Concord Pavilion

4:30 Leave work early to ensure plenty of time to make the planned list
gathering at 6:15

4:57 Hit unexpected traffic on Highway 34

5:09 Miss turn in Berkeley

5:30 Take wrong exit

5:53 Take wrong exit

6:20 Pull into parking lot

6:21 Frantically crutch my way to Will Call praying that they don’t lead
the people with passes backstage before I get there

6:26 Acquire ticket from WIll Call and learn that MnG passes are not yet
available

6:28 Find Brad Starks, Dianne Mappes, Scott Cook, and Dave Snider and
utilize their powerful influence to cut up to the front of the line

6:29-46 Spend some “quality time” with VHML Listies (Dianne is having much
fun visiting California; Scott Cook is convinced that the CIA, FBI, and/or
Big Bad Bill are conspiring against him; Brad recently hired a man to
inject millions of tiny droplets of a blue, synthetic liquid beneath his
epidermis leaving a large, permanent mark; and cool Dave was just glad to
be there)

6:47 Passes arrive at window

6:48 Hobble up to kindest looking security woman to be frisked. She took
pity on my injured condition and only subjected me to a cursory inspection

6:49 Attempt to look cool while maneuvering on crutches through turnstile

6:52 Sit down behind garbage can and retrieve tiny Fuji Quicksnap
single-use camera from under bandaged foot. (A thread about smuggling
materials into shows a while back included a suggestion to put a camera in
your shoe. I couldn’t figure out how in the world you could hide a camera
in your shoe and still use your foot. As fortune would have it, I haven’t
been using that foot for a couple of weeks anyway.)

6:53-7:03 Run, limp, hobble, skip, and jump as rapidly as possible toward
mythical “backstage area”

7:04 Wonder which tent is which

7:05 Hear a great cheer pour from farthest tent

7:05:30 Bust a move (albeit a crippled move) to aforementioned tent

7:07 Find end of line of 40-50 people lining 2 walls of 3 sided tent

7:08 Greet RUINXMAS and a couple whose names I immediately, thoughtlessly
lost

7:09-12 Wonder if I’ll lose my camera if they see me pull it out

7:13 Throw caution to the wind, pull out camera and wait for my turn

7:14 Sammy idles up to our little group near the end of the line and
begins to ask if we’re a group when he notices that our passes read “Liza”
and treats us like he was expecting us all along

7:14:30 Sammy shakes/slaps hands all around (I got 2 shakes and 1 slap!)

7:15 Chris Pollan hurriedly gathers us up and snaps a couple of frames with
my camera

7:17 Sam moves on to the last group. This group includes Craig Heck, his
wife, and Rob Heuser (who happens to wear a buzz cut, a broad under the
chin goatee, mustache, loose shirt, and sunglasses that make him look
EXACTLY like Edward on the back cover of Balance)

7:18 Sam reaches out to shake Rob’s hand, playfully calling out “You look
familiar!” The resulting picture could make headlines

7:21 Sammy signs the only autograph of the MnG for the PROFOUNDLY pregnant
Mrs. Heck

7:23 Chris hustles Sammy out of the tent and most of the people head to the
land of the common fans to find their seats

7:26 While organizing My ticket, camera, crutches, materials brought to be
autographed, and other assorted paraphernalia, Scott Cook quips “Hey
doesn’t that guy look kinda like David Lee Roth?” A quick glance notes an
average looking guy in a baseball hat, probably a member of the crew who
happens to posses some facial lines reminiscent of DLR’s well tanned,
mid-40’s perma-grin

7:27 Further investigation by this keen observer reveals that standing
near the unimportant member of the road crew is none other than Victor
Johnson!

7:28-40 Learn that VJ is an extremely intelligent, kind, cool individual
that originated from Colorado and then spent 9 years in The Bus Boys.
(Anybody know anything about them?) He also relayed that he was about to
join Fishbone (the funkier forerunners of Living Colour) when he got
the opportunity to join up with Sammy. Cleared up the rumor regarding a
black eye and autographed my MTM and LWL Japanese imports. Pictures ensue

7:41 Limp out to my seat to wait for the show

7:42 Note killer painting of the famous Cabo arch/lighthouse on curtain
occluding stage. Warm breezy Northern California weather completes the
mood

8:04 KSJO’s Tim Jeffries launches wadded T-shirts into audience with
three-man slingshot

8:10-14 Roadies feign indifference while they soak up the only applause
they will ever receive while checking mics and tuning guitars

Showtime, Concord CA:

8:19 Show opens with players silhouetted behind Cabo curtain playing
MARCHING TO MARS. Victor Johnson on a gold Fender Telecaster and Sammy on
a gold semi-hollow body Washburn. Sammy is raging already in red velvet
pants.

