Concert Reviews: 1977 - 1980
Recalled and recounted with mindbending clarity

		KISS w/sg AC/DC December 11, 1977 Market Square Arena Indianapolis, IN Ticket Price: $8.00

001.
There are a few major things I remember about this show. One, it was sold out and KISS was at a real high point following the release of KISS Alive II, complete with the rub-on tattoos, pull out booklet of the band's history and bombastic center spread photo of KISS in concert. The concert looked just like the picture in the album and from half an arean away, the heat could be felt from those monsterous flames on-stage. Everything from the stage lighting to the elevating plaforms, from the giant snake that held Gene's torch to the duo of big cats that rose up from the base of the drum kit...it was all over the top and more of a stage production than most bands were doing at that time. At the conclusion of Ace's guitar solo, he threw a sweaty towel into the audience. A fight broke out to determine the rightful new owner of the towel and a security guard had to cut it in half to keep things from getting out of hand.

SETLIST: I Stole Your Love / King Of The Night Time World / Ladies Room / Firehouse / Love Gun / Let Me Go, Rock And Roll / Makin' Love / Christine Sixteen / Shock Me / I Want You / Calling Dr. Love / Shout It Out Loud / God Of Thunder / Rock And Roll All Nite / Detroit Rock City / Beth / Black Diamond.

Techinically, AC/DC was my first rock-n-roll show since they went on first. They were up and coming at the time, but what an incredible amount of energy they put into the set! I still remember Bon Scott riging around the inside concourse of the arena on Angus Young's shoulders.

		STYX w/sg Bob Welch August 25, 1978 Indiana State Fairgrounds Indianapolis, IN Ticket Price: $8.00

002.
Hardly strangers in the midwest, particularly after a string of hit albums like Grand Illusion, Equinox and Crystal Ball, Styx made a summer appearance in Indianapolis at the State Fairgrounds Grandstand. If I remember correctly, this show was well after the release of Grand Illusion, but shortly before Pieces of Eight. It may have been some kind of warm-up date for the PO8 tour. They performed a few new songs from the new album, including "Renegade" and "Blue Collar Man." Otherwise the set was heavy on material from Grand Illusion and several other scattered hits. The Grandstand at the Fairgrounds is not the best venue to book a concert, after all it was designed for horse racing. The stage was positioned in the infield directly across from the Grandstand, so those in the bleachers are a fair distance from the stage with a big chasm in between the Grandstand and the stage, where the track is located. In addition, the Grandstand is much wider than the stage area, so the more it fills up with fans, the more their view is askew. Our seats weren't all that bad, but could have been better if we had arrived earlier.

Bob Welch was the opening act, having served as guitarist for a time in a transitional period of Fleetwood Mac. During that era, Welch is probably most recognized for his participation on the single, "Hypnotized." Welch's solo album, French Kiss was also performing well with a couple of strong singles charting nicely, "Ebony Eyes," and "Sentimental Lady." These tracks may not have provided Welch enough material to headline his own small show, but were ample enough to take an opening slot for Styx.

		AEROSMITH w/sg Exile October 07, 1978 Market Square Arena Indianapolis, IN Ticket Price: $8.00

003.
Having seen only four bands perform live up until this date (KISS, AC/DC, STYX and BOB WELCH) a certain bar had been set in terms of quality of performance. I had nothing but high expectations for Aerosmith. I loved their studio albums and the show was the night before my 15th birthday. Little did I know that they had some "high" expectations of their own and turned in what I would still call to this day one of the worst, most unprofessional shows I've ever witnessed. The band was sloppy and inaudible. I couldn't begin to recite a setlist, since it wasn't really ever clear what songs were being performed. In retrospect, this was a rough period for the band. Their next album and tour would be the last for awhile to feature the original line up. In fact, this was the next to last show they played in Indianapolis, before breaking up at the end of their next show here on the Night In The Ruts tour.

Exile was not all that memorable. They were riding the success of their only FM single at that time, "Kiss You All Over." They started off as a rock act, hence the support slot for Aerosmith, but soon after turned to the country genre where they were more successful.

		TED NUGENT w/sg Golden Earring December 14, 1978 Market Square Arena Indianapolis, IN Ticket Price: $7.50

004.
Ted Nugent was still on top following Double Live Gonzo!, Cat Scratch Fever and numerous, legendary California and Texas Jam appearances on television. Weekend Warriors marked the long decline. Ted Nugent's concerts never lacked for raw energy and perspiration, but not surprisingly, the cave man from the Motor City never really evolved and fans were looking for something new. This particular show featured Nugent dressed in tight white pants with suspenders, no shirt, big wrist bands and his oversized Gibson guitar. It was loud and crazy, with lots of old school Nugent jive throughout the show. Some people in front of me were smoking opium during the show, which has a very pleasant and memorable scent about it. At that time, Ted's t-shirts bore the emblem TNT (Ted Nugent Tour) on the back, with a two tone blue Ted Nugent logo on the front.

