Nils Lofgren, a man as sweet as life itself (to quote Mr. Springsteen)--Part One 1990

In my life up to 1990, there was a favorite artist that I longed to see--Nils Lofgren.  He wasn't popular--ever.  I had never known of him until he joined Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band in 1984.  But he was a "Musician's Musician."  He was a good songwriter, singer and excellent guitarist.  Bruce had known about him since the days of Nils' DC-based band, Grin, and Neil Young brought Nils out to California (in 1969) to have him provide vocals, guitar and piano on After the Goldrush (you know that cool piano bit before and during the guitar solo in "Southern Man"?  that was Nils!).

So I became a member of the Nils Lofgren Fan Club based out of what was, in 1986, West Germany.  So a girl who contributed photos to the fanzine, Suzanne Hill, wrote me a letter and wondered if we could be penpals?  Sue lived in southern New Jersey near Philadelphia.  She was just a little older than me and had seen Nils a lot since he tended to play around the East Coast since he had a fan-base there.  I even visited Sue in 1987/1988 to see the sights including Asbury Park, Atlantic City, New York City and a teensy bit of Philadelphia (just the airport).  And of course, when we saw Ringo in 1989...

By 1990, my brother was teaching at Rutgers University and in May Nils was going to be doing shows.  Yeah!  I could combine a visit to my brother with going with Sue to all of these Nils shows!  I would be able to see one down in Baltimore, another in New York City, a third in a tiny town called Pipersville, Pennsylvania and finally Old Bridge Township, New Jersey (nearest to New Brunswick where my brother was living).  This was going to be so awesome!  Small clubs and my favorite artist.  What could be better?

May 12, 1990--Sue and I drove down to Baltimore, Maryland to meet up with her friend Pilar so we could go see Nils at Max's on Broadway in the Fell's Point area of Baltimore.  Sue wasn't sure if I would be visiting in time to see this particular concert so they took me to buy my ticket at the club.  It was such a thrill to say, "One for Nils Lofgren tonight" while Nils and the band were doing their soundcheck in the next room.  I heard "Empty Heart" and then "New Holes in Old Shoes."  After I got my ticket, I peeked through the French doors to see Nils and the New Keys (brother Tom Lofgren's band and Nils' backing band) rehearsing.  Oh, by the way, note the ticket price of $14.50.

I was too anxious to eat any dinner but managed one slice of cheese pizza and a caffeinated beverage.  Around 7:30 PM, we headed back to the venue.  We watched some of the New Keys (who were the opening act too) set out guitars and such.  We stood right in front of the stage near where bassist Ronnie Newmyer and guitarist Paul Bell would be.  Sue introduced me to Ronnie.  "Nice to meet you," Ronnie said.  I think I said something like, "Yeah, I came 2,500 miles to see you guys."  Ronnie said, "Is this for real?"  I told him that I have a Arizona driver's license to prove it.

The New Keys show was great.  I was familiar with most of their songs, they had pressed an album locally in Maryland and I had a copy.  Tom Lofgren, Nils' brother, was lead singer in the group.  I grabbed the set list at the end.  Note: if you were close enough to the stage at a bar gig, the band just tapes the set list by each microphone stand.  Still have the list!  Let's see if I can add a few pictures here. (Sue Hill took these photos)

Nils (right) and brother Tom (left)

 So Nils came out and played two songs at the electric piano, "The Sun Hasn't Set (on This Boy Yet)" and Carole King's "Goin' Back".  Nils then did an acoustic version of "Keith Don't Go." He played the song directly in front of me!  We'd all seen the set list before the concert started so we knew what to expect.  Since this was a "hometown" crowd a lot of Grin songs were performed.

 "White Lies" from Grin 1+1 and "See What a Love Can Do" from Grin's first album were great to hear.  Paul Bell and Nils did a great harmonics duet in the middle of that song!  The concert was divided into 2 sets so "New Holes in Old Shoes" ended the first set.  Wow!  Nils then said they were gonna take a short half hour break and he said, "Go do whatever you've got to do, and we'll be back."

