Monday, January 14, 2008

Damn Yankees/Bad Company, Evansville, IN

This show was on my birthday, February 5, 1991 at Roberts Stadium in Evansville, IN. I went to see Damn Yankees, the supergroup formed by guitarist Ted Nugent, bassist Jack Blades (of Night Ranger), Tommy Shaw (of Styx), and drummer Michael Cartellone.

I've never been a big fan of Bad Company, so didn't pay a whole lot of attention to them, but here's singer Brian Howe belting one out.



Although Damn Yankees were the opening act, with stars like that in the lineup, they really drew the crowd as much as Bad Company. Here are Tommy and Ted.





As is often the case, an unusual event highlighted the evening, so here's the story about Roberts Stadium's ceiling I promised earlier. Very early in Damn Yankee's set, some fan jumps onto the stage, runs in front of Ted Nugent and begins climbing one of the rope ladders leading up into the lighting rig. Ted, being the wildman he is, throws his guitar to a roadie and starts climbing after the guy. About halfway up the ladder, Ted realizes the guy is already into the lighting rig and he's no longer interested in following him, so comes back down.

By now the guy has found his way to the steel I-beam rafters of the ceiling and is inching his way out over the center of the audience. At this point I am pretty sure I am going to see this guy fall to his death on the concrete floor and possibly take a couple other people with him. As a newspaper reporter, I don't want to be there for that.

Jack Blades stops the show and asks for the lights to be turned up, saying "We don't want anyone to get hurt here." He also begins leading the crowd in a chant, "Get the &*@# down!"

Security guards begin inching their way out to the fan from a couple different rafters and eventually corral him and get him down safely. The crowd cheers, the show goes on....

A couple years later I asked Ted Nugent if he remembered that incident and he said, "Yeah I do. If I would have had my bow and arrow along, we would have taken care of that little problem," with a big smile.

6 comments:

Brian said...

I remember that. I was at that show. One of them said something to the effect of "hope you like stripes because your going to jail" I did not see the guy climb the ladder but I do remember him being in the lights at the center of the stage. If I remember correctly the show was still going on at that point. Once he was found out he went up the chain holding the lights like a monkey. It was crazy!.

Brian said...

I remember that. I was at that show. One of them said something to the effect of "hope you like stripes because your going to jail" I did not see the guy climb the ladder but I do remember him being in the lights at the center of the stage. If I remember correctly the show was still going on at that point. Once he was found out he went up the chain holding the lights like a monkey. It was crazy!.

Unknown said...

That was that was me; still alive and doing well... in originated from a $5 bet on crashing the stage, didn't happen exactly as described but close enough ...scaled from one side of the stadium across rafters down the big chains to the light rack... was manually moving one of the floodlights to get all buddies attention; at which point stage crew spotted me and they stopped the concert ( had to at least put one foot on the stage the win the bet) so starting to come down in a rope ladder soon as I put one foot on the floor the bouncers started running( three or four big Burly guys one of them actually got a hold of my foot but I managed to break free) at me so I went back up the ladder up the to light rack up the opposing chain and across the other side of the stadium was a comment about the stripes and as I recall he shot his guitar at me like he was firing (people were actually chanting jump when I was in the rafters) at at which point they turn the spotlight off and started rocking on lol. Did meet Ted Nugent Tommy Shaw in the crew did go to jail someone from the concert bonded me out and had a cab waiting on me, cab driver took me to the stadium but then I was stranded in Evansville cuz all my buddies left me there hell of a night hitchhiked with a truck driver called a friends mom that pick me up at the truck stop.( side note couple off duty cops and firefighters work in the concert kind of rough me up a little bit but it's all in good fun lol Good Times.... just found old concert hat which reminded me of this and I found it on Google... was wearing a striped shirt with a t-shirt underneath which had a photo of my driver's license it said hell no I'm not 21

DANIEL

Brian said...

LOL no kidding! I remember you coming part way down the ladder and in the rafters but I thought that was after. I just remember seeing you in the light rack in front.

Unknown said...

Also at that show! I remember everything previously mentioned. Crazy show. The other thing that stood out about that show is that by the time Bad Company came on, I felt like I had ear plugs in. I did not. By far the loudest show I've ever seen...took two or three days for my hearing to return to normal.

Anonymous said...

So over they years I have told this story to many people about a class mate of mine that pulled off one of the craziest things I had ever witnessed. Now I have proof and even better is the fact you have commented on it to confirm the events of the evening as they truly happened. Thanks Daniel