“This guy just asked me if I want to buy some hash!” Kim Mitchell announced to the crowd at Winnipeg Arena, pointing down at the supposed wannabe dealer — me.
As several thousand concertgoers laughed, I sheepishly protested, waving off his accusations. Not that I really needed to. Clearly, I wasn’t trying to sell weed to the lead singer of Max Webster in the middle of their set opening for Styx (though from my shoulder-length hair and the grubby hoodie I wore everywhere, I might have looked the part). But I did have a question for him:
“Where’s your mask?” I repeated, referring to the clear-plastic disguise Mitchell had sported during the band’s inaugural visit to the city a year earlier in 1976, opening for Rush at the Playhouse Theatre. After seeing that first show, I had become an instant and fervent fan of the oddball Toronto rockers — which is how I ended up standing alone down front at their second local appearance, getting razzed by the quick-witted singer-guitarist after gently but foolishly heckling him in front of an audience of ’70s rock fans. (I don’t remember if he ever answered my question, which he presumably misheard — or pretended to mishear — as ‘Want some hash?’. I do remember telling the story to Mitchell decades later when I interviewed him over lunch. Naturally, he didn’t recall the event, but laughed at the story — and then very needlessly apologized for embarrassing me, which I also waved off.)
What I didn’t know until this week was that their arena show — held on June 12, 1977 — took place just three days after a pivotal moment in their career: Max’s first headlining gig at Toronto’s Massey Hall, where they played for more than 2,000 hometown fans. I learned that tidbit from Canadian author and musician Bob Wegner’s excellent new coffee-table book Max Webster: High Class, a massive and magnificent chronicle of the band’s entire career. Filled to the brim with details, recollections, anecdotes and rare photos — including, unbeknownst to me, a picture I shot of Mitchell in that mask during their 1976 show — this 400-page labour of love is essential reading for any Max, Mitchell or Canadian-rock fan. I told you about the book the other day HERE. And after skimming the PDF his publicist sent, I asked if Wegner would be willing to let me run an excerpt. He generously sent over six pages, covering events from 1975, 1977 and 1979. Enjoy — and then order your copy of the High Class HERE:
