The Velvet Underground: Springer's Hall, 1969
A dressed-up version of the flyer (incorporating an earlier image with Andy Warhol) for the performance of The Velvet Underground (in a later version of the band, with a different lineup) and The Chapter Five on 21 November, 1969, at Springer's Hall (later on, Springer's Flea Market), Gresham, Oregon (I believe at that period the location fell within unincorporated Multnomah County). (Other notable bands also played at the venue, including The Grateful Dead, the Byrds, and others; according to the Rock Archaeology 101 blog post, in the preceding link). I've long been an admirer of the band; since some friends recommended their music in the last millennium. I purchased a copy of the Velvet Underground "banana" album at a thrift store in the 80s (then inexplicably gave away the record a few years later). I later frequented the building in its later incarnation, as Springer's Flea Market, in the 70s and 80s (as mentioned in previous posts). The story of Springer's ended dramatically, with the consumption of the entire edifice by fire. This event happened apparently in August, 1987, according to Roman Scott's comment in the "Rock Archaeology" blog (and from what I remember of that time). I did see John Cale in a solo performance, in the 80s, at the Pine Street Theater in Portland (later La Luna).
I was within a ten or twenty minute drive of the 1969 Velvet Underground concert at Springer's; although would not have quite been old enough to have grokked it, had I attended. Still, there was something in the breezes...
Of all the musicians I'd like to have seen it's the Velvet Underground. I was in New York in 1963 but that was obviously to early. I went to see Lou Reed in the late '70s but the punks, of which there were many, really gave him a hard time. Reed in defiance sat on the edge of the stage and played acoustic guitar alone throughout the whole set, which I really admired. I could have seen Jimmy Hendrix in the late '60s but never took the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteI wish I could have seen the Velvet Underground as well -- there don't seem to be a lot of traces of the 11-21-69 Velvet Underground concert; although I might dig a little more into it. There are a few recordings of selections from one or more of the Grateful Dead's concerts at Springer's, available on YouTube. A pity you didn't see Hendrix -- though Lou Reed would have been a standout. I knew somebody years ago, who saw Hendrix play in the late 60s.
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