Category Archives: Albert Grossman

TICKETS TORN IN HALF:Bob Dylan and The Band@ Madison Square Garden- January 31, 1974

31 Thursday Jan 2019

Posted by in #WhiteBoyBlues, Albert Grossman, DYLAN, Madison Square Garden, Nassau Coliseum, Rock music, The Band, The radio, Ticket Stubs, Uncategorized, Vinyl Records

≈ Leave a comment

TICKETS TORN IN HALF: BOB DYLAN AND THE BAND@ MADISON SQUARE GARDEN- JANUARY 31, 1974(If you like what you are reading please hit the button to “subscribe”. Thanks.)

I don’t know why any suburban concert goer circa 1972-1978 would ever want to attend a show at NASSAU COLISEUM… drug busts, arrest, the other night 10 arrest at the BOB DYLAN and THE BAND show. Geez…I refused to buy a ticket knowing the life style of a young man would be in jeopardy when confronted by the tactics of the Nassau County PD and the county’s notorious DA. So when the call came that my bride’s co-worker had two tickets for the same show but housed in the safety and security of New York City’s MADISON SQUARE GARDEN I was on the train in a flash.Being a Thursday night I had to call in “sick” for work. Of course my boss questioned my sudden illness so I nicely told him I’m going to see Bob Dylan so “freak you” but only in stronger words.He listed it as a “personal” day.

DYLAN hadn’t toured in almost 8 years, 1966 that is and I was 14 at that time. To boot, DYLAN hadn’t released an album in almost four years so this was going to be a “must” see event. Tickets were sold out in a matter of minutes in our area. Four nights, two at the Nassau piss hole and 2 night with 3 shows ( one matinee-4PM) at MSG.DYLAN had just released “Planet Waves” a few days before our show, an album made with THE BAND onboard.

So away I go, train ride in with a bottle of wine and my usual Marlboro Reds, getting primed before meeting up with my wife and another couple. A quick bite to eat, payment for the tickets, and into the show. Pretty good seats to the left of the stage, two levels up but close enough for my zoom lens to work.(Notes from my journal-“Dylan opens with MOST LIKELY YOU GO YOUR WAY and a few tunes before THE BAND does STAGE FRIGHT, Bob joins in, then acoustic BOB, then THE BAND, then BOB and THE Band closing with MOST LIKELY YOU GO YOUR WAY. Neat. I took a photo of YOKO, Albert Grossman and DICK CAVETT chatting during intermission”.

Setlist: 


  1. Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine)
2.Lay Lady Lay
3.Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues
4.Rainy Day Women # 12 & 35
5.It Ain’t Me, Babe
6.Ballad Of A Thin Man
7.All Along The Watchtower
8.Ballad Of Hollis Brown
9.Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door
10.The Times They Are A-Changin’
11.Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right
12.Gates Of Eden
13.Just Like A Woman
14.It’s Alright, Ma (I’m Only Bleeding)
15.Forever Young
16.Something There Is About You
17.Like A Rolling Stone
—
18.Most Likely You Go Your Way (And I’ll Go Mine)
19.Blowin’ In The Wind

Village Voice Review
Madison Square Garden with the Band | January 31, 1974
Aside from some guest appearances (a Woody Guthrie Tribute; the Concert for Bangladesh; a Band show at the Academy of Music) Dylan was off the road for seven-and-a-half years and didn’t play a full concert in New York City for a very long time. That was a lifetime, an entire career in rock and roll back then. A lot would happen in between: military actions, protest movements, motorcycle accidents, Woodstock. But then he came back with one of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll alliances on one of the most amazing tours ever. The ‘74 tour with the Band featured Dylan at the height of his Seventies powers, alongside Robbie Robertson, Rick Danko, Richard Manuel, Garth Hudson and Levon Helm very close to the apex of theirs. This show at the Garden would amply showcase all of the above, and an audience at the height of Watergate roars like a jet engine as Dylan sings the “But even the President of the United States/Has to stand naked” line during “It’s All Right Ma, I’m Only Bleeding.”

