THE REVIEWS ARE IN: LEGENDS CONCERT WAS A SMASH SUCCESS … PLANET POST A ROUNDUP OF COMMENTS … plus …SONGLISTS OF A LEGEND … BOYS’ CLUB CONCERT SHOULD BE AN ANNUAL AFFAIR
By DAN VALENTI
PLANET VALENTI News and Commentary
(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, TUESDAY, SEPT. 11, 2012) — Here are some comments from various FB pages on the Legends of the Lighthouse concert held on Sunday, 9/9/12.
— my oh my..the stars all aligned sunday sept 9th..everything rocked~ RICK FETRIDGE
— We owe a huge thank you to Bill Beautyman, Greg Mitchell, and the crew from Limelight for providing the stage, lights, and backdrop. This stuff didn’t just get beamed down from the mothership, it was put together with a LOT of hard work by these folks! ~ BRUCE CLAPPER, sound man
~ For those of us who (VERY SADLY) couldn’t make the reunion, are there – or will there be – photos, dvds or cds available? I’d hoped someone would have been able to post at least a few pics by now. I sure hope some exist and can be shared. Most importantly, thanks to you all, Ric especially (because his work was so visable to me), for keeping the Lighthouse dreams alive. — TOM HART
How wonderful it was to return to a venue that I’ve performed at many times over the years, with my bands. You could feel the love, the joy, and the fun. Thank you so much to all who had a part in this event. ~ MICK VALENTI, performer
Yes folks it was SO much fun and awe inspiring to know we had so many talented and generous people around here. As “house” photographer I had the real honor to hang around in the Green room for a while. I had a blast!!!!. I hope to post all the photos soon but there I took hundreds and hundreds and I have to edit them carefully.~ SANDY McNAY, photographer
~ Amazing job by all who organized and all who performed. Well worth the trip up from Philadelphia. Great to see you Ric. Can’t wait for the DVD. ~ JEFF CADORETTE
— What a great day. The bands were Slamming! Special shout out toRic Fetridge for organizing and putting together this event (and putting up with all of us musicians….lol). Thanks Wendy Fetridge for keeping all of our sagging butts in line. Thanks to all the people who carried the energy right along with us. It just doesn’t get any better than this. ~ JOHN ZARVIS, musician
— Now,a little more than 24 hours after this great event, I have more than just a touch of sadness, knowing that this great event is most likely a one time event that will probably never be duplicated -or repeated.
But like the great concerts and festivals of our time, this wrap-up of the Lighthouse by it’s fans and players was something that was long overdue, longed for by many, and well worth the wait. I feel that a chapter of my life may have just closed…even though the lighthouse actually closed a long time ago. And now the Lighthouse has changed-like us, it grew up and became something different- and hopefully better. — JAY FRUET, musician
— What a great day! Kudos to all who organized and all who played! Thanks for the Motown and all the music. It was like a city wide reunion. Saw people I haven’t seen on years and everyone seemed so happy! Thank all of you for a great memory that will be the talk of the town for a long time! ~ BARBARA O’DONNELL FLEISCHMANN
— Wow..I don’t know where to start…the reunion show was so much MORE than just having great bands and music (it surely was some of the best ever assembled in one place in this area)-but the feeling of camaraderie, friendship & love permeated the air, and I can tell you more than one person told me they felt the same thing. A few told me they had goosebumps as soon as they entered the concert hall-
they could feel it as well. Seeing old friends and musical buddies for the first time in many years left me realizing how much the music tied us together, even over the years. I realize that I was smiling all day long from just having the pleasure of the company of many old friends whom I hadn’t seen in years. ~ JAY FRUET
— What a great day it was! Many thanks to the folks who organized this event. One helluva show! ~ JAMES CHETZ KEEGAN
