Full Moon Stub Story

The Harvest Moon Tour. It was a cold September night with an actual full harvest moon over the cornfields of Indiana, in an outdoor pavilion theater . I had just seen Neil less than a year earlier with the Crazy Horse and the Ragged Glory tour where he never so much as looked at the audience and interacted more with the speakers getting wailing sounds of glorious feedback, but here? He walked out, surrounded by multiple guitars, banjos, piano’s(Upright and grand) and even a pipe organ, and looked at the audience and said, "What do you want to hear?" Pure bliss.
He would just kind of....stroll... from one instrument to
another decide either to heed the calls for requests he asked for... or play something off the "new one",
or a "standard" from an endless catalog. And of course the "new ones" where even welcomed as
Harvest Moon is chalked full of classics. He even told his "rain-dog" story for his dog "Elvis".
There's a song about his dog called "Old King" and he talks about how once at a tour bus stop "King" wander off and when it started raining a bit he couldn't find his way back. They had to go on but as soon as he got the next show song fans had already found him and were on the way to the show. I don't remember if said he had tags or whatever, but it was a quick reunion none-the-less.


So after playing the banjo on that song he might stroll over to the grand piano and the opening chords
of "After the Gold Rush" and when you can actually look up and see "full moon in (your) eyes"? and you DO feel like getting high? That's is one of those concert "calls to action", almost like synchronized swearing in songs like Mellencamp's "Play Guitar" "forget all about that macho sh*#, and learn to play guitar." Or Charley Daniels, "The Devil Went Down to Georgia"... told you once you sonuvabiatch"

At one point, per his request don't forget, there was a group of folks that kept shouting “Pocahontas” and when they finally got his attention he said, “I haven’t played that in years.. if I get lost help me out…” And sure enough in the middle of the song

Copyright Askew Images 2014 

when he came around to the refrain again he said “Don’t just stand there and dance…” The proud group were the only ones standing during the slow song, ”…Help me out…” one of the group walked down to the front of the stage and ah yes “…I wish I was a trapper…” I looked it up one time… saw all the playlists before and after... and sure enough, he hadn’t played it before that night but it was a staple every night after and even made it to the “MTV: Unplugged” CD. Awesome! 

Even I was a bit unsure of which song they were screaming for but when he started with “Aura Borealis… Icy Skies at night…”  I was right there…

(I'm  inserting a hyperlink because I already inserted the embedded version of "Hurricane") Here's a link the that performance on M-TV Click here to see Neil perform "Pocohantas" on M-TV Unplugged

"... icy sky at night...."

And another thing that made this an amazing night was his two opening acts. First, John Hammond and then Shawn Colvin. A classic veteran and, at the time, a relative unknown. Much like the three person power trio’s he lined up less than year earlier of Social Distortion, Sonic Youth and himself and Crazy Horse. This time he had two acts with only their voice and their guitars, to match his solo show.
John Hammond foot stomped his way through his blues classics, and when Shawn Colvin sang about flying away to “Orion in the Sky” underneath actual stars, I was hooked long before “Sunny Came Home” years later.

As sort of a post-script I want to mention my "date" that night. As usual I couldn't get one.
"Even for Neil Young? How much of a loser are you?!?!" Ha! Well as backup dates I could always rely
on my friends JD and Kathy, (too bad they don't do Facebook or I'd link their name as agreeing to be in my book) Kathy was always one to see new wave stuff, Flock of Seagulls or something, JD was more classic-rockso he was my "date" on the full moon harvest moon night... lol 

Below is the song-set for that evening. I noticed someone labeled "Pocahontas" as "Premiere: Tour Debut" Works for me... 


Link to The Harvest Moon Tour Song Set 1992 
{Remember if you go check out this sight take note of the little arrow after each song...if you click this it will find the most applicable song it can (sometimes getting wrong artist if they're doing a "cover tune")So if you're having trouble remember which song he closed with or wonder what Neil would do for an encore that tour etc... you can refresh your memory... and it play onthrough to the next song all the way to the
end of the set-list barring any copyright issues... because otherwise it'll stop giving the
"you much watch on YouTube directly" error...}


 

