How
can I not send a missive to you after seeing Burton Cummings in Southern
California last night at the Coach House venue in San Juan Capistrano. It was a
birthday gift from our pal Gary Strobl.
I
go way back with Burton. Early Guess Who shows in Los Angeles, all tapings of
"The Midnight Special" TV appearances in Burbank, his solo
performances. I interviewed him for "Melody Maker" in the seventies
when "Stand Tall" was released. I wrote a bio on him when he was on the
Portait Records label. I'm thanked on the back cover of his "Plus
Signs" album. Burton is also quoted in several of my books, including one
on Neil Young. The Guess Who did the first cover version of Neil's "Flying
on the Ground is Wrong."
It
was a delightful evening. Marvelous power-packed set with a stellar band. The
voice is still there. He introduced songwriter John Lind in the audience.
Burton cited his Fifth Avenue Band LP that has been one of BC's Top Ten albums
of all-time since 1969.
For
many years Burton was a neighbor in SoCal but he's moved back to Canada and I
wasn't gonna miss this gig.
The
set list:
No
Sugar Tonight / New Mother Nature
Hand
Me Down World
Clap
for the Wolfman
Laughing
Clementine
(a cover he heard from Bobby Darin)
Smoke
Gets In Your Eyes (by the Platters)
Albert
Flasher
My
Own Way to Rock
Stand
Tall
Baby,
Come Back (cover of the Equals)
Trouble
in the City
These
Eyes
Undun
Star
Baby
American
Woman
No
Time
Share
the Land
"Hand
Me Down World" and "Share the Land" became connective audio
tissue and took on added significance in 2020. Planet concerns and
environmental message on display.
Best,
Harvey
Kubernik
Glad you guys had the chance to
reconnect ... he's still an incredible performer, isn't he? Hasn't lost a
step! Thanks, Harvey! (kk)
Strong show. The socio-political aspect
of his tunes: "American Woman," "Hand Me Down World" and
"Share the Land" really became more relevant than ever. Still has 98
per cent of his hi end range, too.
HK
And, speaking of cool shows, this
one should be interesting …
(We missed it the last time around
due to scheduling conflicts) …
But since our oldest granddaughter
will be staying with us that week for spring break …
AND since she’ll also be turning
fifteen that week …
AND since this would be her very
first rock concert …
We’re going to take her to The
Arcada Theatre to see The Bay City Rollers!
(She’ll likely go home to Texas with
“S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y Night” playing non-stop in her head until her 16th
birthday! Lol)
Here are all the details …
The Bay City Rollers ‘Only Want to Be with You’ on Friday, March 13th,
as the band, featuring original guitarist, vocalist and songwriter Stuart
“Woody” Wood, is set to perform at the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois.
The evening promises to be jammed packed with the band’s classic
hits including "Saturday Night", "You Made Me Believe In
Magic", "Money Honey", "The Way I Feel Tonight",
"Rock N Roll Love Letter" and "I Only Want To Be With You".
Over the course of their career, The Bay City Rollers earned five RIAA
certified Gold albums and charted 20 songs worldwide.
Their smash hit Saturday Night has been featured in
the Netflix original series, The Umbrella Academy, in addition to The
Simpsons, Swingtown, October Road and So I Married an Ax Murderer
starring Mike Myers.
Legend has it that the band’s music inspired Tommy
Ramone to write “Blitzkrieg Bop”, one of The Ramones biggest hits.
For more information, visit https://www.thebaycityrollers.co.uk
Location / Ticket Info:
Arcada Theatre
105 E Main St
St. Charles, IL 60174
630-962-7000
Ticket Link: http://www.arcadalive.com/event/bay-city-rollers/
About The Bay City Rollers:
“Is it hype? Is it hope?” asked the ever-objective
Howard Cosell, “Or is it a bicentennial gift from the old country?” These
were the questions posed to America on the historic night of Saturday,
September 20, 1975. The occasion was the premier of ABC-TV’s SATURDAY NIGHT
LIVE WITH HOWARD COSELL. The subject was the Bay City Rollers.
Performing live via satellite from London, America was witness to
the unforgettable spectacle of complete shrieking, fainting, Roller-induced
hysteria. Hype or hope, it was a most effective introduction.
Within a week, the Rollers were in America. Arriving at New York
City’s Kennedy Airport, their plane was met by national press, television
cameras and hundreds of screaming, plaid-clad American teens. The Rollers
performed their new single SATURDAY NIGHT live on Cosell’s second episode. By
the next week, it was the #1 record in the nation. Over the next 18
months, the Rollers would chart five more tunes in the American Top 40 (THE WAY
I FEEL TONIGHT, ROCK 'N ROLL LOVE LETTER, YOU MADE ME BELIEVE IN MAGIC, MONEY
HONEY and I ONLY WANT TO BE WITH YOU).
The Rollers saga began in 1967 in Edinburgh, Scotland. As The
Saxons, the quintet limped along in relative obscurity for three years before
deciding to change their name and image. As pop history tells it, the
lads stuck a pin in a United States map and hit Bay City, Michigan. With the
addition of ‘Rollers’ (the British term for “soft rockers”) and a new wardrobe,
the Bay City Rollers were born. A succession of Top 10 UK hits quickly
followed.
While accusations of hype rage, the physical evidence was
irrefutable: concert riots, hotels under siege, mass teen faintings, etc.
Additionally, this teenybopper havoc had a look all its own - tartan.
Like their idols, tartan-trimmed trousers and suspenders and plaid scarves and
shirts became required wardrobe for devoted Rollers fans. “What could
girls do to identify with the Osmonds?” admitted one British teen magazine,
“Dress up like Mormons?” By 1974, the phenomena known as “Rollermania”
had conquered Britain and most of Europe.
America’s case of Rollermania lasted until 1977, over the course of
five RIAA Gold albums (BAY CITY ROLLERS, ROCK ‘N ROLL LOVE LETTER, DEDICATION,
IT’S A GAME and GREATEST HITS). Now, some decades later, it’s possible to
look beyond the hype and hysteria and hear the Rollers’ true legacy. The
Bay City Rollers created some of the most enjoyable and enduring pop music of
the 1970s.
And
we’ve got some tickets to give away to what is sure to be a very hot, fun evening
of feel-good pop!
Drop
me an email NOW to get on the list for your chance to win a pair of tickets to
see The Bay City Rollers at The Arcada Theatre on Friday, March 13th
… yes, it IS Friday the 13th … and we’ll see if we can hook you
up. (Tickets for this fun event can be
purchased via the link above.)
Hope
to see you there!!! (kk)
FH
Reader Danny Guilfoyle tells us there’s a brand new Herb Alpert documentary in
the works …
kk –
Billy Joel's house was
robbed the last time he played Madison Square Garden.
Watch him warn any
would-be robbers not to hit his house again!
Frank B.
With Joel’s monthly sold-out shows
at The Garden, I guess it’s pretty easy to figure out when he’s not going to be
home! Sounds like he’s pulled out all
the stops to prevent this from ever happening again ‘tho! (kk)
Good
Morning Kent,
I'm
happy to be entered into the Elton John and Mr. Rogers contests.
I
was also excited to read posts about Mickey Dolenz and the Monkees upcoming
performances.
Thanks
for continuing to provide information on quality entertainment!
Nikki
Sloane
We are always happy to do our part
to keep the fans in touch with all of these great artists and all of this great
music that had such a HUGE impact on our lives … and we seem to be on a roll in
the giveaways department of late!
We just handed out six tickets to
see The Four C-Notes, The Midwest’s Premier Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons
Tribute Band …
This weekend we’ll be picking the
winners for the Mark Bego / Elton John book giveaway contest …
Next week (March 4th) we’ll
be taking eight readers to see The Ides Of March concert at The City Winery …
As well as picking our winner for a
pair of tickets to see Al Jardine perform at The City Winery on March 31st
… (you can still enter for this giveaway but you’ve got to do it NOW!!!) …
And, we’re still throwing names in
the hat for the chance to win a copy of the brand new “Thank You, Mr. Rogers” CD,
featuring a variety of pop artists performing songs written by the legendary
Fred Rogers … (we’ll be taking names thru the end of next week for this one) …
And now we’ve added the chance to
win tickets to see The Bay City Rollers at The Arcada Theatre on March 13th!!! (Email me now at kk@forgottenhits.com for YOUR chance to
win a pair!)
It’s an exciting time … I don’t know
if we’ve EVER had this many contests going at once before. (I honestly don’t think so … so why not take
advantage of the chance to cash in on some of these goodies … as well as enjoy
the great entertainment that they all provide!)
kk
And …
TOMORROW IN FORGOTTEN HITS:
We
do it every four years …
It’s
our tribute to The Leap Year Hits!!!
Throughout
the day, we’ll be counting down The Top Ten Hits of every leap year of the
original rock and roll era …
1956
… 1960 … 1964 … 1968 … 1972 … 1976 … and 1980
Join
us for brand new postings at 5 am, 8 am, 11 am, 1 pm, 4 pm, 7 pm and 10 pm
Please
plan to spend your day with us … check back as we reveal The Top Ten Leap Year
Hits for all seven years listed above …
As
well as the #1 Leap Year Hit for 1952, 1984 and 1988!
It
all happens right here … in Forgotten
Hits!