— You guys were all great yesterday. Thanks for making the gig the same time I was back in Pittsfield for my reunion. It was great meeting so many folks with whom I had connections even though I was rarely in the community during the Lighthouse Days. I really enjoyed gyrating with all you younger “chicks” up front during the show. Kudos to Ric, David, Wendy and all who played and made the show so successful. Especially loved the end of the event and Mazzeo’s too. Peace and Health ~ JIM SHULMAN
— On behalf of Mick and myself, Many thanks to Rick & Wendy Fetridge and Dave Healey for a tremendous job. Kudos to Bobby Dick for his stellar work at emcee. Tip of the hat to all the volunteers. Gratitude to the audience, who supported this. And most of all, thanks to all the musicians, who gave it their all and the All was Everything, an explosion of (in many cases) dormant talent. There’s coverage of the event posted now atwww.planetvalenti.com. ~ DAN VALENTI
— Yesterday was a very special day, a “magical ” day. Cudos to Rick and Wendy for doing an outstanding job of keeping the whole show moving along and to all the musicians that made this very special day. I will cherish this day for the rest of my days on this planet. Thank you everbody. Peace and Love — TOM ALLEN, musician
— Do you believe in magic? Until today, I was not sure,but the Legends of the Lighthouse made a believer out of me. Band after band took the stage,each still incredible,if not more so than when they began their legend 40 years ago. Thanks to Ric,Tom ,coordinators,volunteers,Boys Inc, photographers,,videographers,,
— That was a heady experience for me. I did not ever go to the dances but played at quite a few in the latter days. A great revisit!! Thanks to ZAB and the cast of offenders responsible for the event! ~ DAVE VITTONE, musician
— I want to thank everyone who had a hand in making this happen, and I want to thank the great guys in the vandels for asking me to join them on stage, and John drake, for his hand in it, and everyone that was helping me when I wasn’t feeling well, including my wife, I was very humbled to be around all those great musician, you guys kicked it ~ FABRIZIO PEROTTI, musician
— On behalf of the Zarvis-Allen band, thanks to all the friends and fans who came out and supported this event. And a big thank you to Ric, Dave and the whole crew that really made this thing happen! ~ BOB SAYDLOWSKI, musician
— I’d like to add my thanks to all the behind the scenes folks who made this event legendary..and to the fans who came and enjoyed an afternoon filled with nostalgia. From the stage I saw nothing but respect and courtesy abound between concert goers (speaks well of the elder Pittsfield generation) for myself and the VanDels all applause to you ~ RICK MERRILL, musician
— Amazing time today, seeing old friends, hearing the great tunes of my adolescence and feeling really comfortable in a sea of white haired guys! About half way thru the performances I just found the need to thank every person I saw with a volunteer badge hanging from their neck for their part in putting on this great event! I’m sure I missed a bunch of you, accept my thanks now!!! ~ WAYNE MEUNIER
— I have one word for the show, GREAT!!!!! all of the bands were great ~ NORINE ALLEN
— What an awesome day we had at “the dance”! The bands were amazing. And what a pleasure to meet the band members, organizers, take photos, get hugs. Wow! Worth every mile we graceless to make it! (950 mi). Can’t. Wait to see everybodys pictures. So awesome to see my old friends again. Sue Blasioli, Donna Colagiacomo still fun as ever. Well I can finally cross that off my bucket list. ~ SANDIE DAVIS SMITH
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Courtesy of WTBR DJ and musicmeister Mike Pezzo, here’s a list of the songs performed by the artists at Sunday’s legendary Legends of the Lighthouse Reunion concert.
(Concert begins at 12:45)
Bobby Dick, Sundowners
Reminiscing (Little River Band)
Continentals
You’re Gonna Lose that Girl (Beatles)
Paint It Black (Stones)
Nadine (Chuck Berry)
It’s All Over Now (Stones)
Eastre Rebellyon
For What It’s Worth (Buffalo Springfield)
Peaceful Easy Feeling (Eagles)
Potter Mt. Road Band
Be My Baby Tonight (?)
