great concert memories, I was seeing these guys live a LOT
in the early 90's in LA, if they made any stops in LA
or Orange counties, I was there. They played a lot at the
Coach House down there and those kind of places,
this set which is recorded at various stops on the '92
tour perfectly reflects a typical set list
and vibe of those shows...enjoy, The Horror!!
This live album proves that if nothing else, some classic rock legends can still actually rock. That's not to say that all of Live at 25 is brilliant; John Kay, bless his soul, has tried to write new material through the years with varying degrees of uninspiring quality. The band perform them here, and well, but they pale in comparison to the older tracks which they perform even better (with the possible exception of the guitar work, which sounds a bit too influenced by '80s metal). Kay's voice sounds as if its in better shape than ever, which is quite a feat for someone with such gritty tone, but the proof is in the pudding as they say - "Move Over," "Sookie Sookie," and even the classics like "Born To Be Wild" don't have that lifeless quality that some bands succumb to in later years. In fact on the latter song, the band jam out with vigor, making this version possibly as good as any version that exists (well, save for the original). Well worth the small investment for Steppenwolf fans, and despite a few over-the-top moments, a primer for other '70s groups still on the road: sound like you still have this much passion, and you'll do fine for a while yet.- James Hayashi-Tennant
Tommy's Top 3 John Kay & Steppenwolf shows of dozens
attended-1980 @ The Roxy - John had just got the Wolf
name back proper and these were the first shows of the
band we came to know as JK & Steppenwolf. It was my
18th birthday and I had just started LACC as a music
major. To say this show had a little impact on me....yep.
2. Victorville Calif Fair approx 1995 - Memorable for
being outdoors at night and doing two full concert sets with
more songs than usual but most memorable for the two
teenage boys that I sat next to first set and proceeded
to turn on to a spliff I had brought along for the show and
the extremely angry looks from nearby adults.
Tommy the drug pusher!
3. Portland 2005 - It was at a big food festival they have up
there in October and the stage was right below and in front
of this walkway overpass thing. During the concert you
could see all these fans that claimed a spot on the walkway
for that cool vantage point and some on the sides so pretty
much everywhere you looked 360 there were fans. They
also played an extremely rare version of Rise & Shine
close to the end that brought the house down.
The Sheer Horror!!
