This week I talked to Razorcake founder and lifelong punk Todd Taylor, and we spent some time talking about his first punk show. I couldn’t fit his answer into the story, but it’s really good:
“I can't tell you who played. I remember it was in a public storage. I think it was sort of like a hesher band because I remember of people with long hair playing. There was somebody standing in front of me, who had this two-part earring. Like one part went in the front one part went in the back. I felt this tap my shoulder. I looked over and the guy next to me just smiled. He then ripped the earring out of the guy in front of me’s earlobe and then punched the guy.
That's what I remember about that show the most. And it was really hot.”
Do you have any concert moments that defined you? I wanna hear about them.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana in high school in Phoenix. Beastie Boys in college (also in Phoenix). So many Lollapaloozas. Random bands I had never heard of at the Casbah. Mind blowing performances and I had so much fun with friends, dancing, laughing and cheering. I MISS CONCERTS SO MUCH.
At Coachella in 2007, Manu Chao played before Rage Against The Machine, which was RATM's first reunion show. At the time I thought, wow, tough slot, because the crowd was huge and seemed mostly there for RATM. But a guy standing next to us kept saying how tough it would be to follow Manu Chao and Radio Bemba, as he'd seen them before and said be prepared to be floored. An hour later, I was in total agreement. They absolutely delivered. Amazing show under tough circumstances. A couple years ago I looked his set up on YouTube to see if maybe it was being in the moment and if I saw it again it would be less than I remembered. But no, it was great show.
I should also note, for me, live concert #1: Oingo Boingo at the SDSU OAT on the Dead Man's Party tour. I was 14. I've been a live music fan ever since. I miss shows. Thanks for the topic/thread!
Hell yeah! I'm gonna check out that Manu Chao set.
Oingo Boingo was my first concert! It was actually their second-to-last show ever. They played the Delta Center in SLC before LA (where they filmed their Farewell video). I was in 5th grade, and the company my dad worked for had box seats at the Delta center, so he was able to snag those tickets and take me. I remember being kinda scared at first when they opened with "Insanity" and they had all those scary marionette props singing/dancing, but it was a feeling that I couldn't get enough of.
My most memorable concert was the first Coachella Festival on Oct. 10, 1999. It seemed implausible to drive to the desert for a concert, but how could you not go when Tool and Rage Against the Machine were headlining? It was SO hot that day (and night), but the concert was intense especially since Maynard sang during the Rage concert (I think Zack de la Rocha had a throat/voice issue?). It was my 18th birthday, too, so my parents had paid for mine and my sister's tickets, loaned us the family minivan, rented a Motel 6 room for us and our friends, and gave us gas and coffee money for the drive back to San Diego. After the concert, all of us piled into our room - two people to a bed, people on the floor, and someone in the bathtub. It was tiring, exhilarating, and unfortunately set me up for a lifetime of high standards when it came to concerts. I'm a suburban mom now, so I feel like such an old-timer when I describe the then-new festival to my younger cousins and students...
But, it was absolutely, without a doubt, my most memorable concert ever. And this is after going to the 1997 VANS Warped Tour the last time it was at Hospitality Point (The Aquabats arrived on stage via speedboat!), the 1999 Smokeout Concert with Cypress Hill and the Deftones in San Bernardino, going to the first Street Scene at Qualcomm, and basically every time I went to the old SOMA (how do you forget the bathroom ALWAYS flooding at each show?)...
Wow, that sounds incredible, Lorena. Your parents sound like the best. I really wish I had been able to go to one of those early Coachellas—I think the first time I even heard about it was 2004?
Funny story about the Aquabats: they played a concert at my high school. I went to school in Park City, Utah, and I think one of the parents had some Mormon connection to the Bat Commander and was able to get them that way. But, like, most of the kids who went to my school didn't really know who Aquabats were, so a lot of people were really confusded.
