Classic Rock

Classic Rock Concert Films: The Ultimate Classic Rock Show Collection

Eric C. — Tue, 10 May 2022 14:23:00 +0000

Classic Rock Concert Films: The Ultimate Classic Rock Show Collection Eric C. Tue, 05/10/2022

At Qello Concerts, we love some of that big bad rock ‘n’ roll that shakes you to the core when you hear it. We love that feeling of getting our motors running to the super sounds of Steppenwolf, rocking like a hurricane with The Scorpions, putting our horns in the air for Sabbath, painting our faces for KISS, and chanting along for dear life with Freddie Mercury and Queen. We love our classic rock, and we have some of the best classic rock concerts and documentaries assembled into one beautiful classic rock package this month on Qello Concerts.

Here are a few of the top concert videos from the Massive Classic Rock collection:

AC/DC - No Bull, an iconic classic rock show

No Bull captures the over-the- top spectacle that was AC/DC's 1996 Ballbreaker tour, filmed at the Plaza De Toros De Las Ventas bullfighting arena in Madrid.

“Acca-dacca”, as the band is affectionately known in their homeland of Australia, is arguably the band with the biggest balls of all… seriously, their use of wrecking balls puts Miley Cyrus to shame, and let’s face it, they write, a lot… about balls: Big Balls, Great Balls, She’s Got Balls, Got You By The Balls, etc…

They also happen to be one of the most pure forms of energy on the planet: AC/DC have been touring pretty much non-stop since the early days in 1973, and they show few signs of slowing down. The “Thunder from Down Under,” as they are sometimes called, have over 2,000 concerts under their belt, and anyone who has been lucky enough to see them live, knows that they always deliver. This is, despite the fact that the band have gone through some crazy obstacles over the course of their career.

When original singer, (and a true Tasmanian Devil of a man, himself), Bon Scott, passed away tragically and suddenly at the age of 33 in February 1980, there was a lingering question about the future of the band, but along came Brian Johnson, whose voice became even more iconic and identifiable for the band, and AC/DC has been on an epic run ever since.

Despite taking some time off (when he was replaced by Axl Rose for a 2016 tour), vocalist Brian Johnson is now back with the band, and he’s got that fire in his belly. The band is also continuing without founding member, Malcolm Young, the original rhythm guitarist, who died in 2017 - but his brother Angus, the schoolboy-costume-wearing diablo who slays with killer guitar solos, is still in fine form, as you can see with his many iconic solos in this concert video.

It’s also important to note that drummer Phil Rudd has had his own issues over the years, having been accused in the courts of trying to arrange two contract killings! What??? Rudd was facing up to 10 years in prison had he been found guilty of the charge, but the charges were eventually dropped, and he is back behind the kit for the rock and roll gods!

If you want to see the band live in all their glory, check out No Bull - and for more AC/DC, check out the Family Jewels collection (speaking of balls).

Rush - R40, one of the best concert films

In the early 1970s, three unassuming young men from Willowdale, Ontario, got together to play some music in a garage - little did they know, in those early days, that they would go on to become the greatest power rock trio of all time!

Geddy Lee, Alex Lifeson, and John Rutsey formed Rush in 1973, as high school friends who were really into Zeppelin. Their debut album was pretty much a very well executed tribute to the great Led Zep, and it caused a moderate buzz, but it wasn’t until Rutsey left the band, replaced by drummer Neil Peart, that Rush forged their true road to glory!

Neil’s audition was one for the books - when the tall, lanky drummer arrived with his drums in tow, he was pretty awkward and didn’t really fit the part. Then he sat at the kit. According to ultimateclassicrock.com, “Peart arrived at the tryout driving his mom's Ford Pinto, with his drums safely stashed in garbage cans. "I remember thinking, 'God, he's not nearly cool enough to be in this band,'" said guitarist Alex Lifeson in the film Beyond the Lighted Stage. But in spite of his questionable fashion sense, Peart's dextrous percussion skills won Lifeson over. "And then he started playing, and he pounded the crap out of those drums. He played like Keith Moon and John Bonham at the same time.'"

Armed with insane levels of musicianship, an endless supply of imagination, a constantly expanding creative drive, and stop-on-a-dime technical proficiency, Geddy, Alex and Neil went on to create some of the most iconic and recognizable music to come out of the great white north, pretty much ever.

Over the course of four decades, the band released over 30 albums, ranging from straight ahead rock to grandiose prog to new wave and even some reggae and synth rock mixed in - but their music always had that enigmatic quality - as Geddy sings in Spirit of Radio, “one likes to believe in the freedom of music,” and Rush gave their fans wings to soar along with them for decades.

For the band’s final tour, they decided to go back in time to create a concert experience that started in the present, and with each song on the setlist, they would go further back in chronology of the band’s releases. Rush filmed R40 Live over two sold-out nights at Toronto’s Air Canada Centre on June 17 and 19, 2015.

