1982-03-30 I-Tal (Reggae at The Haunt)

The Haunt; Ithaca NY, 1982

The Haunt

I brought my camera to the club for one of the reggae shows, and have a few shots of what it looked like in the Haunt. When you entered the club, straight ahead and to the left was the bar, and to the right was the stage; most of the middle area from the stage back became a dance floor every night. These photos are facing the stage and unfortunately don’t show other views of the club - there were large photo prints and mirrors around on the walls, everything was made of what seemed like raw wood, and the bar had some basic christmas-tree lights around it. Here you can see some of the big rectangular mirrors in which you could see people on the dance floor reflected from behind the stage, and the reggae colors painted boldly on the back wall.

Among the great things they had up on the wall were the “annual photos” taken on a day each springtime. Hundreds of people would crowd into the alley at happy hour for one big super-wide angle shot of everyone, and they would blow the photos up big and hang them in there.

Slideshow below: The Cleveland-based band I-Tal playing at The Haunt in Ithaca, NY, 1982.

1982-04-16 Carlton Bryan and Crossroads (Reggae at The Haunt)

The Haunt

Crossroads poster featuring Vision and Carlton (sitting in the front.)

With The Haunt established as a top reggae venue, new bands started coming, including a talented youngster named Carlton Bryan, and his band. Carlton Bryan wrote some great songs and had not only a strong voice but some serious lead guitar chops. Bryan teamed up with a well-established vocalist, Vision (Walker), who previously worked with The Wailers. He would work with Peter Tosh as well (becoming a member for the Mama Africa tour, and featured in my photos from that tour), and I believe he is still musically active today.

We would see Carlton before the shows, and he would always say how much he loved to play in Ithaca. In this era, Jon Peterson at The Haunt was making much of this possible by, among other things, letting the bands stay up at his house during stints in Ithaca.

We attended many performances by Crossroads in Ithaca and surrounding areas.

A couple of years later, I would go to see my third Steel Pulse show in New York City, and to my pleasant surprise, when the band came out I saw Carlton Bryan out there - he was playing lead guitar with them for awhile. I took the picture below at the 1984 Steel Pulse show. Carlton is playing the double-necked guitar that appeared on the cover shots of an album he put out around that time. (More on the Steel Pulse show is in another post here.)

Carlton Bryan soloing with Steel Pulse, 1984. Tyrone Downie, longstanding keyboard player with Bob Marley & The Wailers, also joined that night.

Above right and left: Setlists used by Carlton Bryan and Crossroads during performances in 1982.

1982-04-23 The Majestics (Reggae at The Haunt)

The Haunt

Poster for The Haunt, April 1982

In the late 70S, a band out of Rochester named Bahama Mama played regularly at The Haunt and it was a popular event in Ithaca. Dancing was always in order, nobody needed to be convinced.

Bahama Mama quickly becoming one of the most popular bands around, and people wondered what The Police had that these guys didn’t. The concept of a white reggae band was kind of the new thing… maybe, but it didn’t come to be for these guys, who broke-up before the Majestics formed.

Dicogs lists their live album here: https://www.discogs.com/Bahama-Mama-In-Concert/release/5714164

After they spun off from Bahama Mama, Majestics quickly became one of the most well-known bands around. They recorded with Lee “Scratch” Perry, whose hand featured prominently in the Bob Marley & The Wailers music we came to appreciate during the Reggae explosion that was happening around us. The core of the Majestics’ sound was either Ron Stackman’s clavinet or his guitar. They played at The Haunt regularly, and they opened for some other shows I saw. I believe they opened for Peter Tosh at the Strand the year before; they would open in Rochester at the Toots and the Maytals show I would go see four days later.

The Haunt billed itself as “Upstate New York’s Reggae Capital.”

A recent article from a Rochester newspaper covers some of the Majestics’ history and announces their reunion in an almost tongue-in-cheek style: https://www.rochestercitynewspaper.com/rochester/the-majestics-are-back/Content?oid=2827898

Another article here: https://thelittle.org/artists/majestics

Below: More poster flyers for Reggae at the Haunt

1982-04-26 Toots and The Maytals

The Haunt

This show was a rare and important event, a great accomplishment for The Haunt. The longstanding reggae legend Toots Hibbert was to play at the tiny Haunt in the alley on Green Street in Ithaca. I don't know how owner Jon Peterson did it but somehow he convinced the Maytals to make an appearance at the Haunt on the night before their Rochester gig.

When the roadies went to unload the truck, they saw the inside of the place and insisted that there was no way the band's equipment was going to fit on the stage. Appropriate pressure was asserted by management and they streamlined the set-up on the fly, using only certain pieces of their regular stage set-up. My roommate and I went to both the early and the late shows that night. The next day we woke up and immediately decided we were heading to Rochester that afternoon.

1982-04-27 Toots and The Maytals

Triangle Theatre

I noted on the stub that the Majestics opened for Toots.

