Grateful Dead - 1985-12-31 - Oakland, CA (SBD)

 

Grateful Dead 

1985-12-31

Oakland Coliseum 

Oakland, CA

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

1st Set:

01. Not Fade Away >

02. Touch Of Grey

03. Tons Of Steel

04. C C Rider

05. Dupree's Diamond Blues

06. Cassidy

07. Brown Eyed Women

0. Let It Grow

2nd Set:

01. Midnight Countdown >

02. In The Midnight Hour >

03. Sugaree

04. Man Smart (Woman Smarter)

05. Ship Of Fools >

06. Playing In The Band >

07. Terrapin Station >

08. Drums >

09. Space >

10. Truckin' >

11. Black Peter >

12. Throwing Stones >

13. Not Fade Away >

14. Turn On Your Lovelight

Encore:

01. Brokedown Palace

Grateful Dead - 1985-12-31 - Oakland, CA (SBD)

As promised yesterday, here's another show in honor of the Grateful Dead's 20th anniversary in 1985. This one is a soundbaord recoding that captures the Grateful Dead during their traditional New Year's Eve concert, on December 31, 1986, 4 decades ago today!  I remember taping this one off the WNEW-FM radio broadcast while simultaneously watching it on USA network on TV. Happy New Year!

The Pretenders - 1999-12-31 - San Francisco, CA (SBD)

The Pretenders

1999-12-31

SFNYE Superior Bash

Bill Graham Civic Center

San Francisco, CA

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. The Wait

02. Precious

03. Popstar

04. Talk Of The Town

05. Downtown (Akron)

06. Private Life

07. Hymn To Her

08. My City Was Gone

09. banter

10. Kid

11. Human

12. Message Of Love

13. banter

14. Stop Your Sobbing

15. Don't Get Me Wrong

16. Bad Boys Get Spanked

17. Back On The Chain Gang

18. NYE Countdown

19. Middle Of The Road

20. I'll Stand By You

21. Brass In Pocket

The Pretenders - 1999-12-31 - San Francisco, CA (SBD)

I've seen the Pretenders live 3 times - early on in their career in October 1981 at the Palladium, in April 1987 at Radio City Music Hall after the commercial success of the albums Learning To Crawl & Get Close, and then just a few years ago, in April 2018, at the Morristown PAC. That gap of 31 years between 1987 and 2018 is the 4th longest I ever went between seeing a concert by the same band. (FYI - the 3 longest gaps were: 40 years betweem seeing Pat Benatar 1981 and 2021, 38 years between my first America concert in 1978 and the 2nd one in 2016, and 34 years between seeing John Hiatt in 1987 and then in 2021). If you like keeping track of statitsics releated to the concerts you attened, similar to what I've just discussed, my book has a whole section filled with charts I'm sure you'll enjoy!

This soundboard recording captures The Pretenders on the last night of the 20th century, in San Francisco, on December 31, 1999, 26 years ago today.

Eddie Money - 1992-12-31 - San Diego, CA (FM)

Eddie Money

1992-12-31

Rhythm Cafe 

San Diego, CA

FM Broadcast

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Introduction

02. Give Me Some Water

03. Get A Move On

04. You've Really Got A Hold On Me

05. Running Back

06. Save A Little Room In Your Heart

07. So Good To Be In Love Again

08. I Wanna Go Back

09. Baby Hold On

10. Fall In Love Again

11. Trinidad (Incomplete)

12. Trinidad (Incomplete)

13. No Control

14. Banter: "People Listening On The Radio"

15. Prove It Every Night

16. Banter: "New Years Count Down"

17. Two Tickets To Paradise

18. I'll Get By

19. She Takes My Breath Away

20. Shakin'

Eddie Money - 1992-12-31 - San Diego, CA (FM)

I saw Eddie Money live just once, in July 1979 at the Wollman Rink in Central Park. I have to admit, I didn't really pay much attention to Eddie's set as the reason I was there was for the lead-in act, Ms. Rachel Sweet. Her album, Fool Around, became a staple on the turntable (yes - it's that old!) in my college dorm room. Part new wave, part early 60's girl group in sound, the album featured songs such a B-A-B-Y, Wildwood Saloon, I Go to Pieces and Sad Song.  It's still one of my favoriye discs.

In any event, this FM broadcast captures the overlooked by me Mr. Money in San Diego on December 31, 1992, 33 years ago today.

New Year's Celebration At So Many Roads

As has been our tradition here at So Many Roads, we will bring you multiple shows later today to ring in the new year! 

This year, we'll bring you 3 concerts - it all starts at 12 noon today, with a new show every 4 hours after that up until 8 pm. 

Enjoy the tunz and Happy New Year!