R40 Live features the three members of the band in peak form, performing a career-spanning live retrospective, celebrating their 40+ years together. The epic live shows by the celebrated Hall of Famers were captured with 14 cameras to present the band from every angle imaginable. If you haven’t seen Rush live, Rush-R40 is the next best thing. RIP to Neil Peart, the professor on the drumkit!

Journey - Live in Manila, a pure classic rock band moment

Fans of Journey can rejoice knowing the hard-rocking band are on tour again this summer, throughout North America, with friends like Toto and Anne Wilson of Heart. Journey are far and away one of the most celebrated American rock bands, owing a lot of their more recent success to TV shows like The Sopranos and Glee, but with deep roots to the San Francisco music scene of the 1970’s. In fact, original guitarist and founding member Neal Schon has been with Journey ever since the group was formed in 1973, and he is still the engine that keeps the Journey on track! Schon was originally a member of Santana’s band before forming Journey (he was just 15 years old when he joined Santana only a few weeks before performing at Woodstock!), so he’s got it in his blood.

To date, Journey has sold over 48 million albums in the U.S., making them the 25th best-selling band. They’re also one of the best-selling bands worldwide, with international sales hitting close to 90 million records, all thanks to the incredible songwriting of Schon and friends. Singer Steve Perry didn’t actually join the band until 1977, and when did, he took them to the stratosphere, with massive hits like Don’t Stop Believing, Separate Ways, Faithfully, etc… and Perry continued rocking out with the band for 21 years, until 1998, when he decided to pursue a solo career (not always a good idea), and then things got interesting for the band. When Steve Perry departed, he left a gaping hole, which would be hard to fill. Took a while to find the right fit, but then came YouTube. Yup, Youtube. The band ended up replacing Steve Perry with Arnel Pineda, a Manila-based singer from a Filipino Journey cover band, that Neal Schon discovered while watching covers of his own band on YouTube! In fact, it’s a bit of a new trend that has also allowed the band Yes to replace singer Jon Anderson with a Yes cover band singer from Montreal as discovered on YouTube - so, yeah, this is a thing!).

On March 14, 2009, Journey returned to Arnel Pineda's homeland and introduced him as their newest lead singer to a crowd nearly 30,000 strong at the SM Mall of Asia Concert Grounds.

We posted a clip of Arnel fronting Journey on our TikTok page, and it generated a lot of discussions and heated debate. What do you think? Is Arnel as good as Steve Perry? Check out Journey Live in Manila and let us know what you think!

The Police - Certifiable, one of the best rock concerts

One of the most important, influential, and innovative bands to come out of the UK has to be The Police. The trio, made up of Sting, Andy Summers, and Stewart Copeland were so inventive with their style that it was hard to actually define their sound which often toggled between pure pop bliss, raunchy punk aggression, rootsy reggae vibes, and the exciting sounds of new wave experimentation.

The Police are one of those rare bands that everyone likes (have you ever met anyone who doesn’t like The Police?). Maybe it’s Sting’s unique vocal style, the carefully crafted song catalog, Stewart Copeland’s incredible dexterity on the drums, or Andy Summers’ angular and spacey guitar playing - although, truth be told, it’s probably a combination of all of the above that makes them so special.

The band had its share of internal strife, too, over the years, though. They were only active for 7 years, because the members all had huge egos that got in each other's way, especially between Sting and Stewart Copeland (whose brother happened to be the band’s manager). The two band members almost came to blows at several instances. The straw that broke the camel’s back happened when the band couldn't agree on which drum machine to use for a session (as Stewart Copeland had broken his collarbone in a horseback riding accident and couldn't fulfill his drum duties until it all healed up). Things got so tense that during the recording of Synchronicity on the Caribbean island of Montserrat, each member recorded their parts in different rooms, not because it sounded better, but because they couldn't stand to be in the same room.

Following the Synchronicity tour, the Police took some time off, and returned in 1986 to play three Amnesty International benefit concerts. It didn’t go so well internally, again. Plans for an album were scuppered. The band eventually reformed in 2007, wowing audiences with their sustained musical prowess and a collection of timeless classics that translate so well live! Despite the fact that they didn’t get along, the tour was an unmitigated success! According to Steward Copeland, in an interview with The Guardian in 2020: “For Sting, music was a painkiller, an anesthetic, a way to escape from the evil, harsh, grim world, to a place of utter, unassailable, unblemished beauty,” he said. “For me, it’s a celebration: let’s light up this room and let’s have fun. This can overlap – we made five albums as The Police. But the conflict grew and grew, out of that diversity of purpose. And now we understand that, and Sting and I get along famously … as long as we’re not playing music!”

