Comments on: Now it’s Ray Manzerak https://habitablezone.com/2013/05/20/now-its-ray-manzerak/ Sat, 18 Apr 2026 20:57:41 -0700 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2013/05/20/now-its-ray-manzerak/#comment-24137 ER Tue, 21 May 2013 12:44:41 +0000 http://www.habitablezone.com/?p=32954#comment-24137 Not only the strange circus atmosphere, off-beat social commentary, weird fans, and the innovative staging, but the music was surprisingly good. They actually are terrific musicians and showmen. My wife and I saw them twice. In our mid-30s, we must have been the oldest people in the audience. There was one sour note. At the end of one set, the band approached the edge of the stage and raised their instruments as a kind of salute to the audience. This was fine, but what happened next really caught me off guard. The audience snapped to their feet, silently, and raised their right arms in the Nazi salute. It must have been spontaneous, because it hadn't happened at the other concert of theirs we saw. The crowd remained standing for a long time silently, almost a minute, at attention, arm outstretched at a 45 degree angle, this look of grim determination on their faces. It was perfectly silent in the hall (the magnificent Stan, in Pittsburgh, PA). Then they quietly sat down. It was really creepy. We named our pet black rat snake "Devo" in their honor. Not only the strange circus atmosphere, off-beat social commentary, weird fans, and the innovative staging, but the music was surprisingly good. They actually are terrific musicians and showmen. My wife and I saw them twice. In our mid-30s, we must have been the oldest people in the audience.

There was one sour note. At the end of one set, the band approached the edge of the stage and raised their instruments as a kind of salute to the audience. This was fine, but what happened next really caught me off guard.

The audience snapped to their feet, silently, and raised their right arms in the Nazi salute. It must have been spontaneous, because it hadn’t happened at the other concert of theirs we saw. The crowd remained standing for a long time silently, almost a minute, at attention, arm outstretched at a 45 degree angle, this look of grim determination on their faces. It was perfectly silent in the hall (the magnificent Stan, in Pittsburgh, PA). Then they quietly sat down. It was really creepy.

We named our pet black rat snake “Devo” in their honor.

]]> By: alcaray https://habitablezone.com/2013/05/20/now-its-ray-manzerak/#comment-24135 alcaray Tue, 21 May 2013 08:25:44 +0000 http://www.habitablezone.com/?p=32954#comment-24135 So did I, but I hesitate to admit it. I had to take my sister (10 years younger than me) because my wife thought I was nuts. Really fun show. The crowd was into it and many were in interesting costumes (recall one group of guys in old-fashioned tuxedos and instead of heads, these opaque white globes). And they did a bunch of music videos that were particularly interesting because at that time MTV and the term "music video" had not been invented. Warm-up music that was cool. Kind of Blue Man Groupish. So did I, but I hesitate to admit it. I had to take my sister (10 years younger than me) because my wife thought I was nuts. Really fun show. The crowd was into it and many were in interesting costumes (recall one group of guys in old-fashioned tuxedos and instead of heads, these opaque white globes). And they did a bunch of music videos that were particularly interesting because at that time MTV and the term “music video” had not been invented. Warm-up music that was cool. Kind of Blue Man Groupish.

]]> By: ER https://habitablezone.com/2013/05/20/now-its-ray-manzerak/#comment-24131 ER Tue, 21 May 2013 04:47:22 +0000 http://www.habitablezone.com/?p=32954#comment-24131 Pink Floyd - Tampa National Guard Armory Ted Nugent - St Petersburg Civic Center Devo - Stanley Theater, Pittsburgh Eric Burden - The Losers, Tampa Foghat - Civic Arena, Pittsburgh Peter, Paul & Mary - Shoreline Amphiteater, Mountain View Guess Who - Ontario Place, Toronto Jonny Lang - Pompano Beach Auditorium The Who - Civic Arena, Pittsburgh Marty Balin - Skipper's Smokehouse, Tampa Spirit - Bayfront Center, Tampa Jimmy Buffett - Candlestick Park, San Francisco Grateful Dead - Stanley Theater, Pittsburgh Blue Oyster Cult - Civic Arena, Pittsburgh Junior Walker - University of S Florida The Outlaws - Collage Saloon and Cinema, Tampa I'll add to this list as I remember them. Pink Floyd – Tampa National Guard Armory
Ted Nugent – St Petersburg Civic Center
Devo – Stanley Theater, Pittsburgh
Eric Burden – The Losers, Tampa
Foghat – Civic Arena, Pittsburgh
Peter, Paul & Mary – Shoreline Amphiteater, Mountain View
Guess Who – Ontario Place, Toronto
Jonny Lang – Pompano Beach Auditorium
The Who – Civic Arena, Pittsburgh
Marty Balin – Skipper’s Smokehouse, Tampa
Spirit – Bayfront Center, Tampa
Jimmy Buffett – Candlestick Park, San Francisco
Grateful Dead – Stanley Theater, Pittsburgh
Blue Oyster Cult – Civic Arena, Pittsburgh
Junior Walker – University of S Florida
The Outlaws – Collage Saloon and Cinema, Tampa

I’ll add to this list as I remember them.

]]> By: alcaray https://habitablezone.com/2013/05/20/now-its-ray-manzerak/#comment-24127 alcaray Tue, 21 May 2013 01:58:11 +0000 http://www.habitablezone.com/?p=32954#comment-24127 Other favorite memories are Rolling Stones at... was it the Forum? And ZZ Top (really really a good show!) at... somewhere in Albequerque. Other favorite memories are Rolling Stones at… was it the Forum? And ZZ Top (really really a good show!) at… somewhere in Albequerque.

]]> By: RobVG https://habitablezone.com/2013/05/20/now-its-ray-manzerak/#comment-24126 RobVG Tue, 21 May 2013 01:52:24 +0000 http://www.habitablezone.com/?p=32954#comment-24126 I envy you. Please don't tell me you saw Led Zepplin.... I envy you. Please don’t tell me you saw Led Zepplin….

]]>