Golden Earring opened the show. Despite having a large catalog of music to their credit, most American fans were primarily familiar with the radio hit, "Radar Love" at the time. Radar Love appeared on a previous album, but they just didn't have the airplay here to develop a fan base of any size. During the show they made some kind of an announcement that one of the band members was celebrating his birthday that night.

			PETER FRAMPTON w/sg Roadmaster, Chris DeBurgh June 11, 1979 Market Square Arena Indianapolis, IN Ticket Price: $8.00

005.
Another rollercoaster rock n roll career, Peter Frampton could not have been a much bigger star in the late 1970's. The notorious Frampton Comes Alive and I'm In You LP's were still blockbuster status in record stores nationwide. This tour was in support of his newest album, Where I Should Be which didn't offer fans much in the way of hits, but it did extend the singer's popularity awhile longer and provided another reason to tour the U.S. The concert was still a very popular event. I recently listened to this album and it has some great cuts on it, some quite jazzy. Of course, since this was prime Frampton era touring, there were lots of ladies at the show and lots of lingerie on stage by the time the show was over.

Anywhere else, I suspect Roadmaster may have been the last band on the bill, but in Indianapolis, they were a very popular hometown group. Hey World! was their second album on Village/Mercury Records with singer Steve MacNally. This was their first appearance in Market Square Arena and undoubetdly the largest hometown crowd to whom they ever performed.

I know I saw Chris DeBurgh, but 'll be honest, I recall nothing of it.

		KANSAS w/sg Molly Hatchet July 24, 1979 Market Square Arena Indianapolis, IN Ticket Price: $7.50

006.
This was the first time I had ever seen lasers used in a concert setting. These were not at all sophisticated lasers by modern standards, but leading edge technology at the time. Aside from an athletic Steve Walsh, the rest of Kansas was pretty stiff and unanimated all evening. Had it not been for the lasers, their set would have been pretty uneventful and dull.

Molly Hatchet was certainly a demonstration of contrasts. Absent of Kansas' sophistication and polish, Florida rockers, Molly Hatchet, blazed through a swampy southern rock set, drawing songs from their first two albums. Highlighting the concert was their cover of the Allman Brothers' "Dreams." This was the first time I experienced two hugely mismatched acts, a trend which I saw many more times in the future and to this day I don't understand why concert promoters did this.

		KISS w/sg Michael Stanley Band August 10, 1979 Market Square Arena Indianapolis, IN Ticket Price: $10.00

007.
Right from the start, I'll tell you that critics panned this concert when it was over. The ticket price alone represented inflation at a time when no other band could charge over $8.00, except possibly the Bee Gees. It was a time of the Carter era recession. Workers were laid off across the midwest and this concert was still an advance sellout. Michael Stanley was not a household name in this part of the country, even though he managed a very strong fan base in his native northeast Ohio. It was the first time I had seen a band booed from the stage. 17,000 fans in Indianapolis wanted Kiss! Dynasty was their first new studio release as a complete band* since 1977's Love Gun. The time between had been filled by Alive II, Double Platinum, and the infamous Gene, Paul, Ace and Peter solo albums. There had been some obvious unhappiness in the band, published in all the magazines, but KISS was back. The tour was designed to be more outlandish and over the top than anything attempted before, introducing new costumes for the band and an all new simple white stage. These curiosities were hidden in a veil of secrecy, not featured on any of the Dynasty album packaging and kept secret from magazine publishers until the tour officially kicked off. Despite sub-par performances from all members, the show was every bit what fans were looking for. Each member was permitted a song from their solo album throughout the set. Ace of course had the highest charting single with "New York Groove," a tune penned by Russ Ballard formerly of Argent. The Dynasty tour also introduced Ace's custom light-up guitar, which has blinking lights in the body cavity, like a theater marquee. Gene was hooked up to wires so that the demon could fly to the upper light rigs. Paul had a new guitar as well. It was an Ibanez with shattered mirror glass on the face of it. It was purportedly quite a heavy guitar to play on stage. But like Aerosmith, Peter Frampton and Ted Nugent, Kiss was about to topple as well. Conflicts within the band caused Peter to be fired toward the end of the Dynasty tour. Kiss would never be quite the same again.

SETLIST: King Of The Night Time World / Let Me Go, Rock And Roll / Radioactive / Move On / Calling Dr. Love / Firehouse / New York Groove / I Was Made For Lovin' You / Christine Sixteen / 2,000 Man / Love Gun / God Of Thunder / Shout It Out Loud / Black Diamond / Detroit Rock City / Beth / Rock And Roll All Nite

FAITH BAND February 01, 1980 Circle Theater Indianapolis, IN Ticket Price: $6.00

008.
There were two Indianapolis bands signed to Mercury/Village Records at the time, Faith Band and Roadmaster. Of the two, Roadmaster realized far more success, but both bands were local favorites and they were both supported very well within the community. Faith Band had scored some previous success with a single, "Put On Your Dancing Shoes." This was a tour in support of the follow up album, Vital Signs. The theater was terribly hot and stuffy and the set was inconsistent and lacked any kind of punch. Things began to unravel for Faith Band shortly after this. Mercury never took them seriously and didn't spend any money to help them develop as a band. When the contract ended, band members went various ways.

