Couldn't Stand the Weather Tour

Couldn't Stand the Weather Tour
World tour by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
A young guitarist with a black wide-brimmed hat is pictured in a sideways stance, playing a white electric guitar. A tornado is pictured in the background.
Location North America, Europe, Australasia, Japan
Associated album Couldn't Stand the Weather
Start date March 10, 1984
End date May 4, 1985
Legs 7
No. of shows 119 in North America
12 in Europe
11 in Australasia
5 in Japan
147 total
Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble concert chronology

The Couldn't Stand the Weather Tour was a concert tour through North America, Europe, Australasia and Japan, undertaken by American blues rock band Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble from 1984 to 1985. Staged in support of their second album Couldn't Stand the Weather, the tour was the band's second of which to visit Europe, and their first to visit Australasia and Japan. Vaughan and Double Trouble achieved international fame when their debut album, Texas Flood, was released in June 1983. As the subsequent supporting tour progressed, the group's success was confirmed as their shows frequently sold out and consistently left their audiences amazed and gratified. Although they never followed a set list, all of the songs from Couldn't Stand the Weather were played at least once during the tour, and as many as eight of them were included in each of the band's performances.

Consisting of seven legs and 147 shows, the Couldn't Stand the Weather Tour began in Southampton, New York on March 10, 1984 and ended in San Antonio, Texas on May 4, 1985. The first three legs alternated between North America and Europe, before the ensuing legs took the band to Australasia and Japan. The fourth leg, branded as "Fall Foliage", incorporated a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall, which was recorded and later released as an official live LP in 1997. The band's 1985 album Soul to Soul, which included the addition of keyboardist Reese Wynans, was recorded during breaks in the tour. Although the tour received a range of reactions from critics, it was generally well-received. Critics regarded the group's Carnegie Hall appearance as one of the tour's most memorable performances—Stephen Holden of The New York Times wrote, "There's nothing like a hot guitarist to get the men in a rock-and-roll audience on their feet and screaming."[1]

Background

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble's debut album Texas Flood and the supporting Texas Flood Tour brought them to commercial and critical success. They gained international fame after the album was released by Epic Records in June 1983. After enjoying the year's success, the group began recording their second album Couldn't Stand the Weather in January 1984 at the Power Station in New York. Vaughan, who was heavily influenced by Jimi Hendrix, decided to include a cover version of "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)", which provoked inevitable comparisons by many music critics after the album was released. Although Vaughan would often dislike these comparisons, he would frequently include several Hendrix compositions in the band's set list.

Planning and itinerary

The Couldn't Stand the Weather Tour began in Southampton, New York on March 10, 1984, nearly two weeks after the conclusion of the band's previous Texas Flood Tour, which allowed audiences to familiarize themselves with the new songs from Couldn't Stand the Weather. The first leg of the tour took them to the northeastern US and then on to the Scandinavian region of Europe, where they stayed for nearly two weeks. They then returned to North America in April, where during a stay of more than four months Vaughan and Double Trouble made two visits to Canada. The group then returned to Europe in August, where they performed two concerts in Germany, which were both broadcast on local German television. The fourth leg of the tour, which consisted of 11 concerts at mostly auditoriums in the northeast, included an appearance at Carnegie Hall that was scheduled on October 4. Backed by a ten-piece big band for the second half of the show, the concert deviated from the band's renowned power trio format. Rehearsals for the show began at a soundstage in Austin, Texas in September 1984; a public dress rehearsal show was held at the Caravan of Dreams in Fort Worth on September 29.

The fifth leg of the tour, which began on October 26, 1984, was the band's first tour of Australasia; tickets for both dates at the Sydney Opera House were sold out. Scheduling for the succeeding concerts in California in November 1984 afforded the band time off, before the leg's closing concert in Houston on December 31. Five concerts in Japan were scheduled in January 1985, which marked their first and only visit to the area. Vaughan and Double Trouble recorded their next album, Soul to Soul, from March to May 1985 during breaks in the tour's final leg, which incorporated a third stop in Canada and a trip through the southern US, before the closing concert at the Majestic Theatre in San Antonio on May 4.

