Ticket Stub Time Travels

 3 years ago today... August 31, 2017 - Flagstaff, AZ Nitty Gritty Dirt Band performed at the Coconino County Fair at Fort Tuthill Park. This show was free with fair admission. We were surprised to see the band stuck under a relatively small tent with a modest stage and an entry-level lighting package. When front man Jeff Hanna introduced the band, he quipped about upping the lighting budget next year in order to see founding member Jimmie Fadden at his drum kit. NGDB played a retrospective set drawing on its long career. Highlights included "Mr. Bojangles," "Fishin' In The Dark," "An American Dream" and the show-closing "Will The Circle Be Unbroken." We were invited to a post-concert meet & greet with the band's founding members and found them to be friendly guys happy to still be on the road.

 41 years ago today... August 30, 1980 - DuQuoin, IL Harness racing's marquee event, The Hambletonian, was run for the final time at the DuQuoin State Fair before moving to The Meadowlands in New Jersey next year. This was the 55th running of the Hambletonian and the 24th and final edition to be held in DuQuoin. Losing the prestigious event to the east coast was a blow to the small southern Illinois town and the day's events had a melancholy feel and wistful tone. I was sports editor of the Daily Egyptian, the Southern Illinois University newspaper, and was issued one of 120 trackside press credentials to cover the race. In a post-race notes column, I noted the race was televised by NBC last season, but downgraded to cable-only coverage and a later replay over local channels. The cable network that picked it up was the new Entertainment Sports Programming Network. In 1983, cable TV had so little penetration and awareness that ESPN needed to be spelled out in the newspaper....

 27 years ago today... August 29, 1994 - Phoenix, AZ Jackson Browne performed in concert at Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavilion. Browne had a full band for this show. The singer-songwriter did cuts from his latest album at the time "I'm Alive," and his most popular songs, concluding with "Running On Empty," "The Load Out" and "Stay." This was a large venue for JB. His recent shows here have been in the smaller more intimate halls like Orpheum, Celebrity, Symphony Hall, etc., sometimes solo acoustic, sometimes with full band. Always terrific.

 38 years ago today... August 28, 1983 - Phoenix, AZ Stevie Nicks played a fundraising concert for the American Heart Association at her father's venue, Compton Terrace. Billed as Stevie Nicks & Friends, she was joined by Kenny Loggins and Joe Walsh, each playing their own set, with net proceeds going to the Heart Association. The bands took no fee, making it a true benefit. Jess Nicks, Stevie's dad, was on the association board and donated use of the amphitheater he owned. The advertising agency I worked for donated its services, creating a promotional poster and graphics package. I did public relations advancing the show. We met Stevie and her dad at Phoenix Country Club at press conference announcing the charity concert. We saw the show up close from sponsor seats. Joe Walsh was funny and rocked it. Loggins and Stevie had the duet hit "Whenever I Call You Friend," so they sang together on that. Stevie had just released "The Wild Heart," a prett...

 15 years ago today... August 27, 2006 - Phoenix, AZ  John Fogerty and Willie Nelson & Family performed in concert at Cricket Pavilion. Fogerty had just released "Long Road Home," a live concert DVD and double CD package. The setlist for this show mirrors that of the DVD and could have been used for Credence Clearwater Revival back in the 70s, augmented by "Centerfield" and a few more solo efforts. Fogerty was the headliner and wore his trademark flannel shirt while playing all of CCR's greatest hits. The audience sang along and John looked to be enjoying himself. Willie Nelson & Family opened the show. Compared to Fogerty, this was a very laid back set that looked like just another one of 300+ nights that Wilie would be on the road again this year. Here's a link to the Fogerty setlist: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/john-fogerty/2006/cricket-pavilion-phoenix-az-5bcef7c8.html

 25 years ago today... August 26, 1996 - Phoenix, AZ British rockers Def Leppard performed in concert at Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavilion. Astute readers of TSTT will note that this concert is the day following yesterday's posted event, the "Can't Stop Rockin'" tour with REO Speedwagon, Foreigner and Peter Frampton, and at the same outdoor venue. Def Leppard song "Let's Get Rocked" was an appropriate title for this back-to-back showcase of classic rock. Def Leppard was touring behind their new album "Slang." Here's a link to the setlist: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/def-leppard/1996/blockbuster-desert-sky-pavilion-phoenix-az-53d0dfcd.html

 25 years ago today... August 25, 1996 - Phoenix, AZ  Three classic arena rock acts of the 70s, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner and Peter Frampton, brought their "Can't Stop Rockin'" tour to Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavilion. Had this been 1976 rather than 1996, Peter Frampton riding the crest of "Frampton Comes Alive," the top selling live album ever, would have been the headliner. On this night, he sported a short haircut and John Lennon-style round wire glasses opening the show before the sun had set. Foreigner was next, led by band founder and lead guitarist Mick Jones and sneering front man Lou Gramm. Foreigner was outstanding, ripping through hit after hit from rock radio, duplicating the songs from the singles versions. They were the best band on the night. REO was the headliner, touring behind its new album "Building The Bridge." The band got some headlines when Bill Clinton used the title cut as part of his campaign, but the album generally su...

