MaxWebsterLive.ca

Setlist Included:

Check, Night Flights, Oh War!, Chalkers, Lip Service, Juveniles Don't Stop, What Do You Do With The Urge, Let Go The Line, Here Among The Cats, Gravity, Drive And Desire, A Million Vacations, In Context Of The Moon, April In Toledo, Waterline, Paradise Skies, The Party, High Class In Borrowed Shoes, Battle Scar, Hangover

Details:

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."

Other Bands on the Bill:

B. B. Gabor, Goddo

Photos:

_{The first three photos are © Philip Kamin, the third of which is from the back cover of the "Diamonds Diamonds" album, singling out Geddy Lee.
Photos 4 and 5 are © Patrick Harbron.
Photos 6-8 were submitted by Bunny Johnston.
Photo 9 was taken by Jeff Therrien.
Photos 11-30 were taken by Paul Whiteside (the last one shows a Max tech with Geddy Lee's Teardrop bass before the show).
Photos 31-37 were taken by 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).
Pics 38 and 39 were taken by George Nanos.}