Chevy Metal w/ Elliot Easton "Just What I Needed" The Canyon,, Agoura Hills, CA, 7.29.23

A clip of Chevy Metal and Elliot Easton of The Cars performing The Cars' "Just What I Needed" at The Canyon in Agoura Hills, California on July 29, 2023.

[@Beastie_Boss]

Elliot Easton are you kidding me??!! This is incredible! Thanks for putting me there!!

[@kurtmboyd]

Elliott is just incredible... dynamic too.... integral to that Cars sound that they blessed us with so long ago. Timeless.

[@johnkay6619]

In addition to being a great guitarist, Elliot is a genuinely nice guy. 🤘🏼

[@martyc2637]

I met him in Vegas once, it was like we had known each other for years.

[@GBelly-tf9sq]

Hope that crowd appreciates the talent they just witnessed. Grossly underrated and easily one of the top ten ever.

[@mts982]

one of the best.

[@Fuff63]

Love Elliott an icon of pop rock guitar history. Cheers!

[@rockochenta]

This is great! By being in front of his amp the camera captured his guitar sound over all the other instruments. It’s great to see and hear what he actually plays and way over the mix. Thanks for the video! 🎸🎸🎸

[@csilver522]

You're very welcome! You're right about the sound being off due to me standing so close to his amp. It didn't sound like that at the venue! May I ask how you came across this video? When I first posted it over five months ago, it got a handful of views, but over the past week or so, there's been a (relatively) huge spike in views and comments, and I'm not sure why.

[@coolramone]

KZbin just puts it (the video) in your feed. You scroll through the suggested videos and then you see a great guitarist (Eliot Easton) with a great song and you click on it.

[@csilver522]

@@coolramone I'm wondering why this one is suddenly being suggested. In the first five months after it was posted, it had less than a thousand views, and suddenly in the last two weeks it's gotten over 7,000 views. And as many commenters have pointed out, it doesn't sound great at all. (Though the camera work sure is outstanding, ain't it? 😉)

[@c.k.185]

That must’ve been thrilling for the band. Elliot Easton’s the best. So cool, so versatile and talented. Killer player 👍🏼

[@krimpoo]

Not really...he was fighting to get a good tone the entire time and his guitar was too loud. They weren't playing like 'band'.

[@commonsensehill372]

The Cars... timeless. The music of the Cars, also timeless. Elliot's got a few years on me but, he still rocks. I was 12 when the Cars were a big deal in 79. I still listen to the Cars to this day. This was refreshing to hear Chevy Metal, a band I just discovered this morning via youtube... covering this tune with the man who co wrote this tune. What a thing to wake up to. It put a smile on my face.

[@spooge33]

I was in high school in the 70's. The Cars, Aerosmith, Boston, J Geils, on and on. The house parties and dances were epic.

[@b.j.conway5701]

Brings back my high school days; thanks for jogging the memory.

[@s_p7231]

Man, all The Cars songs with those Elliot Easton guitar solos. Some of the best ever recorded.

[@royalerathcliff5703]

Chevy Metal with Elliot Easton from the Cars...amazing!!

[@waynelewington54]

Absolute legend

[@mikemiller209]

My dad was the chief engineer at a local am station and sometimes i'd go to work with him and behind the DJ was a stack of promos sent to the station to try and get air play ... i'd go through the albums and pick a few then go to another studio and listen to them ... and in that adjacent studio is where i heard the cars for the very first time

[@danriley5848]

Legend

[@lovett1200]

Elliot stil lhas what it takes....good to hear from him...thanks for posting...Cars fan.

[@csilver522]

He sure does - and you're welcome!

[@jackdemask4177]

This is great! It's almost like an isolated track of Elliot's guitar playing. Superb!

[@bluzzjazz]

He still knew the solo and was willing to keep up there. Pay some respect folks!

[@martydibergi5228]

Tone needs to be thicker my 2 cents but he is s awesome

[@frez777]

I still can't believe so many of those Cars hits were written and performed in the late 70's

[@j.t.cooper2963]

Whats not to believe? The 70's and 80's were the best decades for rock and music in general. I'm glad I got to experience both decades because the music over the last 2 decades was and is absolutely horrible.

