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.