Concert Memories

[psychmusic]

Here is my favorite concert memory-----

My best friend and I were in 9th grade. U2's Unforgetable Fire had just been released. They were just starting to get big and I only knew New Years Day. No one had even heard Pride yet. Anway, I never even heard of the band and they were playing a fairly small theater. My friend talked me into going. At the time I was only into classic rock. We got four tickets..two other girls who we had crushes on agreed to come to the show.

Well, a week before the show a girl in our high school died. She was hit by a car. It was horrible. Her name was Robin Rosen. The show started and right from the get-go I knew I was watching a very special band. Half-way through the set they ripped into Pride. In the middle of that song Bono did a kind of talk about Martin Luther King and other activists. I had never seen anything like that before. He also told the crowd about our classmate who had died. At the end of his little speech, he shouted....Sing this song for Robin Rosen..in the name of love. Someone had told Bono that she had tickets for the show, but had died. The crowd went wild. My friends and I cried and we all just hugged each other. Nothing will top that.

 

[Blooby]

A few random concert memories:

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On the way to see Robert Plant in Jacksonville, FL, I rear-ended an oh-so-shiny Jaguar.

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I have driven long, long distances for multiple concerts to find small signs on the doors, stating the shows had been canceled.  It one case, there was a coliseum show with a row of 20 or so glass doors.  There was a single index card stating the news.  Thank goodness for the Internet these days.

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Having somebody literally clawing his way up my back during a show by The Firm.  When I asked the guy what he was doing, he gave me a crazed look and said, "I have to see what Jimmy Page's fingers are doing."

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Years ago, I saw Return to Forever in New York City.  Perhaps fifty people in my immediate vicinity were air-bassing in honor of Stanley Clarke.

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I went to see Steve Vai in a small club in Orlando, FL.  It was crazy hot in the club, we were pressed together like sardines, it smelled, and I had the flu.  At one point, there was a violent push on my back.  I turned around for a "What the f&$%?" glance and saw people looking down toward my feet.  A very, very overweight guy had hit the deck.  He was out cold.  The tight circle of males (It was a Steve Vai show after all) just stared down agog toward his enormous, exposed belly and non-moving frame on the nasty beer-soaked floor.  A guy next to me said, "Here, could you hold my beer for a sec?"  This is what we needed...decisive action.  I took his beer, and he kind of braced himself against me and the guy on the other side of him.  He then gently extended his leg an prodded the guy's belly, poking it lovingly yet thusly a couple times.  I can only assume it was his medically-minded attempt to see if the man was still alive (Once we hauled him outside and got him some water, he was fine.).

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And finally (for now), I was at a local Living Colour show with a buddy.  I was in my thirties at the time, a respectable teacher in the community, and I guess I was feeling old...old and bored/boring.  I turned to my friend and said, "I'll see you in about a half an hour.  I then traipsed into the one and only mosh pit I have ever visited.  I stayed there for a few minutes, tussling with youth both figuratively and metaphorically when a youngish boy stared up into my eyes.  His expression was one of stark terror.  It was then that I recognized him, a former student, only recently having exited my class.  That would put him at-what?-fourteen years old, tops.

My role expanded from mere concert-goer to protector.  I knew what had to be done.  I leaned down and yelled over the music, "Don't worry.  We''ll get you out of here."  He said something back.  A plea perhaps.  I leaned in closer to make out what he was so desperately trying to say: "Tfrw munn oduh hae..."

Things were bad...  "What!?" I yelled.

He responded clear as a bell:  "I said,'Throw me on the stage!'"

And with that, another fellow I had bumped elbows with in the pit and myself each grabbed a portion and launched him toward Vernon Reid... or was it Corey Glover?  Security was already converging on our young protagonist, but by then, he was soaring, spread-eagled back into another part of the crowd. 

I never saw him again.

Shortly thereafter, I came back to my "old friend."  I started to open my mouth when he said, "Don't bother.  I was watching you the whole time.  I think most of the people were.

My back healed within mere weeks.

Until next time...

Blooby

[hooper]

The Who- Who's Next tour in the Fall of 1971 at the old Coliseum in Charlotte, NC... which could seat 12-14,000 when set up for a rock concert.  We had seats about 1/3 of the way back from the stage, up on the side.  This was the original Who line-up, including Keith Moon.  Expectations were high... 

They opened of course with Can't Explain and were loud as thunder. Townsend and Mooney were just unbelievable to watch and it was a very positive, good vibes, high-energy concert.  It really seemed like the band wanted to entertain the crowd.

The finale was Won't Get Fooled Again and as the music progressed to the ARP synth part near the end all the lights went out, and just the (recorded) synth kept playing.... building tension.... Then it got to the part when drums start coming come back in, like the beginning of an avalanche and then Daltry belted out that scream YEAHhhhhhh!!!!  At that moment white spotlights came on from behind the band and swept out over the crowd.  The effect was absolutely explosive!  The entire crowd spontaneously cheered. It felt great!     I have never since seen anything done in a concert or theatrical setting that had soooo much impact.     

[SteveG]

After the big deal with Punk had slowed down in the UK, there were a few tours with several acts, one of which I went to. The Dammed was one of the bands playing, and one of the boys was a great fan. He managed to get close to Captain Sensible and demanded an autograph. "Ok, got a pen?" ... he gave him his ever present black magic marker. "Got something to write on?" Having nothing, he suggested he autograph his forehead ...... for the rest of the evening people were confused by this wild eyed punk running up to them, shouting "Look at this, aint it great?" and pointing at the word "Shithead" written on his forehead

[guitarron]

"Look at this, aint it great?" and pointing at the word "Shithead" written on his forehead

that's a great story!

about 6 or 7 yrs ago i got to meet Alice Copper and his entire band after a show in Royal Oak. He was in a hurry to leave (he's originally from the D so I'm sure he had better places to be). but my date and I hung out with the band. The guitar player in that line up was the guy that looks like Chris Kattan -his name escapes me-but all the band mates were calling him Corky-like Corky Romamo-pretty funny-the keyboard player was the guy from Gun's and Roses-who is cousins with a girl we knew and met up with by chance at the show-which is how we got backstage in the first place.

Alice's daughter was "Nurse Betty"-who's plays the evil nurse in his stage show
she was a sweet girl-an art student at the time -working for Dad
she also played the role brittny Spears-who alice beheaded
Alice has the best stage shows i've ever seen-very entertaining

[upsetminded]

Pink Floyd Momentary Lapse of Reason tour 1987 at the old Exhibition Stadium in Toronto.  The somewhat funny story is that the concert for me was exactly that, a momentary lapse of reason and memory (stupid chemicals).  I know I was at the concert but the memories of it don't really make sense...It was fun although i remember it being a little scary too .

  I was a little straighter for Division Bell in 1994 and that was a great show.

[SdC]

Pink Floyd Momentary Lapse of Reason tour 1987 at the old Exhibition Stadium in Toronto.  The somewhat funny story is that the concert for me was exactly that, a momentary lapse of reason and memory (stupid chemicals).  I know I was at the concert but the memories of it don't really make sense...It was fun although i remember it being a little scary too .

  I was a little straighter for Division Bell in 1994 and that was a great show.

Haha I went to Division Bell as well (Rotterdam). I got soooo friggin stoooned before the show that when the show started with sub-bass synth rolling through the stadium I momentarily blacked out.... and woke up completely sober and ready to enjoy the concert!