TICKETS TORN IN HALF:October 12,1970- ROCK RELICS AUCTION@Fillmore East

12 Friday Oct 2018

Posted by in #WhiteBoyBlues, Albert Grossman, Albert King, Creedence, Fillmore East, FillmoreEast,BillGraham, Indie records, Jefferson Airplane, Joe Cocker, John Sebastian, Rock music, rock music trivia, Ticket Stubs, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

TICKETS TORN IN HALF:October 12,1970- ROCK RELICS AUCTION@Fillmore East This was a Rock RELICS Auction which was scheduled to have “Surprise Guests”.The Auction itself was a blast hosted by WNEW-FM Dj John Zacherle. A professional auctioneer monitored the bidding. Guitars, clothes, posters, drum heads, sticks, etc, etc were all auctioned off with the proceeds going to “candidates for peace”. Guest acts included Edgar Winter, Mongo Jerry, Elvin Bishop (with the Pointer Sisters) Jake and The Family Jewels, and David Rea.To this day I still have the program with all the prices the items sold for.

ROCK’S IN MY HEAD- CHAPTER 29: WOODSTOCK

15 Wednesday Aug 2018

Posted by in Albert Grossman, Bethel Woods, Canned Heat, Creedence, CSNY, Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, Jimi Hendrix, John Sebastian, Rock music, rock music trivia, Ten Years After, The Grease Band, The Who, Ticket Stubs, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

ROCK’S IN MY HEAD- CHAPTER 29: WOODSTOCK

Joni Mitchell did not attend WOODSTOCK. Her agent DAVID GEFFEN in his ultimate wisdom thought it would be best for her to remain in the CHELSEA HOTEL in Manhattan resting up for her appearance on the DICK CAVETT television show the following Monday night. The afternoon of the Cavett taping, surprise, many of her friends, those who performed during the legendary weekend arrived to sit in on the taping.They were David Crosby, Stephen Stills, and Jefferson Airplane.

In the months and years that followed the giant festival, it would be the “Woodstock” song that Joni Mitchell had written about the gathering which she composed on the basis of reports from her then boyfriend Graham Nash, plus what she saw on television.

I didn’t go to Woodstock, thought about it and planned to go with 3 friends but decided against it at the last minute. I never regretted giving the tickets away. No doubt the music was amazing but I enjoy the modern convinces of food, bath, etc. Festivals are not made for me, or me for them. I’d much rather be in a small club seeing a few bands then be in a large, muddy field hearing (might not be seeing) many, many groups. However, The WOODSTOCK MUSIC AND ARTS FESTIVAL was a pivotal moment in history circa 1969.

As a historian I studied who played and when they played, what they played, how much they were paid, the weather they played in, the traffic problems in getting the artists to the stage,as well as the hundreds of filed news reports which later documented the financial dilemma of the festival ,and ultimately,information regarding the movie. So here goes, whether you want it or not…

Originally the promoters established a cap set at $15,000 per artist (band) to perform, except Hendrix ($18,000) which was a story unto itself.

After being denied permits for the original site (Wallkill, NY), which was near WOODSTOCK (hence the name)  the promoters of the festival found a good soul of a farmer located in BETHEL (White Lake),NEW YORK (43 miles away from original site) named MAX YASGUR who received $10,000 to lease the land (damage estimate to his fields was over $50,000).

Ticket prices were advertised as $6.00 a day (single day tickets) or $18.00 for the entire weekend (Friday, Saturday, Sunday). Prior to the event 186,000 tickets were (reportedly) sold. (My math: tix sales $3,348,000…band fees $139,825)

Looking years hence, one “bargain” group for the festival would be SANTANA, paid a measly $750.00 as they were unknown act managed by Bill Graham. And then there was IRON BUTTERFLY for not showing up to collect a $10,000 fee, which was a hefty price to pay a band on a sharp decline. The WOODSTOCK movie would have been 4 hours longer if IB showed up and played IN A GADDA DA VIDA.

The first band to agree to perform, and given a hefty fee ($10,000) as well as being offered a prime spot in the line up, was CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL. Until that agreement the promoters found it difficult to find any band to perform. Once CCR was announced the other “big named” acts signed up. A note of importance: CCR under the leadership of John Fogerty refused to be taped for the movie and Fogerty bitched about the GRATEFUL DEAD “putting the crowd to sleep” prior to CCR hitting the stage.

