7/4/80 DC show in retrospect

[Eric Aniversario]

Is it just me, or does everybody seem mad about something at that DC show? Mike, Al and Carl all look angry about something. During Good Timin', Carl almost misses his cue at the start, then looks really frustrated with himself for messing up the words. During the intro Mike wasn't even on the stage. Mike looks downright pissed off during much of the show. The concert itself is pretty good though. Dennis plays great and almost sounds like he did in the old days. This show really proves what an amazing guitar player Carl was. He was on fire! 

I would say that Bruce also looked upset at times. I would stop short at saying that any one of them looked mad for the entire show, though. The closest might be Carl...He didn't seem to be smiling much, for sure.

[HeyJude]

 I think it’s probably overanalyzing it to take away that they are angry or upset. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were a bit stressed out or frazzled. While I doubt they had any “stage fright”, the gig may well have been, up to that point, the largest audience they had ever played for. Perhaps that concept, coupled with the logistics around the concert (working with the various departments putting the show on, etc.), along with the regular BB stresses (Dennis wasn’t in super shape, Brian was, well, perhaps quiet more than problematic in any way), and perhaps they didn’t have their “happy” faces on. It is a bit odd if they were indeed portraying some negative emotions, because they all knew the show was being shot to air on TV.

But in a weird way, they were more distanced from the audience than they were at a typical show. Perhaps they felt detached from the audience enough that they didn’t have to portray any particular facial expressions (though, again, they would be seen even more close-up when the thing aired on TV).

I’ve seen interpretations that Bruce (or other members) were shooting concerned glances over at Dennis. I think it’s difficult to really tell if that’s the case. It does seem like Carl is trying to reign Dennis in during the “Good Vibrations” middle section, and the band in general perhaps are annoyed or concerned, especially since Dennis is barely understandable when he’s talking.

Perhaps the band were distracted as well, as the audience got rather surly and rough at certain moments. I think this is heard more during the unedited radio broadcast, where they’re talking to the audience. But you can see in the TV edit where Al is pointing out someone getting crushed or smushed or something during “School Days”, asking during the song if the person is okay, and then pointing the person out to the security folks.

[Emdeeh]

Is this the show where Dennis jumps on top of the piano after "Rhonda," then jumps down and gooses Carl on his way back to the drumkit?

[Mikie]

Is it just me, or does everybody seem mad about something at that DC show? Mike, Al and Carl all look angry about something. During Good Timin', Carl almost misses his cue at the start, then looks really frustrated with himself for messing up the words. During the intro Mike wasn't even on the stage. Mike looks downright pissed off during much of the show. The concert itself is pretty good though. Dennis plays great and almost sounds like he did in the old days. This show really proves what an amazing guitar player Carl was. He was on fire!  

I would say that Bruce also looked upset at times. I would stop short at saying that any one of them looked mad for the entire show, though. The closest might be Carl...He didn't seem to be smiling much, for sure.

That's what I mentioned earlier in the thread! You keep seeing Bruce look over at Carl and/or Mike with a serious look on his face like something's wrong. It's like.......if Mike wasn't completely happy about something, Bruce wasn't happy either. Just speculation, but I'd venture to say it's about Dennis, who was in and out of the band at the time for being intoxicated/drugged up. Maybe just Dennis' presence was enough to piss Mike off. Maybe a little friction going on there.....

Wonder if Ed Roach is reading this. He was at the Queen Mary show in '81 and mentions that Dennis was in a partying mood that day. Maybe he was at this 7/4/80 show in D.C. too.

[Mikie]

I think the whole band did a great job on "Darlin'" in the DC show. Carl belts it out like there's no tomorrow and the background parts blend nicely. You can hear Mike's part stand out and it sounds real good.

[phirnis]

I might be wrong but I think I remember there is footage somewhere of Mike and Dennis shaking hands after the show.

Short Dennis interview from the day of the DC show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjnuj22Wunw

[HeyJude]

I think the whole band did a great job on "Darlin'" in the DC show. Carl belts it out like there's no tomorrow and the background parts blend nicely. You can hear Mike's part stand out and it sounds real good.

I really dug their 1980 arrangement of "Darlin'." It veered so far from the original 1967 version that I almost treat it like a different song. I was kind of bummed when, later in the 80's and into the 90's, they changed the arrangement, most likely in an attempt to get it a bit closer to the original recording. They slowed it down and gave it a bit more of an R&B sound (albeit with 80's and 90's synths). The 1980 versions make it sound more like a rock or "powerpop" kind of song.

[HeyJude]

I might be wrong but I think I remember there is footage somewhere of Mike and Dennis shaking hands after the show.

Short Dennis interview from the day of the DC show: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kjnuj22Wunw

Mike and Dennis kind of awkwardly shake hands backstage after the main set and before the encore. This is seen in the TV broadcast.

