It’s not every day that reading a Web site makes me think of Mojo Nixon eating pigshit.
When Xeni at BoingBoing posted a little ditty about Porky Pooper, I immediately was taken back to the Lost Horizon in Syracuse, N.Y., circa 1990. Mojo opened for the Dead Milkmen, who were on their “Fear of a Beige Planet” tour. His set, during which each band member was swigging their own bottle of Jagermeister, was a blast. At one point Mojo simulated some sweet love on a blow-up pig. Then he held the pig up high, squeezed its belly and popped several unwrapped Tootsie Rolls into his mouth (some of course got tossed into the crowd). Good times. The highlight of the show, however, was the Milkmen’s encore, during which Rodney Anonymous started talking about a time when bands were “bigger, meaner and tougher than us.” He then screamed: “We’re talking about the Misfits!” as the band ripped into a beautifully chaotic cover of “Astro Zombies.”
The nostalgia got me thinking about other concert-moment memories that stand out for me. Moments such as:
Black Flag, 1986, a short-lived place called Exile in Tulsa, Okla. — The first song. This was my first real punk show, and I was beside myself (Henry Rollins was, and still is, a hero). I saw the crowd compact at the front of the “stage” (There was no stage — someone just put down some tape, which Henry, who always performed in running shorts only, strongly advised everyone against crossing.) then heard the band tear into “Loose Nut.” Fucking fierce. The place exploded like the beginning of the universe, and I just stood there, wide-eyed, taking in the wonderful display of it all. After the first couple songs I snapped out of it and jumped into the fray. My ticket was $8. The T-shirt, I think, was $6.
Alice Cooper, 1981, Memorial Hall, Joplin, Mo. — This was my first concert, kind of a consolation prize from my parents for not letting me see KISS on their “Dynasty” tour in D.C. two years earlier. I have no idea why Alice came to Joplin for his “Special Forces” tour (Note: site is missing the Joplin show), but he did and my 11-year-old ass was there. He was still kinda in his pseudo-new wave look, so he sported short hair and played “Clones (We’re All).” But he played many of the classics, too. The great moment for me was the encore, when he out with long hair (it apparently was pinned back), screamed “Thought I cut it, didn’t you, fuckers?” and played “School’s Out.” Little-rocker heaven. The next year KISS started a long road of suck, and I discovered Devo, Gary Numan and Sparks, sending me down a new path of tunage.
Rollins Band, 2003, 9:30 Club, Washington, D.C. — This was the tour for the “Rise Above” CD, a benefit for the West Memphis Three. The tour was like the CD — all Black Flag songs, performed by Rollins Band. I couldn’t wait to see Rollins do those songs live again. Keith Morris of the Circle Jerks sang the first few, old-school Black Flag songs. Then the band kicked into “Rise Above” and Rollins came onstage … with fucking Ian Mackaye! Everyone lost their minds. Neither one of them had lost even a tad of intensity. The entire show followed their lead.
Social Distortion, 1996, Ogden Theatre, Denver — I love it when dipshits get publicly humiliated. This was my first Social D show, and it was phenomenal. The band was tight, and Mike Ness was fierce. Then three skinheads who were ganging up (what else?) on people in the pit starting giving the band Nazi salutes. Ness immediately started making fun of them between songs, saying “In L.A. we just beat the shit out of people like you.” The big skinhead tried to rush the stage — Ness threw off his guitar and went after the guy. The bouncers stopped them before anything happened and kicked out the big skinhead and his friend, leaving a little skinny one alone in the pit. He kinda stood in the back, making faces at Ness while he played. Ness called him out, too, but he just stood in the back with a smart-ass grin on his face. Then the crowd started pushing him forward, forcing him to the stage. His smile quickly turned to fear as he realized the entire pit was pushing him forward; he looked like he was going to pee his pants. The bouncers grabbed him and pulled him out before Ness could touch him.
Big Four, 1993, Davey’s Uptown, Kansas City — Ahhh, back when Davey’s was a literal hole in the wall with no real stage (just a marked-off area next to the women’s room) and 85-cent Old Style night on Thursdays. Big Four is two guys — Ernie Locke, lead singer of Sin City Disciples and then the monstrous Tenderloin on vocals, harmonica and voice distortion and some friends of his who played guitar and sang. Both are big boys. From the bluegrassy “Cajun Family Orgy” to a Butthole Surfers-esque cover of “Stayin’ Alive,” they did it all. During the last song the guitar guy had to “take a dump,” so he took the microphone and guitar into the women’s room as Ernie roamed the crowd a bit. The big finish was him emerging from the bathroom, triumphant, and them meeting back at the stage for a final chorus.
