60 Survey for Week Ending 5/19/84 Talent In Action f uovidc* STAX FAMILY REUNION medley with the same vigor they brought to The Fleshtones put on an hour -long set, '84 their current Mercury single, "Freakshow On brightened by rich three -way harmony on "Out The Dance Floor." But by then the concert had Of The Blue" and "So Tired," which managed Mid -South Coliseum boiled down into a one -act bill, and the audi- to interpret the Stax horn sound on guitar. Bill Memphis. Tenn. ence was too tired to dance. Watching from the Milhizer's drumming was ever chunky (one Tickets: $1250 sidelines, a philosophical Wayne Jackson put it suspects he listens to a great deal of Ginger Boxscore best. Said the former Mar -Keys trumpeter: Baker at home), neatly propelling songs like For more than a decade Stax Records was "Stax is dead." LEO SACKS "Hexbreaker," the title tune of the group's re- the blood and guts of Memphis soul. The la- cent album. The following are among the top concert grosses nationwide reported through the survey week. Included are bel's headquarters at 926 E. McLemore Ave. act(s), gross, attendance, capacity of facility, ticket prices, promoter, facility, city, number of shows, number of For a finale, the ever- adventurous Zaremba was a local institution, a source of civic pride sellouts and dates(s). rushed around playing guitar amid the audi- whose heart and roots lay in the church and the WANG CHUNG ence. Someone should tell him that stunt LIBERACE, THE ROCKETTES, DANCING WATERS-$1,655,331, civil rights movement. Stax was the South's & In- House, works much better with a cordless amp. 80,414 (82,236), $25, $22.50, $18.50, $18 $16.50, answer to the slick Motown machine- Souls- The Palace, Los Angeles Radio City Music Hall, New York City, N.Y., fourteen shows, thirteen sell- ETHLIE ANN VARE ville, U.S.A., home of Otis Redding, Sam & Tickets: $10 outs, April 15 -29. Dave, and Booker T. & the MGs. Stax was AL JARREAU -$355,590, 17,000, $22.50, $17.50 & $12.50, In- Wang roots music. Chung opened here April 28 to the THE SUBURBS House, Radio City Music Hall, New York City, N.Y., three sellouts, May 4 -6 roar of a capacity crowd waiting to see the Brit- Now Stax is nothing more than a musical Tuts, Chicago YES -$323,242, 26,479 (32,000), $12.50 & $10.50, Cross Country ish band whose "Dance Hall Days" "Don't Let Concerts, Hartford (Conn.) Civic Center, two shows, May 4 -5. memory. The company compound is a shabby / Tickets: $5 Go" is in the top 10 THE GRATEFUL DEAD -$291,773, 25,962, $11.50 & $10.50, Frank shell of its original grandeur, battered and on the dance /disco chart. J. Russo /John Scher, Civic Center Providence, R.I., two sellouts, April What the 1,500-plus crowd witnessed was a Whether it was the lure of free records for the boarded up in the heart of a tough black neigh- 26 -27. new wave, power pop band that in concert first 100 concertgoers or just plain borhood. When the company closed its doors Suburb - THE PRETENDERS, THE ALARM -$268,863, 17,622, $15.50, In- places more of an emphasis on guitars than the mania that attracted a full house to Tuts April In 1976, most of the label's original artists had House, Radio City Music Hall, New York City, N.Y., three sellouts, May 1 -3 synthesizers that are heavily used on its album moved elsewhere, yet the dream of a reunion 27, the Suburbs' hold on the audience was em- THE SCORPIONS- $233,526, 18,278, $15 & $11, Nederlander, Pa- "Points On The Curve." The is concert was kept alive by a local music band propelled inently apparent. cific Amphitheater, Costa Mesa, Calif., sellout, April 28. booster. by drummer Darren Costin, who made rock - It was the Minneapolis quintet's first appear- YES -$230,224, 18,355, $13.50 & $11.50, Electric Factory Con- steady use of a combination electronic Perhaps it should have stayed a dream. /acous- ance in the Windy City since a sonically disas- certs, The Spectrum, Philadelphia, Pa., sellout, April 30. tic kit. BILLY $201,340, 13,799, $15 & $12.50, Bill Graham Pre- Hampered by poor promotion and the conspic- trous show last December at a north suburban JOEL- sents, May 5. Nick Feldman, who doubled on bass and ballroom unequipped to handle their amplifi- Oakland (Calif.) Coliseum, sellout, uous absences of key Stax contributors, the VAN HALEN, THE VELCROS -$191,025, 14,150, $13.50, Avalon At- keyboards, also gave a solid performance, ers' output -and it was every bit as rewarding production staged April 28 at a half -empty Mid - tractions, Seattle (Wash.) Coliseum, sellout, April 30. though not as flashy as Lead South Coliseum was little more than a