Ruth Eckerd Hall


Sammy’s 2.5 hour show at Sunrise Musical Theatre in Fort Lauderdale was
awesome! The place was a near sellout and Sammy didn’t disappoint his fans.
The crowd stood for the entire show with the exception of when he played
Kama. I’m not sure where some of the knocks on his supporting band members
have come from; this band was tight, the acoustics were fantastic, and light
show was definitely something to see.

The last time Sammy was in South Florida, he was with Van Halen and had to
cut their normal show short by about 30 minutes, as his voice had completely
given out. In fact, the following show in Orlando was canceled as a result.
This time, Sammy gave a great performance and seems to be showing no
effects from his recent cold.

Sammy came out wearing black “crushed velvet” pants, a red tank top, and a
yellow shirt. As one of the banners in Sunrise showed, we marched with
Sammy from Montrose to Mars as the set list shows.

We got to hear the story of how Mona joined the band during Bad Motor
Scooter. Apparently, Sammy had called a bunch of his buddies looking for a
decent bass player. When he found out about Mona, he told her that within
12 hours, she needed to be able to play Bad Motor Scooter, Heavy Metal, I
Can’t Drive 55, Red, and One Way To Rock by the next day. But when Sammy
saw her pull up with her Harley chopper, sissy bar and all, that was it…
Mona was hired.

Sammy also got the crowd laughing as he told us about Pete, the pilot who
flies them around. South Florida is Pete’s home, so he kept bugging Sammy
to play something bluesy. So, we got a blues-up shortened version of Hand
Jive.

As usual, Sammy got loads of bras and panties flung up onto the stage. I
was a little disappointed at first, because Donna Grant, the other MnG
person with me at the show, had 2nd row tickets, while I was in the 8th row;
as it turned out, I may have ended up with the better view. In front of me,
two women kept being hoisted upwards to give Sammy a better show…at least
3 times, one of the girls gave us all a flash of chest, while the other gave
us a very nice butt shot. OK…I ask you. Who had the better tickets?

Sammy also got a really nice baseball cap with his name on it given to him.
He wore it for a short while, but ended up giving it to Victor, because
Sammy was afraid that the fans on the side of the stage were being blinded
by the stage lights coming off Victor’s “shiny bald head” as Sammy put it.

The show concluded with the radio contest winners singing Marching To Mars
along with Sammy. There didn’t seem to be enough females on stage, so Sammy
fixed that by bringing up several more women to help out.

It was a great concert!! You know you have a great time when you come home
completely exhausted, but unable to sleep; and you want to talk about it
and tell people what a great time you had, but you can’t because your own
voice is gone from singing along…come back again, Sammy!!

Thanks to Bob Schukai for the review and set list.

Sunrise Music Theatre

Sammy’s 2.5 hour show at Sunrise Musical Theatre in Fort Lauderdale was
awesome! The place was a near sellout and Sammy didn’t disappoint his fans.
The crowd stood for the entire show with the exception of when he played
Kama. I’m not sure where some of the knocks on his supporting band members
have come from; this band was tight, the acoustics were fantastic, and light
show was definitely something to see.

The last time Sammy was in South Florida, he was with Van Halen and had to
cut their normal show short by about 30 minutes, as his voice had completely
given out. In fact, the following show in Orlando was canceled as a result.
This time, Sammy gave a great performance and seems to be showing no
effects from his recent cold.

Sammy came out wearing black “crushed velvet” pants, a red tank top, and a
yellow shirt. As one of the banners in Sunrise showed, we marched with
Sammy from Montrose to Mars as the set list shows.

We got to hear the story of how Mona joined the band during Bad Motor
Scooter. Apparently, Sammy had called a bunch of his buddies looking for a
decent bass player. When he found out about Mona, he told her that within
12 hours, she needed to be able to play Bad Motor Scooter, Heavy Metal, I
Can’t Drive 55, Red, and One Way To Rock by the next day. But when Sammy
saw her pull up with her Harley chopper, sissy bar and all, that was it…
Mona was hired.

Sammy also got the crowd laughing as he told us about Pete, the pilot who
flies them around. South Florida is Pete’s home, so he kept bugging Sammy
to play something bluesy. So, we got a blues-up shortened version of Hand
Jive.

