Eddie Money - vocals; Bobbie Eakes - backing vocals; Kevin Gilbert - keyboards; Tommy Girvin - guitar; Jamie Hunter - bass; John Nelson - guitar; Glenn Symmonds - drums; Annie Sampson - backing vocals; Guest: Steve Farris - guitar
After a slump that lasted through his battles with drug addiction and a few of his albums, Eddie Money was enjoying a meaningful comeback in 1986, with a Top 10 hit single, "Take Me Home Tonight." The song, which Money didn't want to record at first, featured guest vocalist Ronnie Spector reprising her vocal line from her 1963 hit, "Be My Baby."
This show was recorded at L.A.'s prestigious Wiltern Theatre, for the King Biscuit Flower Hour, a radio concert series that had been broadcasting Eddie Money shows dating back to his first U.S. tour. The show would later emerge as a promotional-only live album serviced to radio stations while Money's Can't Hold Back continued to take off. The show also features guest guitarist, Steve Farris, from Mr. Mister.
Opening with his first hit, "Two Tickets to Paradise," and through such familiar Money tunes as "Can't Keep a Good Man Down," " Where's The Party?," "Baby Hold On," " I Wanna Go Back," and the aforementioned "Take Me Home Tonight, " this show demonstrates Eddie Money at the creative peak of his career. He winds it down with an extended version of "Shakin'," where he introduces the band and gets an audience participation segment going.
Eddie Money, born Ed Mahoney and the son of a New York City policeman, had signed with Bill Graham's management company, which explains why he was featured on several of the Bay Area shows from the late 1970s as an opening act. By getting him in front of large, enthusiastic rock audiences (usually there to see an act such as Journey or Santana), Money was able to hone his performance skills and build his fan base.
His eponymous debut on Columbia Records in 1977 included his earliest hits, "Baby Hold On," and "Two Tickets to Paradise." At the time, Money seemed like another likely successor to the crown that was being worn by Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. Although he was not known as an instrumentalist, his original songs wove narratives rich with urban images and pleas of independence. Although his string of hits halted in the late 1980s, Money has remained active as a studio and live performer.