Grateful Dead - 1985-12-30 - Oakland, CA (SBD)

Grateful Dead

1985-12-30

Oakland Coliseum

Oakland, CA

Soundboard Recoding

320 kbps

Artwork Included

1st Set:

01. Tuning

02. Gimme Some Lovin' >

03. Greatest Story Ever Told

04. West L.A. Fadeaway

05. My Brother Esau >

06. Stagger Lee

07. Little Red Rooster

08. Tennessee Jed >

09. Looks Like Rain >

10. Don't Ease Me In

2nd Set:

01. Tuning

02. The Mighty Quinn (Quinn The Eskimo) >

03. Samson And Delilah >

04. He's Gone >

05. I Need A Miracle >

06. Crazy Fingers >

07. Drums >

08. Space >

09. The Other One >

10. Wharf Rat >

11. Sugar Magnolia

Encore:

01. It's All Over Now, Baby Blue

Grateful Dead - 1985-12-30 - Oakland, CA (SBD)

On September 3, 1977, me, my buddies and, along with 150,000 others, made the pilgrimage to Englishtown NJ, to see the Grateful Dead for the first time at what be the largest concert in the state's history. The day was hot - over 100 degrees - and the band was even hotter. Another performance that added to the legend of 1977. I would see 49 more after that, at least 1 show every year except 1982, 1984, 1986 and 1992, with the last show being June 18, 1995, just 2 month's before we lost Jerry Garcia. My long strange trip with the Dead was short compared to folks who saw hundreds of concerts, but it was memorable, as over a dozen shows that I attended were good enough to be officially released. It's been 3 decades since we lost Jerry, and I still miss the magic.

This soundboard recording captures the Grateful Dead across the Bay Bridge from their home turf in San Francisco, at the oakland Coliseum on Dececmber 30, 1985, 40 years ago today. That year, the Grateful Dead celebrated their 20th anniversary. Deadheads tend to passionately debate the quality of the music from 1985. Some feel that the band, inspired by their milestone anniversary, played their best shows of the 1980s. Others don't believe the music was much different from the prior years, and certainly not up to the standard of 1987 or 1989. I tend to lean in the direction that 1985 provided many inspired moments, especially during the Spring run, though it’s clear that by year's end, Jerry was mired deep in a cloud of drugs which would eventually contribute to his near death coma in 1986. In any event, in honor of the band's 20th anniversay celebration, we'll bring you another show from 1985 tomorrow.

Katrina & The Waves - 1983-12-29 - Shepperton, UK (TV SBD)

Katrina & The Waves

1983-12-29 

Shepperton Film Studios

Shepperton, UK 

TV SBD recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. talk 

02. Que Te Quiero 

03. Game Of Love 

04. Do You Want Crying 

05. Walking on Sunshine 

06. Don't Take Her Out of My World 

07. Mexico 

08. Brown Eyed Son 

09. Maniac House 

10. talk 

11. I Really Taught Me To Watusi 

12. talk 

13. Monkey Town 

Katrina & The Waves - 1983-12-29 - Shepperton, UK (TV SBD) 

I saw Katrina & The Waves live once, leading on for Don Henley at Pier 43 in August 1985. The band was riding a huge wave of popularity thanks to the top 10 single, Walking on Sunshine! 

This TV soundboard recording captures Katrina & The Waves just about a year before their big chart success, in Shepperton on December 29, 1983, 42 years ago today.  NOTE - thanks to Albums That Should Exist for the original files.

The Turtles - 1987-12-28 - Bottom Line, NY, NY (Ex Aud)

The Turtles 

featuring Flo & Eddie

1987-12-28

Bottom Line

New York City, NY

Excellent Audience Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Opening Instrumental

02. Illegal, Immoral And Fattening

03. It Ain’t Me Babe

04. Bruce

05. Rebecca

06. Doors Medley

07. You Showed Me

08. I’m In A Dancing Mood

09. You Baby

10. Stairway To Heaven (French Parody)

11. Nikki Hoi

12. Another Pop Star’s Life

13. Just Another Town

14. She’d Rather Be With Me

15. Improvisation

16. Happy Together

17. Elenore

The Turtles - 1987-12-28 - Bottom Line, NY, NY (Ex Aud)

I saw The Turtles once, on December 31, 1986, to ring in the New Year at The Bottom Line in New York City.  The Turtles had originally disbanded in 1970, though the band co leaders, Howard Kaylan and Mark Volma, found a 2nd career as a musical comedy act known as Flo & Eddie. In 1984, the duo put The Turtles back together to headline an oldies tour, appropriately named The Happy Together Tour, after their best known tune! They also took the act to clubs around the United States.

This excellent audience recording captures The Turtles a year after I saw them live, again at the Bottom Line, on December 28, 1987, 38 years ago todaty!

The Clash - 1979-12-27 - London, UK (SBD)

The Clash

1979-12-27

Concerts For The People Of Kampuchea

Hammersmith Odeon

London, UK

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Bankrobber

02. Armigedeon Time

02. London Calling

The Clash - 1979-12-27 - London, UK (SBD)

I saw The Clash once in August 1982, a concert I've discussed in detail in my book since I almost missed it! In any event, 1982 turned out to be a star crossed year for the Clash. On one hand, the band achieved a new level of commercial success with the singles Rock The Casbah and Should I Stay or Should I Go. In addition, they received rave reviews for their live shows as the lead-in band for The Who’s “farewell tour”, during which they often times over shadowed the rock veterans. On the other hand, tensions between the band members had the band on the brink of destruction. They would go over the edge in 1983, when Mick Jones left the band, or was fired, depending on what account you read. 

