Public NME number one
What does a photo of Michael Jackson on the cover of a 1981 issue of a British magazine have to do with the present-day Seacoast? The answer, of course, is Joe Stevens.
The Jackson photo in question adorned the cover of New Musical Express (NME), a British music publication that’s been around since the early 1950s. The photo was taken by Stevens, a renowned rock photographer who currently lives in Exeter.
NME has announced that, beginning in September, it will become a free weekly magazine. To commemorate the transition, NME is putting together a massive issue celebrating its best moments. The staff has selected the magazine’s top 50 covers of all time, and Stevens’ Michael Jackson cover made the cut.
Each of the selected covers will run as a full page in the Aug. 1 issue of NME. The covers will also be in an online gallery at nme.com, where readers can vote for their favorite cover of all time.
A Brooklyn native who has long lived in the Seacoast, Stevens has been photographing rock stars since the 1960s. He says he took the photo of Jackson during a press reception in the late pop star’s manager’s office building in Beverly Hills, where The Jacksons were promoting their upcoming “Triumph Tour.”
“All the Jackson boys were there, arriving separately in white convertible sports cars,” Stevens recalls. “It was a pre-surgery Michael Jackson, a nice boy with an afro, natural color skin, and seemingly drug free.”
The press reception didn’t generate much attention at the time, Stevens says, but The Jacksons’ three-month Triumph Tour went on to set records, concluding with four consecutive sold-out shows at The Forum in Los Angeles.
Playing Dead
Grateful Dead tribute band Half Step plays at the Rochester Opera House on Aug. 29.
Feeling a bit blue since the Grateful Dead wrapped up their 50-year run with a final show in Chicago on July 5? Well, no one can raise the Dead, but some area acts will try to harness the band’s spirit at a couple of upcoming shows in the Seacoast.
On Saturday, Aug. 1, The Stone Church in Newmarket will celebrate the birthday of Jerry Garcia, who would be turning 73 on that date (the Dead’s original front man died in 1995). The event, featuring Grateful Dead tribute band DeadBeat, starts at 9 p.m. Tickets are $7 in advance or $10 at the door, available at stonechurchrocks.com.
Later in August, the Rochester Opera House will host another Dead tribute band. Half Step, a Long Island-based act that replicates full sets from Dead shows, hits the Lilac City on Saturday, Aug. 29 at 8 p.m. Tickets are $14 in advance or $16 at the door, available at rochesteroperahouse.com.
Reggae season
Congo Sanchez is among the acts performing at the Reggae & Craft Brew Fest on Saturday, Aug. 1.
Perhaps August should be dubbed reggae month in the Seacoast. The hottest part of the year seems to evoke the atmosphere of the Caribbean and its native music.
The Governor’s Inn in Rochester will kick off the month with its fourth annual Reggae & Craft Brew Fest. The festival features live performances from regional and national acts, including Sleepy Wonder, Puma Ptah, Freddie Loco, The Continent, Kenyatta Hill, Congo Sanchez, Soul Rebel Project, Green Lion Crew, and The Rhythm Ship.
There will also be a Smuttynose beer garden, in which the Hampton-based brewery will offer more than 50 beers to sample. The event lasts from noon to midnight; tickets are $20 in advance or $25 day of show, available at governorsinn.com.
Later in the month, Fuller Gardens in North Hampton will offer a similar reggae celebration, but with a rose garden instead of a beer garden. The second annual Reggae ’n’ Roses fundraiser event takes place Friday, Aug. 14, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
New England reggae band Hot Like Fire will provide music for the evening, coinciding with the second bloom of the 1,500 rose bushes on the garden grounds. There will also be hors d’oeuvres and beverages. Tickets are $50 ($40 for members), available at fullergardens.org. Proceeds benefit Fuller Gardens, a nonprofit organization.