By Danny Coleman
originally published: 07/24/2014
"What was it like?" said Don Felder at a recent back stage meet and greet with several fans when questioned about being on the cover of Rolling Stone Magazine while a member of the Eagles. "It was, well, let's say I was happy and a little ticked off at the same time," he answered with a minor chuckle. "The editor put us on the cover but panned our album in his review so...." The album which Felder is referring to was none other than "Hotel California."
Felder had just finished a smokin' hot set that kicked off a sweltering evening at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ as he did his part opening for Styx and Foreigner on the "Sounds of Summer Tour."
Starting right on time at 7 p.m., Felder took the stage dressed in white with a black vest, briefly addressed the crowd and broke into "Already Gone," this being the first of nine popular Eagles songs in this eleven song set. Others were, "One of These Nights," Victim of Love" and an incredible display of vocal harmonies on "Seven Bridges Road." A smiling Felder (who is also an avid golfer), prefaced "Witchy Woman" by saying that "Tiger Woods seems to have known a few of these women in the past."
Stepping away from his former band and stating something to the effect that some in the audience may or may not remember this next song and continuing with, "...if you do remember it; you weren't high enough in the movie theater," Felder broke into his mega hit "Heavy Metal." "Heartache Tonight" and "Life In The Fast Lane" sped along nicely, much to the approval of the large crowd, which only earlier in the set Felder had implored to move down into the covered section of the amphitheater as a blustery summer thunder storm blew threw; soaking those who chose to stay in their lawn seats.
The set ended with this seemingly ageless rocker calling tour mates Tommy Shaw and Todd Sucherman of Styx out on stage as Don and his all star band broke into "Hotel California," which was greeted with, appropriately enough, thunderous applause.
Running on a tight schedule, the road crew worked a fifteen minute change over to the set up for Styx and at 8:05 p.m. EST the opening notes of "The Grand Illusion," split the night air. "Too Much Tim on My Hands" and "Fooling Yourself (The Angry Young Man)" followed and the band was in full party mode as once again the now near capacity crowd, most of which were 40 and 50 somethings, were reliving their days gone by with a vengeance.
The frenzied crowd was calmed for a moment when transported back to the leisure suit/powder blue tuxedo junior prom theme classic "Lady" which was followed by "Suite Madame Blue," "Light Up" and "Superstars," truly to this point, something for Styx fans from every era. During this run, Tommy Shaw took a run of his own as he jumped down from the stage, guitar in hand and wandered the aisles and around the perimeter of a surprised Susquehanna Bank Center.
The lights went low once Shaw returned to the stage, Tommy returned the favor and called upon Don Felder to join the band for a rollicking version of "Blue Collar Man (Long Nights)." The main spotlight was then trained on keyboardist Lawrence Gowan, who began to play the Rolling Stones "You Can't Always Get What You Want," inciting a brief sing along until he stopped pre second verse and said, "Ok, let's just talk about the elephant in the room shall we?" Referring to social media and the fact that word had spread literally like wild fire; he poked fun at the recent misfortunes of the band's tour bus catching fire. Being unable to resist, Gowan broke into a refrain of the Doors "Light My Fire" and thanked the Philadelphia, PA fire fighters who responded so quickly to their plight. After several more chuckles and thanks, the opening notes of the arena rock classic "Come Sail Away" sent the crowd into a frenzied sing along, which by the smile on Gowan's face, ignited another fire within his already enthusiastic stage performance.
An encore of "Rockin' The Paradise" and "Renegade" put a wrap on this highly energetic set which seemingly left no one disappointed. Dan Sclocchini who made the trip with other friends from the Philadelphia area said, "We were all kind of sitting around the picnic table and we saw a commercial for this show and we thought, sounds like a good idea; I'm glad we came, it's a great so far." Dan's friend Ron Mestichelli added, "Yeah, any band that you can see when you're age 14 and still see when you're 52; you have got to go!"
Foreigner would be the last to take the stage at 9:43 p.m. with a crisp version of "Double Vision" and then immediately into "Head Games." Kelly Hansen had many in the crowd saying, "Lou who?," as his vocals pierced the night air. The man who replaced Lou Gramm seemed to be very comfortable breezing through the band's catalog of hits. "Not to belabor the point but Styx hasn't told us WHY that tour bus caught fire," Hansen laughed as the band broke into "Cold As Ice." "Waiting For a Girl Like You" was followed by 'Dirty White Boy" and Hansen, dripping with sweat referenced the fact that anyone over the age of forty should "Not be sitting down."
Hansen next spoke briefly about the band's history and lamented the ailing health of original member Mick Jones who makes only select appearances on the tour. Fortunately for the Camden crowd, this was one of those nights and Hansen introduced Jones to huge appreciative applause as the opening riffs of "Feels Like The First Time" flowed like a river from the sound system followed by "Urgent."
Wearing a strained smile, an obviously pleased Jones thanked his well wishers and drew yet another massive round of applause when he spoke of the now gone Spectrum in Philadelphia and what a special a place the old building was to the band and entertainers in general; he then dedicated "Starrider" to his mother.