ONE WAY TO ROCK follows immediately. Sammy wears a giant, green, floppy
hat thrown to him for half a song and then puts it on Victor for the
remainder of the number. Band is very tight and Victor seems to be fully
capable of the task at hand.

Between songs, Sammy stops to swill a Corona handed from the crowd,
“Cheers.” SH points out that the last time he played the Concord Pavilion
was in 1979. (The venue has been greatly expanded since.) “I really took
the long way around, eh?”

Sammy trades his guitar for a red tambourine for ONCE UPON RETURNING HOME.
Backing vox finally presented live the way they were meant to be heard.

If I’LL FALL IN LOVE AGAIN isn’t as fresh as it once was, the crowd
certainly doesn’t notice. Sammy accepts roses from audience.

After song, Sammy flies first banner “The Red Rocker is still kickin A.”
Sam’s rap is overrun by crowd chanting “Sammy, Sammy, Sammy….” SH drops
mic and gives the audience his best double-biceps pose and his broadest
smile (clearly visible even without binoculars). Sam picks up another
banner reading “Hanging on Mr. Johnson’s Back Porch.” Cryptic, if not
downright confusing, but VJ is flattered to see it and Sam makes a cape of
it for him.

Victor opens up SALVATION ON SAND HILL with a minor change to the recorded
slide intro, and later adds some extra inflections in the solo. This song
by itself convinces me that Victor Johnson is capable of whatever he sets
his mind to on the guitar.

Mona’s bass playing has no trouble keeping up with the changes either, but
she resides a little lower in the mix. Her most prominent contribution may
be her BGV’s. She can sound just like Michael Anthony when she wants to.

I am not sure if it is experience, confidence, the strength of the
material, or the unusually eager reception from the crowd, but for whatever
reason, David Lauser plays with more authority than in previous outings.
Bluntly, my expectations for him were merely average, but he proves to be a
more significant player than I had anticipated.

A beach ball makes it’s way on stage during WHY CAN’T THIS BE LOVE, which
Sam uses to bridge the gap to the audience. Opens up a banner. Ball back
on
stage. Another banner. Ball back on stage. Stuffs beach ball under shirt
pregnancy style.

After the song, Sam borrows binoculars from someone in front row (?!) to
look out at the crowd. The crowd seems particularly eager to see the goofy
stuff tonight.

Swigs a bottle of Gatorade announcing that he plans to Play “extra long
tonight.” Concord voices it’s approval.

Roadie brings red Semi-hollow body Washburn to Sam who teases “For
me???”

Sam gives us his best 30 second noodle.

It should be noted that this guitar features a couple of the large-eyed,
gray-skinned, alien head stickers of the type seen in car windows of late.

Sam asks if anyone in attendance was at his show in Sacramento, but doesn’t
really wait for an answer. He just wanted to set up an opportunity to say
“I don’t care if even just one person saw that show, I won’t do the same
show twice!” Concord again voices it’s approval, but I am left wondering
why this principle wasn’t applied more uniformly when he was in Van
Halen.

They then play a more arpegiated, fingerpicked WHO HAS THE RIGHT. Victor
Johnson seems most comfortable working with the newest material. Perhaps
he senses an opportunity to put his mark on the pieces that have not become
milestones on the great rock and roll highway yet.

Playing the hometown trump card, Sam muses on how much he has enjoyed being
home the previous week and asserts that no matter what season it is, the
weather in the West beats the East. Concord would elect this man to be
president of the universe tonight.

Sammy then performs the song that makes the single greatest impression on
me of the evening. I should preface this comment that while I understand
that BAD MOTOR SCOOTER is the first song he ever composed, and that it
holds great significance to his musical history, I have never been that
taken with it. I was just too young when it came out the first time, and
it always just sort of blended in with the rest of his pre-VH rockers to
me, but tonight it is inspired. The lap-steel intro is more melodic and
cohesive than I have ever heard or seen.

This tune also affords a primo view of his lap-steel on the jumbo video
monitors. The first thing that jumps out at me is the wear apparent in the
weather-beaten finish. This piece of gear has seen a lot of miles. The next
thing that catches my attention is that it now features a plastic, spring
loaded dispenser for his red guitar picks. It would appear that he has
adopted this technology on all his guitars, eschewing the double-sided foam
tape method employed by everyone needing picks in Van Halen.

The rest of the tune is more animated as well. Particularly the extra
breakdown featuring Sammy bellowing “I hear ya knockin, but ya can’t come
in….” Sam also finds time and anatomy to cover himself with donated
clothes. Ladies underclothing finds a place to rest on his red, boom mic
stand.

