It’s hard to believe that it’s been 20 years since blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan was killed in a helicopter crash while en route to Chicago.
One of my favorite songs by him is “Pride and Joy” and I always remember seeing his acoustic performance on MTV which was part of their unplugged series:
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I was also fortunate enough to catch SRV in concert — July 7, 1990, at the Garden State Arts Center (now the PNC Arts Center) in Holmdel, N.J. He was on a co-headlining tour with Joe Cocker and on that night, SRV opened for Cocker.
I remember Cocker putting on a strong set, but the entire time thinking that SRV should have been the closer and I didn’t hear nearly enough of his music.
SRV had hit the stage and tore through song after song and I, at 15 years old, just sat staring and listening in awe. I remember we were sitting on the lawn of the amphitheatre and my brother kept asking if I could see him ok. “You have to see him — he’s amazing to watch play,” he said. “Are you sure you can see him?”
It was after that show that a stage rigging fell and broke the neck of his famed “Number One” guitar.
Little did we know that just more than a month later, he would be gone. We were shocked but also felt lucky to be able to say that we saw him perform.
Vaughan performed in Charlotte a few times — the first of which, there were only a handful of people on a snowy day at the Double Door Inn. Those who were there, remember it clearly — just ask Mike Martin, who works behind the bar there to this day.
The setlist from the July 7, 1990, concert in Holmdel, N.J.:
Collins Shuffle
House Is Rockin’
Tightrope
Things I Used To Do
Look At Little Sister
Let Me Love You Baby
Leave My Girl Alone
Riviera Paradise
Wall Of Denial
Superstition
Cold Shot
Couldn’t Stand The Weather
Collins Shuffle
Crossfire
Voodoo Chile
This article appears in Aug 24-30, 2010.
I bartended in Dallas back in 1985. He use to come in whenever his brother was playing at the club. He use to hang out at my bar and we’d talk. I was young at the time and never fully understood the depth of his greatness till years later.
I was at the Jones Beach NY show that July, and remember the concert was billed as “power and Passion”. Till this day, Joe Cocker and Stevie Ray put on the best double bill concert I have ever seen. Both performers had the crowd on it’s feet the entire evening. I’ll never forget it!
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1981 AUSTIN TX. STEVIE RAY OPENS FOR LONESOME GEORGE. F-IN AWSOME I NEW AT THAT MOMENT IN TIME WHAT MUSIC THIS NINETWEEN YEAR OLD KID LOVED
Do you know how many dates SRV and JOE COCKER did in the Garden State Arts Center. The night I saw them, STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN opened for JOE COCKER. I think when STEVIE was finished, at least a third of the audience got out of their seats and left. I got up and shouted… “Where are you going? JOE COCKER is coming on!!!”
It was one of the best shows I have seen (SRV and COCKER) and I’ve seen many!
I was at that show too. Just remembered it today when I read about Joe’s passing.
I was, also, at the 7/7/90 concert in Holmdel. I was lucky enough to first sit in the lighting booth with Eddie, the lighting guy, and his girl Laura, who was my friend. I was also on his bus that afternoon and got to meet him as I was exiting his bus. Then, after he was finished playing, Eddie, Laura and I walked across the stage to sit stage right for Joe…I just sat down on the black stage luggages when the bandshell fell! I had just walked under it! The concert went on but SRV was freaking backstage! About halfway through Joe’s stint, SRV came over to Eddie, Laura and me to discuss the damage with Eddie. He had calmed down by then and stayed with us until Joe was finished……memory of a lifetime!