Blue Cheer- Pittsburgh- 04/16/07

[rocknrollstudio]

I just saw that blue cheer are playing 31st pub in pittsburgh. I will def be there.

[mikethedrummer]

Went to the 31st Street Pub to get a ticket last night - no tickets are being printed at this point. It'll be pay at the door only. Joel the owner assured me there was no way that this show won't come off - apparently he's a fan from way back himself. I realize Monday's a lousy night to travel for a show, but it'll be a great opportunity to see them.

[FeedbackLourde]

Enjoy the show, Mike. You really desearve it!

Wish I can join you (I'll actually be in your neck of the woods the weekend before!).

[mr maltese]

I hope they do more Outside Inside songs this tme around,...would luv to hear them do "Feathers" or "Come and Get It" or "Gypsy Ball"

[oldhippieman]

I'd like to hear songs from the 80s and 90s

[FeedbackLourde]

I'd like more from Vincebus!!! and Ride With Me. We shall see in 9 hours......

[mikethedrummer]

Here's a link to an article that appeared in Thursday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

www.postgazette.com/music/

[gypsyball]

Great article!

[mikethedrummer]

(Please be tolerant if I ramble - I'm back at the office after 3 hours of sleep)

The Pittsburgh show was outstanding, and it was undoubtedly one of the most memorable days of life - got to hang out with them from mid-afternoon until 3 in the morning, I can honestly say that they are three of the friendliest, most genuine people I've met, including their crew Chris (sound) and Mark (merchandise).

The song selection was standard - all of "Vincebus" and the usual three from "Outsideinside", and also an encore of "Roadhouse Blues". "Out of Focus", "Just a Little Bit", and "Doctor Please" were highlights, with "Doctor..." running at least 20 minutes. I was never keen on them doing "Roadhouse Blues" because it's one of those songs that every bar band in the world does at some point. I have to admit that their version is particularly devastating, Dickie's rap in the middle drew a lot of cheers, and I take it all back. "Rock Me Baby" was the soundcheck. They were very loud as one would expect, although the small stage (the smallest they've played on according to Duck) forced them to scale down. However, the bass end was incredibly strong and it resulted in several pieces from club's skull collection to vibrate off of the shelf above the bar.

The band was concerned about how the show would work out - a cold and rainy Monday night, late start with two opening acts, and they haven't played in Pittsburgh in 38 1/2 years. Not to worry - the place was packed, ages ranging from the 20's to the 60's (the majority looked like they were in their 20's), every one 100% with them. The club owner was ecstatic - a long-time fan, he was looking forward to the show anyway, and afterwards he just kept repeating "The best show EVER! The best show EVER!" Hopefully this will be the first of many returns to Pittsburgh.

Anyone who was ever a fan of these guys needs to get out and see them - they are totally accessible to their fans and look forward to meeting with them before and after the show.

Analbatross was second-billed and based on seeing their last few songs, I have to agree with the description of them in one of the other posts. Their set included a cover of Arthur Brown's "Fire", although it was barely recognizable. All that said, Dickie, Paul and Duck mentioned on several occasions what nice guys they are even though their style of music isn't a particularly good match with Blue Cheer.

Did I mention that they sound fantastic, are great guys, and everyone should make the effort to see them?

[babylon]

Thanks for the eye witness report, Mike, glad to hear they pulled off another great show! ;D

Amazing - Blue Cheer fucking rules!!

[rocknrollstudio]

I agree. Great show!

[mikethedrummer]

From Wednesday's Pittsburgh Post-Gazette:

A wild Monday night plays out with Patty Griffin, Blue Cheer

The intensity was just a little higher later Monday night, or make that early Tuesday morning, at the 31st Street Pub, where Blue Cheer set out to re-arrange the cell structures of the 170 fans in the room.

Singer-bassist Dickie Peterson, still sporting wild hair and hippie shades, hit the stage just after midnight with the hilarious first words: “Hey, Pittsburgh, the last time we were here was about 1968.” Blue Cheer then proceeded to throw down the hammer of the gods with the biggest, fattest blues riffs on the planet.

Once billed as the World’s Loudest Band, the San Francisco power trio has kept a pretty low profile the last, oh, 35 years, but its presence is felt in every stoner-rock band that followed in its wake.

Blue Cheer pounded out a set of sludgy amped-up blues driven by a relentless rhythm section and the psychedelic guitar heroics of Duck McDonald, a 20-year member who had no one screaming for Leigh Stpehens. The band leaned heavily on the first two albums, apologizing to Mose Allison for turning “Parchment Farm” into pure metal nirvana and stalking through “the Hunter” with a cat-scratch vocal by Peterson.

As expected, Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues” took on epic proportions, with McDonald stabbing away at the whiplash leads. It’s no wonder this biker band would have scared the hippie kids tripping back in Haight-Asbury (sic). Seeing them in the confines of the Pub felt like nothing less than a slice of local history.

I cut out toward the end, a little after 1, and walked two long blocks to my car. All the doors to the Pub were closed, but I could still hear Blue Cheer going at it. As far as I know, the place is still standing.

But as Leah McManigle, a member of the Pittsburgh band The Dirty Faces, noted on Tuesday, “Blue Cheer was so amazing, my kidneys still hurt this morning.”

- Scott Mervis ([e-mail] or 412-263-2576)