Iggy and The Stooges, The Whisky A Gogo, 1973. See # 8.
Bakers' Dozen of my favorite ever live shows that I attended and/or photographed in no particular order. Shout out to Sue Langland LINK for this suggestion. Note that lesser known locals are deemed just as worthy as the superstars in this regard.
1. Parliament Funkadelic
at Maverick's Flat, Crenshaw District, mid-1970s (and me without my
camera!) Crazed beyond all comprehension. With the band dressed as
Village People From Hell while pissing in great arcs aimed right at the
audience and George Clinton wearing longjohns split at the crotch,
P-Funk clearly was determined to terrify those on the dance floor...
Mott The Hoople, Hollywood Palladium (note exposed, uncircumsized hoople)
2. Mott the Hoople (original) at Hollywood Palladium. Yeah, they were great. Yeah, once upon a time.
3. July, 1968 double bill of Moby Grape and the Jeff Beck group (original, with Rod Stewart and Ron Wood, etc.) at the Fillmore (at the Avalon...? Fillmore? 'can't remember, too much mind expansion.) Undocumented, my worst technical screw-up ever with a camera, not due to mind expansion at all but due to my first ever SLR, a newly acquired, used Edixa with horrid pre-set lenses and no instructions whatsoever except in German, which I didn't and to this day don't understand. A teen's eternal regret...
4. Rolling Stones at Inglewood Forum, 5th row (in front of Peter Fonda!) 1969. My first freebie ever as a journalist and due to its ad hoc invite, camera-less. My future better half sure got spectacular shots from there though!
She Rok, Club Lingerie (left, Mary Kay (also of The Dogs); right, Emi Canyn later of Motley Crue Nasty Habits)
5. H*O*T triple bill of The Pandoras see LINK
for set highlight and pic, She Rok (best female metal band ever, just
not as well known as Girlschool etc.) and "The Lousy Bummers," a jam
band of Little Caesar and their chums in L.A.'s metal scene playing
sterling covers (Edwin Starr, Thin Lizzy, Montrose, Big Brother &
the Holding Co. etc.) all with the magnificence of Ron Young's vocals.
Performers VERY oddly attired, most in their jammies, one clad
only in a cabbie's hat and diapers with suspenders. The Bummers' set was
equal parts chaos and majesty. I created their flyer with Mad
Magazine's figurehead Alfred E. Newman as an acid-soaked hippie on it
for this show. (Bummer!)
The Lousy Bummers mid-chaos, Club Lingerie; my flyer for same 
6. Chainsaw in Naples, Italy, 2003. Triumphant L.A. punks' 28-years-after-the-fistfight-that-broke-up-the-band reunion versus amok Niapolitan Italian youths. Win-win!
Chainsaw, Slovenly Rock and Roll Bar, Napoli, Italy 20037. The Doors, The Byrds, Buffalo Springfield, Hugh Masekela, Peter Paul & Mary all for one Yankee dollar ($1), Valley Theatre in the Round, the San Fernando Valley, 1967. Some benefit, acronym CAFF sponsored by Elliot Mintz, hence the high wattage. One of the earliest photos you'll catch on "Fastfilmblog," below, photo and caption appearing later in the book "Gram Parsons, A Music Biography" by Sid Griffin and John Delgatto, for which I did the art direction.
8. Iggy and The Stooges, Whisky A Gogo, 1973 way too much to convey, just go here: LINK Photo at top for the terminally lazy.
9. The Faces, Hollywood Palladium, 1973 (see #3., Stewart and Wood.)
The Faces, Hollywood Palladium, Rod Stewart and Ron Wood (when we were Glam)
The Black Crowes (Chris Robinson) at the Greek Theatre, 2002
10.
Oasis, the Black Crowes, Spacehog, "Brotherly Love" tour of battling
siblings at the Greek Theatre, 2002. A Kinks' reunion at same would have
made this show just so very complete.
Oasis at the Greek Theatre, 2002
Oasis at the Greek Theatre, 2002
11.
The Dogs, The Motels, The Pop, The Whisky A Gogo, 1977. 
DIY punk trifecta
sublimeness. I reviewed this for Performance Magazine so no pix,
responsibility of others.
Sample DOGS' publicity of the era.
DIY punk trifecta
sublimeness. I reviewed this for Performance Magazine so no pix,
responsibility of others.Sample DOGS' publicity of the era.
12. The Who, end of the original Tommy tour, 1970, San Diego
13. UPDATE! Jan. 16, 2015, solo gig of James Williamson and assorted artists, see LINK
for entire rundown. Some of the best and yet lesser known Stooges'
songs penned by Williamson and Iggy Pop ever, sung by some of the most
passionate right now singers extant. Whew....
Lisa Kekaula (The BellRays) and James Williamson, J.W. and Jello Biafra, Alison Mosshart (The Dead Weather, The Kills) and J.W., Carolyn Wonderland and J.W., Ron Young (Little Caesar) and J.W., Joe Cardamone (The Icarus Line) and J.W. Other singers included Jesse Malin, Cheetah Chrome and Frank Meyer!
To quote the seminal rock 'n' roll film Still Crazy, I await new thrills with bated breath...
Geez, wish I`d been to any of those. But my list would include most every Who show of the `60`s `70`s, especially the one where I stood in line next to Jerry Garcia at the Sta. Monica Civic then found out it was a double show and the guys had destroyed their stuff first set. With JM we piled chairs up in the middle of the auditorium and watched James Cotton blow the crowd away from prime, and high perches. Monterey Pop, any day (yes I was there), was a pinnacle, of course. Third, and close to the others,would be Genesis, touring "The Lamb" in 1975 at the Shrine Aud., on acid. Not forgotten, The Who with Pogo (the original name), and the Bonzo Dog (DooDah) band at the Palladium, touring "Tommy", complete. Am I the only one who maintains that we were privy to a golden age of rock,that the world will not see again? Or am I just another old fart stuck in the past. Don`t answer that.
ReplyDelete-Ralph Oswald (guitarist, Christopher Milk)
I've seen and photographed great shows lately, but this list was based upon sheer adrenaline/endorphin rushes at the time. Some memorable ones in the last two decades as opposed to four: Ruby Friedman Orchestra at Rodney's Club '11; Black Cactus Stampede at the Cathouse '90; Little Caesar at Brixton's '10; The Dogs at the Whisky show they four-walled in '87 (?); Burning Tree at Coconut Teazser (what a drummer!)
ReplyDeleteYa see, out here in the land of the Great Denver Stock Show, or in Boulder, Dreadlocked String Bands (I should domain that one), it`s been real hard to find a truly stellar rock show in a venue where you can actually see anybody. Couple ye...ars ago we saw The Tubes at a 300 seater, and tho` Fee is a bit long in the tooth, it was fab gear. Outside of that, Mahler`s Eigth at CU, with a stripped down orchestra of only 95, plus three choruses and singers in the balconies, was a lifetime thrill, indeed, the best rock show I`ve attended in Colorado. Thrills and volume, aye? See what expatriates have to puit up with? Keep me jealous, darlin`. -Ralph Oswald
ReplyDeleteNowadays I would add many a show by the current reunion of THE DOGS, plus new band Dr. Boogie to any list that allowed more than my arbitrary Bakers' Dozen...
ReplyDeleteSad, I can't afford concerts anymore.
ReplyDeleteHalf the time I leave knowing I paid big bucks to watch lead singers lip sync.
I'm getting cynical....
Evanesco, the idea is to find major artists on the way up, when the going is still inexpensive... check out Dr. Boogie if they come close to your digs within a 100 miles, or THE DOGS within 500 miles...
ReplyDelete