Blue Cheer
Dickie Peterson of Blue Cheer
The rest of the Blue Cheer pics are here.
Credited in the documentary Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey as the first heavy metal band, Blue Cheer’s hit version of the song “Summertime Blues” pre-dates Black Sabath’s arrival by 2 years.
To say these guys were loud would be an understatement. I haven’t been subjected to that kind of Marshall abuse since seeing Kiss at the Sam Houston Coliseum in 1977.
I went in close to get some pictures and was forced to the back of the club and eventually out the door. It was not totally unpleasant. The sound was very clean and simply permeated everything and everyone. It was pure, driving and heavy and amazing to see in the close quarters of the Continental Club.
The building was literally pulsing to the beat of the thundering drum and driving bass. I thought the plate glass windows on the side of the club were going to vibrate out of place and shatter on the sidewalk.
I was amused to watch the crowd. The fans did not bop, bob, sway or come close to dancing in any way. They leaned on the walls, they leaned on the bar or they stood stock still in the middle of the floor and nodded to the beat as the sound washed over them.
Musically the whole night was the best joke that nobody got.
Rocrament, Greg’s tongue in cheek heavy metal send up band, opened the show. And next door it was Peter and James singing 70’s light rock classics in the Big Top. The antithesis of what was transpiring on stage at the Continental.
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