Thankfully, my dad raised me right when it came to music and didn't mind bankrolling our trip, despite my (many) teenage shenanigans! Yeah, after that first Coachella, the promoters didn't profit much, so they held off until over a year later IIRC to bring it back in April. I never went back, but I think attending in recent years would have rubbed the shine off that first trip.
The Aquabats have always surprised me with their dichotomy between silly weirdness and squeaky clean Mormon image! Have you seen their kids' show "The Aquabats! Super Show!"? I'm convinced showing that to my superhero-loving son as a toddler made him fall in love with ska and punk music.
I tell this story a lot, but my first concert was the Ramones at the Wax Museum in Washington, D.C. in 1984 when I was 15 or 16. My mom took me and my younger brother but we had to pay for our own tickets. The opening band had a song with the line "I'd love you if you didn't smoke" and all these punks threw lit cigarettes at the singer.
They were great! It was either the Subterranean Jungle or Too Tough to Die tour and hadn't fallen off yet. Played tons of old stuff. My brother and I were so stoked to get to the show early and stand right in front of the stage but as soon as the Ramones started up someone picked me up and tossed me to the side.
Hey I've got a good Ramones in DC story from the same era! I was 13, so I reckon it must have been the summer 19 and 82. The Ramones were playing at the Bayou in Georgetown and my big sister had gotten tickets for us from Ticketron; but when we got to the venue, they carded us and wouldn't let me in. I was super bummed but we managed to sell the tickets and make a slight profit. We were walking dejectedly up the hill to go Eagle liquor and score some brewskis, when we passed the alley behind the club, where there sat the Ramones' tour bus. The Ramones were loitering around in the alley so I timidly introduced myself and told our sad story. Joey, clearly moved, spoke from behind a curtain of bangs: "You kids wanna go in with us?"
So we did. But first...fireworks. It was early July, and the fellas must had picked up some fireworks (prolly in the Carolinas, that's where you could get the good stuff), so we hung out in the rat-infested alley with the Ramones and blasted the shit out of a bunch of mortars and bottle rockets.
When there were no more fireworks, we went backstage with the band and hung out awkwardly while Joey drank an entire pot of coffee and got a neck rub.
I don't remember much about the concert. It was good. I had been to a few punk shows at smaller places in DC, so the Bayou seemed like a huge and legit venue. The show itself didn't have the same impact on me as the first punk show I had been to--the Teen Idles at the Chancery--where I had no idea what to expect and people were stage diving off of rickety staircase. But the hanging out with legends part left an impression.
Oh wow that's a great story! Eagles Liquor was the closest liquor to Northern Virginia and we'd make the dash across Key Bridge all the time. What school did you go to?
Man we must have been neighbors. I went to Robinson (one of my buddies there was Oderus Urungus) for 8th and 9th, then we moved and I went to Langley. Super convenient for cutting class and going downtown.
Oh wow! I went to Bishop O'Connell in Arlington and grew up in Falls Church. But you were cooler than me. I didn't find out about the DC scene until after I joined the Navy. My idea of a good time was skipping school and feeding quarters into video games.
Haha...I was lucky(?) to be friends with some older kids (like Oderus/Dave) who turned me on to the scene and let me tag along to shows. Can't believe my parents let me hang out with them. No way I'd let my middle school kids get in a car with a creepy senior driving.
Tell me about it. I had a paper route for years. Walking around the neighborhood in the dark was bad enough I also had to go door-to-door in the evenings to collect. There was no way I'd let my kid do that now.
Wow, you guys are taking me through the way back machine! Jim: I was at that Ramones show too. We must be the same age. I think I was 14 or 15. If I remember correctly the opening band was a synth band with two synthesizers. I was up against the stage when the Ramones came out and got blasted. I knew I was with my people! Probably ended up seeing the Ramones at the Bayou 7 or 8 times. I also went to Radford, graduated in 89. I remember seeing Cock Ring open for the Slickee Boys at Luckys... remember that floor? it bounced like crazy. They would get a couple fun shows from time to time. Thanks for the memories!
