Welcome to CONCERT OVERLOAD, a place for sharing my concert-going experiences. My goal is to say a few words about each and every concert I've ever attended.
CURRENT CONCERT COUNT: 868 (most of them in the Los Angeles area)
It was an
excruciatingly long wait, but it was worth it. Nearly twenty-four years have
passed since I witnessed the unforgettable show put on by Al Stewart and Peter
White at McCabe's in the summer of 1991. Since then, I'd been dreaming about reliving
the event just once more, and last night it finally happened, albeit in an
unexpected fashion.
We all showed up expecting to see Dave Nachmanoff alongside
Al, as indicated on Al's website. Dave is one heck of a guitar player and I
would have been perfectly happy to see him play, but catching Peter and Al together
yet once again was a whole different matter.
Al took the
stage all by himself, kicked off the evening with a lively rendition of
"House Of Clocks", then brought the house down by simply introducing
Peter White. Without wasting any time, they launched into an epic rendition of
"On The Border" and everything that followed was equally epic.
Al Stewart (right) & Peter White at McCabe's
Al will turn
seventy in September, yet his voice is in excellent shape - someone who hasn't
heard him since the mid-seventies will have absolutely no trouble recognizing
him. And what can I say about Peter ... his guitar playing was absolutely
superb, especially on the Django Reinhardt-esque "Last Train To Munich",
the song that also featured an outstanding upright bass solo played by Roberto
Vally.
Al Stewart McCabe's
Peter White at McCabe's
The set list
Throughout
the evening, Al was in his usual humorous mood and held nothing back when it
came to historical references. As a matter of fact, he ended the show by re-introducing
his two cohorts, Peter White and Roberto Vally, then said "My name is
Woodrow Wilson, thank you very much and good night". Al and Peter came
back for a one-song encore, namely "End Of The Day", a number they
co-wrote in the late seventies.
Al Stewart & Peter White thanking the crowd
For me, the
evening ended with two autographs and two handshakes that will be hard to
forget:
In the summer of 1991, my music-loving niece wanted to catch a live show in LA - she was staying with us for a few weeks - but at the time, she was deep into death metal in general, and Sepultura in particular, so finding a concert of mutual interest appeared to be mission impossible. As far as I was concerned, I just wanted to take her to McCabe's, my favorite venue, fully knowing that the artists typically playing there were definitely not up her alley.
Enter Al Stewart, a musician who had all but disappeared after his fantastic string of radio hits in the seventies. Of all the artists scheduled to appear at McCabe's, Al happened to be my best bet, so I grabbed a pair of tickets and we showed up at McCabe's not really knowing what to expect. Boy, were we in for a treat!
Al Stewart came out with a guitarist by the name of Peter White - at the time, I didn't know who he was, but I certainly know now. The show started with a bouncy "Flying Sorcery", and it took me no time to realize that we were witnessing something truly special. Al and Peter went on to play one of the finest shows I have ever attended, full of great songs, great vocals, humor and Peter's out-of-this-world picking. They played "Fields Of France", "Year Of The Cat", "Josephine Baker" and many other gems.
Peter White
The highlight of the show was "On The Border", a number that kicked off with an epic intro that lasted for about two minutes and brought all of us to a state of near-frenzy. I left McCabe's utterly impressed by the quality of the show and I remember telling my niece "what a shame that the sounds of such an amazing performance just fade away, never to be heard again".
Imagine my surprise, when less than one year later, Al Stewart released a live album documenting his tour with Peter White, with some of the songs recorded right at McCabe's, at the very same concert I had attended!
"Rhymes In Rooms" remains to this day one of my all-time favorite albums, the stand-out track being, of course, "On The Border".
Here's Al Stewart and Peter White playing "On The Border" in 1988:
