100 Concerts / Concert #16

Headline Act: Ronnie Montrose with Allan Holdsworth

Touring Album: The Speed Of Sound (Montrose)

Date: August 23, 1988

Venue: Rion Ballroom, Gainesville, FL

Ticket price: $4

 

'70s guitar god, Ronnie Montrose

Of all the shows I've been to, this was one of them.

Held in the University of Florida's Rion Ballroom inside the Student Union, this concert, "The Ultimate Axe Alliance", served as a way to kill a couple hours on a weeknight in the early days of my senior year in Gainesville. Along with my buddies Dave and Mike and our new friend/roommate Paul, we stumbled on to campus from our nearby House Of Hollywood. 

Montrose (2nd from right) with Sammy Hagar (far right)

The lower-case headliner for this show was Ronnie Montrose, a talented musician and warhorse of the rock scene. As a young session guitarist, he played on Van Morrison's "Tupelo Honey". Later, he was part of The Edgar Winter Group when they recorded the legendary "Frankensten". In '73 he formed his namesake band, Montrose, which included Sammy Hagar.  Little known fact: as a young man, Hagar was quite capable of driving 55.

The '70s: shirtless albums covers.

Compared to thousands of garage bands doomed to playing a local circuit of dive bars and taverns, Montrose was a hugely successful rock band. But compared to the great (and lucky) bands who carved out their place in the Hall Of Fame, Montrose is barely a footnote to rock history. They logged thousands of miles on the road, opening for The Rolling Stones, Kiss, Peter Frampton, Yes, Rush, The Eagles, Journey, and Aerosmith. Some band are destined for greatness and some are Montrose. Their popularity peaked in the late '70s, their most successful charting album in the U.S. reached #65.

Another guitar veteran, Allan Holdsworth, joined Montrose for this show. Holdsworth's career has involved various jazz/rock/fusion collaborations. The late Frank Zappa and the legendary Eddie Van Halen were among his biggest fans.

Ronnie Montrose toured on and off from 2002 until his death in March 2012.  Tragically, he took his own life with a gun after succumbing to depression and alcohol. Montrose never gained fame like Jimmy Page or Eric Clapton, but he had a helluva career.

Rest in peace, Ronnie.