One of my fave songs, very pop and upbeat and great harmony on the chorus! ❤❤❤❤ I saw them do this live on this tour, Oct. 30, 1987 at the Meadowlands in NJ.
Well, he's not playing a whole lot live in this song so he is free to move around a bit. Much of the keys and backing vocals on this were backing tracks. You can see on the various live videos of this. I'm not sure why he's not playing the main part live. It's pretty simple.
The tension between the front most band members here is palpable. Each of them stand entirely separate (and rigid), never interacting with (or even acknowledging) one another. I've seen many concerts where band members mix it up and "hang out" on the same microphone. Even friendly smiles and glances are usually enough to show camaraderie. It doesn't happen here. It seems that the wild success of _Heartbeat City_ followed by the lackluster _Door to Door_ were exceptionally difficult on this band, not only musically, but both releases seem to have strained their relationships. This concert was 3 years after _Heartbeat City_ ('84) and the same year as _Door to Door_ ('87)... and 1 year before the band's formal breakup. _Door to Door_ certainly wasn't a highlight for The Cars, and probably couldn't have been considering the runaway hit that was _Heartbeat City._ It's good that they mended ways and released _Move Like This_ in 2011, but it took them 23 years and the death of Benjamin Orr (2000) to get back together.
Ric has said that he hated touring and performing. It could be that nothing would have kept him going with The Cars once he felt he had enough other options. I sure wish they had managed to do a lot more, or at least re-united while Ben was alive, but we can be grateful for all the great music they did leave us.
+Render767 - Ha, ha! It does look like Benjamin and Ric are about to face off at 00:21-00:22, and then Ben does his sexy little thing with his bass guitar as if to say, "Come and get me!" but then Ric backs down. After that, Ric looks at his guitar like it's not even tuned properly. Later on, Ben has his back to Ric while he's singing. Definitely some interesting dynamics! It would have been kind of entertaining to see the two of them get into it on stage!
Cherr D. You're right, it does look like they're about to fight unless that was part of the act. Love Benjamin but he looks pissed a lot during this 1987 tour. Perhaps because they didn't play some of his solo songs.
Yeah, Ben is certainly showing off his muscles in this one! I honestly don't know what the hell they're doing at the beginning of this song. The two of them look angry about something, and Ric seems somewhat disoriented.
Yes, something does look a bit off during this performance. I saw The Cars in concert during this 1987 tour, and they just didn't have the same energy as in the previous live shows, but then again, they were breaking up. However, I still love Benjamin's "pumped up," leather look!! Very sexy, as usual!
His boss?????? They started that band together. It wasnt Ric Ocasek and the Cars, it was the Cars. They all brought their own gift to the table , and if anyone of them werent there , then they werent The Cars anymore.
+Kitty Lan What are you referring to when you say, "hope Ben wasn't harmed after the show"? The fact that Ben and Ric look like they're going to face off?
Yeah Kandee-O Since Ric couldn't got Ben on stage while he had to start sang Magic. Maybe after they got to backstage he sure could taught Ben a lesson or two!! But don't worry even thought Ric is much bigger, but Ben got more muscle so he could handle him easily.
hi kit & kandee! ric wouldn't be so brave as to take a punch or land one in the traditional way men fight. He attacks with reputation damaging words; insults to hurt Benjamin. Jumping into Ben's stage and mic space, being aggressive on-stage. You see it on TV appearances like Touch and Go, Fridays. And Ric claimed Benjamin was jealous of him?
moodylicious - I agree, Ric acts all calm like Ben is the problem and then insults him after he's dead and he cant even defend himself. Ric hits below the belt for sure!
Ric was such a jerk! Ben was being all cute and fun and Ric abruptly just turns around. oh no Ric dont have any fun or smile your face might crack open. Ben should have danced around Ric and got right into his camera shot, I would have.
That was NOT a "cute" moment. Watch the body language on both sides. It was tense as all hell. The whole concert was tense and joyless. If you compare it the earlier performances (even 1984) this is pretty sad. Some good individual performances, but not a cohesive group performance. I hate this sad, pre-breakup period.
