Three weeks later and it still feels like a fever dream. Not quite Baz Luhrmann territory but close. And it was all real.
(***The Montreal music community is mourning the loss of Mark Goodwin, longtime lead singer-songwriter-guitarist-producer of Punching Weasel/Lazarus Moan/L’il Buck and so many other projects through the years. A full memorial for Mark will appear in the film version of this event. In the meantime please enjoy the beautiful photos of Mark’s final performance(s) courtesy of Eva Blue. Heartbreaking yet heartwarming knowing how much he enjoyed himself on this night – Mitch December 25, 2023***)
About one third of the way through the Bowie-penned Mott The Hoople anthem ‘All The Young Dudes’ – which the combination of the house band The Gongs plus Paul Cargnello & TJ Plenty and all the backup singers made sound utterly thrilling (the first time I had heard the song performed live since Bowie’s Reality Tour hit the Bell Centre in 2003) – I blacked out. Without getting too graphic I also scared the crap out of a few people who were standing next to me. Thankfully Lucas Tomalty caught me before I fell off a stool (a cold sweat finally sent me looking for a seat) while my girlfriend did her best to keep her arms around my waist. Rubin Fogel – thoroughly enjoying the night as a fan (like over 600 others) was spooked enough to call 911. When I came to the music still sounded glorious as I looked up and saw Jaye’s beautiful face so I kissed her on the cheek while I heard Lucas repeat “dude” so often I thought he was singing along to the chorus. They both told me what had happened but all I felt was dehydrated and in desperate need of water. By then, house security, Rubin, and a 911 responder were all offering bottles of water and moments later I felt so much better. Even as somebody mentioned the possibility of a stroke. Yes, rock ‘n roll can be a vicious game. But I knew better – and should have known better.
I didn’t think there was way too much alcohol considering it was a six hour window of sipping not slurping but on an empty stomach and not nearly enough water and way too much variety no matter the high quality (bourbon, whiskey, scotch & beer) I was an accident waiting to happen. Or, to put it another way, a typical hour in a typical Hunter S. Thompson work day circa 1974. I didn’t feel a thing – until I started to sweat – just around midnight.
I really was ok – enough to at least welcome some friends and artists to the after party at Pub Burgundy Lion at about 1 AM. The rest of the weekend was quiet but halfway through my radio show on Monday it felt like my head was in a vice and I knew I was moving into phase two of a total body crash that was morphing into Covid. I was hardly alone among the concert staff and musicians kayoed for the week by the virus.
But it was all worth it – during the nearly 5 hours of non-stop live music – to see and hear so much joy and the immediate reaction and feedback from so many friends and strangers. Thank you to all who attended.
Thanks always to our sponsors who help lighten the considerable financial load – Ghislain Arsenault of Truck’NRoll, Paul Desbaillets and the Burgundy Lion Group, Lorne Rubin of Paramount Financial Services, Leam Venafro, James Robinson & Dave Smith of Audio Centre Ouest and Lucy Lentini from Totem Acoustic.
Rob MacDonald – as he did for the Bob Dylan 80th Birthday Bash benefit for Montreal musicians at Club Soda two years earlier – assembled an ace house band that sounded like they had been playing these glam era tunes all their lives.
These shows would not be possible without the calming efforts and good cheer of stage director Steve Traynor plus Jay Farrar (pressed into the unexpected role of MC), Alex Robertson, Leonard Yelle, and the entire Club Soda staff especially Marie-Eve Bouchard, Veronique Ouellette, Olivier Ouimet, Tristan McKenzie (sound), Guy Raymond (stage sound) & Arno Brosseau-Lorion (lights).
Thanks always to Shane Murphy and Alex Petraki for again starting from scratch and ending with the perfect visual(s) to get us going. And Shane on stage? On this night he was a rock ‘n roll animal.
