I am skipping ahead of myself with Flamin’ Groovies Part 2 coming soon. About how the reunion began with Chris Wilson, Cyril Jordan and George Alexander back in 2013. Part of that story involves long time friends from Australia, Hoodoo Gurus.
The Gurus rescheduled their tour post pandemic. In 2023 they invited Chris down to the Portland show. Part of Chris’s retirement in November of 2018 was going to rehab and finally get clean. After a 50 year career in the music industry and hitting it hard takes its toll.
Imagine being sober for 4 1/2 years at the age of 70. Only expecting to see your buddies perform after ten years. Then a text comes through at the venue before they go on. “Want to do the third encore “Slow Death?” We were planted up front at the stage and then Chris disappeared. I figured he may of been backstage working on the song. I was hoping he wasn’t so anxious he had gone to the bar. But nope as the show was coming to an end, they announced their old mate coming out of retirement. People pretty much freaked out. There’s Chris doing “Slow Death” sober. Performing sober, perhaps the first time in his life. I was so proud that my smile was so big, I lit up like a Xmas tree. For Chris, being on stage in front of 600 people was just like being at home again.
“Chris Wilson of the Flamin’ Groovies plays Slow Death, ably backed by the Hoodoo Gurus at Revolution Hall in Portland on 19 May 2023” via sbowen19 youtube
Iphone video: Lori Christian 2023
Little teaser about my upcoming piece Flamin’ Groovies Part 2. One of the key factors of reuniting in 2013 was Dave Faulkner and The Dig It Up Festival in Australia. Stay tuned………….
Great post as usual. Huge Gurus fan here - and I went to Dig It Up - fantastic!
I missed that one, sorry to say, I do love the Tractor!