NOSTALGIA NIGHT AT THE WHISKY
By ROBERT HILLBURN

From the Los Angeles Times, Tuesday, September 21, 1982.

 

What's that Joni Mitchell line about not knowing what you've got until it's gone?

For years, I've scoffed when asked to name my favorite place around town to see a band. My position: It's the attraction, not the room, that's important.

But I realized Sunday night as the Whisky closed its doors (at least temporarily) to live rock music that I am going to miss this club, an anchor on the local scene since the mid-60's.

Despite the cheers from the sold-out crowd when Tom Petty guested on stage during the Plimsouls' opening set, there was an overlay of sadness and nostalgia Sunday at the West Hollywood club.

More than simply an intimate spot that featured some of rock's most exciting new attraction, the Whisky benefited in recent years from a personable staff, a down-home, rather than trendy, ambiance and an owner, Elmer Valentine, who loved many of the bands he presented as much as any paying customer did.


Tom Petty joins the Plimsoul's on stage

You could see a twinkle of nostalgia in Valentine's eyes Sunday.

As Petty and the Plimsoul's Peter Case alternated lead vocals on oldies like the Sir Douglas Quintet's "She's About a Mover," Valentine left his usual spot near the club's front door to join the dance crowd. He noted wistfully, "We sure have had a lot of great bands here, haven't we..."

You could sense the sadness nearby in the face of Chris Morris, who covers the local rock scene with much energy and affection for the Reader. Looking as downcast as a man who had just received bad news from his doctor, Morris muttered, "I sure am going miss this place."

The nostalgia nigh at the Whisky on Sunday didn't center on the Doors, the Seeds, Led Zeppelin, Yes or the other headliners from the '60's and early '70's, but almost exclusively over the new-wave acts that headlined during what can be described as the Whisky's II phase.

This prompted me to put together a list of my own 8 favorite nights at the Whisky from 1976 to 1982. These were the outstanding debuts:


Peter Case

Tom Petty (opening for Blondie in February, 1977)

the Jam (October, 1977)

Elvis Costello (November, 1977)

the Police (March, 1979)

the Specials (February, 1980)

the Selecter (April, 1980)

Rounding out the list were shows by local bands that also were enjoyed in other clubs here, but make key breakthroughs at the Whisky: The Motels (July, 1979), X (May, 1980).

So, I'll give the final spot to Sunday's show. It's fitting that Petty joined the Plimsouls on stage because the four-piece band, whose tense romantic tunes mirror the nervous insistence of the group's instrumental approach, is one of the most inviting blends since Petty of high accessibility and heartfelt vision.