[@richardchambers3533]

I saw the Cars around 1980. The Kinks opened for them. Awesome show!🎸🎸🎶🎼🎵

[@windmillcancersurvivor2568]

Guitar Rock Gods still walk among us. Love his collection especially this Pelham Blue custom LP from the Cars 2018 introduction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

[@Joe-pb3lx]

yes and his rockin sockem shoes from alberts shoe emporium north east of Albuquerque

[@AlmostReady504]

And WITHOUT A KEYBOARD Met Elliott Easton years ago at a NAMM show. Great guitar player cool AF. He remembered how it was "like a sauna" when The Cars played the Warehouse New Orleans late 70s. One of the best shows I've ever seen!

[@TheNifster]

Interesting I saw an interview with him and county music was an influence. LOL. One of my favorite bands.

[@saltyassassin]

RIP Ric Ocasek!! Elliot Freaking Easton!! I count myself lucky to have seen The Cars back in the 80's... at their prime. Elliot wasn't afraid to forge his own path. My first concert was Led Zeppelin in 1977 at age 7!! Like I said... Lucky.

[@Tilbily]

Wow, I remember when this song came out. Had to find the new album. When Elliot plays this live now, I bet his mind takes him back to the days surrounded by the original band.

[@garyleppla9314]

Man, Still after All these years,,, One South Paw to Another....

[@brentj.peterson6070]

His solos for the Cars were so perfect for the song. Bet he's having an awesome time here!!😎🔥

[@marcelinocastillo2871]

Simply amazing!

[@blakjack3053]

One of, if not the best solos he's ever created.

[@pointnozzleaway]

This....Made My Day ! 🤘

[@MuckoMan]

Elliot is awesome. Goes to show you how good the cars were together. They just worked.

[@doctorskull8197]

Outstanding ‼️😍🔥🎸

[@stevejurado8069]

Most memorable guitar solos ever,a true rock and roll axe man.🎉❤

[@analiajimenalopez4666]

So marvelous human being, humble Elliot Easton is ..A gentleman with class .. Fine guitarist..❤❤ He goes to the Cars on the top ..thank Mr Elliot Easton.❤..😊 I love you ❤❤

[@ramongonzalez2112]

My man EE of the Cars still rockin’, a legend 👍

[@renohiker]

Love it! Cheers! 🥃

[@scottwhite2757]

One of my favorite left handed guitarists..

[@johnzuniga1966]

Elliot the cars are genius❤

[@fractalnomics]

Yes!!

[@misspaula7542]

Omg Elliot! ❤❤❤

[@frontcentermusician]

The riff king himself. Elliot Easton!

[@anakina1]

This was a treat and a half! I'm guessing the sound is mic placement, as you get to really hear his parts.

[@johnnyceeuontheroad.2389]

Elliott is a bad ass, the drummer has to learn dynamics baby dynamics..thanks for the video..

[@csilver522]

You're welcome! That drummer is Taylor Hawkins' teenage son Shane.

[@applehead252]

Awesome

[@aquamarine99911]

Elliot didn't play solos, he made musical statements.

[@csilver522]

Who is Chris?

[@aquamarine99911]

@@csilver522 Damn, I had been thinking of Chris Elliot lately, and accidentally substituted his name in there. Change made.

[@csilver522]

@@aquamarine99911 That is definitely not the answer I was expecting, and I couldn't love it anymore. Long live Cabin Boy!

[@sandman7ac]

Makes me want to move to California.

[@michaelanderson5087]

Glad to see him rocking! A man of his caliber in history sure could have used a better band to back him, He's a f****** legend!!

[@FELIPEGARCIA-fk6zx]

Elliot Easton, the legacy left behind The Cars. 😢

[@1956albertico]

What a legend ! Love the way this MASTER musician plays , immaculate riffs no doubt. Thanks Elliot!

[@shanes.9089]

Siiiccckkk fellas!!

[@davidv.3135]

Cool!

[@diamonddavemusic]

To be fair, Elliot came up on stage completely "cold", and I don't think he was able to properly tune his guitar with the rest of the band instruments here. Not to make any excuses for him, because a Hall of Fame musician does not need my sympathy, but you can see the sound stage tech guy is giving him some last minute tips for the pedals, which are most likely not his own gear. I've seen and heard Elliot play this song quite recently on many other YT tutorial videos, and he nails it perfectly every time, but quite another thing to play with a band you haven't practiced with very much. He is 10 times better than he sounds here. Check out a few YT videos with his current band "The Empty Hearts" and you'll hear what he is still truly capable of doing. Rock on, Elliot, you're a true legend. ❤🤘🎸🎶✌

[@kobbetop]

This was clearly a cold performance for all. It was like they had never played together. But Elliot’s guitar playing kept the song together barely.

