August 2020
I make no claims to being a top tier concertgoer (my two musician brothers have me way beat on this front, as do many of my friends), but I’ve seen some pretty cool live shows in an eclectic range of music. Here are some from throughout my attendance history, in no particular order and mostly illustrated with album cover art (although I will add a few odd bits of memorabilia or ephemera here and there).
August 1: The Supremes (St. John Terrell’s Music Circus, Lambertville, NJ, July 1966). This is the first real concert (ie, not a school program, county fair, family picnic, etc.) I recall attending. The Music Circus was a happening venue back in the ’60s, featuring a summer filled with a wide variety of musical and other entertainment. Note that the headliners were preceded by Red Buttons (!) and a 16-year-old energetic drummer named Little Stevie Wonder. I saw the Supremes in concert again on Feb 10, 1967, in the Michigan State University Auditorium.
August 2: Lera Lynn (Slim’s, San Francisco, Sep 24, 2016). While watching the trailer for True Detective season 2 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmb85jtI5XM), I was blown away by the music and immediately did a deep dive (thanks, internet) to discover the name of the artist. This was Nashville singer-songwriter Lera Lynn, who also appeared in some episodes of the series and has continued to write, record, and headline shows around the world. I caught her act at Hardly Strictly Bluegrass in 2015, and won tickets to a show at Slim’s the following fall. (You can watch her perform from her home studio on her Facebook page; well worth checking out.)
August 3: The Ramones (The Stone, San Francisco, Sep 22, 1987). Gritty, energetic, and very entertaining. I declined my friend Jim’s invitation to join him in the mosh pit. When my clock radio alarm went off at 6 am the next morning to get me up for work, I was stunned to find Joey Ramone holding court on Live-105’s morning show (most likely he did not bother to go to bed after the show).
August 4: Jefferson Airplane (Central Park, NYC, Aug 15, 1972). My cousin Jody and I stumbled onto this free concert on the Great Lawn, sponsored by WNEW-FM, during a visit to Manhattan the summer before I moved to Honolulu for grad school. (Decades later, I discovered that my younger brother Kevin was also there!) I also saw an acoustic duo set from Paul Kantner and Grace Slick as part of the Soviet American Peace Walk free concert in the Golden Gate Park Bandshell, on July 16, 1988. Here’s the New York Times article about the 1972 show.
August 5: Mental As Anything (Rainbow Music Hall, Denver CO, Oct 10, 1983). My trip to Australia over the 1981–82 holiday introduced me to Oz New Wave before it hit the US with a bunch of bands touring the country that summer. The Mentals show at Rainbow was so sparsely attended that Greedy Smith actually came down from the stage and sat next to me to sing one number. They were a lot of fun in concert, and you should definitely listen to “If You Leave Me Can I Come Too?” from their Cats and Dogs album. I can loan you my LP.
August 6: Jake Shimabukuro (Castro Theatre, SF CA, March 14, 2012): Forget everything you think you know about ukelele. I first saw Jake perform after the premiere of the biographical documentary, “Life in Four Strings,” at the SF Int’l Asian American Film Festival in 2012; his virtuosity was just amazing. His career took off after a video of him playing in Central Park went viral (you can still watch it on Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=puSkP3uym5k). I also saw Jake perform at Davies Symphony Hall during the SF Jazz Festival in 2017.
August 7: Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper (The I-Beam, SF CA, Sep 21, 1987). “Elvis Is Everywhere” was pretty much everywhere on the airwaves when Mojo & Skid played the I-Beam in the Haight. They were hilarious. The openiing act was Phil Alvin (of The Blasters), doing a solo set. Evidently I had a lot of energy back in ’87, as this show was the day before the Ramones gig (and one of three club shows I attended that week).
August 8: Elvis Presley (Honolulu International Center, Honolulu HI, Jan 13, 1973). Speaking of Elvis… I was too young to be an early fan (the Beatles were my jam), but my friend Carole picked up tickets for this iconic “Elvis in Hawaii” performance. Actually, the show had sold out and we had tickets for the dress rehearsal (which also sold out). Even in a huge auditorium setting, the King’s showmanship and charisma were palpable and I finally understood why Elvis deserved that title.
