What it was like to pay only eleven bucks to see a legend of popular music do a full out, full length concert from up close.

When we got our seats about an hour before the concert, one look at the stage put us into a state of high anticipation. We saw a really professional looking array of road equipment with two drum kits. The whole setup screamed that this show was going to be the real mccoy. Little Richard was not going to phone this show in.
Front and center on the stage was a beautiful ebony grand piano. At one point a roadie dressed in suit and tie came out and put all the artist's accoutrements on top of the piano. The standard assortment of beverages and tissues and snacks and candies you would expect for a rock n roll legend.
And then, right on time, a large assemblage of musicians began taking to the stage. I remarked to yella at the time "man these look like real pros". And man did that turn out to be an understatement.
Three sax players (baritone, alto and tenor). Two drummers, both phenomenal. A guitar player who Little Richard later commented "can pull guitar better than anyone I've ever heard" and that was no exaggeration.

The band starts vamping and then one of the musicians introduces the legend.
He is carried onto the stage in a white throne like chair and set in front of the piano. He later explains that he's recently undergone hip surgery and it hasn't been a total success. That explains his entrance. And then you start thinking to yourself "oh my god even his fucked up hip and his inability to walk is not keeping him down".

For the rest you had to be there. Literally. I have a video for you but it just does not convey the experience of what this show was like in person.
Suffice to say that the hour and twenty minute concert Little Richard and his band put on was everything you could hope for.
Richard at 78 years old performed and sounded and looked exactly like he did 60 years ago.
The highlight of the show for me and yella was when he departed from his rock n roll standards and did a traditional blues number. I had no idea what a good, and I mean really good, blues vocalist he is. And still is.

You will never know it from the lousy audio quality in this video, but this was one of the tightest sounding stage bands I have ever heard. And the band inspired Little Richard. And the result was it put yella and me and everyone else in the audience into a time machine which carried us all back to the 1950's.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H5r-GjVvPM

BOB!

That was great!!!!!!!

Looks like a hellava lot of fun.....

Sorry Bob but I would not walk across the street to see him if were free. There was absolutely no one at the fair this year that I would pay to see.

Ghost_Rider1 wrote:Sorry Bob but I would not walk across the street to see him if were free.

How come?

Bob wrote:

Ghost_Rider1 wrote:Sorry Bob but I would not walk across the street to see him if were free.

How come?

I just do not care for Little Richard, never have. Now if it was someone like the original members of Lynard Skynard, Journey w/Steve Perry, Eric Clapton etc etc, I would have been there with bells on. I'm just not into Little Richard.

But I glad you and yella had a great time.

I am not a real fan of folks over 65 playing Rock and Roll. I am an ageist. I went to see Crosby Stills and Nash in Vegas, and loved the Music....it was still very good, but I simply was not moved.......and at times it felt like it could have been a cover band with these geezers up there performing.

I saw Michael Franti in Vegas a couple years ago and the youthful concert goers and somebody under 50 just make the music different.

I saw John Mayer in Vegas a couple years ago and again the youthful concert goers and what he did just would not translate with him in his 70s.

I would have however loved to go to the concert because of the historical significance of his contributions......but what will come next....some manager bringing Rock Stars out in Hospital beds. I had friends go to one of Frank Sinatra's last concerts where he could not remember the songs he was singing and people were really sad as they left. Music is ageless, but I am not a fan of a bunch of grandpas playing rock and roll.....I would never have bought it as a kid.....and I do not buy it now.......but then again I have become a grumpy old man.

He was one of the architects of rock n roll music.
I had a friend who was a local musician back in the day. His name was Don Francisco. He went from local bands in the 60's to being Linda Ronstadt's drummer. I remember asking him, of all the early rock greats who most inspired him, which one stood out. He said hands down it was Little Richard.
And Don was not alone in that.

