May 182012
“Rooftop concert.”
That’s all any rock fan needs to hear to envision the bearded, ladies’-coated, windblown Beatles cranking out their final, abbreviated live performance from Let It Be. What other non-traditional concerts in non-traditional locations hold anywhere near as evocative associations?
In September 1978, the Grateful Dead performed three nights of outdoor concerts in Egypt in front of the Pyramids of Gaza and the Sphinx. The last show was during a lunar eclipse. A legendary show in Dead lore.
Good one!
It’s Giza, not Gaza. They’re “in Giza,” not “of Gaza.”
Of course, there’s also Pink Floyd at that ancient ruined amphitheater in Pompeii.
Pompeii for sure! How’ve you been, stranger?
The Sex Pistols Silver Jubilee Cruise
That cruise really happened? Wow.
I’ve been sooo busy, mod. The kid, the new job, and many projects in the works, have kept me away from rth. Glad to poke my head back in for a sec.
Another thought is that mcCartney wanted the Beatles to do some kind of cruise or boat concert, which ultimately became Let It Be, right? And didn’t he have the Meters do a show on Anita for the release party for a mid 70s Wings album? What is it with Paul and boats?
The Stones have done a few of those, mostly notable for playing in a small place for a very few lucky fans, but I think the one that fis the question posed is when they rolled down 5th Avenue in NYC on a flatbed truck and played Brown Sugar. That would have been really cool to see! http://youtu.be/tkWDxU3-ZmU
Yes, that’s the second example that came to mind for me. There was a still photo from this performance in one my rock books as a kid that I used to study, thinking it must have been one of the coolest things to witness.
I will divulge that I was one of the lucky few who somehow scored tickets to one of the Kraftwerk shows that recently happened at MOMA. The entire thing was setup as though it were an installation, so it had a very different vibe from the other times I’d seen them in more “traditional” venues. It was a small space for them and the audience was also small, so you could get up front or move further back as you wished without fighting the crowd or losing “your spot.” Mind-blowing show, wish I could experience it again.
Roger Waters’ 1990 The Wall – Live in Berlin concert was pretty memorable.
Giza, gaza, wiza, waza….
That also came to my mind when I first saw this thread. I remember reading somewhere that Elvis Costello did the same thing the 1st time he played Toyko.
For real? Yes it happened: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oH1BT92oIaI
And congrats on the kid. I hadn’t heard.
That must have been cool! I know you’re not the only Townsman who’s seen a show in an unusual location, although your experience may be the most unusual.
David Hasselhoff actually performed on top of the Berlin Wall in 1989.
Obviously, the Acropolis is now most famous in its role as a concert venue for Yanni.
CSN poolside in sunny Cali!
In related news: why have I never heard of this amazing TV event?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Gf-CXBCfhY&feature=related
Yes, from Big Sur, when, thankfully, Stephen Stills had some guys around to love him out of a bad scene with a concerned fan! Start at the 4:00 mark, and watch how a real Peace Warrior operates.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CboU0iUefv4
This scene ranks up there in my formative childhood hippie culture experiences with the drive-in double-feature my parents took me to see of Easy Rider and Hell’s Angels on Wheels and the time I rode with my Mom and Grandmother to buy a VW Beetle off our Italian cousins who were moving home and we were surrounded by a trainload of hippies heading down there to protest the Vietnam War. I had just entered my biker-hippie phase, having been turned onto those biker movies; concert movies like Big Sur, Monterrey, and Woodstock; and live albums like Joe Cocker, The Mad Dogs & The Englishmen and Steppenwolf Live. These cats took me into their smelly panchos for the course of that train ride and showed me what’s what.
Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band on the beach at Cannes:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hd4CkzUTtg
I am very envious! Perhaps you could write a longer post about your experience?
Maybe, perhaps, yes.
Jean Michel Jarre is known for having put on a few massive shows. One was at Place de la Concorde and set a record for the largest crowd at one concert. He followed that up with massive shows in Houston and at a dock in London. Spectacle!
Mrs H (before we met) went to JMJ’s Docklands show, she describes it as being one of the most pointless evenings of her life, being so far away that she could see nothing and says it was like standing around an industrial estate with music playing.
Thanks! We’ve got another one on the way, due in September: a girl.
Fantastic news, Sat. Will that make one of each? Delightful.
It’s Mike Watt!
Yup…that’s one of each. The boy is a pip. Hopefully the girl will mellow him out. I hope all’s well w/ you, C!
Quite the opposite in our house. The boy is easy going and as uncomplicated as a lawn mower engine, whereas the girl is confounding and dramatic. But most of it is great fun.