Luckily for us, that incredible tour was filmed for posterity. Recorded in Buenos Aires during the 30th Anniversary World Tour, Certifiable is the culmination of the phenomenal reunion of The Police. With a setlist that reads like the ultimate Police greatest hits show, the legendary trio performs all their classic tracks including 'Roxanne', 'Every Breath You Take', 'Don't Stand So Close To Me' and 'Message In A Bottle', you can relive the magic by clicking here.

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Remembering the Summer of Love, 50 Years After

Ben Fong-Torres — Mon, 13 Sep 2021 14:33:50 +0000

Remembering the Summer of Love, 50 Years After Ben Fong-Torres Mon, 09/13/2021

Author’s Note: In and around San Francisco, it’s all about the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. Exhibitions in museums and libraries; concerts and special events in Golden Gate Park and around town; a return of the musical, “A Night with Janis Joplin.” It’s the endless summer of love, and it’s happened every decade.

In 1987, the San Francisco Chronicle noted the 20th anniversary with several articles, including this one, which I’ve edited for space. I have not updated it, but should note that since then, we’ve lost three of the people I spoke with: Bill Graham, Jerry Garcia and Paul Kantner.

"I never felt that the music coming out of San Francisco was so revolutionary," said record producer David Rubinson, "but I think it was a revolutionary attitude of the bands and of the audience that swept the country."

In the mid-'60s, the San Francisco Bay Area delivered unto the world a mind-blowing array of popular bands, among them Jefferson Airplane, Big Brother & the Holding Company, the Grateful Dead, Country Joe & the Fish, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Sons of Champlin, Moby Grape, Blue Cheer, It's a Beautiful Day, Steve Miller Blues Band, Great Society, and the Charlatans.

Before the Summer of Love was over, however, many of the bands had been signed by big record companies, new recording studios sprang up in San Francisco, in Marin, and on the Peninsula, the Airplane was on the cover of Life magazine, and "acid rock" and "the San Francisco Sound" had joined the trend-watcher's vocabulary.

The music -- first played at parties, then on the streets and in the parks, then in clubs and concert halls, and finally on radio and records -- was the constant backdrop for the times. "Rock 'n' roll," said promoter Bill Graham, "was one of the means of expression for people who were looking at life differently."

The music, said Paul Kantner, now with the Kantner-Balin-Casady Band, "was a good clarion call to action." It was, said Country Joe McDonald, "a very important part of solidifying the community. It was a morale booster; it'd make everybody feel good, and they'd go home being more convinced than ever."

But, as some of the musicians will admit, there never was an actual "San Francisco Sound." There was a volume level: way up. Before there was such a thing as a "lifestyle," there was a style and an attitude -- a combination of laissez-faire and too-stoned-to-care.

One of the first bands on the scene, the Charlatans, was put together by a designer, George Hunter, who was far more interested in image and style than in music.

The Grateful Dead never expected to be commercial: "We never had that glamour flash,” Jerry Garcia said, “that was sellable."

These days, sex, drugs, and politics rarely make the charts, there's no identifiable new wave of San Francisco bands, the barriers are back up between bands and fans, radio is formatted as tightly as in its Top 40 years, and the Beatles' "Revolution" is being used to sell Nikes. And, oh yes, the Airplane's "White Rabbit," having been used in the Academy Award-winning movie Platoon, is out again, complete with a video on MTV.

Did anything really change?

"No," said Grace Slick. "I thought that, with an incredible amount of media blitzing and books and knowledge, you could change people. But you can't. The only person I can change is me."

Maybe, said Country Joe, who now sings and works for Vietnam vets and against ongoing wars. "Life is more interesting now, and more amusing and entertaining."

But as he thinks back 20 years, he grows wistful. "We really thought we were going to convince the whole world to love each other by getting them to listen to rock 'n' roll music and taking a drug called LSD. Our generation had a lot of casualties; we paid a heavy price. And when you look back at the beginning of the end of the Summer of Love, to the battle going on in America, you realize that the Establishment did not voluntarily relinquish its control over the government and the culture. And that we survived that, is unbelievable."

Here on Qello Concerts, you can find the Grateful Dead in features like “Classic Album” and “The Festival Express.” There is also the Jerry Garcia tribute concert, "Dear Jerry." The Airplane’s signature song, “White Rabbit,” is performed by Grace Potter at the Moe. down Festival. Janis and Big Brother & the Holding Company are documented in “Comin’ Home.” Country Joe and the Fish are part of the series, “All You Need Is Love: The Story of Popular Music,” in the episode, “Songs of War and Protest.” Jimi Hendrix, like Janis a breakout star at the Monterey Pop Festival, is in, among other features, “Jimi Plays Berkeley.” There is also the Tony palmer series "All You Need is Love" Episode 14, specifically, covers the height of the Haight.

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Ben Fong-Torres was a writer and editor at Rolling Stone from 1969 to 1981. He was a DJ on KSAN, has published ten books, writes the Radio Waves column in the Chronicle, and created the online station, Moonalice Radio, where his DJ show runs from 9 to 12, day and night.