OK, it was pretty damn funny and cool at the time.
These are just a few moments that jumped into my head between stressing about work and stressing about my personal life. Please share any memories you have — not of entire great concerts per se (I could spend hours writing about those), but just cool moments that stand out from the gigs you’ve seen.
After a Robert Earl Keen show in South Carolina I was waiting to say hey to the venue manager, who I knew a little, after he finished talking to someone else. I was just about to step forward when some big asshole shoved me HARD from behind and got in the manager’s face and started yelling. Turns out the big asshole was Robert Earl Keen himself and he was upset about someone fucking with him by the bus or something. Whatever. The point is this: Lyle Lovett’s college roommate shoved me! Yessssss!
Also, once I was on the side of an outdoor festival stage taking a picture of Nickel Creek mandolinist Chris Thile, and for some reason he saw me and turned toward me and played, you know, sort of at me until I got the photo. Awww.
I’m reminded of the Drive-By Truckers’ song “The Night GG Allin Came to Town.” Operative line: “people paid twelve dollars to get shit on.”
By the way anybody who hasn’t read “Our Band Could Be Your Life” should do so right away. It’s all about the bands mentioned here.
Oh, and I’d be remiss without adding a link to Jim Ruland’s Punk Pastoral.
http://www.sweetfancymoses.com/ruland_doa1-1.htm
Among the most hilarious things I have ever read.
Siouxsie & the Banshees with My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult, Superstition tour; Dayton, OH. 1991. It was the third time I saw the Banshees (saw them twice in Chicago & Cleveland on Lollapalooza) and it was amazing.
Before the show I hit on, and got hit on, by my older brothers ex-girlfirend before we realized who the other was. TKK was in their heyday, touring with the Bomb Gang Girls, and the Banshees had Talvin Sigh on cello. I spent the entire concert standing on my seat screaming. The kicker was during SatB’s encore, when all of TKK and the Bomb Gnag Girls came on stage at the same time to perform and dance. The place went nuts.
What else? Uhm… Love and Rockets in Rochester. They played Slice of Life (this was when we thought Bauhaus would never do another gig). I screamed myself haorse. Unfortunately after the show Daniel ash tried to have sex with my girlfriend, and that kind of that kind of spoiled the moment.
Captain Sensible mooning the crowd and pouring beer over his ass at Nation.
Meeting David J and babbling like a moron.
Every Sex Device (Cincinnati Cyber Punk band) show every.
Meat Beat Manifesto’s God O.D. show. How can yo argue with a show where guy dressed like this (http://www.digitalchemist.com/mbm/photos/images/03.jpg) is the front man and the actual band is off somewhere in the wings? (Incidentally Marcus offered to cut my hair like his after the show).
Front row at Ethyl Meatplow, opening for Nitzer Ebb, Bogarts Cincinnati, Oh. Hands down one of the top 5 industrial shows ever performed by anyone anywhere. I can go on for hours about how great this show was from start to finish. One of the best shows by a band I had neer heard of before they went on stage.
The Ska Against Racism show at the new 9:30 in ’98. During The Toasters encore half of the other bands (skankin’ pickle and mustard plug come to mind) joined them on stage. There had to be 10 or more horns on stage, They just blew the back off the fuckin’ venue.
Stace: You should have beat his ass. You know you can. And you also know that whenever you tell stories of Nickel Creek you really mean “Nickelback” and just don’t want to admit it. Snap.
Tom: I must hear that song! Unfortunately, I don’t know much of DBT’s stuff. I’m not cool like Stacy. I played the shit out of a live G.G. Allin tape I had in high school, though. Opening song was “I Wanna Fuck Myself,” which is still one of my faves. He actually came to Joplin after I was grown up and gone, but he never played — got pissed about something and took off with all the money. The kids who organized the show chased him for miles. It’s a JoMo legend (among a very few people).
I bought that book when it came out and saw the author speak in D.C. Ian MacKaye was in the audience, drilling him with questions. Still haven’t read it, though, cause I’m on top of things like that. But I do have it with me in Tokyo.
Shade: That Captain Sensible moment was truly spectacular. I think that was the same show where he saw some hot chick and screamed “I wanna shag your ass!”
And your comment brought another great concert moment to mind — Pigface, 2003, Nation. I’m having a great time watching the show up front when my drunk-ass friend Shade disappears. Next thing I know he’s onstage hopping around like a madman, smiling real big because he’s dancing with Pigface (who hasn’t dreamed of doing that?), right behind that hot chick from Voodou.