Yea this whole gig is a farce indictment of ricky ocasek he could have backed off and allow Ben to renew their style but no. . you can totally see it I. body language these two hated each other during 'magic ' ! I'm actually glad I've never seen it live
+Render767 - Yeah, they do look pissed at each other at this concert. The other song videos that they perform in Philly show it as well. You're right - Ric should have backed off and let Benjamin always be the lead singer. But Ben still looks hot even if he was annoyed...
They wouldn't be the first duo of friends to have strains in their relationship though. Especially after a decade or two of knowing each other. I'm sure if I had parts of my life filmed too, people would be overanalyzing certain aspects of it too. But I'm not sure if this is really too indicative of anything beyond what we already know (or Ric somehow wanting to be the alpha dog, even though he already wrote 98% of the songs anyway and had a hit off his solo album right before this). Ben was already riding in a different bus from the other guys at this point of touring anyway, so I'm sure the strains and tiredness were all around as opposed to just one guy's thinking.
Benjamin did not look pissed , he was trying to cut the tension by being playful and ric wasnt having it. Did you notice that ben hardly got any camera time, and that was no accident.
Ric thinks he's the best cos he bagged the supermodel ! Lol I like Ric but he was a snoot. Benjamin dated Diane Grey Page who was a stunner as well..so yeah..
I really wish Ric would have remembered his own lyrics when he sang live. I mean I get that mistakes are made in isolated incidents but it happened all the time with him. It ruins the performance for me.
I used to cover this song on bass in the early 90s, according to the record the bass doesn't start playing in the verse until after the "it's like a merry go round" line, but you're right Ben does seem to be playing earlier in this performance at least.
So much Ric hate in here, what the hell. Every cars video people are hating on Ric for no reason at all. He didn’t like touring and had young kids at the time, that’s why they broke up. Maybe him and Ben weren’t getting along then either, but they did make up before Ben died and Ric has always had kind things to say about Ben since he passed. I love Ric, he’s my all time favorite musician and he’s a legendary song writer. Damn shame to see him getting insulted, he’s a wonderful man.
It's always easy to change your comments about someone after they are gone. It is an effort to make yourself look good and hope people will forget the negative remarks you said during the dark period of their relationship. The problem with that is the person you should be apologizing to is gone. Sadly.
Agree, great songwriter, some of his vocal inflexions work well. But by this stage, he'd insulted most of the band members' musicianship in interviews, had hired a one-man producer, and was by his own admission a control freak. His words. He passed away after your commentm but speaks volumes he cut his own children out of his will! The first two, from his first marriage. Pretty ruthless, you have to admit. He really had pushed all the musicians to the limits by this stage.
Wasn't this the year Ric decided to pull out, and it was over. There does seems to be a problem with their relationship . Sorry to say this but neither of them ever met the success they had as a group in the Cars. Too sad.
I see Ben already sick at this point skin tone especially and apparently he and Ric weren't exactly 'feeling the love' does anybody know why they had discord ? ric and Ben I mean
+Render767 - They weren't getting along mainly because of Ric's massive ego and wanting to take attention away from everyone else in the band. Even after Ben's solo album charted higher than Ric's (oh, what was it called?), Ric still couldn't stand to involve him or any of the other band members in the writing of the songs. They probably thought that it would be different now that they had demonstrated they could do it alone without Ric, but then everything was the same as "Heartbeat City."
I read he started drinking "a bit much" during this time. I believe his smoking and drinking alcohol may have contributed to his pancreatic cancer. RIP Benjamin Orr
hm, that must have come from the numerous print and audio poison Ric blitzed to the press. Jealousy and petty attempts to disparage and sully Ben's reputation like that are beneath a man of moral character. drinking "a bit much" were Ric's words. A true, genuine friend would think twice before doing such a thing. and so we also question Ric's moral character. And to think these insults came later when Ben was dead and unable to defend himself. pathetic.
How adorable Benjamin was so happy n playful ,it makes me so happy to see that . R I P Benjamin
So sad. I played their music on the air in the 80s...this was my favorite. Thanks, Ric, for all the great tunes.
