Apr 02 2009
Review of Rory Gallagher at the Cowtown Ballroom
The following is a review by Tom Daily of Rory Gallagher’s performance at the Cowtown Ballroom on March 24, 1974. This article comes from the March 29-April 4, 1974 issue of Westport Trucker. Westport Trucker was a weekly Kansas City, Missouri underground newspaper. Amazingly enough, Rory’s concert at the Cowtown Ballroom was one of the “dollar concert” promotions sponsored by KUDL radio station. If there ever was a concert where you got the proper “bang” for your bucks, it was surely this one. The audio recording of this concert is one of the finest bootlegs out there, reaching almost mythical status. My previous write-up of this venue and Rory’s concert performance there can be viewed here: Rory Gallagher at the Cowtown Ballroom – March 24, 1974. You can also listen to the concert on a small music player HERE, or download higher quality mp3’s HERE.
Rory Gallagher in concert with “Tide” Sunday, March 24, at Cowtown Ballroom –written by Tom Daily
Gallagher Pizazz Flips Audience
The Rory Gallagher concert sold out. We arrived late and had to do the famed Cowtown hop and shuffle until we had staked out a piece of floor for our very own.
Tide opened the show and played a fine forty minute set. The band has added two new members: John Barton on guitar and Becky Reed on vocals. Ms. Reed particularly adds a new dimension to this multi-faceted group. Tide played some gospel, a bit of soul, rock ‘n roll, jazz, and even a country and western swing number. They selected good material and played it tightly. I especially enjoyed Steve Ross’s synthesizer playing on “Stratis.” The crowd gave Tide a good hand and even a few scattered shouts for “More!” A good opening act.
Intermission. Some putrid mush was played over the sound system as the crowd shuffled and hopped some more. After a bit, the stage was ready and scattered claps and shouts began in anticipation. The audience was up and ready to boogie. Stage announcer: “Would you please sit down so everyone can see. I’m sure you all will be standing up again in about two minutes.” The audience sat down.
Two minutes later Cowtown was a mass of standing, clapping people as Rory Gallagher burst into “Messing With the Kid”, a boogie very similar to John Lee Hookr’s “Messin’ With The Hook”. Next some slide guitar on “Cradle Rock”; a slow blues, “Who’ll Be Your Sweet Man When I’m Gone”, and Rory was warmed up and really ready to play.
And play he did. For the next two hours Rory Gallagher played with an intensity, skill, and pleasure seldom seen. His technique was crisp and his slide was sweet. Gallagher’s solo set on National steel guitar was some of the best acoustic blues guitar I’ve heard while his mandolin playing on “Goin’ To My Home Town” reduced the crowd to foot-stomping frenzy. Gallagher’s band, Lou Martin on keyboards, Gerry McAvoy on bass, and drummer Rod De’Ath, supported him well through-out.
Gallagher on stage was a cross between a whirling dervish and an insane machine-gunner. Sweat drenching his face, he stalked the stage shooting notes first at his piano player then his drummer to amaze him into even higher flights of rhythm. Sometimes he seemed to be playing more for the enjoyment of this band than his audience. At other times he would play the audience as well as he played his guitar; leaping, kicking, gesturing and screaming to build the excitement even higher.
After the closing song, “Bullfrog Blues”, we started out as the audience was giving a foot-stomping, standing ovation. Gallagher came back for an encore, “Livin’ Like a Trucker”. The crowd sure got a lot for their dollar. It was a real fine show.
Tom Daily
Westport Trucker
I attended the Rory Gallagher show at KC’s Cowtown Ballroom, yes, for $1. It was an amazing display of guitar firepower. KC is a great blues town, so I know what great blues is. I knew immediately that Rory had it in spades; Of course, I didn’t realize that, in retrospect, it would be such an historic show.
P.S. Joe Heyen’s 2009 documentary, “Cowtown Ballroom: Sweet Jesus,” has a section the deals with the Rory show, including some still pix taken that night.
My brother and I were both at this show. We were lucky and were admitted first so we grabbed our spot stage front and center. Rory played like a wild man. We were so close it was like he played for us alone, making eye contact frequently and saying stuff to us all night. What he said is lost in a cloud in my memory if you know what I mean! THAT PLACE WAS ONE BIG CLOUD AT EVERY CONCERT!