As usual, Sammy got loads of bras and panties flung up onto the stage. I
was a little disappointed at first, because Donna Grant, the other MnG
person with me at the show, had 2nd row tickets, while I was in the 8th row;
as it turned out, I may have ended up with the better view. In front of me,
two women kept being hoisted upwards to give Sammy a better show…at least
3 times, one of the girls gave us all a flash of chest, while the other gave
us a very nice butt shot. OK…I ask you. Who had the better tickets?

Sammy also got a really nice baseball cap with his name on it given to him.
He wore it for a short while, but ended up giving it to Victor, because
Sammy was afraid that the fans on the side of the stage were being blinded
by the stage lights coming off Victor’s “shiny bald head” as Sammy put it.

The show concluded with the radio contest winners singing Marching To Mars
along with Sammy. There didn’t seem to be enough females on stage, so Sammy
fixed that by bringing up several more women to help out.

It was a great concert!! You know you have a great time when you come home
completely exhausted, but unable to sleep; and you want to talk about it
and tell people what a great time you had, but you can’t because your own
voice is gone from singing along…come back again, Sammy!!

Thanks to Bob Schukai for the review and set list.

House of Blues

Having seen and heard several shows along SH’s recent MTM tour
(attended Capital Ballroom, Wash DC & listened to Red Rocks show on
the album network), it seems his stop at the HOB in N. Myrtle Beach
SC by far reflects Sammy at his best. The band was on. Sammy looked
and sounded great, the crowd was into the show and the overall vibe
was beyond just a great rock and roll show. Appearing in an
intimate venue such as the HOB put Sammy in his element and suited
the interaction between artist and crowd. Sammy was by far generous,
entertaining and willing to take a chance or two. The stage is
Sammy’s forte, more so than on CD. Like anything, there are good
nights such as his stop in Denver where he performed despite a cold
and sore throat and unbelievable nights such as the HOB where the
energy between crowd and performer was superior to either the DC or
the Red Rocks show. AT the HOB, Sammy delivered and then some.

Our first exposure to the tour was on July 20 at the Capital Ballroom
in DC where we traveled 2 hours up I-95 from Richmond VA to see the
Red Rocker. Sammy was two months into the tour and while the crowd
was appreciative, the feel was that Sammy was still getting used to
his band and the set. Over a month later, Sammy appeared at Red Rocks in
Denver CO broadcast over the Album network. While hampered with
Sammy’s head cold and sore throat which resulted in the network going
to a tape of another show for two songs, the crowd more than made up
for it and helped SH carry the show. Three weeks later at the HOB,
SH and the crowd were locked in rock and roll sync and made for an
incredible show. For the HOB show, we traveled 6 hours from Richmond
VA to see the Red Rocker one last time. We were not disappointed.

Sammys song list has been a stew of cuts from MTM, Montrose, VH and his
solo work. The difference between DC and HOB is immense. Band
interplay (longtime drummer David Lauser, Jesse Harns, keyboards,
Victor Johnson, lead guitar and Mona, bass) was tight and Sammy had
fun without worrying about getting across to the crowd. Sammy and
Mona had their talk during Bad Motor Scooter. Sammy said that after
listening to 25 guys play the bass, Mickey Hart told him about Mona.
Mona came to Sammy’s house on a chopper with the bass strapped on her
back. As Sammy said “Girl, you got the job.” Most of all, Sammy was
loose enough to play with the set list which was different from DC
and RR.

On this tour, Sammy opened with the title cut from MTM before
kicking into “There’s Only One Way To Rock.” From there, it is a run
through the highlights of his VH, Montrose, and solo career.

AT HOB, he featured an impromptu version of Both Sides Now whch he
just added to the tour. He also added “Eagles Fly” and a burning
rendition of “Wild Thing.” This was a good example of how Sammy can
throw some caution into the wind, a side that was hidden during VH.

The crowd sang along with old favorites like “Finish What You
Started” and “Can’t Drive 55” with Sammy and the crowd feeding off each
other. There are very few singers left with the showmanship and
audience relationship, he may very well be the last of his type. The
HOB show is evidence of the magic of live music and the vibe
that bonds band and audience that lasts long after the music stops.

Thanks to Tom Barnes and Rohn Brown for the review and set list.