Monday, June 11, 2007

Musical Monday Memories....

WOW....What a great week-end eh? After sitting through about 20 band sets over the past 2 days, my mind did a little wandering! You have to understand something about me, I've been going to concerts since 1967! I've seen most of the Major groups that there is to see, but some concerts were memorable, and some were very sad indeed....
This little post is about lead-in groups. Lead-In groups can sometimes set the tone for the whole
evenings fun, mood, and energy! In 1975, there was a place in Michigan called the Pontiac Silverdome. That place was the home of the Detroit Lions. They also had concerts there. The first really big concert booked there was The Who! This was the original Who, with Keith Moon!
Anyway, tickets went fast, and as a matter of fact that concert held the record for a while for the largest indoor crowd to see a Rock Concert, 75,962. Of course as is with most big shows, the group is always fashionably late, and in those days there was NO security at the doors, so you could just about bring in what you wanted in the form of liquid refreshments! Yeah you guessed it, the crowd was going wild!!! And I do mean WILD!! Finally after about an hour or so, the MC came on stage with his usual PR bullshit, and introduced the opening act...Toots and the Maytalls...Now at the time, the only bigger Reggae group in the world was Bob Marley and the Wailers, but I don't think even them could have prevented the crowd from acting the way they did...They yelled, and screamed, and booed and hissed, and threw lots of shit on stage! Finally for the safety of the group, they ushered them off-stage after only 3 songs.....
When the Who finally did appear, it was one of the greatest concerts of my life! I think that they played for over 2 1/2 hrs with 3 encores...It was awesome!!!
Now lets move back a little farther to about 1970. There is a very prestigious engineering university in Flint called Kettering University. It used to be called GMI, or General Motors Institute. They used to have free concerts in their Gym about once every semester. One time it was really advertised all over town about a fairley well known group comming to GMI for free!
The group was called SPIRIT! Now they had several great releases at the time..."I Got A Line On You"...and "Mr. Skin" was among them. So me and my buddy Ned ( Nick-named Deadly Nedly ) decided to roll up a few and go to the free show. Well this was an engineering school, so the concert started EXACTLY on time! The lead-in group was KICK-ASS!!! Song after song after song was awesome, to the point that they were demanded an encore when it was time for them to leave! They obliged, and when Spirit came onto perform, THEY were the ones booed off-stage!!! The lead-in group actually had to come back out and calm the crowd down with yet another encore....After that, Spirit never did do much. They broke up shortly afterward, and I read that their singer, Randy California, drowned in Hawaii a few years ago...
The lead-in group on the other hand, knocked around for a few years and finally got a break in the mid-70's.....Their name,....STYX..

This looks like a great week in the Mid-West comming up....Enjoy!!!

28 comments:

lime said...

first! now going back to read...hehehe

lime said...

wow, you just have some of the coolest concert tales. i am relatively inexperienced in this facet of life. you need to do a series of concert posts i think ;)

rock on with your bad self, gman!

Charles said...

Here's hoping you have an excellent day.

SIMON said...

Nice 1 G man, brilliant post what memories!
Concert always hold special memories.
You may want to know that I'm no longer doing a musical monday but I've told my regulars to come to you! So you might get 1 new reader!!!
I'm seeing Aerosmith next week in Paris!! Can't wait.

Serena said...

Yeah, I'd SAY it's a great musical week. I know I'm dating myself, but I remember STYX.:)

G-Man said...

Congratulations Michelle!
You have nailed me first again....Yeah Baby!!!

Charles,
Thank you so much for your kind words...
You have a good day also.

G-Man said...

Hey Simon, That sounds awesome.."Walk This Way"

Serena Joy,
You probably just listen to the "Oldies" station!!

S said...

Ah yes, the old days of the fabulous Forum seeing Yes, Fleetwood Mac, Aerosmith etc.... in the round, thousands of people. I have no idea how many thousands....

And the Bic lighters....lol, I was actually at a show recently, there seems to be a rebirth in the lighter thing!

Mona said...