 29 years ago today... August 24, 1992 - Phoenix, AZ  Progressive rock supergroup Emerson, Lake and Palmer reunited for a concert at Desert Sky Pavilion. After a breakup and hiatus, ELP reformed in 1992 to release a new album called "Black Moon" and an associated tour. ELP's excessive and extensive solos and prog-rock approach were not my jam, but an advertising client and me were invited by a media salesperson to join him and his wife in his company's private mini suite at the amphitheater. My client and I arrived shortly after opening act Bonham (drummer Jason Bonham, son of the late Led Zeppelin drummer John Bonham) had started his set. Bonham was loud. Very loud. And not very good. Client and I took advantage of the complimentary beverages offered by the salesperson. When Bonham finished, we exchanged pleasantries with our host and his wife. They kept looking at their watches. After insuring that we had plenty of liquor and an open tab the rest of the nigh...

 13 years ago today... August 23, 2008 - Phoenix AZ Dave Matthews Band performed in concert at Cricket Wireless Pavilion. This was my first time seeing this jam band live. They had a new and different saxophone player. Original DMB member saxophonist LeRoi Moore had died just four days ago from an ATV accident he was expected to have recovered from. "The show must go on," apparently. Here's a link to the setlist: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/dave-matthews-band/2008/cricket-wireless-pavilion-phoenix-az-5bd6f31c.html

 41 years ago today... August 22, 1980 - DuQuoin, IL Willie Nelson and Family performed two shows at the DuQuoin State Fair. In my role as entertainment editor for the university newspaper, I was one of a dozen reporters invited to interview Willie between shows at the fairgrounds. We took seats on a tour bus and Willie jumped in the driver's seat and swung around to talk to us. He lit up a joint and smoked it himself. Willie was soaring in popularity as the reigning CMA Entertainer of the Year while starring in the movie "Honeysuckle Rose." His album of pop standards, "Stardust," was a surprise smash. Willie spent about 15 minutes answering questions and recording radio station IDs for the local outlets. In a quote from my story, he dismissed the idea of classifying music, "An A is still an A and a quarter note is still a quarter note and that will never change." He was still joking and toking when the opening chords of "Whiskey River,"...

 5 years ago today... August 21, 2016 - Phoenix, AZ The "Rock Hall Three-For-All" brought Joan Jett & the Heartbreakers, Cheap Trick and Heart together for a classic rock show at Ak-Chin Pavilion. Cheap Trick was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame this year, joining with previous inductees Joan Jett from a year earlier and Heart from in 2013. Now that they all made it in, a package tour with the three celebrated the honor. I sorta expected a finale with all three bands on stage together at the end similar to the HOF ceremonies but it didn't happen.

 10 years ago today... August 20, 2011 - Flagstaff, AZ Steve Martin and the Steep Canyon Rangers combined comedy and banjo-driven bluegrass music in a outdoor performance at the Pepsi Amphitheatre at Fort Tuthill Park. Steve had always incorporated banjo into his comedy shows when he was a Wild and Crazy Guy with an arrow through his head asking to be excused. Now he was playing with the Steep Canyon Rangers, a North Carolina-based bluegrass band. A few months before this show, Steve and the Steep Canyon Rangers released their first collaborative album, "Rare Bird Alert," with cameos from special guests Paul McCartney and the Dixie Chicks. The album was nominated for a Grammy and included a bluegrass version of Martin's memorable "King Tut." The between-song banter was classic Steve, dropping some hilariously funny bits while showcasing his substantial chops on banjo. The band is tight. We really enjoyed this pairing of comedy and music. Thanks to the promo...

 21 years ago today... August 19, 1999 - Phoenix, AZ  Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers played a rock concert at America West Arena. The band was touring behind the "Echo" album. Every show I saw from the Heartbreakers was tight and rockin' and sounded great, evidence of the band members longevity in staying together and playing together over the years.

