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Concerts this summer for old geezers.

I've been to the outlaw music festival three times in the past few years (Holmdel, Camden, and Philly) and seen some crazy good acts - Sturgill Simpson, Van Morrison, TTB, Government Mule, and, of course, Willie.

But I've never been as excited for a concert as I am for Jason Isbell's show this Friday night in New Brunswick. I've never seen him live, but I love that dude's music.
How was Van Morrison? One of my biggest regrets is skipping out on his set at jazz fest a few years ago for Pearl Jam.

I’m leaning towards Maple Fest for Jason Isbell but the wife seems more interested in outlaw, can’t really go wrong with Govt mule, so I’d be ok with it.

Baby 3 just arrived last month so we are a bit limited on the amount of shows we can go
 
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I once saw Vanilla Ice dance with four teenage ninja turtles. 😎
Winner winner chicken dinner!
 
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Can attest to that. Last summer I was sipping on a glass of strawberry milk at a small local pub here in Johnstown and out of nowhere Darius walks in. He was a super cool guy and had no problem going to the mic and singing Wagon Wheel for the peeps. Never asked why the hell he was in Johnstown but came to find out he was in town to play some golf at Sunnehanna Country Club and celebrate with Jimbo Colvert and his induction into NFL Hall of Fame.
You guys almost had me thinking Rucker is a great guy ... and then he travels to hang out with a Pitt football player.
 
One of the most amazing concerts I ever saw was in Hershey in 1974. ELP was on tour promoting their Welcome Back My Friends album and a bunch of us who were working at 3 Mile Island piled into a van and drove up to see them. They played for about 3 hours, left the stage and then came back for an encore to play Pictures at an Exhibition which takes around 30 minutes to perform. It was really amazing how much music 3 guys could generate. I’m still saddened about the more recent demise of Keith Emerson and Greg Lake. They were one of a kind.
 
In summer of '69, (wasn't there a song about that?) three of us got in a car and headed for Woodstock. We were about half way from Harrisburg to the Northern border of PA when we heard an announcement on the radio that the traffic was backed up for 100 miles in every direction. Consequently, we decided to abort. We later learned that the radio announcement was BS, and they did it to try to keep more people from showing up. I still kick myself today for being so gullible that we missed the greatest live concert event in US history.

However, a few years later I did make it to the Summer Jam in Watkins Glen, NY. If you're not familiar with that one, look it up on the Internet. An estimated crowd of around 600,000 people showed up, and it was at that time the largest crowd ever assembled in the US! Lots of vendors had set up shop selling forbidden herbs and chemical compounds but no police were there to discourage their commerce.
I always like how many people say they Did attend Woodstock. I belong to a local historical society and one of our members said she did attend the event.

After talking to her for awhile she checked all the boxes as to being there. She was the correct age, grew up about 60 miles from Bethel, New York and when I asked her what is was like to see Jimi Hendrix play she said she missed seeing him. She and her sister and friends had to leave as they had to be back to work on Monday.

A great book about Woodstock and how it happened on the business side is "Young Men With Unlimited Capital" . It was written by Joel Rosenman and John Roberts who funded the event and lost a ton of money in the process.
 
I'll be at the Doobie Brothers concert on 6/8 as well with the wife. Waited two years for it.
Maybe I will see you there. I'll be in the third row aisle (center section) wearing my brand new 2022 national champs shirt. LOL. What sold me on this tour is that Micheal McDonald has joined in. That makes the concert a nice mix of their songs,
 
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When I first started working concerts I was on the Overhire List. You know what concerts are coming to town and you sit by the phone hoping you will be called to work. They may be already setting up or tearing down and if someone doesn't show you get a call and fly into work.

That happened to me about 4 years ago with Roger Waters. By the time I got there, the concert was over and I looked at his video screen that ran the length of the arena and thought shyte that would have been great to see live.

My dilemma is that Roger Waters is coming back to Pittsburgh's PPG Arena.

However the same night, Carlos Santana is out at the Starlake Amphitheater.

Santana is legendary in being called up on stage at Bill Graham's Fillmore West as a teenager and being mentored by Jerry Garcia. He's #20 on Rolling Stone Magazine greatest guitarist. Played Woodstock.

I can work either and watch the show. Who would you pick to work and watch?
 
When I first started working concerts I was on the Overhire List. You know what concerts are coming to town and you sit by the phone hoping you will be called to work. They may be already setting up or tearing down and if someone doesn't show you get a call and fly into work.

