Reunion Blues Backstage Banter

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Tag Archives: The Beatles

What Was It Really Like to See The Beatles In Concert?

The Beatles

Most fans are aware that The Beatles last concert was at Candlestick Park in San Francisco (August 29, 1966). My understanding was that they grew tired of not being able to hear themselves on stage and decided to focus on studio recording (a good idea as “Sgt. Peppers” was the first result). If Candlestick was the straw that broke the camel’s back, it was obviously not the only concert appearance where the crowd screams overwhelmed the band and the meager P.A. systems of the time. To get an insider’s view of an actual Beatles concert, I consulted my go-to guy for the 1960′s. (One day I might reveal the name of my source-for now we will call him LD for Lucky Dude). He did the things I wanted to do like attend a Beatles concert AND Woodstock. Here is his story, in his words. It really puts you there. Snap the chinstrap on your time travel helmet and here we go:

I saw The Beatles in August of 1966, Suffolk Downs Racetrack, East Boston MA. I went with a girl I grew up with…she bought tickets for herself and her girlfriend but times being what they were, her parents wouldn’t allow her to get on the bus/train and go to a “concert” without a proper chaperone…so she and her folks suggested me…and I took her…the show was life-changing. The acts were The Remains, who were the support band for The Ronettes and Bobby Hebb (Sunny), and The Cyrkle (Red Rubber Ball)…all were received warmly..but then there was this commotion behind the stage and once the shadow emerged, chaos commenced. Two Boston radio station DJ’s were jockeying for position to announce the boys…it was actually funny…but once the boys hit the stage, it was like sticking your head into a jet engine, it was that loud. Bedlam. I couldn’t hear a thing…for 25 minutes it was just screaming….the only thing I could hear was when one of them would talk between tunes to announce what was coming next…my girl friend was a mess…just sobbing the entire performance. It was all I could do to get her out of the venue to catch the bus back home…

That, is Rock and Roll history my friends.

Reunion Blues & Laurence Juber

As far as contemporary guitar players go, you’ll be hard pressed to find a player with more feathers in his cap than Laurence Juber. And those are some big, bright feathers. Laurence has done it all. He is the former lead guitarist for Paul McCartney and Wings, Alan Parsons Project, Carly Simon and too many other top stars to mention here.

Laurence Juber, now and then!

He has his own Laurence Juber signature model C.F. Martin Acoustic guitar OMC-LJ. He is a world renowned fingerpicking expert, composer, arranger and all around guitar virtuoso.  He composed and performed music for Ken Burn’s follow up baseball documentary film The Tenth Inning.  And he has recently completed LJ Plays The Beatles Vol. 2. These are just a few of his achievements and accomplishments in a hugely successful career.

And who does Laurence turn to for gig bags and cases for his prized guitars? Reunion Blues, of course! When I asked him about his squadron of Reunion Blues gig bags, he commented:

“I am indeed well-equipped with your bags, with my first purchased at Manny’s Music on 48th St in NYC in 1978.”

The Juber Squadron

Laurence sent us this photo of his Reunion Blues gig bags and cases titled: En Route to a Session (I bet that was one heck of a session!  He added:

“As a traveling musician, I appreciate the value of a well-designed and functional gig bag. There are certainly some competitive alternative products in the marketplace, but none have the consistency of style, ‘fit’ and ‘finish’ that I associate with Reunion Blues.”

When asked about traveling with his guitars, he offered this comment which may be even more impressive than our famous drop test from the top of a 3-story building:

“I’ve been happy with the Reunion Blues Continental for my Les Paul and have checked it as baggage with no concerns.”

Laurence was one of the first people we showed our new RB prototypes to at the 2011 NAMM show. Here is what he had to say:

“The suede finish prototype bag at NAMM was cool – I particularly liked the zippered flap over the outside pocket.”

We are obviously thrilled to have Laurence as an official Reunion Blues artist endorser. To learn more about one of the most exciting guitar players of our time, just go to laurencejuber.com. Enjoy with amazement!

Jamming with Holograms

The Band
The Band
With the rapid thrust of technology affecting our daily lives, I’m waiting for an application that allows you to fill a room with holograms from a video of your favorite band in concert. I’m not talking about 3D pictures on a screen, but holograms of actual concert footage…real 3D in a room. Is this possible? I’m assuming it will happen at some point, hopefully in my lifetime.

For instance, how about The Beatles playing on top of Apple Studios in 1969, or The Band’s Last Waltz at Winterland Theatre? I want to pick up my guitar and jam alongside of John Lennon or Robbie Robertson and Levon Helm. I mean stand right beside them, or behind them, or in front of them (or their hologram image). Use computer imagery to add those extra dimensions. Talk about being in the moment, being in the zone. That would get me there! How about the Rolling Stones at Altamont? Not only could you jam with Mick and Keith, you could feel their fear as Hells Angels roamed the stage and crowd…I’m getting sidetracked and, well, you know the story. Or you could swing with Duke Ellington or even croon with Bing Crosby. The possibilities are endless. Whatever your style of music, join the band!

Talk about a great tool to inspire musicians and allow for an out of body experience, this is it, all in one. If someone is working on this please let me know, I’ll be the first to buy it. I’ve never been an “early adopter” when it comes to technology, but for this, sign me up! Come on you computer programmers. Let’s get on it. I even have a name for it: Holojams!

Don't Tread on Metallica

If Rock n’ Roll is dead, then Metallica brought it very much back to life this past week. With the release of their ninth studio album, Death Magnetic, Metallica has topped the Billboard 200 for the fifth consecutive time. If that doesn’t impress you, maybe this will; They released the album on a Friday, a whole three days after most albums are released, and still managed to pull in sales of more than 490,000. Another thing to point out about last weeks’ Billboard is that three of the top five albums were of the rock genre, Metallica at #1, Kid Rock’s Rock N’ Roll Jesus at #3 and Slipknot’s All Hope Is Gone at #5.

As someone who plays guitar, I am breathing a sigh of relief that there are finally BANDS at the top of the charts… bands that still know how to play their instruments and write their own songs. I have nothing against Kanye West, I admit I bought his last album the first day it came out, or the Jonas Brothers… then again… ;-) . These guys may have writing credits but how far does that really extend? Brett was telling me earlier that now-a-days all you need to do to get writing credits is to have been in the room when the song was written. As far as I’m concerned Kanye West and Jonas Brothers don’t have the technical musicianship that people need to maintain their stature at the top of the music industry.

All we need to do to show people that music is a lot more than a drum machine and good looks is to give them a little history lesson. With the release of Death Magnetic, Metallica has set a new record with five debut #1 albums, beating out the the Beatles, U2 and Dave Matthews Band with their four debut #1’s. It comforts me to see that these bands, which some consider to be the greatest in the world, have either written or are still writing their own songs and can also play their own instruments.

Tim
Tim
In a world where way too many kids are introduced to the guitar through a video game, I am glad that Metallica has stepped up to regain control for the real musicians. Hopefully, kids will now look up to them as the true Guitar Heroes like I did when I was twelve. (Attached photo is of yours truly my senior year.)

Anyway, lets take a second to thank Metallica for reminding us that real musicians still reign supreme.

TIM’S DIGITAL JUKEBOX:
“All Nightmare Long” Metallica, Death Magnetic