Live Alive Tour Explained

Concert Tour Name:Live Alive Tour
Artist:Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble
Location:North America, Europe
Type:World
Album:Live Alive
Start Date:November 22, 1986
End Date:December 31, 1988
Last Tour:Soul to Soul Tour
(1985–86)
This Tour:Live Alive Tour
(1986–88)
Next Tour:In Step Tour
(1989–90)

The Live Alive Tour was a concert tour through North America and Europe, undertaken by Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble from 1986 to 1988. At the start of the tour, Vaughan and bassist Tommy Shannon had both achieved sobriety. Their success with overcoming long-term drug and alcohol addiction had been attained by entering a rehabilitation facility, where they stayed for four weeks. Although Vaughan was nervous about performing while sober, he received encouragement from his bandmates. Throughout the tour during performances, Vaughan would warn his audiences about the dangers of substance abuse.

Consisting of nine legs and 207 shows, the tour began in Towson, Maryland on November 22, 1986 and ended in New York City on December 31, 1988. The first five legs alternated with visits between the United States and Canada, before the sixth leg took the band to Europe. The final leg incorporated stops in the northeast, midwest and west coast, before the group's return to the northeast in December 1988.

Although Vaughan and Double Trouble did not follow a set list, all thirteen songs from Live Alive were performed at least once during the tour, and as many as eleven of them were included in each of the band's performances. The tour was generally well-received and provoked many positive reactions from music critics, most of whom took note of Vaughan's sobriety—in 1988, Rhys Williams of The Daily Tar Heel noted that "his enthusiasm seemed to reflect his cleaned-up image".[1] He would continue this lifestyle in the following years, before his death in a helicopter accident in 1990.

Background

Stevie Ray Vaughan is widely regarded as one of the most influential electric guitarists in the history of blues music, and one of the most important musicians in the revival of blues in the 1980s. Allmusic describes him as "a rocking powerhouse of a guitarist who gave blues a burst of momentum in the '80s, with influence still felt long after his tragic death."[2] Despite a mainstream career that spanned only seven years, Vaughan eventually became recognized among musicians as the future standard for success and promise in blues. Biographer Craig Hopkins explains that Vaughan's talent was the result of the youth culture in the 1960s: "the popularity of playing instruments as a form of teen entertainment, the prevalence of teen dances, the success of his older brother, the practicality of playing guitar as an outlet for a shy boy and the singular, intense focus on the guitar all contributed to create one of the best electric guitar players of all time."

Born and raised in Dallas, Texas, Vaughan began playing guitar at the age of seven, inspired by his older brother Jimmie Vaughan. He was an apt pupil, no less quick to learn than his brother, and was playing the guitar with striking virtuosity by the time he was fourteen. In 1971, he dropped out of high school and moved to Austin the following year. Soon afterward, he began playing gigs on the nightclub circuit, earning a spot in Marc Benno's band, the Nightcrawlers, and later with Denny Freeman in the Cobras, with whom he continued to work through late 1977. He then formed his own group, Double Trouble, before performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival in mid-July 1982 and being discovered by John Hammond, who in turn interested Epic Records with signing them to a recording contract. Within a year, they achieved international fame after the release of their debut album Texas Flood, and in 1984 their second album, Couldn't Stand the Weather, along with the supporting tour, brought them to further commercial and critical success; the album quickly outpaced the sales of Texas Flood.

After the addition of keyboardist Reese Wynans in 1985, the band released Soul to Soul and toured in support of the album, which was their first as a quartet. However, Vaughan's drug and alcohol habits continued to escalate. In September 1986, the band traveled to Denmark to begin a European leg of the Soul to Soul Tour. By this time, Vaughan had reached the peak of his substance abuse. He would consume a quart (0.95 L) of whiskey and an ounce (28 g) of cocaine each day. According to biographer Craig Hopkins, his lifestyle of substance abuse was "probably better characterized as the bottom of a deep chasm."

During the late night hours of September 28, Vaughan became ill after a performance in Germany. He was taken by an ambulance to a nearby hospital, where he received medical treatment for near-death dehydration as a result of his long-term drug and alcohol addictions. He then checked into the London Clinic under the care of Dr. Victor Bloom, who warned Vaughan that if his destructive lifestyle continued, he would be dead within a month. Resuming the tour, the band reached Zürich on September 29. Vaughan was ill, but gave a concert with Double Trouble in the town, which took place at Volkshaus, and was well enough to perform at the Hammersmith Palais, in London, on October 2. After staying in London for more than a week, Vaughan returned to the United States and began a substance abuse treatment program at a rehabilitation facility in Atlanta, Georgia; bassist Tommy Shannon followed suit by checking into rehab in Austin, Texas.

Touring personnel

[3]

Band:

Management/Tour Staff:

Planning, itinerary, and ticketing

Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble's initial planning for the Live Alive tour emerged after Vaughan and Shannon completed their treatment programs in November 1986. The band hired Skip Rickert, a replacement tour manager who eliminated the wild backstage antics of their past concert tours by revising the stipulations of their hospitality rider. Shannon later commented: "Before we got clean and sober, backstage you'd see all the coke dealers and everybody drunk and high and all these women running around. It went from that to us not having any alcohol backstage and none of those people came backstage anymore...We cleaned up our business." Adamant about improvements in time management and itinerary planning, Vaughan had requested a reduction in touring time, which generally allowed no more than one show per day. As rehearsals began for the tour on November 19, 1986, Vaughan began to grow feelings of self-doubt and nervousness about performing while sober. However, he received encouragement from his bandmates. Wynans later recalled: "Stevie was real worried about playing after he'd gotten sober...he didn't know if he had anything left to offer. Once we got back out on the road, he was very inspired and motivated."

