May 17, 1982 (Monday)
Bogart's
Albuquerque, New Mexico, U.S.A.

I remember the gig, Bogart's was a two-level nightclub we played often. If the date was May 15, we were doing a 4-night stint then, 15th-18th before heading off to Clovis, NM. We were playing the upstairs stage, and if I recall, Badfinger used our stage equipment and sound system for their show (probably their own guitars). I don't remember if that's how they were traveling then, or if their equipment hadn't shown up, or what. We played a couple of opening sets, and they finished off the night.

The newspaper clipping says that we played Sunday, but we actually played Saturday-Tuesday that week.

Steve Brittenham (of Off The Wall) (2016)

The show was at Bogart's, on the upstairs stage. Downstairs was a smaller venue. Prior to the Bogart's gig in Albuquerque, apparently the band played somewhere in the South. While there, one of the members (I don't know who) got busted for possession of marijuana, so the band's van and all their gear was impounded by the local police. As a result, we got a last-minute request from the bar owner asking if Badfinger could use our equipment. We agreed, albeit somewhat reluctantly. (Most musicians are wary of other people using their gear). As it turned out, our worries were well-founded. I recall one of the drummer's cymbals was broken, and I believe one of the drum heads was too. Also, every one of the drummer's sticks were broken as I recall. My guitar came back sticky and grimy from being played with dirty, sweaty hands. I think the other instruments were equally trashed. It was apparent that they really didn't care. I don't remember ever being thanked by the band afterward. Granted, they probably didn't really want to be in Albuquerque that night.


I also recall one or two of the members were so new to the band (perhaps their first gig?) that they were using cheat sheets on the floor of the stage to guide them through the chord changes for each song. I don't recall which players were using the cheat sheets, but I remember seeing them on the stage.

Lastly, I recall the audience hollering for us to come back on stage after the first few Badfinger songs. Granted, we were one of the most popular bands in town at the time, and we were playing for what was essentially our home crowd, but Badfinger (or the guys filling in for them) put on a really sub-standard, garage band show. It was actually kind of sad, because all of us were fans of the original band.

Vaughn McMillan (of Off The Wall) (2017)

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