Oh Carol (Chuck Berry)
Berkshire Beatles
Please Please Me
This Boy
I’ll Be Back
Money
Vandals
instrumental
Rave On (Buddy Holly)
Walkin’ the Dog (Rufus Thomas)
Pipeline (Chantays)
The Haze
Tell Me Why (Beatles)
Light My Fire (Doors)
Get Back (Beatles)Crossroads (Cream)
It Hurts to Be In Love (Gene Pitney)
Purple Haze/Fire (Jimi Hendrix)
Hey Jude (Beatles)
Mick Valenti — The Victors, The Quarrymen, The Quarry, and Quick Fox
“I Know Everyone” (original)
“I Won’t Tell You” (original)
“Modern Man” (original)
“Gods on High” (original)
Quarry
Needles and Pins (Searchers)
(2:45)
Antarctica
Sunshine of your Love (Cream)
On the Way Home (Buffalo Springfield)
White Room (Cream)
Sunny Day People
Love is a Beautiful Thing (Rascals)
Eyes of a New York Woman (B.J. Thomas)
Sun Ain’t Gonna Shine Anymore (Walker Bros.)
Ain’t Too Proud to Beg/ My Girl/ Get Ready
(Temptations/ 4 Tops/ Temptations)
Corvairs
Summertime Blues (Eddie Cochran)
Stagger Lee (Lloyd Price)
Mary Lou (Ronnie Hawkins)
Honky Tonk (Bill Doggett)
(3:45)
Bobby Dick
Run Around Sue (Dion)
This Magic Moment (Jay & the Americans)
I’m a Believer (Monkees)
Zarvis Allen Band
Sir Duke (Stevie Wonder)
Kid Charlemagne (Steely Dan)
My Old School (Steely Dan)
Wheatstone Bridge Band
Tell Her No (Zombies)
One Too Many Mornings (Association)
Chasers
Sweet Wine (Cream)
It’s All Over Now (Stones)
Cornucopia
Cinnamon Girl (Neil Young)
You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere (Byrds)
Marksmen
Do You Believe in Magic (Lovin’ Spoonful)
We Gotta Get Out of this Place (Animals)
Deja Vu
Wasted on the Way (CS&N)
Suite Judy Blue Eyes (CSN)
Just a Song Before I Go (CSN)
Long Time Gone (CSN&Y)
Dawn Go Away (4 Seasons)
Got to Get You Into My Life (Beatles)
The Weight (The Band)
(5:45)
—– 00 —–
It was an altogether enjoyable show, with the after buzz being about how all these talented musicians were able to hit the stage and produce at such a high quality. The post-concert party at Mazzeo’s continued the comeraderie and fun. Talk is about making this an annual event, and THE PLANET fully supports this and will do so in any way to see that it comes about.
Let us add a personal note of how we missed the musicians who have passed on. For us, that special list includes Dave Carron and Dan Velika of QUARRY and Johnny Soldato and Bob Gabriel of QUICK FOX. We miss them, and we send our love to their families.
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STAY TUNED FOR MORE ENTRIES AS THE DAY PROGRESSES. WE ARE NOT DONE YET!!!!!
“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”
LOVE TO ALL.
Two very good and well coached football teams clashed at Wahconah Park last Sunday night. Wahconah Regional defeated St. Joseph High School 14 – 6. The crowd was treated to a hard fought well played game. Both teams have superb athletes. For a $3.00 senior ticket it’s the best entertainment around and you’ll not be searched if you bring your own popcorn.
Anyone attending a game a Wahconah is surprised and disappointed to see a 20 yard section of bleacher seats under the press box. That’s all there is. One has to stand for the entire game on the outside of the ropes that ring the field.
And standing at Wahconah for two and one-half hours is no easy feat because at this time of the year the ground is cold and damp. Other than the game the main topic of conversation was lack of seating.
For 60 plus years football bleachers did cover a small part of the dirt between shortstop and third. This was never a big deal nor should it be. It’s an easy repair by spreading dirt and raking the following spring preparing for the baseball season.
It would not be a big deal to put up a 40 yard section of bleacher seats on the east side of the field. We have the seats in a warehouse. All it would take is a days work for city workers.
