Let's go back to when dinosaurs ruled the earth:
Jefferson Starship - No Grace Slick. Bummer but great light show.
James Taylor - Seemed like he was just walking his way through the show.
Twisted Sister - In a bar in Middletown, NY just as they started to release albums. Great show.
Billy Joel - Doing the Glass Houses tour in Buffalo, NY. I was in college and we talked this dumb fuck into driving us 6 hours there and back. On the way back he got a speeding ticket in Horseheads, NY (I'm not shitting you. Horseheads. You can look it up). And hit a deer 15 miles from campus. Not to worry. 351 engine in a 4000 lb Torino with 5 of of us in it. Bambi never had a chance.
Jethro Tull - The Hudson Valley Winery was a cool place to do the winery tours and they would have bands play during the summer. They became infamous for having surprise guests. The dude that owned it was big in the music industry. He advertised Eric Anderson for a $10 admission and word got out that it was actually Ian Anderson.
Harry Chapin - At my fucking high school. Set up in the gym. Bleachers open with all of the folding chairs on the basketball floor. Harry came out alone on stage and saw that the closest seats were about 20' away from him. First thing he said was,"What are you all doing so far away from me? Come on up by the stage so you can hear me." He just waived people down to fill up the front and sit down on the floor. Brother Tom came out too. Very, very cool.
Aerosmith - Standing room only in a ballroom. It was that early 90's time when they had a lull. Stood by the 16' speakers on stage for one of the loudest bands ever.
Don Rickles - That man is dangerous live. We sat in the back and were safe.
Gallagher - Small room and I had 2nd row seats. One of his many retirement tours. Came out before the show for meet and great. I was 50-50 about getting the mess so I sat at the bar. The show was,"I don't smash watermelons any more." What he did was an hour of stand up, Half hour of how to prepare different messy things to smash, then invited up everyone to smash the stuff. With my jacket and tie on I went up. What a fucking mess. Before I was allowed to smash anything I had to get some cake in my face. Done deal. I got to smash a watermelon with the prized Sledge-O-Matic that will some day hang in the National Archives.
Clarence Clemons - Stone Pony. From ticket we were only able to walk 10'. Frozen in the bar we were against the stage at the big man's feet like grab his ankle close. He sweat on us.
Meatloaf - Remember him? Back at the Stone Pony he did a show. Now remember, during these early 80's The Pony was only half it's present day size and had a foosball table. Drunk soap opera star chick jumps on stage with him and can barely stand much less sing. A good time had by all.
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