Sometimes a rock concert is more than just an event. Every so often a band’s performance becomes a musical milestone, a cultural watershed, a political statement, and a personal apotheosis. On any given night a rock concert can tell the truth about who we are, where we are, and what’s going on in music and life right now. In The Decibel Diaries, Carter Alan, longtime DJ and music director at WZLX in Boston, chronicles a lifetime in rock with a tour through fifty concerts that defined such moments—from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young playing in the rain when Richard Nixon resigned to Talking Heads and the first stirrings of punk in the basement bars of New York and Boston to the bluegrass angel Alison Krauss and the adaptable veteran Robert Plant forging a plangent, plaintive postmodern synergy. For each event Alan shows us what it was like to be there and telescopes out to reveal how this show fit into the arc of the artist’s career, the artist’s place in music, and the music’s place in the wider world. Taken together, The Decibel Diaries is a visceral and visionary portrait of nearly fifty years of rock ’n’ roll.
Table of Contents
Foreword • Introduction • First Ride—James Gang • Don’t Be Denied—Neil Young & the Stray Gators • Balance of Power—Traffic and Free • “I’ve Been Downhearted, Baby . . .”—B. B. King • The Four-Day Ring—Deep Purple • The Call of the Wild—Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes • Setting Sail in a Topographic Ocean—Yes • Truly Slow . . . hand—Eric Clapton • “Tin Soldiers and Nixon Coming”—CSNY/Santana • Touring in the Material World—George Harrison • The Best Stuff in Town—The Rolling Stones • Tear Gas and Toilet Paper—The Great American Music Fair • An Afro and a Fine Skylark—Fleetwood Mac • Sweatin’ Bullets—Lynyrd Skynyrd • Six-String Outlaws—The Eagles • A New Architecture—Talking Heads • Crosstown Traffic—The Cars • Sound and Vision—David Bowie • “Hey! Ho! Let’s Go!”—Ramones • “There Should Be More Dancing!”—The Police • “I’m So Bored with the U.S.A”—The Clash • An Interesting Table Guest—John Cougar & the Zone • Even the Losers Get Lucky (Third Time)—Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers • Before the Purple Reign—Prince • “For Those About to Rock (We Salute You)”—AC/DC • Rollin’ on the River—U2 • Showtime—The J. Geils Band • Sabbath vs. Ozzy—Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne • Who’s Last . . . but, Not Really—The Who • In a Hard Place—Aerosmith • “I Love Rock ’n’ Roll”—Joan Jett • Till the Fat Lady Sings—Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band • The Global Jukebox—Live Aid • Your Mascara Is Running—Mötley Crüe • Live . . . and Alive—Stevie Ray Vaughan • Which One Is Pink?—Roger Waters and Pink Floyd • Meanwhile, Back in the Jungle . . .—Guns N’ Roses • “Tear Down the Wall!”—Roger Waters • Getting Back—Paul McCartney • Exile on Monroe Drive—The Black Crowes • A Wylde Night—The Allman Brothers Band • “This Guitar Is Brand-New, and I Decided I Don’t Like It”—Nirvana • Digging in the Garden—Pearl Jam • The Ocean—Bush, Goo Goo Dolls, and No Doubt • Cliff Notes from Upstate—Phish • A Cheap Golden Jubilee—Joe Perry with Cheap Trick • U2 Reclaims its Mojo (or Fighting the Bono Mono)—U2 • Side by Side, They Walk the Night—Robert Plant and Alison Krauss • Power Hitter—Jack White • Life after the Fast Lane—Joe Walsh • Acknowledgments • List of Sources