WHAT A TEMPER!: MUSIC LIGHTS UP THE NIGHT

Friday night and the start of another weekend!

I drove out the my prairie parking spot where I cranked up Van Halen on the truck stereo. As I was parking I observed a full moon rising above the eastern horizon. A stiff wind was blowing steadily out of the east, requiring that I park in a manner that allows the truck to act as a wind break or else I'd quickly freeze.

First up was an audience recording of Van Halen's October 20, 1991 show at the Buffalo War Memorial in Buffalo, New York. A good quality recording, during which Sammy was especially chatty with the audience, but the recording quality was not good enough for me to understand much of what he said. This show was part of their tour promoting the most recent release their F.U.C.K album. Three years had gone by since they last toured, Sammy apologizing for the delay in their return. The band performed well, just wish it were a better recording.

After ten o'clock
Music breaks his earthly bonds
Flies high overhead

Feel the music's fire
Sharing a common passion
Two lives overlap

Horizon's faint glow
Amber light marks its ascent
The orange full moon

Winter stars depart
New ones mark Springs arrival
One more year older

Download it here:

http://www.megaupload.com/?d=QPECMFTX

Next up was Echo & The Bunnymen's show at the Toronto International Centre on August 23, 1984. An excellent recording, both with regard to sound quality and the bands performance. The men from Liverpool were in their prime! This tour followed the release of Ocean Rain, probably the pinnacle of their work before the band was to split apart and lose its drummer to a motorcycle accident. Ocean Rain peaked at number four in Britain, while the record became the Bunnymen's first album to chart in the U.S. Top 100.

For this show I put on the headphones with the portable CD play so that I could savor the wonderful sound of the band performing at their best.