Neil Young and the International Harvesters: 9/15/1985

I remember this performance clearly; the only thing I don’t remember about this concert was who I went with. Obviously, I was focused on Neil.

The International Harvesters were a country band backing up Neil on this tour, which was cool because they played a lot of acoustic tunes that went over really well, such as “Heart of Gold,” “Old Man” and “Helpless.” And even the more intense Crazy Horse tunes, like “Down by the River” and “Powderfinger” actually sounded really good with the country flavor.

I am a huge Neil Young fan and would see him multiple times after this with Crazy Horse, but I have to confess that it was very cool seeing him with this configuration. There is something about Neil’s country-style music that just soothes my soul.

Here is the setlist. Long may Mr. Young keep playing music for us.

Setlist:

• Country Home
• Comes a Time
• Lookin’ for a Love
• Heart of Gold
• This Old House
• Southern Pacific
• Interstate
• Sugar Mountain
• Helpless
• California Sunset
• Nothing Is Perfect
• Field of Opportunity
• Down by the River
• Old Man
• Powderfinger

Encore:

• Get Back to the Country
• Grey Riders

Alice Cooper and Vinnie Vincent Invasion: 12/31/1986

I had basically seen this exact same show three days earlier at the West Palm Beach Auditorium, but I could not pass up a chance to see the Coop again, especially on New Year’s Eve.

I went with a woman I was dating at the time, Christine, and I painted my face up as Alice. Figured I would get my full fan-boy on. I knew a lot of people who were going this night, including my brother and our friend Jon.

Vinnie Vincent was kind of a joke the second time around. I literally burst out laughing at one point when he did his best Karate Kid kick and knocked over the same dummy amp from the other night. Oh well, at least he tried.

During intermission, Christine and I went and met up with my brother and Jon in the lobby area. Now there was this one section in the lobby where some stairs were above, and the headroom as not that high. A basketball player would have to duck, for sure. Well, we were hanging out there, and Jon decided to have a little fun with some inebriated headbangers. “Hey,” Jon said, “I bet you can’t jump high enough to touch the ceiling there with your head.” They would not walk away from a dare, and proceeded to jump up and down, clonking their heads on the cement above them. It was humorous, and I suspect they woke with a splitting headache the following morning.

After a long intermission, Alice took the stage. The show was exactly the same as the WPB show, which, if I am being honest, I had hoped he would have at least thrown one or two treats in there for NYE, but still, it was a great show, even if it was the same.

Here is the setlist, in case you missed it from my last post. Rock on!

Setlist:

• Welcome to My Nightmare
• Billion Dollar Babies
• No More Mr. Nice Guy
• Be My Lover
• I’m Eighteen
• The World Needs Guts
• Give It Up
• Cold Ethyl
• Only Women Bleed
• Go to Hell
• Ballad of Dwight Fry
• Teenage Frankenstein
• Sick Things
• I Love the Dead
• School’s Out

Encore:

• Elected
• Under My Wheels

The Moody Blues and The Fixx: 9/29/1986

Here is a great example of why it was cool to be around in the 70s and 80s. You could go and see two cool bands for a mere $16.50. I’ve spent three times that much just for parking at concerts these days.

Anyway, I had seen the Moody’s the night before in Miami, but I figured, “Why not go see them again?” Supposedly The Fixx opened at the Miami show too, but I don’t really have any recollection of that concert. This one I remember better. I went with my friend Carlos and we had a great time. While the West Palm Beach Auditorium was not nearly as intimate as the Knight Center in Miami, it was cool because you could walk around and pretty much do what you wanted. It was a very laid-back venue.

Nothing really extraordinary to share about this show. I was able to locate the setlists online, so here they are. Enjoy!

The Fixx Setlist:

• Lost Planes
• Saved by Zero
• Built for the Future
• Secret Separation
• Are We Ourselves?
• Treasure It
• Deeper and Deeper
• One Thing Leads to Another
• Red Skies
• Stand or Fall

The Moody Blues Setlist:

• Gemini Dream
• The Voice
• Rock ‘N’ Roll Over You
• Tuesday Afternoon
• Your Wildest Dreams
• Isn’t Life Strange
• The Story in Your Eyes
• It May Be a Fire
• Reflective Smile
• Veteran Cosmic Rocker
• New Horizons
• The Other Side of Life
• I’m Just a Singer (In a Rock and Roll Band)
• Nights in White Satin
• Legend of a Mind
• Question

Encore:

• Ride My See-Saw

Neil Young: 2/6/1983

This was my first time seeing Neil Young, and I was really psyched. Neil was such a huge influence on me as a young guitarist (pun intended). He was performing two shows at the James L. Knight Center in Miami, and I don’t recall why, but I only got a ticket to see him on the second night.

The Knight Center was a great venue in downtown Miami, relatively small and with great acoustics. There was not a bad seat anywhere in the house.

This was a solo tour in support of the Trans album, which had come out the previous year. It was just Neil by himself with various guitars, harmonicas, keyboards, and a banjo. He took his time, selecting what instrument to play, and seemed 100% comfortable on stage. And he played for a long time, not shying away from songs that usually have a full band (“Powderfinger” and “Down by the River” come to mind).

I would go on to see Neil multiple times in the future, including four times with Crazy Horse, but this first time seeing him holds a magical place in my heart.

Here’s the setlist, and may Neil keep on rockin’ for many more years.

