Sha Na Na - Walk Don't Run - 9/23/1970 - Fillmore East

Recorded 9/23/1970 - Fillmore East (New York, NY)
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Copyright Bill Graham Archives

[@RD-ru9jc]

Came here nostalgic for a cheesy old 70s show. Hits me now ... these guy were so bordering on Punk. Deserved a bit more respect

[@chrispraz877]

They played Woodstock ffs.

[@joshseth7190]

They were punk as fuck, ahead of their time

[@ShaNaNa242]

​@@joshseth7190 Sha Na Na in the late 60s and early 70s was fucking awesome.

[@pgroove163]

punk before punk..

[@zummo61]

Lotta great bands on the bill this night. Also the Allman Brothers Band, Elvin Bishop, Byrds, Albert King, Van Morrison. Tickets were $1.50 for this show. 30 minute sets by each band.

[@pgroove163]

.folks paying upwards of $10,000 for Taylor sniff concert..😂

[@_Peremalfait]

Did Sha Na Na invent punk rock? Food for thought. Probably not, but they were definitely on to something as here with their sped up versions of rock and roll classics.

[@Scoot12321]

Id put late 60s-early 70s sha na na right there with The New York Dolls, Stooges, MC5, early 70s Aerosmith, Slade, The Amboy Dukes, David Peele, Suicide and all the other garage/hard rock bands. Historians like to use the term proto punk but it's all just a family tree of rock music in my opinion. It's all relevant. Sha na na lost that fast gritty edge which people draw the punk parallel from, around the time their original rhythm guitarist left and their 3rd lead guitarist overdosed. 1974-75ish. Not saying that was the cause, what do I know lol. Also their TV show in 77 took them into the full mainstream. Possibly contributing to the mellowing out of their live shows.

[@_Peremalfait]

@@Scoot12321 Agreed. Interestingly, Sha Na Na actually featured The Ramones on their television show.

[@jerryleeelvisberryrichard6247]

I used to think the way you do but the footage and audio are proof. Sha Na Na invented punk rock. The Golden Age of Rock n Roll double lp (minus the doo wop) is Ramones Live Alive years earlier. Just listen. Dolls rarely upped the tempo lke this, punk attitude and all that but right here is the velocity, furor and madness.

[@rockheadmark2673]

Wow, this was 5 years before punk rock was a thing.

[@richbaritone67]

They alone started the 50s nostalgia craze of the 70s. So much fun, they were!

[@johnrinck4883]

Bowzer's entrance was the best! Mr Tough Guy! Though with those skinny arms he couldn't have been that tough! :D

[@veekatore8983]

Remember they did play at Woodstock just a year before and these guys could play and sing...I saw them in 75?

[@JohnnyFiacconi]

These guys kicked ass. Raw and Real

[@sdot5389]

Bill Graham…the legend.

[@michaelsternberg1597]

Bowzer was probably one of the most educated rock and roll musicians ever in a popular band.

[@royab5770]

He studied piano at Juilliard while in high school. He and my father are hella smart.

[@taboomarnoo]

Grease for Peace! This is pure genius! Maximum Rock-n-Roll!

[@michaelward9880]

Sha Na Na at Fillmore East! Lord, I wish I had a time machine!

[@karltrapson]

It's really easy to see where a lot of the late 70s and 80s punk bands got their inspiration. I guarantee Danzig was obsessed with these guys.

[@jakedoe1302]

This guys was awesome loved the show

[@kande6916]

This band rules!!!!! We miss you Sha NA NA!!!

[@frederickhaaken456]

Get a life.

[@frederickhaaken456]

Bowser was a cum dumpster for gay men.

[@jmccullough]

Always like to catch a glimpse of Bill introducing one of the bands.

[@carlodave9]

I think of him as one of the top humans of our time. Way back from San Francisco times. Astonishing, generous, self-made guy who loved making cool stuff happen.

[@JohnLeePedimore]

A few days after the helicopter crash I went to the Bridge School concert at the Shoreline in Mountainview. Tracy Chapman was the last act and her last song was "Amazing Grace" as a tribute to Bill.

[@sgtBilko75]

One of the most rocking 70s videos ever. And then realize most of these guys were busy with getting their university degree at the same time. Basically they were one of the first (or only?) rock boybands? Unlike “real” boybands Sha Na Na invented their style, gimmicks, stage routines, etc themselves. Pretty, pretty cool

[@TheRaandu]

With a taste of the 50's

[@AngryNegativeHistoryProject]

So they quit music for their degree?

[@sgtBilko75]

@@AngryNegativeHistoryProject no, they were still students at the university. They attended classes during the week and performed weekends, studying for exams during driving between shows.

[@ChrisLawton66]

The Beatles were a rock boyband long before and insofar as inventing their style they literally took it all from the 50's.

[@idontknowmuch3441]

@@ChrisLawton66 yeah and so many others Idk how they are saying this is was the first boy band lol

[@rjwh67220]

One of the best live bands I ever saw!

[@jonmorrisonindy]

Still remember watch their show with my dad.