Friday Aug.15th- THE LINEUP

Richie Havens 5:07 pm – 7:00 pm

Swami Satch 7:10 pm – 7:20 pm

Sweetwater 7:30 pm – 8:10 pm

Bert Sommer 8:20 pm – 9:15 pm

Tim Hardin 9:20 pm – 9:45 pm

Ravi Shankar 10:00 pm – 10:35 pm

Melanie 10:50 pm – 11:20 pm

Arlo Guthrie 11:55 pm – 12:25 am

Joan Baez 12:55 am – 2:00 am

Richie Havens ($6000) 5:07-7:00PM

Richie Havens opened the festival with a rousing performance. He was asked to continue playing by the promoters as other acts were delayed due to the traffic problems, the roads leading into the small upstate New York town and the major highway feeding it were at a virtual standstill. Knowing he had run out of tunes, Havens improvised a tune he called “FREEDOM” which is actually an old spiritual known as “MOTHERLESS CHILD”.

From The Prison

Let’s Get Together

From The Prison (reprise)

Minstrel from Gault

I’m A Stranger Here

High Flying Bird

I Can’t Make It Anymore

With A Little Help From My Friends

Handsome Johnny

Strawberry Fields Forever/Hey Jude

Freedom (Motherless Child)

Next up was SWAMI SATCHIDANANDA (7:10-7:20PM) who offered his blessing to the masses in the audience.

SWEETWATER ($1,250) (7:30-8:10) Actually Sweetwater was scheduled to open the festival but were stuck in traffic and had the pleasure of an additional stop requested by NYS Troopers. These conditions slowed their arrival to be the first ACT to perform but they were the first BAND to play and what do they open with one might ask:

 

Motherless Child.

Look Out

For Pete’s Sake

Day Song

What’s Wrong

Crystal Spider

Two Worlds

Why Oh Why

Let The Sun Shine In (from Hair)

Oh Happy Day

BERT SOMMER (fee unknown)was “the hair” from the Broadway play HAIR. Bret was once a member of THE LEFT BANKE before landing on The Great White Way . He penned a few tunes for The Vagrants (Leslie West’s band of old). Bret on his own( with a few side men) offered a ten song set.(8:20-9:15)

Jennifer

The Road To Travel

I Wondered Where You’d Be

She’s Gone

Things Are Going My Way

And When It’s Over

Jeanette

America (Simon Garfunkel tune)

A Note That Read

Smile

TIM HARDEN: ($2000) 9:20- 9:45 plays a very short set. As short as it was it was a great set of tunes. Mr. Harden was overwhelmed, reportedly due to his heroin addiction and his fear of performing, after seeing the massive crowd out front.

(How Can We) Hang on to a Dream

Susan

If I Were a Carpenter

Reason to Believe

You Upset the Grace of Living When You Lie

Speak Like a Child

Snow White Lady

Blues on My Ceiling

Simple Song of Freedom

Misty Roses

RAVI SHAKAR ($4,500) played for about a half hour (10:00- 10-35) and I can’t really spell the ragas he played but he played three.

MELANIE: ($750)  plays at 10:50-11:20 in place of THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND who refused to play in the rain. Hmmmm, strange, an acoustic ensemble afraid of the water. So MELANIE steps up and offers the following set list:

Close to It All

Momma Momma

Beautiful People

Animal Crackers

Mr. Tambourine Man

Tuning My Guitar

Birthday of the Sun

ARLO GUTHRIE:($5000)11:55- 12:25AM

Coming into Los Angeles

Wheel of Fortune

Walking Down the Line

Arlo Speech: Exodus

Oh Mary, Don’t You Weep

Every Hand in the Land

Amazing Grace

JOAN BAEZ: A pregnant Joan Baez was paid $10,000 bucks to close out  Day 1 aka The Folk Segment.