You can see Jerry Schilling talking with them backstage during this same portion.

It would probably be cost prohibitive in terms of clearing publishing costs (considering they won't even put out live CDs where they pay a flat mechanical rate), but this would be a great candidate for a live DVD boxed set. They have a number of shows on video in their vaults. I know some of them (e.g. the Seattle 1983 show) have flawed sound that make them arguably unreleasable. But there is stuff like the DC shows (1980 and 1984), and some other things that have good audio to go along with them. They could at least cherry pick some stuff and do a compilation. I know we're unlikely to get the full Largo '77 shows for instance.

[Lonely Summer]

These shows may have their flaws, but there is nothing better IMHO than seeing the Carl, Dennis, Mike, Al, Brian and Bruce together on stage. Yeah, DVD's, bring 'em on!

[Pinder's Gone To Kokomo And Back Again]

Love this show!

Some great moments:

• Dennis at the end of Darlin has to swivel around on this stool away from the drums in order to resist continuing to bash away ...... Love his intro hit!

• During the Do it Again into, Mike's dancing away with such informal abandon and seems to realize this, and it makes him a tad uncomfortable, so he reigns it in and returns to his normal stage moves.

• Al/Bruce in unison doing the falsetto on Sloop.

• Dennis is right in the pocket the whole show. His drumming on Sloop is exceptional. Check out his fill at the end of Little Deuce Coop. It's quite complicated and when he's done, he has this really casual "Yeah, that's right" look on his face

• Bruce wears tiny white shorts. Bobby wears tiny white shorts too, and white socks pulled up to his knees! Hey, it was 1980.

• Carl plays some very beautiful Gibson guitars. Al seemed to generally stick to Fender back then.

• Mike does a Jim Morrison "guitar fellatio" thing to Carl on Catch A Wave. Carl seems pissed. Mike stands up and smiles at Carl and laughs like "just a joke" but his smile fades as Carl scowls and turns the other way.

• Carl and Dennis are rocking hard on School Days. Carl plays a great solo but the cameras strangely stay on Dennis mostly. We only see Carl shredding away in the background.

• Carl messes up twice on Good Timing. First during the intro, but he kinda shrugs it off, then gets pissed when he blows the second line. Hey, it was a new song!

• Mike's voice is great here compared to the Knebworth show.

• Dig the guy in the Nixon mask and prison scrubs nodding creepily at the camera after I Get Around.

• I like how Carl strolls off with a beer when they do their intermission. Mike wanders off with a duffle bag. I wonder what was in it. He goes over to where Jerry Schilling is and talks with some guy who Dennis throws his arm around. Dennis then says something to Mike and the two of them shake hands.

• There's a shot during the Good Vibrations breakdown where Brian is singing and looks really really into it.

• No one seems pissed to me at this show. It was a big gig and they just seemed to be taking it seriously.

• Greatest band ever.

[Bean Bag]

This show was also broadcast live on the radio.

Yes!  This is how I experienced it.  Hearing them live on the radio was like pandemonium.  Warts n' all.  Ah, man....  heaven.

[Jay]

Is the pre touched up radio broadcast circulating?

[Autotune]

I agree with the above comment about Brian on Good Timin' in DC. He looks and sounds totally disinterested in his Sloop John B opening vocal (Knebworth is better), but his singing and facial expressions look like the Brian of better times on Good Timin'. I see Carl's gesture as a reminder to Brian to sing his counterpoint vocal again.

Brian looks pretty disinterested and disengaged at pretty much every 1980 show I've seen or heard. 1979 for that matter. Back in 77/78, he could still occasionally have a bit of a spark on stage, at least energy-wise.

His disposition was probably just as unmotivated in 1981-1982 as well, but he was forced to be more engaged since he had to take a bunch of Carl's leads.

The only time I remember Brian "sparking" and having one helluva good time on stage was in 1978. I think it was the Largo show. He musta snorted some looooong hog rails before that concert!!  Runnin' all over the place and getting into the singing - yelling into the mic. There may be others that I'm forgetting, but that one stands out in my mind.

Didn't he become totally disengaged when he was removed from bass duties and pretty active singing, center stage, to hiding behind a piano in the far left of the stage?

[Jonas]

Great post!

[donald]

Never cared much for Brian's "part" on "Good Timin" at the 7/4/80 concert. It was very shouty, his part wasn't really necessary, but most uncomfortable was the way he had to depend on Carl for his cue, like he couldn't remember when to come in.

Two better than average 1979/80 Brian performances - both televised - were the Midnight Special (1979) and that Fridays TV show (1980). 

Sheriff, Brian,s part on Good Timin is one of my favorites of the show.  I was going to comment on that.  sure, it was a shadow of the former Brian but it was a genuine and beautiful snapshot of the BW of the day.   a keeper for sure imo.
I wait for that moment each time I see this show.