VAN HALEN-OU812 Tour- A Few Times

Written by Backstage Bruce

Oh! You Ate One Too? 

    I am a big fan of both Van Halen and Sammy Hagar. Van Halen burst onto the music scene when the classically trained Van Halen brothers (Eddie on guitar and Alex on drums), hailing from Holland, teamed up with the vocal stylings and stage persona of David Lee Roth. Sprinkle in the talented Michael Anthony on bass and you've got the perfect combination. Their first album, eponymously named, released in 1978, contains the instant classic 'Running with The Devil' and their remake of The Kink's 'You Really Got Me.' 

    Their second album, Van Halen II had a lot of great ditties including my favorite, 'Beautiful Girls'. During the song 'Ice Cream Man' we got to see Dave's chops on the guitar, which are pretty riffing. The tour for their third album, 'Women & Children First', would be the very first time I would get to see them live. The place was Oakland Coliseum, October, 1980. That album was the soundtrack of my life! My all-time favorite VH song is on it, 'And The Cradle Will Rock'. "At an early age he hits the streets, And winds up tied with who he meets. An' he's unemployed. (Unemployed) Owww"

My Van Halen BSP collection 1) VIP at MSG, 2) Catering staff (Meadowlands),
3) Working pass for Radio City Music Hall, MTV Awards 1996, when VH reunited.  

    Eight months later, VH releases 'Fair Warning' and they were playing Oakland Coliseum again so we go for another road cruise and the show was just as great as it was before with Alex lighting his huge gong on fire and David doing high-kick jumps that have never been seen before. The speed of Eddie's fingers was mesmerizing while Michael strummed on the bass keeping the beat flowing. 

    The next time I would get to see them, my third time seeing them, would be their very final show with the four-original members ever! It took place on September 2nd 1984, in Germany. Everyone was there. It was a 'Monsters Of Rock Europe' show, Motley Crue, Ozzy, AC/DC and VH. VH headlined, they were touring their sixth album entitled '1984'. It included the smashes 'Jump', 'Panama', 'Hot For Teacher', etc... 

    They were all over MTV during this time. That concert was amazing, maybe one of the best I had ever seen. The Crue was touring 'Shout At The Devil', Ozzy was touring 'Blizzard Of Ozz' and AC/DC was touring 'Back In Black'. It really was a moment in time. I was serving in the USAF, stationed in Germany, that is how I was even in the area. VH had a fight that night and broke up. They only had two more nights, in Italy, and their whole European tour would have been finished, but it was not to be. 

He can't drive 55

    The first time I saw Sammy Hagar was July 4th, 1980. He was headlining, a Bill Graham produced, "Day On The Green #1" at Oakland Stadium. There was over 75,000 people in attendance. The stage was designed with roughly a dozen or so Trans-Am cars painted on the backdrop. The hood of one of the Trans-Am opens and the Red Rocker himself emerged with a spectacular entrance. He was touring 'Danger Zone' at the time. It was definitely a memory making day. 

 
    The news broke that the VH camp and DLR had parted ways. In no time at all it was announced that Sammy would be stepping in. Mixed reactions and questions ensued. "Is it going to be all new music going forward?" "Will we ever hear classic VH live again" "What about Sammy, would we ever hear his solo work ever again?" Some radio stations starting calling them Van Hagar.

 
     Soon enough all questions would be answered when the album entitled '5150' was released. This is what Eddie named his home studio, 5150. It is reference to the police code for the criminally insane. The album was produced by Mick Jones of Foreigner fame and was an instant smash. It was the summer and everyone was waiting to hear the new Van Halen. The guitar playing was phenomenal! And the new power vocals were really outstanding. There were a few big smashes 'Why Can't This Be Love?', 'Dreams', 'Love Walks In' and 'Best of Both Worlds'. 

    They release their follow up album 'OU812' and they start to tour. At this time, I myself am back in the States and working part time at the coliseum as a caterer. I set up all the dressing rooms, stages, soundboard, VIP rooms, etc... And I just happen to be lucky enough to be scheduled to work that day. It started out pretty much like any other day backstage: arrive early, set up breakfast for the crew, then lunch, then dinner, in between set up the dressing rooms, etc...

