Concerts, #1

The other day Aimee and I were talking about concerts - who had we seen, who did we like, who didn't we like? Since there's a generational gap between us it's always interesting to talk music and see how similar we are and/or how far apart we are in our musical tastes. Anyway, it got me to thinking. What concerts do I remember the most? Why? So I'm listing a few here - some I liked, some I didn't, and I'll try to add to the list as I remember other ones.

Bread
The first major concert I ever went to was (cringe) Bread. My friend,Susan, was a big fan and convinced me that we should go. The concert was in the Memorial Coliseum and it was my first trip to the Coliseum for a strictly musical event. I wasn't impressed - the acoustics were horrific. But I think it was the band -I never liked Bread's music so this was not a concert by which to judge the Coliseum's acoustics, however, they never did improve much, even for bands I actually liked.
Bread: D, but only because I don't like them; Susan had a great time.

Bruce Springsteen
I saw the Boss twice, once in Portland and once in Tacoma. The Portland concert was a shade better only because we didn't have to travel so far. The Boss is the Boss for a reason: He had, and probably still has, the best touring band in the world with the E Street Band. And he puts his heart and soul into his concerts, and a lot of sweat. The best thing about the Boss is that he doesn't want to quit singing and playing any more than the audience wants him to stop - he takes the energy from the audience and sends it back two-fold and as long as it keeps coming to him he won't quit. Both of these concerts were between 4 and 5 hours long, which ought to put most other bands to shame when they deign to give 90 minutes of their time for their concerts. Bruce is like the Everready bunny, he just goes and goes and goes...and never fails to give his audience the thrill of seeing a master at work.
The Boss: A+, Both concerts, exhausting and exhilerating for both the audience and the performers

George Thorogood
George at the Euphoria, how much better could it get? He and the band were absolutely fabulous in the small-ish setting, very high energy and infectious and BADASS. The Euphoria was cool because when you were moved by the music you could just shove all the tables and chairs out of the way (keeping the beer pitchers handy though) and make a big dance floor. George was born to play in bars. I saw George again at the Intermediate Theater after the opening of the Schnitz complex. In the more formal setting of a regular auditorium he lost a lot of his immediacy to the audience - how do you compare dancing at your seat to half-drunken flying and wildness with 300 of your newest, closest friends at the club?
George: A, pure energy, and good and nasty at the Euphoria, B-, lost a lot of energy in the auditorium

ZZ Top
Unfortunatley, the ZZ Top concert will always be remembered as the one where some asshole drunk kid threw up in Camille's hair. The band was great, I always have loved their bluesy, driving music and their cool band persona. So, the concert was great but the vomit was distracting. Damn kid.
ZZ Top: A, for music, C-, for overall experience (of course, this would be an F if the kid had thrown up in MY hair!)

Heart
I saw Heart at their heyday, just before they started playing arenas and lost the magic in the too-big space. My friend Forrest and I went to the Paramount (back when it was a really cool theater and music arena, and before the suits renamed and revamped it). Ann's voice was electrifying and the band was on fire. We were in the first row, first balcony so we had what I've always thoought were the best seats in the house.
Heart: A-, Ann's voice gave us goosebumps it was so on that night

Icehouse
Again, at the pre-remodeled Paramount. Icehouse was great - their "fame"was pretty short-lived but they were a pretty good band. Worth the trip downtown.
Icehouse: B, they were never more than a B band but definitely worth the $2.92 I paid for my ticket.

The Motels
The Motels at the Starry Night - very cool and seedy venue, very cool band. This band was better than their short run near the top would indicate. And in the intimate setting of the Starry Night Club they were outstanding.
The Motels: B

Triumph
Camille and I wanted to see Angel City and they were opening for Triumph. So we thought, hell, two for one let's do it. Wrong. Triumph stunk up the house (or more accurately, the Coliseum). Angel City, however (see below), rocked the house. We stayed for just a couple of Triumph songs and then left - the only time I ever left a concert before the last note had been played.
Triumph: D-, they were off-key, and terrible. Peeeyyyooouuu!

