The last time we talked about music, we talked about Waylon & Johnny Cash. We’ll go to rock & roll now. In the ‘70s, we all got an ear full of the greats like Zeppelin, CCR, Bad Company, The Doors and disco. But a lot of us knew that the Rolling Stones followed the Beatles and were rolling from the ‘60s to forever. Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out, Sympathy For The Devil, Get Off Of My Cloud to the decadence on and on. The Stones were the sign of the times in changing rock & roll. Mick said they were the first punk rock band ever. Stones followers heard blues, country, jazz, rock & roll, disco and more. We were rolling ourselves from festivals to concerts and loving what the next shows were bringing and the part we may play. Already sparked as an artist in the ‘60s by Jimmy Hendrix (met his dad in Seattle), I turned pro playing drums, harmonica, plus, writing and singing.
My younger brother David was working for a promoter in Florida who booked stadium rock shows. The Stones were booked and I was on my way to meet the staff. The sun was hot in the stadium as cold rain came in over the red rocks that left a chill till Eddie Money, the ex-New York cop brought in his smokin’ hot sax and Two Tickets to Paradise. That jacked up the crowd until the Stones took over. I had made it my business to meet the crew and stage hands, aka roadies, knowing I needed to be a part of this touring tripped out circus. (I have to keep some things cool, such as names, dates and R-rated conquests left for my book in progress, Backstage Pass.)
There was an air of real danger and intrigue with this musical circus. I respect the hell out of the people that came together this quickly for a show of this magnitude. The crowd was made up of kids, hippies, bikers, and grandparents. I became a promoter’s assistant with my other brother and we were running our butts off.
In the beginning of contract signing, there were high level discussions about the bands and guests personal needs (our job). Then came the talk about the opening act. They decided on California’s Van Halen. The gifted and older Alex Van Halen rocked the drums and lil’ brother guitar-slayer Eddie who was about 19 or 20 at the time. They took the opening job with a vey limber lead vocalist, David Lee Roth who could wail. They did more than warm up the crowd for the Stones.
My brother and I had the pleasure of setting up dressing rooms, VIP areas and “meet and greet.” We set up some crazy stuff, including wrapping Van Halen’s trailer with colored paper mache. We installed a rock-your-socks-off sound system. Valerie Bertinelli and friends showed up in a separate limo followed by the band. We blew the doors off, cranked Aerosmith and they dug it. We wanted them to feel welcome. They were nice guys excited about their gig with the Stones. My brother spotted Mick and went over to greet him. There was a security buzz and protestors in the street. We were sent to check it out and found mostly women protesting some nasty, sexual lyrics pertaining to women on the “Some Girls” album. After telling the Stones, the band decided to start the set with Under My Thumb. Pure decadence...pure in your face Stones.
I was to bring Heineken beers to the Stones and wait for Van Halen to finish. Then it was time...Mick called for “his” drummer. Charlie then called for “his” singer. We all laughed and then Mick gathered the band and took the stage.
