Eddie Money - vocals, keyboards, saxophone; Jimmy Lyon - lead guitar; Alan Pasqua - keyboards; Gene Pardue - drums; Bob Popwell - bass
Eddie Money, born Ed Mahoney and the son of a New York City policeman, signed with Bill Graham's management company and was featured on Bay Area shows in the late 1970s as an opening act. With the opportunity to perform in front of large, enthusiastic rock audiences, Money was able to hone his flashy performance skills.
The audience was small at this early club show. At one point, Money jokes, "I'd like to thank all of my friends on the guest list tonight." Most of the songs on this recording were from Money's Columbia debut, including his earliest hits "Baby, Hold On To Me" and "Two Tickets To Paradise." At the time, Money seemed a likely successor to the crown being worn by Bruce Springsteen and Billy Joel. Although he was not known as an instrumentalist, Money was a more than capable songwriter, and his narrative compositions, rich with urban images and pleas of independence, drew on experiences and musical forms that were distinctly American.
Money's colloquial, all-American style is apparent from the show's beginning, as he takes time out of his repertoire to offer his opinion that the New York Yankees seem likely to go to the World Series this year. The show was recorded the night before a big playoff game, and Money, an enthusiastic baseball fan, is eager to let the audience know where they should be putting their own money.
In the end, it was Graham who bet wisely on this scruffy, New York-bred singer/songwriter. Shortly after this concert, his album started climbing the charts mainly to the success of "Two Tickets To Paradise" and "Baby Hold On," and Eddie Money became what he sings about in the final song - "a rock 'n' roll star."