Unlike the group's previous tour, which began three months before the release of Soul to Soul, the Live Alive Tour started five days after Live Alive was released. The tour's beginning, on November 22, 1986, took place at the Towson Center in Towson, Maryland. Shannon later recalled the opening show: "I remember my first gig sober with Stevie and I was terrified, and I looked out there and saw those people...I was thinking God, boy I need a drink – but I went ahead and went out there and went through it." For the opening leg, 22 concerts at auditoriums and indoor arenas were scheduled from November 1986 through January 1987. Tickets for the shows in New York, Atlanta and Sunrise, Florida were sold out.[4]

The second leg of the tour consisted of 25 arena and auditorium shows in the US from January to March 1987. Over a thousand free tickets for an intimate show in Boston were given away through a local radio station, while nearly 20,000 tickets were sold for the concert in Honolulu, Hawaii.[5] [6] Three additional North American legs were planned: the third leg from May–July 1987, the fourth leg from August–December 1987, and the fifth leg from March–May 1988.[7] Following a month-long series of performances as the opening act for Robert Plant in May, which included six sold-out shows in Canada and the northeastern US, the band was booked for a European leg that began in the Netherlands on June 19, 1988. While the band had toured Europe every year between 1983 and 1986, they had been absent from the region's tour circuit for almost two years. These would be Vaughan's last concert appearances in Europe. The final leg in the US took place from August–December 1988.

Show overview

Main set

Although Vaughan and Double Trouble did not follow a fixed set list, the band played all thirteen songs from Live Alive at least once during the tour, and as many as eleven of them were included in each of their performances. Shannon later recalled, "He wouldn't tell us what the first song was going to be, and we never even thought about it. We'd just get up there and start playing."[8] Lighting technician Trey Hensley commented on Vaughan's spontaneity and instinctual performances: "...It was never the same show...Stevie didn't believe in following a set list. He would follow where he felt the crowd was. They'd give me a set list, and by song three or four, we'd go left. You never knew what he was going to play until he started the song, which is very challenging for a lighting technician." Hensley continued, "A lot of artists take long breaks between songs. Figure in ninety minutes you'd get thirteen songs, and a lot of us did eleven. They'd let the crowd clap, but Stevie wouldn't. He'd do a song and boom – right into the next song. He didn't wait for the applause to die down. He gave them as many songs as he could in that time frame. You've got to respect a guy for that. I mean, it's tempting to just hold your arms up and take the applause."

The concert usually began with a medley arrangement of two instrumentals, "Scuttle Buttin'" and "Say What!". Vaughan and Double Trouble would then perform mostly older material from Soul to Soul, Couldn't Stand the Weather and Texas Flood, before newer songs were played. During the set, the band frequently included their arrangement of Stevie Wonder's "Superstition". According to Vaughan, their idea to cover the song had been inspired when they began jamming the song during a rehearsal for the Live Alive recordings.[9] "Willie the Wimp" was also performed, which was written by Ruth Ellsworth and Bill Carter after reading a newspaper article about a mobster from Chicago who was buried in a Cadillac-style coffin. Carter, who opened for the band during the fifth leg of the tour in April 1988, collaborated with Double Trouble during an extended break in the fourth leg of the tour, and wrote the song "Crossfire" (the song was ultimately included on Vaughan and Double Trouble's next LP In Step, released in 1989, and became their only number-one hit single). Commencing with the latter portion of the fourth leg, early performances of the song were included in the main set.

Vaughan and Double Trouble often finished their set with "Life Without You" while Vaughan routinely paused in the middle of the song to warn the audience about the dangers of substance abuse. Although Vaughan admitted that speaking to the audience in this fashion made him nervous, he realized the difference between encouragement and preaching. Guitar World′s Bill Milkowski wrote, "...He warns his young audiences about getting caught up in bad habits and making the kinds of mistakes with their lives that he made...he uses "Life Without You" as a moving, musical backdrop to his current crusade against the evils of drugs and alcohol. The fervor of his rap gives Stevie Ray the aura of an evangelist preacher working the crowd. And this is no hollow pitch; he means every word he says, from the bottom of his heart."[10] Vaughan's monologues continued to be an inspiration for fans that struggled with drug and alcohol addictions.

Encore

Hensley recalled that the excitement of concertgoers grew when the encores started: "He was one of those artists where, as an example, after we finished the first of maybe three encores, we'd go black on stage and I'd give 'em a good three or four minutes to wipe down and get a drink or whatever. All I had to do was barely ghost the lights on stage, and people would go nuts! They would start screaming and beating the bleachers or the seating. That's all it took, and they knew he was coming back." Once the encores began, Vaughan and Double Trouble often performed original material such as "Love Struck Baby", "Rude Mood", and "Pride and Joy". They also performed covers including The Isley Brothers' "Testify", Larry Davis' "Texas Flood", Jimmy Reid's "Tin Pan Alley", Lonnie Mack's "Wham!", Albert Collins' "Collins' Shuffle" and "Don't Lose Your Cool"; Guitar Slim's "Letter to My Girlfriend", Jimi Hendrix's "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" and "Third Stone from the Sun"; and Earl King's "Come On".

Guest appearances

On November 29, 1986, the horn section from Roomful of Blues appeared on-stage in Providence, Rhode Island to perform the encores with the band, which Vaughan and Double Trouble had frequently done for past tours up to that point. Other guest performers on the tour included Colin James, Otis Rush and Vaughan's brother Jimmie Vaughan.

Throughout the tour during performances, Vaughan re-confirmed his blues influences on him and Double Trouble. At the show on April 20, 1988 at Sunrise Musical Theatre, Rush performed the encores with the band. Milkowski wrote that by the time they started playing "Stormy Monday", the audience gave him a well-received response: "Some will no doubt head to their local record stores the next day and peruse the blues bins looking for Otis Rush albums. And for that, Stevie Ray Vaughan deserves credit." For the "Jazz Fest" show on April 22, 1988 in New Orleans, Vaughan invited B.B. King and Albert Collins on-stage for an impromptu jam session of "Texas Flood". Collins performed "Frosty" with the group; he and Vaughan dueted using their contrasting guitar playing styles.

