I attended the New York City stop on the Yes 35th anniversary tour at Madison Square Garden on Thursday, May 13, 2004. I have no particular recollection of this Yes concert but unbelievably this will make 2024 the 55th anniversary; time waits for no one. I recently saw the Steve Howe version of Yes at the NYCB Theatre in Westbury which was sadly not sold out that evening. In the 70’s and early 80’s the diehard Yes fans among us would order our Yes tickets months in advance for the Madison Square Garden and Nassau Coliseum shows with the anticipation building as the shows came closer. After the “Going for the One” tour, and the return of Rick Wakeman, the succeeding worldwide Yes treks were performed “in the round”, which was genius as each musician in the band was brilliant in his own right; while the stage revolved in center orchestra you could concentrate on an individual member’s performance and fully take in their individual contributions for a song or two.
Yes “ in the round” at Westbury was obviously not quite the same as the old days, and it was a stark reminder of how much time has passed since Yes had been in their heyday; thankfully the music has held up through the years and the current touring versions of the band can bring us back to the memories of those glory days.

Roundabout

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GQ

For her Christmas gift, I took my sister Tracy to Morristown, New Jersey for the sold out matinee performance of Dancing with the Stars Live. I do not claim to be a fan of DWTS, (given a choice, I would much rather have gone to the Peter Frampton concert advertised on the Mayo venue’s marquee on a Wednesday in March), but for what it is, the show was entertaining. The venue reminded me of the Patchogue Performing Arts Center on Long Island, for what it is worth, and was found to be located in the center of the Morristown business district. The DWTS television show has apparently been following up the finale with a road show for years and it is definitely a well done production providing two solid hours of entertainment with a fifteen minute intermission. Those fans of the show who came to see their favorite dancers perform live in person seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience.

Dance, Dance, Dance

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GQ

Neil Young & Crazy Horse were still on the “Greendale” tour when they performed at the iconic Radio City Music Hall in March, 2004 where we sat in the orchestra on the left side of the stage. This was an epic evening as the four of us went to the bar Hogs & Heifers in Manhattan after the Young & Crazy portion of the program had concluded. The young lady tending bar berating the legend known as T-Bag to buy her shots was beyond hysterical and the lunacy on the ride home in the T-Bag’s company car got so out of hand I thought the driver was going to leave us on the side of the road on the Long Island Expressway.

Devil’s Sidewalk

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GQ

I had originally listed the date on this Meat Loaf Westbury Music Fair concert for sometime in 2003 but this Saturday, December 7, 2002 date is more likely correct. My buddy Sandy reminds me that he and his lovely wife were sitting opposite my wife and I that evening as the stage was “ in the round” and rotating.
My best memory of seeing Meat Loaf, and my first time, was at St. John’s University. in the gym I believe, when he performed in a wheelchair for most of the show as he was recovering from a broken leg. Out of nowhere, during the encore, Meat Loaf was apparently so fired up by the spirit of rock and roll, he pulled himself up from the wheelchair then dramatically staggered and hobbled about the stage as a latter day rock and roll Frankenstein monster freed from his restraints. We didn’t get the tumblesaults or acrobatics Mr. Loaf had become famous for on that night, but a good time was had by all during this unusual performance at this somewhat unlikely university concert venue.

Bat Out of Hell

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GQ

I have seen Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band many times through the years; however this July, 2003 Giants Stadium concert is not jarring any particular recollections. My wife and I recently saw Bruce and the band at Barclays Center in Brooklyn and we were supposed to travel to Albany but the rescheduled date in April, 2024 was just not working for us so I took the refund.

My father brought home “The River” double album for me when it first came out and it was on my turntable nonstop for awhile. Some of my favorite albums were the double (and sometime triple) album collections when your favorite bands could really stretch out and provide endless artistic sonic explorations. The Clash’s “Sandinista” was one of those albums where the band took you on a musical journey during a particular prolific point in their career. There was no internet or YouTube; you learned about the band through the music and the occasional magazine article. There was a mystery behind the artists with images spun through album covers, liner notes and public relations spins. David Lee Roth was a mythic figure based on the information at our disposal. Bruce Springsteen had not released any new music for awhile due to legal issues drawn out for years, so when it came time to finally release some new music, Bruce gave us a sprawling masterpiece that put him right back on track from where he left off with “Darkness at the Edge of Town”.

Hungry Heart

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GQ

At New Jersey’s PNC Arts Center on a September, 2003 evening I had a seat up close in the left side of the orchestra for Neil Young & Crazy Horse’s performance of “Greendale” (followed by some more familiar tunes). There has probably never been a rock and roll project before, or since, that compares to the Greendale tour which was part concert, part performance art, and parts all things in between. I attended several of the Greendale performances; in New Jersey, I was sitting next to a guy who just did not get it, and I explained to him then that years from now it would be looked back as pure genius. This was most definitely not a “greatest hits” tour, and even many who considered themselves fans of Me. Young left the shows disappointed, or even angry. I loved it as Neil Young, once again, created something completely new and broke through the walls of what might have been anticipated and artistic complacency. Neil Young will reportedly tour outdoor venues in 2024 and according to NYA the details will be coming soon.

Be the Rain

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GQ