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Out of all the Jon Ryder tales I could tell, there is one story in particular that comes to mind... Mainly due to the fact that, despite all the years that have gone by, I still find myself cracking up over this! Ok now realise that I do this at great personal risk ... as Jon would probably prefer to forget this night, and after reading this, will most likely feed me to the sharks for having bought it up!
The night in question was to be the last gig Dennis would be playing with the Everest Band. It is no secret that Jon Ryder takes his Led Zeppelin songs very seriously. Now messing with Jon’s 'Zep' is normally something you just wouldn’t do for fear of death! This fact really adds to the humour of moment...
On the night of this gig, as the bands encore, Everest ripped into the Zeppelin tune "Rock and Roll". It was suppose to be the last song for the night, and everything was going to plan, as it should, until it came time for the second solo.
Dennis was happily playing along, with the Strat set to 11; the amp on 12; and the Rolland space echo going off... (With a sound on sound loop tape feature, for added effect!) When suddenly, for whatever reasons, he decided he'd had enough.
Jon was performing the last verse, with his trademark care and diligence. Only Dennis, with a flagon in one hand, and his Strat in the other, decided it was time for some fun... so he did the unthinkable! He started playing 'Star Spangled Banner' in full Hendrix fashion, including the noise feedback. Jon and Dave looked absolutely gob-smacked! Jon being the true professional that he is, tried keeping it together, doing his absolute best to ignore Dennis' antics. However it was pretty darn obvious that Jon was quickly getting more and more pissed off. Dennis was having way too much fun winding Jon up, for this to serve as a deterrent, and it merely egged him on all the more.
With neither party willing to give in to the other, Jon and Dennis became locked in a bona fide 'Mexican stand-off'. As Dennis was getting a right kick out of stirring Jon up, he decided to take it a step further, and started getting louder and louder, finally cranking the sound so much that it was cutting through the vocals, the bass, the drums, and well... everything!
By this stage, despite Jon doing his absolute best to stay composed, you could see the steam rising from his ears. Right in the midst of all the noise and confusion, Dennis calmly threw the guitar to the floor, and casually strolled straight off the stage, without bothering to turn anything off, which caused one hell of a racket, that can only be described as out-of-this-world!
Dave had disappeared from sight, leaving Jon and Dave up on stage, in front of a huge audience, with the Strat still screeching and screaming away. The poor guys had no other choice than to try and finish the song, kicking into ‘Lonely, Lonely, Lonely Time’, with this incredible noise still cranking out the speakers!!
It’s doubtful Jon or Dave ever forgave Dennis, however for those of us in the audience who were watching the whole scene unfold ... It’s doubtful we will ever forget it! Isn’t this what rock ‘n’ roll is all about!
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