I never has a chance to see Mountain in concert, but I did see West Bruce and Laing in Lincoln Nebraska in ‘73 while I was stationed at Offutt. The opening act was the Edgar Winter Band (Frankenstein) with Ronnie Montrose on guitar. Felix was stone cold deaf from too many years in front of stacks of Marshalls. Ah the days......
Edgar is or was one of the greats. I know his brother Johnnie just passed this week. I never knew anything about their family. How they grew up. It takes work to put a show on, a lot of work, reliability, planning, mathematically correct pay schedules and focus. You may need a bailbondsman you can trust to keep his mouth shut. Same with a nurse or doctor. You need the right instruments, kept in tune for that particular venue. I presume they would practice together almost daily, once you become that famous.