I have seen the Moody Blues, and Justin Hayward solo, a number of times through the years but I have no particular recollection of this August, 1988 concert at the Jones Beach Theatre. The Moody Blues managed to reinvent themselves from the height of early successes to continue as a relevant 1980’s band with radio friendly hit songs. They are likely done as a touring act at this point but at least the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame finally saw fit to induct this iconic band.
Jethro Tull anyone?

Crazy Horse?

Just sayin’.

Your Wildest Dreams

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GQ

Rumors of a club blues tour by Neil Young & The Bluenotes had me scouring the local music magazines and the Village Voice hoping to get an inside track to one of the shows. I found myself at a Young Neil & the Vipers club show thinking it could be Real Neil but found myself seated at a table in the rear of a New York City basement club watching a relative of a Fabulous Thunderbird wailing on guitar, then coaxing Ace Frehley of Kiss onstage to play guitar on a tune. This was an unintended interesting evening, to say the least, but the quest for a Neil Young blues concert went on. The Bluenotes played a club called The World in New York City’s Alphabet City for a few night stand, two shows a night, and I managed to attend the last set which turned out to be one show only due to Neil reportedly feeling ill but not wanting to cancel. It was general admission standing room with a bar in the rear where I leaned toward the bartender and sang “This Note, This Note This Note, This Notes for YOU” along with the band. I was having a blast. I remember thinking Neil Young’s pallor was a little grey that night which made me believe rumors of an illness were likely true. Years later I find it hard to believe that I only went to one night but I am certainly glad now that I made my way in to attend. Neil & The Bluenotes would follow up with a shed tour but the Bluenotes were best appreciated by the diehard fan; as with many Neil Young tours, the casual fan is sometimes disappointed when the greatest hits are not performed (the Psychedelic Pill arena tour’s sonic assault lengthy distortions left some in the crowd looking bewildered when the lights came up) but for those of us on the journey, the Bluenotes were, and are, simply outstanding.

Ain’t It the Truth

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GQ

Yes performed at the Nassau Coliseum on Friday, February 5, 1988 but I have no particular recollection. I have seen Yes so many times, and in so many configurations, solo and otherwise, that pulling out any specific memory from these shows is difficult at best. I was supposed to attend a Steve Howe version of Yes concert a few years ago with an old buddy Mike from the Flushing neighborhood we grew up in, but the show was canceled due to the untimely passing of Howe’s son and the show was never rescheduled. If you want to watch “uncomfortable”, check out Yes performing at their Rock and Roll Induction Ceremony when the two touring versions of Yes, at the time, joined forces for one night.

To Be Over

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GQ

I’m listening to Neil Young being interviewed by David Fricke on the SiriusXM Neil Young channel on Deep Tracks channel 26 while thinking about Neil Young & the Bluenotes performing a several night stand at The World, a club located in Alphabet City in New York. There had been rumors circulating that Neil Young was going to do some pop up dates with his blues band and I scoured the music magazines and newspapers hoping to discover a Neil blues show. A band called Young Neil & the Vipers was playing a club in New York; Young Neil? Vipers? I thought this had to be it. I can’t remember who I went with but we went to a pretty nice club in a basement n New York City and Young Neil & the Vipers hit the stage but, alas, it was not Neil Young. Young Neil turned out to be somehow related to the Fabulous Thunderbirds and this kid could play guitar.

In the audience sitting at a table was Ace Frehley from Kiss and near the end of the show he was cajoled into joining the band on stage; bad move on Ace’s part as Young Neil wailed while Ace looked uncomfortable with a likely borrowed guitar.
Neil Young & the Bluenotes played several nights at The World, a club I had never been to before or since. The band played two sets a night with a single admission and unbelievably I only planned on going one night. I believe the evening we went was the last night of the stand and Young was reportedly sick. Rather than cancel, the band played one elongated set that night in the packed general admission venue. I remember thinking that Neil appeared to be a little under the weather but I was pumped and I remember leaning over toward the bartender in the rear of the space energetically and loudly singing along while Neil sang “This note, this note, this note, this note’s for you”.

Ten Men Workin’

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GQ

Yes performed at the Nassau Coliseum on Friday, February 5th, 1988; one of many Yes concerts, configurations and offshoots I have attended through the years. One of these days I will add them up and see if they come anywhere close to the over ninety Neil Young appearances that I have been at.