I was a young guy in a bar band who covered some of their tunes back then. Good times. :-)
So long Ric, thank you for the music. RIP.
God Bless!
RIP fellas and thanks for all the great times and memories!
I played this album and wore out my cassette copy cruising in my Chevelle back in the day. The Cars and their music are timeless. 😎🎸🥁🖤🧡
I miss Dr. Orr and Dr. Ocasek. May they both rest in peace
i just listen to this to keep me from strangling my boss
Does he have a hold on you?
Esto no es para nada una tortura...
HAHAHA@@nikolasrensing6528
Love this Band ! xx and Benjamin RIP x
Such a team Guitar bass drums and especially those amazing keyboard lines. One just can't say enough good things about this band.
the great Rick wonderful, excellllllllent is magic........the time has gone like the wind in the time .....
Oh Ben you are magic right here, swoon
Damn they were good live!
One of my fave songs, very pop and upbeat and great harmony on the chorus! ❤❤❤❤ I saw them do this live on this tour, Oct. 30, 1987 at the Meadowlands in NJ.
Just realized that Greg was the one who moved the most on stage!
LOL Just couldn't see it because he was hidden by all those keyboards.
He had a big load to carry.
One of the most innovative keyboard players of rock and roll...
(Check out the few times he played with Letters to Cleo)
Well, he's not playing a whole lot live in this song so he is free to move around a bit. Much of the keys and backing vocals on this were backing tracks. You can see on the various live videos of this. I'm not sure why he's not playing the main part live. It's pretty simple.
They were very laid back, they hardly moved when I saw them in 1987.
Não consigo acreditaram que ele foi para sempre AMO VOCÊ BEN ORR
The Best❤❤❤
Man rip Rick this song takes me down memory lane to my childhood 80s
I love this theme, with all its... details. Pure Cat's Soul Music Men.
Ben continues and Elliot steps up and makes everything alright.
Whoa oh it’s magiccccc! 🤘🤘 R.I.P Ric!
The Goonie marshmello alone
Summer it turns me upside down summer summer summer its like a merry go round loveeee loveeee loveeee!!!!
they are magical!!🚗🚗🚗🚗🚗🌈
Drugs take there toll. These guys were the best of the best. So much changed in just 5 short years back In the 80s
Ric trying to steal Benjamin happiness!!
It's really Magic 🙌❤️
"There's magic in your eyes"
The tension between the front most band members here is palpable. Each of them stand entirely separate (and rigid), never interacting with (or even acknowledging) one another. I've seen many concerts where band members mix it up and "hang out" on the same microphone. Even friendly smiles and glances are usually enough to show camaraderie. It doesn't happen here.
It seems that the wild success of _Heartbeat City_ followed by the lackluster _Door to Door_ were exceptionally difficult on this band, not only musically, but both releases seem to have strained their relationships. This concert was 3 years after _Heartbeat City_ ('84) and the same year as _Door to Door_ ('87)... and 1 year before the band's formal breakup. _Door to Door_ certainly wasn't a highlight for The Cars, and probably couldn't have been considering the runaway hit that was _Heartbeat City._ It's good that they mended ways and released _Move Like This_ in 2011, but it took them 23 years and the death of Benjamin Orr (2000) to get back together.
Ric has said that he hated touring and performing. It could be that nothing would have kept him going with The Cars once he felt he had enough other options. I sure wish they had managed to do a lot more, or at least re-united while Ben was alive, but we can be grateful for all the great music they did leave us.
+Render767 - Ha, ha! It does look like Benjamin and Ric are about to face off at 00:21-00:22, and then Ben does his sexy little thing with his bass guitar as if to say, "Come and get me!" but then Ric backs down. After that, Ric looks at his guitar like it's not even tuned properly. Later on, Ben has his back to Ric while he's singing. Definitely some interesting dynamics! It would have been kind of entertaining to see the two of them get into it on stage!
Cherr D. You're right, it does look like they're about to fight unless that was part of the act. Love Benjamin but he looks pissed a lot during this 1987 tour. Perhaps because they didn't play some of his solo songs.
