I used to play in a ska/reggae band called Secret Agent 8. We were in the music scene in the Houston, TX area, the band is no longer together now. Anyhow, I was blessed to have opened for national acts that would come through, mostly at a place called Fitzgeralds. Also, playing the Vans Warped tour in Houston a few times was cool! These days I fill in mostly in dive bars with blues/country bands, which is still cool to me!

I think the coolest gig was opening for The Skatalites, which were basically the first pioneers in reggae. They were Bob Marley's backing band in the early days. Their drummer (the original drummer), Lloyd Knibb, played my drums that night and it was awesome!

I was sad to hear recently that both Lloyd Knibb and Lloyd Brevitt (original bass player) passed away in recent years. Here's a live performance of their's when both Lloyd's were still living:

[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_lsJY4ymYAA[/ame]

Very cool that you opened up for the Skatalites! Very cool that Lloyd Knibb played your kit! I'm opening up for them on the 24th of November. And I got to open up for the Wailers 2 summers ago!

I met Lloyd Brevitt a few years ago after a Skatalites show on Montreal. Not only is was he a great bass player, but a genuinely nice guy. I'm sad to learn of his passing. RIP Respect & Bless>

Here's some shots of us (Jah & I) on that Wailers gig on a sunny afternoon in Quebec City 2 yrs ago. Was a blast! the shot of me is awful...I look like i've never held a stick in my life (LOL). The other is a shot of Aston "Family Man Barrett's signature on the back of our bassist's Precision.

In 2004 I had the honor to play percussion for Neil Innes of Rutles, Monty Python, and Bonzo Dog Doo Da Band fame on a brief mid-west tour. It was beyond awesome to play such hits as "Brave Sir Robin" from Monty Python's In Search of the Holy Grail, with the guy that wrote the song and sang it in the movie. Also the Bonzo and Rutles songs where just incredible little gems to re-create live.

Biggest train-wreck gig was when I played in a band that closed out the night for the headliner, David Allen Coe. I'm not sure what he was on that night but it wasn't Earth that's for certain.

Wow! Tunes from the Monty Python soundtracks Mind Blowi Thats just too cool!

Right on!!! Both Lloyds were just as genuine as could be. They never actes like royalty at all! So much fun that night. I believe my buddy still has the flyer from that night with the line up on it. If he does ill take a photo next time I see him and post it.

Great photos buddy!

I have two that I will never forget both gigs were opening for two bands I love to this day the first was the Yardbirds in early 1966 the second and probably the best and most fun was opening for The Who late 1968 8-23 and 8-24 but in any case we got to open three shows for them over a two day period and it was a blast..... 8-23 was Kieth moons birthday he turned 21 that day we had a special cake made for him which he promptly threw all over the crowd.....

Wow brother! Just wow!!!!!!! I'd give a testicle to have done something like that!

I was the conga player in this band:D I've been offered many more conga gigs than I had the time for because of my appropriate and collaborative style...though in this band, a Dead cover band, both the kit drummer and I tended to overplay as we let ourselves go in the music. We avoided most train wrecks, but not all of 'em.:eek:

I like the Latin sound and could play some basic latin patterns, but I was not that pro...I just listen. If I played Oye Como Va it would have sounded like Oye Vey...

I still play conga gigs periodically, but I'm mostly a kit player now.

Brian

Brian - You have to check out some Afro-Cuban rhythms on the conga's! If you love playing conga's, that Latin Jazz stuff will make you work. It was so difficult for me to get some of those basic Latin rhythms down; Clave', (both 3/2 and 2/3,) Bossa Nova, Samba, Merengue' etc. Integrating the bass drum parts with what you're hands are doing is like rubbing your belly and patting your head, but the Conga and Timbale parts are always killer sounding and fun to play. I'm a New York City kid. When I was growing up, on Friday and Saturday nights I'd go to High-Bridge Park uptown Manhattan (where I lived,) and hang out with all the Cuban and Puerto Rican men that were out there drinking, singing, playing guitars, cow bells, garbage can covers, tapping on empty beer bottles, whatever was available or that some one had brought with them. Those summer-time jams would go until the cops threw us out of the park at 2 or 3 am. I learned Latin rhythms from those guys. As a drummer, you would have loved some of the killer grooves we got going. It was glorious! Some of those old guys played better when they got half a bag-on from drinking. But it was fun times and memories I cherish. Sorry for long rant... conga's, Latin music, made me remember.

John

Maybe not my most favorite gig of all time, but certainly one of my most memorable:

July 2001, Hartford CT. We were playing an all-day July 4th festival at one of the three outdoor venues on the river. You know the type of gig; each group takes turns on the portable trailer/stage. The act before us featured a gorgeous keyboardist in a big hat playing a strange combination of R&B fused with pure classical licks (like Fur Elise in the middle of a blues run). We were blown away. She was promoting her first album which she said was just released a few weeks earlier. A huge crowd had gathered for her but we had no idea who she was. When someone in the audience told me who she was, I simply replied, "Alicia Keys? Never heard of her". We took the stage as most of the audience, her audience, disappeared.

We all have some great stories about who we've opened for, but to this day, I still joke with my buddies about how Alicia Keys opened for us.