Hey Rob apologies for taking so long to reply but I wanted to say -- whoah! What a bunch of wild coincidences. I'm so glad someone remembers Cock Ring! And I do remember Lucky's. Their late night calzone delivery was a godsend. I graduated from Radford in 1992 but I had a two year detour in the Navy. Do you remember what month that show was? I think the Ramones played the Wax Museum twice in 1984 before it shut down.
No worries at all Jim. The Ramones show was October 9th. I still have my stub... remember paper tickets? Those bring back a million memories.
Also wanted to say that the Bad Religion book was probably the best band biography I ever read. So well done! The only band I have seen more that The Ramones is BR. Im ordering the Keith Morris book and can't wait for the SST book as well.
Thanks, Ron! That's very kind of you to say. Here's hoping we can have some BR book events when the paperback comes out. And thanks for confirming the date of the show! That's been driving me crazy for a while. Do you know who the opening act was? And by any chance do you remember a big brute who wore a t-shirt that said "I PLAY MONGOLIAN BATTLE BALL" on the front and "PRAY FOR ME" on the back?
If you get to the Tampa area I will definitly stop by to get my book signed and give you the stub. I don't remember the name of the opening band but for some reason I remember they had two synthesizers. Other memories of that show: having a big X on my hand (so very straight edge!), my buddies and I got right up to the stage and as soon as the Ramones hit 1-2-3-4 we were brutalized, I got my head stepped on by someone jumping up on stage. I would think I would remember a shirt like that... he must of been on the other side. What a great night!
I think my first concert was Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger, and Sum 41. It was the wet dream lineup of a 14 year old in like 2001 or whatever year it was. I think Ryen Schlegel was there, but I can't remember how I got a ride to the venue. It was at Bricks, in Salt Lake City, I think. One of the old venues that isn't around anymore. Getting close to the artists and hearing their blown out guitars and shitty vocals was pretty life affirming. It was the first time I saw behind the artifice of recorded music, all the bells and whistles of the studio are gone and its just the musicians on stage. In the case of those three bands, not-so-great musicians (although RBF had a killer horn section). I will always love that experience of hearing a band live after getting used to their songs on record: seeing them sweat, sing out of key, improvise through disaster. That's what I really like about music anyway, the imperfections. So I grew up and my taste changed (though it probably didn't improve very much) and to me the bands worth watching don't always play very well but what they play is a real-time snapshot of who they are at that moment. That's why I like instruments more than like pre-recorded tracks. The artists can leave you with some kind of performative, human impression that makes you think to yourself, "I can be a shitty musician too..." and that's really what makes the world go 'round.
I hear you, Jeff. This a little embarrassing, but I remember just being so blown away when I first saw Everclear after their So Much for the Afterglow album came out. I was super into that album, and my dad took me and a friend to see them (they were playing a free show at the University of Utah). It was so loud and powerful, I remember feeling the bass drum in my chest. (I'll still go to bat for Everclear's Sparkle and Fade album though).
It wasn't a huge concert by any means, but awhile back after having just moved back to San Diego, I saw a band called Blackwitch Pudding. Magical wizards with giant amp stacks, it was an incredibly fun night despite the small amount of people in attendance. But I think it was a defining moment specifically because of those folks who turned out, members of the San Diego music community who had came to support a love of live music as well as the opening act. It wasn't until later that night when I discovered some of them were in a mutual facebook group, which has led to wonderful friendships. I haven't attended a concert alone in San Diego since that night thanks to this community, and have gotten to know so many local bands and musicians who are so incredibly loving and supportive. I miss everyone so much.
This sounds rad. I actually don't mind going to shows alone. I mean, you can't really talk to people during the sets anyway, and I like the feeling of anonymity while being surrounded by people. Do you remember where this concert was?
I used to feel pretty out of place before shows started. I'd be the only one standing around and not drinking and my social anxiety would go through the roof, but it isn't so bad when I have someone to hang out with. This was at Til Two I think, tons of fog and a wizard laser show. The opener was Ross from OhCult's old band who I didn't know at the time, but he later recognized me and introduced himself at another show which was awesome. Definitely appreciate our SD music family.
