I first saw Buffalo Springfield at the Beau Brummell's Club, in Phoenix December 15th 1967. I was 18 and lead singer of The Mourning Son. No stranger to seeing great talent, I had already seen dozens of acts who are now legends.
The Beau Brummels, The Bobby Fuller Four, The Lovin Spoonful, Freddy and The Dreamers! years before this night. And after them the Airplane, The Dead, James Cotton, Canned Heat, Hendrix and many many more.
Seeing the Buffalo Springfield up close in this 250 person club, was a huge deal.
Then they broke up.
I waited 43 years to see Buffalo Springfield "Again" (sorry could not resist it!)
I confirmed the 2 reunion shows were really going to happen, at the Shoreline on the 23rd and 24th October.
I sold my old Fender Stratocaster immediately, to finance the trip!
I told anyone who would listen, that this was important.
All I got in return were the blank stares of people long deadened from too much anthem rock and top 40 radio.
My wife who has heard it all a million times, and seen so many legends that she is actually starting to think we are still involved in rock and roll, agreed to go so we flew to San Fransisco.
We arrived at the Shoreline about 10 AM to see if we could upgrade our tickets (acquired off craigslist!).
Everybody around the front of the venue were all older rockers like me, who seemed to be from every corner of the planet.
One guy had driven 5 days to get there, others had flown from Florida, Canada, Detroit and Texas. One thing struk me right off. All that anybody was discussing was Buffalo Springfield.
You must remember the all star lineup for both nights was astounding. Pearl Jam, Neil, Elton John, Leon Russell, Billy Idol, Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard (who was ill and not able to perform)
Lucinda Williams, Ralph Stanley, Jackson Browne, David Lindley, and many more! More like a 60's festival than a pair of concerts.
I was there for Buffalo Springfield and enjoyed the warm up bands, while I impatiently waited for them to play. After Pearl Jam left the stage on the 23rd, a huge number of people exited the venue!
As I bid them farewell, we moved over 20 rows closer to the stage for The Springfield's set!
From the start it was like magic. With but a few days rehearsal, the guys folded time and wiped out 4 dry decades of dead air with live Audio Magic!
You could see it in their faces too. They figured it out as it was unfolding live onstage.
It could not have been clearer to me if they had all stepped up to the microphones and said "Why the fuck did we wait so long to do this again?"
It was wall to wall grins, and the audience went from expectant to ecstatic to manic! Everybody felt this was history and we were some lucky people to have made it there for the shows.
Well everything ends, and too soon it was all done and we were back in Denver on a high that lasted weeks. Friends called and moaned about their fucking up, and "what were they thinking!"
The great Youtube videos pushed them near despair, and they feared they had missed their only chance.
Well the spirit of the event moved a lot of people. The talk of reunion and a tour simply would not die. Months of emails, and forum postings, coupled with endless speculation and the newfound excitement of the players themselves, pushed things along.
I just received the news from a band member that the tour is a GO for later this year!
I jumped on the net and found this.
As the Professor would say,..."Good News Everyone!"
http://www.spinner.com/2011/02/11/buffalo-springfield-reunion/
Forty-three years after their last tour, Buffalo Springfield, the legendary 1960s band that featured Neil Young and Stephen Stills as members, will embark on a North American tour later this year. David Crosby, a longtime friend and collaborator of the aforementioned, spilled the beans to Rolling Stone on Thursday.
"I think he is excited," Crosby said of Stills. Buffalo Springfield, best known for classic rock staples 'For What It's Worth' and 'Mr. Soul,' first reunited with original member Richie Furay last October to perform at Young's 24th annual Bridge School Benefit Concert.
As for Furay, Crosby suggested he was the catalyst behind the first reunion gig. "He really sparked that thing, and I think it was a very pleasant experience for Neil and Stephen both," Crosby said. "I know they're going to go out for at least some dates in the fall. Personally, I'd like to go watch. They're one of my favorite bands."
Furay's manager, David Spero, confirmed to the magazine that tour discussions were in place. Meanwhile, Crobsy cautioned fans not to hold their breath for new studio material. "I doubt it," he said, but admitted, "Anything's possible ... all three of those guys are still writing, so you can say anything."
Time to start generating capital. Gotta go to as many of these shows as I can!
See Ya There folks, just ask around for CHAZZ!
www.myspace.com/neonhalo
Thank you Charles for the great review and retrospective. Now all we need is some unearthed live tape from the original Springfield lineup to go with the live box set from the reunion show and we can all die happy. Thanks again and keep on rockin!! - Big Gene
The Beau Brummels, The Bobby Fuller Four, The Lovin Spoonful, Freddy and The Dreamers! years before this night. And after them the Airplane, The Dead, James Cotton, Canned Heat, Hendrix and many many more.
Seeing the Buffalo Springfield up close in this 250 person club, was a huge deal.
Then they broke up.
I waited 43 years to see Buffalo Springfield "Again" (sorry could not resist it!)
I confirmed the 2 reunion shows were really going to happen, at the Shoreline on the 23rd and 24th October.
I sold my old Fender Stratocaster immediately, to finance the trip!
I told anyone who would listen, that this was important.
