The Modbeats - DREAM TOUR

In this Dream Tour segment, the indie pop/rock band, The Modbeats, reveals who they would want on their ultimate tour lineup. You can check out their picks below:

My idea of a “Dream Tour” actually took place on September 13th, 1969, in Toronto. Dubbed the Toronto Rock and Roll Revival, most music fans are most familiar with the film footage of John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Band—featuring Yoko, Eric Clapton, Klaus Voorman, and Alan White. He looks just like he did on the Abbey Road cover (which would be released the following week). Anyway, despite being a massive Lennon fan, it’s the rest of the bill that makes it for me. He mostly did rock 'n' roll covers in the set, which fit the theme of the gig. After all, Lennon’s one true musical love was the inaugural class of 1950s rock 'n' roll.

The best concert I have been to is the Stray Cats. Their sound and upbeat energy throughout their set of pure rock 'n' roll is what it’s all about for me. Therefore, my dream concert—or dream tour of said concert—would feature original rock 'n' roll pioneers. Each would play about 30 minutes and then on to the next! What I’m talking about is something akin to the infamous Winter Dance Party of 1959 that featured Buddy Holly, Dion & The Belmonts, Ritchie Valens, and The Big Bopper.

In the lead-up to the headliner of the Toronto show—The Doors (a personal favorite of The Modbeats)—you had Bo Diddley, Little Richard, Chuck Berry, Gene Vincent, and Jr. Walker & The All Stars. The Doors, who were hit or miss live in this era due to the tenuous reputation of lead singer Jim Morrison, performed a marvelous set. Morrison said, as the band was playing the intro to “The End,” “For me, this evening is really a great honor to perform on the same stage as these illustrious geniuses.” You can find their full performance on YouTube, but no film footage exists. Morrison was on his best behavior knowing his musical heroes were in the crowd. The Doors closed the show and went on after the Plastic Ono Band.

The lineup that day also included ascendant contemporary acts—the Alice Cooper Band and the Chicago Transit Authority (soon to be shortened to Chicago). Both were on the cusp of getting big in the coming year and turning of the next decade.

If this concert of foundational rock 'n' roll pioneers, plus The Doors and John Lennon, were packaged as a “tour”… that would be all I need! A true rock 'n' roll revival leading up to and culminating with two major influential acts that only exist because of the greatness that came before them.

Keep up with The Modbeats on Instagram and their website.

Upcoming shows:
11/29 - Dawson's Pub - Philadelphia, PA (w/ Goodnight Lights)
12/12 - The Rusty Nail - Ardmore, PA
1/18 - The Delancey - New York, NY