Roundabout

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GQ

My wife and I went to the Genesis “The Last Domino?” concert at Madison Square Garden last night. We barely caught a 6:29 train into Penn Station and got through the health and security screenings fairly quickly through the VIP entrance where much merch and swag bags awaited those who purchased suites and expensive packages. We made our way to our upper level aisle seats for the 8:15 start of the show. This crowd was visibly old with a lot of hip and knee replacements in the crowd and folks struggling to navigate the stairs. A guy seating behind us had a nice consistent cough going but at least he was wearing a mask. When the band hit the spacious stage Phil Collins appeared sitting in an office rolling chair (Dave Grohl had enough sense to perform on a throne while on a stadium tour when he broke his leg a few years back). I know that Mr. Collins has had his share of medical issues but it was unsettling, and sad, to see how unwell he looked. This is likely a final tour for the band; I get the nostalgia angle and victory lap, but while the sound and band sounded pretty good, Collins’ vocals were awful; Phil’s voice is shot. Who had the bright idea to book two nights in a row at the Garden; one can only hope for those who shelled out the $300 plus dollars for tickets on Sunday night heard a better performance from Phil Collins, who unfortunately can no longer play percussion (his son mans the drums this tour) and is relegated to looking uncomfortable in his chair during long instrumental passages. I was not digging the concert right from the start, but when the smoke machine filled the stage a few songs in, it made me think how the Spinal Tap movie might have turned out if it had been about a progressive pop band. When you are checking the railroad schedule an hour into the performance it is rarely a good sign. The concert made us sad so we left early to beat the crowd as these indoor events in this time of Covid is a little unsettling even with vaccination requirements to attend.

Land of Confusion

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GQ

Tonight my wife and I will hop on the Long Island Railroad to catch Genesis’ second night at Madison Square Garden; the band will also play a third overpriced concert at the brand new UBS Arena at Belmont Park on Friday night. Full disclosure, while I have seen Genesis in concert a number of times through the years to include a show at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium, I have always been more of a Peter Gabriel fan. I broke out a couple of Phil Collins era Genesis and solo greatest hits cds recently in an attempt to to get up for the concert; truth be told, for me, the music is not holding up very well but I am hopeful a live performance will change my mind.

And Then There Were Three

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GQ

Pink Floyd played a three night stand at Madison Square Garden in October. 1987 without linchpin Roger Waters who battled with the band for years over ownership of the Pink Floyd brand. Honestly, I have no recollection of this tour s and no record of which date I attended until I can dig into my extensive ticket stub collection. I did see this version of Pink Floyd at Yankee Stadium where my bride and I had floor seats on the field; I think this may have been my only concert at Yankee Stadium as it is not a place I would ordinarily travel to, particularly for a baseball game. I have more recently attended a few Roger Waters solo tours, including performances highlighting the iconic “The Wall” which will likely hold up for all time. One concert that I regret not going to was the last David Gilmour New York City gig that took place at Radio City Music Hall which I was told, by another voracious live music lover, was one of the best shows that she had ever seen. Roger Waters will be back on tour at an arena near you in 2022 after yearlong Covid postponements.

A Momentary Lapse of Reason

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GQ

This past Friday I took the Long Island Railroad and then subway into Manhattan to see Bob Dylan’s Rough and Rowdy Ways tour at the Beacon Theatre (it is impossible to drive or park anywhere in New York City anymore but that is a story for another day). During the pandemic hiatus, I have been obsessing a bit on Mr. Dylan. I have been rotating out my many Dylan compact discs while traveling in my car with the couple of days right before the show listening to the phenomenal “Tempest” collection. I have been watching Dylan and the Dead on YouTube and found a 60 Minutes interview with Bob that is extraordinary. I have seen Bob Dylan in concert on more than a few occasions including Bobfest at MSG and, most recently, on a couple of dates with Neil Young & the Promise of the Real at Hyde Park, London and Kilkenny, Ireland. The show at the Beacon Theatre was advertised as “doors at 7, show starting at 8” with no opening act. I entered the Beacon early through the rear entrance and got through the Covid protocols pretty quickly. I had a balcony ticket but made my way down to the orchestra where I met Steve Earle who was very cool and we spoke briefly about his upcoming benefit concert in December at Town Hall. At 7:45 they announced to go to your seats and promptly at 8 the show began with Bob Dylan behind his piano and with his exquisite band playing perfectly on an eclectic set of tunes. The songs were great, the group was impeccable and the crowd was mesmerized with a few of us on our feet hooting and hollering at the appropriate times. Unbelievably, the concert ended at about 9:40 but I was satisfied to have seen the reluctant genius in yet another incarnation yet still creating powerful compelling art as great artists do. Bob Dylan’s merchandise said that this was amazingly, and optimistically, the 2021-2024 world tour and I hope that he is still on the road in 2024, and beyond, as we are all fortunate to have the opportunity to see the master musician still honing his craft live and in person.

Key West (Philosopher Pirate)

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GQ

I attended one of my many Crosby, Stills & Nash concerts on a Saturday night in September, 1987; this one taking place at the Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh, Long Island with opener the Fabulous Thunderbirds. CSN always seemed to have interesting opening acts when touring the summer sheds, and not always seemingly the obvious choices, but always making it a fun and festive musical evening under the stars.

Live It Up

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GQ