Nils Lofgren set list 5/12/90

The second set kicked off with a blistering version of the Grin song, "Beggar's Day" which was also featured on the only Crazy Horse album.  It was so incredible to be front and center for this concert and my first chance to see Nils without Bruce so it was so cool.  "Cry Tough," "Delivery Night" and Grin's "Moon Tears" were showstoppers.  Nils and Tom did the 'circus act' in "Moon Tears" where they play each other's guitars!  An amazing chestnut from Grin "18-Faced Lover" with brother Tom singing was a treat for this Maryland crowd and yours truly!

Nils ended with "I Came to Dance" and then came back out for 3 songs for an encore: "Lean on Me," "Back It Up" and for all the mothers out there (this was the day before Mother's Day), "Shine Silently."  Very fittingly, the lines from "Shine":  "Don't let nothing stop you from dreaming, Don't let nothing keep you from your dreams now" really spoke to me.

After all of this excitement, and since Sue and Pilar are known to the band and even Nils after attending so many shows over the years, I said that if we could, I would really like to meet Nils that night.  Sue first talked with Nils' manager, who was not helpful at all.  Nothing was happening on that front.  Sue then approached Tom Lofgren and asked if it was okay if I got to meet Nils.  So when you approach the brother, things happen.  I recorded every detail when we came back to Sue's house in New Jersey at 4 something in the morning. In order not to bore the casual reader, Nils shook my hand, signed my ticket stub (see image further up in this blog) and took time to talk with me (at least 20 minutes).  We covered subjects like Arizona, school, birthdays (told him that he and the Kinks Ray Davies share the same one), the seasons, Jeff Beck (we both agreed he is our favorite guitarist--he shared he saw him on the last tour 1989 with Stevie Ray Vaughn), and while we talked he dug out a notebook and wrote a bigger autograph (To Sara: Health and happiness, Nils Lofgren 1990).  He noticed I was with Sue and Pilar and he told us to drive carefully (especially since we were driving back to New Jersey from Baltimore that late night!).  He shook my hand again and said he was looking forward to seeing me at the next couple of shows.  So wild and such a nice guy!

What an amazing night and an amazing opportunity!  Many people say don't meet your heroes as you will be disappointed.  This was not the case with Mr. Nils Lofgren and he really was, as Bruce Springsteen said in a E Street Band introduction, "A man as sweet as life itself."

What's my name?!!! RINGO!

In 1989, there were great bands touring.  R.E.M. toured for their album Green and the Who reunited with a huge band and a mostly acoustic Townshend for the 20th anniversary of Tommy.  But I saw neither of these shows.

Instead, I saw Ringo Starr and His All-Starr Band--not once, not twice but 4 times.  I'd been a Beatles fan since the mid-1970's where I'd be going to sleep while my brother was doing his high school homework playing Beatles albums.  I think I memorized most of the songs while I was drifting off.  Ringo was my 2nd fave Beatle at that time.

A chance to see a Beatle, but so much more!  Ringo's All-Starr's consisted of Nils Lofgren (my fave musician of that time period--solo artist and E Street Band sideman), Clarence Clemons (also of Bruce's E Street), Billy Preston (sometimes rumored to be the 5th Beatle),  Joe Walsh, Levon Helm and Rick Danko of the Band, and Dr. John, plus session drummer Jim Keltner when Ringo would go out front.  

My New Jersey friend Sue got tickets for me and her friend Pilar to see Ringo and His All-Starr's at Bally's Grand in Atlantic City on August 6.  Great timing!  My parents were driving out to New Jersey to move my brother to his professor gig at Rutgers University.  I could go!  

Atlantic City was revitalized by this time.  Yes, there was a Trump Casino/Hotel which we walked into (my friend, an economics major, was intrigued with Trump in 1989--I doubt she is now!).  The boardwalk was cool and we could hear the soundcheck as Bally's had an open air amphitheater.  Most memorable was "Get Back" (which they did not do in concert).  The tickets for this show were $75 each (which in 1989 was quite expensive) but it said "Orchestra--General Admission."  We found out for your $75 you had to tip a guy in a tuxedo who would seat you based on how much you tipped him.  Sue, Pilar and I pooled $5 each so our $15 tip got us pretty decent seating but nowhere near the front of the stage.

Excitement was brewing and this being Atlantic City, we saw our share of "Wiseguys" in the audience yelling "Yo, Vinny, over here!"  It was quite fun to crowd watch.  Rumors were also abounding that Bruce Springsteen might join Ringo for a number since he had appeared in North Jersey at a show a few nights before.  We only ended up seeing his wife, Barbara Bach, watching from the sidelines and Roy Bittan did sit in on a song or two.

