Meeting Paul Rodgers Dream Come True

I met him backstage at Symphony Hall, Birmingham, England on October 5, 2006.  But I have to rewind a little bit, the path gets a little overgrown and rambling, but you'll see that there is a thread to the story.

Let's actually start in May 2006.  It was a typical work day at the Field Museum, I was working as a fossil preparator in the prep lab that visitors can actually look in on, affectionately known as "the fish bowl".  I was working on a fossil when this really tall guy knocked on the glass wall and pointed to me, and then to himself.  I should point out that I was wearing a Jimi Hendrix concert t-shirt that I had bought at Target, very retro.  I didn't know this guy, why he was pointing to my shirt and then to himself, so I went outside the lab to see what he wanted.  He blurted out, "Jimi Hendrix!  1967!"  I said, "Yeah, I know..."  Then he said, "I used to roadie for him!"  I said, "Oh really?"  He said, "Yeah, I'm Joe Jammer!"

I was amazed.  Joe Jammer!  As in local guitar legend who left the States at the tender age of 17 to roadie for the likes of Hendrix, then Led Zeppelin and the Who, and then became a guitarist of note in many 70's bands, such as Stealers Wheel, Supertramp and many others.  In 1975 he was a guitarist in the Maggie Bell Band.  The band  opened for Bad Company throughout  their 1975 US tour, since they were both on Swan Song.  I had just bought some vintage Circus magazines earlier in the week, and one of the BadCo articles even name-checked Joe, partying hard with the likes of Paul Rodgers and the rest of the BadCo boys. After some thirty years abroad, Joe was now back in town, taking care of family business and gigging locally.

To make a long story short, we have since become good friends, and I have heard a wealth of stories of Joe's years in rock and roll, many of them too sensational to print. 

Getting back to Paul:  after seeing Paul Rodgers with Queen in March, I was really primed to check out some of his solo shows in the US in the summer.  My friend Julie and I saw him in Cleveland, OH in June, and then in Itasca, IL during the summer, both times getting to the foot of the stage and getting to shake his hand.  As thrilling as that was, we really wanted to meet him.  We had chatted with his lady, Cynthia, both times, as she was manning the merchandise booth.  Both times we weren't able to meet him, but Cynthia was really gracious and kind, and she said, "Next time I see you two, I'll hook you up."

Fast forward to October 2006.  Paul was now touring the UK.  Julie and I had tickets for two of his shows.  The first show we went to was the Royal Albert Hall, London, on October 3rd. Another fantastic show, we left our seventh row seats early on and planted ourselves at the the foot of the stage again, where Paul recognized us, we got a smile and a wink, and he shook our hands again.  We thought we would have a good chance of getting backstage, but it was not to be that night.  Not even Jimmy Page could get backstage that evening, I later found out!

The next concert, the Birmingham one, was our last chance to meet Paul on this tour.  We were both determined to somehow get to meet him.  One of our friends, the moderator of Paul Rodgers Forum,  actually had four backstage passes she had gotten from Paul's road manager, Chris Crawford.  However, three of the passes were already spoken for,  and her boyfriend was making noises that he might actually want to go backstage, after all.  It was totally up to us, or should I say, me, as Julie was too shy to make any sort of move.  While we were pondering what to do, one of our friends casually pointed out, "Hey, there goes Chris Crawford..."   I knew this was my/our only chance.  I walked up to him and introduced myself.  I then said that I was a friend of one of Paul's old tour buddies, Joe Jammer.  That didn't ring a bell with this youngish guy, so then I also mentioned that we had met Cynthia over the summer, and she promised us that she would "hook us up".  Well, that seemed to do the trick.  He also noted Julie's dark brown eyes: "Wow, your eyes are really dark!  Where did you get them?"  Julie replied, "From my dad!"  Chris said, "Meet me here at the stage after the show."

The show was fab, and once again, we rushed the stage and planted ourselves right at the foot of the stage again.  I got some amazing shots with my camera, including some sly video clips.  Afterwards, Chris appeared at the stage, as he promised and beckoned us to follow him to the 'backstage door'.  After waiting for what seemed an eternity, although it was only about 20 minutes, we were given backstage passes and invited in!