Impact and legacy

Future endeavors

As the tour progressed, Vaughan was longing to work on material for his next LP, but in January 1987, he filed for a divorce from his wife Lenny due to the demise of their relationship, which restricted him of starting any projects until the proceedings were finalized. This prevented him from writing and recording new songs for almost two years. Vaughan commented, "It became more and more apparent that even though we'd separated for a couple of years, if I wrote anything, she wanted at least half of it, minimum. So I quit writing. And when I started to try again it was like I'd write part of a line or one line and go blank." After their divorce became final, Vaughan and Double Trouble began performing new songs during the final leg of the tour, and began rehearsing for their next studio project in October 1988.

The tour's two-year length, then Vaughan and Double Trouble's longest, concluded in December 1988. They then recorded the album In Step, from January to March 1989 at Kiva Studios in Memphis, Tennessee. While Vaughan became self-assured with performing while sober, he initially had doubts about his musical and creative abilities in a recording environment. However, Shannon later recalled that he gained confidence as the sessions progressed: "In Step was, for him, a big growing experience. In my opinion, it's our best studio album, and I think he felt that way, too." Wynans asserted that In Step deviated from the band's earlier recordings: "It was more original material and groove oriented. I like the blues that we put on there, but the other songs were actually songs and not 12-bar blues." Released on June 13, 1989, In Step ultimately became the group's most commercially successful release, selling over half a million copies in the US by early 1990, and was their first to win a Grammy Award. It peaked at number 33 on the Billboard 200, where it spent 47 weeks on the chart. The album was the band's fourth and final studio work before Vaughan's death in a helicopter accident in August 1990.

