Think youB次元官网网址檝e seen a lot of concerts? Meet SurreyB次元官网网址檚 Colin Hartridge, a walking, talking encyclopedia of rock nB次元官网网址� roll.
By his count, heB次元官网网址檚 witnessed close to 1,000 concerts in his 68 years, and has many of the ticket stubs as proof of his love for live music.
The kicker is, Hartridge is still an avid concert-goer, with two or three on his calendar every week. He also still frequently drums at jam nights around Metro Vancouver, as a blast from his past with the band Sparkling Apple.
In another music-related passion of his, heB次元官网网址檚 hosted his own from his Guildford-area townhouse for the past four years, giving listeners new themed shows every Monday on mixcloud.com.
This weekB次元官网网址檚 episode, his 256th, is dubbed and features 34 songs with the word B次元官网网址渕oonB次元官网网址� in the title, including tunes by Nat King Cole, Ozzy Osbourne, Captain Beefheart, John Mellencamp and others.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 just something I like to do, for fun,B次元官网网址� Hartridge said. B次元官网网址淥n Mixcloud, thereB次元官网网址檚 a listener count for each show, but I have no idea where theyB次元官网网址檙e listening from unless they B次元官网网址榝avouriteB次元官网网址� or repost the show,B次元官网网址� he added. B次元官网网址淚f they do that, I can see that Captain Maniac Show friends have tuned in from Greece or South Africa, or France or England or wherever.B次元官网网址�
Hartridge, a retired graphic designer who still creates posters for buddies in bands, moved to Surrey with his family when he was six years old, and has lived in the city ever since.
He started playing drums at age 16, a couple years after he saw The Beatles play Empire Stadium in Vancouver. The landmark show, in 1964, was his first as a concert-goer.
B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檇 seen The Beatles on TV, Ed SullivanB次元官网网址檚 show, and of course I saw Ringo and said, B次元官网网址榃ell, I can do that!B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� Hartridge recalled with a laugh. B次元官网网址淚B次元官网网址檇 always be tapping on window sills with my momB次元官网网址檚 knitting needles and my dad finally said, B次元官网网址榊ou should take drum lessons.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� I took lessons for about six months (at a place in Vancouver), but they were more interested in Latin rhythms, sambas and all that, but I just wanted to play rock B次元官网网址榥B次元官网网址� roll. So I sort of ended up teaching myself just by listening to records and playing along to those.B次元官网网址�
As a teen in the late 1960s, Hartridge saw concerts by several iconic rock bands that travelled through Vancouver, including Jimi Hendrix, Cream, Led Zeppelin and more.
Hartridge has a sharp memory for details of those performances.
B次元官网网址淭he best concert I ever went to was the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and that was B次元官网网址�68 at the Pacific Coliseum, and they had about three other bands on before him B次元官网网址� Eire Apparent, Soft Machine and Vanilla Fudge, so by the time Hendrix came on, it was about midnight,B次元官网网址� he recalled.
B次元官网网址淪o he came on and said to the crowd, B次元官网网址業B次元官网网址檝e got a cold,B次元官网网址� but he still played like nobodyB次元官网网址檚 business. I remember that his grandmother was in the audience, because she lived not too far away from there, in Strathcona, around there. So when he did B次元官网网址楩oxy Lady,B次元官网网址� he dedicated it to her.B次元官网网址�
Earlier that year, the Coliseum also played host to Cream, with Eric Clapton on guitar, Jack Bruce on bass and Ginger Baker on drums.
B次元官网网址淚 remember them playing only six songs, but of course each song was at least 10 minutes long,B次元官网网址� Hartridge said. B次元官网网址淭heyB次元官网网址檇 do a framework of the song and then theyB次元官网网址檇 jam B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址楽unshine of Your LoveB次元官网网址� with extended solos that went on for years.B次元官网网址�
Back then, heB次元官网网址檇 attend a lot of concerts B次元官网网址渂ecause they were events you just had to go to,B次元官网网址� he explained.
B次元官网网址淏y todayB次元官网网址檚 standards it was cheap B次元官网网址� I saw Led Zeppelin for $5, so I guess thatB次元官网网址檇 be like $50 today, or something. And back then we didnB次元官网网址檛 have any digital distractions, and we didnB次元官网网址檛 spend a lot of time watching TV, so we went to concerts. You know, B次元官网网址楾hin LizzyB次元官网网址檚 in town, letB次元官网网址檚 go see B次元官网网址榚m.B次元官网网址� One time it was T. Rex and the opening band was Blue Oyster Cult, who we really liked back then, so we went and couldnB次元官网网址檛 stand T. Rex, so we left after a couple songs.B次元官网网址�
The band Hartridge has seen most often in concert is Blue Oyster Cult B次元官网网址� probably 10 times, he said.
B次元官网网址淚 know theyB次元官网网址檙e coming here in the summer, to that , but IB次元官网网址檓 pretty sure itB次元官网网址檚 not all the original guys. So IB次元官网网址檒l probably go see that. And a band like Zeppelin, every time they came to town weB次元官网网址檇 go see B次元官网网址榚m, just because it was Zeppelin. They were here in B次元官网网址�68 for the first time, and a bunch of times after that. I saw them all, I think.B次元官网网址�
Not surprisingly, the music of many of the bands Hartridge has seen in concert is played on his Captain Maniac show.
Out of the gate, his very first episode was called a two-hour collection of songs recorded by Jet, Rose Tattoo, The Cult, The Sex Pistols, Big Sugar and others.
The weekly series is B次元官网网址渄evoted to the music *I* want to play B次元官网网址� not what IB次元官网网址檓 TOLD to play, but what *I* want to play, with the emphasis on loud and proud rock and roll!B次元官网网址� Hartridge wrote in an introduction.
to visit B次元官网网址淭he Captain Maniac ShowB次元官网网址� page on Facebook.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of , launched in 1969, just after Hartridge had graduated from high school.
B次元官网网址淚t started off as the Plastic Rat Blues Band, and we had one guy leave so we wanted to change the name to something else,B次元官网网址� he recalled. B次元官网网址淲e had a bottle of cider in front of us, and that was it, OK. It stuck.B次元官网网址�
For Sparkling Apple, a final gig is in the works for later this year.
B次元官网网址淲e havenB次元官网网址檛 played for a while because Art has sciatica, and I have problems with my eyes (I had a torn retina),B次元官网网址� Hartridge explained.
B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 going to happen, possibly at DonegalB次元官网网址檚 (in Surrey) but not until after summer, probably in the fall. I donB次元官网网址檛 see us playing beyond that show.B次元官网网址�
to read Sparkling AppleB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址淩oad Stories,B次元官网网址� written by Hartridge.
Last Saturday night (April 13), in another of his concert-going experiences, Hartridge helped celebrate the 70th birthday of Doni Underhill, the former Trooper bass player, at in Guildford. The night included a four-song reunion performance by singer Ra McGuire, guitar player Brian Smith, drummer Tommy Stewart and Underhill on bass B次元官网网址� the bandB次元官网网址檚 B次元官网网址渃lassicB次元官网网址� edition, minus keyboardist Frank Ludwig. They played the classic cuts B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e Here for a Good Time,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址�3 Dressed as a 9,B次元官网网址� B次元官网网址淭he Boys in the Bright White Sports CarB次元官网网址� and B次元官网网址淩aise a Little Hell.B次元官网网址�
Early Sunday, Hartridge posted on Facebook: B次元官网网址淲asnB次元官网网址檛 that a party?B次元官网网址�
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