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| John Mayall |
Live music has been such a big part of my life and, as I told someone tonight, my late wife and I were surely the most constant patron's of Ben Neece's little cubicle on E. 11th Street, the Crescent Moon.
Today's passing of British blues legend John Mayall also brought back memories as we showed up early on the banks of the Arkansas River in Little Rock for his late 80's concert featuring headliner Buddy Guy with John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers the opening act.
While most concert attendees simply sat on the grass with coolers of beer, etc., we always stood at the edge of the stage, seeing everything from setup to tear down.
John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers were legit, opening my eyes to the influence of the blues on British music culminating in the Rolling Stones.
As the Bluesbreakers finished their set, stagehands rushed the stage to prepare it for Buddy Guy to follow.
"Don't touch my god damn amp!" I remember John Mayall shouting at workers trying to clear the stage.
Then, since we were right at the stage, I recall Mayall apologizing in quieter tones: "I'm sorry for shouting, but I just don't like anyone touching my equipment. I'll take care of it."
Although, we'd actually gotten our money's worth with the Bluesbreakers, we stayed for the main act as the sun went totally down on the banks of the river.
Soon, blues legend Buddy Guy in white t-shirt and overalls with that big smile and gleaming white teeth, took the stage.
"God damn I've got the blues from my head down to my shoes!!!"
It was a critical time in our lives and, in many ways, we were saved by the blues.
My personal theory is that the blues take you down to the lowest spot in your life experience, matching it exactly, then lift you up out of it.
You and McHale tan bien pendejos. Just enjoy the music and stfu. Must you have a connection to everything? Yall don't know shit about a black slave suffering. Just take a hit, watch the sunset and enjoy the moment
ReplyDeleteYou make some weird inferences. If you care to explain yourself more clearly, I'll happily publish your comment.
DeleteYou were doing fine then toward the end you couldn't resist. The story should have ended with buddy guy and his shoes. Next thing you know, the Man bought you at an auction and you're now a plantation slave blowing the Portland blues about being a black guy trapped in a pasty white man's body and toiling my life away as a night clerk in a motel...btw, I can't infer unless you imply
DeleteThanks for the submission, but grammatically incorrect, mixing third and first person, as it should read "toiling his life away." You capitalized "man." Why?
DeleteGood memories of you and your late wife. Music is one of those things that bonds us to one another. RIP to Mr. Mayall, to Mr. Neece and to your late wife as well.
ReplyDeleteYou say you were saved by the blues. I was saved by an orangutan. I bet you want to know how
ReplyDeleteWhen I was in my early years of high school, I stole several records from a store without really studying the artists. One was John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers. I think Eric Clapton was part of this particular group as there were many musicians who made it to the big time after playing with Mayall. I saw him at Fillmore West on several occasions. He introduced me to the blues. I still love the blues today. After my stolen copy, I bought at least ten Mayrall albums. He lived a good life. RIP.
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