New Addition to the Jazz Odyssey- RTS' Tix
From a young age I saved my ticket stubs to concerts, sporting events and pretty much any event that had a stub. About 10 years ago I put them in a photo album. Above is the first page of that album with tickets primarily from my high school and college years. The tickets are in chronological order for the most part. Because some are incomplete or fading, here is the list in order starting from bottom left with a little color commentary:
Poison with opening act Tesla or Warrant (my first concert also the first time I chewed), Sam Kinison, Steve Miller, Van Halen, Spinal Tap, Soup Dragons (notice it says 18 and up, I was not 18, total rebel), Reggae Sunsplash (near the beginning of Jans experimentation period), Poi Dog Pondering (chronologically out of order).
Soul Asylum (Outside of Minnesota), Primus, Cypress Hill and Rage Against the Machine (RATM blew headliner CH off the stage), Belly, Toad the Wet Sprocket (First concert with my wife), Freddy Jones Band, Kiss (first tour with make up back on), Basilica Block Party (Soul Asylum and possibly Big Head Todd and the Monsters headlined, chronologically out of order).
Notable missing tickets from time frame: Smashing Pumpkins with Goo Goo Dolls opening (Goo Goo Dolls were booed and Billy Corgan threw a fit), Fugazi, the 1st time I saw the Beastie Boys, George Clinton
Each stub has a story and an experience to go with it. To pick one as my favorite would be impossible. However, Van Halen is up there as that was at my Van Halen peak. Sure it was Van Hagar, but I was 10 or 11 when the original Van Halen split. Spinal Tap is up there as well. We made it such an event, specifically dropping DTK off to wait in line before school for tickets and when we went to check on him hours later there was only one other person in line.10-20 of us grilled out in the school parking lot before walking downtown to the concert. We had two blocks of seats with one set significantly better than the other. It was one of those events, like a wedding, where you rank your friends. Finally, the missing Beastie Boys stub (it went through the wash). 4 of us road tripped 5 hours in a Yugo from Iowa City and pre-partied at Jan's before going down to the show.
Next- the Chicago years and back to Minneapolis period.
7 Comments:
These tix are a veritable treasure trove of stories from your angst-filled youth. I'm guessing here but do most of the stories somehow involve drinking? Or the search for booze so you could get drunk for the show? Ahhhh, LRTS would be so proud.
Impressive that someone took you to Sam Kinison in 1989, I mean you didn't get dropped off there, did you? Surprised that the Stereo MCs didn't somehow make the list for some reason. I don't know why I would think that but. . .
Some people can say they were at Altamont or at Ed Sullivan when the Beatles performed, well we saw Soul Asylum at their absolute height.
Just to drive you down memory lane - here's Poi Dog Pondering - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACb0YLTJcmM
December 29, 2011 at 10:37 AM
Yes, many of the events did involve booze. At one of the Glam Slam shows I recall chatting up some former Holy Angels girls and getting them to buy us drinks at the show. In hindsight they too were probably not of age but had fake IDs. Also, at Van Halen your ex-girlfriend hurled in our row. I think one of the things that was so cool about Spinal Tap is that we were all sober. It was just some good old clean fun.
We were dropped off at Sam Kinison. My parents had no idea who he was. It was absolutely hilarious, but so age inappropriate. Again, we were completely sober.
We did see SA at their height. That particular stub is still to come in the page dedicated to First Avenue. SA will show up a total of 5 times on these pages.
I would wager The Stereo MCs seem appropriate because they too were an MTV Buzz Clip, the same as Cypress Hill and Belly. Not sure why they never made it to the Iowa Memorial Union Ballroom.
I am sure I am breaking some Blog etiquette responding so quickly to my own post but this is memory lane for me and it is hard to resist.
December 29, 2011 at 3:17 PM
Considering there is no real "blog" feel free to relive the past as often as you'd like.
December 29, 2011 at 3:21 PM
RTS -
This is a fantastic trip down memory lane. Twists and turns at every stop, but always thrusting backwards. I have said many times, I am rarely as happy as when I see Live music, and your list is like someone just shoved my face in christmas pie. It's been a while since i thought about reggae sunsplash, but I don't know why. I would gladly change my ticket on the FTLOSBW time machine that I had previously reserved to go back in time and kill Hitler, to have the chance to return to those first sunsplashes.
The list is a who's who of 80's/90's awesome - many of whom I have recentluy thought of. I was literally talking to someone on NYE about seeing Freddy Jones Band live and wishing they got back together. Turns out you can see them on the Carnival Cruise Line in New Orleans in March. I'm already in a Daydream abouyt that one.
I still look back fondly at that Soupdragons concert with RTS and Jan. Going to first Ave, even at an all ages show, made us so cool. Going there to all ages shows now, not as much. But if the soups were playing, i'd be there. I'm free to do what I want, RTS.
And yes - the best part of the Spinal Tap show was waiting in line back in the pre-ticketmaster days when you had to go to Daytons to get tickets - and talking to the one guy ahead of us (we were so sure there would be a huge line -- I guess our Springsteen like adoration of a fictitious satirical band was not as commonly held by the General Pubic) and the guy did in fact think the movie was a documentary and totally real. For those of you who were on the fence - it was not.
January 4, 2012 at 7:31 AM
I remember that guy telling us that Shank Hall was a quality venue, like he was pumping up the previous Tap tour.
DTK, The Soup Dragons and Reggae Sunsplash concerts were when we had access to your brothers house and were able to walk to downtown (as well as The Broadway Bookstore). Your brother had those huge candle holders that were easily mistaken for cocktail glasses.
January 4, 2012 at 10:00 AM
Also, I think people Tony K banged GN in your brother's bed and left something behind.
January 4, 2012 at 3:12 PM
Such injustice. Not the stain but that a dirty like Tony K nailed GN. Can you imagine the conversations those two had when alone?
January 5, 2012 at 10:05 AM
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