Late winter of 2020 proved to be the great equalizer in the music business. For artists everywhere, whether they were weekend warriors playing in bar bands, name acts packing large clubs or mid-sized concert halls, or superstars plotting stadium treks across the globe, the initial impact of the COVID-19 pandemic brought with it the same sobering message: The show won’t, in fact, go on. One by one, itineraries were scuttled, music festivals were called off, and by the first weeks of spring the curtain came down on the entire concert industry.
“I think it’s an understatement to say it’s been a tough year,” says Eagles guitarist and country music star Vince Gill. “It’s been hard on people throughout the music business. A lot of people are hurting and struggling. On a personal level, I lost my best friend, Benny Garcia, who was also my guitar tech. He was my first music friend; we came up together and he’s taken care of me on the road for 30 years. Losing him was brutal.”
Gill notes that the forced work stoppage has been the first time he hasn’t played live on a consistent basis since he was a teenager. “It’s a mind-bender to be off the road,” he says. “From the day I started doing this, I’ve been clubbing, playing, touring — in whatever capacity I’ve been involved with, I’ve never stopped. So to go from 100 mph to zero has been strange.”
This story is from the August 2021 edition of Guitar World.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the August 2021 edition of Guitar World.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
KIM THAYIL
The mighty Soundgarden guitarist looks back on his most iconic riffs and solos, as well as the gear and tunings that guided him deep into the creative superunknown
ANDY BELL
The U.K. shoegaze pioneer discusses the recording of Ride's classic Nineties albums and his 10 years as a member of Oasis
MARC FORD
The respected SoCal guitarist explains why he chose the Black Crowes over Guns N' Roses - and how the Crowes' internal friction helped make them a compelling alternative to grunge
BRIAN VANDER ARK
Determined as he moves out of the shadow of his past, the guitarist recounts the origins of the Verve Pipe and the recording of a definitive Nineties anthem, \"The Freshmen\"
VERNON REID
From Vivid to Time's Up to Stain: How Vernon Reid's expressionist shredding juiced Living Colour through the grunge era
ART ALEXAKIS
The tenacious Everclear frontman/guitarist discusses the music, moments and \"dangerous\" amps that changed his life and maybe ours - in the Nineties and beyond
DAYS OF FUTURE PAST
The retro designs, digital innovations and misfit toys that defined guitar gear and technology in the Nineties
IT'S ALL A BLUR...
The rise and fall of Britpop, the Nineties' other massive, guitar-based movement
NEVERMIND NEVERMIND!
10 overlooked rock albums from the Nineties that are worth a second listen
A GRUNGY GUITAR GUIDE TO THE '90S
Guitar World