Entertainment For Lively Minds
Special Guests - The good, the bad and the ugly.
Trying in vain to whittle down a top thirty to five to contribute to Retropath2's tempting entry, I found that many of my most-memorable shows were helped or hindered by a guest turn. There are many Springsteen shows on my list but high up there was the June 1981 NEC show when Pete Townsend came on and added a few windmills to Born To Run. It may not have enhanced an already brilliant musical performance by the E Street Band but it cranked up the energy another notch. I remember being doubly impressed by Dire Straits at the Mandela show when they wheeled on Eric Clapton to play second (!) guitar. And back in the early days of my concert-going I recall Chas Hodges, then bass player for support Heads, Hands & Feet, filling in for an ailing Roger Glover in the incredibly loud and impressive Deep Purple Mk.II. The bearded and overalled pub-rocker acquitted himself quite well alongside the youthful loon-panted swagger of the gawdlike Ian and Ritchie. And during a wonderful series of shows in New York when Dylan and Van took turns to headline, each would tend to amble on to the other's stage at various times. These were exciting but gruesome moments when the uber-legends unsmilingly checked each other out and attempted to sing along. Far from a musical highlight but unmissable all the same.
Do you have any fond or odd memories of a ‘guest' contributing to a show?
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The guest appearance that I
The guest appearance that I recall best was seeing Eric Clapton join Dr John for one song a few years ago. It was so memorable because it was so unexpected and it was a small place so Eric was standing about six feet from my seat which was great. Roy Harper with David Gilmour in 1984 was also good, mainly because they played a DG song I really liked.
Beck and Page
I remember seeing Jeff Beck in about 1989 and Jimmy Page made a guest appearance - big mistake - Beck was on fire and poor old Jimmy could barely play. When I saw Beck again about 10 years later Jimmy was in a box and sensibly stayed there!
I did see Jim Lauderdale and Buddy Miller in Paris and on one number, totally unannounced, Emmylou Harris walked on, sang a harmony made in heaven, kissed Lauderdale and walked off again without a word - Jim turned to the mic, beaming, and announced "What a great job"!
EC and Van
I saw Van Morrison join Eric Clapton at Manchester Free Trade Hall in 1976. The thing was at that time I was in no way a Van fan and couldn't wait for him to get off. I think he did 3 songs, but I couldn't say what they were.
Also in view of Van's difficult reputation, which I wasn't really aware of at the time, he did seem to be enjoying himself.
Starr - No, Not That One.
Edwin Starr joining Springsteen at Villa Park in '88 (?) for 'War'. Which I wouldn't have had a fiver on beforehand.
Reminded me of a tale I heard some years ago about a young PR person who was landed with the job of attending to the wants and needs of the 'star', whose immediate request was for 'a bottle of whisky and 2 hookers'.
i was at a Saw Doctors gig
in the Point Depot in Dublin one New Years Eve and they announced that they were going to bring on, in their words, the 'best band ever to come off this bloody island' and sure enough, along came The Undertones, minus only Feargal Sharkey.
The version of Teenage Kicks they did, with superfluous guitars, drums and, naturally, an accordian, stretched out to 8 minutes was quite possibly the most surreal thing i have ever heard.
Almost 15 years on, it still stays with me. It shouldn't have worked, and I shouldn't wonder if there are parishioners wondering about the wisdom of the whole thing, but it was absolutely marvellous!
If in doubt, do a blues in 'E'...
"Who's that guy up there with Richard Thompson...?"