Everybody played and sang their asses off but I do want to single out a few artists including the ones I forced some tunes onto starting with Jasmine Bleile for taking on a not so obvious Suzi Quatro song. The entire glam movement was a blurring of the lines between male and female sexuality but it was in fact largely male driven. Suzi Quatro was a rare exception. Others considered her songs but Jasmine actually wanted to dig in. Next level from that era but still way under appreciated is Ian Hunter whose impressive solo career (post Mott The Hoople) continues to this day well into his 80’s (his latest – Defiance Part 1 features 10 bloody great tunes with guests that included Jeff Beck and Taylor Hawkins). Thanks to Bilal Butt (always a highlight) for adding one of my favourite Hunter tunes to his set. Bilal’s CHOM teammate Hal Jaques from Mountain Dust might have been leaning in another direction but I wanted a couple of harder edged T.Rex songs included and what Hal and the band did was set an early perfect tone that led directly into yet another exciting effort by The Special Guestz. I never really know where Howard Bilerman is going to go but as a fellow music nerd it’s always comforting to hear the first few notes of his 15-20 minute set/history lesson no matter who he puts together. In this instance his group included a pair of first-timers including a teenage guitarist with an uncanny resemblance to what Marc Bolan might have looked like at age 17. Jason Rockman once again assumed full frontman status but this time brought along some indie friends including members of Kamal Glider and the versatile Jason Kent. This was high octane rock especially for the Iggy/Stooges/Velvet Underground crowd and of course Jason could not be denied saluting KISS for the second time in a week. TJ Plenty & Paul Remington of the Asexuals were back – along with Paul’s son Alex on bass – but augmented by two key members of the Tina Trons. So in essence, we had three Montreal indie super groups on the same stage. And they all smoked it. Also want to thank The Sunset Drip for having the giant cymbals to take on the Ziggy era opus Width of a Circle (Mick Ronson is another overlooked giant of the era), which they actually requested.
It was cool to finally meet Santo Romano whom I remember from his Crawdaddy (with Rob MacDonald) days. Santo nailed in presence and sound two absolute must-have’s that others had passed on. It was cool to have a Montreal glam band that started in the 80s – Playhouse – cover a vital Montreal band from the early 70s (by way of California) – The Wackers. Thanks so much to the electrifying Dawn Tyler Watson who veered outside her comfort zone to salute Little Richard who started, well, everything – not just glam. Thanks as well to Alec McElcheran who zipped over from a sold out show with Steve Hill in Dorval to make it in plenty of time for our final set of classics. And we didn’t know for certain that The Damn Truth would be able to bring home the regular portion of the show until the day before. They came in late after another successful run through England but then Lee-la Baum’s dad Gerry suffered a major heart attack followed by quadruple bypass surgery. It was touch and go for a few days but thankfully Gerry pulled through and those newer English fans will especially love the group’s take on the all-time Kinks’ classic Lola that I had all bit given up on seeing/hearing.
The night eventually came to a delayed an unplanned end after it was clear that the diehards didn’t want to leave. So I must thank Jay Farrar a second time for coaxing one last tune out of yet another first and one-time only Montreal collaboration headed up by Shane Murphy.
A couple of more (short) stories from the glam era coming in the film version of the event by James Correa (who has already been fined for the upcoming post production kangaroo court session for missing his own songs!) but in the meantime enjoy this stunning album by Eva Blue from the well over 700 photos she took from the night when I might have checked out to spend a few minutes in rock and roll heaven. Where everybody looked and sounded sensational.
BANG A GONG MONTREAL – A Celebration of the Glam Rock era
