Dixie Dregs in 1981 Steve Morse T. Lavitz, Rod Morgenstein and Mark O'Connor

[LawrenceKennard]

I turned my brother in law, (who played bass for the Pretenders before he died) on to this song when he came to New Orleans. He flipped out! Wow, you Americans are really something! is what he said.

Also, when I saw Steve Morse sit in with Paco Delucia, Al Dimeols, and John McGlaclin (spelling?), Steve was the star!!

[ventorismo]

Gokil...! Amazing...! :) love this band..

[0Chickenfoot]

Saw the Dregs at the Golden Bear, HB, in 1980, Smoked alot of weed and did some coke and tripped on the show front row! Good times back then, where did they go? Steve Morse is GOD!

[mayhembiff]

Sounds like video game music.

[FlaSun1]

In 1979 The Dixie Dregs played at FAU and just blew us away! I couldn't listen too anything else but the dregs for months. What a Band! Thanks for sharing.

[stonelenny]

Cara, pensar que Steve Morse é de fato canhoto com esse alternate picking...

[80sHardRockLover]

I challenge EVERY musician in this video......to come to my house and have dinner.

[tracyduarte62]

GOTTA LOVE THEM!

[swikkis]

Morse could write and play his ass off. What a phenomenal achievement to have put this type of group together. Unbelievable.

[axxeminister]

YES, kiddies, that's how REAL musicians do it!

[chuchu4243]

okay dickhead this was at the country club in reseda, i helped ste up the show cause i sat all f'n day in front for the best seats

[adrianh63]

Blown away, had the privilege seeing this classic line up @ The Golden Bear in Huntington Beach Calif 1981. Industry Standard Tour

I was never the same that nite after cold Heineken & seeing, hearing their technical skills

Analog Synths ruled!

RIP T. Lavitz! The world suffered a profound loss of your musicianship in passing

[boogster123321]

holy shit T Lavitz!!

[strangher11]

thanks for posting this .... i just can't get enuff of the Dixie Dregs, it's great to see Steve playing the old tele/stratnecked warhorse that's been retired, to me it had a sound all it's own that the other Morse guitars can't match, it's a pleasure to listen to .....RIP T' and may we all keep rockin 

[robertdeltajohnson]

I remember when I was taking bass lessons at Univ. of Miami's Jazz School in 1978 and T. Lavitz was the keyboard player for The Univ. of Miami Jazz Band with Whit Sidener(Director). Used to see him around school and was already a fan of The Dregs(since'76). When all of a sudden he was in The Dregs, I was stoked for him! Saw The Dregs many times in the late 70's, early 80's in Coconut Grove's, Peacock Park and in Gainesville for homecoming. Classic group, just amazing performers! God bless T...

[dgerio]

I guess 'Andy West' is too big for the title...lol...

[johntrytek]

This Performance is From The "BILL TUSH" Show.Which was On "TBS" Back then....After SEEING,This Went to My Local Libarary & Checked Out Every 'DIXIE DREGS' Record.

Then After Listening BOUGHT Their WHOLE Catalog,That Which was Avaible.

Thank you For Posting And Bringing Back some Great Memorie's.

[1dillontaylor]

can someone put the piece Old World on here please

[usatran]

Wow! Listen to how some of the REAL fusion cats played and learn!

[carvetop01]

I curse my lack of vocabulary. The word "brilliant" just seems so inadequate.

[motorcityquig]

Steve Morse and Mark O'conner. Two prodigies.

[beeroosterm]

@motorcityquig They were all prodigies....

[wellcraft28]

smokin fuckin hot!!!

[vegastyphoon]

Another amazing product of the Universtiy of Miami. R.I.P. T-Lavitz....

[glueforall]

At times, the guitar / melody remind me of Jeff Beck's mid '70s "fusion" era....not to confuse such a great band (and guitar player!) with copping material from big Jeff...but just sayin.....GREAT TUNE! Love the Dregs, Steve Morse Band, and all the individual Dregs' playing! ;)

[webada76]

I always thought that as good a fiddler as Mark OConnor was, he didn't fit the band as well as Alan Sloan did.....didn't have that classical training that added so much more. I was o.k. with T. Lavitz replacing Mark Parrish though.