Angel City (aka Angels or something because of some dispute)
Angel City has always been one of very favorite bands. They opened forTriumph at the Coliseum and Camille and I just had to go. Fortunately, Angel City was in great form, sang all the best songs, and totally rocked the house. Unfortunately, Triumph was either having a very bad night or else they just stank in general. Yay, Angel City!
Angel City: A, fantastic! Would have been an A+ with any other band in the world (except Bread...)

David Bowie/Peter Frampton/Duran Duran
Glass Spider tour, played at the Civic Auditorium downtown, outside. I went with Bruce, Judy, Delyn, Nick and JudyJ. We sat in great seats - in one of the boxes right on the edge of the field. Peter Frampton was on this tour also, as part of the band. Duran Duran was there, this was when they were on top of the world. Frampton soloed a couple of times and was great. Overall, a wonderful experience, there's something about listening to music outside under the stars that just brings everything closer.
David Bowie: B, pretty good musical period for Bowie, plus the added benefit of Frampton and Duran Duran

The Who
Laura, Jill and I went to Vancouver BC for this one, because it was as close as they were coming to Portland where we could still get seats. The concert was great, it was the Tommy concert (saw Quadraphenia later in Portland), and Laura and I were totally rocked by Roger Daltry and Pete Townsend. The only downer to the trip, and it was a big one, were 3 friends of Jill's that crashed with us - the room was WAY too small for 6 and the car was packed whenever we went anywhere, because, of course, they had NO MONEY!!! They couldn't afford to buy gas. Why the hell didn't they just stay home? Sorry to say that her friends were just plain too weird for me, and not weird in a good way. More like freeloaders and hanger-ons. That part was not good - I felt like screaming most of the time. They didn't have tickets to the concert, though, which was GOOD. Why the hell had they even come? And I got in a bad mood on the last day and kind of moped most of the way home - I remember crying when we left because I was so pissed at how rotten the weekend had turned out after I had looked forward to it so much. Bummer.
The Who: B+, for the concert, because it was all recycled material after all D, for my one and only trip to Vancouver because of all the other crap that went on.

Van Halen
I saw Van Halen at the Jantzen Beach Arena, which before that had been a skating rink, and years before that was the site of the Jantzen Beach Amusement Park, which was kind of like Coney Island in Portland (they tore it all down when I wasn't much more than a kid, but I remember it was SO MUCH FUN, but that's another story). The concert was great - it was in support of their first album, some say their best album, and they were just fresh kids trying to make it big in the music biz. Went with Camille, Mike and what-was-that-guy's-name? We had fun - the arena was set up kind of like a school assembly, with bleachers on the sides and standing room in the middle. We were on the bleachers, up front.
Van Halen: B+, they were young, they were fresh and so were we.

Eddie Money
Along with Van Halen, Eddie Money was at the start of his career when I saw him. He never rose very high on the public's awareness meter, but he had a few cool songs.
Eddie Money: B, he was never more than a B, I'm afraid

Dire Straits
OMG, Mark Knopfler rocked my world! He was so good, the band he'd put together was top-notch, and these guys couldn't hit a bad note if they wanted to. They were smooth and professional, and at the same time, they were just raucaus enough and loud enough to give the audience everything we wanted. Musically, these guys were the best. This was shortly after"Sultans of Swing" hit it big so they were riding a big wave of positive reviews and magic.
Dire Straits: B+, a missed note or two once in a while is refreshing

The Moody Blues
Ooohh, what can I say? Justin Hayward.......Justin Hayward....... OK, I wiped the drool. I saw The Moody Blues at least a dozen times over the years. Some combination of Judy, Sue and I and whoever else wanted to go went each year they toured. Love 'em.
The Moody Blues: There is no grade high enough.

I'll have to think about this some more and you'll probably see Concerts, part 2, soon.