RP PS(Radio Paradise Post Script) One song Bill “insists” on playing here is the pipe organ version of "Hurricane", despite a lot of negative response to such a weird eerie version. But I tell you… every time I hear it, it gives my goose bumps and sends me back to that night when he wandered from instrument to instrument and eventually arrived at that organ, pumped his feet, pressed those keys and those famous opening notes bled out into the cool harvest moon night… it was… incredible.
{Trying something new here, embedded below "should be" Neil playing "Like a Hurricane" on M-TV Unplugged 1993}

The "Mats" Stub Story

There’s an average movie called Can’t Hardly Wait that was trying hard for a Dazed and Confused / American Graffiti vibe, but mostly failing that, what it did do... was get me thinking about the song they used for the title and ending credits. One of my favorite songs from The Replacements. That same day I cracked open my Rolling Stone Magazine and the first thing I see was a little blurb about a reunion? Watta an awesome quinky dink… Rock 104 here in Fort Wayne had a pretty progressively thinking program manager at one time that went by “Doc West”. Since then, all the Fort Wayne stations have been reeled in and only play what their narrow genre allows from limited market researched play lists and such. But before safe by-the-numbers blandness ruled, Doc would let some pretty alternative groups encroach in on the “rock” list. Bands like The Cure, The Smiths, and The Replacements actually got air time in the big farm town of Fort Wayne. Thanks to hearing songs like “I’ll Be You” and “Talent Show” combined with some Rolling Stone magazine reading I eventually bought several of their CD’s. When “All Shook Down” came out, I immediately bought it, and when a show in Chicago was announced, I immediately bought tickets to that too. Unfortunately the girl I was dating at the time couldn’t have been more mainstream pop. If I had gotten Madonna tickets instead, THAT might have impressed her. Failing to find one single girl in Fort Wayne that even knew who The Replacements were(or guy for that matter) I headed out towards Chicago all by myself in hopes of selling the extra ticket. (A few years earlier I found myself in the same predicament, a concert with no date.. —something I’ve dealt with far more times than I care to remember—. I was there with another couple and they saw me try and get SOMETHING for the extra ticket, but David Byrne was doing his mambo tour and there wasn’t a whole lot of interest, and thinking I sold it for like half price, unfortunately a little slight of hand from a scalper made me realized I sold it for like $7… oh well.) I started out late morning with the plans of stopping by my old roommate from Ball State: Mark Dominiac’s place. To this day he still probably lives within a mile or two from his parents, within a mile or two of Catholic Church, within a mile or two of a bar. Such is Whiting, Indiana, the last little bit of Indiana squeezed in before Chicago full of Polish immigrants working in “The Region” miles and miles of endless refineries. Sadly I only got as far as the bypass going by Plymouth, Indiana, when my car started overheating. The gas station I stopped at was basically a ‘convenience store’ and by convenience I mean “car repair” wasn’t one of them. I was able to drive it further into town and by getting a water pump delivered to them across town I was finally back on the road after about a 3 hour delay. Fortunately I had started out early enough I even still had enough time to see the ol' college roommate... well, for about half an hour… oh well… on my way into the big city.(btw Mark’s tastes in music did not go anywhere past “classic rock” so he had no interest in going) Well as opposed to the David Byrne mambo show at the same venue, this one was completely sold-out. What I didn’t know at the time was this was already be considered a farewell tour that eventual came back to the Windy City a mere 5 months later for a final show. So I was easily able to sell my ticket… even at a profit for my trouble…(I hope the statute of limitation has long passed for scalping;-)  The general admission place was packed! I was able to procure a place about half way back on the main floor way off to the side. I even got to know a few of my surrounding patrons as it became very necessary to block out space if any one of us that wanted to make a beer or restroom run. You had to basically spread your feet out and hold your ground as people tried to force their way into the vacant spot. Talking with what turned out to be a group of Chicago lawyers and hot legal assistants, it was fun to talk common interests like last month's Neil Young/Crazy Horse "Ragged Glory" tour as I’m sure the godfather of punk was certainly an idol to the punks of Westerberg and the like. And of course we ALL enjoyed the antics of the party hard band of The Replacements. I remember at one point the band was playing and Paul was singing but he was no where to be seen. Then “I’m up here you asshole” Paul said, getting the spotlight guy’s attention, and from the ornate “box seat” which wasn’t much more than decoration I would think, Paul was standing up on the edge and swinging from it’s frame. Knowing the bands reputation for excessive inebriation, I was glad he didn’t proceed to fall into the audience…. All in all a great fun show. And then a few short moths later in July, in nearby Grant Park, they return to Chicago and then it was all over. After a small reunion in 2006, they all went their separate ways until as I first mentioned, reading in Rolling Stone and few more details on Wikipedia mention >>On October 3, 2012, it was announced that The Replacements have reformed and singer Paul Westerberg and Tommy Stinson were in the studio recording an EP containing song covers. The EP will be sold in a 250-copy edition of 10" vinyl and auctioned online to benefit former Replacements guitarist Slim Dunlap, who had recently suffered a stroke. Westerberg has said that the band does not rule out touring or recording a new album<< Hafta keep my eye out for this… Getting ready to "publish" this, when I realized I shudda use the line: I had to get a "REPLACEMENT" water pump! Ha! Update: 9-25-14 -Cool! Someone just posted a playlist...... I assume it's accurate. The Setlist for this show