[webada76]

I always thought that as good a fiddler as Mark OConnor was, he didn't fit the band like Alan Sloan did.....didn't have that classical training that added so much more. I was o.k. with T. Lavitz replacing Mark Parrish though.

[collins61]

@webada76 I completely agree about O'Connor. Sloan was an integral part of their sound and feel. Parrish was a heavy in his own right. Check out his bio on Wiki.

[keenanX1]

Rod is some kinda drum God!

[zephead2002]

@keenanX1 I agree,... I'm pretty much a self taught drummer from all of Rod's instructional material,... he's my drumming hero!!!!

[ramitupursnout]

I will hunt down those 2 dislikes.

[dragknuckle]

O'Connor looks like he just stepped out of Felix the Cat.

[FiascoForty]

(con't from previous post) My friend, Mike Goldman, was from Long Island and had gone to school with Rod Morgenstein. I got him to work stage security with me. We got to meet the band before the show, and Mike and Rod had a mini-reunion. It was a fantastic show. I saw them a couple of years later in WPB at the old "leaky teepee" when they were the warm up band for Molly Hatchet. Now, Molly Hatchet was from my home town, Jacksonville, Fl., but I thought the Dixie Dregs flat BLEW THEM AWAY!

[FiascoForty]

I first saw these guys in '78 while on spring break, down on River St. in Savannah, Georgia on St. Patrick's Day. They were promoting their second album "What If". I was blown away. I was going to F.A.U. down in Boca Raton, Fl. at the time, and I told our program board about them. The program board booked them, and they played on the outdoor stage at F.A.U. on Dec. 3rd. 1978. I usually did front stage security for these productions, so I had the 'best seats' in the house....(con't)

[kmacdowe]

Saw them do this live at the Roxy, front row center. Blew my mind. Insane! Believe it or not this is a bit tame compared to that night. Thanks for sharing. And ya, RIP T Lavitz (very nice btw).

[davesmusicmania1]

Dream Theater couldn't cover this correctly... but they could sure try

[webada76]

I saw the Dregs over 20 times back when.....I've seen Dream Theater twice and both times I didn't make it through the whole show.....but that j might be just me....the Dregs were just the best!

[webada76]

I saw the Dregs over 20 times back when.....I've seen Dream Theater twice and both times I didn't make it through the whole show.....but that might be just me....the Dregs were simply the best!

[schismc]

Amazing - a truly unique high-energy performance.

[panurge987]

anybody have a video of the Dregs on the Bill Tush show, performing this tune? I remember it well, but I haven't seen it since it aired way back in the day.

[BullToTheShit]

The Dregs never recovered after Allen Sloan left the band. I never realized how important he was for live performanced until he was gone.

[marcdrumz]

what a stellar line-up!!

[midiman51]

Wow!! Did not know that T. Lavitz had passed away. One of the greatest bands of all time.

[headshop]

@midiman51 for real man---I just found out now.

[GhettoDope7lc]

So ahead of their time!

[keyfish]

R.I.P. . . . T. Lavitz.

[joynthis]

The biggest sellers of 1981 include Olivia Newton John, Sheena Easton and Lionel Richie. The difference between actual musicians and what people will buy can be really depressing. Also, he needs to flip that guitar over and put more pickups in the back.

[MrXsong]

First league! Their music is so complex, and being able to repeat almost note-by-note live on stage what they did back in the studio, takes some freaking excellent musicians. Love them!

[binnyman]

LOL !! That's what I get for typing and not watching !!!! There's the OB-Xa to T's left @0:58--1:10 !!!! HA !!! He was sooooo damned good !!!! With Steve, Andy, Mark, and the always-happy Rod !!! Awesome musicians all !!!! Thanks for the happy memories, especially in light of the loss of T. R.I.P.

[binnyman]

Oh, God: I was not aware of T's passing :-( So sad. I met T right after he joined The Dregs, and he was such a warm and genuine person. I went to see The Dregs play at a Miami college, and T had just gotten his brand-new Oberheim OB-Xa; splittable keyboard, cutting-edge for the day. He brought me up on stage before the show, and we played "Heart and Soul" on it like a couple of kids !!!!:P Good Lord, we lose the best ones. Thanks for everything, T. Peace:-)

[nexusutube]

The keyboard sounds like pacman.

