1979-06-22
Capitol Theatre
Passaic, NJ
FM Broadcast
01. Sad Boy
02. Little Mama
03. Don’t You Write Her Off
04. Release Me Girl
05. Turn! Turn! Turn!
06. Surrender To Me
07. Chestnut Mare
08. It Doesn’t Matter
09. Backstage Pass
10. Stopping Traffic
11. So You Want to Be a Rock N' Roll Star
12. Mr. Tambourine Man>
13. Eight Miles High
14. I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better
15. Bye Bye, Baby
Roger McGuinn - guitar, vocals
Chris Hillman - bass, guitar, vocals
Gene Clark – guitar, vocals
Paul Harris - keyboards
Joe Lala - percussion
John Sambataro - guitar, vocals
Greg Thomas - drums
Although never billing themselves as “The Byrds”, McGuinn, Clark & Hillman were certainly the closest fans of 70’s rock ever got to seeing the original Byrds perform live. The project first came together in 1977, when Roger McGuinn, Gene Clark, and Chris Hillman attempted a triple bill tour with their respective solo bands in Europe in 1977. This lead to McGuinn and Clark touring as an acoustic duo and finally, with Hillman joining the duo and securing a record deal, touring and recording together under the name, McGuinn, Clark & Hillman. Their self-titled debut, recorded at the height of the disco craze was a huge disappointment to Byrds fans due to its slick overproduction, disco rythmns, strings, and horns, not to mention the absence of the classic Byrds harmony and McGuinn’s signature Rickenbacker guitar (although the album did have a minor hit with McGuinn’s "Don't You Write Her Off"). Fortunately, the subsequent tour to promote the album was more to the fans liking with the three Byrds, augmented by guitarist John Sambataro, percussionist Joe Lala and drummer Greg Thomas, playing to their strengths (and with the Rickenbacker well intact). This performance, recorded for the King Biscuit Flower Hour, is highlighted by the Byrds classics, most notably pulsating versions of Hillman’s So You Want to Be a Rock n Roll Star and Clark’s Eight Miles High.