August 9: The Pretenders (McNichols Arena, Denver CO, Sep 9, 1981). OK, this was actually a Kinks show, but Mike and I, being huge New Wave fans, were more interested in seeing the opening act of Chrissie Hynde and her original bandmates. They were amazing. The Kinks were pretty good, too.
August 10: Alec Su (Harrah’s, Reno NV, Feb 9, 2008). How I became Alec Su’s American fan is a long story, told elsewhere. Although at age 15 he was a member of the biggest pop band in Asia, Xiao Hu Dui (Little Tigers), when we met Alec was focused on his acting career. He did travel to the US for two Chinese New Year concerts, in Reno in 2008 and Las Vegas in 2012. Asian fandom is a world of its own; I’ve been feted in Beijing, Shanghai, Hong Kong, Taipei, and Wuhan by local fellow fans — many of whom speak no English — during my travels.
August 11: The Roches (Glenn Miller Club, Boulder CO, Feb 29, 1984). I first enjoyed the unique stylings of sisters Maggie, Terre, and Suzzy Roche when they did a show at a small venue on the University of Colorado campus, and four years later at The Catalyst in Santa Cruz. They were quirky and fun performers with creative and original compositions, amazing voices, and delightful harmonies.
August 12: Mediaeval Baebes (Bimbo’s, SF CA, May 16, 2002). Continuing the theme of women with amazing voices… I was familiar with the Baebes’ music, and totally psyched when Arden scored free tickets to their show at Bimbo’s, which included a post-performance backstage visit. They were cool. Included is a scan of an autographed photo of the ensemble.
August 13: David Bowie (Spartan Stadium, San Jose CA, August 7, 1987). As you can see from the set list, Bowie covered a broad range of his repertoire on the Glass Spider tour supporting the “Never Let Me Down” album (although nothing from “Low” but it’s my favorite album so that’s my image choice — sue me). I did not often buy concert merchandise but I have a t-shirt from this show. Because Bowie. You can also listen to the full concert on Youtube (no visuals, iffy quality).
August 14: Simon and Garfunkel (St. John Terrell’s Music Circus, Lambertville NJ, July 3, 1967). The second summer show I saw at the Music Circus was this duo’s performance supporting their 1966 “Parsley, Sage, Rosemary and Thyme” album. On a typicaly sultry New Jersey summer night filled with the flicker of lightning bugs (and maybe the buzz of mosquitoes), their harmonies were glorious.
August 15: The Police (McNichols Sports Arena, Denver CO, Feb 4, 1982). With the Go-Go’s as an opening act, this was among the very best of the (OK not that many) big stadium shows I’ve attended. No frills, no big orchestras, just spare, loud, and joyous quintessential ’8os rock and roll. Except for a couple of stick-wielding friends (you know who you are, Kevin and Mike), Stewart Copeland is my favorite drummer.
August 16: Flora Purim and Airto Moreira (Paramount Theatre, Oakland CA, May 13, 1977). Influenced by both traditional Brazilian singers and the improvisations of American jazz divas like Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan, Flora Purim was one of the most adventurous singers of the 1970s. My friend Cindy invited me to attend this concert at the Paramount. I think I was completely ignorant of the duo beforehand, but mightily impressed with Purim’s vocals.
August 17: David Crosby / Graham Nash / Jackson Browne (Honolulu 1975 / Oakland 1979 / SF 2018). I’ve never seen all of the CSNY members play together live, but David Crosby & Graham Nash performed in Hawaii while I lived there, and Nash teamed up with Jackson Browne for an anti-nuclear benefit concert in 1979 (I still have the program!). Nash was one of the headliners at the 2018 Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival in Golden Gate Park, in fine voice and stirring the crowd with political anthems that still resonate today.
August 18: Concrete Blonde (The Warfield, SF CA, Oct 16, 1992). I loved this SoCal alternative band’s combination of hard-driving sometimes gothish rock and poignant lyrics, and they did a dynamic show at the Warfield, hightlighted by Johnette Napolitano in fine voice. I’m particularly fond of their “Bloodletting” album (hence the t-shirt). Fun fact: the “Joey” single B-side, “I Want You,” is featured on the Point Break soundtrack, which I used to play full volume during my Stanford commute.