A nifty call and answer between drums and keyboard ensued before the entire band joined in for a fantastic version of "Juke Box Hero." The band was steamrolling ahead at this point, building to a crescendo at song's completion upon which they said their temporary good byes and exited the stage.
Moments later they retook the stage along with the Cherokee High School Choir. As the large contingent filtered into their positions Hansen commanded the crowd to join arms and/or hands and love the person next to them as they performed "I Want To Know What Love Is." The band members encouraged their teenaged guests to sing loudly and bassist Jeff Pilson even allowed a choir member to strum his bass as the audience swayed and sang along.
"Hot Blooded" brought the evening to a close at approximately 11 p.m. and the house lights immediately sent the signal, that for at least this night, the "Soundtrack of Summer" tour had run its playlist to the end. Fan Tracy Solomon was overheard saying, "I loved it and I didn't even really want to come tonight!" Solomon then stated that Don Felder was her favorite as her husband Brad proclaimed that he, "Enjoyed both Styx and Foreigner" as well. A woman known only as "Scrumptious" expressed that she "Loved the sax guy in Foreigner," whose amazing solos throughout the set added much to the band's already great sound.
Overall, a fabulous night of music and for those over 40 years of age; definitely a soundtrack from summers long ago passed. To see where the soundtrack is playing next, please go to www.soundtrackofsummer.com
A couple of local events are taking place via Randy Now's Man Cave in Bordentown City located at 134 Farnsworth Ave.
First is the return of "Tod the Mod" Ellis in a rare acoustic performance along with fellow Smart Remarks band mate Chris Gordon. Old 45 rpm records of Smart Remarks material have fetched up to $300 per record on line and this pair will be bringing it live on Saturday July 26 at 8 p.m. Tickets are a mere $5 and it is a BYOB affair. There are only 30 tickets sold for this intimate venue and they are going fast.
Monday July 28 at 6:30 p.m. the New Hope Film Festival will be having a screening of "Riot On The Dance Floor" a documentary about the infamous Trenton, NJ club City Gardens. Randy Now was instrumental in bringing acts like Green Day, The Ramones, Henry Rollins and numerous others into this now legendary venue. The New Hope Arts Council Building located at 2 Stockton Street will be hosting this event.
That's it for this week! Please continue to support live and original music and until next week....ROCK ON!
THIS WEEKS CALENDAR LISTINGS
Alchemist & Barrister
28 Witherspoon Street Princeton
(609) 924-5555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Paul Plumeri Blues Band
Sun. 9 p.m. Kenny Cunningham
Wed. 10 p.m. Open mic. night Hosted by Eric Puliti
All shows 21+
Amarones Windsor Inn
29 Church St. Windsor
(609) 448-7144
Thurs. 6:30 p.m. Scott Gager & Debbie
Fri. 8 p.m. Larry D
Sat. 8 p.m. Living The Dream
Tues. 7:30 p.m. Texas Hold'em
Wed. 7 p.m. FREE Salsa Lessons
Big Shots Bar and Grill/Hebe Music Lounge
835 E Rte. 130 South, Burlington
(609) 267-1200
Fri. 8 p.m. Knuckle Puck Time, Primitives, The Devision
Sat. 8 p.m. Smash Palace, Heroes in Error, Tony DeSimone Band
Wed. 7 p.m. Open Mic.
Candlelight Lounge
24 Passaic St. Trenton
(609) 695-9612
Sat. 3 p.m. Landom Bros. Quartet (No cover-$10 minimum)
Chambers Walk Cafe
2667 Main St. Lawrenceville
(609) 896-5995
Fri./Sat. 6 p.m. Dick Gratton
The Backstage at Championship Bar
931 Chambers St. Trenton
(609) 394-743
Fri. 6 p.m. Backyard Superheroes, Could've Been Kings, Automatic 253, B1nary Cur10us, Counter-earth, Cut The Act. All ages, $8/$10
Sat. 5 p.m. Two Blue, Nick Bertuccio, Cycle, Signs, Allora Mis, Sakara, Shade By Giants All ages, $8/$10.
