I had purchased tickets to the Barry Manilow show for my sister as a gift for Christmas (in case anyone was wondering). While on line to enter the Coliseum I heard a gal in front of us tell a friend she had seen Shaun Cassidy there in 1980. This kind of freaked me out because I was at that show. Shaun Cassidy was a huge teenybopper star and I brought my sister to that show. It was memorable in that the show opened with the silhouette of a gyrating Shaun Cassidy behind a round white screen singing his hit “Da Do Run Run” while the high pitched squeal of prepubescent teens made a deafening noise only heard on airport landing strips.

It would have been impossible not to know, or escape, the many Barry Manilow hit songs through the years as he was a staple of the radio airwaves for seemingly decades. Mr. Manilow is not my cup of tea but you have to admire his hit making ability, longevity and Vegas style production that appeals to his many fans around the world.

Update-

I recently took my sister to see Tony Orlando and Dawn at the NYCB Theatre in Westbury. Anyone of a certain age will recall that the group was a hit making machine in the 1970’s and their catchy radio friendly tunes brought back good memories.

Tie a Yellow Ribbon

GQ

I’ve always believed that Todd Rundgren is a musical genius. I believe I have even read that Rundgren has said so himself so I am quite sure that he would be the first person to tell you that he is the greatest despite Ringo Starr’s claim to the title. What I do know for certain is that Todd Rundgren is a great multitalented musician with a keen knack for the great hook and, yes, he is perhaps a genius. 

I also believe “Something/Anything” is an all time classic double album, “Can We Still Be Friends?” Is an excruciating ode to lost love, and quite unbelievably, Todd Rundgren may be  one of the more under appreciated rock stars in the history of rock and roll.

When Todd Rundgren was not playing all of the instruments himself and he wanted to ROCK OUT he would perform his cosmic rock and roll musings with the band Utopia.

Merrimack-Webster defines Utopia as an imaginary place in which government, laws, and  social conditions are perfect.

Perhaps more importantly for our purposes, Utopia is a band led by Todd Rundgren on vocals and guitar with the great Kasim Sulton on bass.

While the band never reached the popular heights of some of the big arena acts of the time, Utopia had a dedicated core audience and a unique niche in the overall rock and roll  landscape.

Love in Action

(Still) on the road to Utopia

Rock on

GQ

Barry Manilow makes a stop on his One Last Time “final tour” tonight at Nassau Coliseum.

Manilow has had an extraordinarily long career with a ridiculous amount of hit records along the way.

It’s a Miracle

Pop on

GQ

In 1979 I had not yet ventured into the rock club scene therefore my first exposure to the live punk rock/New Wave explosion took place at the Central Park Concert series.

Nick Lowe’s “Labour  of Lust” album was released at a time when Elvis Costello, Rockpile and Dave Edmunds were making great strides into the American music scene. Lowe has a knack for the catchy tune and the single “Cruel to be Kind” was a moderate radio hit that, once you hear it, will be bouncing around your head for the rest of the day.

BLONDIE IS A BAND, led by Debbie Harry, that had tremendous success in the 1970’s and early 1980’s. The band’s third album “Parallel Lines” contained the huge radio hits “One Way or the Other” and  “Heart of Glass” propelling the band to superstar status in short order.

Debbie (now Deborah) Harry is performing at the Cafe Carlyle in New York City now through April 4, 2015.

The Tide Is High

Rapture

Rock on

GQ

Orleans released a number of huge radio friendly songs in the 1970’s- “Dance with Me” and “Still the One” being two of the biggest hits.

The great road warrior Stephen Stills has had an extraordinary career. In addition to his expansive solo works, Stills has played with Buffalo Springfield, Manassas, Crosby, Stills, Nash, CSNY, Stills Young Band and (most recently) The Rides.

While he has been a prolific songwriter who has received numerous accolades throught the years, in my opinion, Stephen Stills has never quite gotten the credit that he deserves for his guitar play. Just ask Stephen’s great friend, “brother”, and guitar foil, Neil Young who sings his praises at every opportunity.

Stephen Stills has got soul.