[@michaelreardon3958]

This was filmed five days after their friend Jimi Hendrix died. Jimi recommended the Woodstock promoters to put them on the roster. Sha Na Na did perform right before Hendrix closed out the fest.

[@rickacton7540]

im fairly certain that never happened

[@gregmurphy2020]

@@rickacton7540 dude, it is comfirmed many places and in interviews

[@gregmurphy2020]

@@rickacton7540 there is even a video from woodstock 69 where he grooves to sha na na! Look it up, its there

[@rickacton7540]

@@gregmurphy2020 "confirmed in many places" LOL

[@normanwitt4692]

My friends favorite group in high school 1971

[@oquintan]

Very underrated artistic theater

[@chipdrusano]

Early punk! Love it ❤️

[@LisaKoffler]

It's NOT early punk!

[@greggorup1006]

Punk is an attitude. This is punk.

[@dagnabbit6187]

@@greggorup1006 Well I read they influenced the Ramones who loved them and the Ramones are also from the NY metro area so I say you are right !

[@markburns4577]

@@dagnabbit6187 The Ramones were on the Sha Na Na TV show.

[@STVG71]

Talk about a raw, unscripted performance! They just went out there and did it and I love it. Almost as much as their Woodstock performance.

[@iliketowatch.]

That Woodstock video must be seen to be believed. They shocked the hell out of those hippies!

[@gamma1695]

Actually, it was all scripted and choreographed. That's the genius behind it

[@nakedfreak1]

UNSCRIPTED? Lol

[@nathandodge665]

What do you mean unscripted??

[@awarnesscarelessbn]

Sha nana live at Filmore east 1970 NYC!

[@chrishills2427]

I had no idea these were ahead of their time

[@BB-vo8bv]

Was NOT expecting that!

[@LisaKoffler]

Neither was I!

[@ShaNaNa242]

Larry, Geno, and Bruno kill it on this song.

[@arno-luyendijk4798]

First moves on the stage made me come up with just the only fitting words: Grease is the word.

[@CapAnson12345]

Basically they took a break from the 50s nostalgia stuff and went straight punk.pretty cool.

[@LisaKoffler]

No, they didn't! They're '50s and '60s through and through!

[@CapAnson12345]

@@LisaKoffler I know.. I just meant this reminds me of punk.

[@LisaKoffler]

Yes, but punk isn't exactly the same thing.

[@JMarinelli]

Sure it’s a hopped-up Ventures surf instrumental, but I’d classify this as protopunk, for sure.

[@crikker9447]

Weird to see Bowzer in long sideburns

[@stewartsnape1231]

Wild, awesome version of walk don’t run, one of no vocal numbers by them

[@jimjimsandburg2754]

These guys were actually college kids from Columbia University in New York. They became popular after performing at the Woodstock event in 1969.

[@dabarnes12]

I remember when I was a malt shop

[@jarisundström]

Damned good even 2023!

[@PanterAmetal100]

Shot like it's late 70s early 80s, hard to believe the date is correct, but... Dayum that's a banger right there!

[@harf59]

The date is correct. The guitar player and Gold Lame singer of Teen Angel were replaced in early 1971.

[@susiefairfield7218]

Love you Uncle BoBo and love Sha Na Na

[@RodCornholio]

1:55 "Get him a body bag! Yeah!"

[@bizarrereality8818]

😅😅😅😂😂

[@davidisenhower2821]

Now that was kick ass

[@jasontulloch7938]

all i can say is WOW

[@ELPCOTILLION-SD1970]

Those Sideburns Shout 1970...

[@thewkovacs316]

the original lineup the guys who deserve all the credit for the 50s revival, which was parodied in "phantom of the paradise"

[@gregmurphy2020]

This is not the original line up! Many of them, but not all of them

[@750count]

Straight up Punk

[@earlmcpherson6913]

Saw them once 😊

[@psst...heyyou6508]

Man they went full Clash on this one..pre Clash

[@NuncNuncNuncNunc]

Had no clue they were Ivy League brainiacs too. Besides Columbia, a bunch also studied or had advanced degrees from elsewhere: Bowzer - Julliard, Denny - Harvard, Yale, Jocko - NYU, Alan - Yale. You hear about Brian May or Tom Scholz and their life outside of rock, but sometimes you get really surprised.

[@reggiesparks4357]

talent ....no doubt....talent....

[@chasbodaniels1744]

This is great to see, rather than the lame, clownish goofball act they morphed into for their network TV show a few years later. I saw them at a college show a year or two after this video, and they still had their tough guys personae. The stage announcer introduced them as “Here they are … greased and ready to kick ass … Sha-Na-Na”, which was pretty cool.

[@petermgruhn]

That wasn't clownish?

[@chasbodaniels1744]

Sure, they were goofy here, but that TV show was unwatchably clownish.

[@carlsaganlives5112]

@@chasbodaniels1744 Yeah, Bowser went from scary tough guy to loveable goof/dork, pants pulled up way too high, cross-eyed vacant grin, slapstick over the top reaction to everything, etc.