Friday November 24, 2023
Club Soda
SET LIST
1. HOT LOVE – T.REX (Marc Bolan – vocals & guitar, Mickey Finn – percussion, Steve Currie – bass, Bill Legend – drums) (Electric Warrior album 1971) Video From BBC-TV show Tops of the Pops March 1971 – Widely considered the pivotal moment in glam rock history.
House Band THE GONGS: ROB MacDONALD (guitar), CHAZ COATS-BUTCHER (bass & vocals), IAN BENHAMOU (keys, piano, acoustic & electric guitar, mellotron, vocals), DAN LEGAULT (drums) plus MARC LECLERC (alto sax) & KAVEN JALBERT (baritone sax)
2. CHANGES (Bowie -Hunky Dory 1971) – The Gongs feat Coats-Butcher lead vocal
3. CUM on FEEL the NOIZE (Slade – Sladest 1973) – The Gongs feat Coats-Butcher lead vocal
4. DON’T STOP ME NOW (Queen – Jazz 1978) – James Correa w/ The Gongs plus Felicity Hamer & Jasmine Bleile backup vocals
5. SOUND & VISION (Bowie – Low 1977) – James Correa w/ The Gongs plus Felicity Hamer & Jasmine Bleile backup vocals
6. BUICK MacKANE (T.Rex – The Slider 1972) – Hal Jaques (vocals & guitar) w/ The Gongs
THE SPECIAL GUESTZ (Howard Bilerman – drums, Prudence Gendron – bass & vocals, Ky Brooks – keys & vocals, Lisa Iwanycki Moore – keytar & vocals, Eddie Holland – guitar & backup vocals)
7. 20th CENTURY BOY (T.Rex – 1973 single) – Prudence Gendron lead vocal
8. BAD REPUTATION (Joan Jett – Bad Reputation 1980) – Lisa Iwanycki Moore lead vocal
9. CHERRY BOMB (The Runaways – The Runaways 1976) – Ky Brooks lead vocal
10. ZIGGY STARDUST (David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars – 1972) – Prudence Gendron lead vocal
11. SURRENDER (Cheap Trick – Heaven Tonight (studio) – 1978/Cheap Trick at Budokan (live) – 1979 – Prudence Gendron lead vocal
STEVE CREEP & THE WILDCARDS (Steve Creep – guitar & vocals, Scott Mitchell – bass & vocals, Paul DiSessa – guitar & vocals, Will Laurin – drums)
12. SHOUT IT OUT LOUD (KISS – Destroyer 1976) – Steve Creep & Scott Mitchell – vocals
13. SPACE ODDITY (Bowie – Space Oddity 1969) – Steve Creep & Scott Mitchell – vocals plus Felicity Hamer – backup vocal & Ian Benhamou – Mellotron & orchestral keys
14. TIE YOUR MOTHER DOWN (Queen – A Day at the Races 1976) – Steve Creep – lead vocal
15. KILLER QUEEN (Queen – Bohemian Rhapsody 1974) – Jasmine Bleile w/ The Gongs & Felicity Hamer (backup vocals)
16. YOUR MAMA WON’T LIKE ME (Suzi Quatro – Your Mama Won’t Like Me 1975) – Jasmine Bleile w/ The Gongs & Felicity Hamer (backup vocals)
17. LIFE ON MARS? (David Bowie – Hunky Dory 1971) – Felicity Hamer w/ The Gongs & Jasmine Bleile (backup vocals)
18. THE BALLROOM BLITZ (Sweet – Desolation Boulevard 1974) – Felicity Hamer w/ The Gongs & Jasmine Bleile (backup vocals)
19. IT’S ONLY ROCK ‘n ROLL (BUT I LIKE IT) (The Rolling Stones – It’s Only Rock ‘n Roll – 1974) – Santo Romano w/ The Gongs & Jasmine Bleile, Felicity Hamer (backup vocals)
THE SUNSET DRIP (Mick Moss – vocals & bass, Brando Gear – guitar & vocals, Michel Paradis – drums)
20. STONE COLD CRAZY (Queen – Sheer Heart Attack 1974)
21. THE WIDTH of a CIRCLE (Bowie – The Man Who Sold the World 1970)
PLAYHOUSE (Peter Cat – vocals, KK – guitar, Victoria Turner – bass, Eric Westergard – guitar, Natasha Giguère – drums)
22. HEY LAWDY LAWDY (The Wackers – Shredder 1972)
PUNCHING WEASEL (Mark Goodwin – vocals & guitar, Gavin Marshall – bass, RD Harris – drums)
23. VIRGINIA PLAIN (Roxy Music – Breaking the Waves 1972)
24. I’M EIGHTEEN (Alice Cooper – Love it ti Death 1971)
TJ PLENTY (Asexuals) – Vocals & guitar, Paul REMINGTON (Asexuals) – drums, Alex Remington – bass, Nilia Berkin (Tina Trons) – backup vocals, Lorraine Muller (Tina Trons) – backup vocals, Rob MacDonald – guitar & Jeff Louch – keys
25. BE MY LOVER (Alice Cooper – Killer 1971)
26. FOX on the RUN (Sweet – Desolation Boulevard 1974)
27. ROCK ‘n ROLL SUICIDE (Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars 1972) – Bilal Butt w/ The Gongs
28. JUST ANOTHER NIGHT (Ian Hunter – You’re Never Alone with a Schizophrenic 1979) – Bilal Butt w/ The Gongs
29. THE BITCH IS BACK (Elton John – Caribou 1974) – Bilal Butt w/ The Gongs
30. PERFECT DAY (Lou Reed – Transformer 1972) – Jason Bajada w/ The Gongs
31. THE PASSENGER (Iggy Pop – Lust for Life 1977) – Jason Bajada w/ The Gongs