The first guitar chords of "It Don't Come Easy" rang out and the concert was on!

Ringo followed with the "No No Song" and "Yellow Submarine."  Then the All Starrs performed numbers, as follows:

Dr. John--"Iko, Iko"
Levon Helm--"The Weight"
Nils Lofgren--"Shine Silently"
Billy Preston--"Will It Go Round in Circles"

Then Ringo performed a few numbers:
"Act Naturally"
"Honey Don't"

Then Clarence "Big Man" Clemons sang a duet with Billy Preston for "You're A Friend of Mine."

Rick Danko--"You Don't Know the Shape I'm In"

Joe Walsh--"Life in the Fast Lane"

Back to Ringo with "I Wanna Be Your Man"

15-minute Intermission (Here is a picture of my tourbook)

The second half opened up with Joe Walsh alone at the piano performing "Desperado."

Rick Danko then performed Buddy Holly's "Rainin' in My Heart" with Nils on accordion.

Then the rest of the band came back out for the following numbers:

Levon Helm--"Up on Cripple Creek"
Ringo--"Boys"
Nils Lofgren--"Being Angry is a Full Time Job"
Dr. John--"Candy" and "Right Place, Wrong Time"
Clarence Clemons--"Quarter to Three"
Joe Walsh--"Rocky Mountain Way"
Billy Preston--"Nothing From Nothing"
Ringo--"Photograph"

Two song Encore:

"You're Sixteen"
"With a Little Help from My Friends"

This show was fun and filled with great music.  There was a great chemistry between the musicians and everyone was enjoying themselves on stage.

I was fortunate to see a show 2 nights later, August 8, at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland.  Nils Lofgren's brother Tom was a special guest who came out to play on "Shine Silently."

The next night, August 9, Sue and I didn't have tickets to the Ringo show at Mann Music Center in Philadelphia, but we went to the box office and Sue asked the guy at the window if there were any unclaimed tickets.  He had 2 tickets.  They were in the second row center.  Sue said, " I would have gone out on a date with that guy if I'd known the tickets were this close."  That was a great show since we were so close, Nils could actually see the first few rows and he knew Sue (since she photographed a lot of his bar gigs) so he gave us a secret wave at the end of the show.  When Ringo was out front singing, it looked like he was making eye contact with you (since we were so close!).  And E Street drummer, Max Weinberg dropped in for a couple songs.

August passed and Ringo was finally on the West Coast in September.  My friends (who I met at the Bruce concert in 1988), Lenore and Mark got us tickets to see Ringo in Costa Mesa on September 2. Same song set but some special guests were on hand.  From the Band, Garth Hudson, played accordion to Rick Danko's "Rainin' in My Heart."  It was Billy Preston's birthday, so we all got a chance to sing "Happy Birthday" to Billy.  AND Ringo's son, Zak Starkey (now with the Who off and on for the past 20 years) played drums for the opening numbers and the encores.  What fun!

To cap that off, we found cool Ringo t-shirts on sale for $8 in the parking lot after the show.  I still wear mine proudly, although we've lost Levon, Rick, Clarence and Billy over the last couple of decades.  Sorry to see them pass but I treasure the memory of these All Starr shows!  

Ringo did many other All Starr groups but no lineup was as good as the first one in 1989.  See for yourself:
https://youtu.be/KqKa7tjBR4Y

The Rest of 1988 from the Chairman of the Board to the King of the Blues with a little Rocky Mountain High thrown in

In 1988, the Tunnel of Love Express tour passed by Phoenix, but other great acts did stop by that year including John Denver, Frank Sinatra with Sammy Davis, Jr. and Liza Minnelli and B.B. King.  I was lucky to attend them all.

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...

Tunnel of Love Express Tour Part 3--Be True

After a wonderful night before watching Bruce and the E Street Band, I was exceptionally psyched to see them one more time Saturday night, April 23.  My friend who went with me the first night said her roommate was going to accompany me to the 2nd show.  This roommate was currently at tennis camp in Hilton Head or somewhere in the Carolinas and would be flying back in time to take me to the show.

