Stage Pass Now…Jonah Koslen, one of Cleveland’s native sons and an original member of MSB has started a new tour playing Stage Pass live in concert. When I first heard about it, the first question I asked was why now. Why after 33 years do you re-visit at least in Cleveland lore, such an iconic album especially without the namesake of the band? Would the fans respond?
As my wife (Mrs. Bear) and I were driving to the show, I was thinking out loud “I wonder if anyone is going to show up”. My fears were that there are none more loyal (rabid!) fans than Michael Stanley fans. After almost 40 years of playing around the Cleveland area, Michael still sells out shows everywhere he plays. With this type of fan, would they accept this album being played without him, even by the much loved Jonah Koslen? I went to the House Of Blues show 2 years ago when Michael and the Resonators were playing and the nights biggest ovation came when Jonah came out and played “Waste A Little Time On Me” and “Nothings Gonna Change My Mind” because that’s how we remember MSB, Michael and Jonah playing together.
All my questions were answered when I walked into the Winchester Tavern and Music Hall on Saturday night. The place was packed! Many in the crowd I have seen at various Michael Stanley shows. Peanuts was there. Matt from Addicted to Vinyl was there, and many, many Jonah Koslen fans were there. According to the management of The Winchester it was a sold out show.
This was my first time at The Winchester, but not my last. Jonah picked a great place to launch his new tour. The acoustics are great, the staff is outstanding and it is one of the premier places in Cleveland to see a concert. Looking at the pictures of who was played there on the walls, Leon Russell, Sophie B. Hawkins, Nils Lofgren, Wishbone Ash, Savoy Brown, Jessie Collin Young, Al Stewart, the list goes on and on. Being there brings back a lot of memories of the old Agora for me.
For this tour Jonah pulled together veterans of the Cleveland music scene. Donny Thompson (guitar and vocals) from Easy Street and Goodfoot, Bill March (bass and vocals) from Beau Coup, Rik Williger (keyboards) from Jonah Koslen and The Gentlemen Rockers, and Van Eidom (drums) from Taxi and Easy Street.
At 9:00pm the lights dimmed and the band walked out to the stage and then a roar went up as Jonah came out and strapped on his guitar. I’ve listened to the album so many times in the 33 years since it came out I was waiting for the announcer to say “A warm welcome please for Epic Recording artists….” as the band launched into those familiar opening licks of “Midwest Midnight”. As soon as those opening notes were played I knew all those fears I had were for naught. I looked around the hall and it seemed everyone in the place were moving to the music and singing lyric for lyric with Jonah. After the song Jonah said “welcome to 1976, I feel 25 again” and the crowd did too.
As Jonah and the band went track for track thru Stage Pass you could tell by the reaction of the audience, they were getting more and more into it as well as Jonah. In the beginning he looked a little tight but as the night rolled on Jonah seemed to relax and feel the reaction of the audience. Jonah’s interaction with the audience became infectious. He would ask “do you know the next song?”
and the crowd always did. One of the aspects I especially enjoyed was Jonah telling stories about each song. I like to hear the background of how music is made and his telling of the stories opened up the album to me in a different way that just playing it at home you’ll never get.
As they approached, I’ll call it “track 4 on the album” Jonah made the statement “this should be the last song of the night but I have to play them in order. We knew we had it right when we recorded this” and with the opening notes of "Nothings Gonna Change My Mind" the crowd came to its feet. There were times that Jonah even was drowned out by the audience singing what had to be their favorite song of the night.
As they went thru the album, some of the songs could have been landmines for the band especially on “Pierette” as trying to come close to Danny Pecchio’s voice on the song could have been a disaster but Donny Thompson pulled it off beautifully. A friend of mine, Joe Martin turned after the song and said “that took guts” and he was right. Also on what is my favorite “Michael song” “Movin Right Along” on the original "MS" album is a beautiful song in its own right and on the Stage Pass album the song became really a jam at the end which I never really cared for but tonight I was impressed as they reproduced the jam note for note.
They also interlaced some songs into the middle of the show like “Blue Jean Boy”, “Gypsy Eyes” and as Jonah said “an obvious omission off Stage Pass”, “Ladies Choice”. It left me wondering if these were songs originally left off the album and also what others were left off.
It was fun as Jonah talked and even used some of the same lines off the album especially as he introduced “Rosewood Bitters” as “first song on the first side of the first Michael Stanley album” and the crowd also relayed it word for word.
The show ended with the crowd pleasing “Strike Up The Band” and as every time I have ever heard it played live it turned into a audience participation song as “strike it up, strike it up” became the anthem of the night.
