They were back in town this weekend for a couple of shows. Still as great as ever.
While I was doing a photo shoot with Chris before the show we were reminiscing about the first time we met, when their first album had just come out, as he had just received a call from our mutual friend Keith Van Horne, offensive lineman for the 1985 Super Bowl Bears. He was heading toward the show, and needed a couple of chairs on the side of the stage, because he was recovering from major surgery. Chris reminded me that when I went to photograph them that first time, and I walked into the dressing room with Keith, all Chris could think about was that that was the biggest photo assistant he had ever seen! (Keith was-and still is- six foot seven and about 325 pounds). He and I have spent a lot of time hanging out with bands through the years. My favorite moment was when we were in New York for a Keith Richards show, around the time that the Danny DeVito-Arnold Schwartznegger film “Twins” was out, and Van Horne and I were walking around the village before the show, and people were making fun of us, as New Yorkers were known to do.
So Keith showed up right before the show and took his seat at the side of the stage. He was walking real slow, and we were all worried about him. I went to talk to him, and the first thing he said was “This seat sucks. Show me how to get into the photo pit.” So I had a six foot seven bodyguard down there. Even sitting down, he was too tall for the short people in the front row. I shouldn’t have worried about him- five minutes later he was gone, out to the lobby to meet some friends. For a guy recovering from surgery, that man can move!
Great show, great time was had by all.