Billy Sheehan
I remember hanging out in the hallways of high school when I heard a couple buddies talking about seeing Talas the night before. I had heard of Talas and Billy Sheehan but since I was a bit “sheltered” in my formative years, I had no way of either knowing or catching a ride to the show. The way they described Billy’s playing was inhuman and a bit overly dramatic. Or so I thought!
The first time I saw Billy was when he was on tour with Steve Vai and David Lee Roth. Although I had already been a fan of Billy’s back then and I was into guitar at the time, I was more into Steve Vai’s playing. Needless to say, if there was ever a regret in my career choice and I had a chance to do it all again, being a concert photographer during the 80’s would have been prime!
I remember, vaguely, maybe the bottle of Jack had something to do with it, being blown away by each member’s stage presence, antics and fretboard acrobatics by Billy and Steve. Since then, I have closely followed both Steve’s and Billy’s musical careers. Unfortunately, sometimes musical tastes vary as you age, and what I once thought was true genius eventually fell to the wayside, at least thats how I felt about Steve’s musical progression; not to diminish his abilities, its just that Ive lost interest. Billy on the other hand..!
Ive never stopped following the bands Billy’s played for, from the Talas years, David Lee Roth, Mr Big, The Winery Dogs, Sons Of Apollo and as of late, Road Crew! My fellow Buffalonian is on the top of his game like never before and I try to catch each and every show, whichever band he comes to town with, and will continue to do so when I get the chance.
Here’s a gallery I created, highlighting the shows Ive had the opportunity to catch. From The Sony PlayStation, The Gramercy and The Iridium in NYC and Stereo Warehouse in Patchogue, NY.
Read MoreThe first time I saw Billy was when he was on tour with Steve Vai and David Lee Roth. Although I had already been a fan of Billy’s back then and I was into guitar at the time, I was more into Steve Vai’s playing. Needless to say, if there was ever a regret in my career choice and I had a chance to do it all again, being a concert photographer during the 80’s would have been prime!
I remember, vaguely, maybe the bottle of Jack had something to do with it, being blown away by each member’s stage presence, antics and fretboard acrobatics by Billy and Steve. Since then, I have closely followed both Steve’s and Billy’s musical careers. Unfortunately, sometimes musical tastes vary as you age, and what I once thought was true genius eventually fell to the wayside, at least thats how I felt about Steve’s musical progression; not to diminish his abilities, its just that Ive lost interest. Billy on the other hand..!
Ive never stopped following the bands Billy’s played for, from the Talas years, David Lee Roth, Mr Big, The Winery Dogs, Sons Of Apollo and as of late, Road Crew! My fellow Buffalonian is on the top of his game like never before and I try to catch each and every show, whichever band he comes to town with, and will continue to do so when I get the chance.
Here’s a gallery I created, highlighting the shows Ive had the opportunity to catch. From The Sony PlayStation, The Gramercy and The Iridium in NYC and Stereo Warehouse in Patchogue, NY.
