A true tale, lads and lassies. I was at a concert many years ago at an outdoor venue - the Lorelei, on the Rhine river in Germany. This is the famous section of the river in which legend had it that a maiden would sing to ships and they would follow her voice, doomed to hit the rocks and sink. The headliners were Jefferson Starship, with Atlanta Rhythm Section right before them. There were a number of bands at these outdoor concerts, which usually ran all day and well into the night.

First up was a couple German bands, and they did a fine job. Then Leo Kottke, and he was good as always. The crowd knew that after Leo, the hard rock would begin, so they began getting into the proper frame of mind. When Leo finished, an announcer came on stage to tell the crowd there was a "small problem". Atlanta Rhythm Section never was under contract, and Grace Slick was "ill", and Jefferson Starship cancelled. "So it's over now; see you later".

The crowd thought about that, and made the decision to first cut loose with a volley of bottles and cans. When the ammunition was exhausted, they stormed the gates of the Bastille. The speakers were piled up and set aflame, the instruments were hauled off, and the scene was bedlam for hours. The police let it go, figuring that as long as just property damage was occurring, let it work itself out. I still have pictures of people hauling out pianos and guitars.

One could see the flames miles away from the Rhine. Jefferson Starship booted Grace Slick from the band, as they were a bit peeved at losing all their instruments due to her "medical issue".

So when I hear Leo, I think of this, in addition to him being a great guitarist.