    There was no real crazy request on their rider, other than the usual bowl of M&M's with the brown ones picked out, which was the norm by now. It was Sammy Hagar's 41st birthday so I had to go out and get a red cake for the dressing room. That was fun trying to track one down, calling different bakeries. Nobody had one on hand. One bakery agreed to whip me up a fresh birthday cake after I told them it was for Sammy. At first they thought the phone call was a prank but I convinced them after a while. 

Eddie's pick, front, with VH wings logo

    I get back with the cake, we refrigerate it for later. It is now 4:00 p.m., time for sound check. The band does a 20-minute sound check. During this time, my job is to go into the dressing room and spruce it up a bit: Check to see if they need more ice, beverages, food or pick up any paper plates and napkins, paper cups, etc... just a quick clean, once over, then get out before the band returns from sound check. While I am in there I see a handful of Eddie's picks just laying there, on the beverage table, so I helped myself to one.  

Eddie's pick, back, with autograph- 5150

    The show starts. It was amazing to see the two greatest guitarist, of our generation, on stage at the same time, absolutely incredible. Another unforgettable moment from that night was when it was just the two brothers on stage together. Alex had the green spotlight on him and Eddie had the blue one shining on him. I still remember that almost 33-years later as I write this blog post. I was technically working so I didn't get to sit and watch the whole concert. I did see about an hour of it and it was spectacular. All the new Van Hagar stuff was great and they did do a few classic VH tracks. 

    I had to run out and get the pizzas and the hot sandwiches for the buses. I loaded them up along with beverages. Most times when the show ends, the bands step off the stage and walk right over to the buses and roll out to the next city. The show ends, the band leaves. I am still working keeping the coffee station and snacks stocked for the crew during load out. They were very appreciative, they made sure I got a T-Shirt. These weren't just any T-shirts. They were "crew" T-shirts and they were the holy grail of T-shirts. They were not available for purchase. It read "Van Halen LOCAL CREW". I wore mine to class the next day and got so many comments.

Legendary Frontman

 
    It was a great day, I got a pick, a T-shirt and I got to watch most of it. These days they have all moved on in their own direction. Sammy & Michael have went their way to join forces with Chad Smith and Joe Satriani to form the supergroup, Chickenfoot. As for Van Halen, they went on to reunite with David Lee Roth, which is what everybody wanted all along, more drama ensued, naturally, it is Diamond Dave. As for who would fill in on bass now that Michael is with Sammy? None other than Eddie Van Halen's son, Wolfgang! That's right! Turns out, after all these years,...the cradle will rock. 

Ticketstub for Van Halen's very last visit to The Garden, night 1 of 2. 

ERIC CLAPTON- Nassau Coliseum

Written by Backstage Bruce

My BSP from that night, NC- Nassau Coliseum

    Eric Clapton is a guitar superstar. He is one of those artist, when you hear his work, you stop and ask yourself "This is his too?" He is the only person, in the world, to be thrice inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame, with three-different acts: once as a solo, once with 'The Yardbirds' (along with Jeff Beck & Jimmy Page) and once with 'Cream' (along with Jack Bruce & Ginger Baker). He was also in the bands 'Derek and The Dominos', and 'Blind Faith'. He has hit records spanning 50 years plus. 

    His nickname in the music industry is 'Slowhand'. One of his albums is entitled 'Slowhand'. Legend has it the name came about because apparently it takes him absolutely forever to change a string when one breaks. The audience would start a slow-hand clap while there was no music playing.  

    Tonight, Mr. Slowhand himself was here and what a pleasure it was. One of the smoothest days at work ever, there were no crazy request on the rider. There was no big after-party scheduled. It was a straight forward, very uneventful, get to work and feed the crew kind of day, which was good, save any drama for the stage. 

    There was one surprise special guest that night, Mark Knopfler of Dire Straits. That was nice to see him there. He was one of the biggest rockstars in the world at the moment, with the release of the smash, ground-breaking, music video 'Money For Nothing' just a few years earlier. 

    'Cross Road Blues' was the first song of the evening, it is a Robert Johnson cover. What an incredible way to kick off the concert. The crowd loved it. He followed that up with something everyone knew, 'White Room' by Cream and that's when it started, "That's one of his?" Then he did another cover, this time the Wailers 'I Shot The Sheriff'. It was really fun, they looked great, the whole band sounded really tight. He launched into a few of his solo hits, which were absolute crowd pleasers: 'Lay Down Sally' and the beautiful 'Wonderful Tonight'. 