[@taylor-vl1re]

Always sounds better when you turn on the mic's...lol.

[@markjohnson1020]

Squeezing out some feedback at the end 🤘🏼

[@edfeten4724]

This is awesome thanks for posting. Hey how often does Elliot play at the Canyon Club? I live in the area and would love to see him play live!

[@scottindestin4292]

Cool that he played Rick's part at first.

[@dantesalamante9987]

Can't hear the vocals. But good thank you for presence Elliot

[@johnzucco3559]

The drummer nailed the beat turn around at 3:52!

[@tjrox]

But missed the second time at 4:00

[@BlindTom61]

Most people don't even know that it exists but it toltally blew my mind back then in the day.

[@ronwilliams1094]

Elliot Easton Shreds 😅😂🤣

[@boataxe4605]

Elliot looks more like Elton John every day.

[@brentj.peterson6070]

I was thinking Mick Jagger

[@LOBOIV]

The drummer ate it. No dynamics. No texture. Just plowed through it.

[@csilver522]

The drummer here is Shane Hawkins, the teenage son of Taylor Hawkins.

[@OldRunt]

He sucks here no matter who his is.

[@kingtrance307]

No disrespect to Jr. Hawkins but there’s no groove in his playing. Doesn’t fit the song. I’m sure his playing would be better suited to metal.

[@HaydenQuinnEsler]

@@OldRuntyou will regret saying that 🤣

[@willofdapeople6972]

HES STILL OK....HE IS. 70 PLUS. YEARS OLD. I CAN TELL ELIOT NEVER WARMED UP BEFORE THE SHOW,. OR. EVEN REHEARSED WITH THESE BAND MEMBERS

[@ChrisM541]

THAT'S GOOD TO KNOW, THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR ANNOUNCING THIS OVER THE TANNOY!

[@johnoakley6696]

Yeah Elliot awesome 1 of a kind historical.......but the sound man😢

[@Beatlesfan1076]

I think you always seem to be at the best angle, for what you said. Its just your preference. Not badmouthing @snakeradios at all.

[@jenniferwineman1669]

I don’t think Elliot practiced this song much and he missed the dress rehearsal for sure! 😂

[@jmzbnd724]

He did it fine during the Taylor hawkins tribute....

[@rd400d]

arthritis can be a sob

[@dorfsteen]

Yeah God bless Elliott something's not right but he pulls it off

[@jeffreyjohn2037]

Although his Jackie Mason wig looked great! 🤣

[@aquamarine99911]

It's really the mix that's the problem. Isolated guitar (and bass) tracks always sound sketchy.

[@user-ev2qo1hj1g]

I think its just hard to keep the chops up when you get older. Respect to all his great playing. I think some guys after they make it just lay the guitar down to and get rusty. Your reflexes slow and all that. Eric Clapton is 79 and still tears it up but I think hes still really active.

[@SNAKERADIOS]

If your record with a cell phone you need to be at where the sound board is. That`s the best place to do it this. I love Elliot but it would good back at the board

[@csilver522]

Thank you for the advice. While I know that the audio for this video may not be ideal, I stood where I wanted to stand for the concert.I wasn't going for professional-quality video, just wanted to capture some moments from the night.

[@SNAKERADIOS]

@@csilver522 Yea Thanks for doing that . Yep just a small tidbit of advice for you. No Hate, Peace out.

[@ChrisM541]

@@SNAKERADIOS Actually, this was the perfect spot to focus on Elliot's guitar sound - his amp was cranked up enough that the phone picked it up perfectly. As a guitarist myself, this is hugely appreciated since we get to hear exactly what he's doing when he plays this song live. Of course, we can still hear the rest of the band.

[@dorfsteen]

I'm not trying to be a jerk I know Elliot is older than me, did he have some kind of health issue like a small stroke or something? because it seems like he struggles to play. He definitely pulls off the leads in the clutch but it seems like there's something missing in his dexterity, God bless him I love him and I hope not. maybe it's arthritis?

[@brentj.peterson6070]

He's 70. He gets a pass.

[@edfeten4724]

No, he still plays great. I saw him on somebody's podcast. He played the main riff from "My Best Friend's Girl" on an acoustic guitar, and it was really good.