If there is a good reason to not install football seats I have not heard it. All it would take is for someone to make a simple affirmative decision. I think we can still do that.
Chuck, I have been complaining about this for 6 or seven years since it started under the ruberto fiasco.The installation of a new infield is the excuse they gave under ruberto and ruberto said the same when questioned. That is no excuse. A minor fix up is all it would take to cure the slight damage done to the sacred infield. There is no reason people in their 60’s and 70’s don’t have places to sit during a high school football game.Yhere are only 29 yards of stands on the Home side of the field with none on the visitors side.Get Stracuzzi out of his truck and make him actually work during the day and maybe some problems like this would be solved.
People could bring their own lawn chairs if they wanted correct?
should they have to moron! and if they are playing a team out of the area should we send out a text to all the parents that they may have to stand all game!!!!! Ridiculous comment for the sake of disagreement.
Dave seriously how old are you? It was a suggestion count to ten and breath.
This problem has been alleviated by Mayor Bianchi. There will be bleachers on both sides of the field for the games a week from this this weekend. There are no high school games there this weekend.Thank You Mayor Bianchi. A fter six or seven years of complaining to ruberto finally a Mayor who listens and will fix things that need fixing.
Mr. Garivaltis,
I’m going to follow you off topic to honor the memory of myneighbor.
At a morning service in Connecticut on September 14, 2001, then Gov. John Rowland recalled his close relationship with Rev. Francis Grogan, a priest, born and raised in Pittsfield, who died on United Airlines Flight 175 from Boston which crashed into the World Trade Center. Rowland called Grogan a friend and said of him, “If Grogan were still here, he would ask us to be “persuaded by our better natures.” Because we were not persuaded by our better natures, today we not only mourn the loss of the 2,977 mothers, fathers, sons and daughters killed in 9/11, we also mourn for the 6,602 United Sates service men and women who have died avenging the attacks of 9/11.
Mr. Shepardson,
Your beautifully wriiten message in memory of your friend and others mirror my feelings,too. It is a day of mourning for innocent lives lost because of misplaced insane hatred.Bless our servicemen who remain on the front lines eleven years later.
CHUCK
“who remain on the front 11 years later.” What a shame.
Dan
And the people we are training to take our place are shooting our troops in the back with guns we have given them for training purposes.Go figure..
I tried to figure, Chuck, but it didn’t, and doesn’t, add up.
Seems to me we are in the wrong places to avenge the attacks. We got Bin Laden that was good. I heard something the other day that claimed all the hijackers were Turkish and joined Al Qaeda to plan an attack on the U.S because of issues with Israel and Pakistan. The CIA knew some of them were here too for a year before the attacks.
15 were from Saudi Arabia, two from the United Arab Emirates, one from Egypt and one from Lebanon.
As long as we are remembering locals lost to terrorist attacks, let’s not forget Wendy Lincoln of North Adams, who was on Pan Am flight 103.
Great time at the Legends concert. Thanks for all who made this amazing event happen. All the bands were great. Kudos to Ric Fetridge and Dave Healey for their hard work. Agree with DV this should be an annual event.
Thanks, Gene. We did, too.
Bless the Troops yes, Mr. G, but bring them home dammit…Afganistan is no more the front line of terrorism than the Pittsfield City Council and Lenox Board of Selectman are fiscally responsible….Home many more innocent lives will be lost, blood shed and money wasted on a Country that clearly doesn’t want us there and where we are no longer even fighting the front on terror…Rebuild America’s infrastructure first before you build Afgan bridges and roads…Just one Hilly’s opinion…
HILLY and MR G
Bring the troops home! Now! Hilly, you are right. Afghanistan as a hotbed of terrorism? A joke. Moreover, to so-called “war on terrorism” is about as real and as effective as the “war on drugs.”
The Last Word:
A few editions back I was challenged as to whether there is such a thing as a Register of Deeds job. I claimed the position is largely a hoax. Franklin County seems to think so.