There was a lobby where the rest of the band was hanging out.  Julie and I spent some time talking with the outgoing bass player, Lynn Sorenson, and the guitarist, Howard Leese, who was acting very naughty and forward (he was rubbing Julie's neck and playing with my necklace, at the same time!) .  Then Cynthia walked into the lobby.  She was stunned to see us:  "Oh my God, I can't believe it!  You're here!"  She was so sweet, she talked to us for a short while, and I introduced her to some of my friends from Paul Rodgers Forum.  After chatting for a bit, she asked, "So, would you like to meet Paul?"

Would we?!!  She led us to a room where Paul was relaxing and reading a book.  He got up and laughed when we all piled into his room.  Of course, the eight or so of us each wanted to meet him, and have our picture taken with him.  He was so warm and gracious with everyone, signing posters, t-shirts, and posing for pics.  When it was my turn, I told him how much I loved his music, and that I also was good friends with one of his touring buddies from the BadCo/Swan Song days, Joe Jammer.  He laughed, and said, "Give Joe my love," in that charming Midlands accent of his.  We posed for a picture then, and he kissed me sweetly on the lips.  Unbelievable:  a Rock And Roll Fantasy come true. 

SO... my friendship with Joe + Cynthia's kindness + Julie's dark brown eyes = Rock And Roll Fantasy come true.

Whew...so there you have it.

Cee

Homewood, IL

Pink Floyd Concert 1968

My first concert was a pink Floyd / The Who concert at the old JFK stadium in Philadelphia. This was in July '68. I went there with Major who was a good friend of mine from High School. His real name was Martin, but he was known as Major, for no particular reason other than it being a character from Catch 22.

The show opened with the Troggs. You remember them... Wild Thing? There was another band that I don't remember that really didn't impress me.

Finally, Pink Floyd took the stage and I was mesmerized. Syd was no longer with the band and Dave Gilmour was on guitar although we didn't know that at the time. It was the "Saucerful of Secrets" tour which had just been released. A great show. It was made even greater by the fact that a huge lightning storm developed during Pink Floyds performance. I remember that they played Let There Be More Light, A Saucerful of Secrets and Set The Controls amongst other tunes. While they played, the lightning flashed all around us producing a wonderful but natural light show. Then the rains came down really hard, and the show was over.

We waited a bit when Pete Townsend got on the PA and said that they'd like to play but the power to the stage was cut. But we weren't too disappointed. Pink Floyd had given all of us a lovely but stormy performance and one that we would never forget.

Bob,
Glassboro,NJ

My Night With Cozy Powell

I met Cozy Powell when he was doing a tour with Keith Emerson and Greg Lake (he was the 'P' in ELP) Sept 1985. My best friend couldn't make the show with me so I drove to the show alone & left my car in the parking lot.

Inside the venue (The Richmond Coliseum) I made sure I got a spot to the side of the stage, because I was/am a big fan of Cozy's playing. I wanted to experience the show up close.

There was mainly a lot of hippies at the show so it was relatively laid back.  I was chosen to be with Cozy after the show because Cozy said he liked my hair.  I went backstage and met him there.  We hit it off really well.  We drank at the Marriot Lounge and just got a good buzz on.  I was starstruck just being in the presence of Cozy and what a nice guy he was.  He wasn't outrages or anything but so much fun to be with.  I was feeling fine and so was he and then we had our moment together, a fantasy come true!  I felt very flattered to have spent the evening with Cozy, what a dream come true!!

This was the time before AIDS really exploded, so we just had a really good time. I have A pic of him as a momento which he signed and have kept it safe!  After the fun at the Marriott I drove home still amazed that I had been picked to be with Cozy! I will NEVER forget that evening! Btw, my girlfriend was highly pissed and jealous, that I met Cozy without her!! To bad she couldn't make the show.  It would've been such a blast.

A year earlier we did have a blast, she, my cousin and I had met up with RATT when they came to town. Robbin Crosby!!! The sweetest guy you could ever meet! Stephen Pearcy, you wouldn't wanna meet!! We had mixed drinks with them on their tour bus before the show. Partied like Rockstars! I absolutely loved Robbin Crosby, who coincidentally died of AIDS in the 90's... so sad, what a waste!!