With a heartfelt “I love you guys” Jonah and the band left the stage with a smile on his face and he also left a smile on our faces too.
At 9:00pm the lights dimmed and the band walked out to the stage and then a roar went up as Jonah came out and strapped on his guitar. I’ve listened to the album so many times in the 33 years since it came out I was waiting for the announcer to say “A warm welcome please for Epic Recording artists….” as the band launched into those familiar opening licks of “Midwest Midnight”. As soon as those opening notes were played I knew all those fears I had were for naught. I looked around the hall and it seemed everyone in the place were moving to the music and singing lyric for lyric with Jonah. After the song Jonah said “welcome to 1976, I feel 25 again” and the crowd did too.
As Jonah and the band went track for track thru Stage Pass you could tell by the reaction of the audience, they were getting more and more into it as well as Jonah. In the beginning he looked a little tight but as the night rolled on Jonah seemed to relax and feel the reaction of the audience. Jonah’s interaction with the audience became infectious. He would ask “do you know the next song?”
and the crowd always did. One of the aspects I especially enjoyed was Jonah telling stories about each song. I like to hear the background of how music is made and his telling of the stories opened up the album to me in a different way that just playing it at home you’ll never get. As they approached, I’ll call it “track 4 on the album” Jonah made the statement “this should be the last song of the night but I have to play them in order. We knew we had it right when we recorded this” and with the opening notes of "Nothings Gonna Change My Mind" the crowd came to its feet. There were times that Jonah even was drowned out by the audience singing what had to be their favorite song of the night.
As they went thru the album, some of the songs could have been landmines for the band especially on “Pierette” as trying to come close to Danny Pecchio’s voice on the song could have been a disaster but Donny Thompson pulled it off beautifully. A friend of mine, Joe Martin turned after the song and said “that took guts” and he was right. Also on what is my favorite “Michael song” “Movin Right Along” on the original "MS" album is a beautiful song in its own right and on the Stage Pass album the song became really a jam at the end which I never really cared for but tonight I was impressed as they reproduced the jam note for note.
They also interlaced some songs into the middle of the show like “Blue Jean Boy”, “Gypsy Eyes” and as Jonah said “an obvious omission off Stage Pass”, “Ladies Choice”. It left me wondering if these were songs originally left off the album and also what others were left off.
It was fun as Jonah talked and even used some of the same lines off the album especially as he introduced “Rosewood Bitters” as “first song on the first side of the first Michael Stanley album” and the crowd also relayed it word for word.
The show ended with the crowd pleasing “Strike Up The Band” and as every time I have ever heard it played live it turned into a audience participation song as “strike it up, strike it up” became the anthem of the night.
After the song Jonah told the audience “You Kicked Ass” and the band left the stage, but you knew it wasn’t over. Another highlight of the night was when they came out and cranked it up with Jonah’s hits from his days in Breathless with “Take It Back” and Walk Right In”. As he said earlier, “this should be the last song of the night”, he made it true as he played “Nothings Gonna Change My Mind” again and the crowd acted like it was the only time played that night. They loved it.
With a heartfelt “I love you guys” Jonah and the band left the stage with a smile on his face and he also left a smile on our faces too.
When he plays live, it’s a fun time and you get the feeling even in the dreaded Cleveland winters like you’re sitting on a deck of a bar at Put-N-Bay relaxing with a good friends. Before you know it, he is taking one of his songs like “Pass It On” and singing about everything that is going on in front of him in the bar, if you’re a drunk at the bar, you might become a lyric in his song that night. Songs like “Jazzbo” and “Brand New Arkansas Traveler” play and before you know it your heads bobbing and your hands tapping the table and then of course there is Cleveland’s anthem “Skinny”. How many of you, I’m talking to the guys now, remember the song when it came out and thought man that’s me. Every time you walked into those old bars back then like the Longhorn, Déjà vu, Mothers, Pirates Cove, etc you thought he was talking about you! That’s why even now, 30 years later when he plays it live, everyone in the bar stops what they are doing, sings the lyrics, raises their beers and salutes Cleveland’s poet laureate. You know why, because he’s one of us, the hard working, road warriors that call Cleveland home.
Before the show started I noticed the great rock photographer, Janet Macoska, taking a picture of the stage at the end of my row and sitting two rows behind me. It was important to me to go and say hi as I have admired her work for a long time. Her photos of rock legends can almost make you hear the music thru her lens. Take some time one day and take a look at her work. You won’t regret it.
