Check this out! If you were a student at the University of Maryland back in 1973 — maybe some of you were? — you could attend this sick concert with Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis and Bruce Springsteen. Okay, so Jerry Lee Lewis has as slightly dubious past, but the dude is pretty incredible at piano.
I suspect you’re checking out the blog this morning thinking, hmm … something looks different. Well, I spent the bulk of my posting time this past weekend cleaning up the new design of the site. The posts might be a little thinner this week as a result, but I think the new look is better. I hope you agree. Also, it’s much better suited to video posts, so I’ll be adding a bunch of those this week.
Did you go to Springsteen last night at the Verizon Center? Or maybe you’re going tomorrow. If you are, I’m jealous.
Well, more than three decades ago, The Boss rocked out to about 15,000 crazy fans at the old Capital Centre in Landover, MD. That place had some seriously great concerts and I’m sure a bunch of of GoDCers have fond memories of the place. I remember seeing my first Phish show back there, way back in the day — sadly, this was almost 20 years ago.
Get psyched listening to Springsteen sing Hungry Heart and if you’re going to the shows this week, have a great time!
Yep, that’s right. Paul (aka, Bono), Adam, Larry and David (aka, The Edge) rocked the nation’s capital in the early 80s. The Irish supergroup was less super back then, playing small (much smaller) venues like The Bayou in Georgetown and The Ontario Theater in Adams Morgan. How incredible would that be? I’m sure someone reading this went to one of these shows.
During the first half of the 1980s, U2 made four stops in D.C. (once with a two show night). I was able to dig through old newspapers and come up with some great stuff.
The first show in Washington was on December 7th, 1980 at The Bayou on K St. near Wisconsin (where the movie theater is now). This was their second concert in the U.S. after playing the night before at the Ritz in New York. In the December 5th, Baltimore Sun’s “Best bets in D.C.” section, next to a performance by the National Symphony Orchestra was U2, performing with the Slickee Boys at the Bayou.
There is a good post about the Bayou at Georgetown Dish and there appears to be a documentary film in the works.
This one’s a good one from YouTube and it’s a little more contemporary, but given the artist in the video, I find this significant and musically historical.
Stevie Ray Vaughan himself, was live in the nation’s capital on December 27th, 1983. The venue was a place called the Wax Museum at 4th and E St. NW. Side note … he made his D.C. debut at the legendary Bayou on K St. in Georgetown. I’ll find some good posts on that place since it witnessed some pretty big acts (before they were big).
Were you at this show … or know someone that was? Add a comment below and tell us about it.
Here’s the setlist from that night:
Set 1
Testify – (The Isley Brothers cover)
Shake ‘N’ Bake
Voodoo Child (Slight Return) – (The Jimi Hendrix Experience cover)
Mary Had a Little Lamb – (Buddy Guy cover)
Texas Flood
Boot Hill
Love Struck Baby
Tin Pan Alley
Rude Mood
Testify
Lenny
Hide Away – (Freddie King cover)
Pride And JoySet 2
Hardcore Electric Texas Blues
Shake ‘N’ Bake
Voodoo Child (Slight Return) – (The Jimi Hendrix Experience cover)
The Things (That) I Used to Do – (Guitar Slim cover)
Boot Hill Play Video
Mary Had a Little Lamb Play Video – (Buddy Guy cover)
Tell Me – (Howlin’ Wolf cover)
Tin Pan Alley
Little Wing / Third Stone From the Sun Play Video – (The Jimi Hendrix Experience cover)Encore:
How Long? – (with Bob Margolin)
Honey Bee – (with Bob Margolin)
Close To You – (with Bob Margolin)
Instrumental – (with Bob Margolin)
Stevie Ray Vaughan (October 3, 1954 – August 27, 1990) … we lost you too soon.
The Washington Hilton was a happenin’ place to see live music apparently, with Hendrix also playing there in ’68. Thanksgiving was the following Thursday, so I imagine a large number of kids were home from college, and what better way to take a break than watch Morrison, Manzarek, Densmore and Krieger?
Wow, this one is gold. Jimi Hendrix played the Washington Hilton on Connecticut Ave. NW — the same one where Hinkley shot Reagan in 1981. That’s right, the guitar god himself played to 4,000 fans in the hotel’s international ballroom on March 10th, 1968, accompanied by his bandmates, Noel Redding (drums) and Mitch Mitchell (bass). This one might be cooler than the Beatles playing D.C. in 1964, but I don’t want to spark a giant musical debate. They’re both awesome finds.
Check out the photo below of Jimi tearing up the stage.