As the southern California rain was subsiding, we got a call from the roommate who said flights were delayed due to thunderstorms in the southeast.  Would my friend be able to drop me off at the concert and have the roommate join me whenever she flew in to LAX?  Guess what--this is what ended up happening.  A not quite 20-year-old being dropped off at a huge venue in central LA and going to the concert all by myself?  I did it and felt really comfortable.  I'd been there the night before and these were Bruce fans, this would all be okay, right?  I never questioned it and had a great time!  The roommate showed up around 10 pm.  Can't remember it was sometime into the 2nd set.

Being a solo concert attendee, I had a chance to chat with with some row-mates during the intermission.  I was mainly letting them know I had seen the band the night before AND another person would eventually show up to sit next to me (I hoped).  These folks turned into good friends of mine and I was even a bridesmaid at their wedding!  They were funny, loved music and were a place to crash in LA when great concerts came to LA (more on that later).

Now on to the show.  Most of the songs were the same as the night before, but I will still list them and any notes of interest.

First Set
Tunnel of Love
Be True
Adam Raised a Cain
Two Faces
All that Heaven Will Allow--Bruce told a similar story, but said, "I was telling the folks last night 'bout how in about 15 years there's gonna be a E Street Band Part Two."  Also, when he was talking about Clarence Clemons falling in love Bruce said he was like Clarence's Dr. Ruth.
Seeds
Roulette
Cover Me
Brilliant Disguise
Spare Parts
War
Born in the USA

Intermission about 30-35 minutes (please enjoy some ToL Express photos courtesy of David from Philadelphia--at least I think his name was David--these aren't LA shots but back east)

Bruce and the Big Man before "All That Heaven will Allow"

She's the One

Second Set
Tougher Than the Rest
Ain't Got You into She's the One
You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
I'm a Coward (when it comes to love)
I'm On Fire
One Step Up
Part Man, Part Monkey
Then a song for "all the old fans"
BACKSTREETS--I couldn't believe it!  It has always been one of my favorites, NEVER thought I'd see him perform it live!  It was awesome!!!!!!!!! (I really put 9 exclamation points)
Dancing in the Dark
Light of Day--Bruce went through the band intros and got up to Clarence but he left out Max.  Then Nils walked up to Bruce and told him he forgot Max.  So Bruce said, "OK, second to last, but not least, the Mighty Max Weinberg!"



ENCORES:
Guess who was in the audience?  Roy Orbison.  Bruce told us all this when he came out for his first encore.  Bruce was pointing over to the right and up aways--unfortunately, due to the lighting structure I could not see him.  Did you know that it was Roy Orbison's birthday?  Bruce said that he was all going to give us a chance of a lifetime opportunity--We all sang "Happy Birthday" to Roy Orbison, unaccompanied by music.  It was unbelievable! That was so cool!  (This was mentioned in Rolling Stone magazine's Random Notes and also was bittersweet as Mr. Orbison died later in December 1988).

Now the encores:
Born to Run
Hungry Heart
Glory Days
Rosalita
Have Love, Will Travel
10th Avenue Freeze-Out--I couldn't believe this, either!  Again, I never thought he'd do this one!!! Excellent!!!
Sweet Soul Music
Raise Your Hand

So here ends the Tunnel of Love Express for me.  I flew back to Arizona the next day, but made two new friends, sang Happy Birthday to a rock and roll icon and I think saw Vanna White in the front row on Saturday night.

Did I ever see Bruce or the other E Streeters again?  Yes but that will wait for another blog... Stay tuned and Be True!

Tunnel of Love Express Part 2--All that Heaven Will Allow--Friday night

Friday, April 22, 1988--L. A. Sports Arena

This was it!  I was going to see Bruce and the E Street Band.  Here is what I wrote to my friend, Sue, so she could live vicariously through me...(2016 comment to 1988 notes in green)

"Started a little after 8--1st set ended 'round 9:30--only about a 25-minute intermission--played from 10 to a little after 12--definitely 3 1/2 hours worth.  From where I sat I had a good view of where the band comes up and goes down (I had tickets behind the stage).  Couldn't believe that I was actually seeing all my fave guys coming out of there.  I'm sure you know Roy comes out by himself, then Danny and Max come out and "supposedly" purchase tickets (the stage had a ticket booth to the Tunnel of Love, of course), then Nils and Garry.  Patti came up with heart-shaped balloons, then Clarence and the man himself, Bruce Springsteen.  I still love how the music slowly builds as the musicians came out and then Bruce says, "Ready for a date?" and he throws roses out to the crowd."