Critical response

Many critics published favorable reviews about the tour; The Lakeland Ledger said that the band didn't disappoint, relying on "their music and themselves to entertain".[2] The News & Observer wrote, "The crowd was still shouting for more when Vaughan unstrapped his guitar and said good night."[3] Others praised the Carnegie Hall show; Stephen Holden of The New York Times acknowledged that Vaughan's talents were "handsomely displayed" and "filled with verve".[4] The Dallas Times Herald said that "it was on the slow, bluesy stuff that the Carnegie Hall sound really helped", despite the fact that the hall's "fabled acoustics [didn't] seem to work so well for rock 'n' roll".[5] The Age praised the Australian leg and assured readers that "none of the publicity is exaggerated". It observed that Vaughan was the "complete master of his instruments" and did it with a "minimum of fuss or flash".[6] The Press wrote about the show in Christchurch, "There must be something about coming from the Lone Star State. The Austin, Texas guitarist turned in a virtuoso performance. ...Vaughan and the band showed they could play with a vengeance, notably in 'Love Struck Baby' and 'Pride and Joy,' both highlights of the concert."[7]

Some critics indicated faults in the band's live mix. At a July 2 show in Saint Paul, Minnesota, the Dallas Times Herald noted that the acoustics in the room were awful, and the sound system provided was faulty. After the show, Vaughan said, "I'm sorry anybody had to see that. Those people out there deserved better."[8] The review went on to say that "the fans jammed as close to the stage as they could get, trying to get a better look at his hands, trying to figure out where the magic was coming from".[8] The Age said that Vaughan's voice was mixed back too far for much of it to be heard, "especially on the louder material".[9]