My roommate and I woke up on the morning after the Ithaca shows and decided we would drive to Rochester for another Toots show. We arrived just before Toots took the stage, and after parking in a lot right across the street from the venue we could hear the band start playing - and we shaked and danced straight into the theatre as the band opened with Pressure Drop.

Three Toots and The Maytals shows in two days, quite an accompishment!

1982-[05-20] Clarence Clemens Band

Ithaca College

Spring concert on campus.

1982-06-19 John Mayall's Bluesbreakers

Beacon Theatre

This show was a rare gem. Setlists.com has no setlist and neither do I, but they did release a CD from this tour, called “The 1982 Reunion Concert”. Mick Taylor played slide guitar on his lap for one song. This was the only time I have seen Mick Taylor but it was a thrill. Mick Fleetwood handled the drums on this tour.

1982-07-27 The Grateful Dead

Red Rocks Ampitheater

Up in Ithaca for the summer in 1982, my friends there had caught some of the spring Grateful Dead shows but I didn’t. We all wanted to see more shows and decided it was high time to head to Colorado for the Red Rocks shows. We were able to stay up near Boulder at a friend’s house, a buddy that had just graduated with me, he was working in restaurants and he eventually became a co-founder of one of a well-known chain up in ski country - Prazzo’s pizza.

It was obviously always a great objective to see the Dead on consecutive nights, since they had enough material to play different stuff each night, and especially in a premier venue like Red Rocks. After the three Dead shows, I took about 35 years to get back to see another concert there.

Unusual for Denver, there were a lot of showers in the area for several days, and most of the time throughout the three nights. But the shows went on as planned at Red Rocks although McNichols Arena was listed as an alternate venue in case of rain.

The setlists featured lots of songs with allusions to the weather - including, during this first night, a true classic in a super rendition of “China ] Rider” to close the first set. “I’d shine my light through the cool Colorado rain…” - you can hear the crowd reaction on the tape.

I am not sure why no soundboard tapes are available (to my knowledge), but in most cases the audience recordings are quite clear and pleasant sounding. The second sets of the first two shows have killer setlists and overall there’s just a lot of top-notch music on these tapes. The first night has really tight, upbeat versions of so many tunes, and a unique jam section out of the Terrapin (during a Playin in the Band / Wheel sequence similar to one etched in our minds by a popular tape from 5/19/77). In the next two posts I mention the encores. Its a great assortment of tunes over three nights, and, as we expected, with no repeats.

Below: Taken in downtown Boulder, the day before the first show…

1982-07-28 The Grateful Dead

Red Rocks Ampitheater

See my Night 1 comments about this run of shows. This show, the second of the run, is a real standout, with its combination of Let it Grow and Spanish Jam reminding me of my last show in Ithaca in 1981. So many years later, I would obtain a fine tape from 1974 with those tunes done in sequence segued by an incredible jam, a show especially noteworthy to Keith Godchaux students/fans like me.

The audience recording of this show is a classic. It begins with a sharp argument between some tapers. The band was evidently onstage about to start and one of the guys is complaining severely to taper Jim Wise that someone had messed with the levels on his deck; the first chord of Shakedown then crashes down, and he’s been informed that his cherished tape deck’s levels are set ok. I wouldn’t be surprised if these guys were close to where we were that night as I do recall sitting near tapers.

As noted above, not sure why the run’s tapes include no soundboards. It seems like these shows have been somewhat overlooked and that’s too bad because they are quite interesting. The Baby Blue encore, to close this great show, combined with the Brokedown encore on the next night, are high among my favorite GD concert moments.

1982-07-29 The Grateful Dead

Red Rocks Ampitheater

See my other comments about this run of shows.

I have no ticket stub for the third night, so I’ve used a photo of some good-looking fans sporting their official T-shirts purchased at the shows.

Among other things, the Brokedown encore at the end of this night to close the three night run was a moment to remember.

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Below: (then) state-of-the-art setlist information, handed out at shows, about the 1982 tour.

1982-08-11 Steel Pulse

The Ritz

Photos I took from the floor at the Ritz, Steel Pulse, August 1982

In early Summer of 1982 I made one of my excursions to Greenwich Village to look for records and stumbled upon a brand new album by Steel Pulse called “True Democracy.” I bought it and played it a few times, at which point I felt like I needed to listen to it more, and then more, and well, you know the rest. I was already a fan, I had all three of the previous albums. Among reggae fans these were already considered classics. We would find some EPs, dub versions and rarities by Steel Pulse now and then in the Village.

Steel Pulse’s first album had only come out around the time I started college an I got to know about Steel Pulse originally through Jah Lounge’s radio show. One night he played a dub version of the great tune “Reggae Fever,” the only time I ever heard that version.

By the time the world lost Bob Marley, Steel Pulse was considered among the handful of bands that were likely successors to become the most successful reggae band in the world.

The Ritz was a unique and amazing venue. Before shows they showed videos (movies and clips on film), mostly that we had never seen before, including great reggae artists.

I don't think there was an early show - only one per night. The show time on ticket says 11.30pm. In the Ritz there was no backstage entrance to the stage area and performers had to walk through the crowd before the show in order to get to the stage. Often times, they went unnoticed, but on this first night we turned and saw David Hinds coming through with a big yellow top hat over his Congo Dread. I returned for the show the next night .

