Time for Me to Fly - REO Speedwagon | The Midnight Special

REO Speedwagon performed September 22, 1978
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[@jackoesterlejr.3454]

My Neighbor In Belleville, Illinois Was Neal Doughty/ Organ/ Co- Founder. He Taught Me How To Play The Piano! We Lived On Cambridge Drive, He Lived #8 & I Lived #23. Good Times! Rock N' Roll Forever.. 4/9/2024

[@philiphughes7481]

R.I.P. Gary Richrath. One of the most underrated guitarists of rock history.

[@guyfawkes578]

Underrated?

[@guyfawkes578]

@@mrmcclory1964 🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️🤦‍♂️

[@702tapatio4]

I was there for this taping! Best night ever! Met wolf man Jack and everything. Think I was 16, 17ish. I’ll be 62 next month.

[@6Shooter357]

No auto-tune or lip-syncing… what a kick @55 live performance!

[@rjs2005]

I'm sure Kevin Cronin wouldn't want to hear this, but he is the soundtrack to countless failed relationships with this song. I will forever say that REO Speedwagon gets much less credit than they deserve for the music they made in the 70's and early 80's- they were a musical tour de force.

[@gordoh7634]

Bobby Kimball on background vocals. One can definitely hear him in the upper registers on this particular song. Interesting to see him here just before Toto's debute album.

[@lizzyfan1986]

And Tom Kelly

[@johnnymarinarasauce]

Duh lol and the pope is catholic.

[@adamunknown]

can we talk about his HAIR tho?

[@LillyMarz777]

Do we have to?

[@edgefan4437]

How about move over Farrah Fawcett. I wonder how much time Kevin spent on that hair? I remember him having a lot of dark, long hair, but not like this. lol

[@tessmoks3434]

One of my very favorite bands back in the day. Loved that song. I related to it so much. Bad life bad marriage 😢

[@shadowwolf9503]

REO is the 1st concert i went to. I was 18- my girlfriend 16. Way back in 1983. What a fun, wild night ! She snuck in 2 joints in her bra. We got there early. The lights were on and it was a big ole party going on ! We found some of our friends who were on tge floor, close to the stage. I couldn't believe it, but everyone in there was passing J"s and hanging out. The cops in there were just walking around, totally ignoring the weed smoking ! They walked past us and just said hi. They were there just to keep anyone from fighting. And it was an awesome concert ! Just a great memory !

[@tessmoks3434]

Things were different back then

[@mickbrown942]

Backing vocals are spot on.

[@gregoryduncan3067]

Newly released REO. I like that. I like that a lot.

[@rockbigfoot5531]

The opening to this song is simply awesome. Get chills everytime I here it. Takes me right back to highschool.

[@that70sgirl90]

This is one of favorites. They would play this for couples at the roller skating rink I frequented as a young teen. Good memories of all of us girls skating with our then boyfriends with the lights down low. Happy Tuesday... thank you for sharing! 💖

[@janicetrimmell6897]

One of my favorite bands in college. Great tune!

[@StephanieJeanne]

I love this song. This time period for this band fell during my high school years, which gives it a nostalgic flavor as well. Kevin has such a distinct way of pronouncing his words that I really like. Great song and live performance by the band! 💜

[@gregoryduncan3067]

I agree. Kevin is the voice of REO Speedwagon. The other two singers were imposters.

[@StephanieJeanne]

@@gregoryduncan3067 haha, well, I must confess, I didn't really know about the earlier lineup, because I didn't know about REO until around this time of their career. I will say, I couldn't imagine a different singer, though.

[@gregoryduncan3067]

@@StephanieJeanne Well, Kevin had a predecessor and a successor and then came back a few years later after doing "REO TWO". It was like a different band without him.

[@StephanieJeanne]

@@gregoryduncan3067 Oh, that's interesting. I had no idea. But yeah, he seems to have made the magic happen for them.