The next piece is equally ambitious, yet relaxed and groovy when SH and VJ
play tasty dual slide on GOOD ROCKIN’ TONIGHT.

More banners, and a trade to a SF 49ers shirt precede a full intro of the
members of the band and an obligatory reference to the aroma emanating from
the crowd.

Sam then straps on a red Washburn electric/acoustic (curiously, it is not
the “Red Rocker” sig model) and settles in to tell a story that I have
never heard before. He begins by describing a time in 1987 when things
were still good in his old band and he had a house in L.A. next to
Edward’s. This reference draws a light ripple of Boo’s, but Sam quickly
decides to disregard them and pushes the pace of his story slightly to
close the issue. It would seem that late one warm evening, Eddie came
knocking on Sammy’s door at a most inopportune moment, and interrupted the
sequence of domestic events that Sam had planned.

Sammy went downstairs to greet Ed and found him with a guitar, a beer, and
a smoke, looking pretty “relaxed.” Sammy then ad libs “That’s Eddie right
there……” taking an imaginary drag, a swallow, and reaching out to
fingertap the neck of his guitar. “One, Two, Three.” Sammy then took the
time to share one with Ed and then headed back upstairs only to find that
the chain of events had been irreparably broken blessing him with the
inspiration and the opportunity to write FINISH WHAT YA STARTED over a
bottle of tequila on his front porch.

The original recording of this tune featured two prominent guitar parts. A
strummed, rhythm side, and the more intricate fingerpicked lead riffs.
Sammy’s rendition of the strummed portion recalls the published version
relatively accurately, but Victor does not recite Ed’s lead part as
precisely as he had for the other VH songs. He makes the changes and
follows the progression just fine, but he doesn’t follow the lead melodies.
It was a half strummed, half finger arpegiated approximation of what I
imagine it sounded like when Eddie was first roughing out the chords.
Victor can certainly play these parts verbatim if he wished, it is not
the most difficult piece Ed ever wrote. I can only wonder if he is looking
for a way to recolor it a little, or if he has feelings about playing the
parts exactly as written, or if he just isn’t that interested in the song,
or if Sam just told him not to. The Tele country guitar solo he plays fits
the tune, but is not terribly similar to the recorded version either.

The show rolls on:

Between songs Sammy took another minute to check out some banners and pick
up a little gift wrapped box. The box contained a silver guitar pick and a
note to call Jane & Mike. “Who am I supposed to call, Jane or Mike?” He
quipped. Wondering aloud “What am I supposed to do with the pick?”

“I’ll put it right here in my pocket.” He said with a smile. “I keep
everything you guys give me. Man, I’ve got a garage full of stuff,
banners, guitars, and even little silver picks. You guys are too good to
me.”

More banners ensue. Mostly variations of “The Red Rocker
Lives/Loves/Kicks. . .” whatever you happen to have, but a banner that
reads “Take us with you Sammy,” catches his attention, and he responds
“You’re all coming with me!”

Sammy has always reveled in the audience participation/interaction of the
live show, but tonight is special. Sam always gives it his all, but
somehow this show is THE show. Not a thing could have been done to raise
the energy level or strengthen the connection to the crowd tonight.

The Cabo curtain is then pulled and only Victor and Jesse remain with him
on stage. “16 months ago, April Fools Day 1996. I was given a miracle.”
The audience sits down for the only time of the evening through KAMA.

After the song, he takes his familiar “break” to mix up a Waborita. Not
much new info to share here, but he mentions that there is an alternative
to Triple Sec in the ingredients. Sounds something like “Contraire,” but I
don’t have any experience with that sort of thing, and haven’t been paying
much attention to the posts on the topic.

It’s kinda cute to see him sing a little Jerry Lee Lewis while shaking the
tumbler, “Shake it, baby, shake it…”

Passes it to the audience with an admonition not to “bogart” it. I’m not
really sure what that means either, but somehow I really hope that no one
does.

When he gets back to the business of making music, we were treated to what
I believe is a completely unique event on the tour so far: Mickey Hart!
The former Grateful Dead drummer joined the whole band for what Sammy tells
us MCA wants to be the next single from his album. An excellent acoustic
rendition of BOTH SIDES NOW ensues.

I must confess that I have always detested the music of the Grateful Dead,
so I was not particularly enthused to see Mickey on stage, but I cannot
deny the fact that he made an impression on me with no more than a wooden
mallet and a tambourine.