Sanborn Stub Story

When I just recently learned of Hiram Bullock’s 2008 passing, the news greatly sadden me. Not only was he great musician, but actually having the opportunity to meet and talk to him briefly made me grieve on a personal level.

I’ve seen David Sanborn now on three different occasions but nothing compares to that first time at the Fort Wayne Embassy. Unfortunately this is one of those tickets I have filed under “Unknown” as the shortsighted design left my stub without a date. But seeing how this was basically the “Change of Heart” tour I’m assuming it was in 1987 at some point

My brother had educated me in a lot of my knowledge of jazz in the 80’s but long before he taught me who David Benoit or Fatburger was, I knew of the rock/jazz of David Sanborn, from his appearances on Letterman or scanning the linear notes of albums like The Eagle’s “Long Run” I knew Sanborn was a consummate musician. When DJ'ing I always even liked introducing “Young Americans” as a David Sanborn song  featuring vocals by David Bowie… So when I heard he was coming to Fort Wayne I jumped at the chance.

Yet once again this was ANOTHER example of not being able to find a date to a show. So one of my usual stand-by was my sister Linda, so I’m sure no words, non Top 40 jazz is waaay down on her musical preferences, but I think the amazing energy of that show, that CD, that night even affected her.
I remember at one point David looked around the beautiful Embassy theater and said, “You know… this is like playing inside of a big ornate jukebox…” And of course “Change of Heart” is such a great CD from it’s opening “Chicago” to it’s beautiful song “The Dream” ending, is it is superb all the way through. I still will try and squeeze “The Dream”  into a slow set at any wedding I DJ. A beautiful song ten times better than any Top 40 hit Kenny G ever stumbled into…
During the extended “Smile”… at one point Sanborn was belting out blasts of amazing notes only to be answered by blistering guitar riffs from Hiram, yet he was no where to be seen, until we realized that above our heads up in the balcony one leg up on the railing there he was having an awesome musical “give and take” with David on the stage… such incredible, fun energy. (You can see this same audience walk..and ‘balcony hang’… exchange, beginning at his solo right at 45:00 into the show I provide the link for at the end here.)

After the show, not needing to impress any date with a fancy dinner or anything, my sister and I simply went to a nearby McDonalds’ and as we were walking back to the car I noticed a small gathering of people behind the Embassy, and right then I could see Sanborn and several other musicians including Hiram walking out the back door so with a slight detour across the street we walked up as he was talking and signing autographs, I quickly grabbed my ticket stub and handed it to him, but as a novice autograph hound I had to borrow a pen from someone else but he waited graciously for me to awkwardly bum a pen, then signed the back of my ticket. When I noticed Hiram, I pointed out he was wearing shoes. (As pretty much a full-time member of Letterman’s band for several years, he was the brunt of Letterman's in jest ridicule of him for almost never wearing shoes…) Hiram laughed, and said, “Yeah gotta wear em’ sometimes…”
And so learning of his bout with cancer and other health problems which finally did him in... I will always remember the absolutely amazing show that he a David put on for Fort Wayne in 1987. I found this German TV show clip from the same year and you’ll get a fraction of an idea of what it was like to be there in the audience that night.

http://youtu.be/QFJ7W2GanCE (if you don't have time for the whole show check out 37:50 for "Smile" beginning or Hiram's solo at 45:00)

Stray Stub Stories for the Stray Cats

In my one and only other autograph I have(see Stub Stories: David Sanborn); I can say I had the pleasure of briefly speaking with the guitar virtuoso Brian Setzer.
In 1982, between the explosion of M-TV and my Rockabilly fan and college hall mate Ron Payne, The Stray Cats were burgeoning stars. As I remember, the Long Island natives were not having much luck here in America but over in England where once again the ol’ mother country had to show the colonies how to appreciate our own music… Rockabilly was all the rage.