Oh Happy Day

The Last Thing On My Mind

I Shall Be Released

Story about how the Federal Marshals came to take David Harris into custody

Joe Hill

Sweet Sir Galahad

Hickory Wind

Drug Store Truck Driving Man

I Live One Day at a Time

Take Me Back to the Sweet Sunny South

Let Me Wrap You in My Warm and Tender Love

Swing Low, Sweet Chariot

We Shall Overcome

Saturday Aug. 16th  DAY TWO SCHEDULE

Quill 12:15 pm – 12:45 pm

Country Joe McDonald 1:00 pm – 1:30 pm

Santana 2:00 pm – 2:45 pm

John Sebastian 3:30 pm – 3:55 pm

Keef Hartley Band 4:45 pm – 5:30 pm

Incredible String Band 6:00 pm – 6:30 pm

Canned Heat 7:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Mountain 9:00 pm – 10:00 pm

Grateful Dead 10:30 pm – 12:05 am

Creedence 12:30 am – 1:20 am

Janis Joplin 2:00 am – 3:00 am

Sly & Family Stone 3:30 am – 4:20 am

The Who 5:00 am – 6:05 am

Jefferson Airplane 8:00 am – 9:40 am

QUILL (12:15- 12:45)

They Live the Life

That’s How I Eat

Driftin’

Waitin’ for You

COUNTRY JOE McDONALD – solo (1:00- 1:30PM)

Janis

Donovan’s Reef

Heartaches by the Number

Ring of Fire

Tennessee Stud

Rockin’ Round the World

Flying All the Way

Seen a Rocket

“Fish” Cheer / I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die Rag

SANTANA ($750) 2:00- 2:45PM

Waiting

Evil Ways

You Just Don’t Care

Savor

Jingo

Persuasion

Soul Sacrifice

Fried Neckbones And Some Home Fries

JOHN SEBASTIAN ($1000) 3:30- 3:55PM

John Sebastian was there as a spectator, one allowed to pitch a tent in the backstage area. When the managers realized they had a huge time lapse after SANTANA they asked Sebastian if he would sing a few ,offering to pay him $1000.00  Before that moment he had no intention of performing but said okay. With no true (rehearsed) set list and a BORROWED guitar he hit the stage, loaded as all get out in his tie dyed outfit. One thousand bucks for a five song 25 minute set. Not too shabby, and a great way (after the movie) to revitalize his career.

How Have You Been

Rainbows All Over Your Blues

I Had A Dream

Darlin’ Be Home Soon

Younger Generation

KEEF HARTLEY BAND: (4:45-5:30) ($500.00)

The first question most ask is: WHO?. KEEF Hartley was a drummer of some renown having taken the drum throne in RORY AND THE HURRICANES when RICHARD STARKEY  aka RINGO STARR left for greener pastures. KEEF later joined forces with JOHN MAYALL playing drums on Mayall’s solo endeavor THE BLUES ALONE.  At Woodstock , their FIRST American gig, KHB performed as a Big Band complete with horns, ala Blood Sweat and Tears.

Spanish Fly

Think It Over

She’s Gone

Too Much Thinking

The Halfbred

Believe In You

Rock Me Baby

Medley: Sinnin’ For You, et al.

THE INCREDIBLE STRING BAND (6:00-6:30)($2250.00) Imagine you are the acoustic ISB at Woodstock,it’s late Saturday afternoon and you are called upon to perform for a crowd that is in PARTY mode. Good luck, especially since you refused to play Friday night in the rain.Karma is a bitch.

Invocation (Spoken Word)

The Letter

Gather Round

This Moment

Come With Me

When You Find Out Who You Are

It’s early Saturday evening and everybody is here. It’s time to BOOGIE. Hey, after The Incredible String Band you could get thunderous applause for tuning up for an hour and get the crowd going.

CANNED HEAT 7:30-8:30 ($6500)-  to me this is a huge fee to pay the band as Harvey Mandell replaced Henry Vestine on guitar only a few days before.

I’m Her Man

Going Up The Country

A Change Is Gonna Come/Leaving This Town

I Know My Baby

Woodstock (Refried Hockey) Boogie- (45 minutes long)

On The Road Again

MOUNTAIN: ($2000.00) (9PM-10PM)

Blood of the Sun

Stormy Monday

Theme for an Imaginary Western

Long Red

For Yasgur’s Farm (named later)

Beside the Sea

Waiting to Take You Away

Dreams of Milk and Honey > Guitar Solo

Blind Man

Dirty Shoes Blues

Southbound Train

THE GRATEFUL DEAD: (10:30-12:05) ($2500.00)

Rumor has it that this was one of the worst Dead performances. Mid show they stood without playing, just tuning up for ten minutes.