One of his picks from that night

    He played from his entire catalog 'White Room'- Cream, 'Hello Old Friend'- solo, 'Can't Find My Way Home'- Blind Faith, 'Layla'- Derek and The Dominos. He also performed two J.J. Cale written songs: 'Cocaine' and 'After Midnight'. The special treat of the evening was the first encore, with Mark Knopfler, 'Money For Nothing'. The audience was super pumped to see him, it was totally unannounced until he walked on the stage. 'Sunshine of Your Love'- Cream was the final encore of the evening.

    The concert was riveting, truly compelling guitar playing. If you have never seen him, I would recommend seeing him when you get a chance. Everyone departed the building, time for me to clean up the dressing rooms a bit. I do one more check of the stage just to make sure I got our coolers out of there and safely stored away when I find an Eric Clapton pick, which I promptly picked up to add to the collection. 

    I was grateful that it was going to be a relatively early evening for me, sometimes these can turn out to be all nighters. I got out of there just a little after midnight. Time to let it all hang out. 

Aerosmith- Around The Town

  Written By Backstage Bruce

Joe Perry's pick- front, with Aerosmith wings

    I didn't think this day would ever get here. The music gods have graced us all. Maybe the greatest American band ever, Aerosmith, took a break after their 1979 tour. Collectively all of us, their fans for years, didn't know if we would get to see them play live ever again. They needed a break from everything: each other, touring, recording, etc... Fortunately it was only about a five year hiatus, by 1985 they were out there working the road again, train kept-a-rolling. Thank goodness.

Joe Perry's pick- back 

    And in April of 1986 they rolled through, performing at Madison Square Garden. This would be my very first visit to 'The World's Most Famous Arena'. I had just moved to New York a few months prior. I didn't have tickets nor did I even know where to buy them. I came up with the bright idea that I would just scalp a ticket outside. 22-years-old, mid-eighties, streets of New York, what could possibly go wrong?

    Ten dollars is what I wind up paying. The prices were dropping as the opening act, Ted Nugent, was finishing up. I walked in, the place was cloudy with smoke! It was just like the pictures from the KISS 'Alive' album. The house lights were on. In no time they were dimmed and the 'Bad Boys from Boston'- Steven Tyler (vocals), Joe Perry (lead guitar), Brad Whitford (rhythm guitar), Tom Hamilton (bass) and Joey Kramer on drums- emerged on stage and rocked the garden! It was great 'Dream On', 'Sweet Emotion', 'Walk This Way', et al. 

    Their best was yet to come. The time apart did them well. The music they were writing now was even more popular than ever. They released the album 'Permanent Vacation' which contains the smash hits 'Rag Doll', 'Angel', 'Dude Looks Like A Lady', plus others. They started headlining stadiums. That is when I would get to see them again. I was working my catering job at the Meadowlands stadium, where both the Giants and Jets played.

Meadowlands

    The day was pretty typical. Aerosmith headlined, the opening band was 'Guns and Roses'. They were touring their debut album 'Appetite For Destruction'. The show was phenomenal. G&R looked and sounded great. The day was so nice, being outside, breathing fresh air, listening to great music all day. I could hear every note and was able to stop and watch it, for ten minutes at a time, here and there. I was having such a blast driving the golf carts all around the stadium, so everything was fine. Those were the best days of my life. 

    One thing that was really memorable was the fact that there was a 'no liquor' policy in place. There was absolutely no liquor anywhere backstage, none. None in the dressing rooms, none on the stage, none on any of the tour buses, none in the hospitality suites. It had never happened before. I'm the caterer and I had a few different VIP people come up and ask me if there were any beers around. If someone backstage wanted a beer badly enough they would have to leave the backstage area and go out to the concessions, pay for it themselves, consume it there, before they were allowed backstage. 

    Aerosmith was up next. Their energy level was just tremendous from all of them, especially the front man. Steven worked that entire stage from one side to another, he really gave it his all. They played all their classic hits and all their new ones. It was a really fun time. Here they were selling out stadiums and still their best was yet to come. 