[@youtubeguy1]

Huge biceps 💪

[@johnmichaelkarma]

Somewhere there's a garage that needs a band.

[@ikemachamer7904]

This is so Bad Ass!!!

[@bigtone1348]

As my pa used to say 'shut your mouth, there's a train coming'.

[@joshotten1904]

When I was a kid I saw these reruns an for some reason I was always a bowser guy I would slick my blond hair back n try the bass tones he did call me a n er d but I love this stuff

[@chrispraz877]

In a time where rock was headed down the bell bottomed prog rock crap hole, Sha na na were rocking true classic rock style.

[@martinjcooke]

Such fun

[@valmarsiglia]

They were totally a punk-rock band in those days.

[@peterschwarz7158]

Punk A.F. ! Dig It!

[@pgroove163]

punk rock before punk

[@WizardGlik]

These guys were doing Performance Art before it even had a name. I'm certain Andy Kaufman was taking notes.

[@raceyboy]

PUNK ROCK!

[@lunarsabbatical7906]

Was he flexing at the beginning or showing you the arms he washes dishes with

[@rondevous5685]

They opened with an instrumental? They were always a vocal band.

[@Miss_Chick]

Aww…Bill Graham…

[@richardrice8076]

Any resemblance between this and walk don't run is purely coincidental.

[@razvandobos9759]

I could totally see Sha Na Na perform with the Sex Pistols and Dead Kennedy’s and the Misfits and Alice Cooper

[@starfish-tw9kr]

Yesssssssssssssss

[@calsavestheworld]

What drug is this?

[@laSwear]

why isn't there a legitimate documentary on these guys?

[@Maki.1028]

シャナナ〜♪

[@TonysMusic1974]

Bowser must have just joined at this point

[@visaman]

He was at Woodstock just in the background.

[@dlhellus]

Musician is one of those jobs where acting like you might be insane is a good gimick.

[@BrutishYetDelightful]

Bowzer absolutely kills me on this video. The contrast between this Bowzer and the lovable goof from the TV show is stark, to say the least. The extra-long hair and the sideburns and the generally menacing street-punk demeanor are something to see. Many years ago I took my then-2-year old son to see Sha Na Na. I knew he would squirm and pay no attention and I didn't give a damn. I wanted him to be able to say he had been in their presence.

[@dailyflash]

It wasn't all just Hendrix, Zeppelin, and The Dead.

[@nj1639]

Did the Mothers play that evening? I may have been there......

[@patrickregan7163]

That was punk as F*&^%.

[@DawlessHouseMusic]

Proto-Punk all the way.

[@TheDeev]

Long hair and leather jackets...the Ramones before the Ramones.

[@johnmichaelkarma]

typical "unrefined" greaser culture look of the 50s n 60s

[@simfaithguitar1]

Punk without the spitting.

[@quantanglement]

I think I saw Bowzer spit once or twice - not this vid tho.

[@JMarinelli]

Bringing civilization to the savages.

[@AmericasTeamAdventure]

Did you guys see Bubbles uncle?

[@petermgruhn]

It's like a Sid and Marty Kroft thing that didn't catch on. For obvious reasons.

[@TheDabudz420]

Cocaine is a hell of a drug!!!!

[@fritzkreig1314]

Were the guitars plugged in? I saw a lead from the bass

[@andrepoeze451]

Didn’t they play Woodstock?

[@thewkovacs316]

ya....and if anyone has the entire performance, i would love to see it

[@Bwanasinema]

Did the hippies like it? Teen Angel is the next song in the set--and it got a standing ovation. kzbin.info/www/bejne/m3a5f4Cga6t0prM

[@davidthomas5035]

I guess you had to be there...

[@synthonaplinth5980]

Guess we know who Billy Zoom got his act from, the guitarist in the leather jacket.

[@russellcyr4867]

Who is the bass player. He later on played with another band and rocked a huge pompadour.

[@ShaNaNa242]

Bruno Clark, he is a teacher at Texas Tech now.

[@dr.brianjudedelimaphd743]

Literally punk music and not doo wop

[@dmk7700]

their greatest HIT!!!

[@suggoz]

What's wrong with his mouth? Lost he's helmet?

[@fionarossie1120]

Naughty, naughty. Be kind.

[@erickjason9092]

Reminds me of the Ska thing

[@mach5jeep]

How was this ever popular?

[@goodtimefolkrock]

Amphetamine doo wop

[@seanabel5979]

That sounded kinda punk almost even lol

[@hisvorpalsword]

Lol... Guitars not even plugged in

[@strengthandbulkMadness]

Sausage party 1970

[@rrsjr]

That sounds terrible. Sloppy as Hell, bad notes galore, because they're more concerned with clowning around than playing the song well.

[@LisaKoffler]

How bizarre!

[@davidmurray6087]

Not a better instrumental than this -;even "Wipeout" is 2nd to this.

[@timolexsey341]

Americans first punk band? Just my opinion

[@Critical590]

this is punk as fuck

[@curacaokidd]

ppl paid money