Little Anthony and the Imperials started the show musically with a melody of their hits “Tears On My Pillow”, “Hurts So Bad”, and “I’m All Right” before the Smokey Robinson walked out to officially induct them into the Hall Of Fame. During one of the Imperials speeches he made a plea “the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is fantastic, keep it here, Please”. (Side Note #2: Why is this being even discussed Rock Hall Foundation? I know that NY feels it should be there because they just opened an annex there and they have hosted the induction ceremonies every year but why would you move to a city that doesn’t even care enough to have a simulcast of this year’s ceremony at their annex because they seem to be pouting, if it’s not in NY they do not want any part of it. The Hall Of Fame is where is should be, Foundation members, we care. Okay enough of my rant back to the story) 
Wanda Jackson was the next inductee and was presented by Roseanne Cash. During the video into of Wanda her advocates Elvis Costello and Bruce and Patty Springsteen talked about her influence and seeing here perform on the video from the 50’s showed she really did know how to rock and she proved it at age 71 as she strapped on her guitar and rocked out with “Mean, Mean Man” and “Let’s Have A Party” 
The screen lowered and the video montage of Bobby Womack was great with the old Soul Train clips and interviews and then out came Ronnie Wood who in his speech you can tell really cares about Bobby Womack and is his friend. The fact that he did it without notes and it came from his heart tells you how he feels. There is a bond between these two men. Having Womack inducted in his hometown made it even more special. When Bobby opened his speech with “It’s great to back home in Cleveland” and his voice started to break, you know how he felt about the honor. Bobby took the stage for his performance and with an acoustic guitar played the great “Across 110th Street” and then Ronnie came out and backed him on the Stones hit written by Bobby “It’s All Over Now”. 
Jeff Beck was next and the place erupted when Jimmy Page came out to present Jeff with his 2nd induction into the Hall Of Fame, the 1st with The Yardbirds and now as a solo artist. Jimmy said that he thought that Jeff was the best solo artist he ever heard. To listen to someone like Jimmy talk about how amazing guitar player Jeff is with his unorthodox style and how he feels about him as an artist is what I knew would get me, the music/guitarist geek in the end. Jeff speech was great and his thanking the people that keep him going and the finger he gave those that didn’t was funny. It was also very cool of Jeff to acknowledge the great Scotty Moore who was in the audience as someone he admired. After his speech Jeff came out on stage with his backing band and launched into “Beck’s Bolero” and give props to the camera people for focusing on his hands during it on the big screens. It was a pleasure to watch this artist play like this, again being the music/guitarist geek. When Jimmy came out the two launched into “Immigrant Song” chills went up my spine. Jimmy Page backing rhythm guitar to Becks leads was a highlight for me. Jeff finished with a rocking “Peter Gunn Theme”. How he plays lead solos like he does with his thumb is mind blowing. 
The night ended with the last inductee and the one the fans in the balcony (as well as my son and myself) seemed to be waiting for, Metallica. The video montage went thru the history of Metallica and what I thought was fitting for them also interlaced footage from the documentary “Some Kind Of Monster” showing the highs and lows of this powerful band. Flea presented them and another great speech from an artist that seemed to really care about the band. When Metallica came up to give their speeches I was on the edge of my seat to see how they would all interact with Jason Newsted but it looked like nothing in the past ever happened and it was one big happy reunion. I was also interested in how they would acknowledge Dave Mustaine and Ron McGovney but no mention of either even though McGovney was in the audience and at the private Metallica party the night before. We all know the tension and feelings in the band throughout the years and it was nice to see they were all shelved in their speeches and they realized that it was a whole group effort to get them to the Hall Of Fame. It was also great that each one shared their thoughts on the late Cliff Burton with Cliff’s father accepting his award. After the speeches the only break into the show came as Metallica got ready to perform. After about a 5 minute wait they came out and blew the roof off with “Master Of Puppets” and “Enter Sandman” with both Newsted and Trujillo playing bass! It was very cool to see them playing the same notes in two totally different styles. (just a thought, maybe on the new tour!, how cool would that be to see the 5 of them together) The music was loud, driving and great.
The finale was something I was waiting for all night, especially with the diverse styles of the inductees but what disappointed me was they did it in two parts. The first finale was Wanda Jackson, Roseanne Cash, Little Anthony and the Imperials, Spooner Oldham, Bobby Womack, Ronnie Wood and Jeff Beck along with Paul Schaffer and the band doing a rockin version of “Jailhouse Rock” The sad part was this was not even included on the television broadcast by Fuse.