Styx. 1998. Marathon County Fairgrounds. Rained delay for two hours. It was getting muddy in the dirt patch in front of the stage. An "old guy" (probably 40ish) was standing alone in front of us in the rain. He stood their alone not talking or drinking or doing anything. Just waiting. He kind of looked like Mario (of the Mario Brothers).
Finally, the band came on stage. Tommy Shaw and the guys blast into "Renegade." Mario puts his head down. Right arm up. Hand contorted into the Rock N Roll devil horns. Arm starts pumping. This continues for the next several hours. Between songs he'd stop the arm pumping, but the HORNS STAYED UP!
Unbelievable display of stamina. Unbelievable show. Weird Al headlined the next night. Life was good.
Wowww. For some reason, that reminds me of the time I saw The Cure in 2004. I was way out on the grass and there was this suuuuper drunk couple dancing next to me, and between every song they’d just yell out the names of any ‘80s song they could think of. TAKE ON MEEEE! HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLFFFFF! Those legacy shows bring out the best people.
One of the great punk concerts I saw in San Diego back in the day was at Soma when it was just a warehouse behind the Children's Museum. What an awesome place for concerts! Unwritten Law opened up for House of Suffering. It was intense, to say the least. Loved the energy that night. I remember stepping out into the cool night air and feeling like something was different, like something had shifted. The world is more clear when your heart is ripped open like that.
But probably the most epic experience at a concert has to be when I saw Pavement, Mudhoney and Sonic Youth at the Del Mar Fair. It was in one of those giant halls and when Mudhoney started to play, the entire room began to sway as one. I still don't know what song it was (not a big fan of their repertoire) but it slowly built up into this massive collision of energy and everyone, hundreds of people, were completely in tune with their music and one another, I never felt anything like that, before or since. It was incredible. Needless to say, Sonic Youth was a big bore after that.
I could also mention the night I saw Rage Against the Machine at Iguanas in TJ on Columbus Day! Coming to understand how anger can be turned into medicine. Or seeing Primal Scream at Iguanas. Or Ned's Atomic Dustbin. Or anyone else at Iguanas, for that matter. Anyone who went to Iguanas back in the day will understand what I'm talking about.
I'm like 10 days late on this but I saw Chem Bros and Fatboy Slim at Red Rocks in like 2002? The Chemical Brothers were SO LOUD that it reverberated my entire brain. To this day I have never heard anything louder and I was upfront for a Foo Fighters show inside the Pepsi Center. I think it rearranged the molecules in my body, that. combined with the venue. was top-notch. I'll never forget that one.
I also saw The Wombats in a tiny dive bar in Colorado Springs about 8 years ago. It was like Soda Bar size and the place was packed and every single person sang their hearts out and completely let loose. One of those great shows where you leave drenched in sweat, ears ringing, and feeling better about humanity. Dear lord, please let us have concerts back.
i saw parquet courts at the empty bottle (about the size of the casbah) in chicago in 2014 for a lollapalooza after show by myself. they were the first new band i truly fell in love with and it was my first time seeing a band i really liked at a small venue since blink 182 in 2003. also the first time seeing a band by myself. lolla after shows start at like 1130pm but i was going to a neighborhood and venue i hadnt been to before and got there at like 9. there were maybe 10 people in the venue. i chatted with some people to kill time drinking cheap beer and by the time the music started i was 2 feet away from the mic. moshed all night and my money has mostly been going to music since.
That sounds awesome. I mention somewhere else on the thread about how I don’t mind going to shows by myself, and it’s these kind of moments that cement that for me. I lived in NY for a year and had a press pass to the big music show as there, CMJ. I didn’t really know anyone in that city, but went to so many shows by myself and met a bunch of interesting people, including this British guy named Liam who entertained all my questions re Blur vs Oasis.
Parquet Courts are so good. I saw them play at Che Cafe with Destruction Unit. It seemed like a strange pairing, but the kids in the audience just went nuts for bands.
