The Patti Smith Group’s first four albums starting with “Horses”, “Radio Ethiopia”, “Easter” and my personal favorite “Wave” were extraordinarily unique rock and roll albums with great lyrics written by the poet Smith and performed by a great group of musicians led by guitarist Lenny Kaye. The Patti Smith Group are true artists in the vein of Lou Reed and Bruce Springsteen, who happened to pen her biggest “hit”, the surprisingly radio friendly, “Because the Night”. Patti Smith and the band s also carried with them the old school rock and toll cool vibe, mystique and swagger of a Keith Richards. I was heavily into the Patti Smith Group for quite awhile and tried to see the band live every time they came around. I have got to admit that these three shows are not bringing back any particular memories and until I went to write this I would have thought my first Capital Theatre concert was with Asia some years later. The last times I saw the Patti Smith Group was when they opened for Neil Young and Crazy Horse on the Psychedelic Pill tour. I then saw Patti Smith and I think her daughter perform at City Winery where Michael Stipe of R.E.M. was seated at her table. I do not remember if Stipe, who was sporting a long beard at the time, performed that evening, but he did play at the David Bowie City Winery tributes sometime after Bowie passed where he stole the show with an interesting take on “Ashes to Ashes” (as I recall).

The interconnections in rock and roll are quite extraordinary if you think about them, and one could probably put together a “Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon” type game with a whole list of rock and roll artists if you were so inclined.

The Patti Smith Group rocks!

Year of the Monkey

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GQ

The Rolling Stones had not gone out on tour in awhile so anticipation was high when Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood formed a super group and played Madison Square Garden with the New Barbarians.

The Madison Square Garden crowd was rabid as we made our way down to the front part of the orchestra facing left of stage. Everyone in the orchestra were standing on the folding chairs and I managed to scoot up and balance myself on the metal seats a few rows from the stage. The much rumored Stones ”reunion” never materialized and Mick Jagger never showed up but the concert was a rock and roll tour de force. When the show ended and the lights came up it looked like a bomb had exploded in the orchestra; the audience filed out in a smoky haze and mangled folding chairs littered the Garden floor. Slightly disappointed that no “special guests” joined the Barbarians on stage this night, it was still a memorable and somewhat historic nigh of rock and roll provided by legendary performers and witnessed by true believers.

Talk is Cheap

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GQ

Before Bob Geldof initiated the Live Aid global event, he headed the Irish band The Boomtown Rats who achieved some nominal success and radio airplay with the song “I Don’t Like Mondays” which was a line quoted by a child who had committed a school shooting after being asked why she did it.

I have a vague recollection sitting in the loge of The Palladium this particular evening with my friend Mike and his girlfriend Andrea and I either won the tickets somehow or the tickets were ridiculously cheap dince The Boomrown Rats were attempting to get some traction in the United States that never really ended up happening. As I recall Gelfof was a pretty dynamic frontman and the Rats rocked pretty good but they ended up being a primarily English phenomenon and never really took off in the States. Bob Geldof, now Sir Bob Geldof, is better known for putting together the Live Aid concert and the collaborative “Do They Know It’s Christmas?” song for hunger relief but on a Saturday night in May, 1979 he was just a singer in a rock and roll band.

The Fine Art of Surfacing

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GQ

Judas Priest played the premier New York City rock and roll theatre venue The Palladium on a Saturday night in April, 1979 (picture a seedier beer soaked Beacon Theatre) and while I do not have any particular recollection of this heavy metal concert, I am somewhat amazed that groups like Judas Priest are still on the road and making music some 42 years later, at least until the pandemic hit and stole a year so far from the tail end of some pretty amazing careers. The performers and pop stars of my parents’ generation are mostly gone now and singers like Rob Halford are now our version of Perry Como and Andy Williams I guess. What kind of music will come out of the pandemic? Will it be frightening and apocalyptic or joyous? Are there bands in quarantined garages working on the musical landscape of tomorrow and will rock and roll fade away and become like jazz, primarily for a few hardcore fans and aficionados? Bob Dylan and Neil Young have begun to sell off publishing rights to their songs, possibly thinking this is the height of their popularity and the market. Many other artists will follow since few buy music any longer, touring is in limbo and will be problematic going forward; even rock stars have bills to pay. Paul Simon said “Every generation throws a hero up the pop charts” and based on those recent charts rock and roll popularity is on the decline. Let’s hope the next generation discovers the power, fury and majestic beauty of rock and roll coming out of this tumultuous time and it does not become something only discovered in a museum or a google search.