Chickie's & Pete's
183 US Highway 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-9182
Tues. 8 p.m. Acoustic Music Night feat. The Dawgs
Dubh Linn Square
167 Rte. 130 North Bordentown
(609) 298-7100
Sun. 4 p.m.Billy O'neal
Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. Night hosted by Shaun Ruymen
Fran's Pub
116 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215)862-5539
Fri. 9 p.m. DJ Night
Sat. 8 p.m. Under A Ton
Sun. 3 p.m. Billy Walton Band
Mon. 8 p.m. Open Mic Blues Jam
All shows 21+
Halo Pub
4617 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-1811
Sat. 7 p.m. (TBA)
Halo Pub
9 Hullfish St. Princeton
(609) 921-1710
Sat. 6 p.m. (TBA)
Havana New Hope
105 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-9897
Thurs. 10 p.m. Beat The Clock DJ Dance Party
Fri. 8:30 p.m. Slamm Band
Sat. 8:30 p.m. The Naturals
Sun. 6 p.m. Bob Lanza Blues
Mon. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ DJ Ron Sherr and Bridge
Wed. 8 p.m. An Evening w/ Sonny Landreth / Jazz Academy All Stars. Doors at 6 p.m., $30
All shows 21+
Ivy Tavern
3108 S. Broad Street, Hamilton
(609) 888-1435
Fri. 10 p.m. Kindred Spirit
Sat. 10 p.m. Infinite Bandwidth
All shows 21+
John & Peter's
96 S. Main St. New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-5981
Thurs. 9 p.m. Jerry Feiss
Fri. 9 p.m. Weird Hot
Sat. 9:30 p.m. The Hyde w/ The Burgeoning
Sun. (3 p.m.) Drag Show (9:30 p.m.) Red Light Special
Mon. Open Mic. w/ Tim
Tues. 9 p.m. DJ Aggreschen
Wed. The Invitational (Featuring John & Peter's House Band)
All shows 21+
JoJo's Tavern
2677 Nottingham Way Hamilton
(609) 586-2678
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke
Paint the Roses Tea and Café Restaurante
37 W. Broad St. Hopewell
(609) 466-8200
Sat. 11 a.m. Bryan Hill
Palermo's Of Hamilton
310 Klockner Rd. Hamilton
(609) 838-7979
Thurs. 9 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21+
Patriot's Crossing
1339 River Rd. Titusville
(609) 737-2780
Fri. 7:30 p.m. Just Us
Sat. 7:30 p.m. Gary & Deana
Pete's Steak House
523 Whitehorse Ave. Hamilton
(609) 585-8008
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Ernie White & Tom Reock
Sat. 9:30 p.m. Blind Lemmon Pie
RHO Waterfront
50 Riverview Plaza Trenton
(609) 393-7300
Thurs. 9 p.m. College Night w/ DJ Jeff Scott
Fri. (5 p.m.) Jerry Watkins. $10 Buffet (9 p.m.) The Soul Cruisers (10:30 p.m.) DJ Jimmie Palumbo
Sat. 9 p.m. Tropical Festival w/ The Edward Lebron Orquestra/Magic Mike's Birthday Bash/DJs On The Deck $20 (advance) $30 (door)
All Shows 21+
Spigola Ristorante
3817 Crosswicks Hamilton Square Rd. Hamilton
(609) 585-5255
Sat. 8:30 p.m. After Dark Band
Sunsets at Cream Ridge
181 Rte. 539 Cream Ridge
(609) 208-2500
Fri. 9:30 p.m. Drew's Farm
Sat. 9:30 p.m. El Ka Bong
Tavern On The Lake
101 Main St. Hightstown
(609) 426-9345
Fri. 9 p.m. FarCry
Sat. 9 p.m. Anything Goes
Wed. 8 p.m. Karaoke Night
The Cool Cricket
216 4th St. Fieldsboro
(609) 291-9110
Fri. 9 p.m. Karaoke
Sat. 9 p.m. (TBA)
Sun. 1 p.m. Bikes, Burgers, Beer feat. Out Of Ashes / Never Enough
The Man Cave
134 Farnsworth Ave. Bordentown
(609) 424-3766
Sat. 8 p.m. "Tod The Mod" Ellis / Chris Gordon. Doors at 7:30 p.m., $5
The Ivy Inn
248 Nassau St. Princeton
(609) 921-8555
Thurs. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ Ron Sherr
Fri. 10 p.m. DJ Darius
Sat. 10 p.m. Gravity Hill
Tues. 8 p.m. Quizzo w/ Bob E Luv
Wed. 10 p.m. Karaoke w/ Ron Sherr
The Sticky Wicket
2465 South Broad St. Hamilton
(609) 439-0007
Fri. 9 p.m. Never Enough
Sat. 9:30 p.m. Deep release
All shows 21+
The Sun National Bank Center
81 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 656-3200
Check web site for upcoming events
Tir Na Nog
1324 Hamilton Ave. Trenton
(609) 392-2554
Fri. 9 p.m. Mike Barniskis
Sat. 9 p.m. Black Brant
Tues. 9 p.m. Open Mic. w/ Bob Daley
All shows 21+
Trenton Social
449 South Broad Street Trenton
(609) 989-7777
Thurs. 8 p.m. Cinema Thursdays Presents: OK, good
Fri. 10 p.m. Friday night w/ Jay Kountree & Jaxx
Mon. 10 p.m. Service Industry Night w/ DJ-Jay Kountree
Tues. 9 p.m. LiveMusic/Open Mic.
Triumph Brewing Company (New Hope, Pa. Location)
400 Union Square New Hope, Pa.
(215) 862-8300
Fri. 10 p.m. Tigerman. $5 (cover charge)
Sat. 10 p.m. Pure Jerry / Space Rooster. $5 (cover charge)
Sun. 7 p.m. Open Jam Night
All shows 21+
Wildflowers Inn
2572 Pennington Rd. Pennington
Sat. 9 p.m. Live Acoustic Rock
Mon. 9 p.m. Karaoke
All shows 21+
Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled 'Rock On Radio' airing Sunday evenings at 7:00pm EST on ThePenguinRocks.com where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.
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