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| #063 |
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| Date |
July 11, 1987 |
| City |
Cincinnati, OH |
| Venue |
Bogarts |
| Headline |
FREHLEYS COMET |
| Support |
White Lion |
| Ticket |
COMP |
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When Ace Frehley unceremoniously left Kiss in 1982, one would have anticipated a solo album much sooner than 4 years later. The guitarist had any number of alcohol and chemical problems, not to mention his encounter with the law when he crashed his DeLorean sports car the wrong way on a one way street. During interviews, Frehley often referenced to solo projects that never quite reached fruition. This is still common of Frehley today. However, Frehley's Comet was finally signed to Atlantic's Mega-Force label and launched the beleaguered guitarist's first stint as a post-Kiss solo artist. There had been previous versions of the Comet band, which cut many of the band's demo recordings. The former lineup included second guitarist: Richie Scarlet, bass: John Regan, Late Night with David Letterman band drummer: Anton Fig, keyboardist: Arthur Stead and of course Ace Frehley. The "new look" Comet which was actually signed to Atlantic included former 707 guitarist/keyboardist/vocalist, Tod Howarth replacing both Scarlet and Stead. Howarth was a jack of all trades musician who could contribute to the band at any number of levels including song writing. The Comet track, Calling To You, is actually reworked from the 707 hit Mega Force. Due to television commitments, Fig only played with Frehley's Comet in the studio and was replaced by Eric Clapton drummer Jamie Oldaker for the tour. The tour included mostly club dates and while the crowds were small, the houses were filled to capacity. The set list included most of the tracks from the studio album, plus Frehley's signature Kiss hits including Cold Gin, Deuce, Shock Me and Rocket Ride. Still a crowd pleaser from his days with Kiss, Frehley's "smoking" guitar solo was also incorporated into the club shows. My best friend from college was doing some freelance writing for Rockbill magazine at the time. His editor hooked us up with free tickets and backstage passes to the show. Having been a long time Kiss fan, I was elated to say the least. Ace was laid back, genuine and down to earth. Very hospitable guy, unlike a lot of what had read about him.
This particular evening, after the show, there was a small crowd asembled near the dressing room door. Most fans didn't have a pass. There was a big burley security guard at the door who wouldn't let anyone in without a pass. I guess you could say that was his job after all. In front of my friend and I, there stood two girls. One was at least parrtially blind and walked with a cane. They neither one were all that attractive and and neither had passes. The security guy gave them a rough time. Ace happened by and noticed them. He obviously noticed they were getting a rough way to go from security too. He invited them in and spent some real quality time talking to them. I was pretty impressed with the way he handled it. He could have just as easily walked on by, but took the time to meet a couple of fans. That was cool. We had a great time too. Ace was in a good mood and signed autographs.
SETLIST:
Fractured Mirror (intro)
Rip It Out
Stranger In A Strange Land
Something Moved
Cold Gin
Love Me Right
Into The Night
New York Groove
Rock Soldiers
Breakout
Shock Me
Ace Frehley Solo
Calling To You
We Got Your Rock
ENCORE:
Deuce
Rocket Ride
MEET & GREET: Frehleys Comet (Ace Frehley, Todd Howarth, John Regan, Jamie Oldaker)
WHITE LION SETLIST:
Hungry
Fight to Survive
Wait
Sweet Little Loving
Don't Give Up
Kid of 1000 Faces
Tell Me
Lady of the Valley
All You Need Is Rock 'n' Roll
| FREHLEY'S COMET |
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| WHITE LION |
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| #066 |
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| Date |
October 08, 1987 |
| City |
Indianapolis, IN |
| Venue |
Indiana Roof |
| Headline |
LARRY CARLTON |
| Support |
Yellowjackets |
| Ticket |
$16.50 |
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The Indiana Roof Ballroom is by far one of the most under rated and under utilized venues in Indianapolis. Although I had not followed the Yellowjackets since their debut album, I had always admired their sound. I didn't realize that guitarist Robben Ford had influenced that sound greatly and that the band had since continued only with keyboards, saxophone, bass and drum. At the time, I might have been a little disappointed without the guitars, but later came to appreciate the direction the Yellowjackets had taken. It was probably their saving grace to not become clones of Spyro Gyra by keeping a guitarist in the lineup.Larry Carlton was fabulous, as always. His set focused on his recent MCA albums, Discovery and Alone But Never Alone, with some hot spots thrown in for good measure. The evening was complete with his instrumental medley of Steely Dan tracks.
| LARRY CARLTON |
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| YELLOWJACKETS |
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| #068 |
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| Date |
Nov 10, 1987 |
| City |
Cincinnati, OH |
| Venue |
Riverfront Col |
| Headline |
JOHN |
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MELLENCAMP |
| Ticket |
COMP |
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This was an interview situation gone bad. My friend Andy was sent to this concert by a publisher who wanted to run a story about John Mellencamp. The publishers were a sister company to Playbill magazine. They set us up with tickets and backstage passes, however once backstage, we were tossed in with the radio contest winners and quickly shuffled into a small room. There we were told, along with contest winners, that Mr. Mellencamp may not be in the mood to chat with fans and that she would take whatever items they wanted autographed and return with them in awhile. We tried to tell the people in charge that an interview was supposed to have been arranged. They told us that if we came back after the show, their star might be in a better mood. Great. We were led back to the arena door, through a service corridor, where we passed the band and crew eating a catered dinner. We took our seats and the concert was in fact excellent - the third time and absolute best I had ever seen him perform. Sadly, there would be no interview after the show.
JOHN MELLENCAMP SETLIST:
Paper in Fire
Jack & Diane
Hard Times for an Honest Man
Lonely Ol' Night
Check It Out
Rain on the Scarecrow
Down and Out in Paradise
The Real Life
Empty Hands
Rumbleseat
Hand to Hold on To / Chain Gang
Small Town
Minutes to Memories
Hotdogs and Hamburgers
Thundering Hearts
Crumblin' Down
R.O.C.K. in the U.S.A.
Play Guitar / Gloria
Hurts So Good
Authority Song
ENCORE:
Pink Houses
Like a Rolling Stone
| JOHN MELLENCAMP |
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