    Now that they were clean and sober everything they touched turned to gold, or in their case, triple platinum. 'Permanent Vacation' was a hit as was their next album 'Pump', released two-years later, which has the hits 'Jamie's Got A Gun', 'Love In An Elevator', 'What It Takes', plus more. A little more than three years after that, 1993, the band would release 'Get A Grip' which would be even bigger! It was their first album to debuted at number one. It has multiple hits including: 'Living On The Edge', 'Cryin', 'Amazing', 'Crazy', plus more. 

    Three smash albums in a row. The band was now winning and performing at every award show imaginable, including The Grammy's. That is when I would get to see them next. I was working at a nice hotel, about a block away from Radio City Music Hall, where The Grammy's were taking place. Some of the crew were staying with us for about two weeks. 

The Grammy's working pass

    There is a lot of set-up, then a week of rehearsals, the actual show, the breakdown of everything, etc... I met the crew members, coming and going, for the two weeks. I was talking to one of them and he gave me his backstage pass. It was a daily backstage/ working pass. He was finished with work for the day, and the next day he will receive another one in a different color. Everyday the backstage passes change color. He also gave me Joe Perry's pick. He had an extra one. He was at work all day and he picked up any little souvenir he could find. He had a youthful spirit to him. 

    Now that I had this backstage pass I could run over to Radio City, during my lunch break, and poke my head inside for a bit. I got there and Aerosmith was on stage rehearsing. When I walked in they were playing 'Walk This Way' and I did just that! I walked right over toward the stage, where the music was coming from. This was so much fun to watch, the band looked and sounded great. I hung out for about 15 minutes then returned to work. I handed the pass off to my buddy Michael, who was now going to take his lunch break. He got to see the big Curtis Mayfield tribute rehearsal. 

    A few years after this, they would have their biggest hit ever, and to this day their only number one song. In 1998 they released, 'I Don't Want To Miss A Thing'. It was written by Dianne Warren for the movie 'Armageddon', which coincidentally stars Liv Tyler, Steven's daughter. 

    It's a metaphor, no matter where you are in life, no matter what your particular situation, whether you're down and depressed because your band broke up or if you are on top of the world, selling out stadiums, never get complacent. At all times strive for your own growth and happiness, always continue to dream on.

DEPECHE MODE- Brendan Byrne Arena

Written by Backstage Bruce

    Thank goodness for alternative radio and the underground network! Every major metropolis has one. For the NYC listening area that station was WLIR 92.7. The station wasn't even located in any of the five boroughs of NYC but rather 16-miles away in Garden City, on Long Island. WLIR's motto was "New Music First" and they proved it. They were the first station, in the world, to play U2, Madonna, Prince, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Nine Inch Nail, Nirvana, etc... It was the "gateway to America for young artist".

    The original programming director, Rosie, would drive to JFK airport (12 miles) on Thursdays and she would meet the international flights. Returning to the radio station, the DJ's would start unpacking all the new vinyl. Everyone waited in anticipation, the DJ's and the listeners alike, for the new records. It was like Christmas every week. 

    They were the only station to play Depeche Mode. There was a network of about 10-dance clubs, that all spun WLIR music. The DJ's from the radio station would also DJ at these clubs. One, in particular, comes to mind, was Donna, Donna with her "spotlight dance" contest at The Loop/ Malibu Tuesdays. If the spotlight stops on you, you win that week's prizes; cd's, tickets, etc...

    Depeche Mode started getting really popular in the clubs and the alternative radio stations. Once their videos broke onto MTV they became famous overnight worldwide. The name Depeche Mode was taken from a French fashion magazine, it means "hurried fashion" or "fashion dispatch' according to Martin Gore, principle songwriter and founding member.

    In fall of 1987, the band released their sixth studio album, 'Music for the Masses' and embarked on a worldwide tour. It was scheduled for Brendan Byrne Arena on June 1st, 1988. I was lucky enough to work that show. I get there, like normal, at 5:00 a.m. and get started. I plug in the coffee machine and get that going. I get the entire dining room area set up by 6:00 a.m. before the trucks start rolling in. So after feeding the crew breakfast, I clean up and set up for lunch, real regular day. 

    During lunch we all heard this loud scream. While erecting a wall of speakers, apparently a few of the speakers tumbled down and landed on someone's leg, so it wasn't a head injury or worse, thank goodness. The ambulance pulled right up to the back of the stage, then whisked him away up the loading ramp. That was a first for me seeing one of the crew leave in an ambulance. Everyone got back to work, the show must go on. 