This soundboard recording captures 3 songs from The Clash's set at the Concerts for Kampuchea on December 27, 1979, 46 years ago today. 

Jorma Kaukonen - 2020-12-26 - Pomeroy, OH (Webcast)

Jorma Kaukonen

2020-12-26

Quarantine Concert #32

Fur Peace Ranch

Pomeroy, OH

Webcast Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Introduction

02. Been So Long

03. I'll be Alright Some Day

04. River Of Time

05. Watch The North Wind Rise

06. Winin' Boy Blues

07. Follow The Drinking Gourd

08. Pancho & Left*

09. People Get Ready*

10. Trial By Fire

11. What Are They Doing In Heaven Today

12. Ode To Billy Dean

13. Embryonic Journey

*with John Hurlbut

Jorma Kaukonen - 2020-12-26 - Pomeroy, OH (Webcast)

I've only seen Jorma once, on July 14, 1979 in Asbury Park NJ. While my buddies and I we really enjoyed the acoustic set, we actually left halfway through the electric set, as the band seemed to be jamming endlessly, with little direction or purpose. That may have reflected the fact that Jorma himself was a bit directionless at the time, even experimenting with some punk music, which was far removed from his musical roots. Perhaps the fact he had cut his hair short and dyed it purple should have been a sign.

This webcast recording captures Jorma on December 20, 2020, 5 years ago today, at his ranch in Pomeroy. Jorma, like many other artists, kept in touch with is fans during the COVID quarantine period in 2020 by playing live shows and broadcasting them on the web.

Have A Happy & Peaceful Holiday!

Wishing everyone a happy, healthy and peaceful holiday season.

Peace on earth, goodwill to all!

Holiday Break

We'll be away for a few days celebrating Christmas with the family!

We'll be back posting shows on December 26.

Everyone have a great holiday!

And I leave you with videos from 2 of my very favorite Christmas songs - Christmas Auld Lang Syne, from the late, great Bobby Darin and Wonderful Christmas Time from Sir Paul McCartney!  

Jerry Garcia Band - 1977-12-23 - Berkeley, CA (FM)

Jerry Garcia Band
1977-12-23
The Keystone Palo Alto
Palo Alto, CA
FM Broadcast

320 kbps

Artwork Included

1st Set:
01. I Second That Emotion
02. Love In The Afternoon
03. Tore Up Over You
04. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down

2nd Set  
01. Midnight Moonlight
xx They Love Each Other (not broadcast)
xx. Don't Let Go >  (not broadcast)
xx. The Other One Jam >  (not broadcast)
xx. Don't Let Go  (not broadcast)

Jerry Garcia Band - 1977-12-23 - Berkeley, CA (FM)

Besides the 50 times I saw the Dead live, I attended 4 Jerry Garcia Band concerts in 3 different decades - in March 1978 at the Capitol Theater, in March 1980, also at the Capitol (a show that has been officially released), in August 1984 at Caldwell College and finally in November 1991 at Madison Square Garden. Garcia solo shows were like Dead concerts in some ways as some songs overlapped, the set lists were unpredictable and the jamming intense, but unlike them in others. Garcia on his own played an amazing variety of covers not found in the Dead's set lists, broke out some of his rarer solo tunes, and took far more solos than he would when jamming with the Dead. To sum it up, seeing Garcia solo was not seeing the Dead, and vice versa. I have a whole essay on that in my book.

This FM broadcast captures Garcia just a few months before I saw him live for the first time, in Berkeley on December 23, 1977, 4 dozen years ago today. As mentioned in numerous posts on this blog, 1977 was a magical year for Garcia and the Grateful Dead, so its a shame they didn't broadcast the rest of the 2nd set! Happy holidays!

Los Lobos - 2018-12-22 - Washington DC (SBD Matrix)

Los Lobos

2018-12-22

City Winery

Washington, DC

Soundboard Matrix Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

Acoustic Set:

01. Short Side of Nothing

02. Will the Wolf Survive?

03. Evangeline

04. The Rebel Kind

05. The Road to Gila Bend

06. Jupiter Or The Moon

07. Cinnamon Girl

08. Borinquen Patria Mía *

09. Teresa *

Electric Set:

10. Manny's Bones

11. Revolution

12. Rattlesnake Shake

13. La Venganza de los Pelados

14. Georgia Slop

15. Cortez the Killer ^

16. Up The Line ^

17. I'm Tore Down ^

18. Angel Dance ^

Encore:

19. La Bamba 

Notes:

- Cesar Rosas was not present.

- * Vincent Hidalgo on guitar

- ^ Taylor Scott on guitar

Los Lobos - 2018-12-22 - Washington DC (SBD Matrix)

I've seen Los Lobos live twice, on back to back nights in July 1989 as the lead in band for the Grateful Dead at Giants Stadium. Incredibly, the band did not join the Dead on stage either night, but the Neville Brothers sat in during Iko Iko on night 2!

