City Boy Live

Here is room enough for your concert descriptions.
Please send them to me and I'll put 'em up here! Thank You.

This wonderful concert description was sent to me by Rick Brown:

I saw City Boy live in Toronto, Canada 3 times: 1st at a small gig at the Seneca Field House (A university hall) with Be-Bop Deluxe, around the the time of Dinner at the Ritz. They blew be-Bop away! Steve Broughton said that this was their first gig in North America, and he was so excited that he asked the audience to stay while he ran to get his camera. He got it and took pictures of the audience! He said that his friends back home wouldn't believe it without proof. When they launched into "Dinner at the Ritz", complete with a high-stepping chorus line, and then "Over the Rainbow" the audience was on their feet, singing and laughing and cheering. Wonderful!

The next gig was at the venerable Massey Hall, then home of the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, around the time of Book Early. This time the audience was all theirs - during the 2nd song, they gave a standing ovation after the lead guitar break! They ended as a year earlier, with Dear Jean, then Dinner at the Ritz, then Over the Rainbow. But then, something happened I will never forget! The audience called them back for an encore, they obliged and said goodnite. The house lights came up, and the roadies started packing up. But the audience would not stop cheering and chanting! At one point a roadie looked up like he couldn't believe it. Eventually, they had to reconnect the electronics, and the band came back. We were told that, as they had a new drummer, they had already played every song they knew, so they would have to play some new songs that they had not completely rehearsed!. One of the most unforgettable nights of my life!

3rd time was a year later, the Day the Earth Caught Fire tour, at the Music Hall. Nothing less than a great show again, with the usual totally knowledgeable and favourable crowd.

I would love to get my hands on a live tape/CD of any of their concerts - I've never stopped looking! Anyone out there who can help?

Rick Brown


An afterthought:
In my last note re: City Boy concerts I've seen, I believe that I said
that the first one was around Young Men Gone West - it was actually
around Dinner at the Ritz. Cheers!


Rick Brown

Another memory from Mark Wagstaff:

After reading your home page, I have to correct myself. The song City Boy opened up with when I saw them live was "The Man Who Ate His Car", they followed that with "Mamma's Boy" and "Take A Walk On The Water". This was obviously the "Young Men Gone West" tour. Many thanks to your homepage for sharpening my memory !

I saw City Boy at the Roxy Theater near Allentown, Pa. (yes ... the Billy Joel city) It was 1977 (I think). They were touring on their 3rd album and the opening act was just some local band. The Roxy was a small, 500 seat 1920's theater. It was used for vaudville shows in the '20's and a movie theater in the '70's. The place had terrific accoustics. Alot of new bands were showcased there before they made it big ... Kiss, Peter Frampton, Heart, Genesis, Al Stewart, Climax Blues Band, Be Bop Deluxe, Crack the Sky ...

I remember going to the concert with my girlfriend at the time ... she was a big Ted Nugent fan. From the "in your face" opening of The Man Who Ate His Car, all the way through Dinner At The Ritz (Lol walking up and down the isles of the theater wearing a tuxedo coat carrying a candleabra .... if I remember correctly) and the dynamics of Sunset Boulavard, I was completely blown away. (I'm not making this up now) I thought ... "This is the BEST concert I've EVER seen in my LIFE". As we were walking out of the concert, my head still in a euphoric buzz, my girlfriend (the Nugent fan ) says ... "That was Faggot music" AAAAHHHHHHH !!!!!!!!!

And another one from Christofer Psilander:

1. January or February 1979. Göta Lejon Theatre, Stockholm, Sweden.

My friend Clas and I were 18 years old, and we were going to our very first ‘real’ rock concert! It turned out a fantastic event, a memory we both will cherish for life. The songs they played were mainly from Book Early, but certainly not solely: all of the older albums were represented, maybe an overrepresentation on the first. I didn’t mind that, though. I love the first album.

The audience was quite still at first: nicely seated, not too excited. But it all really began when the band came to 5.7.0.5. People rose, and jammed the centre aisle, singing, dancing, enjoying themselves and turning the concert into a party! Clas and I followed suit. Before long we were among the ones closest to the stage! Halfway through the show I remembered: I had brought my ‘Book Early’ copy, to try to get it signed. I made a quick dash for it (as I had left it by my seat), got my pen out and went back to the stage. There I was, standing by the stage of a City Boy gig, with an album in one hand and a pen in the other, leaning up to the stage and trying to get noticed by the bandmembers. After a while: Steve saw me, took the album, wrote his signature, and returned it... I was ecstatic! After a while, an even wilder thing: as now Lol took the album and the pen out of my hand, in the middle of an instrumental part of a song, I climbed the stage and stood beside Lol, my left arm around him, while he was signing Book Early for me... all in front of 1800 fans! To this day, soon eighteen years later, I am still unable to fathom the greatness of that moment. Clas, and the signatures on the album, are my witnesses that it actually happened, if I should ever doubt myself. And the pen is still attached to the album cover.

Another thing I remember about that evening is two guys who had a home-made banner with them with the words ‘Turn On To Jesus’ on it. They were unfortunately unsuccessful in their obvious attempt to make the band play that particular song. The banner ended up on the stage towards the end of the gig, and one of the bandmembers (I don’t remember who) picked it up and showed it in approval to the audience. I think they wanted to play the song, but...

I know, you had to wait REALLY for a long time to see this page updated, but here come some more concert memories:

From Kai-Ove Böhnisch (Sweden):

I saw City Boy 2 or 3 times in the late 70´s. In the middle of one of those concerts Mr Scream, Roy Ward, puts on a huge hat. As we watched him, wondering "What next", a magnesium-bomb exploded. The hat was a pyro-technical part of the show(maybe you´ve seen it). But allmost instantly the background caught fire. The activity this fire caused was a show it self. The fire was soon put out and the show went on without any interuption. But what if...

From Lyn A Davidson (US)

I was a BIG city boy fan in high school here in So. Cal. I faithfully bought all their albums and played them, and played them and annoyed my friends until they bought them. Looking back now in 1998, they were ahead of their time. Look what Robert "Mutt" Lange has done since (good taste in music for sure). I finally saw them in a concert (my first ever at 17) in San Bernadino, CA in the fall of 1977. I took my then girlfriend and my sister. An "acid" rock band opened for City Boy. As the concert went on, I remember that the highlight was the spectacular rendition of "Sunset Boulevard". The audience went wild, literally. As this was 21 years ago, the details are foggy but I remember that it was a night that has made every other concert I've been to pale by comparison. (including both Pink Floyd tours).

Another great rito.com production!