Driving to the concert, I received a call with the sad news that GORDON WALLER had died of a heart attack, at the age of 64. We had the privilege of having getting to know Gordon personally, as he had been a Special Guest, by himself, at The FEST numerous times many years ago, and then more recently, in the historic reunion of Peter and Gordon in the past 3 years. We were honored to be able to be a part of that and to see and hear them together again was truly special.
Peter Asher has issued a statement and we wanted to share it with you here, in its entirety.
Gordon played such a significant role in my life that losing him is hard to comprehend – let alone to tolerate.
He was my best friend at school almost half a century ago. He was not only my musical partner but played a key role in my conversion from only a snooty jazz fan to a true rock and roll believer as well. Without Gordon I would never have begun my career in the music business in the first place. Our professional years together in the sixties constitute a major part of my life and I have always treasured them.
We remained good friends (unusual for a duo!) even while we were pursuing entirely separate professional paths and I was so delighted that after a hiatus of almost forty years we ended up singing and performing together again more recently for the sheer exhilarating fun of it. We had a terrific time doing so.
Gordon remains one of my very favourite singers of all time and I am still so proud of the work that we did together. I am just a harmony guy and Gordon was the heart and soul of our duo.
I shall miss him in so many different ways. The idea that I shall never get to sing those songs with him again, that I shall never again be able to get annoyed when he interrupts me on stage or to laugh at his unpredictable sense of humour or even to admire his newest model train or his latest gardening effort is an unthinkable change in my life with which I have not even begun to come to terms.
Just before 9:00PM, Friday, July 17th,the sold out Brand New Citi Field, home of the New York Mets, greeted its first concert with music’s biggest star. The sound was deafening as Paul and his band took the stage and ripped into Drive My Car. The energy never stopped. Paul began is set with familiar songs from recent tours, adding two songs from his recent Fireman Cd and a few from Memory Almost Full. It was the songs he chose that he hadn’t performed in the states that got were truly amazing. Song’s like Day Tripper, A Day In the Life/Give Peace A Chance Medley, Paperback Writer & I’ve Got A Feeling. The light to middling rain for a while didn’t seem to bother anyone. He talked about the Shea Concert and how they couldn’t hear a thing because of all the screaming girls. This was a perfect cue for the screems of 2009. He played I’m Down, the song The Beatles closed the 1965 Concerts with. Live and Let Die was and always will be a showstopper with explosions and fireworks befitting a Fourth of July Celebration!! He then followed that up with Hey Jude. The band took a bow, left the stage and when they came back, Paul introduced Billy Joel, who as a hometown favorite received a thunderous ovation. He playing piano for I Saw Her Standin There, trading verses with Paul. It was an historic evening and one we will never forget. It was great seeing and talking to som many FEST regulars. Quite a few fans came up to us to say I was at the First one back in 1974, or I remember Mal Evans, from 1975, or Ronnie Spector was incredible this year. The Beatles ROCK BAND set up near section 333 and Michelle and I tried it out on Back In The U.S.S.R. It was a lot of fun and for all Chicago FEST attendees, do try it out there.
Ringo Starr, the greatest drummer in the history of Rock and Roll, turns a young 69 today, Tuesday, July 7th. There is a terrific article marking the occasion in Monday’s 