This soundboard matrix recoding captures Los Lobos at City Winery in Washington DC on December 22, 2018, 7 years ago today.

Last Minute Holiday Gift - Re-Post of Holiday Shows

In the spirit of the season, we've just re-posted links for all of the following holiday shows! 

• Bruce Springsteen - 2000-12-17 - Asbury Park, NJ (SBD)
• Bruce Springsteen - 2001-12-06 - Asbury Park, NJ (SBD)
• Bruce Springsteen - 2001-12-07 - Asbury Park, NJ (SBD)
• Bruce Springsteen - 2001-12-08 - Asbury Park, NJ (SBD)
• Bruce Springsteen - 2003-12-08 - Asbury Park, NJ (SBD)
• Bruce Cockburn - 1992-12-20 - New York, NY (FM)
• Bruce Cockburn - 1995-12-17 - New York, NY (FM)
• Chicago - 1998-12-08 - Los Angles CA (FM)
• Eric Clapton - 1998-12-17 - Washington DC (SBD) 
• Glen Campbell - 1998-11-27 -  New Brunswick, NJ (SBD)
• James Taylor - 2015-12-02 - New York, NY (TV SBD)
• La Bamba's Christmas Show - 1984-12-23 - Red Bank, NJ (FM)
• La Bamba's Christmas Show - 1985-12-22 - Passaic, NJ (FM)
• Ronnie Spector & Darlene Love - 1988-12-22 - Bottom Line, NY, NY (Ex Aud)
• Ronnie Spector - 1989-12-22 - NY, NY (Early) (Ex Aud)
• Ronnie Spector - 1989-12-22 - NY, NY (Late) (Ex Aud)
• Ronnie Spector - 1989-12-23 - New York, NY (Late Show) (Ex Aud)

These new links, like all free ones, will expire in 30 to 60 days.  That said, don't hammer the links all at once - that's the fastest way for the host to delete them for overloading traffic.  Grab a show or two a day, then come back the next day for another couple, and so on.  NOTE: Go to the original post of each show to find the link,

Enjoy the tunz!

Bob Weir & John Cipollina - 1982-12-21 - Corte Madera, CA (SBD)

Bob Weir & John Cipollina

1982-12-21

Benefit for the Freedom Foundation

Uncle Charlie's

Corte Madeira, CA

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

1st Set:

01. Messin' With The Kid

02. San Francisco

03. Bring It Up

04. Can't Judge A Book...

05. Some banter and tuning

06. Wang Dang Doodle

07. Poison Ivy

08. Big River

09. Minglewood blues

10. Promised Land (end of set)

2nd Set:

11. San Francisco Bay Blues *

12. Muleskinner Blues *

13. Don't Think Twice *

14. Battle Of New Orleans

15. Mona

16. Women Are Smarter

17. Show Me The Way?

18. The Dance > Mona > Drums > Mona

*Ramblin' Jack Elliot Solo

Bob Weir & John Cipollina - 1982-12-21 - Corte Madera, CA (SBD)

While I went to 50 Grateful Dead concerts, I've only seen Bob Weir solo once, in July 1992 at the Meadowlands Summer Fest.  As mentioned earlier this month in our Bruce Cockburn post, that was concert arena set up in the parking lot at Giants Stadium.  I saw John Cipollin sit in as a special guest with the Grateful Dead at Lafeyette College on May 7, 1979.

This soundboard recording captures Weir and Cipollina playing together at a Benefit for The Freedom Foundation on December 21, 1982, 43 years ago today.

Marshall Crenshaw - 1985-12-20 - Philadelphia, PA (FM)

Marshall Crenshaw

1985-12-20

Empire Rock Club

Philadelphia, PA

WMMR-FM Broadcast

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Joe Bonadonna - WMMR-FM Intro

02. Blues Is King

03. Whenever You're On My Mind

04. Shake Rattle and Roll

05. Someday Someway

06. Mary Ann

07. Right Now

08. The Distance Between

09. Reet Petite

10. Little Wild One (No. 5)

11. Cynical Girl

12. Soldier Of Love

13. Encore Break

14. I'm Sorry (And So Is Brenda Lee)

15. There She Goes Again

Marshall Crenshaw - 1985-12-20 - Philadelphia, PA (FM)

Those of you have been long time visitors to So Many Roads know that Marshall Crenshaw is one of my favorite rockers, a musician whose talents, unfortunately, have simply never been appreciated by the masses. Famed critic Robert Christgau has heaped praise on Crenshaw’s first two albums, calling them perfect - go here to read the review. Trust him - he’s knows of what he speaks! Unfortunately, I've only gotten to see Crenshaw once, at the famed Maxwell's in Hoboken back in October 1996. I was supposed to see him again in March 2020 at the Stanhope House in New Jersey, but COVID cancelled that and its never been rescheduled.