Set List for First Set:
Tunnel of Love

Be True--Bruce sang second verse to us at the back "You deserve better than this, little girl can't you see that you do--do you need somebody to prove it to you?"

Adam Raised a Cain--Bruce did great guitar work

Two Faces--hauntingly beautiful

All That Heaven Will Allow--big long story, Bruce and Clarence sit on a park bench, like old friends (that they are), Bruce looking at pictures of the 3 year old 'little Big Man' and then telling us about how there are a lot of young kids in the E St. family and said that in about 15 years there will be a E St. Band Part Two--but would be mostly girls--told about Clarence and him in Europe a few tours ago when Clarence met his wife--"Clarence was always falling in love and always meeting the woman he was going to marry."  He also talked about when they'd sit on a park bench eating bologna and cheese sandwiches with beer next to them watching the office girls go by.  Then he ends it all by saying that he's got to go and get home by 11:00--"She lets me watch 'The Honeymooners' for a half hour and after that it's "lights out'"---I love this story...

Seeds--dug both Nils' and Bruce's guitar work!

Roulette--had a lot of power--Max was great!

Cover Me--Loved how at the end Bruce recited a few lines from the Stones' "Gimme Shelter'--"It's just a kiss away, kiss away, kiss away.."

Brilliant Disguise--still love the break, and the ending lines are so haunting in concert

Spare Parts--Roy's piano intro is very nice! Loved Bruce's story like the way he started the song--and Nils' slide guitar

War

Born in the USA--what can I say--great way to end the first set and Bruce's solo was great!

Now a 25 minute intermission---Take a look at my t-shirts!  ($17 each!!!)

 

 

Second Set--

Tougher Than the Rest

Ain't Got You into She's the One--My favorite from the evening!

You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)--As Bruce describes this song is about America's favorite past time "No, not that one!" --"Shopping"  {Part of the stage act during this song involved band member Patti Scialfa (later Bruce's wife) and Nils Lofgren's then-wife Cis Rundle strutting across the stage while a bit of Orbison's "Pretty Woman" is played}  Just campy and Bruce fun, as always...

I'm a Coward When it Comes to Love

I'm on Fire

One Step Up--Nils did a nice guitar solo

Part Man, Part Monkey--{More Bruce camp and sexiness, he removed his jacket, vest, bolo tie and got down to his shirt sleeves--the rest I'll leave to the imagination....}

Walk Like a Man

Dancing in the Dark

Light of Day (band introductions)

ENCORES:

Born to Run--{This version was entirely acoustic, and it was one that I look back on and cherish as it was more raw and poignant...}

Hungry Heart--1st verse is required audience participation to sing...Bruce came toward the back of the stage to sing the entire second verse

Glory Days

Rosalita

Detroit Medley

Train, Train

Sweet Soul Music

Bruce then says his quote, "I'm just a prisoner, of rock and roll!!!"

And one final Encore song prefaced by Bruce asking us if we wanted some "religious inspiration--some sexual consummation..."--So he and the band did Eddie Floyd's "Raise Your Hand."

The biggest thing I loved about watching both of these shows "behind the stage" is that you could see everything the band saw.  At times, it gave me the impression that I was on stage with the band.

Stay tuned for the third and final installment of the Saturday night show.  More surprises were in store....

Tunnel of Love Express, Part 1--"You've got to learn to live with what you can't rise above"

In 1988, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were on the Tunnel of Love Express tour.  Unfortunately, it was going to be a lot smaller tour than in 1984-1985, and they would be playing less venues in the USA.  So no Phoenix date.

My friend, Sue, who lived in New Jersey, had already seen 5 of the Bruce shows that year.  We noticed that Los Angeles was going to have 5 dates.  Either she or I would try to call Ticketmaster and get tickets to a few shows for me.  Being a novice to the ticket game in the 1980's, I thought I had called the right number, got repeated busy signals, then when I got through I was told the shows were sold out.  Thankfully, Sue was calling from New Jersey and got through to Ticketmaster.  She got me 2 tickets each for the April 22 and April 23 shows!  Awesome!

