ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON JULY 26, 1990 By Steve Newton As far as arena spectacles go, Sunday's (July 22) Stevie Ray Vaughan/Joe Cocker double-bill was pretty lame. No huge banks of lights, fancy lasers, or explosions. But there didn't need to be. Those who laid down bucks for the Coliseum show got their money back in … Continue reading Stevie Ray Vaughan says “it’s good to be alive with you” at his final Vancouver show, five weeks before the crash
Tag: Pacific Coliseum
Hole’s Eric Erlandson gets pissy if you mistake Billy Corgan’s guitar for his
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON FEB. 25, 1999 By Steve Newton When Eric Erlandson cofounded Hole with Courtney Love in L.A. 10 years ago, the two rockers had one simple aim in mind. As Erlandson explains on the phone from his L.A. home, they just wanted to be a “big, huge rock band”—but only if they could … Continue reading Hole’s Eric Erlandson gets pissy if you mistake Billy Corgan’s guitar for his
The Doors box set documents the band in all its unrefined glory
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED IN THE GEORGIA STRAIGHT, DEC. 11, 1997 By Steve Newton This four-disc package of Doors material, spanning the years 1965 to ’71, favours previously unreleased live tracks and demo recordings over studio-polished hits, and documents the band in all its eccentric, unrefined, and—with tunes that pass the 18-minute mark—excessive glory. Its mix of … Continue reading The Doors box set documents the band in all its unrefined glory
Spine-tingling guitar solos light up Lynyrd Skynyrd’s first-ever Vancouver show
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 4, 1997 By Steve Newton Those ’70s-rock fans sure are a devoted bunch. Even if one of their fave old bands hasn’t produced a hit in two decades, they’ll stick with it and flock to its concerts to hold Bic lighters on high and relive the halcyon days of 8-tracks, mag … Continue reading Spine-tingling guitar solos light up Lynyrd Skynyrd’s first-ever Vancouver show
That time at Aerosmith in Vancouver when Joey Kramer’s hallowed drumstick got snatched away
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 30, 1997 By Steve Newton At the climax of Aerosmith’s two-hour-plus concert at the Coliseum last Saturday (October 25), muscular skin-basher Joey Kramer emerged from behind his rotating drum kit, trotted to the front of the stage, and jubilantly hurled one of his drumsticks into the roaring, near-capacity crowd. Seeing as … Continue reading That time at Aerosmith in Vancouver when Joey Kramer’s hallowed drumstick got snatched away
“Hi, this is Matthew Good, and you’re listening to…what are those call letters again?”
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON OCT. 23, 1997 By Steve Newton Inside the False Creek offices of A&M Records, a scrawny young guy is struggling to record a promotional sound bite over the phone for a Prince George radio station. “Hi, this is Matthew Good, and you’re listening to…what are those call letters again?” After a couple … Continue reading “Hi, this is Matthew Good, and you’re listening to…what are those call letters again?”
Gord Downie sinks the cue ball after the Hip gets a hero’s welcome on the Trouble at the Henhouse tour
kevin statham photo ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON NOV. 14, 1996 By Steve Newton At a private party in Yaletown last Friday (November 8), after the first of three Tragically Hip shows at the Pacific Coliseum, vocalist Gordon Downie leaned determinedly over a pool table to set up what he hoped would be a game-winning shot. He … Continue reading Gord Downie sinks the cue ball after the Hip gets a hero’s welcome on the Trouble at the Henhouse tour
That wild ’70s weekend when Kiss brought the glam and the Pistols brought the punk
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON SEPT. 5, 1996 By Steve Newton The Rocket really nailed it. The Seattle music paper’s latest cover sports hilarious caricatures of Kiss’s Gene Simmons and the Sex Pistols’ Johnny “Rotten” Lydon, under the headline “Geezers of Rock”. A prune-faced Lydon is depicted with bloodshot eyes, slobbering all over himself, wearing a button … Continue reading That wild ’70s weekend when Kiss brought the glam and the Pistols brought the punk
The Scorpions and Alice Cooper bring melodic ’70s-style hard-rock to Vancouver
The Scorps delivered melodic ’70s-style rock that made me want to go searching in a Surrey junkyard for my ’66 Polara with the mag wheels.
Ex-Cars guitarist Elliot Easton denies going mercenary for Fogerty-less CCR
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON MAY 2, 1996 By Steve Newton When a band calling itself Creedence Clearwater Revisited comes to the Pacific Coliseum on Friday (May 3), former Creedence Clearwater Revival leader John Fogerty will not be along for the ride. The lifeblood of the original CCR had been drained during a vicious court battle in … Continue reading Ex-Cars guitarist Elliot Easton denies going mercenary for Fogerty-less CCR
Chili Peppers bass god Flea won’t answer to Mr. Ugly Stinky
ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED ON APRIL 11, 1996 By Steve Newton That Flea guy is a real character. For my phone interview with the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ wildman bassist, I was instructed to call and ask for Mr. Ugly Stupid, the moniker Flea goes by when he’s on the road. But I started feeling a tad … Continue reading Chili Peppers bass god Flea won’t answer to Mr. Ugly Stinky
Metallica’s young guns of sonic mayhem slay Vancouver on the …And Justice for All Tour
The Pacific Coliseum may as well have been a Roman coliseum last Wednesday because things got as uncivilized as they've ever been there.
Alex Van Halen on Hagar and Roth, the magic of Eddie, and finding Balance with Bruce Fairbairn
Sometimes it seems as if there are two kinds of people in the world: David Lee Roth folks and Sammy Hagar folks.