Tour dates

List of concerts, showing date, city, country, venue/event, and opening act(s)
DateCityCountryVenue/EventOpening Act(s)
Leg 1: United States[11] [12]
November 22, 1986TowsonUnited StatesTowson CenterThe Outlaws
November 23, 1986BostonOrpheum Theatre
November 24, 1986
November 26, 1986New York CityRadio City Music Hall
November 28, 1986PassaicCapitol TheatreBroken Homes
November 29, 1986ProvidenceProvidence Performing Arts Center
November 30, 1986TroyHouston Field House
December 2, 1986PoughkeepsieMid-Hudson Civic CenterThe Outlaws
December 3, 1986PittsburghSyria Mosque
December 5, 1986ToledoToledo Sports Arena
December 6, 1986Grand RapidsWelsh Auditorium
December 7, 1986ColumbusVeterans Memorial Auditorium
December 9, 1986SaginawSaginaw Civic Center
December 11, 1986Ann ArborHill Auditorium
December 12, 1986MerrillvilleHoliday Star Theatre
December 13, 1986PeoriaPeoria Civic Center Exhibit Hall
December 14, 1986MuncieEmens Auditorium
December 29, 1986CincinnatiTaft TheatreLonnie Mack
December 30, 1986NashvilleGrand Ole Opry HouseGregg Allman Band
December 31, 1986AtlantaFox TheatreLonnie Mack
January 2, 1987TampaCurtis Hixon HallGregg Allman Band
January 3, 1987SunriseSunrise Musical TheatreThe Outlaws
Leg 2: United States[13] [14]
January 30, 1987DallasUnited StatesFair Park ColiseumOmar & the Howlers
January 31, 1987HoustonSam Houston Coliseum
February 1, 1987San AntonioMajestic Theatre
February 3, 1987AustinAustin City Coliseum
February 4, 1987McAllenVilla Real Convention Center
February 6, 1987LafayetteGrant Street DancehallMarcia Ball
February 7, 1987BirminghamAlabama TheatreOmar & the Howlers
February 8, 1987PensacolaPensacola Saenger Theatre
February 10, 1987CharlotteCharlotte Park CenterLonnie Mack
February 11, 1987RaleighDorton Arena
February 13, 1987Johnson CityFreedom Hall Civic Center
February 14, 1987KnoxvilleAlumni Memorial Gym
February 15, 1987LouisvilleLouisville Gardens
February 17, 1987SpartanburgSpartanburg Memorial Auditorium
February 19, 1987CharlestonCharleston Municipal Auditorium
February 20, 1987FairfaxPatriot Center
February 21, 1987BrookvilleTilles Center
February 22, 1987PortlandPortland City Hall Auditorium
February 24, 1987BostonThe Metro
February 26, 1987New OrleansRiverboat PresidentThe Fabulous ThunderbirdsMason Ruffner
February 28, 1987Big SpringFederal Correctional InstitutionThe Fabulous Thunderbirds
MidlandCountry Villa Convention Center
March 19, 1987South Padre IslandIsla Blanca Park
March 21, 1987HonoluluAloha StadiumHenry Kapono Band
March 25, 1987Dayton BeachOcean CenterGregg Allman Band
Leg 3: United States[15] [16]
May 5, 1987MadisonUnited StatesOscar Mayer TheaterJerry Goodman
May 7, 1987UrbanaFoellinger AuditoriumOtis and the Elevators
May 8, 1987Des MoinesDes Moines Civic CenterRick Medlocke and Blackfoot
May 9, 1987Cedar RapidsParamount Theatre
May 10, 1987La PorteLa Porte Civic Auditorium
May 12, 1987Little RockRobinson Center Music HallOmar & the Howlers
May 14, 1987MemphisMud Island Amphitheatre
May 15, 1987TulsaRiver Parks Amphitheater
May 16, 1987AmarilloTri-State Fairgrounds Coliseum
May 17, 1987El PasoEl Paso County ColiseumKRAKT
May 19, 1987Santa FePaolo Soleri AmphitheaterOmar & the Howlers
May 21, 1987PhoenixCelebrity TheatreGregg Allman Band
May 22, 1987
May 23, 1987Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara BowlTom Ball & Kenny Sultan
May 24, 1987ConcordConcord PavilionMitch Woods
May 27, 1987Los AngelesWiltern TheatreLou Ann Barton
May 28, 1987
May 29, 1987
May 30, 1987
May 31, 1987MontereyLaguna Seca RacewayBonnie Hayes & the Wild Combo
Leg 4: North America
June 5, 1987ColumbiaUnited StatesMerriweather Post PavilionGregg Allman Band
June 6, 1987Cuyahoga FallsBlossom Music CenterHerbie HancockThe Crusaders
June 7, 1987Grand RapidsWelsh AuditoriumGregg Allman Band
June 9, 1987BloomingtonMet Center
June 10, 1987Green BayCity Center Theatre
June 12, 1987ClarkstonPine Knob Music Theatre
June 13, 1987
June 14, 1987Fort WayneFort Wayne Memorial Coliseum
June 16, 1987OmahaOmaha Music Hall
June 17, 1987MorrisonRed Rocks Amphitheatre
June 19, 1987Hoffamn EstatesPoplar Creek Music Theatre
June 20, 1987IndianapolisIndianapolis Sports Center
June 21, 1987UrbanaChampaign County Music ParkGregg Allman BandHenry Lee Summer
June 23, 1987CincinnatiRiverbend Music CenterGregg Allman Band
June 25, 1987NorwichChelsea Parade Historic DistrictYoung Neal and the Vipers
June 27, 1987Saratoga SpringsSaratoga Performing Arts CenterMcCoy Tyner TrioClifford Jordan and the Vernel Fournier Trio
June 28, 1987CanandaiguaFinger Lakes Performing Arts CenterStan GetzCharlie Watts Orchestra
June 29, 1987New York CityPier 84Gregg Allman Band
June 30, 1987PhiladelphiaMann Music Center
July 1, 1987MansfieldGreat Woods Center for the Performing Arts
July 22, 1987MontrealCanadaLa Ronde
July 23, 1987TorontoKingswood Music TheatreOmar & the Howlers
Leg 5: United States[17] [18]
August 6, 1987AustinUnited StatesAuditorium ShoresWill and the Kill
August 8, 1987DallasPark Central AmphitheaterOmar & the Howlers
August 9, 1987New OrleansHibernia Bank PavilionGregg Allman BandDash Rip Rock
August 12, 1987West AllisWisconsin State Fair ParkGregg Allman Band
August 13, 1987ColumbusOhio State Fair
August 15, 1987New York CityPier 84
August 16, 1987Old Orchard BeachThe Ball Park
August 18, 1987AllentownAllentown Fairgrounds
August 20, 1987SpringfieldIllinois State Fairgrounds GrandstandGregg Allman BandJohn Anderson
August 21, 1987LouisvilleFreedom HallThe Fabulous ThunderbirdsGregg Allman Band
August 23, 1987St. LouisFox TheatreGregg Allman Band
August 25, 1987JoplinJoplin Memorial Hall