 6 years ago today... August 18, 2015 - Glendale, AZ  Taylor Swift showed us how to "Shake It Up" during her 1989 World Tour at Gila River Arena. This was Taylor's third major tour and represented her departure from country music and transition to a pop star. She featured an elaborate stage production including a long ramp that projected from the stage to nearly the opposite end of the arena, allowing her to dance above the crowd. Taylor performed every song from her "1989" album with only four additional songs from two other records. Here's a link to the setlist: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/taylor-swift/2015/gila-river-arena-glendale-az-43f7f357.html

 4 years ago today... August 17, 2017 - Phoenix, AZ  Local musicians and the evening's venue were inducted into the Arizona Music & Entertainment Hall of Fame in a ceremony at Celebrity Theatre. Arizona's musical royalty was in the house and on the stage for this evening of tributes, honors and live music. Inductees this year were Tempe's Gin Blossoms, guitarist and Scottsdale resident Nils Loftgren from the E Street Band, grunge rockers Meat Puppets and Celebrity Theatre, the historic venue offering "rockin' in the round" from a revolving stage. Each honoree had its moment in the spotlight. Loftgren's solo guitar work was impressive and Gin Blossoms played an energetic set of their jangly radio catalog. I can recall many weeknight sets from the Blossoms at Long Wongs, a revered Mill Avenue bar and wing joint that laid the roots for "the Tempe sound." From these humble beginnings, the band went on to rock radio fame and were offered $1 mi...

 20 years ago today... August 16, 2001 - Phoenix, AZ Lynyrd Skynyrd and Ted Nugent held a doubleheader rock & roll concert in the round at Celebrity Theatre. Regular readers of TSTT may recall the July 10 entry featuring the 1977 Super Bowl of Rock at Chicago's Soldier Field co-headlined by these two titans of classic rock. The juxtaposition of the two shows was striking. At Soldier Field, I was one of 60,000 in the football stadium, sitting in an upper row more than 100 yards away from the stage. Now 24 years later, I was one of only 2,667 in an intimate round theatre with a revolving stage, only 30 feet away from the stage, feeling like these bands were playing in my living room. Same bands, different eras. The memorable moments of this show included Skynyrd's tribute to the 20-year anniversary of the band members they had lost in the 1977 plane crash, as well as the recent death of bass player Leon Wilkeson who passed just three weeks before this performance. When N...

 4 years ago today... August 15, 2017 - Phoenix, AZ Deep Purple and Alice Cooper co-headlined a classic rock concert at Ak-Chin Pavilion. Thanks to online votes from Facebook friends in a radio contest, we won a post-show meet & greet with Alice. Along with dozens of others, we were ushered backstage to a hospitality tent to wait for our moment with the star. While waiting, we met Alice's wife and professional dancer Sheryl Cooper. She had a role as a ghoul nurse in the concert performance. We spent some time talking with Sheryl about the Solid Rock Foundation and our many appearances at the annual Christmas Pudding fundraiser. Sheryl was charming and gracious and agreed to a cellphone photo. Alice autographed a concert poster for us and posed for pics shot by his professional photographer. Alice told us he plays golf every day, typically first tee time, and loves his new Callaway clubs. Deep Purple closed the show. I enjoyed seeing lead guitar shredder Steve Morse who ...

 28 years ago today... August 14, 1993 - Phoenix, AZ  Van Halen rocked it at a concert at Desert Sky Pavilion. This was the Sammy Hagar version of VH. He sang a few of his solo efforts but also sang some of the VH tunes originally led by David Lee Roth. The band was touring behind its first double live album "Right Here Right Now." Van Halen is perhaps the only rock concert I've attended where the solos were the highlight of the show. When Michael Anthony on bass, Alex on drums and finally Eddie on lead guitar got their individual moment in the spotlight, the show hit a new cresendo. Normally a drum and bass solos are boring to me, but not at a VH rock concert. Here's a link to the setlist: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/van-halen/1993/desert-sky-pavilion-phoenix-az-3bd3dcec.html

 10 years ago today... August 13, 2011 - Phoenix, AZ  The Tubes showcased their theatrical stage antics in a concert celebrating the 40th Anniversary of local rock radio station KDKB at the Foundary on First. The Tubes were formed in San Francisco by a merger of members of two Phoenix-based bands, so they are typically considered favorite sons in Arizona. They were former favorites on KDKB, rock radio throughout from the 70s thru 90s, now using an alternative format. A Tubes concert is performance art, as the band shuffles through multiple off-stage costume changes and treats each song as a mini stage play with campy acting and zany storytelling. The best known example is Tubes front man Fee Weebill taking on the role of Quay Lewd for the band's original signature song "White Punks On Dope." The Tubes later cracked Top 40 radio with chart-making hits "Talk To You Later" and "She's A Beauty." Concert promoter Danny Zelisko hooked us up with comp ...