Tour dates

List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue, tickets sold, amount of available tickets and gross revenue
Date City Country Venue Opening Act(s) Attendance Revenue
Leg 1: United States and Europe[10][11][12]
March 10, 1984 Southampton United States Southampton College N/A N/A
March 11, 1984 Sunderland Rusty Nail
March 13, 1984 Poughkeepsie The Chance Steve Bassett
March 14, 1984 Union Wilkins Theatre
March 15, 1984 Scotia Radio City 1,000 / 1,000 $8,000
March 16, 1984 Providence Rhode Island College Duke Robillard, Steve Bassett N/A N/A
March 17, 1984 New Haven Twilight Zone
March 21, 1984 Copenhagen Denmark Alexandra Rock Theater
March 22, 1984 Oslo Norway Club 7
March 23, 1984 Voss Vossajazz
March 24, 1984 Bergen Hulen
March 25, 1984 Trondheim Skansen
March 27, 1984 Helsinki Finland Kulttuuritalo
March 28, 1984 Tampere University of Technology The Run Runs
March 29, 1984 Oulu Urheilutalo
March 30, 1984 Stockholm Sweden The Ritz
March 31, 1984 Lund Pub Sparta
Leg 2: United States[13][14][15]
April 15, 1984 Austin United States Auditorium Shores
(Celebrate Austin Music Festival)		 Angela Strehli, Robert Shaw N/A N/A
April 19, 1984 Greenville Greenleaf Theater Steve Bassett
April 20, 1984 Williamsburg William & Mary Hall
April 22, 1984 Roslyn My Father's Place Rocket 88
April 25, 1984 North Brunswick The Metro
April 27, 1984 Plattsburgh Hawkins Hall Auditorium
April 28, 1984 New Paltz SUNY New Paltz
(Springfest)		 Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush
Poughkeepsie The Chance
April 29, 1984 Buffalo SUNY Buffalo
(Springfest)
May 2, 1984 Garden City Nassau Community College
May 4, 1984 Bristol Roger Williams College
(Spring Weekend)		 David Johansen
May 6, 1984 Oneonta Hartwick College
(Spring Weekend)		 Artie Traum
May 7, 1984 Geneva Smith Opera House
May 12, 1984 Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheatre 9,002 / 9,002 $108,024
May 13, 1984 Tulsa Mohawk Park Jim Sweeney & the Jumpshots 15,404 / 15,404 $151,932
May 15, 1984 Little Rock Barton Coliseum 7,381 / 10,025 $84,881
May 16, 1984 St. Louis Kiel Auditorium N/A N/A
May 17, 1984 Davenport Palmer Alumni Auditorium 4,500 / 4,500 $55,875
May 18, 1984 Dubuque Five Flags Arena 5,200 / 5,200 $64,287
May 19, 1984 Kansas City Starlight Theatre 8,341 / 8,341 $101,654
May 20, 1984 Wichita Kansas Coliseum 7,233 / 7,233 $92,220
May 23, 1984 Austin Austin Opera House The Fabulous Thunderbirds N/A N/A
May 28, 1984 Memphis Mid-South Fairgrounds
(Memphis Cotton Carnival)		 Danny Tate
Leg 3: North America and Europe[16][17][18]
June 15, 1984 Irvine United States Irvine Meadows Amphitheatre 14,615 / 14,615 $204,570
June 16, 1984 Los Angeles Hollywood Palladium Billy Rankin N/A N/A
June 17, 1984 San Francisco Kabuki Theatre Philip Wellford
June 19, 1984 Portland Portland Civic Auditorium Widow
June 20, 1984 Seattle Paramount Theatre Dwight Twilley Band, Widow
June 21, 1984 Vancouver Canada Commodore Ballroom The Dice
June 22, 1984 Victoria Royal Theatre
June 24, 1984 Calgary Max Bell Arena
June 25, 1984 Edmonton Convention Inn Ballroom
