Concert #34 - Simply Red at the Wiltern Theater (October 10, 1987)

When I bought Simply Red's "Picture Book" album at Rhino Records in Claremont, the sales clerk told me "You'll love this record", and he was right. Great songs and great delivery by Mick Hucknall. In the late 80s, their sound had an edge and they were definitely different from the rest. In later years they became more of a pop act that failed to grab my interest, even though Mick's voice remains something special to this day.

The show started with Mick coming out from behind the curtain to sing "I Guess I'll Drown in My Own Tears" all by himself. For his encore, he chose Jackie Wilson's "Higher and Higher". In between, they sang many of their best songs from their first two albums, including "Come To My Aid", "Suffer", "The Right Thing", "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye" and "Holding Back The Years".

The show was opened by Danny Wilson, a British band whose members were called neither Danny, nor Wilson, that's all I remember about them.

 After the show, LA Times' Chris Willman wrote "No doubt about it, Simply Red is a class act that attracts a class crowd". Thanks, Chris, you are right.

Here's a great live performance of "The Right Thing", circa 1987:

Concert #33 - Dionne Warwick & Burt Bacharach at the Greek Theater (Sept 11, 1987)

Two of my all-time favorites, together under the stars at the Greek Theater. The show cam shortly after Burt and Dionne had reconciled their legal differences, after years of litigation. Also, before this tour, they had never performed together in public.

It seldom rains in September, but the threat of rain was real and, at one point, a few drops came down, to which Dionne quipped "After all, you all came to hear Raindrops Keep Fallin On My Head". We were fortunate, the rain stopped and we got to witness an excellent concert, with nothing but well-known and much-loved songs. Dionne was in top vocal form, Burt got to sing a few himself.

Most of the show featured the songs written by Burt and made famous by Dionne, but there was a segment dedicated to Burt's Oscar-winning soundtracks and one focusing on Dionne's post-Bacharach hits.

More often than not, concert reviews are negative or mixed at best.All-out favorable reviews are very rare, but here's an exception:

Durable Duo

September 14, 1987|PAUL GREIN

Dionne Warwick and Burt Bacharach have been collaborating on records for 25 years (except for one long gap), but until last month they'd never performed together in public. Their concert Friday at the Greek Theatre was well worth the wait. Though most of the selections were oldies, the show was more than just a trip down memory lane--a testimony to the vitality and durability of Bacharach's songs and the awesome power in Warwick's vocals. Though Warwick has long been one of our most gifted singers, she has sometimes seemed haughty and reserved in concert. But the presence of her long-time producer-composer-arranger seemed to bring out the best in her.

The show (the first of three Southland weekend dates) was superbly organized and paced, with both stars on stage for virtually the entire two hours. The two talked and joked freely, not just about "safe" subjects--such as Bacharach's wobbly voice--but also touchy ones--notably their 10-year feud, which ended in 1984. You would expect a concert by these two veterans to be classy and sophisticated, but what made it so memorable was that it was also so dynamic and exciting. Pop concerts just don't get any better than this.

Concert #32 - Crowded House at the Wiltern Theater (September 6, 1987)

You don't often see two great acts from Down-Under in one show. The headlining Crowded House and Paul Kelly & The Messengers, the opening act, put on an excellent show. I sat at the balcony, in one of the first rows. Crowded House only had their first self-titled album out, so not a lot of material to dive into. They did play the two stand-out songs from the album, "Don't Dream It's Over" and "Something So Strong".

Paul Kelly

Paul Kelly and the Messengers were a great opening act, with many good songs. Funny thing: today, so many years after I first discovered him, I listen to a lot more Paul Kelly than Crowded House, even though the latter have sold many more CDs.

Here's one of my favorite Paul Kelly songs, "Before Too Long"

During the late 1980s, the Wiltern became one of my favorite venues. I particularly enjoyed sitting upstairs at the balcony, which they called "loge".

Concert #31 - Santana at the Universal Amphitheater (Aug 16, 1987)

One day after the Bryan Adams show at the Forum, I was back in action again, this time at the Universal Amphitheater. Up to that point, I had only been a mild Santana fan, but seeing him live changed that for ever, and from that point on, I went back many times to see Santana play.

Santana's guitar playing was stunning, vocalist Alex Ligertwood was great as well, but the highlight of the show were the four drummers and percussionists, who drove the band from start to finish and got my blood circulating at amazing speeds. Keyboardist Chester Thompson was also a key contributor, pun intended.

The highlight of the show was when they played, in quick succession, "Black Magic Woman", "Gypsy Queen", " Oye Como Va", "Evil Ways" and "Jingo", a veritable tour de force that got all of us standing and screaming. Unforgettable.

One thing is clear: no studio recording can capture the energy and the power of Santana live.

Concert #30 - Bryan Adams at the Forum ( Aug 15, 1987)

 

"Reckless" is one of the best rock & roll album of the 1980s, with a bunch of catchy songs that were getting lots of air time on radio and MTV. Not unlike the Hooters, whose "Nervous Night" album also yielded a few great songs. So the pairing of these two acts promised a fun night at the Forum.

Bryan did not disappoint. He played "Run To You" and "It's Only Love", my favorite songs from "Reckless". He also did "Cuts Like A Knife" from an earlier album. Surprisingly, he brought out Steve Jones of the Sex Pistols fame. After the show, as I was leaving the parking lot, I nearly bumped into Steve, who had  just located his motorbike.

The Hooters were good, too. They sounded pretty much like their studio recordings.

 

Steve Jones

Concert #29 - Duran Duran at the Forum (July 25, 1987)

 Their then-current album, "Notorious", had a little more edge than their earlier stuff, so I went to the Forum to see them live. The band had just become a trio, with Simon Le Bon on vocals, John Taylor on bass and keyboardist Nick Rhodes - you guessed it - on keyboards. Guitarist Warren Cuccurullo was in their touring band as well.

Their new sound was described in the LA Times as "pseudo-R&B", not a bad way of putting it. Once again I missed the opening act, Erasure, something I regretted later, when their soulful sound, albeit light-weight, did catch my ears.

I must have been among the older people in the crowd, but I had a good time anyway. They played many songs from "Notorious", including the title track and "Skin Trade". From their older hits they did "Hungry Like the Wolf" and "Save A Prayer".

Toward the end of the show, totally unannounced, the Bangles joined the boys for a rendition of "If He Knew What He Wants".