LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MAY 8, 2020…A BIG SHOUT OUT TODAY TO BIRTHDAY BOY ALEX VAN HALEN. ALEX WAS BORN IN 1953, SO IF MY MATH IS CORRECT, THAT PUTS HIM AT 67 YEARS OLD !! HERE’S A FULL VAN HALEN CONCERT FROM THE “RIGHT HERE RIGHT NOW” TOUR FROM 1993.
LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MAY 7, 2019…TODAY WAS THE DAY STEVE PERRY SAID “BYE BYE” TO JOURNEY FOR THE FINAL TIME TO EMBARK ON A SOLO CAREER. PERRY WAS THE BAND’S LEAD SINGER FROM 1977 TO 1987, AND THEN AGAIN FROM 1995-1998. PERRY HAS A FREAKIN’ AMAZING VOICE. YOU’LL GET GOOSEBUMPS LISTENING TO HIS ISOLATED VOCALS ON ‘DON’T STOP BELIEVIN’
LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MAY 7, 2020…TWO YEARS AGO U2 PLAYED THE FIRST OF 2 SHOWS AT THE TANK IN SAN JOSE AS PART OF THEIR “EXPERIENCE + INNOCENCE” TOUR. THE TOUR WAS A HUGE SUCCESS, GROSSING 126.2 MILLION DOLLARS FROM 923,733 TICKETS SOLD. HERE’S THE FIRST COUPLE OF SONGS FROM THE PIT IN FRONT OF THE STAGE FROM THE MAY 7TH SHOW.
HERE’S CONCERT FOOTAGE FROM NIGHT # 2 FROM THE SHARK TANK
LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MAY 6, 2020…BOB SEGER WAS BORN IN DETROIT MICHIGAN ON THIS DATE IN 1945. HIS FATHER WAS A BANDLEADER AND MUSICIAN WHO WORKED IN AN AUTOPLANT TO SUPPORT HIS WIFE AND 2 KIDS. IN 1955, HIS FATHER ABANDONED THE FAMILY, LEAVING FOR CALIFORNIA IN SEARCH OF SUCCESS. FROM THAT POINT ON, IT WAS NEVER EASY FOR BOB SEGER.
IN THE 11TH GRADE HE FORMED A BAND AND WAS WORKING 3 NIGHTS A WEEK IN THE BARS WHILE GOING TO SCHOOL. HE TOILED ON THE ROAD FOR YEARS. HIS WORK ETHIC BECAME LEGEND PLAYING 260 DATES A YEAR. HE WAS ON THE VERGE OF BREAKING ONTO THE NATIONAL CHARTS IN 1967 WHEN THE RECORD COMPANY PROMOTING HIS SINGLE WENT BANKRUPT.
SEGER WAS THE HARDEST WORKING MAN IN ROCK AND ROLL. HE JUST KEPT ON PLUGGING AWAY. HIS BREAKTHROUGH CAME IN 1976 WITH THE SINGLE AND ALBUM ‘NIGHT MOVES’. WHEN SEGER FINALLY BROKE THROUGH, HE DID SO WITH A VENGEANCE WITH A STRING OF MULTI-PLATINUM ALBUMS FROM 1975-1986. ONLY HIS SEMI RETIREMENT TO RAISE HIS FAMILY KEPT HIM FROM THE SPOTLIGHT. BOB SEGER HAS SOLD NEARLY 50 MILLION ALBUMS, INCLUDING 10 CONSECUTIVE MILLION SELLING ALBUMS BETWEEN 1975 AND 1995. HIS MUSIC DIDN’T APPEAR ON STREAMING SERVICES LIKE SPOTIFY UNTIL 2017. ANY REVENUE HE LOST FROM HOLDING OUT WAS MORE THAN COMPENSATED BY HUGE CATALOGUE SALES. HIS GREATEST HITS ALBUM SOLD 5 MILLION COPIES IN THE USA AS OF 2017. BOB SEGER LAST YEAR WRAPPED UP HIS “FAREWELL TOUR”. IT WAS THE THIRD BEST GROSSING TOUR OF 2019 GROSSING 97 MILLION DOLLARS.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY 75TH BOB SEGER. HERE’S CONCERT FOOTAGE FROM SEGER CIRCA 1978
LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MAY 6, 2020…IT WAS 2014 AND TO KICK OFF A CO-HEADLINE TOUR, CARLOS SANTANA AND ROD STEWART JAMMED TOGETHER FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER. IT HAPPENED IN VEGAS, AT CAESARS PALACE AT ONE OF ROD STEWART’S RESIDENCIES AT THE COLISEUM CONCERT VENUE.
LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MAY 6, 2020…THIS IS HELLA COOL. IT WAS 2003 AND MTV FEATURED METALLICA AS AN “MTV ICON” WITH A 90 MINUTE SPECIAL. THE YEAR WAS 2003, AND I THOUGHT SUM 41 KNOCKED IT OUT OF THE PARK. BTW, WHO PUT SNOOP DOG ON THE SHOW !?!?
LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MAY 5, 2020…FORTY TWO YEARS AGO AC/DC RELEASED THEIR FIFTH STUDIO ALBUM ‘POWERAGE’. THIS WAS THE FIRST ALBUM TO FEATURE CLIFF WILLIAMS ON BASS. THERE WAS BAD BLOOD BETWEEN THE PREVIOUS BASS PLAYER MARK EVANS AND THE YOUNG BROTHERS (ANGUS AND MALCOLM). MARK EVANS HAD THIS TO SAY ABOUT HIS OUSTING FROM THE GROUP: “With Angus and Malcolm, they were put on this earth to form AC/DC. They’re committed big-time. And if they feel your commitment is anything less than theirs, well, that’s a problem. Angus was intense. He was AC/DC 100 percent. His work ethic was unbelievable. When I was with him, he expected everybody to be just like him, which is pretty impossible…At the time, Malcolm said something about them wanting a bass player who could sing, but I think that was a smokescreen. I don’t know if there was any one reason. It’s just the way it went down. I felt the distance growing between me and Angus and Malcolm. When I was fired, it wasn’t so much a surprise as it was a shock. There was a lot of tension in the band at the time. We’d just been kicked off a Black Sabbath tour, and this was right when a trip to the States was cancelled because the record company rejected the Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap album. So it was a hard period.”
‘POWERAGE’ HAS NOW SOLD OVER 2 MILLION COPIES WORLDWIDE. HERE’S A LIVE PERFORMANCE OF ‘SIN CITY’ CIRCA 1978
LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MAY 5, 2020…IN 1995 DRUMMER STEVEN ADLER OF GUNS N’ ROSES FAME CELEBRATED CINCO DE MAYO IN A VAN NUYS CALIFORNIA COURTROOM. HE WAS ARRAIGNED ON CHARGES OF HEROIN POSSESSION. ADLER HAD BEEN KICKED OUT OF THE GROUP 5 YEARS PRIOR DUE TO HIS ADDICTION. YOU KNOW YOU’VE GOT A DRUG PROBLEM WHEN A BAND THAT WRITES A SONG ABOUT HEROIN (‘MR. BROWNSTONE’ ) SAYS YOU’VE GOT A DRUG PROBLEM AND THEY’VE HAD ENOUGH !
ADLER WASN’T INCLUDED ON THE RECENT GUNS N’ ROSES REUNION TOUR, BUT WAS INVITED BACK TO PLAY “ONE OR TWO SONGS”. HERE’S A COMPLETE ARTICLE ON HOW AWKWARD IT GOT AT ONE OF THE SHOWS WHEN THEY TURNED THE LIGHTS ON HIM AND HAD TO TELL HIM TO LEAVE THE STAGE.
Watch Guns N’ Roses awkwardly kick former drummer Steven Adler offstage
HERE’S ONE OF THE ADLER APPEARANCES. THIS CONCERT WAS IN ARGENTINA
photo credit-https://www.facebook.com/stevenadlersite/photos
LAMONT’S MUSIC NOTES-MAY 4, 2020…HAPPY 69TH BIRTHDAY TO MOTLEY CRUE’S MICK MARS. IN APRIL OF 1980 MARS PUT AN AD IN A SMALL LOS ANGELES NEWSPAPER AS A “LOUD, RUDE, AGGRESSIVE GUITAR PLAYER” LOOKING FOR A BAND. THE AD WAS ANSWERED BY NIKKI SIXX AND TOMMY LEE WHO WERE LOOKING TO PUT TOGETHER A BAND. MOTLEY CRUE WAS BORN.
MARS IS A FANTASTIC FREAKIN’ GUITARIST. CHECK OUT THIS GUITAR SOLO GOING INTO DR.FEELGOOD.
