Annual Backyard Concert Review
"Ola. Long time since I last rapped at ya," as I am prone to saying/stealing when unable to come up with a good opening sentence after being incommunicado for over a week. Computer problems. The kind that only comes with teenage boys and on-line computer games involving credit cards, strangers and router-things on your modem. More viruses than the staff-room at the Dearness Home on a Sunday when the Masters Golf Tournament goes into overtime.
Anyway, that's why I wasn't able to post my preview article about The Sweet before they made their appearance last Friday at the Classic Rock Fest at Harris Park - a.k.a. 'Rock the Park.' Oh well, maybe they'll be back next year.
Normally, I enjoy the four-day fest from my backyard or upstairs bedroom where I am trying to get some sleep before going into work for the midnight shift. My backyard is the equivalent of about four blocks away and depending on the wind, I can hear the whole thing perfectly while sitting in a vinyl lawnchair in the privacy of my own V.I.P. section and drink stuff not available in the Beer Tent four blocks away. I can even smoke a cigarette if I want - if a smoker happens to drop in to hear a free concert.
But once again, the Loud Minority of this town has ruined it for me. They've done it before in the past at the same event with the return of Alice Cooper.
This time it was because of Ted Nugent who was the headliner on Wednesday night. I'm not a big fan of The Nuge, although I'm willing to admit to an admiration for 'Cat-Scratch Fever.' However, I am a fan of Ted, the Man. One of my favorite quotes was when he talked about his clean, healthy non-rock'n'roll lifestyle. "I don't need drugs or booze," explained Ted. "I get a much bigger high just from a nice piece of ass. Or a good steak for that matter."
Anyone who can be offensive and witty at the same time is alright by me.
And Ted likes everyone to know just how witty he is. That night, from my bedroom - with all the windows closed and the air-conditioner on, I could still hear his song introductions - word by word. "What you have up here is the greatest rock band in the world!" he modestly tells everyone before going on to prove that his real talent is for exaggeration.
It should come as no surprise to anyone in this town, that when Ted plays, it's LOUD. And it truly was last Wednesday night.
And of course, this being London, (a.k.a. Hicksville, Ohio,) people complained. They complained to their city council members, they complained to the police, to the newspaper and the morning talk-radio stations.
A total of 12 complaints. A dozen people let everyone know that they did not appreciate all that noise keeping them awake till 11:00. And we're talking P.M. here too. And on a weeknight no less.
So of course, the next night, whilst I was sitting in the backyard waiting to hear Joan Jett and the Blackheads (the only band of interest on Thursday night,) I noticed that the sound was turned down waaaay lower than usual. When Joan came on, I heard one song that I recognized. And that was only because Joan was the only one on the bill that night who knew anything about writing a song with something called a 'melody.'
Same thing the next evening. Friday night. No one has to work the next day, right? It's the weekend. Time to Rock the Park. Time to crank it up to '11.' Because THE SWEET were playing! Or at least the original bass-player and his new version of The Sweet were playing. Surely, the cops and the Parks-and-Recreational authorities would allow organizers to crank it up for The Sweet. Even though they were coming on at 6:30, (true, it was the supper hour but surely most Londoners in the neigbourhoods around the Forks of the Thames, site of Harris Park, would have been finished saying 'Grace' by that point,) this was The SWEET! One of the best bubblegum bands to come out of England in the early 70s. We all know the hits - 'Funny Funny,' 'Co-Co,' 'Chop-Chop,' 'Tom-Tom Turnaround,' 'Little Willy,' and of course, 'Wig-Wam Bam.'
Would this new version of the Sweet be playing all those favorites? Or would they be going for the obvious crowd-pleasers like 'Fox on the Run' or 'Action' or 'Ballroom Blitz'?
I'd like to tell you the answer to that, but I can't because again - the volume was turned down sooooo low that I was lucky to have even been able to barely catch a few riffs of 'Hellraiser' in the breeze.
All because a few self-appointed guardians of the city's bedtime hours complained to the media and the authorities. All 12 of them. Proof once again that all it takes is a few bad apples to ruin it for everyone.
We sat in the backyard when company came over on Saturday for the final night. The volume was up to a decent level so it didn't sound like we were listening to it on a cheap transister radio.