June 26, 1984 Saskatoon Centennial Auditorium Colin Munn
June 28, 1984 Regina Centre of the Arts
June 29, 1984 McCreary Beaver Dam Lake
(Country Rock Festival)		 Gregg Allman Band, Murray McLauchlan
July 2, 1984 Saint Paul United States Prom Ballroom Raggs
July 3, 1984 Milwaukee Marcus Amphitheater
(Summerfest)		 Duke Jupiter, Piranha Brothers
July 5, 1984 Rockford Coronado Theatre Duke Tumatoe
July 6, 1984 Peoria Peoria Civic Center
July 8, 1984 Morrison Red Rocks Amphitheatre Talk Talk
July 10, 1984 Amarillo Amarillo Civic Center Duke Jupiter, Angela Strehli
July 11, 1984 Lubbock Lubbock Municipal Auditorium
July 12, 1984 Dallas Fair Park Band Shell 4,500 / 4,500
July 13, 1984 San Antonio Majestic Theatre N/A
July 15, 1984 Temple Mayborn Civic Center
July 18, 1984 Houston Houston Music Hall
July 19, 1984
July 20, 1984 Corpus Christi Bayfront Plaza Auditorium
July 21, 1984 Austin Palmer Auditorium
July 27, 1984 New Britain Willowbrook Park
(Summer Jam)		 Charlie Daniels Band 9,652 / (unlimited) $144,780
July 28, 1984 Boston The Channel Donny B. Waugh & the Forgiven Sinners N/A N/A
July 29, 1984 Salem Winter Island
August 1, 1984 New York City Pier 84 Gregg Allman Band
August 3, 1984 Tampa USF Sun Dome 11,468 / 11,468 $143,350
August 4, 1984 Jacksonville Jacksonville Coliseum 11,676 / 11,676 $145,075
August 5, 1984 Columbia Carolina Coliseum 8,285 / 12,352 $103,567
August 6, 1984 Charlotte Charlotte Coliseum 7,009 / 12,900 $87,612
August 8, 1984 Atlanta The Omni 11,581 / 17,129 $144,762
August 9, 1984 Greensboro Greensboro Coliseum 11,774 / 15,887 $147,175
August 10, 1984 Roanoke Roanoke Civic Center 10,853 / 10,853 $137,292
August 11, 1984 Norfolk Norfolk Scope 12,910 / 13,800 $161,375
August 12, 1984 Harrisburg City Island 2,918 / 12,000 $97,273
August 14, 1984 Toronto Canada Massey Hall N/A N/A
August 16, 1984 Ottawa National Arts Centre Saints and Sinners
August 17, 1984 Montreal The Spectrum Jimmy James
August 25, 1984 St. Goarshausen Germany Freilichtbühne Loreley
(Loreley Open Air Festival)		 Paul Brady, Greg Kihn Band
August 27, 1984 Munich Alabama-Halle
September 2, 1984 Shreveport United States Veterans Park Amphitheatre
(Labor Day Music Festival)		 "A" Train, Danny Johnson & the Bandits
September 7, 1984 Chicago Aragon Ballroom Albert Collins
September 8, 1984 Royal Oak Royal Oak Music Theatre
September 9, 1984 Dayton Hara Arena Dale Walton's 2nd Wind
September 10, 1984 Indianapolis Clowes Memorial Hall Rods 'n' Cones 2,127 / 2,172
September 13, 1984 Nashville Memorial Gymnasium Will Rambeaux & the Delta Hurricanes N/A
September 14, 1984 Memphis Orpheum Theatre Koko Taylor
September 15, 1984 Greenville Freedom Village
(Mississippi Delta Blues Festival)		 Bo Diddley, Robert Cray Band
September 16, 1984 Fort Worth Will Rogers Coliseum Van Wilks
Leg 4: United States ("Fall Foliage")[19][20][21]
September 29, 1984 Fort Worth United States Caravan of Dreams N/A N/A
October 4, 1984 New York City Carnegie Hall 2,200 / 2,200
October 6, 1984 Boston Orpheum Theatre Jason & the Scorchers N/A
October 7, 1984 West Hartford Agora Ballroom
