The Decibel Diaries : A Journey Through Rock in 50 Concerts

Sometimes a rock concert is more than just an event. Every so often a band's performance becomes a musical milestone, a cultural watershed, a political statement, and a personal apotheosis. On any given night a rock concert can tell the truth about who we are, where we are, and what's going on in music and life right now. In The Decibel Diaries, Carter Alan, longtime DJ and music director at WZLX in Boston, chronicles a lifetime in rock with a tour through fifty concerts that defined such moments - from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young playing in the rain when Richard Nixon resigned to Talking Heads and the first stirrings of punk in the basement bars of New York and Boston to the bluegrass angel Alison Krauss and the adaptable veteran Robert Plant forging a plangent, plaintive postmodern synergy. For each event Alan shows us what it was like to be there and telescopes out to reveal how this show fit into the arc of the artist's career, the artist's place in music, and the music's place in the wider world. Taken together, The Decibel Diaries is a visceral and visionary portrait of nearly fifty years of rock 'n' roll. 1970. First ride : James Gang 1973. Don't be denied : Neil Young & the Stray Gators Balance of power : Traffic and Free "I've been downhearted, baby..." : B. B. King The four-day ring : Deep Purple 1974. The call of the wild : Ted Nugent & the Amboy Dukes Setting sail in a topographic ocean : Yes Truly slow... hand : Eric Clapton "Tin soldiers and Nixon coming" : CSNY/Santana Touring in the material world : George Harrison 1975. The best stuff in town : The Rolling Stones Tear gas and toilet paper : The Great American Music Fair An afro and a fine skylark : Fleetwood Mac 1976. Sweatin' bullets : Lynyrd Skynyrd Six-string outlaws : The Eagles 1977. A new architecture : Talking Heads Crosstown traffic : The Cars 1978. Sound and vision : David Bowie "Hey! Ho! Let's go!" : Ramones "There should be more dancing!" : The Police 1979. "I'm so bored with the U.S.A" : The Clash An interesting table guest : John Cougar & the Zone Even the losers get lucky (Third time) : Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 1981. Before the purple reign : Prince "For those about to rock (We salute you)" : AC/DC 1982. Rollin' on the river : U2 Showtime : The J. Geils Band Sabbath vs. Ozzy : Black Sabbath and Ozzy Osbourne Who's last... but, not really : The Who In a hard place : Aerosmith 1984. "I love rock 'n' roll" : Joan Jett Till the fat lady sings : Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band 1985. The global jukebox : Live Aid Your mascara is running : Mötley Crüe 1987. Live... and alive : Stevie Ray Vaughan Which one is pink? : Roger Waters and Pink Floyd Meanwhile, back in the jungle... : Guns N' Roses 1990. "Tear down the wall!" : Roger Waters Getting back : Paul McCartney 1992. Exile on Monroe Drive : The Black Crowes 1993. A Wylde night : The Allman Brothers Band "This guitar is brand-new, and I decided I don't like it": Nirvana 1994. Digging in the Garden : Pearl Jam 1996. The ocean : Bush, Goo Goo Dolls, and No Doubt Cliff notes from upstate : Phish 2000. A cheap golden jubilee : Joe Perry with Cheap Trick 2001. U2 reclaims its mojo (or Fighting the Bono mono) : U2 2008. Side by side, they walk the night : Robert Plant and Alison Krauss 2014. Power hitter : Jack White 2015. Life after the fast lane : Joe Walsh.

Sometimes a rock concert is more than just an event. Every so often a band's performance becomes a musical milestone, a cultural watershed, a political statement, and a personal apotheosis. On any given night a rock concert can tell the truth about who we are, where we are, and what's going on in music and life right now. In The Decibel Diaries, Carter Alan, longtime DJ and music director at WZLX in Boston, chronicles a lifetime in rock with a tour through fifty concerts that defined such moments—from Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young playing in the rain when Richard Nixon resigned to Talking Heads and the first stirrings of punk in the basement bars of New York and Boston to the bluegrass angel Alison Krauss and the adaptable veteran Robert Plant forging a plangent, plaintive postmodern synergy. For each event Alan shows us what it was like to be there and telescopes out to reveal how this show fit into the arc of the artist's career, the artist's place in music, and the music's place in the wider world. Taken together, The Decibel Diaries is a visceral and visionary portrait of nearly fifty years of rock 'n' roll.