*Our content library is updated on a regular basis and some of those concerts might not be available at the moment.

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The Dead at the End of ‘So Many Roads’

Ben Fong-Torres — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 17:07:29 +0000

The Dead at the End of ‘So Many Roads’ Ben Fong-Torres Wed, 06/17/2020

It’s not a sexy, round-number anniversary, but I bet Deadheads know that July 9 was the date of the last Grateful Dead concert with Jerry Garcia. That was in 1995, at Soldier Field in Chicago. With the surviving Dead having celebrated a 50th anniversary with a farewell tour—and then a return of most of them, as Dead & Company—they continue to be in the news.

They are on Qello Concerts, in the Classic Albums series (Anthem to Beauty) and in Festival Express, rocking and partying across Canada by train with Janis Joplin, The Band, Buddy Guy and other pals. And they are on my mind, since I wrote The Grateful Dead Scrapbook in 2009 and chronicled that last concert.

It came in the middle of a year when the Dead, their staffers, and increasingly more fans were alarmed by the state of Garcia’s health, owing primarily to drug use. But in spring, he appeared to be better, and, as I wrote:

The Dead and their fans enjoyed some excellent shows, including ones featuring guests and opening acts like Bruce Hornsby, Dave Matthews Band, Bob Dylan, and Chuck Berry.

At too many stops, though, the spirits deserted them, and the road was riddled with gatecrashing incidents and worse. Two people fell from an upper level at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh during a Dead show. The band weathered a death threat against Jerry in Pittsburgh and another in Indiana. A hundred or more people were injured at a campground called the Farm near Dead shows in Maryland Heights, when a veranda around the lodge collapsed.

The Dead’s performances themselves were uneven. As always, the fault lay with their leader. “Garcia had backslid into heroin use,” according to Holly George-Warren in Grateful Dead 365. “The sight of Jerry—clammy and gray, always out of breath, incommunicado onstage as well as off—was frightening to us all,” said Lesh.

The tour ended in Chicago with concerts on July 8 and 9 in Soldier Field. With plenty of media around, looking to capture some of the drama that surrounded Dead concerts, the band pulled off a trouble-free pair of shows, beginning with “Touch of Grey.” The last song Jerry Garcia sang was “Black Muddy River,” a melancholic Robert Hunter composition that the writer said was “about the perspective of age and making a decision about the necessity of living in spite of a rough time.”

Earlier in the concert, he performed “So Many Roads,” repeating the ending refrain, “So many roads to ease my soul.” No one knew that this was the last time Garcia would sing this deeply personal song. “It’s Hunter writing me from my point of view,” he once said. “The song is studded with little references that have to do with me and where I’ve been, what I’ve been involved with, my own musical background, my roots.”

At his post on bass, Lesh was moved to anguish by what he witnessed. “I watched in despair as Jerry—whey-faced, hunched over with chin on chest, fighting for breath before singing every line—struggled his way through an incredibly moving performance of “So Many Roads.”

In the audience, (veteran Dead chronicler) Blair Jackson saw and heard the performance, which stretched out to almost ten minutes, with the Dead providing background vocals in shades of “Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door.” “This was Garcia’s soul laid bare,” said Jackson, “and the audience responded by cheering him on, empathizing with him, struggling with him.”

Back in California, Jerry entered the Betty Ford Clinic near Palm Springs, but left a couple of weeks later, saying he didn’t want to spend his birthday, August 1, in rehab. But then he checked into another facility, called Serenity Knolls, in Marin County. There, he died of a heart attack in his sleep. It was very early, August 9 th , and he had just turned 53.

August 9, 1995: One of the saddest anniversaries in rock.

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Remembering Ray Manzarek

Ben Fong-Torres — Wed, 17 Jun 2020 16:31:45 +0000

Remembering Ray Manzarek Ben Fong-Torres Wed, 06/17/2020

Ray Manzarek told me that he was dying. He had an incurable disease, he said in an email dated April 2nd. “I’m hoping that was a belated April Fools joke,” I replied.

“Unfortunately not a joke,” he wrote back. Within seven weeks, he was gone, at age 74.

But I knew that Ray had not been kidding. His bad news came as an explanation for why he was turning down a request I’d received, on his behalf, to do a mini-concert that would be streamed world-wide.

In the years I’ve known Ray—dating back to about 2005, when I began work on the book, The Doors by the Doors—he’s never declined an offer to go somewhere and talk, or play music; preferably both.

In fact, one reason we’d stayed in touch all these years was because he and I, having had fun at a couple of bookstore events, wanted to take our act (His act, really, with me tossing in questions and wisecracks) on the road. We’d do the lecture circuit, appear at universities, music conferences—wherever they could set up two mikes and a keyboard.

But the economy—and Manzarek’s continuing work with Robbie Krieger, playing Doors music, and with Michael McClure, blending poetry with jazz—kept the idea on a back burner.

