The Great Speckled Bird Feb. 22, 1971 Vol. 4 #8 pg. 12-13
Captain Beefheart at The Sports Arena
A Tuesday and Wednesday came and went. and sometime during that Wednesday everyone concerned started holding their breath because almost everyone said, Beefheart just doesn’t show for his concerts.” But Thursday came with ice and fog and no airplanes landing. Reprise/Warner said, “Monday for sure.” So again we waited with that apprehensive anticipation. The Gate was receiving calls from three states away that Monday, people making sure before making that long drive again.
About 4 pm, I went over to the Arena to see what was going down and saw Ry Cooder come in, which was reassuring as I figured that he and the Magic Band were at least traveling in conjunction if not together. I left for food and inspiration, returning around seven-thirty as Booger’s equipment was being set up. Joel began testing his drums and making adjustments, Will checked his sound, turning knobs and checking wires here and there, testing with Booger riffs and somehow passing from the test stage into full song without my noticing the transition. The people were suddenly warm as the stage opened with Will and Joel’s music. Joel moving like a machine over his drums, tight and precise, carrying the music with a balanced consistency. Will’s left hand dancing across his key bass, driving a solid bottom to the blends while his right was building keyboard electric sounds so individual and absolute. Booger music is set aside from the Atlanta movement of music in its direction and pure sensitivity, and this was a real lift to get the concert off.
The crowd cooled down for the break, milling and smoking while equipment shifts were enacted. Ry Cooder was next backed by a four-piece gathering. Cooder didn’t get fully involved in the music because of the bum sound of the P.A. system, a pieced-together conglomeration nobly loaned by local bands. The set was generally down but I observed that Cooder is far better than his album and that night’s performance. His voice is more flexible and a great deal more sensitive than illustrated on the album, his instrumentation lives up to his professional reputation. But he wasn’t up to bringing his audience up except for one sweet Sleepy John blues, smooth and easy with just Ry and his mandolin. Joe Roman leaned over and said, “It’s really weird that it takes a Californian to remind us of our roots.”
Finally,.the Magic Band was due and everyone was eager for that instant of projection. Cheers and cries of “the blimp” rose as the famous top hat came from behind the amps. The Captain smiled, looking about as he plugged in his horn. Ed Marimba (Art Tripp III, of the late Mothers) walked to stage front with a sort of slapstick in his hand, zapping people with a friction ray gun from his hip pocket. Soon Drumbo joined him and together they phased through some calm but absurd theatrics that led to their respective instruments. The music began with drumsticks and plastic-tipped hammers. Captain Beefheart sitting by his wife Jan and smiling. Rhythms at the start soon coupled with Rockette Morton and Zoot Horn Rollo coming forth and the whole place is active sound, strong and basic. Rockette playing hard bass and dancing around. Rollo’s guitar like streams of colored smoke from jets. And everyone feels it as the Captain sucks in and breaks loose his bass clarinet, comes to the front of the stage and jams the horn over the mike. Sound, noise, music, a teleprompter overture of crazy color-lights that I cannot describe nor have the credits to review. Hampton said that they were three hundred per- cent better in Cincinnati—1 don’t know if I could survive that but I’d like to try. Beefheart limited his vocals due to that P.A., and only played harp once. The Gate cleared less than $200, so the concert wasn’t much of a material success’, but it was one of the strongest contributions to our music thus far. There are rumors of future Gate concerts featuring Reprise/Warner artists, which is a truly fine list to work with. I’d like to see Little Feat return to our city, as well as Jethro Tull, Van Morrison, the Dead, Tim Buckley, the Kinks, Fleet- wood Mac, Pentangle, Arlo, Doug Kershaw, Alice Cooper, Frank and the New Mothers, or the great Taj Mahal, who is new to Reprise.
—uncle tom