Alan Wilder, Martin Gore, Andy Fletcher & Dave Gahan

    After lunch, I set up the dressing rooms. I have to have them done by 2:00 p.m. because that is when the band arrives. I just get finished stocking Dave Gahan's (lead vocalist) dressing room and I'm going back to the kitchen so I can get more supplies to stock Andy Fletcher's (keyboardist) dressing room next. As I am walking I pass two gentlemen standing there talking. I am a caterer, I am not allowed to speak to anybody backstage unless, of course, they happen to speak to me first.

    I see that one of the gentlemen standing there happens to have a WLIR backstage pass. I said "WLIR! I love that station." And he (turned out to be the current Programming Director Denis McNamara, who also did the 2:00 p.m. radio show.) said "You know WLIR?" We got to talking, we introduced ourselves. I told him what I did and where I lived, normal chatter. He asked me if I would like to tape a quick radio spot so I did. He pulled out a recorder and I said "Hi, this is BC, I work backstage at The Brendan Byrne arena where Depeche Mode is playing tonight. When I am home in Long Beach, I listen to WLIR, 92.7, new music first."  That spot ran a couple times a day the entire summer of 1988. Everyone told me they heard me.

    Later on during dinner service I hit up one of the crew to put me on the guestlist for the Jones Beach show, which was two days away.  He agrees to, I write down my name and number, fingers crossed. I am just running around backstage having a blast, I am not suppose to be asking for tickets and I am definitely not supposed to be doing radio spots but whatever. Showtime, the audience is dressed quite Gothy, not full on Gothic, but definitely Gothy, a lot of black. The title of the band's previous album is 'Black Celebration'.

    The show starts and they sounded great. They had tremendous energy and really gave it their all. The stage looked sleek in design and the lights were synced perfectly with all their different colors. Everyone danced. The band played just everything: 'Behind The Wheel', 'Strangelove', 'Blasphemous Rumours', 'Black Celebration', 'Master & Servant', 'A Question of Time', 'Never Let Me Down', 'A Question of Lust' 'Just Can't Get Enough', 'Everything Counts', plus a few others. The show comes to an end and the band leaves the building. I finish cleaning up the dressing rooms and I am out of there for the night.

Ticket stub from that night 

    Two days later I go to pick up my tickets and they were waiting there for me, at will call, like clockwork. I go with my friend Tony Radna. I was able to actually sit and watch the show this time. Everything was as impeccable as the prior show: sound, stage and lights. The four members take the stage, Dave Gahan on vocals, Martin Gore on guitars and keyboard, Andy Fletcher on keyboard and Alan Wilder on synthesizer. I think the drum sound was coming from Alan through the synthesizer. It was fantastic. This show was outdoors at an amphitheater so there was a nice, fresh breeze all night long right off the ocean. The setlist was the same 18 songs they played two nights prior. It was great, my friend and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 

    A highlight for the band is that during this tour, just 15-days later, June 18th, they would perform at the Pasadena Rose Bowl to more than 60,000 people. It really was 'Music For The Masses' just like the title of their latest album. In 1990, they did a music video for the song 'Enjoy The Silence'. It was filmed at the WTC, it featured the four of them performing on top of the South Tower.     
'ENJOY THE SILENCE' music video 

    I have now seen them twice, once in New Jersey, once in New York, it's time to see them again, this time Vegas. August, 2001, and Depeche Mode is playing at The Joint at The Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. It is sold-out. I am visiting and do not know anybody in that town: no one at any radio stations, no one at any of the casinos or clubs, etc... no one that could hook me up. I did make a few friends. I asked this new friend of mine if she wanted to go try to see if we could get in. Our only plan was just to walk up to the box office and ask if there happens to be any last-minute cancellations, it happens all the time.

    We get there, walk through the casino, to the showroom. We see it, we start to walk towards it. There were two huge security guards standing outside the entrance door. We were just hoping that there would be tickets available for purchase, at the box office, and as we were getting closer, I kid you not, these two security guards parted like the Red Sea. My friend and I never broke stride, I whispered "Just keep walking". We walked right between the two of them and nodded, they nodded back and we walked in. It was an absolute miracle, I don't know how it happened. This took place on August 8th, 2001, just 34 days before 9/11. Security was so much more lax then.

