"I Can't Wait"

[cbBen]

I'm not a big fan of Rock A Little, but I do like this song.

Other than her 1986 tour (if even then), has Stevie ever included it in her touring repertoire?

Maybe the studio version includes too much computerized crap for her to reproduce it live; or maybe, like "Rooms On Fire" (another great song she doesn't do), she associates it with a period in her life she'd rather forget.

[Nathan]

I wonder if perhaps she declines to perform Rooms On Fire is because it's too similar to Jackie DeShannon's "When You Walk in the Room."

Reminds her of bad times in her life? Maybe...but I've never fully bought that. Edge of Seventeen is about her uncle dying holding her hand, and yet, she does that one every show.

[Macfan4life]

I like I Cant Wait too. I also despise RAL. I love that she wrote it or wrote most of it which is rare for RAL. I was cringy trendy in 1985. But I love the full rock edit. I think there is a great song in there when you strip away some of the disco squishes and carousel keyboards.
Her vocal on it is pretty good too considering the era. I think she should have put it back in her set long ago.
I also think it should have been the first single of RAL.

[Macfan4life]

No I CANT WAIT discussion can be without the brilliant Ho Ho's version.

The bad Stevie singing while holding up the window pane is just too much.
The bouncy side steppers are hilarious
Love that they go into Nu Shooz. They were on the charts at the same time

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONqEOtxA5Tw

[David]

No “I Can’t Wait” on any other tour — yet. Just 1986.

But Stevie did not write this music track. It was an instrumental track by Rick Nowels (or someone else).

[DownOnRodeo]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

No I CANT WAIT discussion can be without the brilliant Ho Ho's version.

The bad Stevie singing while holding up the window pane is just too much.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ONqEOtxA5Tw

Thank you, I needed this.

[bwboy]

Originally Posted by David

No “I Can’t Wait” on any other tour — yet. Just 1986.

But Stevie did not write this music track. It was an instrumental track by Rick Nowels (or someone else).

I looked at Wikipedia- it said written by Stevie, Rick Nowels, and Eric Pressly (both of whom have produced many Belinda Carlisle songs), and the entry said Stevie was given the music music track by Rick and Eric.

She has said that she only performed I Can’t Wait for one tour because it was just too hard to perform live. While I’m sure it is a challenging song live, she should remember the context as well- she was at her peak drug use during her Rock a Little tour, which was more likely why the song was so hard for her to perform live. Nowadays, with backing tracks and her back up vocalists doing much of the hard stuff, I’m sure she could do the song live now and make it sound good. Plus she had some very minor dance moves and hand motions she did that she could probably do today that wouldn’t put her at risk for falling.

I’ve always felt I Can’t Wait would make an incredible set opener.

[Villavic]

Originally Posted by bwboy

She has said that she only performed I Can’t Wait for one tour because it was just too hard to perform live. While I’m sure it is a challenging song live, she should remember the context as well

I agree. I don't know how harder would be ICW than Rock and Roll, or Stand Back. My guess is it has more to do with bad memories from those years.

[cbBen]

She could have slowed "I Can't Wait" down a little.

"Rooms On Fire" is a catchy song.

Either would be a better opener than "Outside The Rain."

[snroxman]

I loved "I Can't Wait" back then. (Ok, still do.) I was fortunate to see her at an early show in the tour from 2-3 weeks in. It was phenomenal early on. Just complex.

I'd love to see her do it today, but not how it was performed in 1986. Simplify.... Slow it down a bit, focus more on the core rock arrangement. Maybe use one of the other variations that exist as a starting point, like going right from the great guitar solo and drums into the chorus (skipping the keyboard solo) and include some of the longer trailing lyrics.

As far as why it isn't performed today, a clue may be in something she said about the song after it ended in Indianapolis at the end of May '86. It's in the tape version, not the edited show online that is/did exist on YT. "ICW is like...schooool...", something about having to stay to the beat. A very cool adlib she sang came shortly after before she headed off stage and the band moved on to next song, SDMHA with a long Waddy guitar solo. Something like "You can dance to the beat of your heart if you trryyyyy.....".

As an opener - Yes!! If "Stand Back" can be an opener, so can "I Can't Wait".

[Macfan4life]

The only thing I hate about I Can't Wait is that goofy hand stuff she does right after the guitar solo. She had some serious rock creds. No need to try and be Janet Jackson or Madonna. It was cringe then and it's funny now. She had lost her way. She lost her authentic self. The RAL era is very sad to me.

[BLY]

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

The only thing I hate about I Can't Wait is that goofy hand stuff she does right after the guitar solo. She had some serious rock creds. No need to try and be Janet Jackson or Madonna. It was cringe then and it's funny now. She had lost her way. She lost her authentic self. The RAL era is very sad to me.

Looking back at it I would agree. She should have stayed a Gold Dust Rockin Woman. At the time living it I was totally into the RAL era. I loved everything about that album at the time of its release.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by BLY

Looking back at it I would agree. She should have stayed a Gold Dust Rockin Woman. At the time living it I was totally into the RAL era. I loved everything about that album at the time of its release.

Stevie said herself she hates looking at these videos because she has memory of how high and drunk she was making them. She said something like "why could I have not laid off the cocaine and tequila for 3 days before shooting them" IMHO its only the I CANT WAIT video where you can clearly see she is high. Not in a horrible way but its there. I just wonder how many times they made her practice that ridiculous dance for the final take. You can see she was uncomfortable doing it. It just screamed "aging rock star trying to be hip and trendy"

[bombaysaffires]

Originally Posted by Villavic

I agree. I don't know how harder would be ICW than Rock and Roll, or Stand Back. My guess is it has more to do with bad memories from those years.

Or Edge of 17. In some ways I Can't Wait seems easier to sing than Edge... not as hard on the voice

Originally Posted by Macfan4life

The only thing I hate about I Can't Wait is that goofy hand stuff she does right after the guitar solo. She had some serious rock creds. No need to try and be Janet Jackson or Madonna. It was cringe then and it's funny now. She had lost her way. She lost her authentic self. The RAL era is very sad to me.

That's the downside of her chasing fame rather than sticking to her art. She started chasing trends and as everyone has said, it came off as inauthentic. It diluted what actually made her famous and successful in the first place.

[Macfan4life]

Originally Posted by bombaysaffires

Or Edge of 17. In some ways I Can't Wait seems easier to sing than Edge... not as hard on the voice




That's the downside of her chasing fame rather than sticking to her art. She started chasing trends and as everyone has said, it came off as inauthentic. It diluted what actually made her famous and successful in the first place.

That was part of it. IMHO it was much bigger than just that. She was so out of control that her record company and management had to bring her pop songs to sing, had to create these basic videos and lurched her into becoming a pop tart. Her management eventually forced her into rehab. Her album was over a year over due. It was sloppy and the producer walked out. They brought her new songs and controlled the sound to be trendy and poppy trying to just be overly commercial to make it a success. She paid big bucks for studios that she never showed up in and the Talk To Me set had to be dismantled because she did not show up. It had to be recreated again for big bucks. She blew off tour rehearsals to go to Australia with Tom. She was hanging out with Heart during their tour in late 1985 instead of promoting her own album. But honestly her people kept her away from any promotion because she was not in the condition to promote anything.
I think its more of a reason why she turned on her management. They meant well and may have saved her life. But looking back on the RAL experience she could see it was not who she was. I am betting those neon gloves were brought to her to wear. It was not something she would have done on her own. But that is just my hunch.