in about five weeks it will be the 30th anniversary of the first rock concert that I attended at 17 years of age. By way of a New Year’s resolution I will attempt to reboot my concert going chronology and start again at the beginning.

While the first band I ever saw was Thin Lizzy opening with “Jailbreak” and low tech, by today’s standards, revolving red lights on either side of the stage, had I not skipped school and got caught my first concert would have been Lynyrd Skynyrd with opener Bebop Deluxe at the Paladium.

Thin Lizzy owned the radio airwaves the summer of 1976, along with Frampton Comes Alive, so the band was a great opening act for the immensely popular Queen at the iconic arena.

We were midway up directly opposite the Madison Square Garden stage. While the renovated MSG is still a great venue it is now upscale with long aisles protected by ushers and security to keep patrons from wandering. The 1977 Garden had walkways that encircled the arena enabling its young rockers to walk completely around, mingle, get as close to the stage and get varying vantage points as the more laid back 1970’s security would tolerate.

The band Queen was a big act and tailor made for the big venues. Freddie Mercury was the ultimate showman and the ringleader to a kick ass rock band led by Brian May’s electric guitar. “Now I’m Here” was particularly mesmerizing as the spotlights would make it seem as though Mercury was being teleported to different spots of the stage as though by otherworldly magic.

There has never been another act quite like Queen as evidenced by their continued popularity on classic rock radio. They were true originals with great songs and a big sound.

Since it is New Year’s Eve, a quick story about when I realized it was probably a good idea to stay off the roads on the annual celebration. On December 31, 1981 I attended the Allman Brothers Band with Molly Hatchet show at Nassau Coliseum. After the concert traveling westbound back to Queens on the Northern State Parkway a young reveller wearing a cardboard Happy New Year hat was seen walking on the white line in the middle of the roadway with cars whizzing by him in both lanes.

Keep Yourself Alive

Happy New Year, stay safe, and Rock On!

GQ

Richard Thompson pulled strips of paper containing audience requests last night at City Winery in New York.

It was a mostly entertaining night of solo acoustic music as Thompson played tunes on the fly with the help of computer generated lyric sheets at times. Richard Thompson classics were sprinkled between  the Rolling Stones “Gimme Shelter”, a couple from his Fairport Convention days and Beatles songs that he muddled through (Richard appeared to be not a huge fan of the Fab Four which is hard to believe but true)  The between song banter was refreshing and the guitar playing was exquisite. He did not play the song I am currently fixated on “The Way Thst It Shows” off of the Mirror Blue collection but he did play the Gull’s  selection “Razor” as the finale.

I first saw Mr. Thompson play at City Winery with his Family band which was entertaining but light on Richard Thompson compositions. 

Richard Thompson performs again Friday night at a sold out City Winery and is well worth seeing if you can get in to catch a legend in an intimate setting.

Shoot Out the Lights

Rock on!

GQ

Leon Russell was one of the great under appreciated rock and roll artists of our time. I have always been a fan of his solo work and I first saw him live in concert at BB King’s Blues Club in Times Sqaure. He was no longer the rock and roll wild man who played with George Harrison and the Rolling Stones. Slightly resembling Colonial Sanders, Leon Russell sauntered carefully on stage with the help of a walking stick but when he sat down behind his piano he was clearly at home. 

The times I was able to attend his shows Leon played for about an hour and a quarter and left you wanting more. The word was he was down on his luck, appearing to be not in the greatest health, and touring because he needed the money. 

Elton John rejuvenated Russell’s  career with The Union project and tour while also being the impetus for Leon’s well deserved Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction. 

I last saw Mr. Russell open for Hot Tuna at the NYCB at Westbury theatre with a band of twenty something year old players who hopefully appreciated the legend they shared the stage with. Unfortunately I had decided that night  not to see Leon Russell again as his portion of the bill was heavy on his playing piano at breakneck speed with less emphasis on his extraordinarily deep song catalog. 

Leon Russell will be missed but remembered for all time as one of the great rock and roll side men and for beautiful soulful musical compositions that will stand the test of time.

A Song for You

Rock on

GQ

WTF? The king of rock and roll is going to Madison Square Garden to see the country queen of American Idol fame, Carrie Underwood?

Yes kids it is true! My bride got us some free ducats to the Underwood show tonight, and I do like to be entertained, so we will trek into New York City to enjoy what modern country music has to offer.

I do enjoy all types of music but on the country side it is more Neil Young, Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson to my liking so this will be a new arena experience for me. 

I did see Kenny Chesney at the Highline Ballroom a couple of years ago at a Sirius event and I honestly did not realize what a big deal it was as he played MetLife Stadium the following summer.

When it comes to music I’m up for most anything. I’ve seen Josh Groban, Frank Sinatra, N’Sync, Ozzy Osborne and the Grateful Dead (not together of course although it would be quite an event to be sure).