"I never thought I'd ever meet Little Richard. He was my idol at school. The first song I ever sang in public was 'Long Tall Sally,' at a Butlins holiday camp talent competition! I love his voice and I always wanted to sing like him."
-- Paul McCartney

"Elvis was bigger than religion in my life. Then this boy at school said he'd got this record by somebody called Little Richard who was better than Elvis. We used to go to this boy’s house after school and listen to Elvis on 78s: we'd buy five ciggies loose and some chips and go along. The new record was Little Richard's 'Long Tall Sally'. When I heard it, it was so great I couldn't speak. You know how you are torn. I didn't want to leave Elvis but this was so much better.
-- John Lennon

"I had heard so much about the audience reaction that I thought there must be some exaggeration. But it was all true. He drove the whole house into a complete frenzy. There's no single phrase to describe his hold on the audience. I couldn't believe the power of Little Richard on stage. He was amazing. Chuck Berry is my favourite, along with Bo (Diddley), but nobody could beat Little Richard's stage act. Little Richard is the originator and my first idol. Little Richard is King."
-- Mick Jagger

"The first time we realized we were on the same stage as Little Richard in 1963, that seemed like the top of the world for us. That's still as big a thrill as I've ever had."
-- Keith Richards

"I want to do with my guitar what Little Richard does with his voice."
-- Jimi Hendrix

Iron ore built the town, and built the remarkably lavish Hibbing High School that Bob Dylan attended: a school whose concert hall has a hand-plastered, hand-painted ceiling whose crystal chandeliers imported from eastern Europe are lowered three times a year for cleaning, and a stage large enough to accommodate the entire Minnesota Symphony Orchestra. This is the hall in which the schoolboy Bob Zimmerman (Dylan) first performed, on piano, with his rock'n'roll group The Golden Chords. He hammered out Little Richard numbers on a 1922 Steinway Grand. And when he was leaving school in 1959, he wrote in his high school yearbook under "Ambition": "To join Little Richard."

A friend who wanted to see the upcoming Cirque de Soleil show at the Civic Center asked me to use the internet to see what tickets are available. All 10,000 seats for the show are now all but sold out at ticket prices commanding up to $180.
Last night yella and I got to see the musical icon referred to in those above quotes and see him up close for no more than the admission price to get in the Fair. And the good news was he still had it and still gave the same performance Lennon and Hendrix and Dylan and Jagger saw back then.
Pretty cool thing to get to see. And it could be nearing the last time anyone is able to see it.

Bob wrote:He was one of the architects of rock n roll music.
I had a friend who was a local musician back in the day. His name was Don Francisco. He went from local bands in the 60's to being Linda Ronstadt's drummer. I remember asking him, of all the early rock greats who most inspired him, which one stood out. He said hands down it was Little Richard.
And Don was not alone in that.

"I never thought I'd ever meet Little Richard. He was my idol at school. The first song I ever sang in public was 'Long Tall Sally,' at a Butlins holiday camp talent competition! I love his voice and I always wanted to sing like him."
-- Paul McCartney

"Elvis was bigger than religion in my life. Then this boy at school said he'd got this record by somebody called Little Richard who was better than Elvis. We used to go to this boy’s house after school and listen to Elvis on 78s: we'd buy five ciggies loose and some chips and go along. The new record was Little Richard's 'Long Tall Sally'. When I heard it, it was so great I couldn't speak. You know how you are torn. I didn't want to leave Elvis but this was so much better.
-- John Lennon

"I had heard so much about the audience reaction that I thought there must be some exaggeration. But it was all true. He drove the whole house into a complete frenzy. There's no single phrase to describe his hold on the audience. I couldn't believe the power of Little Richard on stage. He was amazing. Chuck Berry is my favourite, along with Bo (Diddley), but nobody could beat Little Richard's stage act. Little Richard is the originator and my first idol. Little Richard is King."
-- Mick Jagger

"The first time we realized we were on the same stage as Little Richard in 1963, that seemed like the top of the world for us. That's still as big a thrill as I've ever had."
-- Keith Richards

"I want to do with my guitar what Little Richard does with his voice."
-- Jimi Hendrix

Iron ore built the town, and built the remarkably lavish Hibbing High School that Bob Dylan attended: a school whose concert hall has a hand-plastered, hand-painted ceiling whose crystal chandeliers imported from eastern Europe are lowered three times a year for cleaning, and a stage large enough to accommodate the entire Minnesota Symphony Orchestra. This is the hall in which the schoolboy Bob Zimmerman (Dylan) first performed, on piano, with his rock'n'roll group The Golden Chords. He hammered out Little Richard numbers on a 1922 Steinway Grand. And when he was leaving school in 1959, he wrote in his high school yearbook under "Ambition": "To join Little Richard."