October 9, 1984 Hempstead Adams Playhouse
October 10, 1984 Philadelphia Irvine Auditorium Spinning Infant
October 11, 1984 Washington, D.C. Constitution Hall Jason & the Scorchers
October 12, 1984 Pittsburgh Syria Mosque 2,329 / 3,700 $29,695
October 14, 1984 Cleveland Variety Theatre N/A N/A
October 19, 1984 Phoenix Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
(Arizona State Fair)
October 20, 1984 El Paso El Paso County Coliseum Jason & the Scorchers
Leg 5: Australasia and United States[22][23]
October 26, 1984 Melbourne Australia Melbourne Concert Hall Tinsley Waterhouse Band N/A N/A
October 28, 1984 Bachelors from Prague
October 31, 1984 Tinsley Waterhouse Band
November 1, 1984 Adelaide Adelaide Festival Theatre
November 3, 1984 Brisbane Brisbane Festival Hall The Aussie Rebels
November 5, 1984 Sydney Sydney Opera House
November 9, 1984 The Champions
November 11, 1984 Palmerston North New Zealand Manawatu Stadium Chris Thompson
November 12, 1984 Wellington Wellington Town Hall
November 13, 1984 Christchurch Christchurch Town Hall
November 14, 1984 Auckland Logan Campbell Centre
November 20, 1984 Santa Barbara United States Arlington Theater James Harman Band
November 21, 1984 Universal City Universal Amphitheatre Joe Ely
November 23, 1984 Fresno Warnors Theatre
November 24, 1984 San Francisco Warfield Theatre Dr. Gonzo
November 25, 1984
November 27, 1984 Santa Cruz Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium 1,904 / 1,904
November 28, 1984 Davis Freeborn Hall Bourgeois Tagg N/A
November 29, 1984 Oroville Butte College Gym Ralph Shine Blues Band
November 30, 1984 Arcata HSU East Gym Trilogy
December 31, 1984 Houston Astroarena The Fabulous Thunderbirds
Leg 6: Japan[24]
January 20, 1985 Osaka Japan Osaka Kōsei Nenkin Kaikan N/A N/A
January 21, 1985 Nagoya Unryu Hall
January 23, 1985 Tokyo Yubin Chokin Kaikan
January 24, 1985
January 25, 1985
Leg 7: North America[25][26]
March 10, 1985 South Padre Island United States Isla Blanca Park Joe King Carrasco and the Crowns N/A N/A
March 21, 1985 Manor Manor Downs
(Spring Music Festival)		 Delbert McClinton, Jerry Jeff Walker
March 23, 1985 Boston Boston Opera House Albert King
March 24, 1985 Worcester E.M. Loew's Center Luther 'Guitar Junior' Johnson
March 27, 1985 Hamilton Canada Hamilton Place Great Hall
March 28, 1985 Waterloo Super Skate Seven
March 29, 1985 Toronto Massey Hall Johnny MacLeod with the Young Pioneers
March 30, 1985 Oshawa Oshawa Civic Auditorium
April 21, 1985 Dallas United States Dallas Convention Center Arena Lonnie Mack
April 24, 1985 Omaha Omaha Music Hall Tim Kugel & the Strokers 2,476 / 2,608 $26,306
April 25, 1985 Wichita Cotillion Ballroom Lonnie Mack N/A N/A
April 26, 1985 Tulsa Cain's Ballroom
April 27, 1985 Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheatre Gregg Allman Band, Lonnie Mack
April 28, 1985 Tulsa Mohawk Park
April 30, 1985 Corpus Christi Bayfront Plaza Auditorium Eric Johnson
May 2, 1985 New Orleans Riverboat President
(New Orleans Jazz Festival)		 Albert King, Gatemouth Brown
May 4, 1985 San Antonio Majestic Theatre Emerald