[glueforall]

@nexusutube ...more like Donkey Kong.....but hey, don't clown on T Lavitz (rest in peace, friend)....a great keyboard player...well, okay...this is thirty years old....and "Pac Man" sounds were hip!  ;)

[johnc925]

Isn't that Andy West on bass?

[byronsimon]

@johnc925 Yes, that is Andy West on Bass.  He is truly an Unsung Hero.

[moineau2007]

too bad T is lost in the mix

[randallcaster]

Thank you!!!!!!

This archival footage, that is indispensable !!!!

Probably the best I've seen yet1

[GeorgeVCT]

RIP to the great T LAVITZ

[Bifrons]

Another great musician has left the planet. We'll see ya later, T

[randallcaster]

This vid is among the best archive by fans stuff, that just kicks ass! Right up here with the video of Bash/promenade. How many Dregs w/Mark O'conner vids are there? Don't get me wrong; I like Sloan as much as O'conner, as much .as Goodman. I could give negs and positives to each, but all are about passion, and we are lucky to have these types of musicians . Ever wake up on your cousin's couch when you were 20 something, after partying all night, and put on headphones

[randallcaster]

@randallcaster

playing Night Meet's light , from a audiophile set up Marantz system from a pristine LP? Yep thems the days.

[stoobeetube]

I got to see these guys a couple of times in my wild youth. They just KICKED ASS!! Thanks for posting this, I miss the fusion days.

[quatlucius]

Holy cow!!!! Eye sockets smoking after listening to this. What's this piece called?

[marcdrumz]

@quatlucius It's called "Cruise Control", and can be found on their "Unsung Heros" CD.

[taggline]

RIP T...2 Good @ B 4 gotten...

[randallcaster]

@taggline

Fuck me, is this true?

I use to correspond with him years ago, and he was one of my my space guys.

[TheBlackycat]

R.I.P. T. Lavitz  :(

[pandstar]

T. Lavitz will be sadly missed.

Died in his sleep on Oct 7th.

[Cygnus111]

Where is this from?!? Didn't know any footage of them from this period existed.

[mdels1]

Saw them at Clark University in 1984. One of my all time favorites!

[fredrickson1]

Who Is The Keybordist...??

[motorcityquig]

@fredrickson1 T. Lavitz

[meekoloco]

Let us not forget Andy West on Bass. Didn't see that in post. My apologies if I missed it.

[meekoloco]

@meekoloco Found it!

[moJomittens]

This is FN badass lol

[OZRIC1985]

These guys are the best of the best for sure. I'm glad I have gotten to see them live a couple of times and I want to see them again and again! Their interplay just blows my mind. I love Steve Morse's acoustic pieces too. What a master guitarist he is!!!

[gmcjetpilot]

Love those early synthesizers...

[t0psecretshit]

i love this!

[stiggs61]

I was pissed.I saw the the dregs three times before.And this would be the first time with mark o'conner..He had just quit the band.What happend? They were still great tho...Can I add I've met steve morse many times as well as the band....Great guy's class act..

[GuiMXC]

Nice video!! Keep'n rockin

[SomethingWild9608]

I'm very disappointed in myself for taking so long to listen to this band, absolutely fantastic playing!

[GuyFDuff]

Steve Morse is the guitar player I measure myself by. I love the Dreggs. This song really lifts the spirits and speaks to greatness, which is something Steve achieves with his pioneering dedication to the guitar.

[63drawoh]

there was a 2nd performance in the show - pride of the farm- wish i could upload it!

[gdrbs427]

it just doesn't get any better than this. i've heard music as good, but never better. notice that the stage is littered with Conn strobotuners. state of the art tuning devices of that era.

[jimisback]

Closer to trading 32nd notes.

[knoxunflower1]

This....is....so....fucking...­.RIGHTEOUS!!

[weesejr]

1982 I'm thinking.

Definitely Andy West on bass.