On another day in NYC around this time, I picked up a Village Voice and saw inside, unmistakenly, a picture of David Hinds with his “Congo Dread,” in the “On the Street” Column with photos by Amy Arbus

1982-08-12 Steel Pulse

The Ritz

Steel Pulse at The Ritz, 1982

See my N1 post. Additional photos below.

Steel Pulse during “Ku Klux Klan,” at The Ritz, NYC 1982 (Band member dressed in hood at middle right)

David Hinds during “Blues Dance Raid” - “From them pocket dem draw handcuff ….”

1982-08-20 Talking Heads

Paramount Theater

Talking Heads were completely happening at this time, and it had already been a few years since sitting down with Fear of Music (and then the earlier albums) for the first time. Remain in Light was the latest Studio Album and in this year they put out an excellent double live album that we just listened to constantly. Its interesting to see how many shows used to start late, this one at 10pm.

1982-09-25 Peter Tosh / Jimmy Cliff

Felt Forum

I had great seats for this show, sitting down front to the left in the first section. The band started the introduction to "Pick Myself Up," the opening number, and Tosh strutted out in a funky outfit with a walking stick, instantly mesmerizing the crowd. Tosh had enormous stage presence - not just merely because of his tall, lanky body. He was always so cool - too cool for his shirt - and his sunglasses.

Jimmy Cliff performed tunes from the "Special" album at this show. All of these reggae albums and shows in this era have come to be known as classics, and this show featured two of the greatest reggae artists of all time. That Jimmy Cliff album is one of my favorite reggae records, all of the songs are worth many great listens, as are the alternate and dub versions.

1982-10-04 Rita Marley

The Ritz

Another great reggae show at the Ritz in 1982. This was a rare opportunity to see Rita after Bob passed on. At this point Rita had gained a good deal of success with her recent hit “One Draw” and previous material.

1982-10-12 The Clash / The Who

Shea Stadium

The Who. The Clash. Two bands from East London playing in the eastern borough of NYC.

There is a great photo of The Clash all suited up in an open convertible Cadillac driving through Queens, quite classic.

This was the only time I saw either of these bands, and not much can be said in words that can possibly put them in perspective other than words like…Quadrophenia… and London Calling… Wow, what can you say except that this was a big year for concerts.

For many years previous, Shea Stadium was a near and dear place for me, because I started attending Mets games in 1969 at the age of 8 and was in attendance on the evening of September 24, 1969 when, in the words of Newsday “one of the most improbable events in human history occurred”.

At the show we stood toward the back of the field. During the Clash set it seemed like mass hysteria going on near the stage.

Near me, some poor dude couldn’t seem to rid himself of whatever he drank, and his vomiting went on about as long as in the classic Monty Python segment from Meaning of Life. Another dude took control of the situation - first he ordered the vomiting man to leave the vicinity, yelling at him incessantly; next, he pulled out a pocket knife and started to cut the tarp on the Shea field. Without even hesitating, he cut a big square of tarp around the vomit area - he then started rolling up the square of tarp, neatly trapping the vomit inside. Just like that, the vomit was gone and the audience there on the field spread out over the nice swatch of the green grass of Shea just sticking right up through that square hole in the tarp.

1982-10-28 Jerry Garcia Band

Felt Forum

1982-11-20 Devo

The Palladium (NYC)

Above: Devo flyer with an important message on the cover from General Boy, 1980

This show was unique, fantastic and crazy. These guys were pioneers of the rock video concept, but (at least earlier on) their own videos were too subversive and objectionable to be shown by MTV or other big media outlets. During the performance, images of the band playing on video were synchronized with the live performance onstage in an advanced way, for its day (Gerald Casale, in the interview noted below, mentions how they used a click track to keep everything in sync). There is a lot of interesting video material that coordinates with the music and creates humor and various effects.

Toward the end of the show Mark Mothersbaugh ran through the audience and climbed up a rope ladder - without a safety net - into the balcony area, all the while singing into his wireless mic.

There is a video online that shows the main set from this same tour. Its not great quality but interesting to check out. The more important thing is the broader collection of their music videos that was on vhs (We’re All Devo), with classic versions of many songs and a cameo appearance by Timothy Leary. Beginning with its opening sketch with Rod and Donut Rooter, the song Worried Man on that tape remains an all-time classic, and as relevant as ever. You know, it really does take a worried man.

Its been interesting to check out Mothersbaugh’s other work over the years since Devo, and to hear him and Casale discuss various topics in interviews. One I recommend is the Casale interview from 1995, an Oral History of Devo, where among many other things he explains that “De-evolution refuted the idea of linear progress, that people just keep getting better and better and better and more evolved toward some outside idea of perfection… we saw the opposite… ” (or what, at left is referred to as “a major attack of corkscrews in the brain”).

1983-05-03 Toots and The Maytals

Beacon Theatre

1983-05-07 Johnny Winter

SUNY New Paltz