Notes

  1. ↑ Holden, Stephen (October 8, 1984). "Stevie Ray Vaughan, guitarist, at Carnegie Hall". The New York Times.
  2. ↑ Miranda 1984, p. 20.
  3. ↑ Sill 1984.
  4. ↑ Holden 1984.
  5. ↑ Rhodes 1984a.
  6. ↑ Speelman 1984, p. 14.
  7. ↑ Topp 1984.
  8. 1 2 Rhodes 1984b.
  9. ↑ Speelman 1984.
  10. ↑ Hopkins 2011, pp. 53–55
  11. ↑ First leg boxscore data:
  12. ↑ First leg opening act references:
  13. ↑ Hopkins 2011, pp. 56–61
  14. ↑ Second leg boxscore data:
  15. ↑ Second leg opening act references:
  16. ↑ Hopkins 2011, pp. 61–68
  17. ↑ Third leg boxscore data:
  18. ↑ Third leg opening act references:
  19. ↑ Hopkins 2011, pp. 71–72, 76.
  20. ↑ Fourth leg boxscore data:
    • October 4, 1984: Hopkins 2011, p. 73: "The 2,200 seats were all sold."
    • October 12, 1984: Bishop, Pete (October 13, 1984). "Guitar comes alive in Vaughan's hands". Pittsburgh Press. 101 (111). p. B8. 'Hi,' 'How y'all doin'?,' 'Thank you so kindly' and 'We'll be right back' were about all he had to say to 2,329 fans at the Syria Mosque last night.; Hopkins 2011, p. 76: "The ticket price was $12.75."
  21. ↑ Fourth leg opening act references:
  22. ↑ Hopkins 2011, pp. 77-78.
  23. ↑ Fifth leg opening act information:
    • November 9, 1984: "Metro: Music—Concerts". The Sydney Morning Herald (45,824). November 9, 1984. p. 9. STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN & DOUBLE TROUBLE, The Champions: Tonight, Sydney Opera House, 6pm & 8.30pm, $20.
    • November 11–14, 1984: Reid, Graham (January 17, 2011). "Chris Thompson: Chris Thompson (Sunbeam)". Elsewhere. ...he opened for Stevie Ray Vaughan in '84...
    • November 20, 1984: Washburn, Jim (December 14, 1984). "Critic's choice: Pop". Orange County Register. 80 (37). Santa Ana, CA. p. 97. At the White House Saturday, OC's own James Harman Band plays its first local gig since they received a standing ovation opening for Stevie Ray Vaughan in Santa Barbara last month.
    • November 21, 1984: "Openings". Los Angeles Times. November 21, 1984. p. 81. Also: Joe Ely. 8:15 p.m.
    • November 24–25, 1984: "Listing of Bill Graham Presents Shows 1965-1989". SugarMegs Audio. n.d.
    • November 27, 1984: Conner, J.A. (November 30, 1984). "Stevie Ray came to play". Santa Cruz Sentinel. 129 (285). p. 9. Produced by Bill Graham Presents, the evening's show got off to a light-hearted start courtesy of rock comedian Dr. Gonzo.
    • December 31, 1984: Hopkins 2011, p. 83: "Astro Arena, Houston, TX, with The Fabulous Thunderbirds..."
  24. ↑ Hopkins 2011, pp. 85-88.
  25. ↑ Hopkins 2011, pp. 92-98.
  26. ↑ Seventh leg opening act references:
    • March 10, 1985: Hopkins 2011, p. 92: "Joe "King" Carrasco and The Crowns opened."
    • March 21, 1985: Hopkins 2011, p. 93: "Also on the bill were Delbert McClinton and Jerry Jeff Walker."
    • March 23, 1985: "Orpheum Theatre newspaper advertisement". The Boston Phoenix. 14 (12). March 19, 1985. p. 30. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble and Albert King play jazz at 7 and 10 p.m. at the Opera House...
    • March 24, 1985: Baszak, Mark (2003). "The Blues Lives On". Such Sweet Thunder: Views on Black American Music. Amherst, MA: Fine Arts Center. p. 185. ISBN 0972678506. ...I remember the night I got a call and Stevie Ray Vaughan was playing at E. M. Loews in Worcester, and they needed an opening act. Luther got out there with his band...
    • March 29, 1985: Mendel, Barbara (March 28, 1985). "Johnny & The Musical Pioneers". The Varsity. 105 (47). University of Toronto. p. 16. ...opening for Stevie Ray Vaughan (on Friday) will enlarge their audience.
    • April 21 and 26, 1985: Triplett, Gene (April 26, 1985). "Mack Finds Way Back From 'Memphis". The Daily Oklahoman. 94 (111). p. 14. With the new record, and the opening slot on Vaughan's current tour, things are looking up.
    • April 24, 1985: (see Billboard boxscore data reference)
    • April 25, 1985: Hopkins 2011, p. 96: "Cotillion Ballroom, Wichita, KS, with Lonnie Mack"
    • April 27–28, 1985: "Calendar—Music". The Sunday Oklahoman. 94 (106). April 21, 1985. p. 109. Oklahoma City—Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble with Gregg Allman and Lonnie Mack, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Zoo Amphitheater...Tulsa—Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, with the Gregg Allman Band and Lonnie Mack, 7:30 p.m. April 28, Mohawk Park, north of city.
    • April 30, 1985: Hopkins 2011, p. 97: "Eric Johnson opened."
    • May 2, 1985: "Complete 1985 Jazz Festival Schedule". Wavelength. No. 55. University of New Orleans. May 1985. Guitar Explosion—Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, Albert King, "Gatemouth" Brown, Riverboat President—8:00 P.M.
    • May 4, 1985: "Concert History 1980's". StoneCityAttractions.com. 2016.

References

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