My Story of the Cars in Concert 1979

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Cast Iron Shore, Jul 15, 2017.

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  1. weef

    weef Forum Resident

    I saw the Cars as a teenager in '79 in Ithaca, NY and going into the concert I knew they were not going to engage the audience. I must have read that in one of the music mags of the day. And sure enough they had absolutely no interaction with the crowd between songs. It did seem a bit odd to me (I don't think any of my friends mentioned this) but the fact we were seeing them play the highlights from their first two albums overcame any of this. Their playing seemed fine too, not overly enthusiastic but not dull either. Biggest concert memory: accidentally buying a very expensive Cars concert t-shirt that was way too small to wear to school the next day.
     
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  2. zen archer

    zen archer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston Ma.usa
    Unbelievably this is video from their surprise gig at the Metro in December of 1982. This was right before Ric released Beatitude and they performed "Out Of Control" that night.
    I also say unbelievable because I don't remember seeing anyone film this. It was a very crowded night and we were packed in really close to the stage.
     
  3. Cast Iron Shore

    Cast Iron Shore Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    US
    The playing in this is amazing, but Ben Orr's singing sounds phoned in or half asleep. His eyes are lidded which makes me wonder if he perhaps partook of something prior to going onstage. Irrelevant to the music, but notable for the image, his hair looks like I've never seen it: severe bangs that I've only seen on a bowl cut.
     
  4. dustybooks

    dustybooks rabbit advocate

    Location:
    Wilmington, NC
    Slightly OT, but am I the only one who likes Panorama? I always enjoyed the Cars' more eccentric side. Haven't listened to it in some time though, and I really should pull it out.
     
  5. TGH7

    TGH7 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cleveland
    I got the chance to see The Cars at the Cleveland Agora in 1978? For a $1.01 WMMS show. They were just starting to get airplay when they came to town.

    Great show! When they played Moving In Stereo, it felt like the building was going to crumble.

    You went away from that show knowing they would be stars.
     
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  6. jamesc

    jamesc Senior Member

    Location:
    Dallas, TX
    I was at that show too! It was the only time I saw them live and I remember being disappointed with their lack of enthusiasm at the time. I've learned to appreciate that style of performance though with early Pet Shop Boys and most of the "shoegaze" bands so I wouldn't mind it if I saw them today.

    Looks like they had a great set list that night including a track from Ric's first solo album and a couple of my favorites from Shake It Up. The Cars Setlist at Poplar Creek Music Theater, Hoffman Estates

    I don't remember Wang Chung opening which is a shame because I fell in love with Points on the Curve within the next year.

    Sadly, Sears bought the property that Poplar Creek was on, tore it down and relocated their headquarters there from the Sears Tower. I worked there for a few years in the 90s. It was a wonderful venue though and I have fond memories of seeing so many bands there (Talk Talk with Psychedelic Furs, Queen with Billy Squire, Depeche Mode, The Cure, Duran Duran and yes, my first concert, Journey on the Escape tour!)
     
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  7. Cast Iron Shore

    Cast Iron Shore Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    US
    Was that the show on the Cars Unlocked? It starts with the MC saying "Ladies and gentlemen and the rest of you, WMMS presents the Cars!"
     
  8. no.nine

    no.nine (not his real name)

    Location:
    NYC
    Big Panorama fan here. And there are more of us... there are some threads around. I just listened to it yesterday, in fact.
     
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  9. Cast Iron Shore

    Cast Iron Shore Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    US
    I like Panorama, but it demands more of the listener than the first two albums. It made you have to sit down and listen to appreciate it, whereas the first album hits you in the face wherever you are.

    I think they never topped their first album. Candy-O has a few wonderful songs, but I always felt it was patchy. Some of the best songs on it, like Nightspots, were already composed and demoed around the time of the first album, albeit with different lyrics.
     
    Last edited: Jul 16, 2017
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  10. Galactus2

    Galactus2 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Virginia
    Let me try and lift your spirits a bit with this story from those days, which I firmly believe to be true:

    One of my college friends (and fellow college radio DJ) was a gal named Audrey. She worked a summer job in a Boston 'Store 24.' For those unfamiliar, a Store 24 is a Boston area convenience store, similar to a 7-11. She told me that one day while working there, Ric Ocasek came in. Being both a music buff and a (typically) bold Bostonian, she asked him, "would you sing Let the Good Times Roll for me?" To which he replied, "Why?" She replied, "because I've never seen you guys live, and I'd like to hear it."

    Believe it or not, he supposedly sang it for her right there in her Store 24. I only have her word that this story is true, but if so, I think that was pretty cool of him. Steven Tyler would not likely have ever done something like that.
     
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  11. no.nine

    no.nine (not his real name)

    Location:
    NYC
    Everyone always seems to say that Panorama was their weird album. But with the possible exception of the title track, I think it was the production that was a little unusual, not the music. Once you get used to it, some of these songs are just as catchy as their earlier triumphs.
     
  12. TGH7

    TGH7 Forum Resident

    Location:
    Cleveland
    I believe so, but that part is a little fuzzy
     
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  13. Cast Iron Shore

    Cast Iron Shore Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    US
    I love your story partly because it was such a cool thing of Ric to do, but partly because I read a report that Steven Tyler did something almost exactly the same. He was in line at a Starbucks (?) in his hometown, there was a little girl in line and he asked her to sing a song. I can't remember the song she sang (it wasn't Aerosmith), but he sang the rest of the song with her, to the delight of everyone.
     
