Spring 1975--Willis Alan Ramsey, Wupperman Little Theater, Texas Lutheran College, Seguin: A really sweet show from the man whose Willis Alan Ramsey on Shelter Records in 1972 is still his only release. The record includes my favorite Woody Guthrie tribute, "Boy from Oklahoma," while "Angel Eyes" was deeply affecting onstage. Additionally, Ramsey covered two songs by the Band, including "When You Awake." Still performing to this day, Ramsey's long-running joke comes at the expense of fans who ask him when he's going to record a followup album: "What's wrong with the first one?"
October 16, 1977--Randy Newman, Paramount Theater, Austin: A solo gig for the singer-pianist, showcasing his accomplished, often astounding repertoire. While his new Little Criminals was somewhat disappointing, Newman's many bitterly funny songs from the last ten years had everyone chuckling and singing along and he invoked howls for "A Wedding In Cherokee County": "She'll laugh at my mighty sword/she'll laugh at my mighty sword/why must everybody laugh at my mighty sword?"
January 26, 1978--Count Basie & his Orchestra, Seguin High School Boys Gym, Seguin, TX: Yes, the timeless American artist William "Count" Basie (1904-1984) was still alive when I saw his orchestra--not posthumously led by someone else--with his longtime guitarist Freddie Green in tow, and he had a fine young drummer, Butch Miles. I stood with reporters afterward but was too nervous to ask Basie a question.
August 1978--Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band, Pine Knob Music Theater, Clarkston, MI: After hearing Seger on the Detroit radio during the timespan when no one else outside of the midwest cared (1966-67), it was a blast to see the local boy on a six or seven night stand, with old fans and new witnessing his still-passionate stage show. By then, he had scored too many hits for my taste because a guy near me knew every word and sang, tone deaf, throughout. I was elated when Seger played his older song "Need Ya" because the dude shut up then. Cleveland's the Michael Stanley Band opened and my sister Margo and I really dug the song "Baby If You Wanna Dance." As I vacationed in Michigan, it not only felt like a homecoming for Bob--it felt like one for me, too.
September 1, 1978--Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Masonic Auditorium, Detroit: I caught Springsteen's astonishing 1978 tour in San Antonio, Austin and the Motor City that year. FM broadcasts from several cities proved that I wasn't just making up superlatives about the shows that featured the new Darkness On the Edge of Town; without exception, every song was better onstage than its studio version. Springsteen's storytelling skills continued to have few rivals. There were short, beautiful keyboard intros that set up the songs in a fresh way while "Prove It All Night" was expanded in a tour de force, ten minutes and triumphant. The old songs were high on enthusiasm, and there were several new ones that wouldn't be released until The River in 1980--material was simply bursting out of Bruce. After three hours of committed, kinetic playing (climaxing in a riotous "Quarter to Three" from the glory years of Gary U.S. Bonds), the finale was quiet and lovely: Springsteen at the piano for his heartbreaking "The Promise" and then, back on guitar, an interpretation of Bob Dylan's "Chimes of Freedom" with the Boss reading the lyrics off a music stand. Why I didn't beg someone to drive me to Saginaw the next night is beyond me, as I read he'd finished with Chuck Willis' "(I Don't Want to) Hang Up My Rock'n'Roll Shoes."
February 24, 1979--Elvis Costello & the Attractions, Austin Opry House, Austin, TX:
While the show was just over 60 minutes in length, it was brutal and fantastic in its intensity (the opener, "Goon Squad," was killer). I won tickets via KLBJ-FM/Austin by knowing that Elvis' favorite country singer was George Jones. Following "Pump It Up," Costello & the Attractions even did an encore, "You Belong to Me," an unusual thing given EC's anger at the time. There might have been someone else on the bill (Sham 69?), but I do recall Cali power pop band the Rubinoos, who played sparkling covers of "I Want to Hold Your Hand" and "Walk--Don't Run" as well as their original teen tales like "I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend."
August 23, 1979--Rory Gallagher, The Armadillo World Headquarters, Austin: Rory Gallagher (1948-1995) with a hard hitting show that positively roared with the Irish singer-guitarist's version of Leadbelly's "On the Western Plains" and his signature remake, "Bullfrog Blues." The Gallagher trio's take on the blues was muscular, unrelenting and more than enjoyable.
See also: 1972-1974