Cindy
old Midlo, VIRGINIA

Paying My Respects To Jim Morrison

It was a beautiful but very cold autumn day in Nov 2004 The Pere Lachaise Cemetry looked so colourful with all the leaves being orange and red.  The air was crisp as I made my way towards Jim's grave.  The area was buzzing with people and although it was so busy, there was a great air of serenity surrounding the place. I remember it being so peaceful and quiet despite there being so many people there.  I was with Jon (who I am now married to) and it was amazing. We went to the florist and bought daisies and put them on his grave. There were candles in little glasses, people were getting stoned, there were letters and poetry all over his grave, lots of flowers and someone had even left a plate of fruit? Many people were upset, I was emotional as was John. Standing there you get overcomed by feelings just knowing that Jim Morrison lays beneath our feet.

Pere Lachaise is such a beautiful cemetry and it doesn't feel at all scary, its very peaceful. Jim couldn't be resting in a better place. The graves of Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf, Rimbaund plus many others are also in the cemetary. If you ever go to Paris, It has to be the first place to visit. It can take you a whole day to get around!  

People come from all over the world to visit him. I am told (don't know how true it is) that Jim is the 4th biggest tourist attraction in Paris. As you approach Jim's grave, people have defaced other graves in the area with graffiti and although its been cleaned up you can still see remnants of it everywhere.

Its so wierd, to stand there with people from all over the world around the grave of a man we never knew. It doesn't matter that we never knew him, or that he died before some of us were even born, we've all had our own relationship with him and had all come to pay our respects to a man that has had a great impact on our lives.

Kellie Liverpool, U.K.

Riders On The Storm The Manchester Apollo Jan 3 2007

My husband told me before Xmas he had got tickets to go and see Riders on the Storm for us but that the seats were in the Gods! On Xmas morning I opened all my presents but he told me I had to open a particular one last. When I opened it, it was a certificate he had made on the computer telling me that the tickets were actually front row and that we would get free drinks at the bar and also that I WOULD GET TO MEET THE BAND! I couldn't stop crying. The Doors have been my favourite band since I was 3 years old. I've been to Jim's grave in Pere Lachaise twice and we had been to see Riders on the Storm a couple of years ago. I've read every book ever written about them, I've got a gold disc of Morrison Hotel and Doors pyjamas and loads of other stuff...I just love them. I was so nervous on the day, I thought I was gonna get all star stuck and make an idiot out of myself.

It was so amazing. The gig was on 3rd Jan 07 at The Manchester Apollo and it was completely sold out! The audience were all on their feet from the first song which was 'Roadhouse Blues'. They played some from LA Woman including 'The Changeling' and 'LA Woman' itself. The song which seemed to get the biggest reaction was 'Peace Frog' - I believe that they don't play it very often? Of course 'Light my Fire' was the final song in the encore! But of course you can't forget, Mr Kreiger's fantastic work on 'Spanish Caravan' the intro was about 10 minutes long, the man is amazing! I danced so much all night I thought my legs were gonna fall off.

just to be that close up to them was out of this world. For the record, I think that Ian Astbury does an amazing job. I know people slate him but I think he really does them justice. After the gig we went down to the green room and got to meet them and they were so lovely. They signed loads of stuff for me and were happy to do it. Ian Astbury was slightly a bit pervy but there was no problem. I was amazed by how strong Robby's handshake was, he looks so frail but I suppose all that amazing guitar playing keeps his hand strong. I skipped all the way back to the hotel and it was certainly a night that I will never forget!

Kellie,
Liverpool, U.K.

Debbie & Blondie In The Flesh 6-7-06 Boston

Like everyone else that went to Boston that night I was soakin wet, but nothing was gonna stop me from seeing Debbie and the boys! Last I saw them was in 2003 at a free show in Boston when they were getting ready to tour for "Curse of Blondie"

The band opened up with Call Me and then Debbie struts onto the stage and starts singing. She sounded and looked mighty fine. She was in great spirit and was touched that so many of us ventured out just to see them. The band had great sound, you can tell that they all gell together as a unit. Debbie was dressed in a neon green silky scarf with matching long sleeve top in green and over the top was a slip dress in sequins and over that was a bolero black sweater with jogging pants. One of her more creative outfits due to the coolness of the night. She radiated and sparkled with the stage lights.