Yeah, Ben is certainly showing off his muscles in this one! I honestly don't know what the hell they're doing at the beginning of this song. The two of them look angry about something, and Ric seems somewhat disoriented.
Yes, something does look a bit off during this performance. I saw The Cars in concert during this 1987 tour, and they just didn't have the same energy as in the previous live shows, but then again, they were breaking up. However, I still love Benjamin's "pumped up," leather look!! Very sexy, as usual!
Forever MPH hey nice advice...it make my day,so funny ric and ben.
+Smash Runner - Hey, nice to hear from you! I'm glad you got a kick out of it! :-)
they never put the camera's much on Ben! that's a bummer!!
That was on purpose!!!
Ben wanted to strangle his boss !
that's my point
this is like angry magic
*sponsored by Depends
His boss?????? They started that band together. It wasnt Ric Ocasek and the Cars, it was the Cars. They all brought their own gift to the table , and if anyone of them werent there , then they werent The Cars anymore.
Was class of 1980
The show must go on, hope Ben wasn't harmed after the show.
+Kitty Lan What are you referring to when you say, "hope Ben wasn't harmed after the show"? The fact that Ben and Ric look like they're going to face off?
Yeah Kandee-O Since Ric couldn't got Ben on stage while he had to start sang Magic. Maybe after they got to backstage he sure could taught Ben a lesson or two!! But don't worry even thought Ric is much bigger, but Ben got more muscle so he could handle him easily.
hi kit & kandee!
ric wouldn't be so brave as to take a punch or land one in the traditional way men fight. He attacks with reputation damaging words; insults to hurt Benjamin. Jumping into Ben's stage and mic space, being aggressive on-stage. You see it on TV appearances like Touch and Go, Fridays.
And Ric claimed Benjamin was jealous of him?
Kitty Lan - Yeah they may have gotten into it afterwards but you're right, Ric would be no match for Ben!
moodylicious - I agree, Ric acts all calm like Ben is the problem and then insults him after he's dead and he cant even defend himself. Ric hits below the belt for sure!
I never knew Benjamin had a tatt!
I love Howard Stern!
They’re actually cousins.
So sad , little did he know he only had 13 more yrs to live. IT WENT BY TO FUCKING FAST!!!!!!!!!
Ric was such a jerk! Ben was being all cute and fun and Ric abruptly just turns around. oh no Ric dont have any fun or smile your face might crack open. Ben should have danced around Ric and got right into his camera shot, I would have.
Pure jealousy I know how both Benjamin and Ric felt, tbh I've been on the receiving end of a lot of jealousy and also felt it as well, it's not good.
That was NOT a "cute" moment. Watch the body language on both sides. It was tense as all hell. The whole concert was tense and joyless. If you compare it the earlier performances (even 1984) this is pretty sad. Some good individual performances, but not a cohesive group performance. I hate this sad, pre-breakup period.
I wonder what song they played right before this one because they look annoyed at each other.
I love your pic! Benjamin ❤️
I'm wondering if this was at the spectrum?
It was
and isn't it clear that both Ben and Ric are severely pissed ?
wow Ben just looks like he wants to punch the shit of somebody
It's Ben's tough, leather look - He pretty much looks like he wants to punch the shit out of everyone during this whole 1987 era.
I think down to Ric being greedy and he was fed up with it.
Yea this whole gig is a farce
indictment of ricky ocasek
he could have backed off and allow Ben to renew their style
but no. .
you can totally see it I. body language
these two hated each other
during
'magic '
!
I'm actually glad I've never seen it live
+Render767 - Yeah, they do look pissed at each other at this concert. The other song videos that they perform in Philly show it as well. You're right - Ric should have backed off and let Benjamin always be the lead singer. But Ben still looks hot even if he was annoyed...
They wouldn't be the first duo of friends to have strains in their relationship though. Especially after a decade or two of knowing each other.
I'm sure if I had parts of my life filmed too, people would be overanalyzing certain aspects of it too. But I'm not sure if this is really too indicative of anything beyond what we already know (or Ric somehow wanting to be the alpha dog, even though he already wrote 98% of the songs anyway and had a hit off his solo album right before this). Ben was already riding in a different bus from the other guys at this point of touring anyway, so I'm sure the strains and tiredness were all around as opposed to just one guy's thinking.