[@NobodySpecial512]

I saw REO Speedwagon at the Texas Jam in 1981 at the Astrodome with Heart, Blue Öyster Cult, and Foghat. REO was a last minute replacement on the bill and came on right before Heart. If the Wilson sisters knew what kind of incredible high energy show REO would put on, they would not have followed them. REO made Heart sound sleepy and people started leaving in the middle of the Heart set.

[@gregoryduncan3067]

That's why bands were reluctant to have Kiss open for them. How do you top a Kiss show?

[@robertkelly1434]

Heart kinda sucked in the 80s

[@NobodySpecial512]

@@robertkelly1434 I agree. Anne Wilson even talks about how they decided to get more "commercial" to stay relevant. "Bébé le Strange" was a long way from "Dreamboat Annie"

[@vincemarshall9520]

I was at that show. REO rocked the house. Everyone was pretty toasted by the time Heart came on around 930 or so. Good memories!

[@tigerback62]

How I L O V E this song 😘

[@WhyTheHorseface]

I’ve seen some weird guitar techniques in my time, but this….? This is new.

[@ChicoStopMotion]

I know, right? I would have never imagined seeing someone playing guitar like this. Still, they play beautifully .

[@hevestanna]

This technique allows the open B and high E strings to ring out on different chords - it’s easier to play with the thumb as the barre over the other 4 strings

[@arbiehill68]

Kevin's hair almost as gorgeous as Gary's Gibson LP. Nice

[@Ibrian8888]

Very cool guitar chords! Thank you! 🙏🤗🍺cheers

[@waynetraube4853]

Gary was one of the best guitar players that actually played very good music more than I have ever heard and I’ve heard a lot. he could play almost anything anytime the best in my words

[@scotabot7826]

So, so sad what happened to him. Addiction is a hell of a disease, literally!! I speak from experience!

[@steffendass4169]

Had the pleasure of seeing these guys perform in the Caribbean a few times. They really should be declared an International Treasure.

[@carlubambi5541]

Great REO Speedwagon

[@metalbubba666]

Love it!

[@midgeberg22]

My favorite band!

[@billyrossi4661]

Awesome ❤🎉

[@BigCarmine]

WOW!! A truck load of memories in that song.

[@FloridaSun1]

Graduated High School 1981 ( Utica ,Michigan) this was our class song! Great song! Great Band!

[@TheTobesOfHades]

Hi to all you old timers! (I'm one too) This is great stuff on this channel. So many performances and memories.

[@Jeffrey.Seelman]

I love this.

[@sassypatty2666]

We need this music NOW!

[@Local1Laborer]

Priceless footage thank you midnight special!

[@madmac4185]

One [1] of the best well written. The best recorded, produced & performed songs ever sung. It simply resonated with the times it was ever heard. There's only been a few like it in my lifetime & I was born before Nam ;- ]

[@eric_in_florida]

RIP Gary, still the best part of old REO.

[@willspies5869]

This is just groovy. Thanks so much!

[@dragon2knight]

I caught these boys as often as they hit NYC, great live and some seriously great songs. RIP Gary Richrath (seriously underrated guitarist!)

[@JohnnyJimsAZ]

Once the guitarist left, the hits stopped coming.

[@dougngwenlawson3886]

They were a great live band and we were lucky to live in the midwest, cause they came around us a lot here in Michigan back in the 70's and early 80's. Let's do the "Flyin Turkey Trot".

[@DougMcDave]

The lead singer seems like a cool guy for real. He is a great singer! I'm not a guitar player, but the way he fingers that fret board seemed unusual.

[@eric_in_florida]

It is. Not sure why he's playing it that way, he certainly knows how to play guitar the "normal" way.

[@gregoryduncan3067]

I think he was just showing off. It got your attention, right? It got mine.

[@eric_in_florida]

@@gregoryduncan3067 I think it's more likely he was using some weird tuning and it just made the song easier to play that way.

