The first real concert I ever went to was freshman year of High School at whatever used to be Mazottis on the Plaza downtown Arcata. It was Dick Dale, the King of Surf Guitar. And it rocked. I remembered at the time I was failing math, and we'd just gotten our mid-term report card, which was a nice assortment of D's and F's. The teacher, an uberbitch by the name of Ms Walsh, told us we'd get extra credit if our parents signed off our report cards. So that night I had Dick Dale sign my F report card. Dammit I wish I still had that report card...
And it was a great concert. I don't think I'd ever heard music that loud before. I remembered loving the way the floor resonated the heavy bass, and the reverb was cranked up so loud that it was piercing my skull, but the riffs were so badass; I loved it!
For my 17th birthday (maybe 16th), I went with my friend Devon down to San Francisco to see Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros at the Fillmore. This concert I will never forget. From the opening number "Cool'n'Out" to his closing encore of the Ramones' classic "Blitzkrieg Bop", I was in a state of ecstasy. Hearing classic Clash tunes like "Rudie Can't Fail", "Police and Thieves", "Bankrobber", "White Man in Hammersmith Palais", and even "Rock the Casbah" from the man who originally wrote and sung them was amazing. Such good showmanship, and an amazingly talented backing band. After the show he even hung out outside to chum it up with his fans. What an amazing person. Just a few months later he died of a heart attack, so it is with bittersweet content that I was able to see him perform live before he passed on. RIP Joe, you've always been an inspiration to me, and no single figure in music has ever influenced me as much as you.
For my 18th birthday my sister and I met up again in the Bay Area, this time in Mountain View for the "Area2" concert, featuring David Bowie and Moby (not to mention Blue Man Group and Busta Rhymes; what an eclectic lineup!). I like Moby, and I've always respected his music, even if he is a douchebag. Suffice it to say, David Bowie was the real reason I went. Moby was just a bonus.
Bowie, opening his set with his classic "Ashes to Ashes", was amazing in concert, all through "Ziggy Stardust" as the closing number. Assorted somewhere in between we had "Let's Dance", "Changes", "I'm Afriad of Americans", "The Man Who Sold The World", and more if I could only remember them. My only real problem with the show was it was in the Shoreline Amphitheater which is about as impersonal as seeing a show at Shea Stadium or Madison Square Garden. And unfortunately I didn't learn my lesson that time, as a few years later I saw another stadium show. More on that soon...
Then there was a trip up to Portland (pre-relocation) to see The Reverend Horton Heat at the Roseland with my buddy Jay. This show was a little hazy... I remember the Rev doing classics like "Psychobilly Freakout", "Bales of Cocaine", "Big Red Rocket of Love", and "It's Martini Time", but I also remember feeling a little bit disappointed by his live show. That's not to say I won't see him when he comes to HSU next February - quite the contrary, expect to see me there! It was just a little less energetic than you might expect after listening to his frantic, maniacal rockabilly for so many years. It was still an awesome show - The Reverend is an amazing guitarist and has great stage presence. It was worth the price of admission just to see his flaming Gretch and awesome three-piece red suit.
While on the subject of the Roseland, there were many other bands I saw perform there. Ironically, most of them I saw when I was visiting Portland. I think I only saw one show in the two-plus years I lived there. The first was The Hives, which I shouldn't even have to explain as being an amazingly fun and energetic live show. Quite possibly the most *fun* I ever had at a show. Any band that performs kick-ass rock while stage diving and sissor-kicking has gotta get good props in my book. It was also quite possibly the "highest" I've ever felt after seeing a live performance.
Then there was Belle and Sebastian, also at the Roseland, maybe two years later (?). And I have to say I enjoyed that concert more than any other. Such a fantastic musical ensemble, and great charisma on stage. In fact, my only gripe about the show was the people in the audience. I remember thinking it was almost like a joke... "I haven't seen this many hipsters outside of a Belle and Sebastian concert... oh wait." But it was a terrific setlist, playing almost half of the songs off their first (and best) two albums, "Tigermilk" and "If You're Feeling Sinister".
