February 3, 1982--Frank Sinatra, Joe Louis Arena, Detroit: Enjoying the Chairman of the Board with Mom is a memory I will always cherish. Shirley was one of those Sinatra "bobby soxer" fans in the 1940s and had not seen him in 35 years. I was just starting to discover Sinatra's unparalleled singing--probably the best vocalist the U.S. has ever produced. There was a terrible snowstorm that day but we'd been hearing that Sinatra's crew would get him there regardless of the weather and that he'd do his show and collect his pay. So we left hours early, as I was concerned about the inclement conditions--snow was rapidly piling up. Got there three hours before showtime and it was all good as I loved being with Mom. Oh yeah, the legend in action was pretty good, too. Sinatra did not sing "I've Got You Under My Skin," but "Come Rain or Come Shine" was included in the 14 song set, and my new discovery, the bittersweet "I Loved Her" ("she was Mozart/I was Basie") from the 1981 LP She Shot Me Down.
August 1, 1982--Willie Nelson & Family, Pine Knob Music Theater, Clarkston: My father gets equal space today. Jer listened to country crossover artist Eddy Arnold way back when but I don't remember much more country in his musical diet until he had Merle Haggard on the radio in the 1980s and he liked a lot of the country novelty songs that were big then. So my sister Margo and I took him to see Willie & Family and we sat on the huge grassy hill. While he seemed to appreciate the experience, he commented, "Willie plays a long time."
August 19, 1982--Rickie Lee Jones, Royal Oak Music Theater, Royal Oak: Rescheduled from April, it was good to see Rickie Lee after waiting several months; I found her first two albums (1979's Rickie Lee Jones and 1981's Pirates) really expressive and stylish. She was terrific live and especially exciting was a cover of the Coasters' ultra-smooth "Shoppin' for Clothes," where she played off the saxophonist--and bassist Jerry Jemmott--to great effect.
September 3, 1982--The Who, The Pontiac Silverdome, Pontiac: One of many "farewell' performances from this authentically legendary band and in one of the most depressing structures (the Detroit Lions played football there) I've ever been in. The Who sounded decent but openers the Clash, I'd read somewhere, were on half power, meaning that when their sound system was cranked, distortion ran rampant--and I don't mean cool, punk distortion. A damn shame because I was set to see the band I'd loved since their U.S. debut album in 1978, Give 'Em Enough Rope.
January 14 & 15, 1983--Neil Young, Palmer Auditorium, Austin, TX: Ten years after I'd caught Young's two Cobo Hall shows with the Stray Gators in Detroit, I witnessed two nights of Neil all by himself and I can't say it was impressive. He was promoting his new electronic drenched LP Trans, which at least included a remake of his Buffalo Springfield nugget, "Mr. Soul." But very little was classic here, until Young finally sat down at his old, clunky piano and later played guitar (acoustic this time) when he was done with the futuresque stuff.
Summer 1983--The Persuasions, Macomb Theater, Mt. Clemens, MI: An "oldies" show, although this iconic a cappella group had been releasing new albums on Rounder Records when I caught up with them. An unforgettable sight and sound: Jerry Lawson and his stellar partners ventured to the midpoint of the theater and sang in the aisles--without microphones. They didn't need them. Motown's the Contours ("Do You Love Me," "First I Look at the Purse") harmonized well while their lead vocalist was positively acrobatic in his stage presentation. Detroit's the Reflections ("Just Like Romeo and Juliet") opened, though they were billing themselves by another moniker then.
October 16, 1983--The Richard Thompson Band, The Second Chance, Ann Arbor: His songs encompass twisted moods to ironic humor, and he's one of the finest guitarists in the world, electric or acoustic. I'm guessing that Richard Thompson doesn't have a huge American following because of his very British vocal style. That's our loss, because RT's singing is more flexible than, say, Billy Bragg's, moving from lovely to tough with ease. He cut five albums with Fairport Convention starting in 1968 and at least that many with his ex-wife Linda. His second solo album Hand of Kindness stands as one of his best, translating well to the stage on this special evening. The band featured sax, accordion and Gerry Conway on drums--with RT's guitar in overdrive, they were both searing and melodic, and "Tear Stained Letter" brought spine tingling musical exchanges among the soloists. One of the encores, Glenn Miller's "Pennsylvania 6-5000," found several band members walking around like tourists, taking Polaroid photos in a unique, jovial moment; it was a nice contrast to some of Thompson's more harrowing compositions heard throughout the night. So how underappreciated is Richard Thompson? I couldn't get anyone I knew to go to the show with me. I left the extra ticket on the venue's window sill.
November 19, 1983--Clarence Clemons & the Red Bank Rockers, Harpo's, Detroit:
Clemons' 1982 gig at the Royal Oak Music Theater was quite spirited, and my second encounter with Clarence and band at Harpo's was similar: straight ahead rock and soul, not for the faint of heart. A fabulous moment: Clemons and the Rockers played Bruce Springsteen's previously unreleased "Savin' Up" from CC's debut album Rescue as vocalist J.T. Bowen brought magic to the song onstage. After Bruce dissolved the E Street Band later in the decade, I met Clarence at an autograph signing event and asked him why he wasn't working with J.T. anymore. "He was enjoying the rock'n'roll lifestyle just a little too much," was the Big Man's reply.
See also: 1972-1974, 1975-1979, 1980-1981