Setlist

• Comes a Time
• Everybody Knows This Is Nowhere
• Down by the River
• Only Love Can Break Your Heart
• Soul of a Woman
• Are There Any More Real Cowboys?
• Cowgirl in the Sand
• My Boy
• Helpless
• Dance, Dance, Dance
• Southern Man
• Don’t Be Denied
• The Losing End
• Cortez the Killer
• Powderfinger
• Ohio
• Sail Away
• After the Gold Rush
• Transformer Man
• My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)
• Mr. Soul
• Sugar Mountain
• I Am a Child
• Computer Age

Grateful Dead: 10/14/1988

This was the first night of a three-night run of shows. I would see the Dead on October 15 and 16 in St. Petersburg, FL, and those nights I remember, but for some strange reason, I have no recollection of this first show in Miami. No idea why that is. Anyway, I can only assume that I hung out with my Deadhead friends and had a real good time. In the morning after the show, I would be heading up to St. Pete with my friends Armando and Tim, and we had a bit of an adventure. More to come on that one. For now, all I have left to share about this show is the setlist. Rock on!

Set 1:

• Touch of Grey
• Minglewood Blues
• Row Jimmy Row
• It’s All Over Now
• Brown-Eyed Women
• When I Paint My Masterpiece
• Bird Song
• Promised Land

Set 2:

• China Cat Sunflower
• I Know You Rider
• Saint of Circumstance
• He’s Gone
• Drums > Space
• Going Down the Road Feelin’ Bad
• I Need a Miracle
• Dear Mr. Fantasy
• Hey Jude

Encore:

• Black Muddy River

Paul Simon: 2/7/1991

This show was part of Paul Simon’s “Born at the Right Time” tour. I was pretty psyched to see him, since his songs were definitely a part of the soundtrack of my early years. I even had “Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard” on 45 back in the day.

I went with my then girlfriend, and we had decent seats, even though they were upper level. The Miami Arena was not huge, which was probably why the Heat abandoned it and built a bigger arena, which resulted in the venue being demolished in 2008.

Anyway, back to the concert. Paul Simon was amazing. He sounded great and had a solid backing band comprised of really cool world musicians. He played a nice long show… but I had one complaint. He played “You Can Call Me Al” TWICE, one right after the other. So he played the song, everyone was dancing and singing along, and when they finished, Paul said “Wow! That was great! Let’s do it again.” And they did. OK, they played a shortened version, but still, I felt ever so slightly rooked. I mean, Paul Simon has a ton of great songs, a lot of which he did not play. He could have tossed in “Mrs. Robinson” or “Scarborough Fair” or “50 Ways to Leave Your Lover” instead. Just sayin’.

Besides the repeat, it was a great show. Here’s the setlist. Rock on.

Setlist:

• The Obvious Child
• The Boy in the Bubble
• She Moves On
• Kodachrome
• Born at the Right Time
• Negotiations and Love Songs
• Me and Julio Down by the Schoolyard
• Proof
• I Know What I Know
• Bridge Over Troubled Water
• The Cool, Cool River
• Further to Fly
• Cecilia
• Graceland
• You Can Call Me Al
• You Can Call Me Al
• Still Crazy After All These Years
• Late in the Evening
• Hearts and Bones
• Loves Me Like a Rock
• Diamonds on the Soles of Her Shoes
• American Tune
• The Boxer
• The Sound of Silence

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

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

The Black Crowes and Gov’t Mule: 11/29/1996

I went to this show with my friend Greg, who was also the other guitarist in a band we were in at the time called The DV8s. Greg was a little reluctant to go to this show with me, because Dike Dale was playing the same night at a dumpy little club in Miami. But after some convincing, he agreed to go with me, so we made the drive up to Broward County to see the show at the Sunrise Musical Theatre.

We had no idea that Gov’t Mule was also on the bill. In fact, although I was familiar with Warren Haynes as a guitarist, I had not even heard of this band. But we ran into a friend of mine in the lobby, and he was all stoked about the Mule, and told me it was Warren’s new band. I got excited too. Over the years, I would see Gov’t Mule many times, but this was the first time seeing them.

Anyway, we grabbed our seats and Mule opened the show. They were really really good! Powerful, a lot heavier than what I expected, having only seen Warren with the Allman’s and solo. And you can’t go wrong opening with a Zappa tune.

After a short intermission, The Black Crowes took the stage. They were great, and the crowd was psyched. But there was a moment there when Chris Robinson got pissed and stopped the show. Some asshole in the crowd had a laser pointer and was shining it at the stage, and I guess zapping Chris in the eyes. He stopped mid song and yelled at the unknown light-saber wielding jerk, cursing and making threats. I can’t blame him. The incident did not surprise me, though. South Florida concert fans were notoriously rude.

After the show, Greg was still focused on trying to see Dick Dale. He calculated that if we drove straight to Churchill’s Hideaway in Miami, we could make it in time. I was never one to pass up on some live rock and roll, and I did want to see the King of the Surf Guitar, so we went for it and made a bee-line to Churchill’s. We paid the admission at the door (so no ticket stub) and squeezed in. Dick Dale was great, but SO FUCKING LOUD! I love some loud guitar as much as the next person, but this was actually painful. I considered leaving, but like an idiot, I stayed. I do not exaggerate when I say that my ears were ringing for three days afterwards. I genuinely thought I had permanently damaged my hearing. Maybe I did. But the ringing eventually subsided.

Thanks to the wonders of the internet, I found the setlists for both Gov’t Mule and the Black Crowes from that night. Here they are. Rock on!

Gov’t Mule Setlist:

• Pygmy Twylyte
• Blind Man in the Dark
• Mother Earth
• Game Face
• Birth of the Mule
• Grinnin’ in Your Face
• Mule

Black Crowes Setlist:

• One Mirror Too Many
• Sting Me
• Evil Eye
• High Head Blues
• Girl From a Pawnshop
• Wiser Time
• Ballad In Urgency
• Hotel Illness
• Mr. Spaceman
• Nothing Love Everything
• Black Moon Jam
• Black Moon Creeping
• Big Time
• Hard To Handle

Encore

• Sometimes Salvation
• Twice as Hard

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)