Mark Farner brought back memories of Grand Funk Railroad. Great use of the cowbell to open 'American Band,' although I was disappointed not to hear their hit,'I'm Your Captain,' from their earlier funkier years.
Or maybe I just missed it. Because before Mark's set was over, I was sufficiently overcome with nostalgia for that era, I ran in the house and brought out my tape-deck with 'Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band LIVE at Cobo Hall'.
Back in '73. Or '75. And when native-Michigonian Bob stopped mid-way through 'Nutbush City Limits' to relate that anecdote about "Hello, Motor City! You know, I was just reading in 'Rolling Stone' the other day and this guy said that Detroit audiences are the best audiences in the world.' ... And I said to myself, 'Shit, I've known that for 10-years!' "
... and all of Cobo Hall went nuts at that point.
Kinda like how all those 12 people who had complained earlier in the week, went nuts when, for the final set of the night - and the end of this year's rock fest, organizers cranked up the volume for Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings. "Finally, finally, something we can enjoy!" they all shouted.
They then ran down to the river to call out, "Burton, please, please, please, play 'These Eyes'! But not tooo loud. Our grandchildren are asleep in Byron."
I never did get to hear much of Bachman-Cummings. I don't like/dislike them. Musically, it sounded good from what I did hear.
But quite frankly, after three or four drinks on a Saturday night, I'm in more of a Bobby Goldsboro kinda mood.
Anyway, that's why I wasn't able to post my preview article about The Sweet before they made their appearance last Friday at the Classic Rock Fest at Harris Park - a.k.a. 'Rock the Park.' Oh well, maybe they'll be back next year.
Normally, I enjoy the four-day fest from my backyard or upstairs bedroom where I am trying to get some sleep before going into work for the midnight shift. My backyard is the equivalent of about four blocks away and depending on the wind, I can hear the whole thing perfectly while sitting in a vinyl lawnchair in the privacy of my own V.I.P. section and drink stuff not available in the Beer Tent four blocks away. I can even smoke a cigarette if I want - if a smoker happens to drop in to hear a free concert.
But once again, the Loud Minority of this town has ruined it for me. They've done it before in the past at the same event with the return of Alice Cooper.
This time it was because of Ted Nugent who was the headliner on Wednesday night. I'm not a big fan of The Nuge, although I'm willing to admit to an admiration for 'Cat-Scratch Fever.' However, I am a fan of Ted, the Man. One of my favorite quotes was when he talked about his clean, healthy non-rock'n'roll lifestyle. "I don't need drugs or booze," explained Ted. "I get a much bigger high just from a nice piece of ass. Or a good steak for that matter."
Anyone who can be offensive and witty at the same time is alright by me.
And Ted likes everyone to know just how witty he is. That night, from my bedroom - with all the windows closed and the air-conditioner on, I could still hear his song introductions - word by word. "What you have up here is the greatest rock band in the world!" he modestly tells everyone before going on to prove that his real talent is for exaggeration.
It should come as no surprise to anyone in this town, that when Ted plays, it's LOUD. And it truly was last Wednesday night.
And of course, this being London, (a.k.a. Hicksville, Ohio,) people complained. They complained to their city council members, they complained to the police, to the newspaper and the morning talk-radio stations.
A total of 12 complaints. A dozen people let everyone know that they did not appreciate all that noise keeping them awake till 11:00. And we're talking P.M. here too. And on a weeknight no less.
So of course, the next night, whilst I was sitting in the backyard waiting to hear Joan Jett and the Blackheads (the only band of interest on Thursday night,) I noticed that the sound was turned down waaaay lower than usual. When Joan came on, I heard one song that I recognized. And that was only because Joan was the only one on the bill that night who knew anything about writing a song with something called a 'melody.'
Same thing the next evening. Friday night. No one has to work the next day, right? It's the weekend. Time to Rock the Park. Time to crank it up to '11.' Because THE SWEET were playing! Or at least the original bass-player and his new version of The Sweet were playing. Surely, the cops and the Parks-and-Recreational authorities would allow organizers to crank it up for The Sweet. Even though they were coming on at 6:30, (true, it was the supper hour but surely most Londoners in the neigbourhoods around the Forks of the Thames, site of Harris Park, would have been finished saying 'Grace' by that point,) this was The SWEET! One of the best bubblegum bands to come out of England in the early 70s. We all know the hits - 'Funny Funny,' 'Co-Co,' 'Chop-Chop,' 'Tom-Tom Turnaround,' 'Little Willy,' and of course, 'Wig-Wam Bam.'
