Big Star’s Third Live

An ensemble of prominent power pop and indie rock figures came together for a one-off tribute to Big Star's Third, a landmark entry in the pre-new wave pop repertoire and the final album by Alex Chilton and his band. Chris Stamey, founder of the dB's and longtime Alex Chilton devotee, joined forces with Frank Heath, proprietor of Chapel Hill's Cat's Cradle, to mount a 2005 benefit concert at the venue. On that occasion Stamey assembled favored local players to interpret every track from Elliott Smith's Either/Or. Buoyed by the evening's reception, Stamey suggested to Heath that they mount a comparable recreation of Third, also known as Sister Lovers. The project reached fruition only in 2010, following Alex Chilton's sudden passing. Arranger Carl Marsh prepared fresh versions of his original orchestrations, while the core ensemble—Stamey, R.E.M.'s Mike Mills, Mitch Easter of Let's Active, and Big Star's original drummer Jody Stephens—combined with leading Chapel Hill musicians for a performance that drew widespread media attention. The event's impact prompted Stamey and Heath to repeat the Big Star's Third presentation in multiple American cities as well as in the U.K. and Europe. One such staging took place in April 2016 at Glendale, California's Alex Theater, where additional guests included the Posies' Jon Auer and Ken Stringfellow, Wilco's Jeff Tweedy and Pat Sansone, Robyn Hitchcock, Yo La Tengo's Ira Kaplan, Semisonic's Dan Wilson, and Benmont Tench of Tom Petty's Heartbreakers. The concert was captured on film and in audio, appearing in April 2017 as the audiovisual release Thank You, Friends: Big Star's Third Live … And More.