# Zappa '88 Tour - Some Interesting info



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Came across a rare book (400 copies) called Zappa The Hard Way which is about the 1988 tour and all the trouble that took place (I was unaware of this). I seen this tour at Shea's Buffalo. I remember it being a great show. it also stood out (and bummed some people out) that they played a 25 minute rendition of Stairway To Heaven










Review from killuglyradio.com



> “Zappa The Hard Way” Reviewed
> Quick! Name one artist that deserves a book about his last tour – a tour that ended prematurely? Andrew Greenaway, aka The Idiot, did just that with “Zappa The Hard Way”, a book focused solely on FZ’s ill-fated 1988 tour.
> 
> I pre-ordered the book almost instantly, naturally because I’m quite fond of the lusciously arranged live music this tour offers, but also in hopes of finding out more as to why it had to end the way it did: was it all Scott Thunes’ doing? Really?
> ...


Setlist from March 9th, 1988 at Shea's Buffalo

Black Page #2,
Who Needs The Peace Corps, 
Penguin In Bondage, 
Hot Plate Heaven, 
What's New In Baltimore, 
The Meek Shall Inherit Nothing, 
Advance Romance, 
Bobby Brown, 
When The Lie's So Big, 
Jesus Thinks You're A Jerk*
Any Kind Of Pain, 
Torture/Burt/Torture, 
Texas Motel Medley,
King Kong, 
Stairway To Heaven
E1 : Watermelon In Easter Hay, 
The Untouchables, America The Beautiful


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

I just finished reading Zappa by Barry Miles. Very interesting read - although it varied between riveting and rambling. It also described the problems with that '88 tour. He cancelled the last two months of the tour scheduled in the US and fired everyone. After that he put down his guitar and stopped playing it. He only picked it up a couple of times after, once to play with one of leaders of the Velvet revolution in Czechoslovakia. Most of that last four year of his life was spent composing on his synclavier. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synclavier


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## Todd68 (Mar 7, 2008)

I just saw this book listed in a Facebook ad. No doubt it is somehow connected to my "likes" and the fact that I have been a huge FZ fan for years. I've heard all about the very difficult Scott Thunes before. Scott seems to be a pretty complex person.


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## Sneaky (Feb 14, 2006)

I saw that tour in Rochester (probably right before or after Buffalo). It was the least favourite of the Zappa shows I saw. Very avant garde jazzy, a good show, but not great.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Sneaky said:


> I saw that tour in Rochester (probably right before or after Buffalo). It was the least favourite of the Zappa shows I saw. Very avant garde jazzy, a good show, but not great.


I would also agree that it was not the best Zappa tour IMO. I found it interesting though in reading about this that many people consider it one of the best tours for Zappa all time.


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## Todd68 (Mar 7, 2008)

I still say, based on the audio evidence, nothing can touch his '74 touring band.


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