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Ten
Years After – The Heroes of Woodstock
2009
When
first hearing a this 40th year celebration of Woodstock
1969 happening forty years later, I wasn’t at all sceptical about
it coming off without a hitch, but only that in the end it will be
the last time that Ten Years After and the other bands in attendance
will be a part of anything like this.
I
knew that it would go over well, because people keep asking for
these events, and truly want to see their heroes perform live on
stage, even after all of these years and with some original band
members missing, or now dead and gone. The national news media has
been covering this event extremely well and the promotion has been
far better than what I’m use to seeing for an individual Ten Years
After concert here in Germany, that only covers a five kilometre
area. People were more than ready for “The Heroes of Woodstock”
concert.
Ten
Years After’s tour of the USA started in Livermore Maine on August
9th and
according to Leo Lyons, he found himself in the middle of nowhere,
playing somewhere but had no idea really where he had ended up.
That’s Maine Leo welcome to the land of evergreens and potatoes.
The great American North East. On August 12th the band
played in New York City, to which I’m sure everyone in the band
was happy to see daylight and civilization once again!
On
the 13th they played Westbury, New York – On the 14th
they played in Ledyars, Connecticut at the famous MGM Grand Foxwoods
Resort and Casino. One of the highlights of this event was that Herb
Staehr’s sister Claudia and brother Tom were there to see the
band, and meet up with other Ten Years After fans, and they were
really looking forward to it.
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Claudia and Tom
Staehr attended the "Heroes of Woodstock
Concert"
at MGM Grand Foxwoods on August 14th, 2009
Please enjoy
Claudia's videos at YouTube
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Claudia Staehr
Tom and I were at the "Heroes of
Woodstock" show at the MGM Grand Hotel theater at
Foxwoods in Connecticut on Friday, August 14. Of all the bands
(Big Brother and the Holding Company, Canned Heat, Jefferson
Starship, etc.) TYA outshone them all without question and was
the only band asked to play an encore ("Choo Choo
Mama"). The band started the set with "King of the
Blues", "I'm Going Home", (Tom will fill in the
rest of the program!). There were some technical difficulties
(at one point Joe had no sound!) but the great tech crew fixed
that problem pretty fast. I'll let Tom post his own review (he
was at the original Woodstock in '69 with our brother Herb).
The band sounded great and I emailed Leo and told him he moved
like a "20 year old!" Unfortunately, Tom and I did
not get to meet the band due to a major mixup in communication.
Tom met them in Vancouver last year, but I never have and was
really looking forward to it. Oh, well, they have lots of
concerts scheduled in Europe this fall--maybe I'll have to go
see them "on the other side of the pond"!
Claudia
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Saturday
August 15, 2009 – Bethel Woods Center
for the Arts
This
was the Grand Daddy of all events on this tour. This was the moment,
that everyone was focused on – the exact date of the original
Woodstock event and on the same land. Forty years later !!! As I
write this the concert is long over, history was made and is now as
safe as yesterday, the yesterday that they all came to pay homage
to.
Just
as an aside Leo Lyons played on the Leslie West album entitled “As
Phat As It Gets” and on this Woodstock occasion Leslie is getting
married on stage and right in the middle of his set, to his long
time girlfriend. Wonder if Leo will be giving the bride away or be
Leslie’s best man – I don’t think so – but never say never!
The spirit of Woodstock lives on in us all.
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Bob Bergstrom
bob@olympicpatentworks.com
My son and I saw Ten
Years After in Winthrop, WA USA last weekend – absolutely
first class amazing performance. I just ordered a bunch
of Ten Years After CDs. Joe Gooch is fabulous.
Thanks for a remarkable hour of music.
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Joliet, IL
maller.jenna@gmail.com
www.stillrockinproductions.com
On Behalf of Dale Thomas and Still
Rockin' Productions, thank you for a great show in
Lowell, MA. If there is anything we can do for you,
please do not hesitate to contact us. You guys put on a
great show! All the talent and energy that you guys
brought to your performance made it incredible.
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Just wanted to
thank you guys for an excellent concert experience last
night. Although you are all fine musicians, I was
especially intrigued by Joes guitar work. He had very
unique styling riffs with a full sound that he made look
effortless. I actually left the concert wanting to hear
much more of your work. Thanks again
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Loved the show
last night in Westbury!!
You were awesome!!! My husbands still mad at me because
I posted on my facebook that watching you guys live was
better than any sex I have ever had... he took it all
wrong... we've had some great sex ..
but you guys F'n ROCK'D!!!!! Im tryin to get some tix
for Bethel...
We're comin up anyway even if it's just to see the
museum.. haven'd danced in the field since before the
arts center..
Jonie was right... put up a parkin lot:)
Maybe I'll see ya again on Saturday!!!!
God Bless!!
Peace!!!
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Show was great
last night at the NOKIA in Times Square. Totally dug it.
thanks fellas.
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Looking forward
to seeing you guys in California this month.. You have a
awesome band..
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So
it is, that by August 26, 2009 the Ten Years After participation in
the Heroes of Woodstock Festival will be written down in history and
sealed over once and for all.
I
personally have no desire to be witness to The Woodstock 50th
Anniversary Celebration….. for me, this 40th event
sealed for me….once and for all.
Time
has run out, the party’s over, the fat lady has sang more than
once and the spirit
lives on in our hearts - The
song is over, it’s time to shave and go home!!!
On
Saturday August 29th
Brigitte and I will welcome the band back to Germany from yet
another triumphant American tour. Another notch in their magnificent
career belt buckle.
They’ll
be playing in Northeim, Germany at the
Waldbühne Open Air Festival dubbed as
“From
Earth to Universe” Earth to Heaven, and what a brilliant way to
end the final Woodstock outing for Ten Years After. On the highest
note possible!
by
Dave and Brigitte
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