Now I remember....

It's been bugging me for some time...I recall going to see a concert a long time ago in San Diego's Golden Hall where Rush was the second of the two opening acts. It was early in Rush's career and I knew nothing about the group. I remember the performance because of two specific impressions I had. First, they were technically impressive, highly proficient and had a very powerful, layered, and intricate sound for a trio. Second, the bassist/vocalist's voice was so freakishly high and shrill, particularly over the terrible PA system in the hall, that I felt like my ears might start to bleed at any moment. Nonetheless, their talent was evident and I figured they would likely make a name for themselves.

But it was only this morning when I finally found out the date and the headliner for that concert: It was November 30, 1976 and the headliner was Ted Nugent. Oh, right...*THAT* concert. Now I remember. My cousin had purchased an extra ticket and invited me to go with him. It was the concert I walked out of before Nugent's encore, after he laid his guitar on top of his amp with the volume wide open and walked off stage to treat his audience to 10 or more minutes of high decibel, ear splitting feedback at clearly dangerous loudness. That he would cheerfully do something so rude, inconsiderate and disrespectful of the crowd who'd come to listen to his music made me pretty angry. It took hours for the ringing in my ears to subside.

That experience convinced me that Ted Nugent was a totally arrogant, mean-spirited jerk and that I would never listen to his music again. Nothing he's done since has changed my opinion of him.

This tour?

The first time I went to see Sugar, Bob Mould did the same thing with his guitar after the end of the main set. It seemed a fitting end. Of course, he came back just a couple of minutes later instead of 10.

... laid his guitar on top of his amp with the volume wide open and walked off stage to treat his audience to 10 or more minutes of high decibel, ear splitting feedback at clearly dangerous loudness.

Verlaines did something similar in Dunedin in '94

Mould did it every time I saw the Huskers, Sugar AND on the Hubcap* tour.
Keep in mind Bob's rig has an entirely different signature and profile than koolaid-drinking Ted's, put through a flown PA (not that Bob didn't send phlanges to the ears and girlfriends to the lobby). In '76 Nuge was still the opener in that market?

*edit::IIRC



Post Edited (09-12-12 18:40)

Michael Toland wrote:

> This tour?

Looks to me to be that same tour. Thanks for the nostalgic link.

N.B.: The point of my post was that I was having trouble recalling which group was the headliner for that Rush concert. I had it in my head that it might have been Robin Trower, but wasn't sure. It was after I found it listed in an archive of Rush concert dates that I recalled the rest of the story...and perhaps some insight as to why I had trouble remembering the headliner.

Also note that I am an audiophile and had worked as a soundman and audio engineer for a few years in the 1980s. I'm also well educated on psychoacoustics and the capabilities and limitations of the human ear. That said, I'd never deliberately expose an audience to volume levels I knew would likely damage their hearing. Back in 1976 people rarely if ever used ear protection at rock concerts and many concerts were already ridiculously loud.

I think an audience really shouldn't have to use ear protection at a concert. Ear plugs inevitably muffle the sound, eliminating the treble and making everything sound muddy and indistinct. Not to mention the consequences of early hearing loss and tinnitus if your ears are damaged. If the sound is so damn important the people doing the audio ought to give the ears of the audience some respect.

Like I said, I'm an audiophile. Always have been. I enjoy music and I want to keep enjoying it as long as possible. So I don't want to damage my hearing, and I hate to see others suffer unnecessary, avoidable hearing loss. You wouldn't stare directly at the sun, right?

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That he would cheerfully do something so rude, inconsiderate and disrespectful of the crowd who'd come to listen to his music made me pretty angry. It took hours for the ringing in my ears to subside.

Somehow, when My Bloody Valentine obliged their audience to sit through 20-30 minutes of one chord played at paint-peeling, mind-melting volume (during the middle of "You Made Me Realize") ... so loud that people were starting to panic after 10-15 minutes and (fingers crammed into their ears)look around in vain for an escape route ... it didn't strike me as particularly mean-spirited. It seemed like they were trying to prove something.

My brain was ringing after that.

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That experience convinced me that Ted Nugent was a totally arrogant, mean-spirited jerk and that I would never listen to his music again. Nothing he's done since has changed my opinion of him.

That's pretty harsh, seeing as how he's dedicated his life to being such a sensitive New Age guy. And who could hold Damn Yankees against him?

...

Wonder what album Rush was touring at that time. Probably 2112? Were they wearing the bathrobes at that point?

Just on the subject of Rush. Happy 60th birthday Mr Peart.

I thought this has been done so much that at this point it's turned into rock cliche, although most bands don't let it go for ten minutes. Hell, TP Forum faves Joy Formidable apparently did it all the time at the end of "Whirling", judging by the various live clips available.

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I thought this has been done so much that at this point it's turned into rock cliche

At the end of the Church gig I saw at the Ritz in NYC back in '88, Marty Willson-Piper pulled a bit of a noise stunt like that ... and sort of pulled a heroic pose (down on his knees, guitar in lap) in front of his amp and then left the guitar leaned up against the amp to feed back after the last encore. It was only a few minutes and it was very polite in retrospect. I can appreciate that.

It is easier for me to make a list of bands I've seen who dont do that stunt. But I like a good feedbacking guitar. I think it's my favorite sound.



Post Edited (09-13-12 10:42)

nosepail wrote:

> It is easier for me to make a list of bands I've seen who dont
> do that stunt. But I like a good feedbacking guitar. I think
> it's my favorite sound.
>

One of Lester Bangs's numbered list of reasons to like Metal Machine Music was "If feedback is your favorite part of the electric guitar, well Lou just took away the guitar."

Pretty sure the Velvets started it. And they did do it to annoy the audience.

I don't see it happen all that often anymore, so I find it still effective. I've seen the JF do it twice, and it worked both times due to the nature of "Whirling" and the performance. They were the first band I'd seen in years pull that stunt, so it felt very fresh to me. But if every alternative band is doing it, then, yeah, it's growing mold.

I've seen Bob Mould do that with HD and with Sugar. I saw Noel Gallagher do it once as well.