Red Hot Chili Peppers, Pearl Jam, and Nirvana in high school in Phoenix. Beastie Boys in college (also in Phoenix). So many Lollapaloozas. Random bands I had never heard of at the Casbah. Mind blowing performances and I had so much fun with friends, dancing, laughing and cheering. I MISS CONCERTS SO MUCH.
100%. Yeah, I was recently watching clips of Beastie Boys from their Hello Nasty tour and, damn, I feel so jealous of anyone who got to see them live.
At Coachella in 2007, Manu Chao played before Rage Against The Machine, which was RATM's first reunion show. At the time I thought, wow, tough slot, because the crowd was huge and seemed mostly there for RATM. But a guy standing next to us kept saying how tough it would be to follow Manu Chao and Radio Bemba, as he'd seen them before and said be prepared to be floored. An hour later, I was in total agreement. They absolutely delivered. Amazing show under tough circumstances. A couple years ago I looked his set up on YouTube to see if maybe it was being in the moment and if I saw it again it would be less than I remembered. But no, it was great show.
I should also note, for me, live concert #1: Oingo Boingo at the SDSU OAT on the Dead Man's Party tour. I was 14. I've been a live music fan ever since. I miss shows. Thanks for the topic/thread!
Hell yeah! I'm gonna check out that Manu Chao set.
Oingo Boingo was my first concert! It was actually their second-to-last show ever. They played the Delta Center in SLC before LA (where they filmed their Farewell video). I was in 5th grade, and the company my dad worked for had box seats at the Delta center, so he was able to snag those tickets and take me. I remember being kinda scared at first when they opened with "Insanity" and they had all those scary marionette props singing/dancing, but it was a feeling that I couldn't get enough of.
My most memorable concert was the first Coachella Festival on Oct. 10, 1999. It seemed implausible to drive to the desert for a concert, but how could you not go when Tool and Rage Against the Machine were headlining? It was SO hot that day (and night), but the concert was intense especially since Maynard sang during the Rage concert (I think Zack de la Rocha had a throat/voice issue?). It was my 18th birthday, too, so my parents had paid for mine and my sister's tickets, loaned us the family minivan, rented a Motel 6 room for us and our friends, and gave us gas and coffee money for the drive back to San Diego. After the concert, all of us piled into our room - two people to a bed, people on the floor, and someone in the bathtub. It was tiring, exhilarating, and unfortunately set me up for a lifetime of high standards when it came to concerts. I'm a suburban mom now, so I feel like such an old-timer when I describe the then-new festival to my younger cousins and students...
But, it was absolutely, without a doubt, my most memorable concert ever. And this is after going to the 1997 VANS Warped Tour the last time it was at Hospitality Point (The Aquabats arrived on stage via speedboat!), the 1999 Smokeout Concert with Cypress Hill and the Deftones in San Bernardino, going to the first Street Scene at Qualcomm, and basically every time I went to the old SOMA (how do you forget the bathroom ALWAYS flooding at each show?)...
Wow, that sounds incredible, Lorena. Your parents sound like the best. I really wish I had been able to go to one of those early Coachellas—I think the first time I even heard about it was 2004?
Funny story about the Aquabats: they played a concert at my high school. I went to school in Park City, Utah, and I think one of the parents had some Mormon connection to the Bat Commander and was able to get them that way. But, like, most of the kids who went to my school didn't really know who Aquabats were, so a lot of people were really confusded.
Thankfully, my dad raised me right when it came to music and didn't mind bankrolling our trip, despite my (many) teenage shenanigans! Yeah, after that first Coachella, the promoters didn't profit much, so they held off until over a year later IIRC to bring it back in April. I never went back, but I think attending in recent years would have rubbed the shine off that first trip.
The Aquabats have always surprised me with their dichotomy between silly weirdness and squeaky clean Mormon image! Have you seen their kids' show "The Aquabats! Super Show!"? I'm convinced showing that to my superhero-loving son as a toddler made him fall in love with ska and punk music.