    The band was no longer a quartet, Alan packed up his synthesizer and went home. At that point, DM had been 6 years as a trio. That night they sounded terrific. The music didn't sound like anything was lacking or missing. Martin can now make the drum beats out of his synthesizer. 

    They looked good, like seeing old friends, a little bit of wear, like all of us. Their energy level was up. The three played 20 songs plus for over two hours. They really gave it their all. The Joint was really packed, not many people were dancing because there really wasn't that much room to dance. I guess if the security was letting just anybody that walks by in, the place was going to get pretty packed. A real memorable moment from the concert was when Martin pulled out an acoustic guitar and played 'Sister of Night'. 

    My visit to Vegas was over, I was back in New York working at a bona-fide dive bar, Siberia. It was like CBGB's on the westside, every single night there would be about four or five different bands, one night a week there would be comedy. Musicians would spray paint the walls, they would also plaster their stickers everywhere. 

    That place was great, it's gone now in a changing New York. The multi-level bar made a perfect set design for an interview or photo-shoot. One of the MTV shows would periodically book the place to do interviews during the day. They just needed to light the place and start filming, no staging required, very simple. 

Latest pic of, during 2020's Hall Of Fame induction ceremonies, via Zoom

    Quite a lot of musicians did interviews for MTV there: Pink, Chemical Bros. Sebastian Bach, Dave Gahan, etc... to name a few. I have catering experience so I took it upon myself to set up a mini-Kraft table for the musicians for when they would arrive. By doing this I made a reason for me to be there. 

    I would stop at the fruit stand and get a bag of fresh fruit, stop at the doughnut store and get a couple dozen plus a carton of coffee. I would set out a table cloth on the bar and do it up, wash the fruit, put it in a bowl plus add in a dozen bottles of water and we were good to go. It looked nice, they did not expect that hospitality in a dive bar, always smiles. The musicians loved having the water there and the crew loved the doughnuts.

    After I set everything up, I would go behind the bar, before the crew even arrives, and I would stay there the entire time. That is what I was told to do, to stay out of their way, 100%. So I do, I want to be there and watch the interview live. After the initial hello to greet them, I am to keep absolutely quiet while they film. One day in 2004, Dave shows up for his interview. It went great, he looked good. It came to an end and the crew was packing up. Dave was very cordial and waved bye to everyone as he made his way to the door. 

    He gets there and his car is not there yet to pick him up, which worked out well for me. I brought one of my Depeche Mode CD's and asked him to sign it, he did. Then I asked for a photo with, he obliged. He was really nice and friendly with us bar staff as he waited for his ride. Five years later Depeche Mode would go on to headline the Lollapalooza Tour 2009, not bad at all for a band with an alternative radio start. 

CHEAP TRICK- Inside their dressing room

Written by Backstage Bruce  

    Cheap Trick is a slang term for a prostitute's miserly customer, a non-tipper. It is also the name of an incredibly talented 4-piece band from Rockford, Illinois, fronted by Robin Zander on vocals and Rick Nielsen on lead guitar. 

    They had a string of hits starting in the '70's and continuing in the 80's. Rick Nielsen is not only a guitar wizard, he has one of the greatest senses of fashion in the music industry. Anytime you went to a show you wanted to hear what they were going to play and to see what zany outfit he was going to dress in next. His collection of guitars is vast, including a five neck guitar. That instrument alone is famous.

Behold- A quintuple neck, 30-string guitar

     The band found early fame in Japan, with the Japanese media calling them the "American Beatles". They recorded a live album in Tokyo, at Nippon Budokan. The album 'Cheap Trick At Budokan' started getting radio play in The States and the rest is history. I saw them perform live at Bill Graham's 'Day On The Green #2' in Oakland, California at the Raiders' Stadium on July 27th, 1980. Journey, Black Sabbath and Molly Hatchet were also on that bill with 75,000 people in attendance.

     Eight years later, summer of 1988, the band released their tenth album 'Lap Of Luxury' and went on tour in support of it. I had moved to New York and landed a job with John Scher Productions, as a caterer. John Scher was the biggest concert promoter in the entire East Coast.