It came up again late last year, when we got together for Qello’s world premiere of the remastered version of the film of The Doors at the Hollywood Bowl in 1968. At Bob Weir’s TRI Studios in Marin County, we sat for a chat, with some of the questions coming in via Facebook, where fans were watching the film, and us.

At one point, I mentioned how, at the bookstores, Ray had masterfully deconstructed “Light My Fire” on a keyboard, revealing all the musical influences that went into the famous intro and the extended instrumental break. He tried to hand-sync his way through a bit of his explanation of the music; at one point, he gazed wistfully at a keyboard behind him, sadly inaccessible. I told our viewers that a version of Ray’s mini music discourse might be on YouTube. Now, thanks to Qello, you can view it. Thanks, too, to the audience member at the Booksmith, on Haight Street in San Francisco, who captured our session that November evening in 2006.

After our Qello interview, Manzarek sat for a brief, on-camera interview with Suzanne Joe Kai, a filmmaker who is producing a documentary about me. He told her she could make use of any Doors music and footage she wanted. Suzanne was stunned by his generosity.

Moments later, he bid us all goodnight – but not before saying, once more, that he was ready to hit the road with our little Door-and-pony show, whenever our schedules allowed.

And then came April and the shocking word from Ray himself, and, now, the most devastating news. It’s said that, in Germany, he died surrounded by Dorothy, his wife since Doors days, and two brothers, James and Rick.

The family has requested that, instead of flowers, friends and fans make a donation in Ray’s name at www.standup2cancer.org

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Paul McCartney - Live at Knebworth, 1990

Ben Fong-Torres — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 15:42:44 +0000

Paul McCartney - Live at Knebworth, 1990 Ben Fong-Torres Tue, 06/16/2020

Think Paul McCartney’s a medical and musical phenomenon, performing at full-tilt, these days and nights, at age 71?

Take a look at him in McCartney at Knebworth.

That June, 1990 night at the Knebworth House, north of London, the future Sir Paul had just turned 48, already ancient by rock and roll standards. As he is today, he was in great spirits, kicking things off with Wings’ “Comin’ Up,” then serving up some Beatles tunes (“Yer Birthday,” “Hey, Jude” and “Can’t Buy Me Love”) to the huge crowd of about 120,000, most of them planted at Knebworth all day and night – and a rainy, windy one, at that – for a procession of rock acts. They appeared to have endured rainy, windy weather (When do they get to go to the porta-potties?)

This was a benefit two British organizations involved with enabling disabled children to learn and perform music, and McCartney offered a shout-out to them, for “helping kids reach out and touch the world,” before playing a luminous, seven-minute version of “Hey Jude.” Paul’s intro gave the song even more of a glow than usual.

Alongside members of his band (which included Linda McCartney on second keyboards), you could see a setlist, with perhaps eight or nine titles. Only four are included in this film, and that’s because this was a well-packed all-star festival which required a three-DVD release. In Vol. 1, McCartney is preceded by Tears for Fears, Cliff Richard and the Shadows, and Phil Collins. Check out the other volumes for Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Dire Straits, Robert Plant (with guest Jimmy Page), and Status Quo.

Besides McCartney, the highlights of Vol. 1 are provided by Phil Collins. He follows Cliff Richard, Britain’s answer to Elvis, who looked out of place, decked out in a hot pink suit, strutting, spinning, posing, and dancing through three songs. The audience seemed more puzzled than excited, but got into it when he did his hit, “We Don’t Talk Anymore.”

In contrast, Collins wandered onstage in a white dress shirt and slacks, sat on the apron of the stage and sang “In the Air Tonight,” looking more like a teacher than a rock star. As he sang, he made his way to his drum kit just in time to slam into the climactic chorus. I love drummer-singers, whether Collins, Levon Helm or Karen Carpenter, and Phil is among the finest. He wrapped up with a sizzling “Sussudio.”

And then, as night fell, McCartney and his band appeared. “Good morning,” said Paul. And it was.

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Paul McCartney: Good Evening New York City

Ben Fong-Torres — Tue, 16 Jun 2020 13:38:42 +0000

Paul McCartney: Good Evening New York City Ben Fong-Torres Tue, 06/16/2020

Call it a Maccathon.

Whenever Paul McCartney does a concert these days, he’s in for the long haul, and the haul includes five decades of iconic hits, discoveries of other worthy tunes, and massive doses of charm.

McCartney likes to perform, and he aims to please. He knows who he is, and he knows he’s in the business of show, so he plays to the audience, all 60,000, for three nights at the brand new Citi Field in New York in 2009. At a song’s end, he lifts his instrument (guitar, mandolin, bass) in salute. He addresses the fans in the back of the massive stadium. He recalls the Beatles’ 1965 concert at Shea Stadium, an unabashed ploy to get the girls screaming, ala Beatlemania, all over again. He reads signs that conjure the past (“PAUL, MARRY ME”). He recalls dropping in on Billy Joel, who did the final concert at Shea, the Mets’ ballpark, in 2008, before it was demolished and gave way to Citi Field—then brings him on to share in a rousing “I Saw Her Standing There.”