[guitargarden]

I'd place this video in 1982. That's when I saw them with Mark and also when Industry Standard came out.

[LTdrumma]

kerry king on bass

[bubba2215]

@LTdrumma ,thats andy west if my memory serves me correctly trademark camo pants.

[LTdrumma]

@bubba2215 lol i was jking i said it was kerry king because of the beard

[bubba2215]

@LTdrumma ,wow my age is showing,had to look it up who he was.

[bubba2215]

@LTdrumma ,dont know a lot about slayer

[ChicoMiceliChannel]

Great video!!!!!!!!!!!!Blew me away when i first hear it...i was "thats the music i wanna play!!" thanks for posting

[JohnnyTsunami68]

This is absolutely crazy! Love it!

[martyteboe]

Great vid...but I think this is '83. Dig the Steinberger bass, and Marc O'Connor.

[cjk9013]

This is one of my favorite Dregs hits: Cruise Control. Thanks so much for posting. If you have any more of this please post.

[mrc1612]

Very nice! Loved it!

[jobe69]

Steve Morse - What More Can You Say..Now That's A Hot Rodded Tele to The Max...Mark O'Connor also Ruled Here with The Dregs...What A Band !

[chadahoocheeboy]

Not really "bootleg" video--This is from NBC's "Tomorrow" show w/Tom Snyder! And 1981 seems about right. Man, I thought I'd never see this performance again! It's what turned me on to the Dregs and changed my musical path forever. Thanks so much for posting this! Post more if you have more!

[awkelly]

This is the line-up at my first Dregs concert. They totally blew me away. I also would love to see more footage.

[1matrix9]

Awesome!!!!!!!!!

Thanks very...very much!

[notsoflexibleflyer]

As they were when I saw them back then. I love the "FrankenTele"!! Note Steve's look of frustration at 2:40 after Rod picks up the tempo on his solo. Crew's "out of " Control, yet they still pull off a magnificent comeback.

[beeroosterm]

@notsoflexibleflyer That's not frustration, that's Steve with his "game face" getting ready to burn the fretboard while doing tradeoffs with the rest of the band. Believe me, Rod is kicking ass at that point in the tune like he always does. Now tell me, people - who has this kind of band any more? Who demands this kind of musicianship? Fucking pansy-assed pussy bands...all of them!

[beeroosterm]

@notsoflexibleflyer I assure you, Steve and Rod were perfectly in synch - Rod always goes way up-tempo in the live version of this song during the drum solo and Steve just had his game face on. The huge mistake Steve makes at around 0:38 is far more obvious that any frustration you think Steve may be having at the prospect of having to shred...

[mcj3691]

@beeroosterm What huge mistake at 0:38?

[notsoflexibleflyer]

@mcj3691

My feelings precisely. Another fun moment, is at 2:47 where Andy's reinforcement echoing Steve's 2:40 "game?" face shows Andy beating his fist in time and going behind Steve at 2:47 to give Rod the eye as if to say "Whoa Simba! pull it back to the 162 bpm pocket from the 184 bpm adrenaline rush so we can all do manageable trade offs." Ah... the joys of live performance.

[mcj3691]

@notsoflexibleflyer Yeah you're right, real music breathes. Rod definitely sped up to a new thing on purpose during his drum solo. Maybe his enthusiasm got the best of him, who knows? Or maybe after touring for so long, he's just wanting to push there and see how fast they can do it.....But you know Steve can hang no matter what.

[notsoflexibleflyer]

@mcj3691

... most especially Steve!!

[beeroosterm]

@mcj3691 Steve immediately crunks the 1st chord of the melody at 0:38. Look/listen at the prescribed moment. I play this song and know it very well. Simple F-up from someone who doesn't F-up often, especially on a such a simple chord. Shit happens.

[EthnHayabusa]

Thanks for posting it!

[lowando]

Thanks you guys. Glad you like it!

[randallcaster]

@lowando

Some of the best archival footage of a band that is a National Treasure!

One of the best on YT for instrumentalists. This is musical history!

[bloodskulls]

best bootleg post ever!

[bloodskulls]

awesome post!

[HollywoodWags]

Incredible video! Is there any more footage?

What a find.