The concert choices were slim for this trip…when I planned it around March. As our departure approached, matters began to gel. Had I only pushed it back a week, we could’ve seen Vanilla Ice at LAX (Luxor)…NOT! So as the actual vacation time grew closer, three possibilities appeared: Paul McCartney, John Waite or the Gin Blossoms. I’m confident the majority would vote for Sir Paul and I was tempted because he would be appearing in MGM’s very nice venue. Then I saw the ticket prices. Besides, Paul hasn’t made an album which piqued my interest in 30 years. Sure he was a Beatle, a major part of Pop/Rock History, blah blah blah. If the $200-plus-per-seat incorporated a time machine for me to go back and see him during the heyday of Wings, I could see myself bothering. Watching a 69-year-old guy gouging people to plug yet another remastering of his back catalog? Pass. The same goes for Peter Gabriel.
The Gin Blossoms were eliminated next. They’re playing Antone’s in Austin near the end of June.
Thus we went with John Waite who was at Austin’s One World Theater on June 1 and it was the third time I missed him; he played two shows at the Cactus Cafe over the last several years. Seeing John also meant figuring out where the hell was Boulder Station. Fortunately, you can get there through I-15 and the city’s two belts (215 and 515).
The Railhead is Boulder Station’s in-house venue. It was very intimate; holds about 300-500 by my estimation. This would make it bigger than the Cactus, OWT or Stubb’s indoors yet smaller than Antone’s. Put it on par with the ACL/Moody Theater sans the two levels and eliminate the general-admission floor, put in folding chairs.
John and his band hit the stage shortly after 8 PM. They opened with “Change,” from his solo debut Ignition. He has altered the cadence to it over the years. This was followed with the Babys’ hit “Back on my Feet Again” and Bad English’s “When I See You Smile.” The remainder of the set kept juggling between his solo and Babys material. I’m glad he did a few from his latest release Rough & Tumble which I scored at Waterloo Records weeks ago. After I listened to a couple tracks, I was convinced to give it a shot. My personal favorite single is “Evil” and the band threw it in around the middle.
As expected, he saved his biggest hit “Missing You” toward the end. I was a little bummed “Tears,” “Mr. Wonderful,” “Restless Heart” and “Midnight Roundezvous” (Babys) were excluded. But I was happy to hear more new stuff. I love the hits from my favorites yet I understand their need for moving forward (greatest-hits compilation sales tap out eventually), otherwise a band/artist becomes a sad joke relegated to the nostalgia circuit, performing at the Fremont Experience or Mandalay Bay’s pool in an Eighties showcase.
My personal connection to John Waite fueled seeing him too. I remember those Babys’ hits in grade school quite well and even rescued their beat-up anthology album from the trash at WMUR. During the early days of MTV, John Waite’s “Change” video was on (at least) medium rotation and it demonstrated the potential of storytelling to music. Click this link to see what I mean. (Nowadays I don’t watch MTV to know what is going on yet I’m confident videos still get produced.) John’s is one template I feel many bands should look at if they do bother. His second solo album No Brakes is another vital piece of the Eighties for me. Although “Missing You” was played to death and remains a staple for Bob/Jack/Dick/Oldies/Adult Contemporary stations, the other tracks were well crafted Pop pieces while he stretched into Country with “Restless Heart.” An interview John did for those syndicated FM shows definitely pushed me into being a fan: he explained how “Missing You” came about from guitar riff and his recent divorce; he mentioned his time in the Babys being a betrayal of his working-class upbringing. The clincher was his song epitomizing my fear of nuclear war, “Euroshima.” Throughout my teen years I was always watching for a mushroom cloud over my shoulder. Moving to North Dakota, home to 300 ground-based missiles, didn’t help.
I dig John Waite is for happier reasons though. He has a distinctive voice and as he proved that Saturday night, John can still rock. Do I recommend seeing him? For most people, it would probably best in a showcase with others. If you’re familiar with his back catalog and the current CD Rough & Tumble, then check him out. I’m glad I did since I have a stronger personal connection to his music than Sir Paul’s.