The Dr. Pepper Concert Series moved to Pier 84 on the west side of Manhattan in 1981 after neighbors’ noise complaints resonating from the super expensive residences in midtown finally won the day. While it was good that the concert series continued, but the venue itself did not compare losing a lot of its luster compared to the backdrop that was Central Park. Before Bruce Springsteen took Gary U.S. Bonds under his wing and resurrected his career with a hit album and tour that followed, Mr. Bonds career was hanging by a thread. The first time that I saw Gary U.S. Bonds perform was at a Jamaica, Queens club called Beggars Opera where bands like Twisted Sister, Good Rats, Zebra and others played during the heyday of Long Island rock and roll. There could not have been more than fifteen or twenty people in the bar on the night Bonds and his band took the stage, almost all seated in the booths behind the general admission floor which was empty. The man was huge act at one time and now found himself playing his set to a just about empty house, none of whom really cared about his past successes and were just looking at it primarily as a night out with some live music. After one too many beers I made a move I still regret to this day. I picked up a chair, walked across the empty floor, placed the chair in front and put my feet up on the stage. Gary gave me a look, and during what must have been one of several lowlights during his career, and possibly with his life flashing before his eyes, the band continued to play through this insult despite the complete indifference of the small audience in attendance. Thankfully, Gary had the last laugh as sometime soon after this low point, Bruce resurrected Bonds’ career and he was headlining 5000 plus seat venues for a couple of years following a couple of well received albums.

Quarter to Three

Rock on!

GQ

The Clash were a great rock and roll “punk” band, with the “London Calling” album firmly placing them on the map and the sprawling masterwork “Sandinista” being their “Physical Graffiti”. My then girlfriend, now wife of 35 years (as of yesterday’s anniversary), skipped classes at Queens College to stand on a long line in midtown Manhattan outside of the former casino then clothing store Bond’s to purchase tickets for The Clash’s residency slated for New York City in June, 1981. The Clash, with Joe Strummer and Mick Jones leading the charge, were explosive, in your face, with a few catchy pop songs thrown into the mix for good measure. Bond’s turned out to be a moment in time as the vast venue was ultimately shut down supposedly due to a lack of adequate fire exits. A show at Bonds was more than just a concert;, it was an event, a “happening” and a place that you wanted to experience at least once. I believe the only other musical “group”, for lack of a better term, that I saw perform there was Plasmatics where I briefly met Joey Ramone just before Wendy O. Williams hit the stage, chain saw and all. Rock and Roll still had a degree of danger and spontaneity in 1981 and almost anything was possible. Long live rock and roll!

Clampdown

Rock on!

GQ

The great Dave Mason performed at the Colden Auditorium at Queens College, where I was finishing up my third year of studies, in May, 1981 with opener Loudon Wainwright III. Mr. Mason has had an incredible career with two of his solo albums, “Alone Together” and “Certified Live”, being two of my favorites. In addition to his solo work, he has had extraordinary successes with Traffic and an assortment of incredible collaborations with a laundry list of iconic musicians. Dave Mason was still on the road when the pandemic hit and I last saw him at the NYCB Music Fair in Westbury. You might get the feeling Dave is still on the road primarily to pay the bills at this point but maybe not, as the internet has his net worth at 10 million dollars. In any event, I will go see Dave Mason anytime anywhere; while he no longer sports the flowing locks of his younger days, he still as the great voice and iconic songs that make for a great evening of entertainment.

Bell Bottom Blues

Rock on!

GQ

Ozzy Osborne brought his Blizzard of Oz tour to New York City’s Palladium in May, 1981 with the legendary Motorhead opening. Unbelievably, Ozzy might have eclipsed his former Black Sabbath band mates with his heavy metal mayhem despite Sabbath bringing Ronnie James Dio into the fold to keep the band going with a new twist. Somehow, each project worked and heavy metal fans got to enjoy the best of both worlds in the early 80’s. The bizarre untimely passing of Randy Rhodes derailed Ozzy’s momentum for a time afterward, and a live tribute album to the deceased lead guitar legend followed, but Osborne continued to persevere through the years while Ronnie James would eventually put together his self titled band Dio which had successes of its own.

Over the Mountain

Rock on!

GQ

The Billy Cobham Glass Menagerie concert at the Bottom Line is an example of looking to return to the venue and Cobham’s reputation as a great drummer was the excuse to attend, even not being familiar with any of his music.
I have always been willing to roll the dice on unknown acts and mew musical explorations so seeing Mr. Cobham in concert would not be that unusual an event for me. I have no particular recollection of this show but the Bottom Line was such an iconic Manhattan destination for music that I am certain a good time was had by all.

Mr. Cobham is still on the road and will be touring Europe in the coming months.

Modern Standards Supergroup

Rock on!