A friend who wanted to see the upcoming Cirque de Soleil show at the Civic Center asked me to use the internet to see what tickets are available. All 10,000 seats for the show are now all but sold out at ticket prices commanding up to $180.
Last night yella and I got to see the musical icon referred to in those above quotes and see him up close for no more than the admission price to get in the Fair. And the good news was he still had it and still gave the same performance Lennon and Hendrix and Dylan and Jagger saw back then.
Pretty cool thing to get to see. And it could be nearing the last time anyone is able to see it.

IMHO comparing Little Richard to Elvis Presley is sacrilege.` Elvis was and still is the King.

Bob wrote:When we got our seats about an hour before the concert, one look at the stage put us into a state of high anticipation. We saw a really professional looking array of road equipment with two drum kits. The whole setup screamed that this show was going to be the real mccoy. Little Richard was not going to phone this show in.
Front and center on the stage was a beautiful ebony grand piano. At one point a roadie dressed in suit and tie came out and put all the artist's accoutrements on top of the piano. The standard assortment of beverages and tissues and snacks and candies you would expect for a rock n roll legend.
And then, right on time, a large assemblage of musicians began taking to the stage. I remarked to yella at the time "man these look like real pros". And man did that turn out to be an understatement.
Three sax players (baritone, alto and tenor). Two drummers, both phenomenal. A guitar player who Little Richard later commented "can pull guitar better than anyone I've ever heard" and that was no exaggeration.

The band starts vamping and then one of the musicians introduces the legend.
He is carried onto the stage in a white throne like chair and set in front of the piano. He later explains that he's recently undergone hip surgery and it hasn't been a total success. That explains his entrance. And then you start thinking to yourself "oh my god even his fucked up hip and his inability to walk is not keeping him down".

For the rest you had to be there. Literally. I have a video for you but it just does not convey the experience of what this show was like in person.
Suffice to say that the hour and twenty minute concert Little Richard and his band put on was everything you could hope for.
Richard at 78 years old performed and sounded and looked exactly like he did 60 years ago.
The highlight of the show for me and yella was when he departed from his rock n roll standards and did a traditional blues number. I had no idea what a good, and I mean really good, blues vocalist he is. And still is.

You will never know it from the lousy audio quality in this video, but this was one of the tightest sounding stage bands I have ever heard. And the band inspired Little Richard. And the result was it put yella and me and everyone else in the audience into a time machine which carried us all back to the 1950's.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5H5r-GjVvPM

Yep. It was quite a show. Most people stayed on their feet and kinda danced in place. My knees ache, but it was worth it.

Musical tastes vary and I am glad you and Yella had a great time. That's all that counts, Bob. Christine had to work this weekend or we woulda joined you.

Yomama wrote:Musical tastes vary

Yep, no doubt about it, beauty is in the eye and the ear of the beholder.

Here's how one individual discovered what it was for him...

http://www.triumphpc.com/mersey-beat/beatles/how_i_turned_johnlennon_onto_rocknroll2.shtml

I'm glad y'all had a great time. I would have loved to have been there.

Yella, I went to a show at the Fairgrounds there a few years back (it was no great name like Little Richard) and the entire audience was on their feet and many of them were standing on the bleachers for the entire show. Personally, I thought that it was beyond aggravating--and rude. I just wanted to sit down and enjoy the show.

When did it become routine to stand up during the entire show? Is this just at the Fair or is it all concerts nowadays? Thank God they don't do that at the Ryman Auditorium, my favorite music venue.

Nekochan wrote:I'm glad y'all had a great time. I would have loved to have been there.

Yella, I went to a show at the Fairgrounds there a few years back (it was no great name like Little Richard) and the entire audience was on their feet and many of them were standing on the bleachers for the entire show. Personally, I thought that it was beyond aggravating--and rude. I just wanted to sit down and enjoy the show.

When did it become routine to stand up during the entire show? Is this just at the Fair or is it all concerts nowadays? Thank God they don't do that at the Ryman Auditorium, my favorite music venue.

Has the Ryman reopened after the flood damage?

Ghost_Rider1 wrote:

Nekochan wrote:I'm glad y'all had a great time. I would have loved to have been there.

Yella, I went to a show at the Fairgrounds there a few years back (it was no great name like Little Richard) and the entire audience was on their feet and many of them were standing on the bleachers for the entire show. Personally, I thought that it was beyond aggravating--and rude. I just wanted to sit down and enjoy the show.

When did it become routine to stand up during the entire show? Is this just at the Fair or is it all concerts nowadays? Thank God they don't do that at the Ryman Auditorium, my favorite music venue.