[@GorgeGeorg]

Probably using drop D tuning and the thumb is then playing the power chords on the base strings up and down the fret board. So playing as a base guitar (base strings) and rhythm guitar (albeit the same chord) at the same time.

[@billymac72]

Yes, Cronin is playing in an open tuning (D-A-D-F#-A-D to be exact!). He still plays it in this manner today. Usually, an open tuning like that allows one to barre an entire fret, typically with just the forefinger (this is what Dolly Parton does so she can play with her long nails). In Cronin’s case, he wants to allow the high strings to remain open, so only barres the lower strings with his thumb. There are other ways to do it, but he probably found this easiest and maybe decided that it also looked cool.

[@chuckgrob5289]

Kevin and Gary were said to have been musical Brothers of sorts, however, here we sadly see Gary overshadowed by Kevin all the way up to Gary's dismissal from the band where he was one of the founding members., I've always loved REO Speedwagon even with Mike Murphy, briefy, but Kevin, no love lost at all. Watch VH1 Behind the Music,REO Speedwagon for great references 🤘!

[@gometricusa]

Man, Gary's story is one of the saddest and most tragic in rock 'n roll. Poor guy.

[@randystowe147]

4/5 of a great band.

[@gregoryduncan3067]

I guess Gregg Philbin is the other 1/5.

[@gregoryduncan3067]

Oh, wait. Bruce Hall got virtually no exposure in that clip. Ah, that's what you meant.

[@lisachauvin]

Kevin Cronin had the best hair!

[@ColleenHershon]

Thanks for making me 18 again

[@73sporty]

Tuna Fish 👍

[@SimonSheen990]

Tuna piano😊

[@leokimvideo]

Ozark vibe is very strong here

[@dkjazzz]

I would have never guessed this was played in an open tuning

[@AFloridaSon]

I always loved the early REO, when they were still a hard rock band. I seen them many times, unfortunately it was as guests of other bands, and after they mellowed out, and became a ballad band, so it really didn't count.

[@robertkelly1434]

Anyone know what tuning was used for the acoustic guitar? 🤔🤔🤔

[@crypto1701]

I've seen REO Speedwagon SO many times in concert, usually with other bands. They just weren't the same without Gary. Still good, but not as good.

[@KarmaCoyote]

♥️🌈🤖👽👻🥰😁 digital breadcrumbs

[@markgigiel2722]

Thumb chords?

[@robertkelly1434]

Alternate tuning, I believe.

[@mrbeefhead]

i think that i may have seen these guys live right around 1980 but the acid was pretty good so i don't remember it.

[@DrummingMan1]

hi in Fidelity! The soundtrack of my youth! Too bad the recording quality is dubious!

[@rogersroad]

Kevin ‘the thumb’ Cronin.

[@MrBoz1968]

What crazy tuning is Cronin using to play like that? lol

[@ChicoStopMotion]

I think he is using D A D F# A D. I tried it right now and it sounds similar

[@MrBoz1968]

@@ChicoStopMotion Awesome, Thanks....gonna give it a try too.

[@rickallen6378]

I have never seen anybody just use their thumb like that.

[@MrBoz1968]

Crazy right? Tried to play that by ear many times.....seemed close enough for my amateur skills but way different than witnessed here, lol

[@23x31]

Uses primarily his thumb on the guitar neck? Can't play I would imagine.

[@robertkelly1434]

Alternate tuning, I believe.

[@waynetraube4853]

What about his hair? That’s the way they wore their hair in the 70s and 80s and even in the 90s they were musicians.

[@astral2151]

1 Corinthians 15:1-4

[@scsu5085]

WEIRD hair. Looks like Stern

[@gregoryduncan3067]

I think it looked more like Stern's hair during their "Hi-Infidelity" period.

[@WhenImBackInChicago]

I ❤️ Stern, and Cronin's healthy waves❣️

[@davidmontgomery5047]

And people are saying Older Music was Better !1?? This Crap reeked then and Still stinks ...