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Just back from a triumphant shows in Boston and at the Ritz in New York, Missing Persons played Knott's Berry Farm's end of summer vacation blast. While Missing Persons was relegated to the secondary, outdoor stage,
Great Buildings was performing their show in the large theatrical
arena. But people were leaving the 'Buildings' show as quickly as they
filed in, only a loyal few cared about the dying throws of this local
new wave dinosaur. The
crowd that assembled for Missing Persons' first set, however, was much
larger than the management of the park had expected.
The crowd was wild for Missing Persons to begin, booing off KLOS's DJ
host Joe Reilly, (KLOS doesn't play Missing Persons), and chanting for
the start of the show.
A
lot of punks were in attendance here, and this is the first time I've
seen slam dancing at a Person's show. The audience was a seething, bouncing,
gyrating pit of teenagers, all of them due back in school the next day.
This
led the park management to tell the group to stop the show half way into
the set.
Dale asked, from the stage, for permission to do just one more number,
a slow song, just to calm everyone down. The park officials agreed and
she then launched into 'Action Reaction', the band's fastest number and
the crowd went nuts.
And
now, Judy Zee and her eloquent elucidations- (as opposed to harrowing
hallucinations, I guess).
Enough
of this one-mindedness! Rock, rock, rock- from what 'cha hear around here,
you'd think it was the only music in existence!
So,
yours truly and Punkasso traversed out to the Hollywood Bowl to catch
the wispy classical sounds of Jean Pierre Rampal and pianist/harpsichordist
John Steele Ritter. We had no idea what we were in for, just a pair of
tickets to a Wednesday night concert- off we went into the wild blue nighttime
yonder!
The
night air was refreshing as we sped across the freeways, destination Hollywood
Bowl. Surprisingly, there were loads of cars in the parking lot, for a
classical concert no less. We rolled up the sidewalks with the ever-converging
crowd on this warm, breezy night, and it felt quite nice. These concert
goers were peaceful, fun-loving but basically quiet natured types and
the atmosphere was quite pleasing.
These
two virtuosos played pieces by Handel, Le Clair, Vivaldi, and Bach during
the first set. The Bach pieces were wonderful, they played 'Sonata in
E Flat', 'Allegro Moderato', 'Siciliano Allegro', all played with true
elegance.
The
audience was a bit stiff, tho- mostly it seemed their only place was to
try to clap at the right interludes. Personally, I don't think that's
the finest way to enjoy music, but that's how they took it. It would be
interesting to see such music experimentally enjoyed. To see people not
hesitate to move or dance!
Well,
not on this occasion. (Its the culture that dictates these things, its
not the audiences fault.) J.P. Rampal's pere was a flute teacher at the
Conservatory of Marseille, no wonder his technique is so refined. In 1946,
after the liberation of Paris, JP Rampal began touring. This concert that
we attended on August 5th, 1981 is the 9th consecutive year he has played
at the bowl. We were part of an event, I suppose.
Monsieur
Rampal et M. Ritter apres intermission, returned to play duets by Moscheles
and Hummel, some very playful melodies, well defined with unpredictable
harmonies. M Rampal spent much of this time in the high treble range,
and the pianist/harpsichordist started showing his chops- delicate and
gentle manipulations of music through the keys.
Monsieur
Rampal will be playing at the Music Center with the LA Philharmonic for
the first time this spring, so if you're looking for a change of pace,
an amusing and enjoyable break from the rock circuit, perhaps you should
check it out.
How
can I say 'rock on' this time?
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From the found archives of The Billy Eye and Judy Zee articles from Data-Boy Magazine / 1980-85.
1970's
TV shows on DVD
Wild 1970s / 1980s Gay Icons: See more Flight of the Conchords style T-Shirts! 
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August
20, 1981 
Great
Buildings
Lead
singer Dale Bozzio was lackluster when the band started the first number,
'Mental Hopscotch', but by the second number the band really kicked in
and the crowd was cheering and dancing frantically.
But
the slam dancing made the park management nervous, (they had already vetoed
Dale's original outfit as too sexy), and crowds to the second show in
the evening were even bigger than the late afternoon crowd. Security was
now a problem from the park's standpoint.
The
next time I saw the band, they were riding the roller coaster and Dale
was eating cotton candy and signing autographs, so I guess the park survived.
Jean
Pierre Rampal 
