My Fourth and Fifth Concerts

I can't remember which concert I went to first, so...

The fall of my freshman year at college was a time for me to get out and discover music. Although, I mostly listened to the same stuff I had been into for the previous year.

That fall, a friend of mine and I saw Primus at the Newport. We took the bus down to campus and got our mosh on. (Someone please remind me never to write about getting anything on ever again. At least I didn't write that "we got our drink on" or some other stupid shit like that.)

The dexterity at which Les Claypool could bang out a song on the bass had me awestruck. I could better see at this show the skill with which he played as compared to the cavernous venue of the previous summer's Lollapalooza. This was probably at the height of Primus' fame.

(My cousin saw them when he was in high school and their name was Primal.)

Florida and I waited at the bus stop with some crazy preacher and a drunk, white-trash couple making out for our ride home.

The other big concert I saw that fall was Nirvana at Dayton's Hara Arena. This was the show that made me the "guy-who-goes-to-concerts". We had to sit high in the arena since we did not have floor tickets, but the usher assured us that we could probably sneak onto the floor once Nirvana went on.

After nearly falling asleep during the Meat Puppets' set, my brother, his friend Jeff, and I made our break for the floor. That was the last I saw of those two until after the show, in the snow-covered car.

This has to be one of my four or five greatest concert experiences. There were announcements over the PA for a guy named Chad to come to the stage. We figured this was a joke about the band's former drummer.

Pat Smear was particularly funny at this show. Joints were tossed at his feet. He'd pick them up, take a sniff, acknowledge the audience, and pocket the spliff.

The rest of the band was as reckless as I had dreamed they'd be, playing all the songs I wanted them to. That was the most violent mosh pit I had ever experienced and still enjoyed.

I still have the ticket from that show. It's stained from the orange parking stub that bled once I had sweat through my jeans.

I remember running through the snow to the car. I had to put on my frozen letter jacket (because I wouldn't dare wear that thing to the concert) as I tried to warm up the car. Shortly after, my brother and Jeff found their way to the car. We reminisced the whole way home, buzzing from what we had just witnessed: the raw greatness that has made Nirvana the icon it is today.

My Third Concert: Lollapalooza '93

My brother used a sick day to buy our tickets to Lollapalooza '93 at Buckeye Lake just east of Columbus.

I remember taking the day off from work at a YMCA Camp. When I had asked my boss to take the day off, he simply asked for some documentation. I proceeded to write an essay proclaiming Lollapalooza's value as a cultural event. They still have that paper in my file at Camp Willson.

We picked up a couple of girls who went to our high school and followed the family hairdresser and her husband as they weaved through highway traffic through Columbus.

It was a typically hot and humid Ohio summer day. We often found ourselves refilling water bottles and desperately searching for shade in the open field.

Rage Against the Machine opened the show nearly assaulting the audience. I remember Zach de la Rocha screaming something about the police. At that exact moment, several of the rent-a-cops and state patrolmen gathered in a group. I don't know if was just a coincidence, but they definitely gathered during Rage's set.

That day, we watched the fem-Nirvana of Babes in Toyland. A puppet show that featured all the holes of the body highlighted the second stage along with sets by Tool and the Coctails. Arrested Development got the crowd dancing and Dinosaur Jr induced head bobbing.

The show was co-headlined by Alice in Chains and Primus, two of out favorite bands at the time. Layne Staley of Chains came out in a suit before finally stripping down to almost nothing. Primus ended the night. One of the highlights was when Fishbone's Angelo Moore joined Les Claypool for a few songs.

This was probably the day that single-handily changed my view of the world. Between the numerous bands, hemp stands, and pro-choice I saw that there were viewpoints way outside of my current scope.

My Second Concert: Spin Doctors

This was the show that told me I needed to be more discriminating in my concert choices. Although I was only 18, most of the audience was 5-6 years younger...not counting their parents.

Thank god Screaming Trees opened. Their presence alone kept the evening from being totally forgettable.

My First Concert: Soul Asylum

March 17, 1993:

I was a senior in high school. It was a cold St. Patrick's Day. I got my picture in the Columbus Dispatch.

That night, we headed to Columbus to catch the Soul Asylum show at the Newport Music Hall. Green beer was flowing. We bought our t-shirts and received free, matching hats.

Vic Chestnut put on an inspired set that put the crowd to sleep. There were people actually sitting on the Newport floor for this portion of the show. The audience actually cheered when his set was done.

The Goo Goo Dolls came on to impress with their blue-collar Buffalo punk. All I can remember is how one of the guys had the longest, shaggiest bangs I've ever seen. There were no accoustic power ballads that night.

Soul Asylum came on and promptly played all their hits. We moshed. We had fun. We ate tacos.