Tüm Cars is unforgatible..
Benjamin did not look pissed , he was trying to cut the tension by being playful and ric wasnt having it. Did you notice that ben hardly got any camera time, and that was no accident.
Ric Mister lyrics missed the lyrics.lol
Ric thinks he's the best cos he bagged the supermodel ! Lol I like Ric but he was a snoot. Benjamin dated Diane Grey Page who was a stunner as well..so yeah..
Ok snoot
Dgp stepped into the situation fucked everything up including everyones lives , and stepped out!
I really wish Ric would have remembered his own lyrics when he sang live. I mean I get that mistakes are made in isolated incidents but it happened all the time with him. It ruins the performance for me.
I have this entire concert and the keyboards are WAAAAY toofa king high in the mix.
Kinda weak considering how well a lot of those tracks rocked.
You can hardly hear Ben's bass at the beginning!
I used to cover this song on bass in the early 90s, according to the record the bass doesn't start playing in the verse until after the "it's like a merry go round" line, but you're right Ben does seem to be playing earlier in this performance at least.
Ric waz such an ass!!! How dare him do that to Benjamin!! Benjamin was the star!!!
So much Ric hate in here, what the hell. Every cars video people are hating on Ric for no reason at all. He didn’t like touring and had young kids at the time, that’s why they broke up. Maybe him and Ben weren’t getting along then either, but they did make up before Ben died and Ric has always had kind things to say about Ben since he passed. I love Ric, he’s my all time favorite musician and he’s a legendary song writer. Damn shame to see him getting insulted, he’s a wonderful man.
Mike G Just read a terrible quote attributed to him about Ben on Wikipedia The Cars.
It's always easy to change your comments about someone after they are gone. It is an effort to make yourself look good and hope people will forget the negative remarks you said during the dark period of their relationship. The problem with that is the person you should be apologizing to is gone. Sadly.
Agree, great songwriter, some of his vocal inflexions work well. But by this stage, he'd insulted most of the band members' musicianship in interviews, had hired a one-man producer, and was by his own admission a control freak. His words. He passed away after your commentm but speaks volumes he cut his own children out of his will! The first two, from his first marriage. Pretty ruthless, you have to admit. He really had pushed all the musicians to the limits by this stage.
Wasn't this the year Ric decided to pull out, and it was over. There does seems to be a problem with their relationship . Sorry to say this but neither of them ever met the success they had as a group in the Cars. Too sad.
I see Ben already sick at this point
skin tone especially
and apparently he and Ric weren't exactly 'feeling the love'
does anybody know why they had discord ?
ric and Ben I mean
I don't think Ben was sick here (not with cancer, at least). I think he's just sick of Ocasek!!
+Render767 - They weren't getting along mainly because of Ric's massive ego and wanting to take attention away from everyone else in the band. Even after Ben's solo album charted higher than Ric's (oh, what was it called?), Ric still couldn't stand to involve him or any of the other band members in the writing of the songs. They probably thought that it would be different now that they had demonstrated they could do it alone without Ric, but then everything was the same as "Heartbeat City."
I read he started drinking "a bit much" during this time. I believe his smoking and drinking alcohol may have contributed to his pancreatic cancer. RIP Benjamin Orr
hm, that must have come from the numerous print and audio poison Ric blitzed to the press. Jealousy and petty attempts to disparage and sully Ben's reputation like that are beneath a man of moral character. drinking "a bit much" were Ric's words.
A true, genuine friend would think twice before doing such a thing.
and so we also question Ric's moral character.
And to think these insults came later when Ben was dead and unable to defend himself.
pathetic.
Ric hurt Ben's feeling, when Ben wants to contribute on songs writing, Ric told him "this is my GIG", then Ben left.
Unfortunately the video and audio are awful...it was the 80's; thank god technology has come a long way!!
This one sounds really flat live.
A 1984 video on here is much better.
smosh try not to laugh
They don't look happy here.