There are too many songs and highlights to chronicle in a blog. I’ll just mention ones I marked as I watched this amazing, Herculean, two and a half hour concert:

“Drive My Car.” He opened with this number, which showed that his range hadn’t changed.

“Jet” was next, instantly reminding that he wasn’t just a Beatle—and, perhaps, offering a nod to the New York Jets.

“Let Me Roll It” dives into the blues, and segues into a tribute to Jimi Hendrix, with “Foxy Lady” riffs.

McCartney pays stirring tributes to other departed souls, like his wife Linda, with “My Love,” and John Lennon, with “Here Today,” and George, with “Something.”

Other standouts include “Got to Get You Into My Life,” “Eleanor Rigby,” “Band on the Run,” “Paperback Writer,” a fireworks-propelled “Live and Let Die,” and a medley of “Day in the Life” and “Give Peace a Chance.” At the two hour mark, he completes “Hey Jude,” but keeps on going, with “Day Tripper,” “Lady Madonna,” “Helter Skelter,” “Get Back,” and, finally, the finale, “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band.”

But it’s not all about “Yesterday.” Macca rocks out with his sterling, four-man band of musicians and vocalists (I especially dug drummer Abe Laboriel, Jr.), and he mixes in songs from more recent efforts, including the Fireman project (Electric Arguments), produced by Youth.

Still, he knows why he can fill a baseball stadium, old or new. In fact, he is said to be talking with San Francisco’s mayor, Ed Lee, about performing the final concert at Candlestick Park, where the Beatles played their last concert, in August, 1966.

That would be something. And it would be perfect. Full circles. That’s what Paul McCartney is all about.

Here I am with Paul McCartney backstage somewhere on the road, during Wings' 1976 tour. Are we excited, or what?

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John Fogerty: Live at Soundstage

Ben Fong-Torres — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 18:16:35 +0000

John Fogerty: Live at Soundstage Ben Fong-Torres Thu, 06/11/2020

There are rockers, and there are rock ‘n’ rollers. John Fogerty is one of the few major musicians who can claim to be both, bridging the guitar-driven, band-based rock of the late ‘60s and ‘70s with the R&B and country-rooted rock and roll—think Little Richard and Elvis—of the ‘50s into the ‘60s.

Fogerty celebrates the agelessness of both—and his own inability to age. Sure, by 2008, when John Fogerty: Live at Soundstage, was performed and recorded, he was 63 and showing a few wrinkles.

Very few, actually, which is amazing, considering what he’d gone through, with his estrangement from the rest of Creedence Clearwater Revival and from his original record label, attended by exhausting lawsuits.

To watch Soundstage, you wouldn’t know that he’d ever had any problems. He had a new album (Revival) out, including a composition called “Creedence Song” and a couple of angry anti-war (and George W. Bush) tunes. He and a crack band sprinkled the new songs into the concert, but filled the setlist with CCR classics, including “Proud Mary,” “Born on the Bayou,” “Bad Moon Rising,” “Have You Ever Seen the Rain,” and “Travelin’ Band.” (Note: Fogerty’s concert, as you might have noticed, is in two parts. Hits in the second volume include “Who’ll Stop the Rain,” “Fortunate Son,” “Green River,” “Lookin’ Out My Back Door,” and the baseball classic, “Centerfield.”)

Not that Fogerty needed to sugarcoat his new songs. “Don’t You Wish It Was True” (a wistful vision of a more peaceful world), “Long Dark Night” (a critique of Bush’s handling of the aftermath of Katrina) and “I Can’t Take It” (his anti-war attack on Bush, echoing “Fortunate Son”) gave proof to Fogerty’s continuing power and passion as a songwriter.

And singer, too. Unlike so many vocalists of his generation, he sings at full throttle and at the original keys of his hit songs,” and executes falsetto catches with perfection. He bounces around the stage, matching his sizzling guitar up with the bassist for one song; with the riveting drummer, Kenny Aronoff, on many others. He invites the crowd to help him out on “Midnight Special” and “Proud Mary.”

Fogerty just issued a new album, Wrote a Song for Everyone, and has been out promoting it everywhere. He sounds as powerful as ever. His brand of rock—and rock ‘n’ roll—will never die.

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The Doors at the Bowl: Mick, LSD and a Moth

Ben Fong-Torres — Thu, 11 Jun 2020 14:05:22 +0000

The Doors at the Bowl: Mick, LSD and a Moth Ben Fong-Torres Thu, 06/11/2020

To play the Hollywood Bowl. For any musician, that has to be a career highlight. The Doors performed in that revered venue in 1968, and Ray Manzarek, in his interview for Qello Concerts, articulated the import of such an occasion.

