Historic RI shows

Truly enjoyed going through, before deletion, all these thoughtful and humorous entries to our Our Online Rock and Roll Seminar Part 1, and want to wish everbuddy a cool Yule and a thanks for weighing in.Gotta little XMAS present for you all---my top five live musical memories on RI soil. Been to more gigs than I can remember, all over this country, from my first evuh(Ten Years After and Humble Pie at the RI Aud, somewhere around 1970-72), to my most memorable (hitchhiked to NYC to catch Idiot/Lust for Life Iggy with Bowie on keyboards and ist lp Blondie opening), to the coolest (Mink Deville/Petty circa 1st lps, double bill at the Paradise), to the biggest surprise (Dirty Mind era Prince is some huge club, maybe Axis, on Lansdowne St), to the most sublime (Susan Cowsill and the strikingly lovely Vicki Peterson with assorted Continental Drifter guests at some tiny upstairs club in New Orleans), to the most inexplicable (Chequered Past, a punk so-called supergroup with Clem Burke,Steve Jones,Tony Sales, Nigel Harrison and -gulp-Michael Des Barres at the Whiskey-a Go-Go).

Anyway here goes, and, although in my past I was often impaired by drugs or alcohol a magical elixir of both, I'll still match my memory with any youse Mr. or Mrs. Robotos.

Top Five Best Live Rock and Roll Moments Evuh Witnessed on Rhode Island Soil, by Scott Duhamel (Confirmed Master of PopCult History and adjunct Professor at the Whizbang School of Musicology)

5. Hawkwind, Wishbone Ash, and Jo Jo Gunne performing a group jam/encore of "Puff the Magic Dragon", Brown Spring Weekend 1973. Truly, dearly, mind boggling and soul shaking.

4.BB King, digging into a bowl of cornflakes and swallowing 'em down, yanking a kazoo outta the cereal box, and exchanging solos with special guest Scott Hamilton during "Love the One Your With", Warwick Tent, 1980. Jizzy jazz and blues poetry at its most sublime.

3. Bette Midler and Gwen Stefani slathering each other's breasts with some sorta holiday jello during their spirited duet on "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen", The Very Merry Christmas Revue, The Veteran's Auditorium , 2004.The showbiz at its best, entertainment absolutely defined.

2. Art Garfunkle, accompanied by Al DiMeola and that long-haired sax guy from Billy Joel, reading excerpts from Tristam Shandy, Kiss Me Deadly, and Richard Hell's poetry, Providence Performing Arts Center, 1992. The ultimate, no doubt about it, in spoken word performing.

1. Sting, in a blue velvet diaper and nothing else, backed by the Blind Boys of Alabama, who, while singing background vocals on a transcendent cover of "Gotta Serve Somebody" attempted a barrage of whip-cream pie throwing directed at Sting's diapered ass, Stateof RI Art Council Annual Fete, The Rhode Island State House, 1998. Sting proved once again that he's an even better live-performer than The Boss, and I get goose bumps thinking about it to this very day, and I sincerely wish that all you likeminded souls where there with me, only then would you truly understand what art can be.