From Berkshire Eagle, 9/11
The Franklin County Register of Deeds has cleaned out his office and hasn’t shown up for work since he lost last week’s re-election bid, but says he’s just taking vacation.
Joseph Gochinski cleaned out his office over the weekend without telling anyone and no one has seen him at work since. The one-term Democrat lost Thursday’s primary to Scott Cote.
Cathy Winseck, deputy assistant register, tells The Recorder of Greenfield she and other staff found his office cleaned out when they came in Monday.
Efforts to reach Gochinski were unsuccessful.
A spokesman for the Secretary of State’s office, which oversees the state’s deeds registries, said Gochinski contacted the office Tuesday to say he is taking vacation and will return, although he did not specify when.
Meanwhile, the registry will operate as usual in his absence.
LEV
Of course the job is padding and unnecessary. So are three separate registry offices in Berkshire County, with a pop. of 132,000. Suffolk County has 750,000 people and one office. While the private sector uses technology and other cost efficiencies to drive cost out, including unneeded jobs, the public sector keeps adding to the payrolls. Why? The reason is simple, as you know: Unlike the Dreaded Private Sector, the public sector has a built-in customer base, known as Taxpayers.All government is corrupt, evil, and should be challenged.
I agree.
“All government is corrupt, evil, and should be challenged” Government is necessary to a point, I agree it can be corrupt and evil, but “all”- I don’t agree, It’s purpose has been distorted, but living in Massachusetts has sucked the life out of us all. Other states are taking steps to change Government as we NOW know it but sadly when Scott Brown loses this year, all is lost again in Massachusetts. I agree 100% with the last point Dan,
Government should always be challenged.
please tell me which states are taking steps – we’re among the better states – and we’re terrible
Texas and Arizona are a couple off the top of my head that are bucking the Federal Government on a couple of issues instead of giving in and giving up.
DAVE
Name me any government — local, state, or federal — that is not “corrupt, evil” and should not be challenged. Be specific.
Of course the job is padding and unnecessary.
So why lend the position credibility endorsement by arguing a candidate’s qualifications?
Because the necessity of the job wasn’t the issue. That’s a whole other issue. The point was, in the register of deeds race, there was one candidate well qualified among three hopefuls. That requires commentary and endorsement.
Or, you could just not endorse anyone. The Pittsfield Gazette stated, “We will not endorse any of the candidates” in a recent race.
If the position is a fraud, the people running for it are engaging in the fraud.
LEV
Yes, we “could just not endorse anyone,” but saying that simply means, “Then again, you could endorse anyone.” Jonathan Levine has his policy, and THE PLANET has ours. Your point about the position being a fraud is misguided. In theory, on the flipchart located in the Pin-in-the-Sky, yes. In theory, we could probably get rid of at least half of all goverment, on all levels. In fact, that one policy position that makes the Libertarian position the most appealing as an answer to America’s problems. In practicality, though, the position exist and continue to exist. The people running for those positions are not “engaging in the fraud.” They are playing the game by the existing rules.
On the concert, great time! Dan your brother Mick rocked. He looked great like time has stopped for him. When he brought out Puggy, Grover, and Mike S and they played Needles and Pins, I’m thinking, this is a supergroup here. Would be great to see them play music together for real.
Thanks, Kevin.
Dan you failed to mention Mark Knight among the deceased musicians who were unable to perform at the Legends Reunion.
Mark was a very talented unassuming drummer who died very young. Along with those you mentioned Mark was missed too.
dan..thanxs for sharing our little party…on september 9th, at the pittsfield boy’s and girl’s club in pittsfield ma
…all was right with the world!
god bless..
your friend in rock!
r.
RIC
Beautifully put, my good friend. As I reflected on it, I realized: All those people, downtown, for hours … and not one incident. Everyone behaved and had fun. Could it be coincidental that there was no alcohol involved? A beautiful testimony to “Our G-g-g-g-generation.” You, Dave H, and all the others involved in staffing this did A+ work.