Has the Ryman reopened after the flood damage?

The Ryman didn't flood. It was the newer Grand Ole Opry House Building and the Opry Mills Mall adjacent that flooded. The whole complex is reopened now.

Nekochan wrote:

Ghost_Rider1 wrote:

Nekochan wrote:I'm glad y'all had a great time. I would have loved to have been there.

Yella, I went to a show at the Fairgrounds there a few years back (it was no great name like Little Richard) and the entire audience was on their feet and many of them were standing on the bleachers for the entire show. Personally, I thought that it was beyond aggravating--and rude. I just wanted to sit down and enjoy the show.

When did it become routine to stand up during the entire show? Is this just at the Fair or is it all concerts nowadays? Thank God they don't do that at the Ryman Auditorium, my favorite music venue.

Has the Ryman reopened after the flood damage?

The Ryman didn't flood. It was the newer Grand Ole Opry House Building and the Opry Mills Mall adjacent that flooded. The whole complex is reopened now.

Thanks, for some reason I thought that the Ryman did also.

Bob,

I'm glad you had a great time. The Rolling Stones charged $20 a ticket in Paris the other night. In terms of give back to fans, Pink Floyd has always lead the way. Free downloads, a fan give back.

I still have a bucket list, only one to go for rock-n-roll. Dave Mason......

Nekochan wrote:I'm glad y'all had a great time. I would have loved to have been there.

Yella, I went to a show at the Fairgrounds there a few years back (it was no great name like Little Richard) and the entire audience was on their feet and many of them were standing on the bleachers for the entire show. Personally, I thought that it was beyond aggravating--and rude. I just wanted to sit down and enjoy the show.

When did it become routine to stand up during the entire show? Is this just at the Fair or is it all concerts nowadays? Thank God they don't do that at the Ryman Auditorium, my favorite music venue.

Good God, Neko. my knee feels like I beat on it with a ball peen hammer throughout the whole show, but still, . . . . .It was worth it.

Yella wrote:

Nekochan wrote:I'm glad y'all had a great time. I would have loved to have been there.

Yella, I went to a show at the Fairgrounds there a few years back (it was no great name like Little Richard) and the entire audience was on their feet and many of them were standing on the bleachers for the entire show. Personally, I thought that it was beyond aggravating--and rude. I just wanted to sit down and enjoy the show.

When did it become routine to stand up during the entire show? Is this just at the Fair or is it all concerts nowadays? Thank God they don't do that at the Ryman Auditorium, my favorite music venue.

Good God, Neko. my knee feels like I beat on it with a ball peen hammer throughout the whole show, but still, . . . . .It was worth it.

My bride Christine tells a story that I like. She was at a Jethro Tull concert and it was supposed to be a "seats only" event. Somebody stood up and the band quit playing and stared at the dude, saying "We're not going to play until you sit down". They explained that, when you stand up, you are showing no respect for those seated behind you.

The guy sat down.

Yomama wrote:

Yella wrote:

Nekochan wrote:I'm glad y'all had a great time. I would have loved to have been there.

Yella, I went to a show at the Fairgrounds there a few years back (it was no great name like Little Richard) and the entire audience was on their feet and many of them were standing on the bleachers for the entire show. Personally, I thought that it was beyond aggravating--and rude. I just wanted to sit down and enjoy the show.

When did it become routine to stand up during the entire show? Is this just at the Fair or is it all concerts nowadays? Thank God they don't do that at the Ryman Auditorium, my favorite music venue.

Good God, Neko. my knee feels like I beat on it with a ball peen hammer throughout the whole show, but still, . . . . .It was worth it.

My bride Christine tells a story that I like. She was at a Jethro Tull concert and it was supposed to be a "seats only" event. Somebody stood up and the band quit playing and stared at the dude, saying "We're not going to play until you sit down". They explained that, when you stand up, you are showing no respect for those seated behind you.

The guy sat down.

Good for Jethro Tull. I agree!

Nekochan wrote:Good for Jethro Tull. I agree!

I have had a bad back since I was about 16. (Several doctors said I need back surgery.) It is a true pain in the back for me to stand for over a few minutes at a time.

I liked the rules at the Mobile Bayfest. You can bring your lawn chairs. We sat with a bunch of other folks that brought their chairs. Yeah, there were some folks standing up, but we lucked out and found a place where the ground had some elevation to it and got a bit of a view.