In any event, this WMMR-FM broadcast captures Crenshaw in Philadephia on December 20, 1985, 4 decades ago today.  A big thanks to draftervoi at Voodoo Wagon for this one!

Bruce Hornsby - 2012-12-20 - Tarrytown, NY (Ex Aud)

Bruce Hornsby

2012-12-20

Tarrytown Music Hall

Tarrytown, NY

Excellent Audience Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Intro                                    

02. Sticks and Stones                     

03. The Road Not Taken                       

04. Preacher In The Ring Part 1               

05. The End Of The Innocence              

06. Invisible                                 

07. Paperboy                                 

08. Where's The Bat?                          

09. The Valley Road                          

10. The Way It Is                              

11. Nobody There But Me                        

12. Song in E-Flat Major >                     

13. Sad Moon                                   

14. I Can't Make You Love Me                   

15. Spider Fingers                             

16. Fortunate Son                              

17. The Dreaded Spoon                          

18. 20/20 Vision (And Walking Around Blind) > 

19. Night On The Town                          

Encore:

20. Mandolin Rain        

Bruce Hornsby - 2012-12-20 - Tarrytown, NY (Ex Aud)

               

Bruce Hornsby is one of those rare artists I've seen as a lead in performer, a solo headliner, and as part of a group. In May 1987, I saw him lead in for the Grateful Dead at Leguna Seca, the only Dead show I attended on the West Coast. Then between 1993 and 2018, my wife and I saw Bruce as the headliner on 6 different occasions, some shows solo, some with the Range, and some with the Nosiemakers. Then after 5 years without seeing Mr. Hornsby, we went to 2 of his shows earlier this year, a solo performance in March and a concert with the Noisemakes just 4 days ago! That makes Hornsby just 1 of 8 artists - the others are the Grateful Dead, Paul McCartney, The Band, Los Lobos, Robert Cray, Joe Jackson and Bruce Springsteen - that I have seen 2 or more times in the same year. On top of that, we saw him 9 times as a member of the Grateful Dead in 1990 and 1991 combined! By the way, if you like keeping track of those kind of statistics releated to the comcerts you have attended, my book has a chapter filled with them that I'm sure you'' enjoy.

This excellent audience recording captures Hornsby playing a solo show in Tarrytown on December 20, 2012, 13 years ago today.

Rockpile - 1980-12-19 - Los Angeles, CA (TV SBD)

Rockpile

1980-12-19

Fridays (TV program)

Studio 55

ABC Television Center 

Los Angeles, CA

TV Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Big Blon' Baby

02. Knife And Fork

03. Teacher Teacher

Rockpile - 1980-12-19 - Los Angeles, CA (TV SBD)

I saw Rockpile just once, on July 8, 1979 at Belmont Race Track. I was 20 years old in the summer of 1979, and basically my life consisted of what girl could I date, what beer could I drink, and what concert could I get tickets to. I think I may have been most successful at the 3rd of those 3 things. In July, for example, I saw concerts on 3 straight Saturday nights, Stephen Stills on July 7, Jorma Kaukonen on July 14 and the Allman Brothers on July 21. Having dedicated Saturdays in July to classic rock, I used a Sunday to take in 2 of the "new wave" bands that were then all the rage. On Sunday, July 8, my buddies and I drove to Belmont Race Track in Long Island to catch a double bill of Blondie and Rockpile! I'll be honest, I don't remember much about the day for a variety of reasons. First, having seen Stephen Stills the night before, there were some after effects that lingered into Sunday, if you know what I mean. Second, the car ride took over 2.5 hours due to summer beach traffic, which didn't help my condition. Finally, it was hot as hell that day, which also didn't help me in overcoming the the residual effects from Saturday night. I do remember, however, the contrast in styles between the folks at Belmont for the concert and those who were there for the horse racing. On one hand, you had the 20 year old new wavers with big hair, funky glasses, neon colored, leggings, skinny ties, etc. On the other hand, you had old men, with cigars, in button down short sleeve shirts, looking like Oscar Madison from the Odd Couple. In any event, I don't really recall how well either band played that July afternoon, a real shame since I was (and still am) a huge fan of Rockpile, thanks in large part to Nick Lowe's Pure Pop For Now People disc (Jesus of Cool in the UK) and Dave Edmund's Repeat When Necessary album. I also remember, that Rockpile opened with the highly appropriate The Race is On! By the way, if you like what you just read, then you'll definitely enjoy my book! 

This TV soundboard recording captures Rockpile about 18 months after I saw them, on the television program Fridays, on December 19, 1980, 45 years ago today. The show was the embodiment of the  television business being a copycat industry. ABC's show Friday's was theie unsuccsssful attempt to duplicate what NBC has done with Saturday Night Live. Launched in 1980, Friday's lasted just 2 years (SNL is still runninga half century after its launch in 1975!) but it did feature some excellent new wave and punk artists as musical guests. 