Where’s Vicki Carr??? Byebye.
Blink 182 did an HFS Nutcracker show, I believe in 2001 … these guys in the pit were groping girls who were crowd surfing, so in the middle of a song (don’t remember which one) Mark tells the guys “Hey, stop groping those girls, assholes! They should be able to surf without getting molested.” To which Tom added, “Yeah, she’s not YOUR MOM!” And the whole crowd laughed. Good times.
Oh, and Beasties at the 9:30 in 2004 … Ad Rock was trying to get the crowd to boogie to “Body Movin’.” Being a DC crowd, they were barely doing more than a shuffle (fuckers), but Geoffrey and I started going crazy up in the balcony, waving our arms and being asses. Ad Rock pointed at us and said, “Thank you!” Yay! Ad Rock talked to us!!
Wow, that reads like a who’s-who of rock! Alice Cooper, Black Flag and Social D!
Hope that skinhead still feels as brave, Mike Ness will still rip his scrawny bald head off.
I saw Hole at Va. Tech just a few months after Cobain killed himself. And Courtney was insane on the drugs, which made for an amazing performance — ranting, cursing, violence, all of which made glorious sense at the time. She played “Beautiful Son” at least five or six times, and the rest of the band went with it. It was thrilling. I took my sister, who was in town visiting and only in 6th or 7th grade at the time. She was scared shitless of Courtney for years afterward.
Also, I just love this story: Saw Yeah Yeah Yeahs at 9:30 a year or two ago. It was a fucking great show, but partway through my husband elbows me and tells me that there’s this cute blonde on one side of the balcony who keeps staring at him. He tries to point her out, but I don’t see whoever it is. I think he’s probably been drinking too much. A little while later he turns back and says, “Shit, it’s your sister!” We didn’t know she was going to be at the show, and vice versa. It was hysterical. Leave it to my husband to think his sister-in-law is macking on him.
Ahh, you children. In a nutshell (and missing much due to short term memory loss) these are a few of my favorite (and formative)concert experiences.
It started in the late 70s with Todd’s RA tour. Fabulous “mountain” on stage and a guitar solo that still rocks my brain. And of course Van Halen opening for Black Sabbath at Memorial Hall in K.C.
Then there were the Summer Jams at Arrowhead with Ted, Aerosmith, REO, The Cars, Santana, etc.
But it wasn’t until I blew off college and moved to Venice, CA that I really got an earful. The Music Machine was a favorite place from ’81-’82 where I saw such blistering shows as Fear, REM, The Blasters, Redd Cross and Sham 69. I was bummed at having to go to the early show for Fear, but it was a good thing. About 3/4 the way through the show, ALL of the porcelain fixtures from the bathrooms were out on the club floor. Then some guy puts a few rounds from a .45 into the ceiling… end of show, night over. But I did get to hear “Let’s have a war.”
The L.A. days were great. Tuning in to Rodney on the Roq and seeing the last show at the Whiskey a go-go (Tom Petty, The Plimsouls. et.al.) and diving into the punk scene with shows at the Ukranian Culture Center on Melrose where I saw Black Flag, TSOL, the Circle Jerks, the Angry Samoans, Social D, the Decendents (who still kicked ass 20 years later at a show in Ft. Collins) and Salvation Army.
Other phenomenal shows in L.A. were The Specials in the Valley, The Clash and Who at the Colliseum and one of the Stop Making Sense shows (while back for Christmas break in ’83) at the Pantages.
But my three favorite L.A. items that endure are 3) sitting in on a surprise 45-minute set by Richard Pryor at the Comedy Store, 2) seeing my ’55 Caddy parked in front of my Venice apartment in a scene from Tales of Ordinary Madness (Ben Gazarra as Bukowski) and 1) making the front page of the L.A. Times Calendar section, just after passing a bowl to my friend, at the PIL show. Damning evidence of alleged drug use…
Then I moved to New York to finish school and really went ballistic. The Cramps at the Peppermint Lounge, James Brown (repeatedly) at the Blue Note, The Ramones, the B-52s, Voilent Femmes and Husker Du. Setting up for Suzanne Vega in Hamilton Hall and hearing her play early versions of Tom’s Diner was great (she graduated the year after me), as was filming a video of Run DMC for the school cable access channel.