The Dead’s lifeless show pissed off John Fogerty who with Creedence was scheduled to go on next but The Dead put everyone to sleep, he said.

St. Stephen

Mama Tried

Dark Star

High Time

Turn On Your Lovelight (45 minutes)

CREEDENCE CLEARWATER REVIVAL (12:30 AM-1:20 AM)($10,000) Crazy money but these swamp rockers were huge that summer.

Born on the Bayou

Green River

Ninety-Nine and a Half (Won’t Do)

Commotion

Bootleg

Bad Moon Rising

Proud Mary

I Put a Spell on You

The Night Time Is the Right Time

Keep on Chooglin’

Suzy Q

JANIS JOPLIN (2AM-3AM)$7,500

Raise Your Hand

As Good As You’ve Been To This World

To Love Somebody

Summertime

Try (Just A Little Bit Harder)

Kosmic Blues

Can’t Turn You Loose

Work Me Lord

Piece Of My Heart

Ball and Chain

SLY AND THE FAMILY STONE(3:30-4:20 AM)$7,000

M’Lady

Sing A Simple Song

You Can Make It If You Try

Everyday People

Dance To The Music

Music Lover

I Want To Take You Higher

Love City

Stand!

THE WHO (5AM- Sunrise 6:05)$11,200 (fee is questionable) Abbie Hoffman made a surprise cameo and met Pete’s boot.

Heaven And Hell

I Can’t Explain

It’s A Boy

1921

Amazing Journey

Sparks

Eyesight To The Blind

Christmas

Tommy Can You Hear Me?

Acid Queen

Pinball Wizard

*Abbie Hoffmann Incident*

Fiddle About

There’s A Doctor I’ve Found

Go To The Mirror Boy

Smash The Mirror

I’m Free

Tommy’s Holiday Camp

We’re Not Gonna Take It

See Me Feel Me

Summertime Blues

Shakin’ All Over

My Generation

Naked Eye

JEFFERSON AIRPLANE “Good morning people” 8AM -9:40 ($7500)

The Other Side of This Life

Somebody to Love

3/5 of a Mile in 10 Seconds

Won’t You Try / Saturday Afternoon

Eskimo Blue Day

Plastic Fantastic Lover

Wooden Ships

Uncle Sam Blues

Volunteers

The Ballad of You & Me & Pooneil

Come Back Baby

White Rabbit

The House at Pooneil Corner

Sunday Aug. 17th (Day 3)

Joe Cocker and The Grease Band 2:00 pm – 3:25 pm($1,375)

Jam (without Cocker)

40,000 Headmen (without Cocker)

Dear Landlord

Something’s Coming On

Do I Still Figure in Your Life

Feelin’ Alright

Just Like a Woman

Let’s Go Get Stoned

I Don’t Need No Doctor

I Shall Be Released

Hitchcock Railway

Something to Say

With a Little Help from My Friends

THUNDERSTORMS-DELAY

Country Joe and the Fish 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm($2500)

Rock & Soul Music

(Thing Called) Love

Not So Sweet Martha Lorraine

Sing, Sing, Sing

Summer Dresses

Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife

Silver and Gold

Maria

The Love Machine

Ever Since You Told Me That You Love Me (I’m a Nut)

Short Jam (instrumental)

Crystal Blues

Rock & Soul Music (Reprise)

“Fish” Cheer / I-Feel-Like-I’m-Fixin’-To-Die Rag

Ten Years After 8:15 pm – 9:15 pm ($3250)

Spoonful

Good Morning Little Schoolgirl

Hobbit

I Can’t Keep from Crying Sometimes

Help Me

I’m Going Home

The Band 10:00 pm – 10:50 pm($7500)