Paul McCartney - 2024-12-19 - London, UK (IEM)

Paul McCartney 

2024-12-19

The O2

London UK

IEM Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

CD 1:

01. Introduction

02. A Hard Day's Night

03. Junior's Farm

04. Letting Go

05. Drive My Car

06. Got To Get You Into My Life

07. Come On To Me

08. Let Me Roll It

09. Getting Better

10. Let 'Em In

11. My Valentine

12. Nineteen Hundred And Eighty-Five

13. Maybe I'm Amazed

14. I've Just Seen A Face

15. In Spite Of All the Danger

16. Love Me Do

17. Dance Tonight

18. Blackbird

19. Here Today

 

CD 2:

01. Now And Then

02. Lady Madonna

03. Jet

04. Being For The Benefit Of Mr. Kite!

05. Something

06. Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da

07. Band On The Run

08. Wonderful Christmastime* 

09. Macca talks about his stolen bass

10. Get Back**

11. Let It Be

12. Live and Let Die 

13. Hey Jude

 

CD 3:

01. I've Got a Feeling

02. Introduction of Ringo Starr

03. Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise)*** 

04. Helter Skelter 

05. Golden Slumbers

06. Carry That Weight

07. The End

* with The Capital Choir

** with Ronnie Wood

*** with Ringo Starr

Paul McCartney - 2024-12-19 -  London, UK (IEM)

I've seen Sir Paul 9 times, and the last 4, in 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2022, I went with both my wife and my twin boys. We started that run back in June 2015, a Father's Day show in Philadelphia, which was also the first concert my boys ever went to! The set list that night included the tune Macca wrote for Destiny, one of my boy's favorite video games. We followed that up with an August 7, 2016 show at Giants Stadium on what what would have been my Dad's 83rd birthday had he not passed away in 2012. Sir Paul broke out Birthday that night, the first time I had ever heard him play that song live. Then on September 15, 2017, at Madison Square Garden on my Mom's 85th birthday, Paul entertained us as almost no other performer can, telling stories, paying tribute to lost friends and lovers, playing over 40 songs scanning almost 60 years of musical history. He played Jet, my boy's favorite McCartney tune, a song that had been missing from the 2 previous shows they attended.  And then, as I mentioned in my Springsteen post earlier this month, he brought Bruce and Miami Steve on stage for what turned out to be back to back renditions of I Saw her Standing There.  Most recently, just a few weeks ago on July 16, 2022, the 4 of us Saw Sir Paul at Met Life stadium, just 2 days before his 80th birthday!  Another 3 hour masterpiece, and another guest appearance by Springsteen, for 2 songs, his Glory days and The Beatles I Wanna Be Your Man, plus he sat in during the closing Abbey Road medley to add some blistering guitar work. The encore included a 2nd guest appearance, by a virtual John Lennon.  using footage from the Rooftop Concert, Paul and John did a virtual duet on I've Got A Feeling, and there wasn't a dry eye in the house. Given Sir Paul's age, I may never get to see him live again, but the memories, especially from the last 4 shows, will last forever. 

This soundboard recording captures Sir Paul in London on December 19, 2024, just 1 year ago today.  Macca had gone back out of the road in late 2024, bringing the Got Back tour to South America, where he had also played in 2023, and to Europe, his first shows on that continent since before the pandemic. This show brought the tour to end in grand fashion, with a performance of Wonderful Christmastime accompanied by The Capital Choir, a guest appearance by Ronnie Wood on Get Back, the reappearnce of his bass guitar that had been missing for 50 years, and finally, a reunion with his fellow surviving Beatle, Ringo Starr on Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) and Helter Skelter! By the way, I included an audience recording of the show as well as it contains the soundcheck for the show, which was not part of the IEM recording.

Just In Time For The Holidays: The Updated & Expanded 2025 Edition of TEN RULES OF THE ROAD I LEARNED AT MY FIRST CONCERT

The book with a 4.4 star rating on Amazon just got even better - welcome to the updated and expanded 2025 edition of TEN RULES OF THE ROAD I LEARNED AT MY FIRST CONCERT: AN ORDINARY GUY'S LIFETIME OF LIVE ROCK & ROLL!

The new edition is 582 pages, with over 250 pages of brand new content including:

• updates elements to every section of the book – the rules, the essays, the concert summaries, and the statistics.
• more tales from my 20th century concert adventures that I dredged out of my memory that didn't make the first edition
• details of all the shows I’ve attended since 2021, after the first edition was published, until today
• complete re-writes of Rules #2, #5, #6, #7, # 8 and #10, as well as the Grateful Dead essay, have been almost completely re-written. 
• consolidating the Song Selection essays from three to two but adding more songs to each remaining chapter in the process, doubling the number of tunes covered from 40 to 80. 
• replacing the discarded song essay, with a new one about the relationship between rock & roll and Broadway, a unique pairing that only really came into focus for me in the last year or so. 
• adding numerous new charts/tables to the statistics section
• quadrupling the number of setlists from shows I attended.  
• re-editing the entire book to clean up some areas that either seemed cumbersome or didn’t flow well 
• reformatting the entire book to give it a more professional look and feel. 