And there were of course the numerous shows at CBGBs, of which the Gun Club stands out and then some wierd heavy metal band called Spinal Tap. The Ritz was fun with the Meat Puppets and the Replacements. But seeing Buster Poindexter and his Banshees of Blue at the Bottom Line was always a fun thing for a weekend night.
Lately I’ve mellowed, but have been lucky to be connected with the Boulder Theater where I was treated to a series of talks by Sir Laurens Van der Post in ’96, Run DMC, Johnny Cash and the Buena Vista Social Club. But not too mellow. I caught the Gwar show a few months ago as well as Govt. Mule in July.
And last, but not least, my wife dated Kirby McMillan in college (University of Miami, OH).
I’m not dead yet.
Back in 1991 I got my older brother to take me to Lollapalooza – I was 14 and wanted to go only to see Ice-T (I don’t think I had even heard of the other bands before that day). I was blown away by the whole experience. It was my first real concert, the first time I’d smelled pot, drank a little beer, and the first time I spent time in a mosh pit. The whole day was amazing, but by far the best part was Jane’s Addiction. By the time he sang “Summertime Rolls” I was hooked. That song still pulls at me when I hear it.
1993 – Spin Doctors, Soul Asylum and some other band I can’t remember. I was 16, and got wasted in the parking lot on some REALLY bad tequila some guys had given us (it was years before I could even smell tequila without wanting to hurl after that). Soul Asylum was playing, a mosh pit formed and I was off to join the fun. The only problem was the fact I was wearing sandals…not a good plan. Some guy wearing boots fell back and crushed my little toe…good thing was I was too drunk to care and spent the rest of the night dancing and running around. It wasn’t until I got home I realized how bad my toe looked and felt.
That same summer, seeing 10,000 Maniacs on their last tour before breaking up. Watching Natalie Merchant twirl in circles for what seemed like hours and falling in love with her.
Ziggy’s in Winston-Salem, NC – a little dive of a club that always had great bands playing. My most memorable experience there was the Jim Rose Circus freak show. When they turned the lights out and started running around with chainsaws I was convinced I was going to die.
Another memorable music moment from my youth was not a band but just a lot of musicians playing together in Durham, NC. I was working backstage at the local theatre and during one of the productions one of the actor/musicians invited the kids to a music party held at a beautiful old house. There were banjos, fiddles, bases, mandolins and more harmonicas than I could count. These people just set up in different rooms in the house and started playing together. From the front porch you could hear different strains of music coming from everywhere in the house and it all melded together to form something beautiful. I’ve been to many folk music festivals since then but it never has hit me quite the same way that that night sitting on the porch did.
old 9:30 or new 9:30?
1991 Lollapallooza, KCMO
Just graduated high school…Sid, I’ve mentioned this before…Summertime Rolls: the clouds roll away and there are summer stars above the arena and lighting flashing all around us. First pot-smoking experience e’er.
2000 The Norva, Norfolk VA
Stone Temple Pilots
Whelan had just gotten clean, intimate setting, fantastic energy. My girlfriend was a jock on a local radion station and had VIP tickets. The guy moved like Mick Jagger with more sex appeal. Announced to the crowd that they were only going to do “new” stuff the rest of the show and then launched into Interstate Love Song.
2004: Prince. Musicology tour. Pittsburgh PA
What can I say? I’m an addict, I always have been. Especially when he sang The Question of U. *Le sigh*
Oh yeah…how could one forget?? Weird Al Yankovich, Memorial Hall, JoMo. First concert e’er.
Social D. – I can’t remember the year but it was awesome. In Houston at the Abyss some dude was at the front of the stage and he spit on Mike Ness. Mike finished the song and politely said something to the effect, My name is NOT Johnny F***ing Rock Star, I don’t like to be spit on. Well he started rocking to the next song on the set list and the guy spit on him again. Mike stopped playing and repeated to the guy that has does not like to be spit on, meanwhile everyone is pointing this guy out, it was awesome. He resumed and no sooner than I look to check out this chick to my left the music stops, he’s already dropped his guitar by the time I turn my head and he’s being held back by bouncers and band members. He grabs the microphone and says, if you spit on me again i will take you out back and show what it feels like to be a bitch. I will F*** you in the A** M*****F******… it was gnarly… Then the band played on uninterupted…
Then the first Foo Fighters tour.. this is kind of foolish but it was cool. We were to the left of the stage at Numbers in Houston just rocking out. We are huge Nirvana fans so of course we accepted anything Dave Grohl does. we were rocking out like young fools and Pat Smear looks right at us and smiles giving us the thumbs up. We did the loud “YEEEAAAHHHH!” kind of cool..
Laters..