Big Brother and the Holding Company Meets The Vox Jaguars: Zenberg Post #200

It wasn't until there were fifteen cops standing behind my open trunk that I realized that this probably wasn't the best place to bring a gas mask. There's nothing illegal, or dangerous about gas masks, but with all the hyped fear of terrorists these days, such an item, even if it was my Halloween costume, could easily be misconstrued as offensive gear for a subversive. After all, this was a huge Halloween music festival, put on by the City of Francisco, and there were enough police there to handle any situation. They were on Halloween-orange alert, so to speak. Fortunately, the Israeli- made gas mask, (my best one), was under a grocery bag, and tucked between amplifiers and other musical equipment. I casually slid it inside the grocery bag, covered it with my raincoat, set it down on the ground near one of the officers, and began unloading the musical equipment.

Big Brother and the Holding Company was already on stage playing and watched us curiously from the stage as we unloaded the automobiles and carried the guitars, amplifiers, drums, etc. to the white tent located behind the stage. Inside the tent was an assortment of instruments and a slough of goodies for the musicians to enjoy.

The band that made Janis Joplin famous, Big Brother and the Holding Company was one of the biggest and most popular bands in the late sixties, but their popularity faded as the sixties vaporized into the seventies. Now, there's a 21st century incarnation of the band, and they sound great.

Cathy Richardson belts out the blues better than Janis Joplin did. She's a lot more friendly on the eyes too.

The Vox Jaguars' Noah Bond and Mason Rosenberg watch Big Brother from back stage as the next act, Jimi Hendrix Tribute, prepares to take the stage.

"Freedom is just another word for nothing left to lose..."

Original Big Brother drummer, Dave Getz, demonstrates that he's still got it.

After Big Brother's set, Cathy Richardson takes time to pose with The Vox Jaguars' Jordan Topf back stage

Even though the guitarist was right handed, after watching the Jimi Hendrix Tribute play, I felt as though I had actually seen the legendary Jimi Hendrix. I have serious doubts that Mr. Hendrix himself ever played that well, though. I was truly impressed with the proficiency and imitative power of this trio. Every melodic nuance was reproduced to perfection... it looked and sounded exactly like the Jimi Hendrix Experience. They even played the Star Spangled Banner and dedicated it to all the US troups fighting in wars across the globe. I put my hand over my heart and listened to a flawless rendition of the patriotic piece/peace.

Meanwhile, back stage, inside the white tent, Mason Rosenberg and Trevor Hope play along with the band on stage to get warmed up for The Vox Jaguars' big show.

When The Vox Jaguars took the stage, it was dark, and the wind was blowing, but it was still pretty warm, for San Francisco. The band played a short set, and sounded great. Unfortunately, the wind destroyed most of the audio portion of the video that I took. By the time the band left the stage, there were a couple thousand enthusiastic people watching the show. I heard comments like, "That was great!" - "Those guys are going to go far." - "Have you ever seen a bassist play like that? Amazing!" and, etc.Click on photo to view video
The Vox Jaguars on stage Halloween Night at the AT&T Giants Baseball Parking Lot A
The Summer Of Love's Halloween Festival in San Francisco, California.