Oh for sure. I mean, I still love Aquabats and think their Super Show and Yo Gabba Gabba are so good at teaching kids that it's okay to be weird.
I tell this story a lot, but my first concert was the Ramones at the Wax Museum in Washington, D.C. in 1984 when I was 15 or 16. My mom took me and my younger brother but we had to pay for our own tickets. The opening band had a song with the line "I'd love you if you didn't smoke" and all these punks threw lit cigarettes at the singer.
Haha! He was asking for it IMO. How were the Ramones?
They were great! It was either the Subterranean Jungle or Too Tough to Die tour and hadn't fallen off yet. Played tons of old stuff. My brother and I were so stoked to get to the show early and stand right in front of the stage but as soon as the Ramones started up someone picked me up and tossed me to the side.
Hey I've got a good Ramones in DC story from the same era! I was 13, so I reckon it must have been the summer 19 and 82. The Ramones were playing at the Bayou in Georgetown and my big sister had gotten tickets for us from Ticketron; but when we got to the venue, they carded us and wouldn't let me in. I was super bummed but we managed to sell the tickets and make a slight profit. We were walking dejectedly up the hill to go Eagle liquor and score some brewskis, when we passed the alley behind the club, where there sat the Ramones' tour bus. The Ramones were loitering around in the alley so I timidly introduced myself and told our sad story. Joey, clearly moved, spoke from behind a curtain of bangs: "You kids wanna go in with us?"
So we did. But first...fireworks. It was early July, and the fellas must had picked up some fireworks (prolly in the Carolinas, that's where you could get the good stuff), so we hung out in the rat-infested alley with the Ramones and blasted the shit out of a bunch of mortars and bottle rockets.
When there were no more fireworks, we went backstage with the band and hung out awkwardly while Joey drank an entire pot of coffee and got a neck rub.
I don't remember much about the concert. It was good. I had been to a few punk shows at smaller places in DC, so the Bayou seemed like a huge and legit venue. The show itself didn't have the same impact on me as the first punk show I had been to--the Teen Idles at the Chancery--where I had no idea what to expect and people were stage diving off of rickety staircase. But the hanging out with legends part left an impression.
This is an incredible story, Andy.
Oh wow that's a great story! Eagles Liquor was the closest liquor to Northern Virginia and we'd make the dash across Key Bridge all the time. What school did you go to?
Man we must have been neighbors. I went to Robinson (one of my buddies there was Oderus Urungus) for 8th and 9th, then we moved and I went to Langley. Super convenient for cutting class and going downtown.
Where’d you go?
Oh wow! I went to Bishop O'Connell in Arlington and grew up in Falls Church. But you were cooler than me. I didn't find out about the DC scene until after I joined the Navy. My idea of a good time was skipping school and feeding quarters into video games.
Haha...I was lucky(?) to be friends with some older kids (like Oderus/Dave) who turned me on to the scene and let me tag along to shows. Can't believe my parents let me hang out with them. No way I'd let my middle school kids get in a car with a creepy senior driving.
Tell me about it. I had a paper route for years. Walking around the neighborhood in the dark was bad enough I also had to go door-to-door in the evenings to collect. There was no way I'd let my kid do that now.
Wow, you guys are taking me through the way back machine! Jim: I was at that Ramones show too. We must be the same age. I think I was 14 or 15. If I remember correctly the opening band was a synth band with two synthesizers. I was up against the stage when the Ramones came out and got blasted. I knew I was with my people! Probably ended up seeing the Ramones at the Bayou 7 or 8 times. I also went to Radford, graduated in 89. I remember seeing Cock Ring open for the Slickee Boys at Luckys... remember that floor? it bounced like crazy. They would get a couple fun shows from time to time. Thanks for the memories!
Hey Rob apologies for taking so long to reply but I wanted to say -- whoah! What a bunch of wild coincidences. I'm so glad someone remembers Cock Ring! And I do remember Lucky's. Their late night calzone delivery was a godsend. I graduated from Radford in 1992 but I had a two year detour in the Navy. Do you remember what month that show was? I think the Ramones played the Wax Museum twice in 1984 before it shut down.