“Everybody played the Hollywood Bowl,” he said. “Igor Stravinsky conducted at the Hollywood Bowl. Miles Davis played the Hollywood Bowl. Great opera singers, great orchestras, great pop acts played it, but not a lot of rock acts. So to play the Hollywood Bowl was a great honor.”

Almost 50 years since that evening, I had a chance to talk with the two surviving Doors, guitarist Robby Krieger and drummer John Densmore. This was for a documentary being produced about a tribute concert for Manzarek, who died in May, 2013. The show took place at the Fonda Theater in Hollywood on February 12th , which would have been Ray’s 76th birthday.

I brought up the Hollywood Bowl to Robby. “That was a horrible day for me,” he said. “It wasn’t bad at all,” said John.

We’ll start with Krieger, who remembers that, for this special outdoor event, “We decided to be really loud.” The band asked the company that provided its amplifiers to bring in as many as they had on hand, and wound up with a wall of more than 50 amps. They were ready to rock this town.

But, Krieger recalls, “Just before the show, it was ‘Oh, by the way, you can be more than 100 db here’”—because of complaints from residents in the neighborhood.

“I ended up using one amp—and I had to turn it down to like “2”—and when you do that, you have a horrible sound. I should’ve run off and grabbed a twin reverb; it would’ve been fine. So I had this teeny, horrible sound. All night, you can see me running back to the amp and adjusting stuff.

“Other than that, it was great.”

Well, there was one other thing. “Earlier,” Krieger recalled, “we had dinner with Mick Jagger, and he was chatting up Pam” (Pamela Courson, Jim Morrison’s girlfriend). So Jim decided to take acid—too much acid. You can kinda tell; he was so reserved; the acid had made him real self-conscious.” Despite that, “he looks good; everything was fine. Of course, that’s the only night they recorded our show on five cameras. Jim’s on acid and my guitar was horrible.”

In our Qello interview, Manzarek said he wasn’t sure that Morrison had dropped LSD, but drummer Densmore is pretty certain. “Jim took acid and didn’t tell the band,” he said. But there were telltale signs. “We’re playing, and he’s picking at the Astroturf. ‘Hey, I found a moth.’ Great. It’s a miracle he managed to get through everything.”

In my book, The Doors by the Doors, Densmore is not quite so accepting. He recalls noting that something was off about the show; that “Jim’s pauses were too long on some songs.” Robby told him that Morrison had taken acid just before going on.

“GODDAMMIT!” Densmore shouted. “I hurled my drumsticks to the floor. “It’s one thing to take it on your own time, but the Hollywood Bowl?”

Later, I reported, “Mick Jagger was very kind when Melody Maker, the English music magazine, asked him how he liked the Doors. He said, ‘They were nice chaps, but they played a bit too long.’”

Qello Concerts by Stingray

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KAABOO Del Mar 2018 | 9 Must-See Shows

Stingray Curators — Tue, 11 Sep 2018 19:47:29 +0000

KAABOO Del Mar 2018 | 9 Must-See Shows Stingray Curators Tue, 09/11/2018

Music Festivals: Still Going Strong, Live and FREE on Stingray Qello

Catch KAABOO in September

Still hungry for the summer outdoor music festival experience? Down in San Diego, California, where it's always still summer in mid-September, the all-ages KAABOO Del Mar is about to tune up and turn on.

Three stages over three days (Sept. 14 to 16) of superstar headliners like Imagine Dragons and Wiz Khalifa combined with legendary rock and roll royalty like Blondie, Billy Idol, and Robert Plant await you*.

This isn't a tease. Because you don't need to buy tickets and fly there, you can crowd surf all three stages in the comfort of your own home or from mobile - for free! With the multi-platform streaming service Stingray Qello, you're just three clicks from experiencing the festival live.

How to KAABOO on Stingray Qello

With the exclusive live streaming partner of the 2018 KAABOO Del Mar, you can catch the festival on the web, your mobile phone, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Roku, and other platforms.

Don’t miss a minute of the show, RSVP to the KAABOO live stream at www.qello.com/kaaboo and you'll get a daily reminder when sets go live.

To watch the live stream, all you need to do is connect to an existing Stingray Qello account or log into qello.com/kaaboo.

Consult the complete KAABOO lineup and concert schedule: kaaboodelmar.com/lineups and kaaboodelmar.com/daily-schedules.

Every headliner. One massive channel.

Listen to every KAABOO headliner on our exclusive audio channel.

Listen now

Countdown to KAABOO

While you wait for the festival to begin, get to know the feature artists by checking out their previous live shows ON DEMAND on Stingray Qello.

Here are staff picks for best acts to catch at KAABOO.

THE ZOMBIES

Stay where you are, the Zombies are coming! If you’re too young to recall the 60s British Invasion, then this show is definitely for you.

