Musicians share which concerts they wish they had attended
Indianapolis Star, IN
November 26, 2006
Celebrities have access to plenty of exclusive perks, but a time machine isn't one of them. When the rich and famous daydream about turning back the clock, it's nothing more than a dream. Still, prominent musicians would jump at a chance to witness bygone superstars onstage.
During the past year, The Indianapolis Star posed the following question to an assortment of singers, rappers and guitarists: "If you could attend any concert from history, what performance would you like to see?" Among all the wish lists, reggae champion Bob Marley, rock 'n' roll icon Elvis Presley and guitar wizard Jimi Hendrix were popular picks...
King for a day
Give Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones a seat in the audience when Presley recorded his " '68 Comeback Special" for the NBC television network.
Wearing black leather from head to toe, Presley performed with long-running sidemen Scotty Moore (guitar) and D.J. Fontana (drums).
"Elvis was singing so well, and he looked really great," said Jones, who recently reassembled Foreigner with Jason Bonham on drums and Kelly Hansen on vocals. "You could truly see why he was who he was. There was no (nonsense). It was, 'Yeah, he is the king.' "
Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry would aim earlier in the Presley timeline to catch a "Louisiana Hayride" date in Shreveport, La., in 1954. As a three-hour parade of talent similar to Nashville's "Grand Ole Opry," the weekly "Hayride" shows featured abbreviated performances from every artist.
"Elvis poured everything into those few songs," Perry said. "To see him down there blowing people's minds would have been incredible."
Perry also noted the friction created by early rock 'n' roll in a conservative part of the country.
"Any hint of that kind of music was scary," Perry said. "He's lucky he wasn't ridden off the road."
Christian pop singer Amy Grant picked Presley playing anywhere in 1956, based on what she's seen in a film documentary titled "Elvis '56."
"He was just a big ball of fire right there," she said.
Seizing the moment
The low-key ballads sung by James Blunt don't have a lot in common with the manic work of Jimi Hendrix, the singer-guitarist who recorded three landmark albums before his death in 1970.
But Blunt cited one of Hendrix's final appearances -- the Isle of Wight Festival on Aug. 8, 1970, in the United Kingdom -- as his dream show.
"I listened to him massively as a teenager," said Englishman Blunt. "I don't think I sound anything like him, but I'm sure what you listen to has to influence you somewhere."
It's easier to draw a line of influence from Hendrix to Aerosmith's Perry, who wishes he could have caught Hendrix when he set the night ablaze June 18, 1967, at the Monterey Pop Festival.
Sharing a bill with the Who, the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin, Hendrix famously set his guitar on fire during a rendition of the Troggs' "Wild Thing."
"It was his chance to prove himself and one-up everybody," Perry said. "That was back when the only way you made a name for yourself was by playing live. That was the perfect opportunity, and he knew it. He took everything he learned from his background plus just his innate genius as a showman and piled it into that moment..."
November 26, 2006
Celebrities have access to plenty of exclusive perks, but a time machine isn't one of them. When the rich and famous daydream about turning back the clock, it's nothing more than a dream. Still, prominent musicians would jump at a chance to witness bygone superstars onstage.
During the past year, The Indianapolis Star posed the following question to an assortment of singers, rappers and guitarists: "If you could attend any concert from history, what performance would you like to see?" Among all the wish lists, reggae champion Bob Marley, rock 'n' roll icon Elvis Presley and guitar wizard Jimi Hendrix were popular picks...
King for a day
Give Foreigner guitarist Mick Jones a seat in the audience when Presley recorded his " '68 Comeback Special" for the NBC television network.
Wearing black leather from head to toe, Presley performed with long-running sidemen Scotty Moore (guitar) and D.J. Fontana (drums).
"Elvis was singing so well, and he looked really great," said Jones, who recently reassembled Foreigner with Jason Bonham on drums and Kelly Hansen on vocals. "You could truly see why he was who he was. There was no (nonsense). It was, 'Yeah, he is the king.' "
Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry would aim earlier in the Presley timeline to catch a "Louisiana Hayride" date in Shreveport, La., in 1954. As a three-hour parade of talent similar to Nashville's "Grand Ole Opry," the weekly "Hayride" shows featured abbreviated performances from every artist.
"Elvis poured everything into those few songs," Perry said. "To see him down there blowing people's minds would have been incredible."
Perry also noted the friction created by early rock 'n' roll in a conservative part of the country.
"Any hint of that kind of music was scary," Perry said. "He's lucky he wasn't ridden off the road."
Christian pop singer Amy Grant picked Presley playing anywhere in 1956, based on what she's seen in a film documentary titled "Elvis '56."
"He was just a big ball of fire right there," she said.
Seizing the moment
The low-key ballads sung by James Blunt don't have a lot in common with the manic work of Jimi Hendrix, the singer-guitarist who recorded three landmark albums before his death in 1970.
But Blunt cited one of Hendrix's final appearances -- the Isle of Wight Festival on Aug. 8, 1970, in the United Kingdom -- as his dream show.
"I listened to him massively as a teenager," said Englishman Blunt. "I don't think I sound anything like him, but I'm sure what you listen to has to influence you somewhere."
It's easier to draw a line of influence from Hendrix to Aerosmith's Perry, who wishes he could have caught Hendrix when he set the night ablaze June 18, 1967, at the Monterey Pop Festival.
Sharing a bill with the Who, the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin, Hendrix famously set his guitar on fire during a rendition of the Troggs' "Wild Thing."
"It was his chance to prove himself and one-up everybody," Perry said. "That was back when the only way you made a name for yourself was by playing live. That was the perfect opportunity, and he knew it. He took everything he learned from his background plus just his innate genius as a showman and piled it into that moment..."
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