The free concerts held at the Sheep Meadow in Central Park were always a happening. These concerts always drew tremendous crowds and a good view of the stage was sometimes hard to find. I arrived after the James Taylor concert had already begun and made my way near the front of the stage facing the left side. I was pumped up and started yelling “ Carolina in my Mind” as it was my favorite Taylor tune at the time only to find out from someone nearby he had actually opened with the song. WNEW-FM was New York’s preeminent rock and roll radio station and they hosted this particular event.

Shower The People

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GQ

Gato Barbieri? Yes, we took the 7 train from Flushing, Queens to Central Park and the Barbieri show was our excuse to make the trip. Wherever there was free live music to be had we were there. The Dr. Pepper Concert series was a gift that kept giving all summer long.

Let the Music Do the Talking

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GQ

Hot on the heels of a Johnny Winter concert the night before, the legendary B.B. King took the stage at Central Park’s Wollman Rink for the Dr. Pepper Concert Series. I am pretty sure that we just hung out on the boulders for this one and the next (Gato Barbieri) and this is yet another example of the great musical hang out in mid town Manhattan during the summer of 1979. It was an extraordinary set up and destination for a bunch of teenagers from Queens.

Riding With the King

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GQ

I do not have any particular recollection of this Johnny Winter Dr. Pepper concert at Central Park. However, I do recall seeing the great blues guitarist at a club called My Father’s Place in Roslyn, Long Island which had a Bottom Line type feel with table seating in front of the stage. While I do not remember the set list, I do recall seeing the somewhat frail looking Mr.Winter walking with the aid of a cain as he stepped on stage before shredding on his guitar for the evening. Once Johnny started playing, all thoughts of frailty went out the window. I saw some interesting concerts at My Father’s Place to include Gregg Allman, Iggy Pop and the Joe Perry Project. The table seating was a nice change of pace from the clubs that we were used to attending like Beggar’s Opera in Jamaica or the Ritz in New York City.

Johnny B. Goode

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GQ

The summer of 1979 was a flurry of rock and roll concert experiences that have become a blur at this point of my life. Southside Johnny has a lot of great tunes and I have seen the band several times through the years to include this show at Central Park’s Wollman Rink during the summer long Dr. Pepper Concert series.

Havin’ a Party

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GQ