A random poster from an illustrious career

     My job consisted of: Arriving by 5:00 a.m. setting up the dining room first thing for the crews and the truck drivers rolling in with all the equipment, after that break down, set up for lunch, start to set up the dressing rooms, according to the riders. After lunch set up the stage with a cooler next to the drum set and a bus tub full of cold beverages off to the side, another bus tub full of ice and cold beverages for the mixing console in the center of the place, setting up the hospitality suites for any VIP visitors, and the after-parties, stocking up the band's bus before they roll out. And it was a blast! The best job I have ever had.

Nassau Coliseum pre-renovation, the sun setting on an era.

     Cheap Trick was scheduled to play the Nassau Coliseum, quick fun fact, when Pink Floyd released their double album 'The Wall', in 1980, their entire U.S. tour consisted of only 14 shows, six in Los Angeles and eight in New York. Nassau Coliseum was the site of that historic tour. Now it was Cheap Trick's turn to perform there. 

    The day started off like any other. We feed the crew breakfast and lunch and set up the dressing rooms and stage. They arrive, go to their dressing rooms and just hang out. 4:00 p.m. is sound check time. The stage has to be complete, the bands come out and usually do a 20-minute, 4 song sound check. I always try to be around so I can watch/ listen to it, but sometimes I get busy actually working.

     The daily routine is when a band leaves their dressing room for sound check I, as a caterer, go into the dressing room and spruce it up. I remove any glasses, cups, plates, silverware, napkins, etc... and replenish anything that might be low. I get a total of 15-minutes max. Every dressing room needs fresh ice, so I get a clean bus tub, fill it up and bring it with me. 

    That day I go to tidy up their dressing room. The ice was heavy so I carried it on my shoulder so my peripheral vision was completely blocked. I get there at 4:05 p.m. the security guard stands to the side and lets me right in. I walk over to the table with all the food and drink and pour all the fresh, new ice onto the old ice and it makes noise. 

    There were four people sitting on the couches that looked over at me. I didn't see them when I walked in, but now that my vision is no longer obstructed I can see everything. They're looking at me and I'm looking at them, Cheap Trick, all four of them: Robin, Rick, Tom Petersson on bass and Bun E. Carlos on drums.

     I immediately say "Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't know anyone was in here. I'll come back later." And start to leave. One of them speaks out "No, it's okay, do what you have to, we're leaving." They start to talk amongst themselves "We got to get out there." "Is it four o'clock already?" 

    They start to pull themselves together when someone from their management team comes running in waving a fax -it was 1988 and a fax machine was the absolute latest thing in modern technology- he was very excited. He kept saying "'The Flame' just went number one. 'The Flame' just went number one." That was the first single from their latest album. This was their very first number one hit ever and I was in the dressing room with them when they were getting the news. They were all cheering and hugging, it truly was a joyful moment. There was going to be a party that night.

     Showtime was set for 8:00 p.m. and everyone was promptly in their seats by then. Nobody was playing fashionably late, I guess that's what happens when you happen to have the number one song in the country, everyone arrives on time. Cheap Trick looked and sounded great. They were fantastic, playing all their big hits including 'Surrender', 'I Want You To Want Me' and 'Dream Police'. When they played the first few notes of 'The Flame' the entire place erupted with anticipation, the crowd went crazy.

     During the show, I had to run to the local pizza parlor and pick up the order the band wants put in their bus for when they depart, so I don't get to see the entire show. On the order there's usually a few pizza pies and a few hot sandwiches, a good New York meatball parmigiana is always a favorite. Plus I refill their cooler with fresh ice and beverages and they are good to go to hit the road, onto the next city. 

    Once the show ends I go onstage to get our cooler and bus tubs immediately before they have a chance to get mixed in with any of the equipment and loaded on any trucks and we never see them again. While I'm on stage I find a Rick Nielsen guitar pick which I promptly picked up to add to my collection.

     The after-party went late, as I knew it would, it's New York, no telling who's going to drop in. I do remember seeing Joan Jett that night, she is a Long Island girl. I see Robin leaving the dressing room, around 1:30 a.m., walking in the general direction of the bus and I'm thinking to myself "Dude, your pizza's got to be so cold by now." He passed me in the hall and nodded his head and said "Have a good night" and I responded "Thank you, you too, enjoy the rest of the tour." He waved and boarded the bus. It was a very pleasant exchange. And with that..."Another night slowly closes in".

Rick's pick- one side

Rick's pick- the other