One of the first rock concerts I attended was a Joe Cocker gig. It was in Central Park in New York City, summer of 1980 if memory serves. The opener was Cissy Houston, and near the end of her set she brought out her then-unknown daughter Whitney - who was 16 at the time - to knock us all out with her already-formidable vocal chops. Then there was a very long delay while we waited for Joes set to start. The crowd started getting restless in the summer heat. At one point some guy yelled out, Hey Joe, put down the bottle and come out and jam!! and we all laughed. A short while later, the band walked out and fired up the opening chords of the rollicking opener, Cry Me A River. The only problem was that Cocker didnt join the band on stage, even after the song began. By the time the cue for the first verse came up, one of his backup singers had to take the mic and sing it. Chorus, second verse, second chorus ... still no Joe. What the hell? The song is winding down and suddenly Cocker appeared from the side of the stage - it looked like someone had shoved him out there - and he ran to the mic just in time to chime in on the final chorus. The crowd went nuts, and he was utterly charming for the rest of the gig, leading the band through an array of his best-known tunes and a bunch of songs from his most recent release, Luxury You Can Afford. It was a memorable show. Rest in Peace, Joe. youtu.be/0YWaj9psZdA
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 20:14:21 +0000
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