August 19: Raymond Kane and Sonny Chillingworth (some dive bar, Honolulu HI, 1976). Brenda and I were taking slack key guitar lessons through adult ed at Punahou High School, and Ray Kane dropped in to show us some stuff. For the uninitiated, Kane is one of the elder gods of slack key guitar, both as performer and composer. He invited us to hear him play at a locals bar in downtown Honolulu, so of course we went. He and fellow guitar deity Sonny Chillingsworth played some chicken skin music, bought us drinks, and talked story. Years later, back on the Mainland, I went to a couple of Ray’s concerts (Berkeley with Keola Beamer, Marin and Santa Cruz with Ledward Kaapana).
August 20: Paul McCartney (Outside Lands, GG Park, SF CA, Aug 9, 2013). I was a Beatles fan by the time they were first on Ed Sullivan (https://action-chicks.moonsong.us/meet-the-beatles/), but my friends and I were too quiet to nag our parents into taking us to Shea Stadium, so I missed my chance for a live show, until Paul headlined at Outside Lands in 2016. (I got in on a free day pass by working the Western Neighborhoods Project booth.) It was Fogust — cold and foggy — but we didn’t care because he was fantastic. Almost exactly a year later, I went to see him do the last show at Candlestick Park before they tore it down. Again, fantastic, with “Long Tall Sally” (the ’66 Beatles finale) added to the program to end the show.
August 21: INXS (Rainbow Music Hall, Denver CO, Feb 17, 1986). Forged in the Sydney pub scene and touring practically non-stop following the release of their first albums in 1980, INXS dominated the mid-80s Oz invasion with its driving rock and charismatic stage presence. This show at the legendary Rainbow Music Hall during their 1985–86 “Listen Like Thieves” tour was electrifying. As the author of this review in the Campus Press noted, “Monday’s audience should feel privileged to have seen INXS in a small hall.” Six months later they played Red Rocks; they were still terrific in yet another iconic Colorado venue (as they were two years later when I saw them in the Civic Auditorium in San Francisco), but that Rainbow show may have been the best live concert I have ever seen.
August 22: Buffy Sainte-Marie (ca 1968, Academy of Music, Philadelphia PA). I’m not sure of the exact year, but sometime in my college years during winter break I drove down to Philly for this concert. The venue, a National Historic Landmark building opened in 1857 and modeled on Milan’s La Scala, is spectacular. Sainte-Marie, an Indigenous Canadian-American singer-songwriter, musician, Oscar-winning composer, visual artist, educator, and social activist, became known in the late ’60s for her soul-piercing vocals and politically relevant lyrics (and later for her long-running stint on Sesame Street). She was mesmerizing in concert then, and she’s still going strong today, having just performed in the long-running Philadelphia Folk Festival (virtual for 2020).
August 23: The Eclectics (Cotati Cabaret, Cotati CA, Jun 11, 1988). Released in the summer of 1987, The Big Easy was the sexiest thriller to hit movie screens since the Production Code was applied back in 1934. It also featured a dynamic New Orleans-flavored soundtrack, with a respectable track from its star Dennis Quaid. So when I saw Quaid’s band, The Eclectics, listed in the calendar for this sometimes rowdy Sonoma County venue, I talked my friends Elizabeth and Julie into driving up with me. It was a hot evening. The historic building (built in 1910 as the Cotati Ladies Improvement Club) was hot. The music was hot. Dennis was smoking hot. A good time was had by all.
August 24: Linda Ronstadt (Waikiki Shell, Honolulu, HI, ca 1973). Musicians loved to end their tours with a show in Hawaii, a great place to relax after a grueling stint of travel. The Waikiki Shell was one of the most delightful outdoor venues (in Hawaii or just about anywhere else), with warm nights and the trade winds wafting music through the palm trees. Perfect for Linda Ronstadt’s glorious voice and lovely melodies.