That happened to me about 4 years ago with Roger Waters. By the time I got there, the concert was over and I looked at his video screen that ran the length of the arena and thought shyte that would have been great to see live.

My dilemma is that Roger Waters is coming back to Pittsburgh's PPG Arena.

However the same night, Carlos Santana is out at the Starlake Amphitheater.

Santana is legendary in being called up on stage at Bill Graham's Fillmore West as a teenager and being mentored by Jerry Garcia. He's #20 on Rolling Stone Magazine greatest guitarist. Played Woodstock.

I can work either and watch the show. Who would you pick to work and watch?
On a personal and musical opinion Santana all the way. Now if it were David Gilmore then I would see an issue.
 
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One other note, Rolling Stone Magazine lists Keith Richards as the 4th best ever.

When the Stones came to Pittsburgh last Septemberand they did their sound check, all workers were sent out of the Stadium and underneath to the tunnel. You could hear the sound check but not see it. Mick sang a couple of songs with the band then stopped. Then there was a pause and there was only a guitar playing. It stopped then another guitar.

I asked the Roadie what was happening and he told me Keith was not happy with some of the sound coming from his guitars in the last city and wanted to work things out before tonight's concert.

Keith is 78 years old. He could mail it in but that to me is professionalism and why he sits a #4 of all time best.
 
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One other note, Rolling Stone Magazine lists Keith Richards as the 4th best ever.

When the Stones came to Pittsburgh last Septemberand they did their sound check, all workers were sent out of the Stadium and underneath to the tunnel. You could hear the sound check but not see it. Mick sang a couple of songs with the band then stopped. Then there was a pause and there was only a guitar playing. It stopped then another guitar.

I asked the Roadie what was happening and he told me Keith was not happy with some of the sound coming from his guitars in the last city and wanted to work things out before tonight's concert.

Keith is 78 years old. He could mail it in but that to me is professionalism and why he sits a #4 of all time best.
Their algorithm needs tweaked.
 
Just realized that Robert Plant and Allison Krauss are touring this summer. Last I saw them was in 2008, at the Mud Island Ampitheater in Memphis. They did a few of his songs, a few of her songs, a few Zeppelin songs, and a few of their songs from the Raising Sand album. Going in, I had no idea what to expect. Lead singer of one of the greatest rock bands of all time, coupled with a folk and bluegrass star? What would THAT sound like?

Their takes on everything they did that night were amazing. They made Zeppelin blue-grassy, Union Station rock-y, and their stuff was just cool. I like to play some of the Raising Sand stuff on restaurant and bar juke boxes, and ask people to guess who is singing.

Anyway, I just told Mrspa that we're going to Saratoga for the show on June 3. Easy sell, considering we spent ten years there when two of the boys were young, and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center is a great venue.

Here's the schedule, for those interested. https://www.songkick.com/artists/2244765-robert-plant-and-alison-krauss/calendar
 
saw tops and tempts. only 1 guy in each group is an original and still walking (sort of) planet earth, but as such they can still use the name Four Tops and Temptations. Both were quite good however.
 
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saw tops and tempts. only 1 guy in each group is an original and still walking (sort of) planet earth, but as such they can still use the name Four Tops and Temptations. Both were quite good however.
Kinda like "Boston?"
 
When I first started working concerts I was on the Overhire List. You know what concerts are coming to town and you sit by the phone hoping you will be called to work. They may be already setting up or tearing down and if someone doesn't show you get a call and fly into work.

That happened to me about 4 years ago with Roger Waters. By the time I got there, the concert was over and I looked at his video screen that ran the length of the arena and thought shyte that would have been great to see live.

My dilemma is that Roger Waters is coming back to Pittsburgh's PPG Arena.

However the same night, Carlos Santana is out at the Starlake Amphitheater.

Santana is legendary in being called up on stage at Bill Graham's Fillmore West as a teenager and being mentored by Jerry Garcia. He's #20 on Rolling Stone Magazine greatest guitarist. Played Woodstock.

I can work either and watch the show. Who would you pick to work and watch?
I saw Carlos in 1982 or 83... Clapton as well... Carlos was the better show. Only bad part as they are getting old... but if Carlos is going to play and not have a partner carrying him at times... I vote for him...
 
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One other note, Rolling Stone Magazine lists Keith Richards as the 4th best ever.