Saturday night I had the pleasure to attend the Anderson, Rabin & Wakeman concert at The Paramount in Huntigton and it was a phenomenal night of Yes music played by the truest Yes formation currently touring with or without the Yes brand name (sorry Steve Howe).

Last Tuesday 10/18/16 I went to Town Hall in midtown Manhattan to attend the Lampedusa Concert for Refugees with Emmylou Harris, Steve Earle, The Milk Carton Kids, and special guest Robert Plant. All the players remained seated on stage and traded off songs playing together with a communal vibe. I missed the early part of the show due to ridiculous traffic but what I did catch was quite impressive on many levels and inspirational as to the cause being promoted.

Let the Music Do the Talking

Rock On

GQ

Ian Hunter & the Rant Band return to City  Winery in New York City and this time for an album release “Fingers Crossed”.

The legendary Mr. Hunter is always a “must see” as he and the (almost) legendary Rant Band perform a full out old time rock and roll show at the intimate NYC venue.

Cleveland Rocks

GQ

Moreland & Arbucle open for George Thorgood & the Destroyers tonight at The Paramount in Huntington. 

My good friend Mr. Nut AKA Mr. Vega once gave Thorogood the highest praise possible when he told me that the band was a must see as every song was like an encore. 

The last time I saw Thorogood and band was at The Paramount and he did not disappoint providing a rollicking good time in the perfect venue for his fast paced rock and roll show.

I once heard that George Thorogood scheduled the tours around his softball schedule.

Play Ball!!

Still Bad to the Bone

Rock on

GQ

its been an interesting week. First Axel Rose fronts AC/DC at Madison Square Garden, then a trip to Scranton, Pennsylvania to catch Neil Young and the Promise of the Real at the inaugural Outlaw Festival, and now the artist formerly known as Cat Stevens Telling stories and singing songs including Carole King’s “Up on the Roof” and the Beatles “Love Me Do” at a sold out Beacon Theatre. 

All are quite different and great concerts.

More to come.

Keep on Rockin’ in the Cat’s Attic

GQ

To be honest, I went to the Don McLean concert at City Winery last night with low expectations. I knew the song “Vincent” from back in 1972 when I was twelve and collecting singles on vinyl. As s matter of fact, I remember trading my 45 of “Vincent” to a kid around the block named Vincent, for I do not know what, and he dropped and broke it while climbing a fence to head home.

Obviously the iconic song “American Pie” is the primary reason anyone first goes to a Don McLean concert but this show was surprisingly much more than that. With a first class band of Nashville session men in tow, McLean mixed in his hits like “Crying” with deep tracks like “Crossroads” from the American Pie album, country tunes, new tunes that heartened to pop songs of the 1950’s, up tempo rockers like “Tulsa Time”, and stories of his youth growing up in New Rochelle, New York. 

Mr. McLean, who turns seventy one this year, looked and sounded great. The legendary singer-songwriter has gone Bob Dylan on us by reinventing his style to a bygone era of standards and pop songs but, unlike Dylan, staying true to the original versions of his best known songs that many first time McLean show fans, like myself, appreciated hearing as we remembered them growing up.

Every once in awhile you rediscover a gifted artist who never really went away, as McLean has traveled the world several times over, but has been  somewhat forgotten in our memory banks.

Don McLean did also give the crowd what they originally came for with a rousing version of the all time classic “American Pie” which had the usually seated City Winery audience dancing and singing along in the aisles. This show was just an unexpected, for me, joyous event and I would highly recommend catching Don McLean when you can as I do not believe you will be disappointed.

And I Love You So

Rock on

GQ

Jimmy Buffett and the Coral Reefer Band played by the Atlantic Ocean at the Nikon at Jones Beach Theater last night and I must say, I did not hate it. I’ve never been a fan of Buffett’s novelty songs about sun, surf, and tequila but last night at the beach I finally got a feel for the Parrothead community and the tailgate party that precedes the show proper.

The weather cooperated for a glorious sun filled day in the Jones Beach parking lots that started to fill up in the early morning causing “late comers” arriving two hours before showtime to walk a good distance to the concert.

Jimmy Buffett and band hit the stage at 8:15 and played many of the most popular songs in the first hour. 

A highlight of the show was a tribute to Glenn Frey during a bluegrass segment that included a nice take on the Eagles classic “Take It Easy”.

I would not want to live there but this night in margaritaville was an enjoyable end of summer jaunt.

Cheeseburger in Paradise

Rock on!

GQ

The reeling New York Mets open for Styx at what will be a stifling hot Citifield tonght.

Jacob deGrom pitches for the Metsies so they should at least keep it close tonight against a bad San Diego Padres team the embarrassed them last night. The Mets will need to compete tonight to keep an increasingly frustrated fan base in the stands for tonight’s post game concert.

Styx and Dennis DeYoung parted ways many years ago and replaced him with Liza Minelli who performs DeYoung’s hits capably.

Too Much Time on My Hands

Rock on 

GQ