1985

A radio DJ in Cincinnati locked himself inside the studio and played Everybody Wants You over and over and over. The stunt caught national attention and Billy Squier agreed to include Cincinnati on the U.S. leg of his Emotions In Motion tour. By this time, Squier was enjoying a great deal of success, having toured the U.S. with Foreigner, Queen and now two solid pop/rock albums from which to draw material. His concerts were straight forward rock and roll, powered by an ample band. Squier, not satisfied to rest on previous accomplishments, hired upcoming U.K. rockers Def Leppard to open the shows. Having a hardworking support act on the bill forced Squier and his band to go to work even harder. Def Leppard was in the U.S. touring in support of their third album Pyromania, which would later catch fire internationally and launch the band into worldwide popularity.

Def Leppard were building quite a lot of momentum of their own. Having toured with Ozzy Osbourne, the brits were well rehearsed and rocked the Gardens.

BILLY SQUIER SETLIST:
Everybody Wants You
Whadda You Want From Me
I Need You
Catch 22
Learn How to Live
My Kinda Lover
Too Daze Gone
She's a Runner
Emotions in Motion
Listen to the Heartbeat
Lonely Is the Night
In the Dark
The Stroke
Keep Me Satisfied
Rip This Joint (Rolling Stones cover)

DEF LEPPARD SETLIST:
Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)
Rock Brigade
High & Dry (Saturday Night)
Another Hit and Run
Billy's Got a Gun
Photograph
Rock of Ages
Bringin' on the Heartbreak
Switch 625
Guitar Solo
Let It Go
Guitar Solo
Wasted
Travelin' Band (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)

BILLY SQUIER
DEF LEPPARD

This is one of those concerts you end up going to because your girlfriend really wants to go. I liked some Journey, certainly not all. I knew only a little bit about the Canadian born Bryan Adams at the time. Journey was at the pinnacle of their popularity. Sporting a light show that was easily ahead of it's time, Journey delivered a hits package, including prominent new radio singles such as Faithfully and Separate Ways.

Bryan Adams had a couple of hits at the time including Cuts Like A Knife, This Time and Fits You Good. He struck me as kind of an asshole for kicking a beverage off the edge of the stage and onto the audience.

JOURNEY SETLIST:
Chain Reaction
Wheel In The Sky
Line Of Fire
Send Her My Love
Still They Ride
Open Arms
No More Lies
Back Talk
Keyboard Solo
Rubicon
Drum Solo
Escape
Faithfully
Who's Cryin Now
Don't Stop Believin
Stone In Love
Keep On Runnin

ENCORE:
Any Way You Want It
Separate Ways
After The Fall
Lovin Touchin Squeezin

BRYAN ADAMS SETLIST:
You Want It You Got It
Win Some Lose Some
Tonight
This Time
Cuts Like A Knife
The Only One
Fits You Good
One Good Reason
Coming Home
Hiding From Love
Lonely Night

JOURNEY
BRYAN ADAMS

Zebra was a guitar oriented hard rock trio from New Orleans who favored influences such as Led Zeppelin and Triumph. It is easy to hear some resemblance to both in their one moderately successful track, Who's Behind The Door. Their 45 minute set consisted of tracks from their debut release. ZZ Top had just released Eliminator, but had not become the blockbuster, megaselling record that it ultimately was. They were still very much that little ol' band from Texas. The performance had become a little more showbiz, but still centered on the blues and a rich history of ZZ Top classics. Personally, I was never all that fond of most of the tracks on Eliminator or many of it's successors for that matter. However for some unknown reason, TV Dinners was a track I liked. Still this band always delivers a great show.

ZZ TOP SETLIST:
Got Me Under Pressure
I Got The Six
Waitin For The Bus
Francine
Sharp Dressed Man
Ten Foot Pole
TV Dinners
Manic Mechanic
Fool For Your Stockings
Dust My Broom
Pearl NEcklace
Cheap Sunglasses
Beer Drinkers And Hellraisers
Just Got Paid
Arrested For Driving While Blind
Party On The Patio
Tube Snake Boogie
Jailhouse Rock

ENCORE:
La Grange
Tush

ZEBRA SETLIST:
Who's Behind the Door
The La La Song
Bears
Tell Me What You Want
I Don't Care
I Don't Like It
As I Said Before
Slow Down (Larry Williams cover)

ZZ TOP
ZEBRA

Show was scheduled, tickets were sold then the show was mysteriously cancelled. The story as I recall was that Steve Howe didn't want to sleep in hotels, so he pitched a tent on the roof of the hotels instead. This led to his becoming sick and cancellation of shows.

As expected, an evening with Neil Young was a phenomenal performance...at least for the first two sets. With a stage set designed like a large living room, complete with fireplace, Young was relaxed and comfortable. Surrounded by a semi-circle of stringed instruments including guitars and banjos, Young made his way from his chair to replace one guitar and select another. On occasion he would amble to one of two different pianos, playing what seemed like a random selection of acoustic songs. Pianos, harmonicas, banjos and guitars, Neil Young was free to play what he felt, free from Crazy Horse and other trappings. Anyone who has followed Young for any length of time knows that with Neil Young comes surprises - some good and some not so good. This night was no different, as the third set presented Neil Young transformed into the woefully bad Neil Young and The Shocking Pinks, a tongue-in-cheek rockabilly act that could hardly be taken seriously.

SETS 1 and 2 Neil Young Solo:
Comes A Time
Love Is A Rose
Down By The River
Too Far Gone
Only Love Can Break Your Heart
Old Ways
Old Man
Helpless
Dance, Dance, Dance
Heart Of Gold
Don't Be Denied
Sail Away
Powderfinger
Ohio
After The Gold Rush
I Got A Problem
My My, Hey Hey
Mr. Soul
Sugar Mountain

SET 3 Neil Young and the Shocking Pinks
Jellyroll Man
Wonderin'
Payola Blues
Get Gone
Don't Take Your Love Away From Me
Everybody's Rockin'
Do You Wanna Dance?

First Set
Second Set
Third Set

I think this was supposed to have been a co-headline bill, but after so much time, I cannot recall who finished the show on this particular night. Singer Steve Walsh left Kansas to pursue solo efforts with Streets and the band replaced him with vocalist John Elephante. Drastic Measures was Elephante's second outting with Kansas and they had scored well on the new album with the radio singles Everybody's My Friend and Fight Fire With Fire. However the performance here was decent, it just wasn't great and lacked something without Steve Walsh fronting the band.

Following the hitless Private Auditions album, Heart had returned to the front lines with Passionworks and a new, 80's rock single, How Can I Refuse. Their live concert featured this along with a number of past hits, including Barracuda, Even It Up and Straight On. The Wilson sisters were taking a bold new turn toward a sexier image, which would go on to dominate their direction for the next few years. Say what you will about a more commercial image though, when the lights go down and the curtain goes up, Heart still put on a tremendous show.

HEART SETLIST:
Sleep Alone
Blue Guitar
City's Burning
Crazy on You
(Beat By) Jealousy
Magic Man
Mistral Wind
Love Mistake
Johnny Moon
Straight On
Even It Up
Bebe Le Strange
How Can I Refuse
Allies
Barracuda

KANSAS SETLIST:
Fight Fire With Fire
Point of Know Return
Everybody's My Friend
What's on My Mind
Play the Game Tonight
Hold On
Andi
Dust in the Wind
Crossfire
Get Rich
Magnum Opus
Carry On Wayward Son

HEART
KANSAS