Would this new version of the Sweet be playing all those favorites? Or would they be going for the obvious crowd-pleasers like 'Fox on the Run' or 'Action' or 'Ballroom Blitz'?
I'd like to tell you the answer to that, but I can't because again - the volume was turned down sooooo low that I was lucky to have even been able to barely catch a few riffs of 'Hellraiser' in the breeze.
All because a few self-appointed guardians of the city's bedtime hours complained to the media and the authorities. All 12 of them. Proof once again that all it takes is a few bad apples to ruin it for everyone.
We sat in the backyard when company came over on Saturday for the final night. The volume was up to a decent level so it didn't sound like we were listening to it on a cheap transister radio.
Mark Farner brought back memories of Grand Funk Railroad. Great use of the cowbell to open 'American Band,' although I was disappointed not to hear their hit,'I'm Your Captain,' from their earlier funkier years.
Or maybe I just missed it. Because before Mark's set was over, I was sufficiently overcome with nostalgia for that era, I ran in the house and brought out my tape-deck with 'Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band LIVE at Cobo Hall'.
Back in '73. Or '75. And when native-Michigonian Bob stopped mid-way through 'Nutbush City Limits' to relate that anecdote about "Hello, Motor City! You know, I was just reading in 'Rolling Stone' the other day and this guy said that Detroit audiences are the best audiences in the world.' ... And I said to myself, 'Shit, I've known that for 10-years!' "
... and all of Cobo Hall went nuts at that point.
Kinda like how all those 12 people who had complained earlier in the week, went nuts when, for the final set of the night - and the end of this year's rock fest, organizers cranked up the volume for Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings. "Finally, finally, something we can enjoy!" they all shouted.
They then ran down to the river to call out, "Burton, please, please, please, play 'These Eyes'! But not tooo loud. Our grandchildren are asleep in Byron."
I never did get to hear much of Bachman-Cummings. I don't like/dislike them. Musically, it sounded good from what I did hear.
But quite frankly, after three or four drinks on a Saturday night, I'm in more of a Bobby Goldsboro kinda mood.
posted by Sonny Drysdale at 11:39 AM
8 Comments:
Ya know...I think it's the very first time EVER that Farner could not play "I'm Your Captain/Closer To Home" and, it was because "they" pulled the plug on this legend...
I drove all the way from Erie, Michigan to attend this wonderful event and I couldn't believe it when the stage went dark on Mark Farner... He was then allowed to say; "I guess we're out of time" and that was it.
If he had known of the time restraint I'll bet he would of omitted the drum solo so "I'm Your Captain" (dedicated to all troops) would of completed the concert experience...it's something that is disrespectful to this caliber of performer. I'm saddened and can only hope for a "do over" next year.
An incident like this can give a festival a bad reputation...I hope that's not the case. I'm remembering the man that yelled: "We're a Canadian audience" after the title to "We're An American Band" was stated.
I do hope a few bad vibes will not ruin a beautiful thing....
Mark wasn't alone. The night before, they pulled the plug on Steve Winwood at exactly 11 o'clock.
Not even time for an encore. God forbid they give the guy a few minutes grace.
This comment has been removed by the author.
Would you believe the Gaul-Dang Post Office STILL has'nt delivered my invite to your annual Candlelight Backyard Soiree with Finger-Foods and Lite Refreshments.
Bastards!
All rock music flows directly from Satan Himself.
Pulling the plug on it is merely doing God's work.
Just ask Rory (The Mummy) Leishman if you don't believe me.
Sorry Pops but all backyard free concert listening parties at the Drysdale Estate have been cancelled due to the Alice Cooper fiasco a couple of years ago when concert organizers turned the volume down to that of a transister radio.
oh,...........nevermind
You know, if Andy O. hears the way you like the rock, he'll start to think you're a long haired commie.
I've heard from my many contacts in the Mayor's Office that next year 'Rock The Park' will be replaced with 'The Hammond Organ Hum-A-Long'. Jimmy Chapman will host it, with special appearances by Cheryl Miller in a flapper's outfit. It will start at five p.m and will end promptly ten minutes later. And there will be baked beans.
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