Never assume. I didn’t expect much from The Faces, and thought that Savoy Brown had better be good lest I was out time and money. I watched the crowd between acts. Smoking was allowed at the Knoxville Civic Coliseum. I wondered if we’d encounter the demon weed. Tobacco was all I could identify. The crowd seemed as restless as I felt. The opening acts were busts and nearly everyone probably thought so.
The first thing I noticed about The Faces was that two of the band members, tall, skinny fellows full of pep, had the most unusual hair styles I’d ever seen. The hair designs looked like English shags with fountains of spikes exploding from the crown. It was a different world. The first number began with a solo slide guitar part (I’d never heard a live slide since Brillo played one in grammar school). The blond singer opened his pipes and let out the voice of god. He and slide man (Ron Wood, current long time guitarist for The Stones), traded off for a bit. The singer, Rod Stewart (I’m not sure I caught his name that night), said, “But she’s my girl,” and the band launched into a measured RNR explosion. The crowd went nuts at the song’s end. I clapped and yelled, but was also in shock. I’d never heard the likes of The Faces. I expected some warmed over 60’s stuff and got hit square in the face with the 70’s.
Rod was totally different from anything I’d seen or heard. Besides the great voice, he also had a winning manner as a front man. Unlike the guy in Big Brother, Rod didn’t have to say fuck to make a statement. He also had this little shuffling dance he did when Ronny cut to a lead. While the band played Maybe I’m Amazed, Rod put his arm around the bass player’s shoulder like a best pal or brother might do. The entire set looked like the band was having a great time and was glad to be there. The Faces rocked and rocked and were called back for three encores during a set that lasted nearly two hours.
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