Loved the backdrop they used in their set at the Pavillion, a cool city scape view with twinkling lights for windows on the skyscrappers and the band playing in front of it just was too cool, but what else can you expect from Blondie.

Highlites for me were Screaming Skin (one of my fave songs) Rifle Range (treat for the hardcore fans ) Picture this, In The Flesh, Rapture, Hanging On The Telephone. The crowd really went wild with One Way Or Another.

By the end of their set everyone was on their feet, dancing and having a grand time even with the driving cold rain.

Encore was Paint it Black and Heart of Glass

I really wish it would have been Blondie the headliner and wish that they had a longer set list. All in all wet and cold her show left us all sooooo HOT!!!

Vee 
Plymouth, MA

Rolling Stones in Twickenham Stadium, London 20.8.2006.

Posted by Malc

It's been over 23 years since we last saw the Rolling Stones live. The date was July 1982 and it was the first of many concerts to feature big name acts performing in Roundhay Park Leeds. We are now in London to see them perform on their A Bigger Bang Tour. I know how much I have changed in nearly 24 years. I hope time has been kinder to Mick, Keith and the crew!
The venue is the Twickenham Rugby Stadium, used for England Rugby Internationals/6 Nations matches. It is a typical stadium arena, with 60,000+ capacity on 3 sides, plus floor seating at a premium price of £125 ( $190 ) and some on stage seating obtained through a ballot/lottery system.
 
As I approach the arena I resist the temptation to contribute to Mick and Keith's pension fund by forking out £15 ($25 ) for a brochure. Tight you might think, but £15?? Come on!! As my wife Val and I enter the venue it is already buzzing. It's a sell out . Great venue. All seated. I wish more citie sin England had a purpose built venue like this. It's really quite extraordinary that, citizens of a city the size of Birmingham (England's second city) have to travel to the likes of London and Manchester as Birmingham is consistently shunned by large acts on their tours of the UK because of the lack of a big enough venue.

A 60,000 strong roar erupts from the audience as, all at once, they get to their feet to greet the Greatest Rock and Roll Band in the World. The next 2 and a quarter hours fly by as the band effortlessly perform their set spanning 4 decades of music. The set goes from classics from the 60's such as Get Off My Cloud and Ruby Tuesday , through to crowd pleasers from the seventies Brown Sugar and Honky Tonk Women right through to songs from their new album, (Streets Of Love, Oh No Not You Again, Rough Justice). One of my overriding memories of the concert in Roundhay Park all those years ago, was Mick Jagger's enigmatic, pulsating and vibrant performance. Bearing in mind his advancing years I was half expecting his performance tonight to have been adapted somewhat. How wrong was I. For the whole 2+ hours Jagger gyrated and performed on stage with such an immense spellbinding presence it was riveting. Pure entertainment. Jagger's distinctive voice seemed as commanding as ever. He showed his versatility too with a rendition of an awesome Ray Charles number (Night Time Is The Right Time).

Ronnie Wood and Keith Richards put in stellar performances and looked very much the part of two haggered old Rock and Roll party animals. Charlie Watts held it together with aplomb throughout. Considering the length and the pace of the 2 and quarter hour performance, it's a real tribute to the stamina of Charlie who, at sixty four, is just months away from collecting his state pension. I'm not sure how much he is relying on the money from his state pesnion though!

There were great special effects throughout, particularly on Sympathy For The Devil (lots of hellfire flames) and the moving stage during Miss You. The sound was clear and the playing was precise, tight and fluid. Very powerful overall effect. I had not realise dhow good Keef and Ronnie were until this show.

From both a musical and entertainment perspective these guys are just consummate professionals and after tonight's performance , in my eyes , justly deserve to keep their oft touted title of The Greatest Rock and Roll Band In the World ( but only following the demise of the unbeatable Led Zeppelin).

Thank you Malc for sharing this review.

I Met Robbie Krieger

I went to see him and his band at a bar in Chatanooga...a place where 2 of my good friends were regulars. They could sense my overwhelming joy...so after the show we went backstage. I was sitting on a sofa right next to Robbie! I was so choked up I was speechless. All I could say was "can you please sign this?" I now have my first copy of No One Here Gets Out Alive (purchased in the early 80's) signed by him...it was an unforgettable experience.

Christie
Hoover, Alabama