Written by Backstage Bruce
WBAB WON!!! WBAB won on so many levels. First, a brief history into the Rock & Roll radio stations of NYC for the four decades spanning the 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's. There were three stations dedicated to the playing of classic rock and rock & roll music: K-Rock, (92.3 FM) with Howard Stern all day, WNEW (102.7 FM) with Scott Muni, Ken Dashow, Carol Miller, et al. And there was also WBAB (102.3) located in Babylon, Long Island, New York. Back then it was all kilowatts, megawatts, megahertz and there needed to be at least one high-frequency tower half way between The Hamptons and NYC and BAB was it!
They had their share of big name guests dropping in over the years to do interviews, perform or just hang out. Now 50-years plus later all the others are gone, wiped-out, finished, kaput and WBAB is standing strong; Streaming now and still broadcasting from that same high-frequency tower. They made it. WBAB won.
The radio station sponsors an annual 'VETSROCK' show. They distribute tickets all over Long Island through Vet's services organizations and multiple giveaways and pretty much any veteran who reached out and asked for a ticket, received one, plus one. WBAB was able to accommodate every veteran that wanted to go. It was great. There was also a scrumptious BBQ.
HUGE SHOUTOUT to Texas Roadhouse, with two convenient locations, Wantagh and Deer Park, for providing all the delicious food and especially for the excellent, hospitable service. They had everything: Steak, Ribs, Chicken Sliders, Jalapeno Poppers, Mashed Potatoes, Corn, Sweet Rolls, Caesar Salad, etc...
Peter Frampton takes the stage. Rain is coming down, it's a beautiful summer rain at an outdoor venue. We have all been there at least once, people started seeking shelter. The design on the backdrop of his set was a picture of "The Guitar". He opened with 'Something's Happening' a cover of Herman's Hermits to kick it off, a nice way to make an entrance.
He looked good and sounded great, he tells a little story of how last time he was here on Long Island they were all out on boats. He also mentioned the next song 'Lying' was written right here on the island. People cheered, they liked hearing that, sense of pride.
Then he performed for them one of his earliest hits, 'Lines On My Face', it was great too. Next song up was, 'Show Me The Way'. All the people that were sitting sprung right up and started dancing and singing along. This is what they wanted to hear, classic Frampton.
After performing two hits in a row, it was now a safe time to work in a new one and he did. He played 'I Saved A Bird Today', it was really nice. Next he did a tribute to Soundgarden's Chris Cornell by performing 'Black Hole Sun'. That was an unexpected pleasant surprise.
The rain started letting up, the storm had passed. He/ they segued into 'Baby I Love Your Way', the crowd loved it. His set was starting to wind down when he pulled out a guitar and showed the audience. It was "The Guitar". He shares with us that this was the guitar he used on the album. Immediate frenzy ensued, we all knew exactly what he was talking about. The album, 'Frampton Comes Alive', sold 11 million copies and stayed on the charts for almost 2 years.
We also knew what song was coming 'Do You Feel Like We Do?' He continued "I got it back, after 32 years! Cash had to change hands for me to get it back, but I got it." He didn't really elaborate and we could only speculate. It's Rock & Roll anything could have happened.
The performance was amazing, simply stunning. There was some serious jamming going on. He did that trick he does to make the guitar talk "Like We Do". We all loved it. That was the official final tune of the set. He/ they came back out to do an encore, '4-Day Creep'. This was a hit for the band, Humble Pie, which Peter Frampton was a founding member of, what a great way to make an exit. The audience really enjoyed their entire performance.
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| Portions of this album were recorded at Long Island Arena, Commack, 1975 |
Intermission, the rain completely stopped and the rest of the crowd filed in, their loss, Peter is a legend. Steve Miller comes out with 4 band mates. They too were simply incredible, very talented, all of them: Kenny Lee Lewis on bass and vocals, Jacob Peterson on rhythm guitar, Joseph Wooten (of the famed Wooten Brothers) on keys and Gordy Knudtson on drums. They opened with 'The Stake' then smoothly transitioned into 'Swingtown', the dancing had started.
Up next was 'Abracadabra', for me this was full circle. I was in basic training when the song came out, summer of '82. I hadn't heard any music in an entire month when all the sudden a car drove by, on the Air Force base, and had their window down cranking out this song. It brings great memories.