August 25: The Who / Jethro Tull / John Cougar (Folsom Field, Boulder CO, Oct 17, 1982). One of the Who’s many “farewell concerts” was a huge outdoor stadium show with Cougar (in his post- and pre- Mellancamp days) and Tull as openers. I’d seen Jethro Tull in Evansville, IN (!) back in ’71; Ian Anderson showed no sign of slowing down. Townsend and friends performed with a joyous and frenetic pace from “My Generation” to “Twist and Shout.” Except for Cougar (who was pouty), the concert was energetic and fun, a good time with friends, and probably beer.
August 26: AfroCuba de Matanzas (La Salsa Que Te Mueve, Matanzas, Cuba, Jan 2, 2013). The focus of our 2012–13 CCSF Study Abroad trip to Cuba was on Latino/a cross-border social movements, spiced with musical and artistic cultural traditions. AfroCuba de Matanzas, founded in 1957 and one of Cuba’s most acclaimed folklore groups, gave us a private concert which combined their signature fusions of Yoruba ceremonial ritual and Caribbean rumba variations into an exuberant dance party.
August 27: Roy Orbison ((Paul Masson Mountain Winery, Saratoga CA, Aug 14, 1987) I was so incredibly lucky to see Orbison perform in 1987, celebrating his 30 year career with the release of a greatest hits collection and his induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (and, sadly, only a year before his untimely death at the age of 52). Wearing his signature sunglasses and standing alone and still on stage, he sang us his repertoire of dark emotional ballads with their complex structures. Of Orbison’s distinctive voice, Bob Dylan once said “He sounded like he was singing from an Olympian mountaintop.”
August 28: Indigo Girls (Stanford CA, Dec 9, 1989) Combining two distinct musical personalities and songwriting styes, the Grammy-winning duo of Amy Ray and Emily Sailers remains among the most enduring musical groups to emerge from the late-80s female singer/songwriter scene. I saw them on tour supporting their first full length CD release, and they were dynamic performers. I’m happy to see that they are still championing progressive and charitable causes, as well as writing and recording new music through their own independent record label. You go, Indigo Girls!
August 29: Ad Vielle Que Pourra (Freight & Salvage, Berkeley, CA Apr 21, 1994) Mostly during the ’90s, I hung out with musician friends and frequented lots of Bay Area pubs and small venues featuring lively traditional music — Celtic, klezmer, folk, folk rock, folk punk, you name it — from local (Broceliande, Panacea, Avalon Rising) to internationally acclaimed (Alan Stivell, Patrick Ball, The Chieftains) bands. One of the best shows was from the Quebec group Ad Vielle Que Pourra, whose French and Breton-styled compositions featured the traditional hurdy-gurdy, bombarde and accordion.
August 30: Joan Baez (Monterey Peninsula College, Aug 10, 1975) My memory of this concert is that Baez was scheduled to perform but couldn’t sing and had to cancel. So she put on a free concert for her Monterey Bay homies later in the summer. Whatever the details, it was a terrific outdoor show; one of the songs from this concert is included on her “From Every Stage” live album. Also, “Diamonds and Rust” is one of the best songs, ever. Still politically active though no longer touring, Baez was part of the 2017 San Francisco Women’s March (which of course I attended) and dedicated her performance of “Forever Young” to the Obamas.
August 31: Chris Isaak (Club 9, SF CA, March 9, 1987) Denver public TV channel KBDI-12 was showing music videos back in the mid-80s, which is where I first saw Chris Isaak performiing “Dancing.” When I moved to San Francisco in 1986, he was the local phenom (he lived in my ’hood, surfed off my beach, and ate at my favorite burger joint), and I saw him and his band play in a variety of sometimes grungy clubs — Club 9, the I-Beam, the Kennel Club, and the Fillmore — before David Lynch broadened his fame and fan base. More recently, I saw him perform free gigs in Amoeba Records and at the Hardly Strictly Bluegrass festival (worth its own month of tributes), as well as a quasi-holiday-themed show (ie, Chris’s suit had even more sequins than usual) at the Luther Burbank Center for the Arts in Santa Rosa. His band always rocks, his voice is second only to Orbison’s, and he’s very, very funny.