August 28, 1987PuebloColorado State Fair
August 29, 1987Kansas CityStarlight Theatre
August 30, 1987Des MoinesIowa State Fairgrounds Grandstand
September 2, 1987San BernardinoOrange PavilionCharlie Daniels BandGregg Allman Band
September 3, 1987FresnoWarnors TheatreGregg Allman Band
September 4, 1987LancasterAntelope Valley Fairgrounds Grandstand
September 5, 1987San DiegoSDSU Open Air TheatreThe Beat Farmers
September 6, 1987NashvilleStarwood AmphitheatreGrinderswitchDavid Lynn Jones
September 11, 1987AlbuquerqueTingley ColiseumMarshall Crenshaw
September 12, 1987Oklahoma CityZoo AmphitheatreBlue Tuesday
November 5, 1987PhoenixArizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum
November 7, 1987CocoaBrevard County Fairgrounds Grandstand
November 8, 1987TampaUSF Sun DomeBacktrack Blues Band
November 20, 1987San AntonioMajestic TheatreChris Holzhaus
November 21, 1987Corpus ChristiBayfront Plaza Auditorium
December 2, 1987AustinAustin Opera HouseBill Carter and the Blame
Leg 6: United States[19]
December 27, 1987SacramentoUnited StatesCommunity Center TheaterThe Paladins
December 28, 1987RenoLawlor Events CenterThe PaladinsVoodoo Cats
December 29, 1987ReddingRedding Civic AuditoriumThe Paladins
December 31, 1987OaklandKaiser Convention CenterTower of PowerJr. Walker & the All-Stars
Leg 7: North America[20] [21]
March 3, 1988St. LouisUnited StatesFox TheatreThe Fabulous Thunderbirds
March 4, 1988MerrillvilleHoliday Star Theatre
March 5, 1988
March 6, 1988AkronJames A. Rhodes Arena
April 2, 1988St. John'sCanadaMemorial StadiumThe Razorbacks
April 4, 1988SydneyCentre 200
April 5, 1988HalifaxHalifax Metro Centre
April 6, 1988FrederictonAitken Centre
April 8, 1988OronoUnited StatesMemorial GymnasiumThe Blue Flames
April 9, 1988LowellLowell Memorial AuditoriumBill Carter
April 10, 1988SpringfieldParamount Theater
April 11, 1988ProvidenceProvidence Performing Arts Center
April 13, 1988Upper Darby TownshipTower Theater
April 14, 1988BethlehemStabler ArenaBill CarterHenry Lee Summer
April 15, 1988RichmondCarpenter CenterBill Carter
April 17, 1988Chapel HillUNC Memorial Hall
April 19, 1988OrlandoBob Carr Performing Arts Centre
April 20, 1988SunriseSunrise Musical TheatreOtis Rush
April 22, 1988New OrleansRiverboat PresidentJohn P. Hammond
April 28, 1988BostonMatthews ArenaJohn Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band
April 29, 1988HamiltonStarr RinkDenny Dent
April 30, 1988MedfordPresident's LawnTreat Her Right
May 1, 1988StorrsMemorial StadiumForce MDsThe Smithereens
May 5, 1988Quebec CityCanadaColisée de QuébecOpening act for:Robert Plant
May 7, 1988MontrealMontreal Forum
May 8, 1988OttawaOttawa Civic Centre
May 10, 1988TorontoMaple Leaf Gardens
May 11, 1988RochesterUnited StatesRochester War Memorial
May 13, 1988EmmitsburgKnott ArenaLittle Junior and the Hit Men
May 15, 1988HartfordHartford Civic CenterOpening act for:Robert Plant
May 17, 1988East RutherfordBrendan Byrne Arena
May 18, 1988
May 20, 1988MansfieldGreat Woods Center for the Performing Arts
May 23, 1988PhiladelphiaPhiladelphia Spectrum
May 25, 1988Cuyahoga FallsBlossom Music Center
May 26, 1988KalamazooWings Stadium
May 27, 1988DavenportLeClaire Park BandshellGregg Allman BandJohn Kay & Steppenwolf
Leg 8: Europe[22] [23]
June 19, 1988RotterdamNetherlandsRotterdam AhoyHothouse Flowers
June 21, 1988NewcastleEnglandNewcastle City HallBrendan Croker
June 22, 1988ManchesterManchester Apollo
June 23, 1988LondonHammersmith Odeon
June 24, 1988
June 25, 1988St. GallenSwitzerlandSittertobelLadysmith Black Mambazo, Stephan Eicher
June 28, 1988StockholmSwedenGröna Lund
June 29, 1988OsloNorwayChateau Neuf
July 1, 1988RingeDenmarkMidtfyns FestivalZiggy Marley and the Melody MakersLove Construction
July 2, 1988HamburgWest GermanyHamburg StadtparkHothouse Flowers
July 3, 1988PistoiaItalyPiazza del DuomoOtis RushFabio Treves
July 4, 1988ParisFrancePalais des Sports
July 6, 1988LignanoItalyArena Alpe AdriaFabio Treves, Dave Kelly
July 7, 1988MilanPalatrussardiThe Pogues
July 8, 1988SalernoStadio Donato Vestuti
July 10, 1988StuttgartWest GermanyTheaterhaus StuttgartHothouse Flowers
July 11, 1988FürthStadthalle Fürth
July 13, 1988MannheimMusic Circus
July 14, 1988BonnBiskuithalle
July 15, 1988NeunkirchenTUS-Halle
July 16, 1988PeerBelgiumDeusterstraatJoe Louis Walker and the BosstalkersTom Principato Band
July 17, 1988OuluFinlandKuusisaariDave's 12 Bar, Popeda
Leg 9: United States[24] [25]
August 16, 1988BristolUnited StatesLake Compounce Festival ParkRoomful of Blues
August 18, 1988ColumbiaMerriweather Post PavilionThe Fabulous Thunderbirds
August 19, 1988New York CityPier 84Joe Satriani
August 20, 1988
August 24, 1988DarienDarien Lake AmphitheatreThe Fabulous Thunderbirds
August 25, 1988ClevelandNautica Stage
August 26, 1988ClarkstonPine Knob Music Theatre
August 27, 1988DanvilleDavid S. Palmer ArenaBig Twist and the Mellow Fellows
August 28, 1988AtlantaChastain Park AmphitheatreThe Fabulous Thunderbirds
August 30, 1988Du QuoinDu Quoin State Fairgrounds
September 1, 1988CincinnatiRiverbend Music Center
September 2, 1988Hoffman EstatesPoplar Creek Music Theatre
September 3, 1988MadisonDane County Expo Center
September 5, 1988MorrisonRed Rocks Amphitheatre
September 30, 1988San DiegoSeaWorld San Diego
October 2, 1988Costa MesaPacific Amphitheatre
October 4, 1988Santa CruzSanta Cruz Civic Auditorium
October 5, 1988Los AngelesGreek TheatreThe Fabulous Thunderbirds
October 6, 1988
October 8, 1988Santa BarbaraSanta Barbara BowlOmar & the Howlers
October 9, 1988ConcordConcord Pavilion
December 29, 1988Asbury ParkThe Stone Pony
December 31, 1988New York CityThe RitzDuke Robillard and the Pleasure Kings

