Posted on 06/28/2005 3:16:46 PM PDT by pissant
Many Freepers grew up in what they considered to be the golden age of Rock concerts. Of course, it may have had more to do with the fact that we were young and fanatical about the music in our youth. These days, ‘ol Pissant prefers the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Military Band music and Jazz, but I have some very fond memories of the craziness of my Rock concert yesteryears. I’m quite sure many of you have some concert stories that rival and surpass mine. So this thread is the place to share!
Following are 2 concert experiences that left a permanent scar on me! ;o)
This show was when Jackson Browne was a legitimate star. I never was a huge fan, but being on a 2-month European road trip with 3 buddies, it just seemed like a good opportunity to catch a little bit of America. The crowd was split about equally between krauts and US military folks. I managed to push my way to about 30 feet from the stage. I was standing next to a lovely female GI (and no, it wasn’t just the beer goggles) who had very nice features. Her problem was she was only about 5’3” or so and couldn’t see the stage. So for the last 45 minutes of the show I let her sit on my shoulders. It was quite hot in the arena and both she and I were sweating profusely. She smelled very good BTW. After the show I got a peck on the cheek and a promise that she would meet me the next night in a nearby watering hole. She never showed that night and I was left only with the fond memories of the scent of this lovely GI and a strained neck muscle.
2. Grateful Dead, Eugene Oregon – summer of 1988
Drove down from Seattle with a buddy and his girlfriend the night before the show and stayed in a cheap hotel in Eugene. We stayed out to the wee hours bar hopping and all had raging hangovers the next morning. Unfortunately, the weather was 85 degrees and sunny at Autzen Stadium (outdoor venue). In addition to the Dead, there were 2 other bands. Jimmy Cliff played his version of Raggae for an hour or so. By the time Robert Cray came on for his set, we were dying for a drink and the sun was at its peak. Thank God for a capitalistic Dead Head we ran into. He somehow managed to sneak in a large cooler full Ranier beer cans covered in ice, selling them for $2 each. We bought out the last of his stock, tamed the hangovers and saw a great Dead performance that afternoon. (They went downhill fast after this time period due to Jerry Garcia’s health!)
Every time I see the Young Dubliners it's an awesome show. Those guys are madmen, playing tons of high tempo music all the way through the encore, then they come out after the show and hang with the audience. Excellent musicians who love the people who pay their bills.
I can relate to the 5'3" GI not being able to see the stage...I'm 5'1" on a good day. Strong shoulders come in handy for us "vertically challenged". ;)
Ping
I can't remember the really good ones.... ;-)
OMG Jackson Brown and the Grateful Dead, they were as liberal as you could get ....I'm truly disappointed with you Pissant.
Now Ted Nugent... He's a true conservative, last time I saw him in concert he shot a effigy of Sadam with a flaming arrow. It was great!
oops a = an
What type of music are they? I've never heard of them!
That wasn't you who stood me up in Frankfurt was it?? LOL
LOL. I have a few I wasted my money on, only to have fuzzy recollections! ;o)
I've seen Billy Idol six times over the past 20 years.
Yes, I know. I need to get a life. :-)
And I once got to touch Lenny Kravitz when he climbed over the railing into the seats. Lenny should have invested in a better deodorant.
No, sounds like she's taller than me! ;)
Hey CC, Ted's music stinks. I did not care about liberal musicians in my early twenties. I hated their politics, but I liked the tunes. BTW, there were many, many conservative dead heads!
With or without the use of hallucinogens?
Celtic rock, they're one of the legions of working bands out there today getting little to no airplay that you pretty much have to stumble on as an opening act (how I found them) or by frequenting your nearest live music club. Killians sponsors their tours and used a chunk of one of their tunes for a commercial a while back.
Billy Idol? Yikes!
ROFL! I thought you liked sweaty guys! ;o)
You're a shortie, aren't you? I'm 5'3" and you make me feel tall. :-)
RUSH - London Wembly Arena - 1993. Finally saw my favorite band.
U2 - London Wembly Stadium - 1993. Best concert I've ever seen. Bono even dragged Salman Rushdie on stage. I told a couple of friends I was with to get ready to duck. Really great show. Say what you want about Bono, but he (and U2) know how to put on a show.
RUSH - St. Petersburgh, Fl. - 1996 - They are on this list again because at this concert they played side one of 2112, The Analog Kid, and Xanadu from the "A Farewell to Kings" album. Three of my favorite obscure Rush tunes.
And she was a solid 130 pounds, at least. Next time I'll find a 95 lb waif! ;o)
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