aging rockers

Published in The Post-Star (D1)
September 17, 2005

This time, he's got a wedding gig

Here's what Alanis Morissette has in common with a 58-year-old local entertainer who plays Elvis tunes at ski resorts -- they've both been asked to open for the Rolling Stones.

Canadian alt-rocker Morissette will warm up the stage for the legendary Stones when they play the Pepsi Arena in Albany today, but local performer Bobby Dick and his band, The Sundowners, aren't jealous. Been there, done that.

The Sundowners opened for the Stones 40 years ago -- in April 1965 -- at the Palace Theatre in Albany. Dick was only 19 at the time, and the Stones were just another popular British band.

"They hadn't separated themselves from the pack yet as being superstars," said Dick, who sings and plays bass guitar. Tickets for the 1965 show cost just $2.50, compared to the $100 to $350 tickets for this weekend's concert.

The Sundowners, now called Bobby Dick and The Sundowners, got the gig through a connection at the local radio station that sponsored the Stones' two-night appearance in Albany. They shared the opening-act spotlight with another local club band, The Knickerbockers, and covered hits by Elvis and The Beatles.

These days, the four-member band still plays all over the region at bars, parties and ski resorts, although only two of the original members -- Dick and guitarist Ed Placidi -- remain. With three guitars, a drum set, and a knack for vocal harmony, the group covers everything from the Beach Boys to Phish.

"Anything to keep from getting a day job," joked Dick, 58, who handles his "aging rocker" status with self-deprecating humor.

"It seems like the older we get, the better we have to be," he said. "There's always that look out there in the audience, I see it: 'Oh my God, where have these guys been?' But imagine if you didn't know who the Rolling Stones were, and they walked into your local ski resort and started setting up. You would give Keith Richards the same look."

When he heard the Stones were coming back, Dick said he considered asking if they needed an opening act, but The Sundowners were already booked for a big wedding in Lake George on Saturday night.

"I thought about doing it for nostalgia's sake, but I just know that if I had to tell this bride, 'I won't be there for your wedding,' it would be a terrible thing," said Dick. "It's a shame it wasn't on a Tuesday or Wednesday night instead."
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