References

Footnotes
  • Bibliography
  • Notes and References

    1. News: Williams. Rhys . After a rough year, Vaughan bounces back. The Daily Tar Heel. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. April 21, 1988. 4.
    2. Web site: Biography of Stevie Ray Vaughan. Allmusic. September 1, 2017.
    3. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble "Live Alive Tour" Itinerary (May 1-May 28). Smart Art: Santa Monica, CA 1988.
    4. Billboard . AB Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses . 36 . 98 . 52 . December 27, 1986 . 0006-2510.

      New York boxscore; Billboard . AB Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses . 21 . 99 . 3 . January 17, 1987 . 0006-2510. : Atlanta and Sunrise boxscores.

    5. Book: Alan, Carter. Radio Free Boston: The Rise and Fall of WBCN. Northeastern University Press. Lebanon, NH. 208. 2013. 978-1-55553-729-6. registration.

      Boston boxscore.

    6. Billboard . AB Boxscore: Top Concert Grosses . 23 . 99 . 16 . April 18, 1987 . 0006-2510.

      Honolulu boxscore.

    7. third leg; : fourth leg; : fifth leg.

    8. "Exclusive Interview: Double Trouble–Recorded October 1999" (DVD documentary), Live at the El Mocambo.
    9. Swenson. John. December 5, 1986. Stevie Ray Vaughan tour; Texas guitarist back out on the road. New York. United Press International.
    10. Web site: A Focused Stevie Ray Vaughan Comes Clean in 1988 Guitar World Interview. Milkowski. Bill. September 20, 2011. Guitar World.
    11. Hopkins (2011), pp. 154–156, 159, 161
    12. First leg opening act references:
      • News: . Entertainment. The Washington College Elm. Chestertown, Maryland. November 21, 1986. 58. 11. 10.
      • News: . Orpheum Theatre newspaper advertisement. The Boston Phoenix. November 18, 1986. 15. 46. 9.
      • Web site: 715: Stevie Ray Vaughan. . January 26, 2012. iCollector.com.
      • News: Hochanadel. Michael . Vaughan Pleases New, Old Fans In Blues Concert. The Schenectady Gazette. December 2, 1986. 93. 54. 15.
      • News: Dutton. Douglas . Stevie Ray's clean, lean and ready to rock again. Poughkeepsie Journal. November 28, 1986. 1D.
      • News: Mervis. Scott . Stevie Ray can't lose the blues. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. December 4, 1986. 60. 108. 21.
      • News: . Toledo Sports Arena newspaper advertisement. The Blade. Toledo, Ohio. November 29, 1986. 136. 333. 4F.
      • Web site: Welsh Auditorium 1986 poster. . n.d.. TheConcertDatabase.com.
      • News: Petric. John . Stevie Ray just blows 'em away. December 8, 1986. The Columbus Dispatch. 10B.
      • Web site: Wendler Arena listing. . n.d.. TheConcertDatabase.com.
      • News: Jarvinen. Brian. Stevie set to rock the Hill. December 10, 1986. The Michigan Daily. University of Michigan. Ann Arbor, Michigan. 97. 68. 7, 9.
      • News: . Holiday Star Theatre newspaper advertisement. Chicago Tribune. December 5, 1986. 37.
      • News: . What to do, where to go in Central Illinois. The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. December 13, 1986. 5.
      • News: Proffitt. Randy. Vaughan, Outlaws shine in concert. The Ball State Daily News. Ball State University. Muncie, Indiana. 66. 61. December 15, 1986. 6.
      • News: . Performances: Concerts. The Atlanta Constitution. December 27, 1986. 99.
      • News: . Showcase. The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. December 28, 1986. 106.
      • News: Snider. Eric . Guitar wizard brings his magic to Curtis Hixon. St. Petersburg Times. January 5, 1987. 3D. 103. 166.
      • News: . Sunrise Musical Theatre newspaper advertisement. South Florida Sun Sentinel. Fort Lauderdale, Florida. January 2, 1987. 115.
    13. Hopkins (2011), pp. 162–67
    14. Second leg opening act references:
      • News: Racine. Marty . Stevie Ray returns here in triumph. Houston Chronicle. February 1, 1987. 24.
      • News: Haight. Kathy . Stevie Ray Vaughan gives audience his all. The Charlotte Observer. February 11, 1987. 6E.
      • News: . Nightlife. Spartanburg Herald-Journal. February 13, 1987. B5. 57. 44.
      • News: Peterson. Joe . Music Review—Stevie Ray Vaughan. The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. February 22, 1987. 24.
      • News: Himes. Geoffrey . Play it, Stevie Ray. The Washington Post. February 20, 1987.
      • News: . Riverboat President newspaper advertisement. The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. February 20, 1987.
      • News: . Stevie Ray the fave, but Mack stunning. The Charleston Gazette. February 20, 1987.
      • Zimmerman. Kevin. March 10, 1987. Performance: Lonnie Mack & SRV, Tilles Center. Good Times. Long Island.
      • News: . Spring Break Arrives as Students Jam South Padre. The Victoria Advocate. March 18, 1987. 8B. 141. 314.
      • News: Harada. Wayne. March 20, 1987. Taking the rap all the way to platinum. The Honolulu Advertiser. B1.
      • News: . Spring Break Today. Orlando Sentinel. March 25, 1987. D2.
      • Web site: Ward. Ed . Buried Alive in the Blues: Me and the Godfather and the favor I'll never forget. AustinChronicle.com. May 26, 2006.
    15. Hopkins (2011), pp. 169–175
    16. Third leg opening act references:
      • News: St. John. Michael. Vaughan saves best for first. Wisconsin State Journal. Madison, Wisconsin. May 6, 1987. 78.
      • News: . Paramount Theatre newspaper advertisement. The Daily Iowan. Iowa City, Iowa. May 8, 1987. 10B.
      • News: Craft. Dan. Summer stars shine. The Pantagraph. Bloomington, Illinois. May 9, 1987. 6.
      • News: . Paolo Soleri Amphitheater newspaper advertisement. Albuquerque Journal. May 19, 1987. 11.
      • News: . Summer heat is on. The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. May 22, 1987. C5.
      • News: . Openings—Pop/Rock. Los Angeles Times. May 27, 1987. 163.
      • News: . Welsh Auditorium 1987 newspaper advertisement. Battle Creek Enquirer. June 4, 1987. 14.
      • News: Schwartz. Deborah . Heavens! A Guide to the Hot Nights. The Washington Post. June 5, 1987.