No worries at all Jim. The Ramones show was October 9th. I still have my stub... remember paper tickets? Those bring back a million memories.
Also wanted to say that the Bad Religion book was probably the best band biography I ever read. So well done! The only band I have seen more that The Ramones is BR. Im ordering the Keith Morris book and can't wait for the SST book as well.
Thanks, Ron! That's very kind of you to say. Here's hoping we can have some BR book events when the paperback comes out. And thanks for confirming the date of the show! That's been driving me crazy for a while. Do you know who the opening act was? And by any chance do you remember a big brute who wore a t-shirt that said "I PLAY MONGOLIAN BATTLE BALL" on the front and "PRAY FOR ME" on the back?
If you get to the Tampa area I will definitly stop by to get my book signed and give you the stub. I don't remember the name of the opening band but for some reason I remember they had two synthesizers. Other memories of that show: having a big X on my hand (so very straight edge!), my buddies and I got right up to the stage and as soon as the Ramones hit 1-2-3-4 we were brutalized, I got my head stepped on by someone jumping up on stage. I would think I would remember a shirt like that... he must of been on the other side. What a great night!
Rob what's your email address?
I think my first concert was Reel Big Fish and Goldfinger, and Sum 41. It was the wet dream lineup of a 14 year old in like 2001 or whatever year it was. I think Ryen Schlegel was there, but I can't remember how I got a ride to the venue. It was at Bricks, in Salt Lake City, I think. One of the old venues that isn't around anymore. Getting close to the artists and hearing their blown out guitars and shitty vocals was pretty life affirming. It was the first time I saw behind the artifice of recorded music, all the bells and whistles of the studio are gone and its just the musicians on stage. In the case of those three bands, not-so-great musicians (although RBF had a killer horn section). I will always love that experience of hearing a band live after getting used to their songs on record: seeing them sweat, sing out of key, improvise through disaster. That's what I really like about music anyway, the imperfections. So I grew up and my taste changed (though it probably didn't improve very much) and to me the bands worth watching don't always play very well but what they play is a real-time snapshot of who they are at that moment. That's why I like instruments more than like pre-recorded tracks. The artists can leave you with some kind of performative, human impression that makes you think to yourself, "I can be a shitty musician too..." and that's really what makes the world go 'round.
I hear you, Jeff. This a little embarrassing, but I remember just being so blown away when I first saw Everclear after their So Much for the Afterglow album came out. I was super into that album, and my dad took me and a friend to see them (they were playing a free show at the University of Utah). It was so loud and powerful, I remember feeling the bass drum in my chest. (I'll still go to bat for Everclear's Sparkle and Fade album though).
It wasn't a huge concert by any means, but awhile back after having just moved back to San Diego, I saw a band called Blackwitch Pudding. Magical wizards with giant amp stacks, it was an incredibly fun night despite the small amount of people in attendance. But I think it was a defining moment specifically because of those folks who turned out, members of the San Diego music community who had came to support a love of live music as well as the opening act. It wasn't until later that night when I discovered some of them were in a mutual facebook group, which has led to wonderful friendships. I haven't attended a concert alone in San Diego since that night thanks to this community, and have gotten to know so many local bands and musicians who are so incredibly loving and supportive. I miss everyone so much.
This sounds rad. I actually don't mind going to shows alone. I mean, you can't really talk to people during the sets anyway, and I like the feeling of anonymity while being surrounded by people. Do you remember where this concert was?
I used to feel pretty out of place before shows started. I'd be the only one standing around and not drinking and my social anxiety would go through the roof, but it isn't so bad when I have someone to hang out with. This was at Til Two I think, tons of fog and a wizard laser show. The opener was Ross from OhCult's old band who I didn't know at the time, but he later recognized me and introduced himself at another show which was awesome. Definitely appreciate our SD music family.