  14. intv7

    intv7 Senior Member

    Location:
    Boston, MA, USA
    Honestly, they are just really introverted types -- no one in the band was particularly skilled at being "rock stars". I've met Ric, and he is such a quiet, reserved guy. I don't think he particularly likes performing in front of an audience. He's the one up front, and the whole band kinda takes its cues from its frontman -- so if he's got a shy demeanor, the whole band seems kind of aloof.

    Essentially, they're a band full of nerds. You can see it in their demeanor onstage -- none of them felt all that comfortable speaking to an audience. Greg and Elliot do their best to be somewhat animated while playing, and Ben always looked to have rock star swagger, but in between songs it was like death up there. Whenever they did speak to the crowd, it almost always came across as awkward.
     
  15. INSW

    INSW Senior Member

    Location:
    Georgia
    Weren't alienation and detachment what The Cars were all about?
     
  16. zen archer

    zen archer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston Ma.usa
    That same gig they did an extended jam on "You're All I've Got Tonight". Elliot really stretched out on the solo and then towards the end of the song. I will always remember Ric looking over at him akwardly
    waiting for him to finish up. It's the only time I ever saw The Cars attempt a jam on stage.
    Also remember another night at Spit on Lansdowne St. (Behind Fenway Park) when Elliot, Ben & David showed up to play with Local band Vinny. Elliot went crazy jamming on Super Freak by Rick James.
    Amazing player and some great memories!
     
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  17. Abbagold

    Abbagold Working class hero

    Location:
    Natchitoches, LA
    I love Fresca. Between that and Tab, they are my favorite sodas. I dig old lady sodas I guess! ;)
     
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  18. Cast Iron Shore

    Cast Iron Shore Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    US
    How did they come across on stage? Their playing on the CD of it is is very good. At that time they were still using the intro of the car crash sound effect before they sang the first song (Good Times Roll).
     
  19. Cast Iron Shore

    Cast Iron Shore Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    US
    I think you hit on something there. The Cars almost always played their songs EXACTLY as recorded, while other bands usually extended or to some degree re-interpreted their recordings.

    I think if they stretched out a little, like extending the guitar solos or playing around with the arrangements, even a little, it would have made things more interesting. Too bad the culture of the band was so rigid that Ric gave Easton a look when he tried to do it.
     
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  20. zen archer

    zen archer Forum Resident

    Location:
    Boston Ma.usa
    Yea, Ric was never very comfortable with touring. That being said. I saw him at Harpers Ferry a small club on Brighton Ave in Allston, MA. Ric was supporting his solo album Nexterday.
    Ric put on a great show , supported by a NYC band he just signed named Hong Kong. The crowd was so into it singing along to "You Might Think" , clapping in the right spots during "My Best Friends Girl" and he appreciated it.
    Ric was very relaxed cracking smiles and thanking the crowd. It was a real Welcome home atmosphere.
    Here is a short review. Does contain mistakes. Ben did not compose Drive, he sang it.
    Ex-Cars frontman proves he's got plenty left in the tank - The Boston Globe
     
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  21. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    For years, I pretended that the Kinks in January 1982 was my first concert. I'd actually seen Kiss in December 1977 when I was 10, but I grew to dislike Kiss so I chose to view the Kinks as show 1!

    Not anymore - I bow to reality and acknowledge Kiss as my first show! :D
     
  22. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    I almost saw the Cars in 1982 during the "Shake It Up" tour - I wasn't a big fan, but I had just started to go to shows and was a little "concert crazy" at the time, so I was eager to see anyone I could, and I liked the song "Shake It Up" a lot.

    Didn't go and didn't care enough to see them on subsequent tours - didn't like "Heartbeat City" much - so I never saw them until the reunion tour in 2011.

    Pretty boring show. Not a bad experience because I liked the reunion album and technically, they sounded okay.

    Also, I knew in advance not to expect much of a show. If I'd gone in with no foreknowledge of their reputation, I probably would've been more negative about the concert...
     
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  23. Cast Iron Shore

    Cast Iron Shore Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    US
    But in the past couple of years, hasn't Kiss has a renaissance? I'm still waiting for the Osmonds. I don't recall the smell of weed when I saw them, although granted it was outdoors at a county fair. I remember girls screaming and rushing the stage for a kiss as if they were the Beatles. I wonder if anyone rushed Ric Ocasek for a kiss at a Cars concert. Somehow I doubt it.
     
  24. Cast Iron Shore

    Cast Iron Shore Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    US
    It made me laugh in this review to read that, even when Ric was more relaxed in concert: "a handful of Cars hits delivered with workmanlike efficiency." Terms like "workmanlike" and "efficiency" are not ones that I typically associate with an exciting performance. :)
     
  25. Cast Iron Shore

    Cast Iron Shore Forum Resident Thread Starter

    Location:
    US
    Badfinger, a band that I think has a lot in common with the Cars even though it might not seem like it at first blush, were also very shy in concert with the exception of Joey Molland, so the band let him do in-between song banter and introductions while Pete would rarely say anything. Even though Pete was the Ric of that band and his on-stage demeanor was to hide from the spotlight and look awkward, it didn't seem to deter the rest of the band from being more animated or talking with the audience (although Mike Gibbins likely never said a word).
     
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