GALEN! That is nice....your day begins with a song..& mine ending with one :))

Love

Little Wing said...

G, I am curious what the tickets cost back in the day!

Serena said...

Oh, yeah, G, that's what it was -- the Oldies station.:-)

Evalinn said...

It´s looking good over here too :-)

jillie said...

I remember my very first concert...REO Speedwagon at St. Mary's football field. I was 13 at it was 1974. They weren't quite famous yet and it was FUN FUN FUN! The best part of it was that it was a smaller venue. Thanks for bringing back such good fond memories.

snowelf said...

Galen,
I've decided to live my "concert life" vicariously through you.

I'm channeling bay-bee! :)

It's still gorgeous here--every one's broken out their bikes and jeeps!

--snow

barman said...

Oh man, I only have a few concert stories as I only attended a few concerts. One of my favorites was going to see Joe Jackson in a real small venue. It was wonderful as was the opening act... the Ramones.

I beleive this was in 1979 at the Masonic Temple. I loved it. The place was not that big and we were within 10 rows tops of the stage. I fell in love with Joe Jackson and bought "Look Sharp" as quick as I could. That also planted a seed for the Ramones. Never my favorite group but I really enjoyed them and do love many of their songs.

I love you stories period but your concert stories are about the best.

Anonymous said...

I love these old music memories galen.
I remember going to see Peter Gabriel at Masonic Auditorium. This was his first solo album after departing Genesis. We had tickets for the balcony but sales were so bad they moved us down to the main floor.
The opening act didn't receive a very good welcome because everyone wanted Peter.
They were a band called Television who were loved by the critics but were a bit obscure for the general public.
tc

SignGurl said...

You saw STYX before they were STYX? How cool is that?!

I love that you've lived your life to the fullest. That's what makes you our G-Man!

Spoony Quine said...

` Aaaaahhh haa ha ha ha haaaa! Poor little band....

Mona said...

Good morning Galen! How are you today?

G-Man said...

Susie, your comment just briught back another Musical memory..
I went to see James Taylor, and when he sang..
"Fire and Rain" everybody in the place held up a Bic Lighter throughout the entire song...It was awesome!!
Thanks ..xoxox

Nighty Night Mona,
You have pleasant dreams!
xoxox

JD, This concert was free, but most shows of the 70's were 10-15 bucks!..Yeah, I'm old!!

Serena,
Of course thats it!!
xoxox

Anywhere that you are looks good Evalinn!!!

Jillie,
Your very welcome sweetie xoxox

Hey Snowelf,
IT'S SUMMER EVERYWHERE!!
You've never been to any concerts?

Barman,
You've seen The Ramones?
Hold that memory forever,
since they are all dead!!
Thanks for that....

Top Cat,
Funny...Your memory and Barman's was at the Masonic...What a great concert hall!! I think that the first show I saw there was YES!
Thanks for sharing...

Thanks Jenn,
Now if I could only figure out PC shit I'd be OK!!...Love you lots!
xoxox

G-Man said...

Sequine!!!
Are you done with school yet? Thanks for stopping by!!!

Good Morning Mona!!!
Did you get enough sleep?
Galen loves you..xoxox

CozyMama said...

ok, i adore STYX, yes I do, seen them in concert...I think the WEE ONE is a product of that concert.

G-Man said...

Jodi,
You are the one that gave me this Idea a few months ago.....Thanks

S said...

Oh yeah, and Ive seen the Dead about 45-50 times, and Mr Ratburn has seen the Dead, over 100 times.

My first show ever was Aerosmith at Anaheim Stadium when it was still the BIG A....

G-Man said...

Susie The Dead-Head!!!!!
I would have never guessed.......

Queenie said...

Galen, you are so lucky to have seen the WHO, thank goodness I have you to tell me how it was. It was almost like I was there!!!!

javajazz said...

people flicked their Bics
when James was singing?
sheesh,
is nothing sacred?

G-Man said...

Queenie, and Pete Townsend even smashed guitar onstage...
Glad to have brought back a little memory..G

Lisa....It was cool
Really it was..xoxoxox