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Topic: More on Cage's 1st NRPS show |
JB Arnold
From:
Longmont,Co,USA (deceased)
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Posted 12 Nov 2003 8:27 am |
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11/11/71 32 years ago
From Cage's recollection:
Fox Theater - Atlanta. Gar was supposed to set up with me but backed down and caught a later flight. He actually did us another favor - threw us in the deep end of the pool. I knew how to get it on but he wasn't sure about the band. It worked. We made it work. Nelson is just such an outstanding player!
I went early with the crew (nrps) to hang and whilst persuing a dressing room, I stumbled upon Garcia - alone with his guitar in one small room. It was 2 PM! I said, "Hey Jerry, what a shock seeing you here so early - is this really necessary?" [He was into a bucket of Colonel Sanders] He chuckled that Jerry-chuckle and said, "Oh...I'm ALWAYS here! They never let me leave!" bc
JB
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Fulawka D-10 9&5
Fessenden D-10 8&8
"All in all, looking back, I'd have to say the best advice anyone ever gave me was 'Hands Up, Don't Move!"
www.johnbarnold.com/pedalsteel
www.buddycage.net
http://www.nrpsmusic.com/index.html
[This message was edited by JB Arnold on 12 November 2003 at 08:28 AM.] |
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Colm Chomicky
From:
Kansas, (Prairie Village)
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Posted 15 Nov 2003 9:46 am
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First time I saw the NRPS was Sept. 9 1973 at Rec Hall, Penn State campus. I think tickets were $5. NRPS put on a heck of a show. My seat was on the left side of the house up in the bleachers agaist some handrails looking down at Buddy Cage, stage right maybe 45 ft away. I sure was fascinated by that hickey-ma-jig thing that he was playing. If I looked straight down from my vantage point, there were a bunch of twirlers some with fluorescent glow sticks. One of the glow sticks got tossed to high, broke, and that fluorescent green gunk got all over a few folks. Other than that, it was a evening of "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke, and Loud Loud Music". 'Cept that thick smoke smelled funny.
I took the liberty to copy the 1973 Penn State Rec Hall set list off of the NRPS website for that evening. Man what a set ! All the NRPS classics.
First Set:
Six Days On The Road
Teardrops In My Eyes
It's Alright With Me
Panama Red
One Too Many Stories
Hello Mary Lou
Henry
School Days
Dim Lights, Thick Smoke (And Loud, Loud Music)
Important Exportin' Man
She's No Angel
Contract
Sutter's Mill
LA Lady
Lonesome L.A. Cowboy
I Don't Need No Doctor
Second Set:
Sea Cruise
You Should Have Seen Me Runnin’
Whiskey
Take A Letter Maria
Groupie
Parson Brown
Glendale Train
Lochinvar
Duncan And Brady
Truck Drivin' Man
Portland Woman
Louisiana Lady
Last Lonely Eagle
Willie And The Hand Jive
Encore: Kick In The Head
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JB Arnold
From:
Longmont,Co,USA (deceased)
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Posted 15 Nov 2003 11:08 am
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The Riders always put on a great live show...Unlike some of the other "legendary" country rockers from LA who sometimes were too wasted to even play....and mostly it was experience that made them such pros. Nelson was a feature bluegrass player from the time he was about 18-and was in all of Garcia's early bluegrass bands. Cage, at the age of 21, already had 5 albums in the can with Anne Murray, Great Speckled Bird's 2 groundbreaking country rock albums, plus a stint on the Tyson's TV show and time in with Ronnie Hawkins. Spencer Dryden cut his teeth playing drums for Jefferson Airplane. Dawson started playing solo with Gracia in a club in San Francisco, and all his songs had to get past Garcia. and Dave Torbert had to come in and not only take over for Phil Lesh, but do it convincingly enough to get Garcia to OK spending additional money to bring him on the road in the early days, as it cost nothing to have Lesh in the band as he was already there. And after Torbert left, he was replaced by Skip Battin-THE country rock bassist, hands down.
As crazy as things could get, given the crowd they ran with, Cage says the band was always together on one thing-They were deadly serious about making sure the fans got a great show. This even came down to openimg acts-they didn't HAVE to take Commander Cody on the road with them-God knows that was a tough act to go on after-but as Cage said, that just made them a better band-and anyone who ever saw that double bill live will tell you that there simply wasn't a better show on the road at the time in your local concert hall, and the Riders knew it. Both bands played VERY long sets, and burned it up every night.
They also had the the best 1-2 country rock steel punch on the planet in Cage and Bobby Black.
JB
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Fulawka D-10 9&5
Fessenden D-10 8&8
"All in all, looking back, I'd have to say the best advice anyone ever gave me was 'Hands Up, Don't Move!"
www.johnbarnold.com/pedalsteel
www.buddycage.net
http://www.nrpsmusic.com/index.html
[This message was edited by JB Arnold on 15 November 2003 at 11:10 AM.] [This message was edited by JB Arnold on 15 November 2003 at 11:12 AM.] |
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Janice Brooks
From:
Pleasant Gap Pa
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Posted 15 Nov 2003 7:35 pm
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Leave it to the forum for me to find someone who used to be local.
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Janice "Busgal" Brooks
ICQ 44729047
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