he played and the energy he had. There were so many high points, it would be impossible to cover them all. In addition to the opening, definitely “I’ve Got a Feeling,” “A Day in the Life,” and “Helter Skelter” were probably the top moments for me. But again, it was all great. There was nothing about this concert that was anything less than fab.

Here is the setlist. Let’s all hope that Paul keeps on rollin’ for years to come. He has been part of the soundtrack of my life and I would like to keep him around as long as possible.

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Setlist:

• Venus and Mars
• Rock Show
• Jet
• All My Loving
• Letting Go
• Drive My Car
• Highway
• Let Me Roll It (With Foxy Lady Snippet)
• The Long and Winding Road
• Nineteen Hundred and Eighty-Five
• Let ‘Em In
• My Love
• I’ve Just Seen a Face
• And I Love Her
• Blackbird
• Here Today
• Dance Tonight
• Mrs. Vandebilt
• Eleanor Rigby
• Ram On
• Something
• Sing the Changes
• Band on the Run
• Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da
• Back in the U.S.S.R.
• I’ve Got a Feeling
• Paperback Writer
• A Day in the Life (With Give Peace A Chance Snippet)
• Let It Be
• Live and Let Die
• Hey Jude

Encore:

• Day Tripper
• Lady Madonna
• Get Back

Encore 2:

• Yesterday
• Helter Skelter
• Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)
• The End