When the Stones came to Pittsburgh last Septemberand they did their sound check, all workers were sent out of the Stadium and underneath to the tunnel. You could hear the sound check but not see it. Mick sang a couple of songs with the band then stopped. Then there was a pause and there was only a guitar playing. It stopped then another guitar.

I asked the Roadie what was happening and he told me Keith was not happy with some of the sound coming from his guitars in the last city and wanted to work things out before tonight's concert.

Keith is 78 years old. He could mail it in but that to me is professionalism and why he sits a #4 of all time best.
ummm... never thought of Keith as one of the greatest guitar players... I'd take Neil over him. Although the 'walking dead' Keith has the longevity
 
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The last three concerts I’ve attended were:

The Wiggles at Wilkes-Barre
The Imagination Movers at Hershey
The Wiggles at Hershey

The Imagination Movers were quite good. Not kidding. :)
You need Blippi
 
One of the most amazing concerts I ever saw was in Hershey in 1974. ELP was on tour promoting their Welcome Back My Friends album and a bunch of us who were working at 3 Mile Island piled into a van and drove up to see them. They played for about 3 hours, left the stage and then came back for an encore to play Pictures at an Exhibition which takes around 30 minutes to perform. It was really amazing how much music 3 guys could generate. I’m still saddened about the more recent demise of Keith Emerson and Greg Lake. They were one of a kind.
i was at that very show. They had a quad sound system and when they did the end of side one of Brain Salad Surgery, the sound whipped around the arena in a wonderful way. Ironically, a high school friend of mine worked at TMI for years (after the near meltdown).
 
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i was at that very show. They had a quad sound system and when they did the end of side one of Brain Salad Surgery, the sound whipped around the arena in a wonderful way. Ironically, a high school friend of mine worked at TMI for years (after the near meltdown).
Wow - you remember that too! My head was almost spinning at the end of that concert. Those guys were really amazing. I had a chance to see ELP much later in San Diego where they played to a smaller venue. My seat was near the front and on the left side so I got to watch Keith Emerson pretty closely. Watching his hands fly across the keyboard reminded me of a Bruce Lee fight scene. I've seen several opinions that rank him as one of the best keyboard artists of all time, and that includes accomplished classical pianists! I was sick to my stomach when I heard the news about his suicide in 2016.

BTW - I read somewhere that there is a sci-fi movie in the works that's based on Karn Evil 9. What a fitting tribute to a great trio of musicians.
 
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The only time I had front row seats at a concert that large was Tedeschi Trucks at the Beacon a few years back. Managed to take some shots until the ushers stopped me because I had a pro camera. Great live show.

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Just added them to my list . July at PNC Pavilion in Charlotte. For those that never heard of them take a listen.

 
i was at that very show. They had a quad sound system and when they did the end of side one of Brain Salad Surgery, the sound whipped around the arena in a wonderful way. Ironically, a high school friend of mine worked at TMI for years (after the near meltdown).
PS One more thing that might interest you in particular. Do you live near Hershey? Way back in summer of 1974, a friend of mine and I went to a popular bar/nightclub called Martini's that was on the south end of Hershey right off of 743 going to Elizabethtown. You old timers might remember my friend, Chris Black, who was OW at the EIWA tournament in 1972.

Anyway, we were walking around inside for a while and guess who came over to talk to us - Andy Matter! He was doing his student teaching internship in Hershey at the same time. We had a pretty good time with him that night - he was a bit of a party animal when he was young. I think he moved on to a different career when he got a little older.
 
You guys are killing me. I can tell it's going to be a long summer trying to get any work done. The other day I wasted over an hour watching Pink Panther outakes on Youtube after the Chief Inspector Dreyfus gif was posted.
Yesterday it was Santana and ELP videos. Today it's' PJ research. I barely have time for Mark Felton and Paul Harrell. The carbonara/guanciale research was epic. Primo vs Big Green Egg; the list goes on and on. Oh well, that's what makes this board great.
 
Just added them to my list . July at PNC Pavilion in Charlotte. For those that never heard of them take a listen.

Observing the best guitar player list discussions here, I'll just opine that Derek Trucks is better than Clapton, and for an apples to apples comparison, you can see him rip Layla apart here in a way Clapton never has.



Even when Trucks was only 13 he had mastered the coda:

 
Observing the best guitar player list discussions here, I'll just opine that Derek Trucks is better than Clapton, and for an apples to apples comparison, you can see him rip Layla apart here in a way Clapton never has.



Even when Trucks was only 13 he had mastered the coda:

He has a whole bunch of Duane Allman in his playing.
 
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