Have you ever seen a concert that you did not expect to be very good, but came away with a new appreciation of the artist/band?
In my case, there have been 2 shows that I wasn't too excited about seeing, but came away wondering what the hell I was thinking.
The first was The Smithereens. It was about 95. They were on the downhill slide. I believe they had 1 big hit a few years back, but the recent stuff wasnât doing so well. They were playing a small restaurant/club venue. I worked for a radio station and they had plenty of tickets for the show. A buddy of mine just broke up with his girlfriend and this place was known for having the hotties. He was a fan of The Smithereens and I could take them or leave them.
Not only did we have a good time, but I would go again to a Smithereens show, even today. This 3 piece rocked the small venue. As the saying goes, they tore the roof down. The drummer and singer switched and the drummer sang Little Sister and Blue Suede Shoes. Iâm not a big Elvis fan, but this was fun rock and roll and they really seemed to have a good time. All in All it was a great time and I was definitely surprised at how well they rocked.
The other show that blew me away was Bo Diddley. A friend of mineâs wife bought tickets for his birthday and asked me to go. I never paid attention to Bo Diddley, but I really dig John Lee Hooker. Since it was my buddyâs birthday, I went. The show was in an old movie theatre; the kind with 2 balconies, red velvet everywhere and a real wood stage. This place was packed. We were on the first Balcony and could see perfectly. Bo is fairly old and he walks really strange. Heâs bowlegged, like an old cowboy and when he walks, he shuffles very slowly, one leg at a time. I thought he was going to fall over at one point while standing there. But, when he started playing, he tore it up. He started getting the ladies up on stage and dancing with them while playing. He didnât move his feet, but the rest of his body was swinging back and forth. You can only imagine.
Bo doesnât travel with a band, but instead plays with the opening act. You can imagine how difficult this can be for the band. Several times during the performance, he turned around and looked at the drummer. A couple of times, he asked the drummer to get back in time. At least, it looked like it because he started playing a standard beat on the guitar and encouraging the drummer to join him. After a few times of doing this, he shuffled back to the drummerâs platform and stopped playing. I thought he was done because he was mad. Man, was I wrong. He looked at the platform, and then looked at his leg. Thought about it for a minute and used his hand to lift one left up on the platform. He set there a second, and then did the same with the other leg. Old isnât the word for this guyâs movement. All the while, the band continues to play the same loop over and over.
The next thing I know, Bo gives the Drummer the come on sign with his hand. At first, no one knew what was happening, including the drummer. He did it again and the drummer handed him a stick. Without missing a beat, he started in on the cymbal, while the drummer used the other stick on the snare drum. He gave him another come on signal and the drummer gave him the other stick and then stood up and moved out of the way. Bo sits down and begins to rip up the drums. It was like watching a Tommy Lee solo. He was all over it. Not only is Bo Diddley an incredible guitarist, but he is an amazing drummer. This went on for about 15 minutes before he brought the kid back in and handed him one stick and kept beat with him until he felt he had it down, then handed him the other stick. He shuffled back off the platform, doing the same thing with his legs while getting down and started playing the guitar like he had never stopped.
Needless to say, this was probably one of the most exciting things I have ever seen live. I doubt many people have had a chance like this to see a living legend not only tear it up with the instrument he was known for, but to school a guy playing another instrument he is not known for. As long as I live, I will never forget seeing this.
Ok, Iâve shared. Letâs hear your story. Is there a show that you werenât too excited about seeing, but left with a new appreciation of the artist/band afterwards?
In my case, there have been 2 shows that I wasn't too excited about seeing, but came away wondering what the hell I was thinking.
The first was The Smithereens. It was about 95. They were on the downhill slide. I believe they had 1 big hit a few years back, but the recent stuff wasnât doing so well. They were playing a small restaurant/club venue. I worked for a radio station and they had plenty of tickets for the show. A buddy of mine just broke up with his girlfriend and this place was known for having the hotties. He was a fan of The Smithereens and I could take them or leave them.
Not only did we have a good time, but I would go again to a Smithereens show, even today. This 3 piece rocked the small venue. As the saying goes, they tore the roof down. The drummer and singer switched and the drummer sang Little Sister and Blue Suede Shoes. Iâm not a big Elvis fan, but this was fun rock and roll and they really seemed to have a good time. All in All it was a great time and I was definitely surprised at how well they rocked.
The other show that blew me away was Bo Diddley. A friend of mineâs wife bought tickets for his birthday and asked me to go. I never paid attention to Bo Diddley, but I really dig John Lee Hooker. Since it was my buddyâs birthday, I went. The show was in an old movie theatre; the kind with 2 balconies, red velvet everywhere and a real wood stage. This place was packed. We were on the first Balcony and could see perfectly. Bo is fairly old and he walks really strange. Heâs bowlegged, like an old cowboy and when he walks, he shuffles very slowly, one leg at a time. I thought he was going to fall over at one point while standing there. But, when he started playing, he tore it up. He started getting the ladies up on stage and dancing with them while playing. He didnât move his feet, but the rest of his body was swinging back and forth. You can only imagine.
Bo doesnât travel with a band, but instead plays with the opening act. You can imagine how difficult this can be for the band. Several times during the performance, he turned around and looked at the drummer. A couple of times, he asked the drummer to get back in time. At least, it looked like it because he started playing a standard beat on the guitar and encouraging the drummer to join him. After a few times of doing this, he shuffled back to the drummerâs platform and stopped playing. I thought he was done because he was mad. Man, was I wrong. He looked at the platform, and then looked at his leg. Thought about it for a minute and used his hand to lift one left up on the platform. He set there a second, and then did the same with the other leg. Old isnât the word for this guyâs movement. All the while, the band continues to play the same loop over and over.
The next thing I know, Bo gives the Drummer the come on sign with his hand. At first, no one knew what was happening, including the drummer. He did it again and the drummer handed him a stick. Without missing a beat, he started in on the cymbal, while the drummer used the other stick on the snare drum. He gave him another come on signal and the drummer gave him the other stick and then stood up and moved out of the way. Bo sits down and begins to rip up the drums. It was like watching a Tommy Lee solo. He was all over it. Not only is Bo Diddley an incredible guitarist, but he is an amazing drummer. This went on for about 15 minutes before he brought the kid back in and handed him one stick and kept beat with him until he felt he had it down, then handed him the other stick. He shuffled back off the platform, doing the same thing with his legs while getting down and started playing the guitar like he had never stopped.
Needless to say, this was probably one of the most exciting things I have ever seen live. I doubt many people have had a chance like this to see a living legend not only tear it up with the instrument he was known for, but to school a guy playing another instrument he is not known for. As long as I live, I will never forget seeing this.
Ok, Iâve shared. Letâs hear your story. Is there a show that you werenât too excited about seeing, but left with a new appreciation of the artist/band afterwards?