The second U.K. band after the Beatles to score a #1 hit in America, the Zombies are now celebrating the 50th anniversary of their immensely influential album Odessey and Oracle. Trippy melodies and lush Mellotron grooves with a solid hard rock base are at the core of these beloved songs of the 1960s British Invasion, including "She's Not There”, "Time of the Season” and "Tell Her No.”

Live, they are as tight and in sync as ever. Plus, they’ve been surprising crowds with a few covers that guarantee euphoric moments aplenty.

Date and Time: Friday, September 14 at 4:05 pm

Stage: Trestles

EARTH, WIND & FIRE

If there’s a genre that’s best appreciated live, it’s funk. And Earth, Wind & Fire’s energetic, horn-driven, disco-infused sound is sure to get the crowd moving. You might not get another chance to see 70s and 80s classics such as “Let’s Groove”, “Boogie Wonderland” and “September” performed live, so you definitely don’t want to miss this!

Date and Time: Saturday, September 15 at 7:55 pm

Stage: Grandview

BLONDIE

Rock royalty, Blondie's music and all-around cool vibe are timeless. They still play sold-out shows after 40 years.

It’s one thing to relive childhood punk and disco nostalgia, but the iconic Debbie Harry – at 73, let that sink in - and her band are also behind Pollinator, one of the best album releases of last year.

Blondie treat their audience to sets that go off every single time. You’ll want to experience this.

Date and Time: Friday, September 14 at 7:15 pm

Stage: Trestles

BILLY IDOL

“He is in fine form and going hell for leather in this classic rock spectacular.” Unsurprisingly, the British punk and pop '80s icon is a force of nature who shows no sign of letting up.

Idol is an arena headliner who brings along a heavy record bag full of insanely catchy pop hooks, dance beats, high energy and punk attitude. In terms of maximum appeal and great fun, his set is an absolute no-brainer to check out.

His Billy Idol Live! summer tour set-list is a dream hit machine that includes “Dancing With Myself”, “Flesh For Fantasy”, “Cradle of Love”, “Eyes Without a Face”, “Rebel Yell”, “White Wedding” and “Mony Mony.” Get ready for a raucous ride!

Date and Time: Saturday, September 15 at 5:55 pm

Stage: Grandview

GUCCI MANE

Gucci has been on a streak as of late, dropping albums and features at a frenetic pace, so it’s a prime period to catch this icon of Atlanta hip-hop. A skilled rapper with a gift for catchy hooks, Gucci Mane has been honing his craft for almost 20 years now, with no sign of stopping. Gucci is known to perform both his own hits and his song-stealing guest features during live shows, so be sure to come sing along to “Black Beatles” during his set at Kaaboo!

Date and Time: Friday, September 14 at 4:40 pm

Stage: Grandview

FOO FIGHTERS

They now officially carry the Rock torch. No other band these days can give you three hours of hard rock with that intensity. Foo Fighters are survivors from another era. An endangered species you can’t miss.

Date and Time: Friday, September 14 at 8:25 pm

Stage: Sunset Cliffs

IMAGINE DRAGONS

With a line-up of catchy sing-along hits, energetic shows, great stage presence and dreamy visuals, the band has established themselves as legit arena performers of the same level as Coldplay, Muse and Arcade Fire.

The huge success of their recent singles “Believer”, “Thunder” and “Whatever It Takes”, all from their third album Evolve (2017), has truly won them a place among this year’s Top headliners.

Date and Time: Saturday, September 15 at 8:25 pm

Stage: Sunset Cliffs

SLASH

Thirty years of hell-raising with a semi-grin, the legendary master of big riffs is releasing a new album Living the Dream, with Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators on September 21st.

Expect a serving of hot new licks at Kaboo, as Slash is fresh off the road from a record-breaking tour with Guns N’ Roses. With the man behind “Sweet Child O’ Mine” and “Paradise City”, chances are GNR fans will have a blast.

Date and Time: Sunday, September 16 at 4:25 pm

Stage: Sunset Cliffs

ROBERT PLANT

With recent confirmation that Led Zeppelin has not planned on doing more concerts together, this could be your only chance to see the real deal live. Recent set lists from mister Plant in Europe are promising magical flashbacks like “Black Dog” and “Going to California” along with the haunting alt-country versions of traditional folk classics that are now his trademark.

Date and Time: Sunday, September 16 at 7:00 pm

Stage: Grandview

* Lineup subject to change

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NEW MUSIC FRI-YAY | Week of June 25

Sasha — Fri, 29 Jun 2018 01:08:58 +0000

NEW MUSIC FRI-YAY | Week of June 25 Sasha Fri, 06/29/2018

New vibes on Fridays. Save the date.

Craving fresh sounds? Stingray’s got everything you need. For you. For your friends. For your mom. For your neighbor. And even for that friend who says ''I hate music''.