Styx. 1998. Marathon County Fairgrounds. Rained delay for two hours. It was getting muddy in the dirt patch in front of the stage. An "old guy" (probably 40ish) was standing alone in front of us in the rain. He stood their alone not talking or drinking or doing anything. Just waiting. He kind of looked like Mario (of the Mario Brothers).
Finally, the band came on stage. Tommy Shaw and the guys blast into "Renegade." Mario puts his head down. Right arm up. Hand contorted into the Rock N Roll devil horns. Arm starts pumping. This continues for the next several hours. Between songs he'd stop the arm pumping, but the HORNS STAYED UP!
Unbelievable display of stamina. Unbelievable show. Weird Al headlined the next night. Life was good.
Wowww. For some reason, that reminds me of the time I saw The Cure in 2004. I was way out on the grass and there was this suuuuper drunk couple dancing next to me, and between every song they’d just yell out the names of any ‘80s song they could think of. TAKE ON MEEEE! HUNGRY LIKE THE WOLFFFFF! Those legacy shows bring out the best people.
One of the great punk concerts I saw in San Diego back in the day was at Soma when it was just a warehouse behind the Children's Museum. What an awesome place for concerts! Unwritten Law opened up for House of Suffering. It was intense, to say the least. Loved the energy that night. I remember stepping out into the cool night air and feeling like something was different, like something had shifted. The world is more clear when your heart is ripped open like that.
But probably the most epic experience at a concert has to be when I saw Pavement, Mudhoney and Sonic Youth at the Del Mar Fair. It was in one of those giant halls and when Mudhoney started to play, the entire room began to sway as one. I still don't know what song it was (not a big fan of their repertoire) but it slowly built up into this massive collision of energy and everyone, hundreds of people, were completely in tune with their music and one another, I never felt anything like that, before or since. It was incredible. Needless to say, Sonic Youth was a big bore after that.
I could also mention the night I saw Rage Against the Machine at Iguanas in TJ on Columbus Day! Coming to understand how anger can be turned into medicine. Or seeing Primal Scream at Iguanas. Or Ned's Atomic Dustbin. Or anyone else at Iguanas, for that matter. Anyone who went to Iguanas back in the day will understand what I'm talking about.
I'm like 10 days late on this but I saw Chem Bros and Fatboy Slim at Red Rocks in like 2002? The Chemical Brothers were SO LOUD that it reverberated my entire brain. To this day I have never heard anything louder and I was upfront for a Foo Fighters show inside the Pepsi Center. I think it rearranged the molecules in my body, that. combined with the venue. was top-notch. I'll never forget that one.
I also saw The Wombats in a tiny dive bar in Colorado Springs about 8 years ago. It was like Soda Bar size and the place was packed and every single person sang their hearts out and completely let loose. One of those great shows where you leave drenched in sweat, ears ringing, and feeling better about humanity. Dear lord, please let us have concerts back.
i saw parquet courts at the empty bottle (about the size of the casbah) in chicago in 2014 for a lollapalooza after show by myself. they were the first new band i truly fell in love with and it was my first time seeing a band i really liked at a small venue since blink 182 in 2003. also the first time seeing a band by myself. lolla after shows start at like 1130pm but i was going to a neighborhood and venue i hadnt been to before and got there at like 9. there were maybe 10 people in the venue. i chatted with some people to kill time drinking cheap beer and by the time the music started i was 2 feet away from the mic. moshed all night and my money has mostly been going to music since.
That sounds awesome. I mention somewhere else on the thread about how I don’t mind going to shows by myself, and it’s these kind of moments that cement that for me. I lived in NY for a year and had a press pass to the big music show as there, CMJ. I didn’t really know anyone in that city, but went to so many shows by myself and met a bunch of interesting people, including this British guy named Liam who entertained all my questions re Blur vs Oasis.
Parquet Courts are so good. I saw them play at Che Cafe with Destruction Unit. It seemed like a strange pairing, but the kids in the audience just went nuts for bands.
*for both bands