Steve Smith - Zildjian Day - Chicago 1983

Listen to what a drummer like this can do to AOR..."Where Were You" by Journey. Phenomenal groove - listen we something where you can hear the kick drum.

He was a monster, even pre Freddie Gruber. He has the musical phrasing I’ve ever heard. Trivia: Someone in that audience was a young future monster drummer to be, Todd Sucherman.

This is the Steve Smith that inspired me to play many years ago. This period right here...Now,...he just bores me tinking away on the drums ever so lightly...his style now wouldnt even get me interested in drums😂...but this right here...is the shit!!!

Many folks didn't or don't realize that he is VERY WELL VERSED in the jazz genre of drumming.

In fact, he was 1st a jazz drummer before he was ever a famous rock drummer.

Steve "Machine Gun" Smith😎👍

Hans Gruber played drums back in the day!

If I had just HALF of that skill, I would never be out of work.

Any questions!!??🙏😇

80's set ups are an ergonomic nightmare. I'm glad we ditched power toms 5' high ride cymbals. Yet.

Fantastic solo. 👍🥁

MR.STEVE SMITH ,,, I TALKED WITH. THIS BADASS ,, CATT🐱🥁 AFEW TIMES @ GUITAR CENTER DRUM CELTIC S ,,,ANYWAY THIS PARTICULAR DRUM SOLO ,,, JUST TOTALLY PUTS ME IN CHECK ! WOW ...THAX"S."" STEVE MACHINE GUN SMITH "" ALSO : LOVED ALL YOUR BRAND OF DRUMMING IN. THE ICONIC ROCK BAND ( JOURNEY ) ONE LAST THING WAS THAT U IN MONTROSE " OPEN FIRE ALBUM ...TAKE CARE BRO .🎼🎟🇺🇸🤔📀.🥁

Know one Does it BETTER!!!!!!❤😊

top 5

Steve Smith is simply amazing!! The guy is great.

With drum beats he came up with in Journey and a solo from an album I knew he was something else. This is a great video.

My favorite solo. Period

what a groove

So sick and crazy good..

So Fkn good

He is. So F,can good

That china is MONEY

What China is he playing?

Steve machine gun Smith. Enough said.

Is that a sonor phonic d518? Mahogany over beech?

Fabuleux batteur injustement sous-estimé.

He plays from the heart, forget "technique"

He’s always been great!! His style was fully developed back then because you hear the same things in his playing today. Only he’s far more refined and able to conceptualize more than most other drummers. He’s also learned to play more melodically on his kit rather than just beat the crap out of his drums. He has become a true master

I was there. The place went nuts for him. I got to ask him a question during the q and a. This was in May of 1983. Larry Londin followed and he began with some thing like."Well Steve Smith came in here and it was like a HURICANE!" He went on, "Well, I'm just a country drummer." Few of us has ever heard of him. He then went on to freaking shred a solo that was really impressive. We all knew Larry after that!
Journey was playing one or two nights in Chicago during this event and is how Steve was able to do this back in the day. There 6 semi trailers lined up at the arena on the way to this theater. That was impressive and got us all hyped up.
Though he's not wearing red Chucks, but similar, I went out and ordered red Chucks to be like my hero. or as close as I could get. Still trying!

Was? still is

Journey dripped with talent big time!!!!

Steve Smith has improved so much. His chops were great then, but his musicality is much better now. His drums have that late 70's early 80's jazz/rock fusion type tuning which now seems so dated. He sits very low here which is limiting...Vinnie Coliuta also used to sit very low. No knock! He's a great drummer.

this is just so freakin' awesome

the drums and cymbals sound amazing and the bass drum compliments the sound of the drums even though the bass drum is not tight enough its not bad

IMPRESSIONANTE

Man Dan Weiss hasn't aged a day since '83

Steve Smith Mullet Day Chicago 1983 lol

This is a GEM! Love the sound of those Phonic Pluses. Thanks for posting!

🚽

This is a gem! Love the way those Phonic Pluses (or Signatures?) sound. The Radio King is killin', too.

I love Steve's fluid, loose rock/jazz style here - just as how he played in his initial tenure with Journey. Today, his style has drastically changed. He sits very upright and plays in a much more calculated, controlled trad jazz style. For me, I don't think his current style fits with what Journey does. As he spent many years in the 90s with Vital Information and going back to the roots, he seems to have lost that natural, loose rock/jazz flow that's displayed here.

Machine Gun Smith.   My favorite drummer of all time.

😮😮😮👏👏👏👏👏👏

The best drummer

My favorite part of this is the shirt.
Oh yeah...his playing too..mmmm ...Zildjian t shirt with the sleeves cut off....mmmmm..

Perhaps the most underrated?

Why are there no more uploads?

10 people viewing this couldn't find their asshole with a flashlight and a funnel!

Steve can do it all! A True professional! Learned & cut his teeth playing Jazz, '76 icon's Jean Luc Ponty & Allan Holdsworth, Playing in Journey he knew what it takes fill the holes & stay under the radar & not show up Neal & it's has worked for over 35 years..........

He reinvents time every time he plays ffs 😎✊️