Jason Rockman (Slaves On Dope) – vocals , Susil Sharma (Karma Glider) – guitar & vocals, Charlie Neufeld (Karma Glider) – bass, Carl St. Louis (Easy Tiger) – drums, Jason Kent – guitar
32. Strutter (KISS – KISS 1974) – Jason Rockman – lead vocal
33. Rock & Roll (The Velvet Underground – Loaded 1970) – Susil Sharma – lead vocal
34. Raw Power (The Stooges – Raw Power 1973) – Rockman lead vocal
35. Search & Destroy (The Stooges – Raw Power 1973) – Rockman lead vocal
36. LITTLE RICHARD MEDLEY (Lucille, Good Golly Miss Molly, Tutti Fruity, Rip it Up) (Little Richard 1958/Here’s Little Richard 1957) – Dawn Tyler Watson – vocals w/ The Gongs (Rob MacDonald – guitar, Dan Lagault – drums, Chaz Coats-Butcher – bass & backup vocals) plus John Sadowy – piano
37. I PUT a SPELL on YOU (Screamin’ Jay Hawkins – At Home with Screamin’ Jay Hawkins 1956) – Dawn Tyler Watson – vocal w/ The Gongs (John Sadowy – piano)
38. PURPLE HAZE (Jimi Hendrix – Are You Experienced 1967/Dawn Tyler Watson aka Dawn Tyler Blues Project – Ten Dollar Dress 2001) – Dawn Tyler Watson – vocal w/ The Gongs (John Sadowy – piano)
PAUL CARGNELLO & THE TRUTH (Paul Cargnello – lead vocals & guitar, James Challenger – bass & vocals, Frantz Calestin – drums plus Brando Gear – guitar, Jasmine Bleile & Felicity Hamer – backup vocals & Lewis Handford – percussion)
39. CHILDREN of the REVOLUTION (T.Rex – 1972 single)
40. SUPER STUPID (Funkadelic – Maggot Brain 1971)
41. SUFFRAGETTE CITY (David Bowie – The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars 1972)
SHANE MURPHY BAND (Shane Murphy – vocals & guitar, Tony Lombardi – bass, Tony Albino – drums, Jeff Louch – keys & backup vocals) plus Ian Benhamou – piano (Young Americans) & keys (Do Ya Think I’m Sexy) & Felicity Hamer, Jasmine Bleile, Nilia Berkin, Lorraine Muller & Dawn Tyler Watson – backup vocals (Young Americans)
42. SWEET JANE (Lou Reed – live version Rock ‘n’ Roll Animal 1974)
43. YOUNG AMERICANS (Bowie – Young Americans 1975)
44. I WANT TO BREAK FREE (Queen – The Works 1984)
45. DO YA THINK I’M SEXY (Rod Stewart – Blondes Have More Fun 1978)
THE DAMN TRUTH (Lee-la Baum – lead vocals, acoustic guitar & tambourine, Tom Shemmer – guitar & vocals, PY Letellier – bass & vocals, Dave Traina – drums & vocals) plus Jasmine Bleile, Felicity Hamer, Nilia Berkin & Lorraine Muller – backup vocals plus Ian Benhamou – piano (Lola)
46. LOLA (The Kinks – Lola Versus Powerman and the Moneyground, Part One 1970)
47. ROCK and ROLL ALL NIGHT (KISS – Dressed to Kill 1975)
FINALE
48. SCHOOL’S OUT (Alice Cooper – School’s Out 1972) – Mick Moss – lead vocal w/ The Gongs
49. THE JEAN GENIE (David Bowie – Aladdin Sane 1973) – Santo Romano – lead vocal & harmonica w/ The Gongs plus Nilia Berkin & Lorraine Muller – backup vocals
50. I WANNA BE YOUR DOG (The Stooges – The Stooges 1969) – Alec McElcheran – lead vocal w/ The Gongs
51. WALK on the WILD SIDE (Lou Reed – Transformer 1972) – Alec McElcheran – 1st vocal, Annakin Slayd – 2nd vocal w/ The Gongs plus Felicity Hamer, Jasmine Bleile, Nilia Berkin & Lorraine Muller – backup vocals
52. BANG A GONG (GET it ON) (T.Rex – Electric Warrior 1971) – Jason Bajada – lead vocal w/ The Gongs plus Felicity Hamer, Jasmine Bleile, Nilia Berkin, Lorraine Muller – backup vocals & Lewis Handford – percussion
53. ALL THE YOUNG DUDES (Mott The Hoople – All The Young Dudes 1972) – Paul Cargnello – 1st vocal & tambourine, TJ Plenty – 2nd vocal & guitar w/ The Gongs plus Alec McElcheran, Felicity Hamer, Jasmine Bleile, Lorraine Muller, Dawn Tyler Watson, Mark Goodwin, Santo Romano – backup vocals, Nilia Berkin – backup vocals & tambourine, Lewis Handford – percussion
54. REBEL, REBEL (David Bowie – Diamond Dogs 1974) – Shane Murphy – lead vocal & guitar w/Chaz Coats-Butcher – bass & vocals, Dan Legault – drums, TJ Plenty – guitar & vocals Alec McElcheran – guitar & vocals, Jeff Louch – keys, Lewis Handford – percussion & Felicity Hamer, Jasmine Bleile, Nilia Berkin, Lorraine Muller, Mark Goodwin, Dawn Tyler Watson, Bilal Butt, Santo Romano & Mick Moss – backup vocals
55. CARMELITA (Warren Zevon – Warren Zevon 1976) – Shane Murphy – vocal & guitar, Alec McElcheran – bass, Jeff Louch – keys, Lewis Handford – drums