Also worth a quick note was The Eagles of Death Metal at the Roseland. While they were just the opening act for Joan Jett, all we really cared about seeing were the Eagles. I remember Throw Rag was opening too, but we missed them. I'd seen Throw Rag open for Flogging Molly at HSU a few years back, and they completely stole the show from Flogging Molly. The only time the opening band ended up upstaging the headliner. Throw Rag, for the record, is also opening for The Reverend Horton Heat playing at HSU early next year. Cha-ching!!
A few years back for my 20th (I think) birthday, I flew out to Chicago to spend a couple weeks with my old friend Max. Megadeth was playing Gigantour with Dream Theater and Anthrax, so obviously I made sure my vacation coincided with the tour dates. Needless to say, Megadeth kicked some serious fucking ass! Pyrotechnics up the wazoo and guitar solos once every five seconds, it was awesome! Quite the polar opposite of seeing Belle and Sebastian in a small venue. It was right after they'd released "The System Has Failed", which was hailed as Dave Mustaine and Megadeth's comeback album, so they opened the set with "Blackmail the Universe". From that all the way through to the third encore of "Peace Sells" I was in metal heaven.
But let us not forget about the lesson I thought I'd learned after seeing David Bowie - stadium shows aren't nearly as fun! If I could only see Megadeth at a nice small venue, like the Roseland, it would be the perfect gig.... So last September, while still living in Portland, being the trendy fuck that I am, drinking my frappachino, smoking a cigarette and reading the Wilamette Weekly, low and behold what do I see - "MEGADETH - LIVE AT THE ROSELAND - SEPTEMBER 10TH". Oh...my...God!!!
Going to the gig might've ultimately gotten me fired (for the first time) from Uhaul (no-call no-show from being drunk, hungover, and so sore I could barely move the next day), but I didn't matter. For those 17 or 18 songs that Megadeth played, by God nothing else mattered (Metallica reference fully intended). From "Sleepwalker" to "Take No Prisoners" to "In My Darkest Hour" to "Hanger 18" to "Tornado of Souls" to "Wake Up Dead" to "Holy Wars"... oh my Lordy-Lord live music simply doesn't get more aggressive, dangerous and fun. Punk-rock moshpits are like a toddler in daycare compared to the ultra-aggression of the pit at a Megadeth show. Within ten seconds of the opening number I knew I had to take my glasses off, cuz they were already starting to fly. At one point, during "Washington is Next" I believe, I turned to the guy next to me, who was holding his face in his hand, blood pouring out of his nose, kneeling down. Because mosh pits are rarely about pure violence, they're about letting aggression out. Whenever somebody falls over, a host of people go to pick him back up. I made eye contact with the bleeding guy, and we both just started laughing and ramming into eachother. It was a thing of beauty. What a show!
And so here I sit, on the clock at work as always, reminiscing about all these past shows because tomorrow I am going to my first concert since that wonderful night last September. Though again speaking of polar opposites, this one is about as far removed from the thrash of Megadeth as possible - we are speaking about the Willie Nelson show down in Piercy. My father's band, The Delta Nationals, scored the spot for the opening act, which got me not only free tickets but a backstage pass. I have infinite respect for Willie, as he is one of the few old-timer country boys that I really enjoy (along with The Man in Black, of course, and Hank Williams Sr.)
But more than anything else, I just want to meet him. And smoke a joint with him. And maybe update my MySpace profile with a picture of me and Willie. And shake his hand, and bullshit with him for just a minute or two. Maybe strum a chord or two on his acoustic guitar. Ask him if his Ben & Jerry's ice-cream flavor really is made of hashish and shredded tax returns.
Most importantly, I look forward to adding his name to my ever-growing eclectic list, which some day soon I hope includes the likes of Iggy Pop, The Ventures, and Bob Dylan.
Benjamin.
No comments:
Post a Comment