After that number Steve gives a nice little shout out, tip of the cap, to the veterans and says "this one's for you" then launches into 'Living In The USA'. For the first handful of songs the backdrop of his set was crushed velvet curtains, the same kind you would see in an old-time historic theater, classy.
His turn to tell a story. He said that he and Peter met in 1967, in London, 50-years ago, and they have been friends ever since. They have been there when each other has had their hits, have played together everywhere from small clubs to large football stadiums throughout their career. So when he wanted to go out on tour he called Peter. It was a great, uplifting, bonding story, everyone could feel it, 50-years later and we are all still here, we have to enjoy each day.
'Take The Money And Run' was next, yes, he started off with five hits in a row. It would appear the entire audience knew the clapping part. You know the clapping part "They headed down to ooh, old El Paso." Clap, clap, clap, clap, clap. Everyone clapped. The backdrop changes from the crushed velvet curtains to the famous Pegasus from the 'Book Of Dreams' album.
At this point, Steve Miller invited Peter Frampton to the stage. That was nice to see, two-old friends. They did a guitar duet with the rest of the band, it was one of the best blues jams I had ever witnessed! The first song 'Who's Been Talking?' was a Howling Wolf cover which led to 'Stranger Blues', an Elmore James cover, fantastic.
Following this great duet, Peter left the stage and Steve changed from electric guitar to an acoustic guitar. He started playing 'Jet Airliner' acoustically! The audience was sitting there, looking a little puzzled, like they were trying to figure out the song "What is this song?", "I know this song", "Wait a minute, this is 'Jet Airliner'". "I guess we're going acoustic tonight".
After about 3 or 4 lines, Steve stopped and said "I'm just kidding, I just wanted to see if you were paying attention." Everyone laughed. We all knew right away, something was different, it just took a few seconds to put our finger on it. Then, with the acoustic still strapped around his neck, he launched into 'Dance, Dance, Dance' which the audience did, did, did.
'Wild Mountain Honey' was in the mix. Then it was the psychedelic rock hit, one of his earliest, 'Space Cowboy'. He followed that up with 'Shu Ba Da Du Ma Ma Ma Ma'.
He then shared another quick, little story before he performed 'The Joker'. At some point, he made another guitar change and asked the people "Do you like this guitar?" They cheered yes. He said he thinks "It's quite garish." It was given to him the year prior when he was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame.
Steve said "Getting the guitar was the best part of the evening." Everyone laughed again, that's two, that's twice he made the audience laugh. (Both Peter and Steve each had a guitar story.) 'Space Intro' preluded 'Fly Like An Eagle'. The backdrop had changed again. It was now a screen of the night sky with thousands of stars. To the audience it gave the illusion that you could see right through the stage, into the future. It was magnificent.
He performed the extended mix, he added a really great, prolific stanza, at the end, that went something like this:
"We've got to come together, into the future."
"Boys & girls, we have to stop the hate, into the future."
"It's up to us, if we want to survive, into the future."
"And there was a fourth line, into the future."
"We've got to come together, into the future."
"Boys & girls, we have to stop the hate, into the future."
"It's up to us, if we want to survive, into the future."
"And there was a fourth line, into the future."
Bonding again, it wasn't red, it wasn't blue, it was human. People felt it.
'Rock'n Me' was next, everyone was on their feet dancing. Show ends, 3-song encore begins 'Jungle Love' first, everyone still dancing. 'Threshold' was next, followed by 'Jet Airliner', the real version and everyone kept dancing.
I hear the line "I might get rich you know I might get busted" and I recall hearing a song earlier that evening saying something about getting busted, after a few moments thinking I realized it was Frampton's 'Do You Feel Like We Do?' "My friend got busted, just the other day." Both of their biggest hits have a line about getting busted! Another crazy coincidence.
It was one of the best times ever. The small, short stories in between songs were really cool, it gave the whole evening an intimate feeling between the artists and the audience even in a huge open-air amphitheater.
To see all the great photos from that evening, check out WBAB's photo gallery. You'll be able to see: Both guitars that each of them told stories about, the different set designs and how they progressed throughout the evening, pics from the duet, plus more: WBAB-'VETSROCK' 2017 Photos
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