While not a concert, David Bowie starring in the play “The Elephant Man” at the Booth Theatre qualified as a rock and roll event and I scored tickets to take my future bride for a night out on Broadway. David Bowie was obviously a Renaissance man and he pulled off this demanding role to an unqualified success. He contorted his body and changed his vocal delivery to such an extent that he was no longer Bowie the rock star but became John Merrick “The Elephant Man”. I have gone to the occasional Broadway show throughout the golden years but this one qualifies as my favorite and most noteworthy.

Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)

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GQ

The Ronnie James Dio lineup of Black Sabbath and Blue Oyster Cult co-headlined an arena tour in 1980 with a stop at Nassau Coliseum on Nassau County. I was pumped for the concert as Black Sabbath was touring off of the great album and song “Heaven and Hell” (the equally great “Mob Rules” album was released in 1981) and Blue Oyster Cult would be a great “opening act”. Right off the bat we were a bit thrown off when the warm a up act for both finished their set and we were anticipating BOC to hit the stage when the lights went down and Sabbath came on. Blue Oyster Cult was a “Long Island” band so I assume since this was a co-headline “ Black and Blue”tour that Sabbath did the right thing and let them close the show in BOC’s backyard. The Dio version of Sabbath kicks ass and would be a tough act for anyone to follow; I know I was there primarily for Black Sabbath. The late 1970’s and early 1980’s was a great era for live double albums and interesting arena double bills and this show was obviously one of those.

Neon Knights

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GQ

I am sure the Adam Lambert line up of Queen is pretty entertaining but, for me, having had witnessed the original band led by Freddie Mercury, I just cannot bring myself to accept the latest version of the band (and I did like when Paul Rodgers joined the band for a time). Queen remains as one of the most original groups ever, with production values that might even rival the Beatles. The Queen catalog should still be performed on the road for those who are too young to have experienced Freddie Mercury’s Queen, and for the hardcore Queen fanatics who will go to any lengths to see any version of their favorite band. This Madison Square Garden concert in 1980 does not bring back any particular recollection, however I was fortunate enough to have seen the band in their prime on several occasions making it all a bit of a blur at this point. I am sure one and all had an enjoyable experience when the Queen spectacle came to town; there was truly nothing else quite like it in the annals of rock and roll.

Tie Your Mother Down

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GQ

I am kind of surprised that my first concert experience at The Ritz (which is now Webster Hall) in New York City was this Pretenders show with Chrissie Hynde and the original lineup before tragedy touched the band and two members unexpectedly passed. The Ritz was a great club that showcased many up and coming rock and roll acts before they hit the big time (I caught U2 there on Saint Patrick Day in 1982 to name one such act). The most memorable part of the show, and I should have asked him if my memory serves me right when I ran into him at a Winnipeg airport following a couple of Neil Young & Crazy Horse shows a couple of years ago, was Nils Lofgren joining the Pretenders onstage and playing with them that evening. I have seen the Pretenders many times through the years and they always rock hard, the last time at the 2018 Arroyo Seco Weekend festival in Pasadena, California.

Brass in Pocket

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GQ

Yes’ 1980 tour showcased the infamous Buggles lineup with Geoff Downes on keyboards and Trevor Horn on vocals, and the concert utilized the same “in the round” stage setup as the prior couple of tours with the iconic lineup that had included Rick Wakeman and Jon Anderson. We could not know it then, but there were to be many more configurations and line up changes for the band in the years to come. While I did not hate the tour, seeing Trevor Horn in the center of the revolving stage instead of Jon Anderson was a bit jarring at first but Yes was still chock full of great musicians and of course the songs were still great. I do not know if Yes fans would have continued to follow the band with the fervor that many have for decades had this particular line up continued forward, but this sonic and artistic detour did not harm them in the long haul.

Video Killed the Radio Star

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GQ

I wish I could say that I saw the Ramones play at CBGB or some other small club back in the day but I discovered the punk scene a little late in the game. Once again, I cannot tell you where or how in Central Park we caught the Ramones this particular evening. By 1980, the New York City legends were gaining popularity and trying to figure out how to further expand their audience while maintaining their hardcore punk fans.

I did have a conversation with Joey Ramone at a Plasmatics concert at Bonds NYC which will be forever etched in my memory but I will save that story for another day.

Too Tough to Die

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GQ

I am a big Todd Rundgren fan and have seen him perform with a number of bands and configurations through the years, to include The Paramount in Huntington performing new music with a DJ, B. B. King’s Blues Club where I ran into bassist Kasim Sulton in front of the venue preshow while the warm up act was on, Westbury Music Fair in an all star band performing the Beatles “White Album”, and a Utopia one off reunion at the Highline Ballroom in Manhattan. I vaguely recall being at the Central Park concert in August, 1980 and I am thinking we may have been pretty far back in the orchestra for this one. It was yet another evening under the stars during the summer of 1980 where we pursued live music wherever it might be; and with tickets at $4.50 and $2.50 or free on the boulders, there was no reason not to head to Central Park to catch a whoever might be playing any particular night.

The Road to Utopia

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GQ

I have no particular recollection of the B. B. King concert with opener Dr. John at the Dr.Pepper Concerts in Central Park and I am pretty certain it was one of those shows that we hung out outside the venue proper. I had been to the B.B. King Blues Club in Times Square on a number of occasions which got some good acts before it closed for good, but had the feel of a New York City tourist destination. I was supposed to see Dr. John at the Newport Folk Festival a couple of years back and was disappointed that he was a last minute cancel so I did not get to see the legendary performer before he passed fairly recently.

Riding With The King

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Joe Jackson is one of those guys that I have always wanted to see but just never had the opportunity somehow, partly because Mr. Jackson seemed to rarely tour at least in New York. We went to Joe Jackson’s Central Park gig on the heals of the hugely successful album “Look Sharp” and I do recall that we were definitely on the outside listening in for this particular Central Park concert. It was so great to head to Manhattan, especially if there was nothing else to do, to check out live music from a variety of acts that we might not otherwise have had the opportunity to experience. I was twenty years old having just finished my second year at Queens College and these were great nights under the stars in the summer of 1980.

Is She Really Going Out With Him?

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GQ

The great blues guitarist Johnny Winter played the Central Park concert series sponsored by the soft drink Dr. Pepper on Wednesday, July 30, 1980. This is yet another concert that I do not specifically recall as we probably outside beyond the fencing on the boulders. I am reminded of when I saw Johnny Winter play at My Father’s Place in Roslyn. We were sitting at a table on the right side of the stage when a frail looking Mr. Winter walked onstage from our left with the aid of a cane. The sight of Johnny Winter, famously albino, needing a cane to walk was jarring and made him appear to be older than his years. Johnny sat down and proceeded to shred on guitar seemingly coming to life with the aid of his guitar and a roomful of rock and roll blues fanatics.
Jumpin’ Jack Flash

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GQ