      • News: . Wednesday concert moved to City Centre. Green Bay Press-Gazette. June 9, 1987. A2.
      • News: . Pine Knob Music Theatre newspaper advertisement. Detroit Free Press. June 12, 1987. 6C.
      • News: Warren. Jill. Stevie Ray Vaughan: fighting temptations. The Indianapolis Star. June 19, 1987. 73.
      • News: . Concert calendar. The Courier-Journal. Louisville, Kentucky. June 20, 1987. 5.
      • News: . More jazz to be found this weekend at Saratoga. Asbury Park Press. June 21, 1987. G8.
      • News: Garner. Jack . Newport Jazz at Canandaigua a virtual sellout. Democrat and Chronicle. Rochester, New York. June 21, 1987. 30.
      • News: Kaplan. Karen. Stevie Ray Vaughan is a Rose festival hit. The Day. New London, Connecticut. 106. 355. June 26, 1987. B2.
      • . June 29, 1987. Music and Dance. New York. 20. 26. 0028-7369. New York Media, LLC. 200.
      • News: Knight. Jim . Mann! What a Show!. Philadelphia Daily News. June 30, 1987. 40.
      • News: Morse. Steve . Blend of blues, rock sparks raucous party. The Boston Globe. July 2, 1987. 72.
      • News: MacInnes. Craig . Lover Stevie Ray strings crowd along. The Toronto Star. July 24, 1987. E22.
      • Web site: Stevie Ray Vaughan Signed Backstage Pass. . 2014. JuliensLive.com.
    17. Hopkins (2011), pp. 175–77
    18. Fourth leg opening act references:
      • News: Davis. John T.. Audiences at Aqua Fest love those brotherly acts. Austin American-Statesman. August 8, 1987. G10.
      • News: . Audubon Zoo newspaper advertisement. The Times-Picayune. New Orleans. August 8, 1987.
      • News: . Calendar. Madison Capital Times. August 8, 1987. 36.
      • . August 17, 1987. Music and Dance. New York. 20. 32. 0028-7369. New York Media, LLC. 84.
      • News: Hendrick. Michael . Vaughan's guitar cools the hot night. The Morning Call. Allentown, Pennsylvania. August 19, 1987. D13.
      • News: Stephens. Joe . Fans get a charge out of Vaughan's show. The State Journal-Register. Springfield, Illinois. 12. August 21, 1987.
      • News: . The Weekend. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. 2C. August 20, 1987.
      • News: Marymont. Mark . Bands on tap this week. Springfield News-Leader. D1. August 20, 1987.
      • News: Karns. Russell . Vaughan, Allman blast the blues. The Des Moines Register. 2A. August 31, 1987.
      • News: Smith. G. Bruce. 50th Antelope Valley Fair opens today. Daily News of Los Angeles. N4. August 28, 1987.
      • News: . SDSU Open Air Theatre newspaper advertisement. 71. 4. The Daily Aztec. San Diego State University. 11. September 2, 1987.
      • News: Stephens. Mike . Vaughan heats up a hot night at Pavilion. The Sun. San Bernardino, California. 114. 247. D5. September 4, 1987.
      • News: Goldsmith. Thomas . Smith. Sandy. Lynyrd Skynyrd sets pace for Daniels' southern-rock revival. The Tennessean. Nashville, Tennessee. 2D. September 7, 1987.
      • News: Tessier. Denise. Half of Tingley Rocks To Crenshaw, Vaughn. Albuquerque Journal. 15A. September 12, 1987.
      • News: Dixon. Kimberly . Stevie Vaughn burns stage with blues. The Daily Oklahoman. Oklahoma City. 18. September 14, 1987. 96. 252.
      • News: . The Guide. The Tampa Tribune. 95. November 6, 1987.
      • Web site: Concert History 1980's. . 2016. StoneCityAttractions.com.
      • News: McClary. Eric. Tender moment stokes Vaughan's blues inferno. Reno Gazette-Journal. 2D. December 29, 1987.
      • News: . Welcome '88 With Music, Laughs and Dancing - A sampling of events. San Francisco Chronicle. B4. December 30, 1987.
    19. Hopkins (2011), pp. 177–79
    20. Hopkins (2011), pp. 184–85, 187–89
    21. Sixth leg opening act references:
      • March 3, 1988: News: Dutton. Douglas. Vaughn Rocks In Powerful Set. St. Louis Post-Dispatch. March 5, 1988. 5D. Vaughn and his band Double Trouble got expert assistance from the Fabulous Thunderbirds, who got the program off to a rocking start with a high-octane opening set..
      • March 4–5, 1988: News: . This Week: Concerts—Rock. Chicago Tribune. March 4, 1988. 24. STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN & DOUBLE TROUBLE: With the Fabulous Thunderbirds, 8 p.m. Friday, Saturday; Holiday Star Theatre....
      • March 6, 1988: News: Faris. Mike. Vaughan riffs rock the JAR in facility's concert debut. Akron Beacon Journal. March 7, 1988. C9. With his band, Fabulous Thunderbirds, Jimmy opened with an hour-plus of honky-tonkin' rock and blues....
      • April 2–6, 1988 News: . Airport joke costs him. The Galveston Daily News. April 7, 1988. 7B. The Razorbacks were on an Atlantic Canada tour with blues-rock guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan..
      • April 8, 1988: Web site: 08apr88 - University of Maine, Orono, ME. . n.d.. SRV Gig Database. Opening Act: The Blue Flames.
      • April 9, 1988: News: Perry. David. Stevie Ray Vaughan belts out the blues for a sellout crowd. Lowell Sun. April 11, 1988. 17. Opening act Carter, also from Texas, showcased the strong songs from his forthcoming Loaded Dice album....
      • April 11, 1988: News: Aleixo. Chris. Stevie Ray Vaughan: Boogie ablaze. The Providence Journal. April 12, 1988. B-06. Another band from Austin, Bill Carter and the Blame, opened the show for Vaughan, and more than held up its end of the concert..
      • April 13, 1988: News: . Nightlife. The Philadelphia Inquirer. April 8, 1988. 28. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble, with Bill Carter. Tower Theater, 69th & Ludlow Sts, Upper Darby....
      • April 14, 1988: News: Longsdorf. Amy. Guitar hero Stevie Ray Vaughan is playing more than just notes. The Morning Call. Allentown, PA. April 14, 1988. D13. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, along with Bill Carter and Henry Lee Summer, will appear at 7:30 p.m. today at Stabler Arena, Lehigh University, Bethlehem..