			ROADMASTER w/sg .38 Special, The Knack March 08, 1980 Indianapolis Convention Center Indianapolis, IN Ticket Price: $6.50

009.
Roadmaster committed career suicide by booking this show. They had been on tour in support slots for Ted Nugent, Rush and other successful bands. With that kind of continued exposure, they would probably have garnered a bigger following. Instead, they were enjoying the new found success too much and elected to book a headline show at the Indianapolis Convention Center. They also booked two opening acts, up and coming southern rockers, .38 Special and the hot skinny tie act, The Knack. From what I understand, Roadmaster dropped out of a lucrative contract, opening for Rush in arenas across North America. This left a vacancy that .38 Special was only too willing to fill. So .38 Special pulled out of the Roadmaster gig to open for Rush. The rest is history: .38 Special went on to greater success. Roadmaster dissolved. Sad but true. Back to this show - We met Steve MacNally very briefly at the backstage door before showtime. Roadmaster was stellar and it's easy to see why they might have had the notion that this was the right time to come home and headline a big show with other bands opening for them. The Knack kept their appointment and opened the show as planned. I still have the 3" button from the show that I bought at the Roadmaster merchandise table.

ROADMASTER March 1980 Havens Auditorium Kokomo, IN Ticket Price: $4.00

010.
I barely recall Buffalo. I'm not even sure if they were local or national. I do remember shoveling snow from neighborhood driveways to raise the money to buy a ticket to see Roadmaster. It was brutally cold that night. I got to go over to the auditorium earlier that afternoon to visit with Steve MacNally. I was a big Roadmaster fan and it was pretty cool hanging out for sound check and talking to other guys in the band.

		RUSH w/sg .38 Special April 27, 1980 Market Square Arena Indianapolis, IN Ticket Price: $8.50

011.
I borrowed my grandparent's car, a sporty new Pontiac Sunbird, and made the critical mistake of getting a date for the concert. I was young, how was I supposed to know most girls didn't dig Rush? Anyway, this was the second time that promoters put together two bands that couldn't have been any less alike and drew dramatically different fans. 38 Special was popular in the midwest with their radio hit, "Rockin' Into The Night." Any band that features a Van Zandt family member is bound to hail from the south and there will definitely be a fifth of black label involved. This was one of those artsy kind of old Rush concerts with almost all epic length songs and black & white film noire movies projected behind the drum kit. The tour was in support of Permanent Waves, so there were the radio friendly songs "Free Will" and "Spirit of Radio" added to the set list. Just for perspective, the timing of this concert is after 2112 and Hemispheres, but before Rush embraced more mainstream ideals with Signals, Grace Under Pressure, other radio favorites.

SETLIST: 2112, Freewill, By-Tor and the Snow Dog, Xanadu, The Spirit of Radio, Natural Science, A Passage to Bangkok, The Trees, Cygnus X-1, Hemispheres, Closer to the Heart, Beneath, Between and Behind, Jacob's Ladder, Working Man (reggae version), Finding My Way, Anthem, Bastille Day, In the Mood (Drum Solo) Encore: La Villa Strangiato

		VAN HALEN w/sg The Cats June 30, 1980 Market Square Arena Indianapolis, IN Ticket Price: $10.00

012.
Van Halen used to have this gimmick of placing a weak band on stage in front of them, so no matter how bad VH was off, they would always be better than the opening act. Such was the case here. Fans actually booed during The Cats. Once VH took the stage, it was apparent the sound quality was so loud that it was barely audible as to which songs they were doing. Singer David Lee Roth made the comment that they were trying to set the world record for loudest indoor show, since The Who held the record for the loudest outdoor show. I think they succeeded.

		AC/DC w/sg Gamma September 24, 1980 Market Square Arena Indianapolis, IN Ticket Price: $8.00

013.
After the untimely death of former singer, Bon Scott, AC/DC had some singer searching to do. The Scott era band had achieved plenty in the US by the time they completed touring for Highway To Hell, which featured a handful of radio staples. That North American tour also featured a middle spot on a three way bill with Ted Nugent and German rockers, Scorpions. Nevertheless, AC/DC bounced back enormously with the strength of Back In Black, the new album featuring vocalist Brian Johnson. The new tracks were instant radio smashes and propelled the band further into megastardom than they had ever been before. The live show featured the introduction of the giant bell to be rung for Hell's Bells and Johnson's vocals were incendiary. There was a large and rather boisterous crowd on hand, with lots of drunkeness and fighting. Security was stepped up for it. Through AOR rock stations, I was also familiar with the guitar work of Ronnie Montrose and knew that Gamma was one of his projects. Gamma featured more keyboard/synthesizer than you might expect from a guitar wiz, but Gamma also featured the vocal talent of Davey Pattison, who alos fronted Robin Trower for many years.