GQ

Adam & the Ants was an odd act, to say the least, and they seemed to be as much about a New Wave fashion statement as the catchy tunes that were popular for a time. It was a night out and Adam Ant had an interesting angle for his fifteen minutes of fame, but without some sort of evolution the gimmick could not have lasted forever. “Ant Music for Ant People”?; not exactly the “Diamond Dogs” but if Adam was going for Bowie, he turned out to be a one trick pony. The Ritz was a cool venue to see any act; and sometimes you could catch lightening in a bottle with acts such as The Pretenders with surprise guest Nils Lofgren, B52s or U2 on Saint Patrick Day. There was nice crowd and a buzz in the air for this concert as there were some recognizable radio friendly and club hits to be heard, but unfortunately the most memorable part of the evening was after the show was over my buddy, who will remain nameless, without warning, ducked into an alleyway for what turned out to be some special time with a lady of the night. The thought of his disappearing act is disturbing to this day; however he apparently survived the brief encounter unscathed. After all, sometimes the heart wants what the heart wants even if, in retrospect, it does not make much sense and is potentially hazardous to one’s health.

Kings of the Wild Frontier

Rock on!

GQ

The Plasmatics were a train wreck; you watched primarily because you could not believe what you were seeing on stage. Supposed former porn actress Wendy O. Williams was the front person for this punk rock band, with very little or no apparent musical ability, that I had seen at The Ritz once or twice and that had a guitarist in a fairy princess outfit spitting beer on folks in the front of the stage who would be hoisted up to the ceiling at the end of the show. A highlight of The Ritz concert was Williams taking out a chainsaw and using it on a small television that was, I think, sitting on top of a ladder. The Bonds show was bigger with the larger venue showcasing a car sitting onstage to be the object of Wendy’s chainsaw fixation. I was standing opposite the stage near the bar before Plasmatics hit the stage when walking toward me was one Joey Ramone who was in the company of a young lady. At the time, I believe I knew of a Ramones concert happening on Long Island earlier that evening and I decided at that moment to talk to Joey as if we had already met. We had a nice conversation; Ramone was feeling no pain, and I am sure he had no idea that we had never encountered before. The conversation went on long enough that at some point I saw a look of realization on the face of his lady friend that it was time to move on; she grabbed Joey Ramone by the wrist and pulled him away where they disappeared into the crowd.

New Hope for the Wretched

Rock on!

GQ

By 1981, New Wave” had made major inroads into the rock and roll mainstream and Elvis Costello & the Attractions became one of my favorite bands. Costello is a super intelligent songwriter, and the Attractions rock, so seeing them at the Palladium with Squeeze was a no-brainer. Reminiscing about this show brings back memories of spending late nights at Beefsteak Charlie cook John Mac’s place; John was all in on the “New Wave” acts, especially Elvis, and he would crank up the music until early morning in his apartment which was above a store in Douglaston, Queens so no one was disturbed by the relentless barrage of new rock and roll music being discovered nightly. Squeeze has so many great songs, and while they obviously headlined smaller gigs, they somehow fell into that groove of being the great opening act in larger venues a la Cheap Trick who are possibly the greatest opening act in the history of rock and roll. The Palladium was a great place to see anyone, so while I do not have any particular recollection of this concert, I am certain a fun time was had by all.

Oliver’s Army

Rock on!

GQ

We attended the Joan Jett & the Blackhearts concert at the intimate Bottom Line and somehow sat a table in front of the stage on the right side looking straight up at Ms. Jett. What struck me first when the band hit the stage was how young was; she was a rock and roll powerhouse on stage but looked like a kid. As a matter of fact, we were so close I could see the blackheads on young Joannie’s face which was kind of endearing somehow. The other memory of this show (and I am pretty sure it was this particular Bottom Line concert), was when I looked back to my left, sitting at a table mid-audience was the unmistakable legendary Andy Warhol which made this show feel that much more special and “ important”. “Bad Reputation” is a great rock and roll song and Joan Jett commands the stage as a great front person for the Blackhearts. This was just an unforgettable night for a variety of reasons. Joan Jett was still touring right up until the pandemic shut everything down and was scheduled to do a stadium tour with Motley Crue and Poison last summer that was postponed to 2021 for obvious reasons.

Wooly Bully

Rock On!

GQ

A bit of an oddball concert, Chicken Legs, that included the remaining members of Little Feat, and John Hall played at St. John’s University on a November Sunday night in 1980. If memory serves me right, the concert was held in the basketball auditorium and the music preformed by stellar musicians was outstanding. I am not sure why, but I have never heard anything about Chicken Legs before, or after, this show and I have never even met anyone who has ever heard of the band. Apparently the project never worked out for the long term, but for one night in Queens, an audience craving an evening of rock and roll was thoroughly entertained.

Dixie Chicken

Rock on!

GQ