Ron Payne later a roommate of mine in CA eventually getting in with John Hughes & Co… even having a few small parts here and there (look for him in “Uncle Buck” for instance;-), Anyway he was what they call a “purist”, in that he only liked the Beatles… up to a point(roughly pre-drugs;-), Elvis… up to point (roughly pre-Jordanaires;-) The simpler an arrangement and musical style the better. So in introducing me to groups like Dave Edmonds and Rockpile and the like, it was a no-brainer that when we found out this new group called the Stray Cats were coming to Indianapolis to a relatively small bar called The Vogue a short drive from Muncie, Indiana and the campus of Ball State University we KNEW we were going. (Hell, we made that trip just for a White Castles back-in-da-day;-)
 (I just found this poster on a Stray Cats fan site… How cool… I sent them my ticket stub/autograph to see if they like…)

Anyway! The more I think about it I’m guessing this concert might have been even before M-TV played “Rock This Town” and “Stray Cat Strut” incessantly… because The Vogue in Indy is a pretty small place, but having said that… it was PACKED! But also I do remember there were some Top 40 girls there, that I could tell were bored once those two songs were over and could care less about mind blowing antics of the rest of the show those three put on. So I’m not sure how much exposure they really had by December of 1982… But they were popular enough that only procuring spots up against the railing in the balcony were possible for prime viewing. From there we could easily see the straddling atop the up-right bass of Lee Rocker and the lunging at the simple snare set of Slim Jim Phantom to the incredible guitar virtuoso of Brian Setzer. At one point Brian was just wailing and wailing on his guitar and the crowd at the stage was surging, Brian was sort doing a Chuck Berry one foot backwards hop towards the front of the stage and just fell over backwards into the crowd, they pushed him back up onto the stage and he never missed a lick… Now THAT is some awesome crowd diving!

After the show Ron wanted to hang out near the tour bus behind the Vogue, so even though it was a crisp cool December night with your breath very apparent in the Indiana winter, we did. Soon back doors opened… but before you could even blink the other two guys ran straight out the back doors and leapt through the open bus doors. Where as Brian came calmly strolling out… and he began signing autographs and casually talking to people asking things like where the best place to get a beer was.. I remember thinking, “Man I wish I was from Indy and had clue…”  I could tell him about a dive or two in Muncie that some college girls might be hanging out at… and years later when I lived in Indianapolis next door to Butler’s Bulldog Tavern just down the road from The Vogue, I’d had more input… but that night I just continued chattering my teeth with him and everyone else, and got my autograph on my ticket stub. Now Ron, savvy boy that he was, had two British imported 45’s in his jacket, and after Brian signed them he knew the tour manager’s name and even what he looked like, and proceeded to hand the picture sleeved 45’s to him and he took them onto the bus and got the other guys to sign them… that’s the kind of wheeling and dealing it took to stay in Hollywood years later that I just didn’t have! Sigh… Oh well… (Ron sent me a scanned version of one of the sleeves.)

A few years later I saw The Blasters at that same venue and although they sort had a Rockabilly rivalry of sorts, I enjoyed them both immensely, and it was guitar haven for hiccupping singers and slapping bass for me… I’ll have to see if I can dig that ticket out from somewhere for another day…
Another ticket to pull out some day is the one from almost exactly 25 years later for 2007 tour when for the 1^st time in like 15 years those three got back together and opened up for The Pretenders and ZZ Top. Even though I was way up on a grass hill 40 times further back than being in the Vogue’s balcony 25 years earlier, it was a fun night. And when Brian came strolling out for what I heard was the first time on that tour to spar the guitar licks in “My City was Gone” I agreed with Chrissie in her surprise saying, “… well that was fun…” So… again, more when I find that ticket;-) Sure cudda told Brian about place or two in Indy for a beer that night in 2007 when I couldn't in 1982!

[I could not find a setlist for this particular concert, but I did find one from four days later.]
Setlist from Dec 10th Albany, NY