Victim of Changes

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GQ

“Alive on Arrival” and “”Jackrabbit Slim” were successful debut albums for singer songwriter Steve Forbert in the late 1970’s and we saw him perform at the Queens College Student Union in April, 1979. The fourth floor of the Student Union building was not an ideal place to put on a concert but as we attended Queens College it was sort of a big deal that a musician of any note would come to perform for us at the school. Forbert is a talented musician who I always thought would have benefited greatly had he collaborated with a. Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young type of group that might have propelled him to greater artistic and financial success. Obviously CSNYs are few and far between and Mr. Forbert writes good songs but in my estimation needed something else to further distinguish himself and take his popularity to another level. Perhaps the now 66 year old Forbert would think differently and is satisfied with the success that he has had; he is obviously a talented guy who I believe was still touring up until the pandemic hit.

Romeo’s Tune

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GQ

As everyone knows by now, the Grateful Dead was like having the circus roll into town. This was my first foray delving in to the Grateful Dead universe and while the music appealed to me on a number of levels, I was no Deadhead. The crazy scene in the arena hallways with the drug assisted dancing and spinning, and some of the most high individuals you could imagine to encounter, was interesting but ultimately not my bag. Also, and although I sort of got it much later, the interminable drum solo portion of the program did not do it for me.
I had been contemplating going to see the Grateful Dead again when they were scheduled to play Giants Stadium at the Meadowlands but it was not to be as Jerry Garcia died before that could happen. An excerpt published in Rolling Stone magazine from a book, that highlighted Jerry Garcia’s drug addiction came out some time later was startling and a bit frightening. I have seen Dead and Company and the Phil Lesh Band since and it is fun to see the Grateful Dead catalog performed, and to watch the always interesting audience, but I remain not a Deadhead.

Dark Star

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GQ

Happy New Year!

What better way to rock in the year 1979 than with a Ted Nugent aural assault. The Motor City Madman cut his arena rock teeth touring with label mates Lynyrd Skynyrd, but when Skynyrd’s plane crashed in 1977, Nugent continued on as a headliner in the larger venues. Ted Nugent still rocks and hunts for his food but now is almost as famous for his conservative rants on Facebook live.

Dog Eat Dog

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GQ

Shortly after Hot Tuna’s live album was released, we had tickets to see them perform at The Palladium when seemingly suddenly they broke up. I also saw Jorma in concert at the Palladium in April so forgive me if this story may apply to that show. Everyone was expecting long haired Jorma to perform at the Palladium so when he walked out solo acoustic with slicked back orange hair it was a bit of a shock. I later read in Rolling Stone magazine that at one of these Palladium concerts he had taken a swig from a champagne bottle that unknowingly to him had been spiked with LSD resulting in his playing the same note during a song for a half hour. Not surprisingly, I know that I had not noticed that evening.

Hesitation Blues

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GQ

Another road trip from Queens to see Queen again at the Nassau Coliseum. Since I have gone to a few Queen concerts in my time, with Freddie Mercury and later Paul Rodgers of Bad Company fame, the Adam Lambert version of the band just does not appeal to me (although some have told me they are still very good with Lambert).

Queen was a true original act that no one has been able to duplicate or replicate for all these many years and I was fortunate to have seen the original lineup in their glory days many moons ago.

Now I’m Here

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GQ

The Doobie Brothers were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year. With no live show possible, the Hall of Fame ceremony was a virtual taped HBO special and it was actually very well done. I have attended the Hall of Fame ceremony at Barclays Center in Brooklyn a couple of times and the speeches can be kind of rough (the worst being the E Street Band; the teleprompter pleading with them to keep it short was better than their endless acceptances).

Right now I have been listening to the “Southbound” collection that remakes some of their many hits with guest artists.
The 50th anniversary tour with Michael McDonald was postponed until at least next year because of the pandemic. I am holding on to my tickets for the Jones Beach Theatre in hopes that we will one day be rocking out again under the stars at the beach.

What a Fool Believes

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GQ