Chest Fever

Don’t Do It

Tears of Rage

We Can Talk

Long Black Veil

Don’t You Tell Henry

Ain’t No More Cane on the Brazos

This Wheel’s on Fire

I Shall Be Released

The Weight

Loving You Is Sweeter Than Ever

Johnny & Edgar Winter 12:00 am – 1:05 am($3750)

Mama, Talk to Your Daughter

Six Feet Under the Ground

Leland Mississippi Blues

Mean Town Blues

You Done Lost Your Good Thing Now

Mean Mistreater

I Can’t Stand It (With Edgar Winter)

Tobacco Road (With Edgar Winter)

Tell the Truth (With Edgar Winter)

Johnny B. Goode

Blood, Sweat & Tears 1:30 am – 2:30 am ($15,000)

More and More

Just One Smile

Something’s Coming On

I Love You More Than You’ll Ever Know

Spinning Wheel

Sometimes in Winter

Smilin’ Phases

God Bless The Child

And When I Die

You’ve Made Me So Very Happy

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young 3:00 am – 4:00 am ($5000)

Stephen Stills said, “This is the second time we’ve ever played in front of people, man. We’re scared shitless.”

(Set One – Acoustic)

Suite: Judy Blue Eyes

Blackbird

Helplessly Hoping

Guinnevere

Marrakesh Express

4 + 20

Mr Soul

Wonderin’

You Don’t Have To Cry

(Set Two – Electric)

Pre-road Downs

Long Time Gone

Bluebird

Sea Of Madness

Wooden Ships

(Encores)

Find The Cost Of Freedom

49 Bye-Byes

Paul Butterfield Blues Band 6:00 am – 6:45 am (fee unknown)

Born Under a Bad Sign

No Amount of Loving

Driftin’ and Driftin’

Morning Sunrise

All in a Day

Love March

Everything’s Gonna Be Alright

Sha Na Na 7:30 am – 8:00 am($700)

Get A Job

Come Go With Me

Silhuettes

Teen Angel

Jailhouse Rock

Wipe Out

(Who Wrote) The Book of Love

Little Darling

At The Hop

Duke Of Earl

Get A Job (Reprise)

Jimi Hendrix 9:00 am – 11:10 am($18000)

Message of Love

Hear my Train a Comin’

Spanish Castle Magic

Red House

Mastermind

Lover Man

Foxy Lady

Beginnings

Izabella

Gypsy Woman/Aware of Love

Fire

Voodoo Child- slight return

Stepping Stone

The Star Spangled Banner

Purple Haze

Woodstock Improv

Villanova Junction

Hey Joe

 

 

FEES:

Jimi Hendrix – $30,000 for two sets plus $2,000 for expenses. Note- There was a cap of $15,000 per artist at Woodstock so a deal was made for Hendrix to play two sets, an acoustic set and a set with his band.Actually he made $18,000.

Blood, Sweat & Tears – $15,000

Joan Baez – $10,000

Creedence Clearwater Revival – $10,000

The Band – $7,500

Janis Joplin – $7,500

Jefferson Airplane – $7,500

Sly and the Family Stone – $7,000

Canned Heat – $6,500

The Who – $6,250 (also reported at $11,200 but Variety claimed that number was inaccurate)

Richie Havens – $6,000

Arlo Guthrie – $5,000

Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young – $5,000

Ravi Shankar – $4,500

Johnny Winter – $3,750

Ten Years After – $3,250

Country Joe and the Fish – $2,500

Grateful Dead – $2,500

The Incredible String Band – $2,250

Mountain – $2,000

Tim Hardin – $2,000

Joe Cocker – $1,375

Sweetwater – $1,250

John B. Sebastian – $1,000

Melanie – $750

Santana – $750

Sha Na Na – $700

(photos and clippings may or may not be from WOODSTOCK. Just representations of artist which performed there.)

TICKETS TORN IN HALF:August 11,2013-TODD RUNDGREN @Westbury Music Fair.

