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Location: NJ | well some times when the walls are crashing down all around you and the sword of Damocles is at your throat you just have to go out and do something fun.
tonight was the night. I had 3 tickets for Sue, my 16 year old nephew (the youngest person at the concert) and myself to see Roger mcGuinn at the Ritz theatre in Oaklyn NJ
The ritz was a 20's movie house that I never went to when I was a kid because by that time it was a XXX movie theatre with a known reputation. After video killed the XXX movie shows the theatre was sold to a group that runs plays and other shows. they renovated it and the place is fantastic. it seats around 500 and about half the seats were taken.
After a brief opening act that was very good, Melanie Grafo (?) Roger took the stage.
He came out slinging his trademark Rick 12 and went right into It's all over now baby blue.
Roger also played 5 string banjo, his signature 7 string martin (the G is doubled in octave he claims he invented it and did an informercial about the guitar in the beginning of the set) and a 12 string martin that looked like a D 45 12.
Well he was very compentent playing guitar and his voice was as strong as ever, He is still able to reach all the high notes. He told stories about, gram parsons, joan baez, joni mitchell, david crosby etc and was very personable. Oh yeah he played almost every Byrds or mcguinn tune you would have loved to hear.
He had no roadies and broke the octave sting on the 7 string guitar, he continued to use it as a 6 string. He also had to take time to change the battery in his wireless and tune up his 12 string martin several times. It was very refreshing to see this sort of hands on approach by a big name star.
If roger comes to your town check him out it is a great show or check out his website rogermcguinn.com |
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Location: SoCal | glad you got out and enjoyed yourself :) |
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Location: Central Florida | I've had the pleasure of meeting Roger and his wife a few times. They live about four houses down from my brother in a suburb of Orlando. He and his wife are very health conscious and walk and ride bikes around the neighborhood two/three times a day. It still blows my brother's mind that he has the founding member of the Byrds and a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame for a neighbor.
Last year, we participated in a multi-family garage sale at my brothers house and Mr. and Mrs. McGuinn walked by and chatted with us for a good half hour or so. He's very humble and low key, and doesn't seem at all eager to discuss his R&R days of the sixties. He's a very devout Christian, and seems much more impassioned and at ease discussing his faith than talking about his days as a R&R pioneer.
He does like to talk guitars though, and told us all about his 7-string signature Martin and how that concept came about, as well as how, when he'd bought his first Rickenbacker 12, he had to alter his fingerings on certain chords because the Rick neck was so narrow. He also shared with us that he's never enjoyed the music business as much as he does today because he's now totally in control of his entire creative process. He said his latest CD was written, recorded, mixed and mastered at his home. A great guy, and extremely down to earth. |
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Location: NJ | very cool.
The smile on his face said volumnes to me. You can tell he was really happy with what he was doing. |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Wow, I am glad to hear that Al got some time at the oasis and Jeff's story has made my day as well.
No Llamas or thread closing at all in this thread! It's going to be a good day Tater! |
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Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | About ten years ago, I lived 1/2 a block from the Ritz (same street as Leonetti's - Ormond Ave)
There's so much I miss about Jersey. And Al's story is one reason....
not to mention the Pizza. |
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December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | leonetti's pizza is one of the best. good steak sandwiches too. they tried to make it a little upscale with adding dinners etc but they still let me in there. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Did he have his little blue glasses on? |
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Posts: 1922
Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Don't think he does those any more.....(smiling)
Al, I'm jealous.....Roger is one of the few people in the world that I would call one of my heroes. I would love to see him play.
In case you all don't know it, Roger has a website where he posts a recording and words (sometimes chords, too) of a traditional folk song each month. It's his contribution to the world folk tradition, all out of the goodness of his heart.
Roger |
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Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | Roger that, Roger.
Are you THAT Roger, Roger? |
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Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | I wish......
Roger |
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Location: Canton (Detroit), MI | Here's a link to Roger McGuinn's Folkden, which I referred to:
http://www.ibiblio.org/jimmy/folkden/
Roger |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | He probably got more people to listen to Dylan than Dylan ever did. |
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Location: NJ | cwk
I venture you are correct
btw no blue glasses |
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Location: Las Cruces, NM | Al
That was a great review of Roger's music.
I always thought him and the Byrds were the best of that emerging genre.
I have CSNY's "Deja Vu" album that I bought when it first came out, but I still believe the Byrds were better, but not so flamboyent.
Of course, I am a 12 string nut and prejudiced. Roger's 12 string was the trigger for us who thought Leadbelly wasn't quite what we wanted and Glen Campbell was a little too traditional.
Good review, wish I had been there.
Bailey |
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February 2002
Posts: 1817
Location: Minden, Nebraska | What a great review! Thanks, Al. Now I want to meet Roger.
I remember when CSN&Y were billed as a 'supergroup'. That would never have been the case if there weren't great groups to begin with. The Byrds were one. |
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Roger McGuinn