[@dorfsteen]

@@edfeten4724 yes you can still play but you can see that he's you know he's 75 or so 78 and you know his hands tremble a little bit but he gets it done it sucks getting old let me tell you😁😊

[@bumblefritz]

That twisted bass strap was stressing me out.

[@davidmitchell1239]

Austin powers on guitar!

[@dbb124]

Pretty sure that’s Mick Jagger

[@krimpoo]

Sound was terrible/band was sloppy as was elliot trying to get his tone right...but thats still one of the most iconic solo's in rock history. Every rock guitar player should learn this solo inside and out...lots of lessons in there.

[@tbdog99]

Something health related is obviously going on...Elliot is only 70, but not too to have issue, I'm afraid.

[@ImaRockStarPR]

Eddie Van Halen is an underrated guitarist

[@csilver522]

Do you mean Elliot Easton?

[@ImaRockStarPR]

@@csilver522 exactly…. I was sarcastically mocking the token guy who didn’t get here yet that always has to post that the guitarist in question is underrated, although he’s highly rated. Elliot is not Eddie Van Halen, but who is? But as I seen somebody say, Elliot is proficient in stepping forward, making his statement with a powerful, precise lead, and stepping back into the band without unnecessary embellishment.

[@ChrisM541]

@@listenupfoolio-mx8me Jimi Hendrix was over rated, Cream was over rated, Lez Zeppelin was over rated, Elvis was over rated, Oscar Petersen was over rated. Bach was over rated, Beethoven was over rated, Mozart was over rated ;)

[@JuniorFarquar]

​@@ImaRockStarPRTodsy is the best's birthday...Jimmy Page

[@ytr3488]

​@@JuniorFarquaron Mr sloppy huh

[@BigBass-xf5yi]

I think the lead singer was pretty good . I think

[@Petequinn741]

Glad Elliot is out playing.. sound guy crapped out on him tho

[@NickWebber-vp4pd]

Im a 70 YO bass player, beenrockin’ since my teens, and i can honestly say…getting old sucks. You lose dexterity, speed, and muscle memory. It’s like we peak, and then we start to go backwards. Forgot to mention the arthritis bursitis, and carpal tunnel…🤦🏻‍♂️👍🏼😉😎 well, back to the toilet…gotta run. 😮

[@csilver522]

Thank you for this wonderful comment. The best part is that even with everything you're going through as part of the aging process, you're still rocking. Never give that up!

[@Joe-pb3lx]

oh you forgot to turn the bathroom light off

[@Joe-pb3lx]

and the water is still running at the sink where i hope you washed your hands after you went to the toilet

[@michaelkuzeppa7539]

He’s better then that whole band😂

[@timallison8560]

it should have been amazing?

[@greatunz67]

I love Elliot, but this is so bad, you can't hear the vocals at all, and it's clear they didn't rehearse at all. They should have got the mix down before just going at it.

[@csilver522]

I think I was just in a bad spot relative to the speakers - it didn't sound like this for most of the venue. Plus I think the sound on the video is even worse than it was in person.

[@user-ev2qo1hj1g]

The timing was all over the place.

[@yamahasuperbike2202]

Sometimes you should just stay retired and enjoy your past accomplishments.

[@keithkoenig5320]

Always thought Elliott Easton should have gotten more credit as a great Rock guitarist. Having said that, he sounds rusty here, and the solo was weak. I will just remember the three Cars shows I saw in the 80's...

[@brentj.peterson6070]

He's old. Gimme a break.

[@tonyrobbins1665]

Thumbs down to the soundman ?

[@hudentdw2]

The drummer's time is way off!

[@user-ev2qo1hj1g]

Yep

[@slaflen]

not goofd

[@billyrocket62]

Elliott is awesome, but honestly, this sounds like crap.

[@csilver522]

Thanks?

[@OldRunt]

What a mess.

[@JosephMesanko]

He's old damb you guys

[@OldRunt]

I think the mess issue here starts with the drums. I've seen Elliot in other videos even older and he's great. He's not having a great night here but he's still great old or not. The drums are alll over the place.@@JosephMesanko

[@rogue0921]

Shame, shame, shame on you. How can you get up there and debase the CARS songs. 😢

[@fromalongtimeago]

Horrible sound

[@0sumgamezzz435]

Not so hot,

[@KevinTurner-hr1wg]

Horrible

[@j.t.cooper2963]

Probably should have rehearsed that first.

[@michaelhughes7267]

Elliott mix is way off.