Wednesday, September 02, 2015

Quick Rock and Roll Remembrance

I just realized that it was twenty years ago today that I went to Cleveland.

Evan Lloyd called me up and said he had two tickets to the Inaugural Concert of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.  And that I was going, no questions asked.  It was only a question of whether he had time to install a sidecar onto Scarlet, his motorcycle.

Fortunately, he did not.  I drove.

We road tripped out there with local beers like Little Kings.  We hung out Friday night in Columbus with elder fratres Chipper and Brownie and hit on John Cooper's smoking hot daughter.

We spent all Saturday afternoon in the Flats, drinking heavily as if to challenge ourselves to remember the night.  We then headed over to the Mistake By the Lake and hunkered down for hours and hours and hours of rock and/or roll.  And drinking.

Ev started passing out during the Allmans, for which I gave him a ration of crap.  Then he woke up and I started passing out during the next act.  It was a marathon.

Highlights included Chrissie Hynde, an Akron native, and the Pretenders sing "My City Was Gone" and crooning about Ohio; The Kinks, who just kick ass always; and marveling at Evan marveling at Springsteen marveling at his heroes on the same stage.  It was an all-timer.  Duh.

As I look back at the set list now, I can't believe in one night I saw Johnny Cash, Aretha Franklin, Bob Dylan, Jerry Lee Lewis, George Clinton, Chuck Berry, John Fogerty, Al Green, James Brown, Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, and Boz Scaggs.  Wow.

Set notes here

If Evan could hear me now, I'd thank him profusely for choosing me as his wingman at such a once-in-a-lifetime spectacle.  I cannot believe it's been 20 years.  Good golly miss Molly.

17 comments:

Clarence said...

Tom Brady's suspension is overturned the same week the bid to finally let Shoeless Joe Jackson into the Hall of Fame is denied.

rob said...

tawmmy is a fucking golden gawd.

mr kq said...

You boys aren't in the GTB fantasy league? Fer fooks sake.

Mark said...

So Rutgers in the CFB version of the Redskins? http://www.nj.com/rutgersfootball/index.ssf/2015/09/multiple_rutgers_football_players_arrested.html

TR said...

A day late here, but nice post by Whit. And I would love for somebody to tell me why Boz Scaggs belonged on that stage w/ those folks.

When I was 23, I had a very fetching female boss who was 28, extremely fit and pleasantly top-heavy. She told me a story about meeting this super-nice musician recently when she was traveling for work. The way her story went, she was in a hotel gym and struck up a conversation with him. It was Boz Scaggs. She kept saying things like "He was soo nice. He even offered me a ticket to his show the next night, but I was flying home that day."

I couldn't tell if she was being naïve or bragging. It appeared Boz was looking to get some stank on his hang-low.

TR said...

One more point on Rutgers - the QB "battle" was decided by Coach Flood going with the player who wasn't busted w/ a Fake ID this year.

rootsminer said...

You know Boz Scaggs knows a thing or two about that dirty low-down.

Clarence said...

With the benefit of two decades' hindsight, the inclusion of Soul Asylum and Natalie Merchant seems a bit misguided as well.

rob said...

i hate it when dave tries to use the collective brain as his own.

mayhugh said...

footbaw.

Danimal said...

Why is this in Game in Charlotte rather than Chapel Hill? It's not because they thought it would sell out is it?

Danimal said...

Classic exchange just a minute ago during this use unc game. Apologies, but I don't know the names of the announcers other than Jesse Palmer. He's dreamy.
After yet another penalty....
Announcer 1: I think you can officially put tonight in the sloppy box
Jesse Palmer: yeah...it's a, it's week 1. It's not shocking.
Announcer 1:sloppy box huh?
It's hilarious! Rewind it if you have the means.

Danimal said...

Damn it I effed that up. "Sloppy Box huh?" Did not come from Announcer 1 but someone else...David pollard I think. It's the vodka.

rob said...

just realized i've been driving on an expired inspection sticker for two days. fuck the state, man.

Clarence said...

It's a commonwealth, bitch

TR said...

Michigan is gonna lose. And that is awesome. Fuck the Harbaughs.

Squeaky said...

Hi Gheorghies! No drinking. Work sucks. Good Morning.