Countless "truth is stranger than fiction" tales, 177 magical concerts, 100 unique bands, 50 years of finding a way to the next show, and 10 Rules Of The Road all add up to 1 ordinary guy's extraordinary love letter to live rock & roll.  

It's bigger! It's  better! It's the perfect holiday gift for the rock and roll fan in your life!  And the paperback is still only $14.99!

Read a sample here!   

Buy it here!

NOTE - PLEASE STICK TO THE PAPERBACK AT THIS POINT - STILL WORKING WITH AMAZON TO RESOLVE THE KINDLE ISSUES

Santana - 1969-12-18 - San Francisco, CA (SBD)

Santana

1969-12-18

Winterland

San Francisco, CA

Soundboard Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

 

01. Conquistadore Rides Again

02. You Just Don't Care

03. Fried Neckbones And Some Home Fries

04. Waiting

05. Treat

06. Gumbo

07. Evil Ways

08. Shades Of Time > Savor

09. Jingo

10. Persuasion

11. Soul Sacrifice PT 1

12. Shrieve Solo

13. Soul Sacrifice PT 2

Santana - 1969-12-18 - San Francisco, CA (SBD)

On July 7, 1981, I saw Carlos Santana in concert for the first time. I was about a month removed from college graduation, and enjoying a summer off before starting business school in the fall. We had gone hoping that Carlos would play Open Invitation, and he delivered. You, see, when I was in college, a cover band called Yasgur’s Farm usually played Open Invitation to close their shows, which in a beer induced haze, probably sounded way better than it really was. In any event, that sort of became a theme song for my group of friends. Finally hearing Carlos play it live was one of the highlights of my concert journey.. I would get to see Carlos again in 1986 as part of the Crack Down concerts at Madison Square Garden, which all featured CSN and the Allman Brothers. The jam session at the end of the night saw Carlos, Dickie Betts, and Stephen Stills all on stage at once! 

This soundboard recording captures Santana years before I saw them live, on their home turf in San Francisco on December 18, 1969, 56 years ago today. About 5 months earlier, the band had played Woodstock, which propelled them to stadom. Their incendiary performance was featured in the movie and and their debut album, released on August 30, 1969, climbed to #4 on the Billboard charts.

Bruce Cockburn - 1995-12-17 - New York, NY (FM)

Bruce Cockburn 

with Jonathan Brooke, Patty Larkin & Peter Stuart 

1995-12-17

Sony Music Studios

New York, NY 

FM broadcast

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. introduction

02. Joy Will Find A Way

03. chat 1

04. The Coming Rains

05. The First Noel

06. Tango (Patty Larkin)

07. chat 2

08. Small Wonder (Peter Stuart)

09. O Come, O Come Emmanuel (with Jonatha Brooke)

10. chat 3

11. Don't Explain (Patty Larkin)

12. chat 4

13. Is This All (Jonatha Brooke)

14. chat 5

15. War (with Jonatha Brooke)

16. Joy Will Find A Way (reprise)

17. closing credits

Bruce Cockburn - 1995-12-17 - New York, NY (FM)

I saw Bruce Cockburn as the lead in band for Bob Weir in the summer of 1992. Cockburn also joined Weir during the encore of The Weight. The show was part of the Meadowlands Summer Fest series of concerts, which believe it or not, took place in the PARKING LOT of Giants stadium. The ever resourceful John Scher, a promoter who never let anything stand in the way of making a buck, put up a stage and some retractable stands in the lot, put a fence around it, and lo and behold, created a concert venue! You can read more about Mr. Scher and other crazy venues used for concerts in my book, TEN RULES OF THE ROAD I LEARNED AT MY FIRST CONCERT.

In any event, this FM broadcast captures Cockburn in New York on December 17, 1995, 3 decades ago today. In the early 1990s, Bruce Cockburn performed a series of annual Christmas concerts, broadcast from Sony Music Studios. He was often joined by special guests for those shows, as he is with this peformance.

Van Morrison - 1992-12-16 - San Francisco, CA (Ex Aud)

Van Morrison

1992-12-16

Masonic Auditorium

San Francisco CA

Excellen Audience Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

CD 1:

01. Ordinary Life 

02. I'm Not Feeling It Anymore 

03. Why Must I Always Explain 

04. See Me Through > Soldier Of Fortune 

05. Tore Down A La Rimbaud 

06. Haunts Of Ancient Peace 

07. All Saints Day 

08. Sweet Thing 

09. Youth Of A Thousand Summers

10. So Quiet In Here > That's Where It's At 

11. A Town Called Paradise 

12. Did Ye Get Healed? 

13. It's All In The Game > Make It Real One More Time

CD 2:

01. Lonely Avenue 

02. Cleaning Windows

03. Vanlose Stairway 

04. Moondance > My Funny Valentine 

05. Gloria 

06. Route 66 

07. It's All Over Now Baby Blue 

08. In The Garden > Daring Night 

09. What'd I Say 

10. Northern Muse (Solid Ground) > No Prima Donna 

Van Morrison - 1992-12-16 - San Francisco, CA (Ex Aud)