 38 years ago today... August 12, 1983 - Phoenix, AZ  Motown soul singer Marvin Gaye made his next-to-last live concert appearance at Celebrity Theatre. The "Prince of Motown" had just released "Sexual Healing" and the crowd was primarily women who wanted to approach the stage to give the singer some love in form of a hug, a kiss or a rose. Marvin was embracing the love. Throughout the concert, a few female fans climbed onto the stage, only to be briskly removed by security. During the encore, "Sexual Healing" of course, a woman made her way onto the stage and started pawing at Marvin's one-piece jump suit. In a flash, the woman pulled the outfit right off his body, leaving Marvin wearing nothing but a leopard print bikini brief. Predictably, the crowd went wild as Marvin gyrated in male stripper fashion to the shrieking audience. This remains one of my most memorable moments in the 125+ shows I have witnessed at Celebrity Theatre. The "Sexua...

 25 years ago today... August 11, 1996 - Phoenix, AZ  Dwight Yoakam brought his brand of Bakersfield country music to Blockbuster Desert Sky Pavilion. Yoakam had released both a studio and a live album the year prior, and this concert was a combination of new songs and his well-known classics. Yoakam outfits his band in old time country music sequin suits and plays a retro style of honky tonk hillbilly music. His appeal ranges from traditional country listeners to younger audiences at festivals, evidenced by his rousing performance at McDowell Mountain Music Festival a few years back. The pavilion is a big venue for Dwight. I prefer to see him in smaller theatres and clubs.

 43 years ago today... August 10, 1979 - Chicago, IL Electric Light Orchestra played a concert at Chicago Stadium. Touring behind the double album "Out Of The Blue," this was the biggest concert production I had witnessed to date, featuring a stage designed like a space ship, liberal use of fog machines and my initial exposure to laser lights. The band projected a laser beam which created the ELO script logo onto a rear screen, then twisting and flipping the image in a psychedelic and high tech visual treat. Led by Jeff Lynne, who later went on to join the Traveling Wilbury's with Dylan, Harrison, Petty and Orbison, ELO was a music collision of pop and rock with classical. The band included a string section of violins and cellos that could play Beethoven's Fifth Symphony as a section of Chuck Berry's "Roll Over Beethoven." As a sports-crazy kid, I was introduced to ELO with "Fire On High," the instrumental theme song for CBS Sports Spectacul...

 27 years ago today... August 9, 1994 - Phoenix, AZ Touring behind the album "Bat Out of Hell 2," released 17 years after the original, Meat Loaf performed a theatrical concert at America West Arena. The top-selling "Bat Out of Hell" came out when I was in high school, but Meat Loaf found himself back in the limelight with a follow up album of the same name. While the tour was named the "Everything Louder Tour," the title didn't pertain to the singer whose voice was strained and very rough. Meat Loaf left most of the singing to others while he acted out an operatic performance that was similar to seeing a Broadway play or stage show. Meat Loaf's best-known song, "Paradise By The Dashboard Light," seemed to go on for 30 minutes in a theatrical style highlighted by his female co-star and singer. Following that song, Meat Loaf got emotional in thanking the audience for staying with him for all those years. He knew his voice sounded bad,...

          19 years ago today... August 8, 2002 - Phoenix, AZ Soul singer Al Green preached to his followers in a spiritual and spirted concert at Celebrity Theatre. Reverend Al rarely ventures outside of his hometown and church in Memphis. The 11-time Grammy winner was awarded its Lifetime Achievement Award this year, so behind this and a new album he took on a national tour. Al sang all the classics from his catalog like "Let's Stay Together," "Love and Happiness," "Tired of Being Alone" and "Take Me To The River." He received dozens of roses from his adoring followers, thanks to the intimate setup of the round revolving stage and an overwhelmed security team. Al greeted each like a old friend and shared more than a few kisses in exchange. This show was part old school soul, part road show revival and certainly a religious experience, broadly defined. What an entertainer!

12 years ago today... August 7, 2009 - Flagstaff, AZ Country music singer Steve Azar played a barroom concert at the historic Museum Club on Route 66. Azar had a big hit with "I Don't Have To Be Me 'Til Monday." Azar autographed our CD of "Waitin' On Joe" which included his hit single. The Museum Club once hosted the leading artists in country music including Willie Nelson. On the barroom wall is a framed copy of a contract for a Willie performance that paid him $500 to play the room, I believe in the 1960s. An iconic stop on this Arizona stretch of Route 66, the bar has struggled to remain open with a revolving door of ownership. When open, it's a must stop for a longneck bottle.  

 13 years ago today... August 6, 2008 - Phoenix, AZ Lyle Lovett and His Large Band filled the stage during a concert at the Dodge Theatre. This is Lyle's third appearance in TSTT so far. It shouldn't come as a surprise, as he is one of my favorite musicians who I have seen with his Large Band or in a guitar pull with fellow singer-songwriters over 20 times. This concert followed the release of his album "It;s Not Big It's Large," featuring his expansive group of accompanying musicians. When Lyle is in the area, you can typically find him after the show at Handlebar J, Scottsdale's best honky tonk, owned by Large Band lead guitarist Ray Herndon.