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July 28, 1972 review: Randy Newman and John Prine in the Fillmore Room at UB

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  The new biography of singer and songwriter Randy Newman prompted our old friend and WBFO honcho David Benders to recall that Newman played the Fillmore Room in 1972. I was there too. July 28, 1972 Songwriting Geniuses Newman, Prine Meet          Randy Newman was bouncing out “Political Science” (They don’t like us anyhow, so let’s drop the big one now”) in the spotlight, but wait – over there in the shadows, there’s John Prine, listening intently.          It finishes and Prine takes another cigarette, lights it and smiles as he joins the applause, much like Newman did as he watched Prine’s set.          Superlatives would make the meeting of Newman and Prine in the Fillmore Room of UB’s Norton Union Thursday night seem a bit ludicrous. No summit meeting, please. More like two genius songwriting loners running into each other behind the garage.          The crowd from the first show said Prine was brilliant, Newman not so good. Too sarcastic. Newman’s second set, however,
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Dec. 4, 1979 review: The Who in the Aud

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  A night that went down in history at the Aud. Dec. 4, 1979 Tense Audience Hears The Who Play Its Best          “We’re totally shattered,” singer Roger Daltry said before the music began in Memorial Auditorium Tuesday night. "But life goes on. We lost a lot of family yesterday. This show’s for them.”          On the flight up here from Cincinnati, where 11 fans were trampled to death trying to get into a Who concert Monday night, the distressed Daltry had told a reporter he would rather not even get off the plane.          But instead, Daltry and the band followed up the disaster in Cincinnati with a triumph in Buffalo. They honored the fallen by putting on one of the best rock shows this city has ever seen.          Local authorities were determined to avoid repeating the Cincinnati disaster. Never have there been so many police officers surrounding a show at the Aud.          “Have your tickets out and your jackets open before approaching the front gate, pleas
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Nov. 11, 1979 Sunday feature story: Gary Sperrazza in transition

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  Another Buffalo legend. I first encountered him seven years earlier when he was the upstart teen among all the cognoscenti in the Institute of Rock and Roll Studies at UB. Nov. 11, 1979 Fanzine Whiz Kid Waits to Launch The Big Magazine          He spells his name with an exclamation point – Gary Sperrazza! – and he means it. At 23, he’s already made something of a legend for himself with his outspoken writings in the leading rock ‘n roll magazines. New York magazine acknowledged his prowess last spring in the issue which assessed Gotham’s born-again musical scene. “But still no Sperrazza!” they conceded.          The Big Apple still hasn’t corralled Sperrazza! For the time being, he’s right here in his old hometown, the scene of his first fanzine triumphs. He’s working for Record Theater and filing his columns by mail to Bomp! Magazine in Los Angles and the Time Barrier Express in New York, but all this is temporary. It will last only as long as it takes to line up sponso
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Nov. 5, 1979 review: Pat Benatar's first appearance at Harvey and Corky's Stage One

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  First appearance here by Pat Benatar and she’s the opening act. Nov. 5, 1979  Werner Wears Out His Welcome After Benatar's Boogieing          Terry Sullivan of the Jumpers recognizes him as he walks in with David Werner's band – Thom Mooney, who used to play drums with another whiz kid, Todd Rundgren, in Nazz 10 years ago.          Now Mooney's drumming for a guy whose first album five years ago was called "Whizz Kid." There are a couple things that are definitely right-on about David Werner Sunday night in Harvey and Corky's Stage One and one of those things is the drumming.          Another is the guitar work. Sassy and sinuous, these guitars will deliver Werner anywhere he wants to go. Red-shirted guitarist Mark Doyle seems born to play Mick Ronson to Werner's David Bowie.          Werner bears more than a passing resemblance to Bowie. There's a similar voice of doom, a similar set of brooding eyes under ominous brows, a similar head o
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Oct. 27, 1979 review: The Sinceros in UB's Fillmore Room

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  A forgotten British band that deserved better. Oct. 27, 1979  Opening Act Rivals Local Headline Band          The Sinceros were not at all pleased. Here they were, a British recording group, and essentially they were opening for a local rock band at a Halloween beer blast at the University at Buffalo.          Nevertheless, the Sinceros swallowed their pride Friday night for this – their second U.S. gig – and delivered a blockbuster for a partially costumed crowd in the Fillmore Room of Squire Hall.          For the Sinceros, there were a couple important advantages to playing first. They got the crowd before the beer set in, and they got a sound check. As a result, they sounded great.          The Sinceros are a song-oriented pop quartet, one of the many that have sprung up in the wake of the Knack. They win you over with strong harmonies and catchy choruses.          They did their best song, "Take Me to Your Leader," their new single, twice, once in the set
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Oct. 25, 1979 review: Bonnie Raitt and Steve Forbert in Shea's Buffalo

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  Bonnie Raitt, back in the days when it wasn't so damn hard to get tickets for her shows. Oct. 25, 1979 Bonnie, Fans Rate Each Other Highly            Bonnie Raitt always has a good time in Buffalo. Wednesday night was no exception.          "You make me feel like rockin' and rollin'," she said with a grin to the near sell-out crowd in Shea's Buffalo. The fans rocked right along with her all the way through a four-song double encore.          "Gee whiz," she remarked near the end. "Why don't you come with us to Syracuse tomorrow?"          Looking chic in black pants and a black sparkly blouse, red-haired Raitt was in fine form as she belted out her recent remakes of Motown and R&B classics from the '60s and her blues and rock favorites from the '70s.          Her early studies of the blues served her well in her stylings. As usual, she embellished several numbers with slide guitar. Why, one wonders, isn't
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Oct. 12, 1979 review: The B-52s in the Fillmore Room at UB

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  Once it finally got underway, another glorious night 45 years ago. Oct. 12, 1979  The B-52s’ Impact Is Raucous, Weird No doubt about it, the B-52s and the Jumpers add up to a punk-rock happening in the Fillmore Room of the University at Buffalo’s Squire Hall Thursday night. Furthermore, it’s sold out, all 600 tickets. Lined up outside the door is a garish legion in funny sunglasses, skinny ties, tight pants and weird makeup. And how about that bunch over there with their hair colored a tacky maroon. Like most university rock concerts, this one moves with a highly independent sense of time. That’s why there is this long line waiting to get in at the scheduled 8 p.m. start. The sound checks finish about 8:30. The Jumpers go on about 9:30 and the B-52s finally appear at 11. When the punk-rock fans aren’t making the floor bounce with their jumpy, twitchy, free-form dances, they stand – there are no chairs – and they sweat – there is little ventilation – and they wonder why some
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