In my last piece, I posted a sweet shot off Dockweiler Beach - sunset and the rolling waves.
It’s the beautiful metaphor for so many things in life, and a big part of the ending of “The Good Place,” which I finished a fresh viewing of earlier this week. One of the characters named Chidi, a Professor of Moral Philosophy, talks about life and death while invoking Buddhist teachings.
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“Picture a wave in the ocean. You can see it, measure it — its height, the way the sunlight refracts when it passes through. It’s there and you can see it and you know what it is. It’s a wave. And then it crashes on the shore, and it’s gone. But the water is still there. The wave was just a different way for the water to be, for a little while. That’s one conception of death for a Buddhist. The wave returns to the ocean — where it came from, and where it’s supposed to be.”
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With that quote and quiet time on the beach as the backdrop, so much of the past week wove together for me. I took a couple days away from the radio show to get the mind and body right and gather some data points together ahead of the NFL marathon. I probably slept more than I should have, thereby leaving a number of things undone, but the cries of a sleep-deprived body were finally heard.
The concert gods gave me a date with Guns N’ Roses at the beautiful Banc of California Stadium. Now, I’ve been adamant about the need to celebrate those meaningful artists on the proverbial soundtrack of your life. At this point, the checklist of “Seeing favorite artists LIVE” is littered with marks, and I’ve been blessed to see a couple wicked GNR shows through the years. So, I thought of skipping it. But my daughter put it best. “Crazy year, and these guys fought a long time.”
I found a ticket and made my way to the stadium. Mammoth WVH, Wolfgang Van Halen’s band, had begun their set when I arrived. Here’s a sample of their work - “Don’t Back Down”
After a brief pause - no, seriously - GNR hit the stage just before 8pm. The mini-movie on the screen delivered Duff McKagan’s unmistakable bass line from “It’s So Easy,” and that was it. I was in a perfect space for the next three hours. Songs spanning some 35 years came at me in waves, and happily, I could pass any mental acuity test tied to lyric retention. The setlist included a bevy of gems, from “Appetite” through “Chinese Democracy,” with a couple turns into covers like “Wichita Lineman” and “The Seeker.”
Axl even joked about the release of a new song, “Absurd,” that’s charted well. He essentially said, “No! Really! New music!”
I could have cleaned up on bar bets with some of the fans around me if we’d wagered on which song would flow out of a Slash lick. Again, decent ear and memory - just wished I’d learned to play. But that’s a lamentation/project for a future date.
As we hit the finale of “Paradise City,” there was only one word to describe the crowd and the band. Joyful. The band smiled through the set - I can only imagine what was on those signs or the view at the front of the stage - and played a raucous three-hour set. I mention that again because, well, that ain’t the norm in today’s marketplace, and we were all the better for the deep list.
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That ties to the sad news out of the rock world that came down on Tuesday. Lifetime Stones drummer Charlie Watts died at the agent 80. It had been previously announced that he wouldn’t be joining the Stones on tour this fall (we have our seats for October 17th), but fans held out hope for his recovery.
The tributes were plentiful from his contemporaries and those influenced. Most included a nod to his style - dress and playing - as “Cool.” Watts was a jazz drummer in the greatest Rock N’ Roll band in the world. Read any tribute to him from rock journalists and fans and there’s destined to be a note about being the cool player among the theatrics of the great “Rock N’ Roll Circus.”
My brother texted me the classic John Hiatt track “Slow Turning” after hearing the news.
“Now I'm in my car
I got the radio on
I'm yellin' at the kids in the back seat
'Cause they're bangin' like Charlie Watts”
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I’d already immersed myself in the Stones deep tracks ahead of the October date, but this news just made me hear it differently. Pick a tune from any Stones era and focus on the beat. Just listen to a couple tracks off of “Steel Wheels,” and Watts’ drumming sets it all. And that ties us back to GNR. GNR had several high-profile shows in Los Angeles opening for The Rolling Stones in 1989 as the “Steel Wheels” tour got underway.
Colin Hay posted to his Facebook account in tribute: “I think the universe skipped a beat yesterday, looked back and realized, sadly, that it had to carry on. RIP CW”
Keith Richards displayed a “CLOSED” sign over Watts’ drum kit.
I’ll be sorry to have only seen him perform live briefly, years ago in Las Vegas, before I lost consciousness and found myself in a medical facility. Guess I’ll have to wait for the Great Gig In The Sky.
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The Stones made news a couple times during the pandemic. The song “Living In A Ghost Town” became a top-10 hit. And then there was the famous Together At Home concert to bring awareness and funds toward healthcare workers. The Stones contributed a version of “You Can’t Always Get What You Want,” and Charlie went viral. Check out the video — he just exudes coolness.
