Bands/Artists you saw in small venues after they made it big

[markus]

Jimmy Buffet, corner of Royal and St. Ann (where the po-lice station is now), across from the old WL&FB (you know where I mean if you know where I mean), Mardi Gras Day, early 80s. He borrowed a guitar from some deadheads hanging out at that corner, and sand Volcano and another song (I don't recall) and split before the crowed got too big.

Todd Rundgren "Back to the Bars" gig in Avondale, La (Old Man Rivers's) the night of a tremendous downpour. Streets were flooded everywhere, and virtually no one showed up. It was so cool sitting at a table less than 10 feet from the band in an nearly empty club, and they came on and played!

Jourma Kaukonen, at a little festival in NW Minnessota, near where he's from. I don't think 10 people there knew who he was. The real name act was some fellow with a top hat who used to be a big deal on the Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour, but I never watched that show.

[rlpincus]

1. Bob Dylan

at the Park West in Chicago a couple of years ago.

[eyesroll]

2. I saw Bachman Turner Overdrive and Kansas at a church festival

I also saw former Pixies in small venues (doing their solo/side project thing) -- I saw Kim Deal's Tammy and the Amps in a nasty bar in Ohio. (She was falling-over drunk. It was embarassing.) I also saw Frank Black in a music hall in Milwaukee.

[BigMcLargehuge]

3. I saw The Tavares at the Whaling City Festival in about 1984

they were AWESOME.

Haven't ever seen a true fading star though.

[asthmaticeog]

4. Mudhoney

I may be stretching the definition of making it big here, but in my world, they were fucking gargantuan. Their first ever gig in Cleveland was a full ten years after their first EP came out, but they booked the Euclid Tavern, whose capacity was a mere 300. Amazingly, the show didn't sell out in advance, so the person at the door was taking walk-ups, but not keeping count of them, so the place was almost full to capacity before significant numbers of advance ticketholders showed up, so they had to squeeze in. About 450 people were crammed into the place. As I'm sure you've guessed, it was FUCKED. Also, Mudhoney were kind of phoning it in that night, so I got the hell out of there. Death-trap + Lame Show = an early night for asthmaticeog.

[Atlas Mugged]

5. Rolling Stones

In a night club gig in Toronto 2 years ago.

[stellanoir]

6. Stevie Ray Vaughn

at Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel in 1981, right after he was featured on Bowie's "Let's Dance." Was on stage for four hours with a drummer, a bassist, 6 Stratocasters and 1 Gibson. . .just because.

I was in my classical and crinnolyn (sp?) phase. . .An older friend thought we should go. . ."I'm not going to the biker bar." "You must go to the biker bar." I'm not going to the biker bar." You have to go to the biker bar." "I'm not going to the biker bar." "You must go to the biker bar." " I caved.

Maybe shouldn't have run away from his backstage request.
But was really young and thought, "we'd just kill each other." I couldn't deal. Always wonder about that impulse.

Am just awfully glad I went to that biker bar.

[Zensea]

7. Thurston Moore & Rashied Ali

in a basement club called the Cooler in NYC that held maybe 250.

For those who don't know who Rashied Ali is, and whether he made it big or not -- he was Coltrane's drummer the last couple of years Coltrane was alive.

[markus]

8. sailing and stellanoir: I'm incredibly jealous

If I had to pick, I'd probably pick SRV (altho' I probably could have seen him at Tipitina's in a moderately small venue if the stars had been aligned right).

[OneBlueSky]

9. Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel . . .

both played my college before anyone knew who they were . . . Springsteen twice . . .

oh . . . and I knew Don McLean before he wrote "American Pie" . . . :)