      • April 15, 1988: News: McLeod. Harriet. Stevie Ray Vaughan has even the reviewer dancing. Richmond Times-Dispatch. April 14, 1988. A-8. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble, with special guests Bill Carter and the Blame, will perform tomorrow at 8 p.m. at the Carpenter Center..
      • April 17, 1988: News: Hester. David. Despite delay, Vaughan thrills crowd with blazing blues-rock. The Daily Tar Heel. Chapel Hill, NC. April 19, 1988. 6. The concert was opened by an Austin group called Bill Carter and the Blame..
      • April 20, 1988: Web site: A Focused Stevie Ray Vaughan Comes Clean in 1988 Guitar World Interview. Milkowski. Bill. September 20, 2011. Guitar World. ...Stevie Ray introduces special guest Otis Rush..
      • April 22, 1988: News: Gilbert. Calvin. New Orleans & all that jazz. The Baton Rouge Advocate. April 22, 1988. 30. Stevie Ray Vaughan/B.B. King/John Hammond, Riverboat President, 7 p.m. and midnight..
      • April 28, 1988: . 1989. C. U. P.. Cauldron. Northeastern University. Boston. 69. 82. The concert in the Spring of 1988 featured Stevie Ray Vaughan with guest John Cafferty..
      • April 29, 1988: News: Combs. Kimberly. Spring Party Bands Previewed. The Colgate News. Colgate University. April 29, 1988. 24. 10. 12. Denny Dent will be the opening act for Vaughan and Double Trouble on Fri. at 8:00 in the Starr Rink..
      • April 30, 1988: News: Newman. Jon. Jammin' With Stevie Ray Vaughan. The Tufts Daily. Tufts University. April 28, 1988. 16. 61. 13. Also, the band opening for him, Treat Her Right, is the perfect compliment or [sic] Vaughan..
      • May 1, 1988: News: Mendlestein. Sam. Stevie takes control of the Party Bowl. The Daily Campus. University of Connecticut. Storrs, CT. May 2, 1988. 91. 120. 1. Not only did the UConn Party Bowl headliners attract the rock/progressive-types who gathered for The Smithereens and the Thumpers' crowd who danced to the music of Force MD's, Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble wound their southern strings around a cheering audience of music lovers that ranged from Deadheads to metalheads..
      • May 13, 1988: News: Burger. T.W.. SRV. The Gettysburg Times. May 16, 1988. 3A. The night began inauspiciously enough, with an acceptable set by Stevie's warm-up band, Little Junior and the Hit Men..
      • May 27, 1988: News: . Vaughan, Allman lead the rockers. Quad-City Times. Davenport, IA. May 26, 1988. 9.
    22. Hopkins (2011), pp. 191–92
    23. Sixth leg opening act references:
    24. Hopkins (2011), pp. 194–96, 201
    25. Seventh leg opening act references:
      • August 16, 1988: News: . The Weekend. Poughkeepsie Journal. August 4, 1988. 1C. ...Stevie Ray Vaughan with Fabulous Thunderbirds, Aug 16....
      • August 18, 1988: News: . Merriweather Post Pavilion 1988 newspaper advertisement. The Baltimore Sun. August 14, 1988. 2N. Thursday, August 18 at 7:00 PM – Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble – Special guests The Fabulous Thunderbirds.
      • August 19–20, 1988:
      • August 24, 1988: News: . Over the Weekend. The Buffalo News. November 28, 1993. The former Fabulous Thunderbirds harp player and singer never left the bars, not even when the T-Birds were playing the Darien Lake Amphitheater on a bill with Stevie Ray Vaughan or when they were opening for Bob Seger at Memorial Auditorium..
      • August 25, 1988: News: . Nautica Stage newspaper advertisement. Cleveland Plain Dealer. July 29, 1988. The Fabulous Thunderbirds has been added to the Stevie Ray Vaughan concert Thursday, Aug. 25, at Nautica..
      • August 26, 1988: News: Gonzalez. John D.. Other Pine Knob Shows. Lansing State Journal. August 25, 1988. Stevie and the Fabulous T-Birds perform 7:30 p.m..
      • August 28, 1988: News: DeVault. Russ. Tix 'n' Times. Atlanta Journal-Constitution. July 29, 1988. C5. Stevie Ray Vaughan and his Double Trouble band will co-headline with the Fabulous Thunderbirds on Aug. 28 at the Chastain Park amphitheater..
      • August 30, 1988: News: . Nostalgia today's specialty at the fair. 3. Southern Illinoisan. Carbondale, IL. August 30, 1988. Stevie Ray Vaughan with the Fabulous Thunderbirds, grandstand.
      • September 1, 1988: News: . This Weekend. B7. The Cincinnati Enquirer. September 1, 1988. Riverbend Music Center concerts (8 p.m.): Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble and Special Guest, The Fabulous Thunderbirds, 8 p.m. today ($14 & $17.50)..
      • September 2, 1988: News: . This week at a glance. B7. Chicago Tribune. September 2, 1988. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble with the Fabulous Thunderbirds–Friday, Poplar Creek Music Theatre.
      • September 3, 1988: News: . Fest has artful array of events. Madison Capital Times. September 2, 1988. Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble with special guest Fabulous Thunderbirds will rock the festival.
      • September 5, 1988: Web site: 05sep88 - Red Rocks Amphitheater, Morrison, CO. Willmot. Bob. n.d.. SRV Gig Database.
      • September 30, 1988: News: Toombs. Mikel. Vaughans show their stuff at Sea World. San Diego Union. October 3, 1988. C4. In a sense, the Friday night showcase/showdown was a sibling rivalry between Jimmy [sic] Vaughan, who puts the fabulous into the Fabulous Thunderbirds, and his little brother, Stevie Ray Vaughan..
      • October 2, 1988: News: Boehm. Mike. The Guitar Summit Sizzling Soloists Fill Amphitheatre With Frenzied Fretwork, 'Human Music'. Los Angeles Times. October 4, 1988. 8. The Fabulous Thunderbirds, the quintessential American roadhouse band, led off with their straightforward good-time blues songs and rockers..
      • October 5–6, 1988: Web site: 05oct88 - The Greek Theater, Berkeley, CA. Willmot. Bob. n.d.. SRV Gig Database. ; Web site: 06oct88 - The Greek Theater, Berkeley, CA. Willmot. Bob. n.d.. SRV Gig Database.
      • October 9, 1988: Web site: Stevie Ray Vaughan / TOUR ITINERARY / USA Tour 1988 September - October (seventh thumbnail). . 2017. eBay.
      • December 31, 1988: (see Billboard boxscore data reference from January 21, 1989)