The next notes audible are the opening piano strains of RIGHT NOW.
Surprisingly, the simple piano tones are clearly distorting somewhere in
the PA system, dulling the clarity that usually makes the intro so honest.
Sam blows through the tune like it is his own. Rightfully so.

The next surprise in the show is a man with an electric guitar strapped to
his back and a silver dobro in his hands catching a spotlight stage left.
Sammy welcomes him and dissembles confusion about the “cowboy” that has
wandered on stage, but it doesn’t take long to see that this is none other
than the slide man on the current album, Roy Rodgers!

Sammy officially closes the break with a little rap of intentionally
contradictory verse and the band slips into LITTLE WHITE LIE. David
Lauser has the misfortune of having to begin the song with the Cabo curtain
still pulled and has some difficulty locking into the rhythm out of sight
of his band mates, but all is well in a few bars. After SH calls out the
three “yea’s” Roy loses the dobro and draws the electric strapped to his
back like a “loaded six string.” Jesse plays an effective representation
of the recorded harp lines, a significant accomplishment considering who
originally played them.

I spend the next several minutes kicking myself when I realize that the
“unimportant member of the road crew” who “looked a little like David Lee
Roth” is the man playing the harmonica. I met Jesse Harms and didn’t even
know it………

The home stretch:

The curtain is pulled, revealing David on the drums and Mickey behind a
full percussion kit! The band tears the song apart and immediately kicks
into I CAN’T DRIVE 55. The song no longer carries the angst that it once
did. I don’t think that Sam plays this out of frustration anymore, but
rather enjoys it. He’s not mad, just havin’ a little fun.

Surprisingly, Victor’s playing is not as stellar on this piece as on some
others. Perhaps he doesn’t relate, or maybe his interest is just not
piqued by the lyrical or musical material. He just isn’t flooring it.

THREE LOCK BOX receives similar attention by all concerned.

Then the live version of a song from Marching to Mars etches itself in my
memory indelibly. THE YOGI’S SO HIGH is vague enough, lyrically, to be
interpreted in a variety of ways contingent upon the mindset of the
listener. Something of a sonic Rorschach test. This evening’s performance
brings no further illumination regarding the intent of the composer, but
whatever your interpretation is, Sammy is about to prove you right.

In the same way that Van Halen took “Feelin'” from a presentable album cut
to a heart wrenching, emotionally exhausting musical event, Sammy pushes
“YOGI” beyond everything that it is on the album and makes it more. It is
no coincidence that this piece also yields the most inspired solo from
Victor Johnson of the evening.

When the Yogi comes down he stops to visit with the common man, flying a
few more banners and then launching into RED. The guitars are as loud as
they’ve been all night and the brief, nearly unaccompanied drum solo is a
welcome respite when the band breaks down for a minute for a little
free-form improv. Mickey Hart is still playing perc along side David and
the two track surprisingly well together. I know that Mickey is accustomed
to playing along with another drummer, but I am surprised to find that Mr.
Lauser seems equally comfortable with the arrangement. A little call and
response session between the two really caps the deal. When they finish
ducking and dodging each other and finally join up to pound the common
beat, Sammy takes the reins back and lays the intro to Led Zeppelin’s
“Whole Lotta Love” down in the grove before cutting a hard left into HEAVY
METAL.

By the time Sam acknowledges the “up front fanatics” many of us have
abandoned our seats (and crutches) to rush the barrier, yielding an
unexpected opportunity to burn the last few exposures on the roll. Sam
identifies Mona as the subject material of the “tight pants and lipstick”
line. She seems to enjoy the attention, her thick, black hair reaching a
full six feet of travel from well below her waistline to the sky. When the
song concludes, the band takes their bows as Sam introduces them by name
one last time and they leave the stage.

We spend the next few minutes waiting out the compulsory pause before the
planned encore. When the players retake the stage, Sammy chats for a few
minutes taking the time to point out that Mona is from a tiny town on the
Northern California coast called Willits. The mention of this rural town
and her beautiful, straight, black hair and dark complexion leave me
wondering if she may be of native American descent (my family heritage.)

Sam also mentions that he tried to get Huey Lewis to come in for his
harmonica parts, but was unable to, as he is in Oklahoma City this evening.

All night Sam’s vocals have been right on the money. never taking the low
road, never missing a scream. No effort was spared.

The encore selections: EAGLES FLY, DREAMS, and MARCHING TO MARS are the
perfect end to the show. They each capture the essence of the sincerest
part of each phase of his career. Sammy has always had a
rebellious/fun-loving side, but this time out it is his sincerity that
leaves the greatest impression on us.

Thanks to Timothy Brown for this AWESOME review!

Thanks to Timothy Brown for the set list.