11 Saturday Aug 2018

Posted by in #WhiteBoyBlues, Albert Grossman, Bearsville Records, Nazz, Rock music, Ticket Stubs, Todd Rundgren, Uncategorized, Vinyl Records

≈ Leave a comment

 

TICKETS TORN IN HALF:August 11,2013-TODD RUNDGREN @Westbury Music Fair. Two of my buddies had tickets for the show. They told me where they were seated, so I went on-line and bought the one next to them.Surprise.(Thanks to setlist.com for the list)

Real Man

Love of the Common Man

Buffalo Grass

Kind Hearted Woman Blues
(Robert Johnson cover)

Determination

Lucky Guy

Can We Still Be Friends

Espresso (All Jacked Up)

Love Is the Answer
(Utopia song)

It Wouldn’t Have Made Any Difference

Lost Horizon

Flaw

Soul Brother

I’m So Proud
(The Impressions cover)

Ooo Baby Baby
(The Miracles cover)

I Want You
(Marvin Gaye cover)

Hawking

I Saw the Light

Courage

Drive

Couldn’t I Just Tell You

Hello It’s Me

A Dream Goes on Forever

ROCK’S IN MY HEAD- CHAPTER 28: TWO WEEKS BEFORE WOODSTOCK

06 Monday Aug 2018

Posted by in #WhiteBoyBlues, Albert Grossman, Bethel Woods, Canned Heat, Cat Mother, Creedence, CSNY, Fillmore East, Grateful Dead, Kevin Patrick, Ray Charles, Rita Coolidge, Rock music, Ten Years After, Uncategorized

≈ Leave a comment

ROCK’S IN MY HEAD- CHAPTER 28: TWO WEEKS BEFORE WOODSTOCK

Not much happening on the concert circuit as the FILLMORE was closing down in anticipation of WOODSTOCK. My first festival, not WOODSTOCK, was a one night event called the LONG ISLAND ROCK FESTIVAL @ Freeport Race Track, August 6,1969 (2 weeks before Woodstock) featuring CANNED HEAT, TEN YEARS AFTER, CAT MOTHER AND THE ALL NIGHT NEWSBOYS, and a Boston band ORPHEUS. TEN YEARS AFTER was the tease for me. In total after all is said and done, I have seen TYA eighteen times with this being the first time. Prior to attending this “festival” I put in a full day at work and a short visit to the doctor. While working the “hi-lo”moving skids filled with boxes from the floor to the high shelving area I inadvertently almost cut off two fingers. Slightly bleeding but breaking the skin to the bone, the nurse in the factory took care of the wound and suggested a shot from the doctor. Tetanus and novocaine were administered, and I was given the rest of the day off, big deal 15 minutes. At home, I quickly dressed for the show hoping to get out of the house before my parents saw my bandaged fingers. And I did.

ORPHEUS was good with a nice version of their hit record CAN’T FIND THE TIME. CAT MOTHER, a New York ensemble did their hit GOOD OLE ROCK AND ROLL and finally TEN YEARS AFTER, the band I really wanted to see. They were unbelievably good, remember this is two weeks before their legendary performance at Woodstock. They played SPOONFUL, GOOD MORNING LITTLE SCHOOL GIRL, HOBBIT (drum solo), I CAN’T KEEP FROM CRYING, HELP ME, and I’M GOING HOME.

After an extensive intermission CANNED HEAT, the full ensemble with the Blind Owl in tow, closed the show. A 45 minute boogie was a bit much for me as the novocaine didn’t work any longer. I nodded off while laying on a blanket with my girlfriend. TYA made my night.

A few nights later the evening news showed horrific scenes depicted later to be labeled as the TATE-LOBIANCA murders, aka Charles Manson and family.

IT’S BEAUTY THAT KILLED THE BEAST: It’s a week before those “3 Days of Arts, Music and Fun” aka WOODSTOCK that Fillmore East hosts JEFFERSON AIRPLANE and JOE COCKER. SPONTANEOUS SOUND, a one man percussionist (if that’s what he was) ran amok on the stage, banging, hitting cymbals, drums, bells, the works, with his long hair flowing and having no shirt on; What an idiot, I thought.  After his fifteen minutes of fame was over I was both confused and amused.  Joe Cocker was up next and having had his first LP on heavy rotation in my room, Cocker turned out to be not what I expected at all. He was a visual experience with hands gesturing wildly as he sung, yet this British white dude sounded a bit like Ray Charles. Familiar cover songs he introduced and as they were played each seemed to take on a new persona, they became Joe Cocker tunes: LET’S GO GET STONED, FELLIN’ ALRIGHT, BYE BYE BLACKBIRD and of course WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS.

