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Max Webster's last headlining arena gig was played to a sold out crowd.
B.B. Gabor got booed off the stage, before which he was hit in the head with a bottle in his first song (new wave didn't mix with the rock crowd). Part way through their set Kim came onto the stage to tell the crowd to be polite and give the band a chance (as pictured below), but to no avail. Goddo, however, went down very well.
Kim had a wardrobe malfunction early in the Max set. He did his usual flying scissor kick move, but his gold-coloured spandex pants split. The show stopped for a couple minutes while Kim changed into his orange jump suit, not before he said, "I didn't want my schlong hanging all over the stage."
Around midnight Kim led the audience through a countdown into 1981, and the band tore into A Million Vacations. Rumour had it that Geddy Lee would come on stage to sing his part in Battle Scar, and they would not disappoint. The Rush bassist came out for the encore with his famed Teardrop bass, to the roar of the hometown faithful.
Music Express' Keith Sharp writes: "Max Webster has rejuvenated itself now that all the personal hassles have been ironed out. Capitalizing on new guitarist Steve McMurray, Kim Mitchell used his newfound freedom to bound around the stage, delivering his trademark leaps without the weight of carrying the lead guitar attack. The band as a whole sounded tighter and more filled out than in previous appearances, an added bonus being the appearance of Rush front man Geddy Lee for a dual vocal attack with Mitchell on Battle Scar. If there's one complaint, it's that Mitchell seemed to be playing over the top of his audience. There was little direct communication between Mitchell and the crowd. It was a master and servant relationship which lacked the spontaneity of Goddo's set."
Line-up
- Kim Mitchell : Vocals/Guitar
- Gary McCracken : Drums
- Terry Watkinson : Keyboards
- Mike Gingrich : Bass
- Steve McMurray : Guitar
Bands
- B. B. Gabor
- Goddo
Partial Setlist
- Check
- Oh War!
- Waterline
- Old Man
- The Party
- Battle Scar
- Hangover
Photos
Photos © Patrick Harbron.
Photos submitted by Bunny Johnston.
Photos © Jeff Therrien.
Photos © Randy Thuro.
Photos © Paul Whiteside, the first of which shows Max tech Lorne Wheaton with Geddy Lee's Teardrop bass before the show.
Photos © Dave Watt; the first two are from B.B. Gabor's set when Kim briefly came on stage (keyboardist Dave Stone is seen in the first pic, as he joined B.B Gabor's band after he left Max Webster earlier in the year).
Photos © George Nanos.
Photos © Eric Klein.
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Rob Purdon
The crowd was definitely hard rock and BB’s new wave/punk style, although energetic and played well, didn’t sit with the crowd and they didn’t warm up to the band. People began booing his act and became really obnoxious. In a break between two songs Kim Mitchell came out from the wings of the stage, stepped up to the microphone and proceeded to berate everyone, saying the band had come to play for us, that they were playing their hearts out and that we should appreciate their efforts (or words to that effect). The crowd then settled down and BB went into ‘Nyet Nyet Soviet’ which won the crowd back for the rest of their set.
At the time smoking was allowed inside the building, and we figured that once the concert started and the lights were down it was low risk. Police and security were checking people on the way in, but appeared to be mostly looking for bottles as a safety measure. Between sets, while the stage was being set up for Goddo, the house lights came on and there was a collective “whhhhooooaaaaa” from the crowd as there was a fairly thick haze of smoke hanging in the Gardens!
The lights came up again, to an even thicker haze of smoke, and the stage was reset for Max Webster. Max was touring on the Universal Juveniles LP which had come out in the fall. They started the set with “Check” and Kim was his usual energetic self, jumping around the stage in golden yellow spandex pants. After the second or third song, though, he became less animated, but still playing hard. As that song finished, he stepped up to the microphone and said with a chuckle “Well, I split my pants! I don't want to be jumping around hanging out so I'll go backstage and make a change.” He then left the stage and came back on in an orange jumpsuit/coveralls and he finished the concert in those. They absolutely rocked the place, playing a bunch of favourites and some from “Universal Juveniles”. As midnight approached, they lit up the house a bit and used the hockey clock as a count down timer. Just after one minute before midnight rolled past, with the band essentially just jamming on the stage, Kim stepped up to the microphone and said “You got about a minute left, roll your joints!” The crowd, of course went crazy. After midnight, a real treat was in store as Geddy Lee came out and played “Battle Scar”. This was beautiful for a Rush and Max Webster Fan and the crowd was full of them, myself included. After Geddy stepped off stage to thunderous applause, Max played a couple more songs and, if I recall correctly, they wrapped up, somewhat suitably, with “Hangover”. After they finished the set, Kim took some time to toss guitar picks into the eager crowd and the band had a well-earned group hug on the stage before retiring.
My friends and I left the Gardens full of energy (well we'll call it that!) and walked down Yonge Street which was packed with New Years revelers and concert attendees. It was interesting with people in their fine fashion clothes mixing with guys like our group, clad in “Muskoka Dinner Jackets” and patched jean vests! Ears still ringing, we made our way on foot to Queen Street and caught a 501 street car east to head to my friends place and crash. On the way east, someone in the back of the street car sparked up a joint. As the smell wafted forward, a person in a group just behind us said “Wow, this place smells like the Gardens, man!” All the passengers must have been at the concert as we all broke out laughing.
While I had seen Max Webster a few times at the Kee to Bala in Muskoka, this concert, I think, caught them at their best. The energy and precision they brought that night set a very high bar that few bands have surpassed in my experience.