I've seen Van Morrison 7 times, across 3 decades - the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s - and each time has been unique. Van changes up the set list from tour to tour, and you never know what mood he'll be in for a concert. For example, his September 1990 show at the Garden State Art's Center was a contemplative, introspective performance. In contrast, his April 1992 concert at the Paramount in New York was an upbeat religious celebration. Then again, his 1989 show at The Beacon Theatre was a bluesy affair, with a guest appearance by John Lee Hooker. With Van, you never quite know what you'll be seeing or hearing, which is part of the fun. As much as my wife and I love seeing Van, however, he's lived up to Rule #7 in my book: "The Set List - The Bad News - The Band Will Never Play Everything You Want To Hear." You see, he's yet to play Someone Like You, which is our wedding song, at any of the 7 concerts we've attened. Maybe next time.

In any event, this excellent audience recording captures Van in San Francisco on December 16, 1992, 33 years ago today.

Just In Time For The Holidays: The Updated & Expanded 2025 Edition of TEN RULES OF THE ROAD I LEARNED AT MY FIRST CONCERT

The book with a 4.4 star rating on Amazon just got even better - welcome to the updated and expanded 2025 edition of TEN RULES OF THE ROAD I LEARNED AT MY FIRST CONCERT: AN ORDINARY GUY'S LIFETIME OF LIVE ROCK & ROLL!

The new edition is 582 pages, with over 250 pages of brand new content including:

• updates elements to every section of the book – the rules, the essays, the concert summaries, and the statistics.
• more tales from my 20th century concert adventures that I dredged out of my memory that didn't make the first edition
• details of all the shows I’ve attended since 2021, after the first edition was published, until today
• complete re-writes of Rules #2, #5, #6, #7, # 8 and #10, as well as the Grateful Dead essay, have been almost completely re-written. 
• consolidating the Song Selection essays from three to two but adding more songs to each remaining chapter in the process, doubling the number of tunes covered from 40 to 80. 
• replacing the discarded song essay, with a new one about the relationship between rock & roll and Broadway, a unique pairing that only really came into focus for me in the last year or so. 
• adding numerous new charts/tables to the statistics section
• quadrupling the number of setlists from shows I attended.  
• re-editing the entire book to clean up some areas that either seemed cumbersome or didn’t flow well 
• reformatting the entire book to give it a more professional look and feel. 

Countless "truth is stranger than fiction" tales, 177 magical concerts, 100 unique bands, 50 years of finding a way to the next show, and 10 Rules Of The Road all add up to 1 ordinary guy's extraordinary love letter to live rock & roll.  

It's bigger! It's  better! It's the perfect holiday gift for the rock and roll fan in your life!  And the paperback is still only $14.99!

Read a sample here!   

Buy it here!

NOTE - PLEASE STICK TO THE PAPERBACK AT THIS POINT - STILL WORKING WITH AMAZON TO RESOLVE THE KINDLE ISSUES

U2 - 2023-12-15 - Las Vegas, NV (IEM Matrix)

U2

2023-12-15

The Sphere

Las Vegas, NV

IEM Matrix Recording

320 kbps

Artwork Included

01. Intro

02. Zoo Station

03. The Fly

04. Even Better Than the Real Thing

05. Mysterious Ways

06. One

07. Love Me Tender

08. Until the End of the World

09. Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses

10. Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the World

11. City of Blinding Lights

12. Pride (In The Name Of Love)

13. I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

14. Christmas, Baby Please Come Home

15. Acrobat

16. So Cruel

17. Ultraviolet (Light My Way)

18. Love Is Blindness

19. Intro to Elevation

20. Elevation

21. Atomic City

22. Vertigo

23. Where the Streets Have No Name

24. With or Without You

25. Beautiful Day

26. Outro

U2 - 2023-12-15 - Las Vegas, NV (IEM Matrix)

I've seen U2 twice - once in August 1992 during the ZooTV tour and then again in October 2001, after the tragedy on 9-11, when the band's emotional tribute to the victims provided a much needed catharsis for us all. You can check out my book, TEN RULES OF THE ROAD I LEARNED AT MY FIRST CONCERT to learn the story of the time I tried to see U2 on November 24, 1981 at a club called Hitsville which didn't quite work out as planned. 

This IEM Matrix recording captures U2 just 2 years ago today, on December 15, 2023, at the then brand new Sphere venue in Las Vegas. They were became the first band to play at Sphere, an innovative 18,000 seat arena located at the Venetian Hotel. Other bands to follow in U2's footsteps included Dead & Company and The Eagles. Sphere, per Wikipedia "is being marketed for its immersive video and audio capabilities, which include a 16K resolution wraparound interior LED screen, speakers with beamforming and wave field synthesis technologies, and 4D physical effects. The venue's exterior also features 580,000 sq ft of LED displays. Sphere measures 366 feet  high and 516 feet. The arena cost $2.3 billion, making it the most expensive entertainment venue built in the Las Vegas Valley."