The plan was once she received the tickets in the mail, she would send them out to me.  I would need to find transportation (cheap Southwest Airline fares) and a person to go with me.  Luckily, a friend from church was living in Sherman Oaks and she agreed to pick me up, let me stay at her place, and accompany me to the Friday night show.  Her roommate would go with me to the Saturday night show.  All set, right?

It was the 2 weeks before the concerts.  Sue had yet to receive the tickets.  She called Ticketmaster and they said the infamous line, "The tickets are in the mail."  I believe the last set arrived on Monday in New Jersey, 4 days before the first concert.  And they didn't arrive on the same day!  Basically, I received a Federal Express overnight package once she got both sets of tickets!  Here is her note that accompanied the tickets!

So with tickets in hand and a small bag, my parents dropped me off at Sky Harbor Airport to fly to Los Angeles on April 21.  It was raining here in AZ and in LA.  I had a bad sinus infection but I was going to see Bruce and that is all that mattered!

Stay tuned for show number one on April 22, 1988 in the next blog...

Hey, Hey We're the Monkees Back in the High Life

3 of the 4 Monkees pictured above appeared

It was the fall of 1986 and my best friend was off at UofA while I was in Mesa going to Mesa Community College.  When it came to concerts, I had no one to go with me.

It was the year of the Monkees 20th Anniversary tour.  I will admit I watched the reruns in the early 70's.  My cousin, 9 years older than me, had caught the TV show when it was first on in 1966.  Of course, MTV was showing the program to a new generation of pre-teens.  My cousin needed someone to accompany her to this glorious spectacle.  Also on the bill was Herman's Hermits (who the Who first toured with in America in 1967), Gary Puckett and the Union Gap, and the Grass Roots.

Not surprisingly, there was a new batch of screaming pre-teens at this show.  I am not sure how they made it through the 3 opening acts.  All I remember is my cousin singing to the Herman's Hermits songs.  

When the Monkees came out, it was just Peter Tork, Micky Dolenz, and Davy Jones.  Mike Nesmith only appeared at a few shows on this tour (Texas and Los Angeles).  But these guys were good entertainers and if you'd watched the TV shows you would know the songs.  The screaming pre-teens never ceased but it wasn't as bad as the Beatles experiences of the 60's when they would fake play their instruments because they couldn't hear each other.  I can actually say I enjoyed the show.

A month later on October 15, 1986, a fellow MCC friend of mine (and former high school friend) went with me to see Steve Winwood on his High Life Tour.  The beauty of this was that the concert was only 4.5 miles away and it was outdoors.  The opening act was Level 42 who had hits with "Something about You" and "Lessons of Love."  Unfortunately, all I could remember was the throbbing bass in all of the songs.  We are not talking melodic intense Thunderfingers-John-Entwistle bass lead guitarist stuff--oh no.  It was all I could hear--no other instruments.

Needless to say I was relieved to see them go and the piano chords of "Low Spark of High Heeled Boys" start.  Winwood opened with an old Traffic classic, not one of the hits from Back in the High Life album.  How amazing is that?

Of course, Steve Winwood played at least half of the songs from this amazing album from 1986.  I remember "Back in the High Life" and "Finer Things" really standing out.  I also remember "Dear Mr. Fantasy", "Valerie", "While You See a Chance", "Arc of  a Diver" and "Gimme Some Lovin'".  He had an amazing band with him and he is an amazing singer and multi-instrumentalist.  

This same week of October 1986, I wished I had known about Neil Young's first Bridge School Benefit in Mountain View, California at the Shoreline Amphitheatre.  I found out about this 3 months later when I saw Bruce Springsteen and Nils Lofgren on the cover of Acoustic Guitar magazine.  A friend of mine ended up with a bootleg copy of the whole show (on videotape) so I got to see Bruce, Nils, Neil, Crosby, Stills and Nash, Robin Williams, etc., do amazing acoustic performances.  Here is picture from my scrapbook from that performance.  I believe they were doing "Teach Your Children" in this shot.  

Anyway, that is my story from 1986.  I still want to catch a Bridge Benefit one of these days.  If it would just coincide with October break for the kids....