For some strange reason, I haven't the foggiest what happened to my ticket stubs. Perhaps one day I'll track them down, but I vividly remember these shows. Through the beauty of the internet, I can grasp dates and even what some of the performers were looking like back then...All but one of these legends has passed on.
ASU Activity Center was the venue for Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Liza Minnelli for September 1988. When my cousin (the same one from the Monkees) got tickets, Dean Martin was going to appear. Dean had health issues and had left the tour. Liza (just like a vaudeville trouper) came in and did a wonderful job. I dare say I think we all benefited from having Liza with Frank and Sammy--it seemed to blend together well.
You know Frank was going to do all the songs Frank would do--Lady is a Tramp, World on a String, My Way, etc. Sammy was going to do Candy Man but he wowed the crowd with a version of "Music of the Night" from Phantom of the Opera and a cover of Michael Jackson's "Bad." He even did a little Michael Jackson impersonation.
Liza surprised me. Her voice was good and she knew how to charm the crowd. She did "Cabaret," "All That Jazz," etc. What surprised me most was her covering her mother, Judy Garland's, song "I Love a Piano" which appeared in Easter Parade. It was fun and I was impressed.
The big finale was all three artists singing medleys of all the standards together. What an honor to catch this show and we even shared the concert with Governor Rose Mofford.
John Denver--October 5, 1988
On October 5, 1988, John Denver played at the ASU Activity Center. John Denver was an early favorite of mine as my mom enjoyed his music and even my dad (more a classical music kind of guy) loved his "Eagle and the Hawk" song. So John did all of his great hits. He was also promoting his new album, "Higher Ground" and talked a lot about his wife and spending time in Australia. Once again, a wonderful entertainer, songwriter and guitarist and he really talked with the audience. You had no choice but to sing along.
B. B. King
And finally, the King of the Blues--B. B. King was coming to the Celebrity Theatre in December 1988. I was going to treat my brother, who got me interested in Mr. King in the first place, to a Christmas time concert. It was great to go to a concert with my brother and I think this is the only time we have gone to any concerts together (with the exception of 1991 Radio City Music Hall's Christmas Spectacular!).
Even in 1988, after Rattle and Hum from U2 was released, I was surprised to see the audience made up of 80% African-Americans and 20% white people. It was a great crowd and everyone had a great time. The Celebrity Theatre slowly rotates so there is never a bad seat in the house. B. B.'s opening act was Bobby "Blue" Bland. B. B. came out and did his classics like "Let the Good Times Roll," "How Blue Can You Get," "Sweet Little Angel," etc. Lots of ladies would come up to B. B. as he played extended solos on his guitar and they would hand him flower bouquets. He would turn to the piano, grab a pick, hand it to them, bow and these ladies went back to their seats. Such a unique thing to see (especially since most rock and roll guitarists tend to flick their picks into the few front rows--B. B. definitely had a system).
The encore was great as he talked about performing with U2 the previous year at Sun Devil Stadium (where King was opening act) and doing "When Love Comes to Town." Well, King and his band created a bluesier version of this song and I loved it!
With the exception of Liza, all these performers have left this Earth leaving only great memories and an amazing catalog of music. What a great opportunity to see so many diverse artists (including Bruce and E Street) in just one year!
What will 1989 bring? Stay tuned...
