Chad Taylor reminisces on Instagram Options

[dangum]

Chad Taylor has always been an excellent re-counter of Live history. He has posted a few memories on his Instagram page over the past few weeks, so I thought it would be a good place to collate them here and any future posts.

September 19, 1986 - York City Municipal Skating Rink, York, PA

Thirty-Six years ago today, our band performed our first gig with Ed Kowalczyk. Then, we were still called First Aid, and tickets to the under-21 dance were only $4. Sponsorship was provided by Little Sicily Pizzeria.

I recall performing “This Time” by INXS because our sound engineer, Mike Scarinzi, started singing backing vocals from the mixing console. We were just a group of kids in a cover band trying to figure out how to play our instruments. We rented a professional PA system and did our best to perform the songs with intensity and integrity.

Dahlheimer was a stand-out on his bass. And Gracey, without so much as a drum lesson, did a pretty great job driving the band forward. Kowalczyk’s voice hadn’t matured yet, and I struggled to play the few chords I knew. We were ONLY 15 years old.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CisxSSwJFAM/

[dangum]

On October 2, 2010, The Gracious Few performed at The State Theatre in Falls Church, VA. Needing a break from our musical history, we were determined not to play the songs of LIVE or Candlebox. Yet, somehow, the band pulled off an 18-song setlist despite having only released our debut album a month earlier. There were only thirteen songs on the album, all written in a few condensed weeks and recorded by Jerry Harrison (Talking Heads, Modern Lovers) and Karl Derfler (Tom Waits).

Utilizing a helpful trick borrowed from The Rolling Stones, we performed the single "Honest Man" during a stripped-down acoustic portion of the show called "The Front Porch." And later reprised the radio single with a full electric jam that could last as long as twelve minutes, depending on the energy of the evening.

We also showcased the song "Great Houses," written in tribute to Morphine and later recorded with Dana Colley, the legendary band's foundational baritone saxophonist.

The setlists for TGF varied greatly as we frequently covered songs made famous by local artists—rehearsed at soundcheck and only performed once. But the Depeche Mode song "It's No Good" seemed to stick with us after making its way into the set at the previous show in Baltimore.

I recently had dinner with Kevin Martin, and many of our laughs were centered around the fun we had making this band groove in hot, sweaty nightclubs. Excellent memories surround this fascinating moment of our lives!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CjOHWzUr1pg/

[dangum]

On this night, Nov 8, 2008, Ed, Chad, Patrick, and I were performing for 23,359 people in Antwerp, Belgium, as part of the Night of the Proms celebrations—kicking off the holiday season.

Barack Obama was just elected the 44th U.S. President only days earlier. And even the people in Belgium celebrated his victory. A feeling of hope and renewed energy impacted the shows— with standing room only in the massive sold-out arena. My favorite part of the evening was watching Ed and Sinead O’Connor perform “Overcome!” Wow. Or was it watching the Simple Minds rock “Don’t You Forget About Me?” I watched in awe, remembering when Public Affection covered their hits in our early days!

Adam Kowalczyk was on rhythm guitar, and there was a massive 60+ person orchestra backing us up. This was 1 of 13 sold-out shows in Antwerp. Allow me to do the math. That’s 303,000 concert attendees in one city! That is 6.7 times larger than our hometown of York. Insane.

Gracey and I ate Indian food nearly daily for lunch, and our tour manager, Bill Thompson, had his own high school memories to sort through (if I recall correctly). Sinead would join us at the bar post-show in her pajamas for a glass of warm milk! I assumed she was sober until one evening, she drank me under the bar like only a proper Irish lady can do. Stories about drinking with Charlie Burchill from Simple Minds would take an entire post. What was that flaming drink in a large bowl you ordered for us? In that spirit, here’s a toast to the memories! Goodnight lads.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CkuQ3Owrs5m/

[dangum]

A happy birthday memory.

On Nov 23, 1991, we performed at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow. Now, this was a proper gig with built-in punters who, despite not knowing LIVE, showed up early, drank hard, and took our performance of the Mental Jewelry catalog to new levels. We were the support act for our friends in Fatima Mansions (Grimmo was such a fantastic guitarist). I was playing through a rented Vox AC-30 amplifier from John Henry's. I recall how much more powerful and punchy the amp sounded with 220 voltage. New elements of harmonic distortion attached themselves to the fast rhythmic propulsion of Gracey and Dahlheimer's groove. Ed's voice was exceptionally crisp through monitor wedges that equaled the band's volume—a rarity in those early clubs. Oasis (I love Liam) was rumored to have been discovered at this venue only a few years later, in 1993. I'm pretty sure this was a regular stop for Radiohead too.

And while the gig at Tut's was so much fun, I was excited to drive back to London in our tiny blue Sprinter van. Where the following day, Nov 24, I would turn 21.

In America, when we turn 21, we can finally head to a pub (legally), but in England, this wouldn't be a big deal. So our agent, who was close to our same age, baked me hash brownies for a little extra celebration.

That evening, we ventured to a pub, the band, a few people from the record label, and the agency to celebrate my 21st. One memory is Patrick being particularly bummed he wouldn't have a turkey dinner with his family, which I am sure he is doing today.

Anyway, that was 31 years ago. And I'm grateful to be spending Thanksgiving with people I love on my 52nd birthday.

Please have a safe and healthy Thanksgiving (Americans). And to the rest of the world, a pint and good times with your friends and family. Good luck with your World Cup.

Regardless of your situation, remember to count your blessings.

Cheers!

https://www.instagram.com/p/ClWVZ53LDWH/