Long May You Run

Rock on

GQ

“A Horse with No Name” on the rocks at Central Park.

Ventura Highway

Rock on

GQ

The rehearsal for tomorrow night’s Carnegie Hall benefit show is tonight at City WInery.

The Roots were just seen hanging out in the lower level.

Fear of Music

Rock on

GQ

Nassau Coliseum 

June 12, 1979

Madison Square Garden 

June 13,  June 14,  June 15, 1979

New Haven Coliseum 

June 16,  June 17, 1979

Springfield Civic Center 

June 18, 1979

The Spectrum, Philadelphia 

June 22, 1979

Yes in the Round. 

Eight shows in 11 days.

Steve, Joe and I went on a rock and roll road trip completely emersing ourselves in the Yes experience.

We attended so many shows in the front orchestra during that particular tour that Steve Howe’s guitar tech Claude gave us backstage passes for Springfield, Massachusetts. 

That day in Springfield we had time to kill so we arrived at the arena early enough in the afternoon to , by complete chance, catch the band rehearsing  “Arriving U.F.O.”  

We heard Yes playing and made our way to the one spot In the arena lobby where we actually had a view of the band, in their “civilian” clothes, playing a song they never did play in concert during this stretch of the tour. We were hooting and hollering enough to alert security that we were there and to be asked to leave. This was Rock and Roll fun and hijinks at its innocent best.

I never did confirm this, but I believe Howe’s guitar tech may have been “Funky Claude” from Deep Purple’s “Smoke on the Water” (whether this is true or not I have no idea but it makes for a nice anecdote).

While backstage in Springfield I got a little caught up in the moment and with youthful exuberance I walked up to drummer Alan White who was in a conversation with an older well to do couple. I clearly interrupted them and with absolutely nothing to say except for something like “I saw you guys play last night” the perplexed White went back to his earlier conversation.

The 1979 Yes tour was a whirlwind of music and teenage adventure.

On the Silent Wings of Freedom

Rock on

GQ

Capitol Theater, N.J-

 Friday, May 11, 1979

The Paladium- 

Tuesday, May 22, 1979

Wednesday, May 23, 1979

The Patti Smith Group became a bit of an obsession in May, 1979.

Patti Smith was poetic, artistic, and a bit mysterious with a band, led by Lenny Kaye on guitar, that rocked.

The albums “Radio Ethiopia”, “Easter” and “Wave” were in constant rotation on my turntable. The Patti Smith Group exuded a downtown Manhattan  vibe that  had evolved from the early New York City punk rock movement.

Ironically the band’s biggest radio hit, “Because the Night”, was written by Bruce Springsteen.

Besides being a punk rock goddess and muse to a generation of rock and rollers who followed in the footsteps and continue to stand with her on stage today, the multitalented Smith is also an author of several books. 

She is still creating great music and can be found performing with her daughter Jesse Smith Hands on Live Friday, 3/27/15 at (Le) Poisson Rouge 158 Bleeker Street, New York City.

Fittingly Patti Smith will induct the great Lou Reed, another NYC icon. posthumously into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame this year.

Just Kids

Rock on

GQ

The New Barbarians were a band consisting of Ronnie Wood, Keith Richards, Ian McLagan, Stanley Clarke. Zigaboo Modeliste, and Bobby Keys. 

The Rolling Stones were on hiatus and had not toured in awhile, so with Wood, Richards, and the late great Stones saxophone player Bobby Keys  in the band, everyone was hoping for an impromptu Rolling Stones reunion to happen.

Mick Jagger did not appear but the all star band provided the exuberant crowd with a good old fashioned rock and roll show for the ages.

My friends and I somehow made our way into the front left orchestra and managed to squeeze on to the top of the folding chairs so that we could fully participate in this communal rock and roll celebration. 

When the lights came on at the end of the show and the exhausted crowd began to leave Madison Square Garden; smoke hung in the air over the mangled metal seats in an orchestra that looked as if a bomb went off. The power and glory of rock and roll sucked all of the palpable energy in the room and blew the lid off the place. It was a show for the ages and anyone that was lucky enough to be there got their rocks off. 

Before They Make Me Run

Rock on

GQ