Concert (Ticket) Vault: An Opening Act Surprise

There are certain musicians whose names always make the eyes of guitar aficionados sparkle. The presence of Adrian Belew in his late-1980s band The Bears was enough of a draw for a friend and I to attend this show, especially since I had missed seeing him during his first stint with King Crimson a few years prior.

But truthfully, the most memorable thing about this show was the opening act, a group of guys from New York called Living Colour, who had just released their debut album Vivid. Vernon Reid's name has since come to be perhaps even more revered than Belew's for guitar virtuosity, and Corey Glover was a powerful and charismatic vocalist. They came out and simply blew away the whole audience, most of whom (us included) had never heard of them.

I'm happy to report that Living Colour is still around, and I saw the band play about two years ago, also at the Paradise. They sounded as good as ever, and the band members have local connections so playing in Boston is especially meaningful for them.

Other notes: the concert ticket price index registered at $9.50 for a general admission show in 1988; this show was on a Tuesday night, but I was only 24 at the time so going out on a weeknight was no big deal, even though I had an office job I needed to be at by 9 the next morning.