bitter- expected. vocal- as the previous stint was disappointing. Every- ist and guitarist Jack Hues a VAN HALEN, THE VELCROS -$173,140 (221,621 Canadian), sweet evocation of a halcyon era. shined with thing from their punched -up background horns 16,327, $13.50, Brimstone Prods., Northlands Coliseum, Edmonton, Al- While strong, hard-edged rock'n'roll voice. to Beej Chaney's and Chan Poling's inter- a backup band led by Marvell Thomas berta, sellout, April 28. Although the set was relatively short, the locked, slightly menacing vocals sounded and consisting of such Stax alumni as Steve VAN HALEN, THE VELCROS- $162,080 (207,463 Canadian), band was generally received. Cropper, Duck Dunn, Wayne Jackson, Andrew well Still, the crisply formidable. 15,500, $15.50, Brimstone Productions, Olympic Saddledome, Calgary, quality of the group's live performance Love, Floyd Newman, Jack Hale and Ben Cau- doesn't The Suburbs showcased much of "Love Is Alberta, sellout, April 27. match their work, witnessed ley was tight and idiomatically perfect, the fea- studio as by their The Law," their first major league album VAN HALEN, THE VELCROS- $162,080 (207,463 Canadian), 12 -inch and album. tured soloists sang tentatively at best. Here (they've put out nearly a dozen independent re- 15,330, $13.50, Brimstone Productions, Olympic Saddledome, Calgary, The evening reached a and there, a vocalist caught the ear: Mavis Sta- crescendo with leases), including the raucous thigh -slapper Alberta, sellout -house record, April 27. "Dance Hall Days." the VAN HALEN, THE VELCROS- 11,626, $13.50, Beaver Pro- ples sang a robust "Respect Yourself" and "I'll But crowd's enthusi- "Rattle My Bones" and the pensive "Rainy $156,951, asm dissipated with the ductions, Idaho State Univ. Mini -Dome, Pocatello, Idaho, sellout, May 5. Take You There" with the Staple Singers; encore, an emulation Day." Both songs exhibited the group's f irst- DAN FOGELBERG- $155,353, 10,972 (14,439), $15 & $12.50, of the Talking Heads' hit rendition of Al Green's rate musicianship and skewed sense of pop Johnnie Taylor swiveled to an energized Schon Promotions, The Met Center, Minneapolis, Minn., May 5. "Take Me To The River." The trio was "Who's Making Love;" Albert King played and joined songwriting. Their quirkiness thankfully hasn't by Grhem Pleeth JOHN DENVER 10,384 sang gutbucket blues; Carla Thomas sounded on keyboards. abated since the group signed with Mercury, -$155,157, (12,500), $15 & $12.50, Frank J. Russo, The Centrum, Worcester, Mass., April 14. FAYE ZUCKERMAN but they have managed to make their charged - as innocent and cheerful performing "Gee VAN HALEN, THE VELCROS -$152,539 (195,250 Canadian), up, idiosyncratic compositions a tad more pal- Whiz" and "B- A -B -Y" as she did 20 years ago, 14,463, $13.50, Avalon Attractions, Dive Coliseum, Vancouver, B.C., atable to the uninitiated ear. preceding her 67- year -old father, Rufus, FLESHTONES sellout, May 1. The Suburbs' visual image, too -stylish but whose loose- jointed steps, sequined costume The Palace, Los Angeles VAN HALEN, THE VELCROS-$151,801 (194,306 Canadian), not off- puttingly so- provided a useful lesson and booming voice were simply galvanic. Tickets: $8.50 13,878, $14, Brimstone Productions, Winnipeg (Canada) Arena, sellout, Other parts of the program, however, failed for some of Chicago's own overly fashion -con- April 25. scious homegrown bands. All in all, the Sub- VAN HALEN, THE VELCROS-$138,938, 11,115, $12.50, Avalon At- to generatè the intensity that should have made New York's Fleshtones have been together urbs are what you call a class act. tractions, Portland (Ore.) Coliseum, sellout, May 2. the show a wholly contemporary experience. since 1976, but the manages quintet still to YES -$135,416, 11,015 (12,100), $12.50 & $11.50, Frank J. Rus- Luther Ingram, William Bell, Jean Knight and MOIRA McCORMICK sound like they only learned to end the song all so, Civic Center, Providence, R.I., May 6. the Temprees were professional but unexcit- at the same time last Wednesday. To these CULTURE CLUB, THE KILLER WHALES-$128,587, 10,287, $12.50, ing; Eddie Floyd was but not perform. JIMMY & THE MUSTANGS billed did guys, "garage" is a compliment and "hook" is Beach Club Concerts, Charlotte (N.C.) Coliseum, sellout, April 19.. The most prominent no -show was keyboardist BEAT FARMERS a dirty word. And there were at least a few hun- ANNE MURRAY -$121,326, 10,051, $12.50 & $10.50, Frank J. Rus- Booker T. Jones. Also missing were J. Black- dred Angelenos who agreed with them the Music Machine, Los Angeles so, The Centrum, Worcester, Mass., sellout, April 29.