The AIRPLANE was a trip, really a trip. I had been waiting a long time to see these guys, back since that NEWSWEEK article and that conversation with my neighbor many months ago. Now here I was. As the final scene from the King Kong movie played behind the band, they tuned up and  “It wasn’t the airplane, it was beauty that killed the beast” and away we went with Ballad of You, Me and PoohNeil with The Glenn Mc Kay Headlights behind the band projecting images on the screen.The amps were cranked up, three vocalists sang, a bass player stalked around the stage,  while the drummer who with his cowboy hat looked like a sheriff meshed with a guitarist who was making the strangest feedback. Was I high or where they THAT good? They were that good.

TICKETS TORN IN HALF: June 30, 1988-BOB DYLAN at JONES BEACH, WANTAGH, NY

30 Saturday Jun 2018

Posted by in Albert Grossman, DYLAN, Rock music, Ticket Stubs, Uncategorized

≈ 1 Comment

TICKETS TORN IN HALF: June 30, 1988-BOB DYLAN at JONES BEACH, WANTAGH, NY with Kenny Aaronson our Brooklyn boy on bass, GE Smith on guitar

This show was one of the first gigs for what is called THE NEVER ENDING TOUR

Setlist

1Subterranean Homesick Blues

2Just Like Tom Thumb’s Blues

3You’re A Big Girl Now

4Tangled Up In Blue

5Masters Of War

6I Shall Be Released

7Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again

8Lakes Of Pontchartrain (trad.)

9A Hard Rain’s A-Gonna Fall

10Eileen Aroon (trad., arr. Clancy Brothers and Tommy Makem)

11Boots Of Spanish Leather

12Silvio (Bob Dylan & Robert Hunter)

13Gates Of Eden

14Like A Rolling Stone

15The Times They Are A-Changin’

16All Along The Watchtower

17Maggie’s Farm

ON THE SHELF: SMALL TOWN TALK- BOB DYLAN,THE BAND, VAN MORRISON, JANIS JOPLIN, JIMI HENDRIX AND FRIENDS IN THE WILD YEARS OF WOODSTOCK by Barney Hoskyns, DaCapo Press 

28 Thursday Jun 2018

Posted by in Albert Grossman, Bearsville Records, books, DYLAN, Eric Clapton, Jimi Hendrix, Judy Collins, Monterey Pop 67, Rock music, rock music trivia, Todd Rundgren, Uncategorized

≈ 2 Comments

ON THE SHELF: SMALL TOWN TALK- BOB DYLAN,THE BAND, VAN MORRISON, JANIS JOPLIN, JIMI HENDRIX AND FRIENDS IN THE WILD YEARS OF WOODSTOCK by Barney Hoskyns, DaCapo Press

Yesterday’s post was JUDAS! so I thought this a decent follow up to the exploits of one, Robert Zimmerman.

“There’s a veil of secrecy around all this stuff,” the folk singer Artie Traum told me when I first visited Woodstock in the summer of 1991. “And for no particular reason, because there’s really nothing to hide. I don’t think there are any skeletons that aren’t already public. But one of the whole things that Dylan started was ‘Don’t talk to anybody.” (preface)

This book is small town name dropping at its best. ALBERT GROSSMAN being the star attraction, arriving as his way to escape the hustle and bustle that he brought upon himself,a way to escape those that despised him, he settles on a spread in upstate New York, BEARSVILLE, and consequently an entire army of like minded folks (pun intended) arrive a few years later, BOB DYLAN being the most famous.

They are all here in and around WOODSTOCK , the small town as the title suggest, some only visited, while others settled or “escaped” from drugs, money, spouses, or just for the serenity of what the surrounding had to offer.

MY LITTLE KNOWN FUN FACT THAT I LOVE: Gate Of Horn co-owner LES BROWN who with ALBERT GROOMSMAN opened that Chicago club in 1956:“Les Brown loathed him so much that, after Grossman’s death, he made a special trip to urinate on his grave” (p32)