All I got in return were the blank stares of people long deadened from too much anthem rock and top 40 radio.
My wife who has heard it all a million times, and seen so many legends that she is actually starting to think we are still involved in rock and roll, agreed to go so we flew to San Fransisco.
We arrived at the Shoreline about 10 AM to see if we could upgrade our tickets (acquired off craigslist!).
Everybody around the front of the venue were all older rockers like me, who seemed to be from every corner of the planet.
One guy had driven 5 days to get there, others had flown from Florida, Canada, Detroit and Texas. One thing struk me right off. All that anybody was discussing was Buffalo Springfield.
You must remember the all star lineup for both nights was astounding. Pearl Jam, Neil, Elton John, Leon Russell, Billy Idol, Kris Kristofferson, Merle Haggard (who was ill and not able to perform)
Lucinda Williams, Ralph Stanley, Jackson Browne, David Lindley, and many more! More like a 60's festival than a pair of concerts.
I was there for Buffalo Springfield and enjoyed the warm up bands, while I impatiently waited for them to play. After Pearl Jam left the stage on the 23rd, a huge number of people exited the venue!
As I bid them farewell, we moved over 20 rows closer to the stage for The Springfield's set!
From the start it was like magic. With but a few days rehearsal, the guys folded time and wiped out 4 dry decades of dead air with live Audio Magic!
You could see it in their faces too. They figured it out as it was unfolding live onstage.
It could not have been clearer to me if they had all stepped up to the microphones and said "Why the fuck did we wait so long to do this again?"
It was wall to wall grins, and the audience went from expectant to ecstatic to manic! Everybody felt this was history and we were some lucky people to have made it there for the shows.
Well everything ends, and too soon it was all done and we were back in Denver on a high that lasted weeks. Friends called and moaned about their fucking up, and "what were they thinking!"
The great Youtube videos pushed them near despair, and they feared they had missed their only chance.
Well the spirit of the event moved a lot of people. The talk of reunion and a tour simply would not die. Months of emails, and forum postings, coupled with endless speculation and the newfound excitement of the players themselves, pushed things along.
I just received the news from a band member that the tour is a GO for later this year!
I jumped on the net and found this.
As the Professor would say,..."Good News Everyone!"
http://www.spinner.com/2011/02/11/buffalo-springfield-reunion/
Forty-three years after their last tour, Buffalo Springfield, the legendary 1960s band that featured Neil Young and Stephen Stills as members, will embark on a North American tour later this year. David Crosby, a longtime friend and collaborator of the aforementioned, spilled the beans to Rolling Stone on Thursday.
"I think he is excited," Crosby said of Stills. Buffalo Springfield, best known for classic rock staples 'For What It's Worth' and 'Mr. Soul,' first reunited with original member Richie Furay last October to perform at Young's 24th annual Bridge School Benefit Concert.
As for Furay, Crosby suggested he was the catalyst behind the first reunion gig. "He really sparked that thing, and I think it was a very pleasant experience for Neil and Stephen both," Crosby said. "I know they're going to go out for at least some dates in the fall. Personally, I'd like to go watch. They're one of my favorite bands."
Furay's manager, David Spero, confirmed to the magazine that tour discussions were in place. Meanwhile, Crobsy cautioned fans not to hold their breath for new studio material. "I doubt it," he said, but admitted, "Anything's possible ... all three of those guys are still writing, so you can say anything."
Time to start generating capital. Gotta go to as many of these shows as I can!
See Ya There folks, just ask around for CHAZZ!
www.myspace.com/neonhalo
Thank you Charles for the great review and retrospective. Now all we need is some unearthed live tape from the original Springfield lineup to go with the live box set from the reunion show and we can all die happy. Thanks again and keep on rockin!! - Big Gene
Thanks CHAZZ! I too watched the evening unfold in a sometimes driving rain that seemed symbolic of the cleansing of the past 20 years of corporate generated, homogonized, machine marketed muzac. This was no lighweight lineup preceeding Buffalo Springfield. And as they took the stage for a moment all was right in the world. Ritchie.....pure magic and a magnet for Neil and Stephen to play off of into and around. Ritchie is the frontman exuding and reflecting the pure joy of the entire audience. I will go anywhere, at anytime to experience this again. I can only envision the sudden rebirth of some of our lost musical idols generating this much love and joy. Names like Garcia, Hendrix, Joplin, Morrison, Redding, et.al That is not going to happen so this is as good as I can possibly imagine in fact "When the dream came
ReplyDeleteI held my breath with my eyes closed
I went insane
Like a smoke ring day when the wind blows
Now I won't be back till later on
If I do come back at all
But you know me, and I miss you now
In a strange game
I saw myself as you knew me
When the change came
And you had a chance to see through me
Though the other side is just the same
You can tell my dream is real
Because I love you, can you see me now
Though we rush ahead to save our time
We are only what we feel
And I love you, can you feel it now
Buffalo Springfield..........AGAIN!!!! Now if we could get McGuinn to agree (Never happen) to The Byrds opening for BS. (What is his problem? Still pissed that Crosby tried to wrest control away from him??)
B. Shakey