I am going to do something different in the next few blogs. I am going to discuss concerts that I have attended thru the years with a brief synopsis of what I remember. In somewhat chronological order, though impossible to be 100% sure due to the fact that I may have attended some of them more than once. Let me know what you think of this new idea.
Gary Lewis and the Playboys
This was the first rock concert I can remember going to when I was very young with my parents. We were spending the weekend at Atlantic City. I remember it was at the Steel Pier and the reason my mom wanted to go was because Gary was Jerry Lewis’s son. I don’t remember much else other than it being loud and echoey.
Styx
This one I almost forgot about as it was a new band that our High School brought into play in our gym for about an hour. I just remember I was surprised the school gave us this historic break from classes more than anything else.
Trigger
I saw this band twice at the Chatterbox down in Seaside Heights with some friends of mine. I just remember hearing some really great songs and found out some guy named Billy Joel wrote them. This band did them really great. Captain Jack was the one song that stood out for me. The only other thing I remember was going to it a second time with my late friends Gayle and Billy and my date that night was an off-Broadway actress who actually got up on the bar and was dancing. I decided she might have been a little too outgoing for me.
Kiss
I saw this this band as the first of three that night that was followed by Charlie Daniels and then Blue Oyster Cult, which was the headliner. They were a new band, hard rock type who at the end clashed guitars and it made an explosion. Yes, they had makeup on but was a little different than the ones they used later. It was at the old Capitol Theatre in Passaic. I could not understand a word they sang but my pal Bill somehow could understand them all. Tall platform shoes were evident as well.
Charlie Daniels Band
This one caught me off guard as it followed Kiss that night with a country feel. Charlie played the fiddle with fire at the end of the bow during one of his songs. This was different to say the least. Was an up-and-coming group who nobody real knew of before that night.
Blue Oyster Cult
This was the headliner of the night and was really a hard rock group that softened over the years. Don’t remember too much other than the crowd loved every song. I was actually surprised that they were the top group that night as I did not really think they were that good. They did grow years later and became a very popular band in the 1970s.
Foghat
A British hard rock group that I also saw at the Capitol Theatre. Another one that I can’t remember any of the songs nor could understand the words as well. Loud hard rock British band, that to me, was overrated.
J. Geils Band
Now this was a good one at the Capitol Theatre as they had some great songs like Look-in for Love, First I look at the Purse, Hard Drivin’ Man, Whammer Jammer, and some song or prelude about “Take out your false teeth mamma….” This was the most accomplished band up to this date that I had seen. Listening to them on the radio I had thought they were a black band but obviously not.
Harry Chapin
Saw him and his band that had two of his brothers in it down in Asbury Park Convention Center. Was a great story teller and had really good songs like Taxi and Cats in the Cradle. He seemed to interact with the crowd more so than any of the other singers or bands I had seen up to that point and I was impressed. The girl I was with at the time and my friends Gayle and Bill once again seemed to enjoy it as much as me. Too bad he died in a car accident a few years later. Came across as a real nice guy.
Three Dog Night
I had heard them on the radio a lot and went to Asbury Park once again and they were really impressive. They were all dressed in white and not only could I understand all the words but they had choreographed dance moves that were very synchronized. One, Eli’s Coming, Joy to the World, Shambala and others were really great songs. I also remember being in the worst rain downpour I have ever experienced on my way home and had to stop the car on the Garden State Parkway as few times there was zero visibility.
