Mitch Ryder - Live Rockpalast 1979

Mitch Ryder Grugahalle Essen, Germany 07-10-1979

Mitch Ryder - Vocals
Joe Gutc - Lead-Guitar
Richard Schein - Rythm-Guitar
Billy Csernits - Keyb
Mark Gougeon - Bass
Wilson Owens - Drums

Tracklist:

01 Long Hard Road (5'48'')
02 War (7'38'')
03 Nice 'n' Easy (6'46'')
04 Jenny Take A Ride (3'45'')
05 Ain't Nobody White (7'15'')
06 Devil With A Blue Dress On (3'28'')
07 Liberty (4'54'')
08 Dance Ourselves To Death (7'18'')
09 Wicked Messenger (3'19'')
10 Rock 'n' Roll (6'15'')
11 Tough Kid (5'14'')
12 True Love (6'16'')
13 Soul Kitchen (11'32'')



A Night To Remember..... from Billy Csernits

......Detroit boys in Germany for the first time.....wow talk about culture shock! We flew into Germany 1 week before the night of the concert. Our record company thought it would be a nice touch if we could get to know your country and enjoy the sights. A very nice thought, but for a fast hard hitting Rock band.....it was WAY TOOOO MUCH IDLE TIME. We were used to "pull up... hit the stage.... and move on to the next city". So after a full week in a 5 Star hotel with great food and "carte blanc" for everything from room service to message' girls, ........by the time the night of the show came, we were a little on EDGE to say the least. To make things even more surreal, the record company said to us that afternoon at rehearsal..." well boys, we put out for you for the last week......now its your turn to put out for us....you had better not let us down" It was kind of like taking a girl home from the gig and the next morning she says you owe her $100.......are you getting the picture? So the band, our record execs and Rockpalast staff were waiting down in the lobby of the hotel, ready to take the tour bus over to the venue for the show......and no Mitch to be found. We call the room...no answer......we check the hotel bar...no Mitch...things are getting more tense by the minute....THIS THING HAS TO RUN on schedule.....there are millions of people watching Southside Johnny as we are waiting. Finally the elevator doors open and here he comes........ a half empty bottle of Jack Daniels in his hand and his hair looking like he had slept on it for 20 hours....all ratted up on one side...then sprayed with so much Hair Spray that it didn't move even as we went into the cool breeze of the night. I knew at that moment we were in for "A Night To Remember"
The night is pretty much documented other spots on this site...The fist fight backstage.....The drunken Pre-Interview with Alan Bangs...at which point 3 or 4 countries just pulled the plug on the broadcast. And I pretty much remember the set that night...... as just like most of our sets, and that was...when Mitch was "ON" there was always a spot where the music just took on a life of its own. It was not like this everynight..some nights were just plain BAD. But like anything that has very high levels there are always very low ones to go with it. But the nights were the real Mitch Ryder came to the party......were some high points of my life.
I am proud to have performed with one of the true Rock Legends of our time.
Thank you to all my German friends that I made over the years.......I miss seeing them more than anything else....... when I remember my days with Mitch.
Billy Csernits....Jan. 2001