 |
Never afraid to ask the tough questions,
Michelle Wilson returns with another
cutting-edge guest blog post! |
The Brevard Live Music Awards
ceremony is happening on August
27th at the fabulous Henegar Center,
located in Melbourne, Florida. In honor
of this auspicious occasion, my ace
guest blogger Michelle Wilson reached
out recently to several star-players
within Florida's east coast music
community and presented a simple
question. Although my readers from
other parts of the country and around
the world likely won't recognize the
names of many of these musicians —
they're quite well-known on Brevard
County Florida's music scene. The
answers they gave are engaging, and
a heck of a lot of fun — I know that I
certainly got a kick out of this one,
and I hope you will too.
-Chris
___________________________________________________________
Do you remember your first
live concert experience? Mine was The Police Synchronicity tour in New Jersey at the Atlantic City Convention Center, three hours away from
my Long Island, New York home. It was February 7, 1984, and I was 16. Some
high school acquaintances had the tickets and I had the ride—my cool,
much-older cousin took us. It was the dead of winter, and nobody told me not to
wear my funky high-heeled boots. Little did I know that we would need to trek 14.37 miles across the
Atlantic City Boardwalk, oceanfront wind whipping our skin raw. With frozen
faces and aching feet we finally arrived, and it was worth the pain—I was there
to see and hear my beloved Sting and The Police! It didn’t matter that it was impossible
to stand on top of the seat in my stupid, clunky high-heeled boots. It didn’t
matter that we got lost on the way home. It didn’t matter that we barely could
function at school the next morning. All that mattered was that I got to see my
favorite band in the world. And yes, I do have EVERY ticket stub from EVERY
show I ever attended.
My first concert ticket stub - The Police 1984.
So I posed this question to
some hometown folks connected to Florida's east coast music scene—do you remember YOUR first live
concert experience? Here are some of the responses in no particular order—they
may surprise you!
Metallica, Guns N’ Roses,
and Faith No More—Sept 1992. Faith No More blew my mind, Metallica blew my
ears, and GNR blew my eyes. To this day, it’s the best show I have ever seen. I
was 7 years old. Justin Weir - Bullet Theory
Believe it or not, my very
first concert was a Dead Serios Show. Chris Long was my idol. I was 12 years
old. Then my next concert was Metallica! Chris Cail - Sound Engineer
My first real concert where
you had to buy tickets and got to sit in cushy seats was in New Orleans. It was about 1977 and I really
wasn’t so happy about going. We were seeing an unknown singer named Al Jarreau
at the Saenger Theater. I walked out of that experience enlightened. I have
never been the same. I learned at that concert that the voice IS a mighty
instrument. Ms. Sybil Gage - Solo Artist
The Doors at SUNY Stonybrook [Long Island, NY].
I was a 19-year-old undergraduate there. Jim Morrison was wasted. Come to think
of it, so was everybody else. I think it was 1967…the memory is a bit fuzzy. Mike Davino - Chain Reaction/The
Kore
My first concert experience
was WHAM!—1985 in Miami.
I was working at Publix on Palm
Bay Road and Babcock Street. There was a group of
fellow employees who all hung out together. We did everything together and
partied a lot (when Bartles & James wine coolers were still cool). The
whole lot of us got luxury suites at the Hyatt Regency on the Bay in Miami. All in all we had
a good time. “Wake me up before you go go.” Ana Kirby - Switch
Pat Metheny, Charlie Haden,
Jack DeJohnette, and Ornette Coleman live in Rome, Italy,
1985. Changed my life; it gave my life a direction and a purpose. Giorgio Delli - Luna Pearl
Kiss. Hollywood
Sportatorium in Florida.
1978—touring to promote “Love Gun,” though the latest release was "Kiss Alive
II." Opened with “I Stole Your Love” – just amazing – real explosions that were
very dangerous – not the safe kind they use indoors now! My Dad took my
brothers and I, and a bandmate, and my Dad quickly asked me if the entire
concert was going to be that loud. Yup, it was. Kiss at their prime with all
four original members. Greg Vadimsky - Greg and Brian Band
Kiss (Dynasty tour) on
Father’s Day, 1979 at the Hollywood Sportatorium in Pembrook Pines, Florida. And yes, my dad
took me. Michael Coe - Funpipe
I was 7 years old and I was seeing
Kiss—it was 2000. It was so loud that I freaked out and hid under a vendor
table. Kiss’ manager, Doc McGhee, came out and gave me earplugs. Jesse Long - Session drummer
Freshman, so 1986. It was
Dokken and Aerosmith at the Glens
Fall Civic
Center [upstate New York]. People were
smoking weed and hitting beach balls that looked like ghosts. It was a huge
impression. Aerosmith is still one of my favorites. Andrew Cartmell - The Supercats
Def Leppard “Pyromania” tour
with John Butcher Axis and Krokus—1983. I remember going in by myself because
my buddy had no ticket. He waited outside. It was badass. Met some girls
dressed in lingerie. We smoked a bowl and had some fun. Totally missed John
Butcher Axis but Def Leppard kicked ass. The great Lakeland Civic
Center. Hell yeah! Ty Oglesby - Solo Artist
My mom dragged me with her to
see Tom Jones at the Circle Star Theater in San Matron, California after her friend got sick and
couldn’t make it. Needless to say, I had never seen so many women throw so many
panties at one man in my young life! Lissa Galindo - Knight After
Night
It was a Medusa concert at
the Bamboo Lounge in Eau Gallie,
Florida. The year was 1972. I was
only ten years old, but I remember it like yesterday. Even back then the band
was playing “White Rabbit,” “Born to be Wild,” and “Satisfaction.” The singer
bent over during the second verse of “Honky Tonk Woman” and I got to see her
boobs—it was awesome. During their last break, the drummer took me out back and
gave me shots of tequila. To this day, I still enjoy going to see and hear them
perform at local clubs. Christopher Long - Dead Serios
I was 16 in 1978 and saw The
Rockets and Cheap Trick. It was my first concert and my first road trip with
friends. People openly were smoking and selling pot and acid. It was a total
free-for-all. I left Melbourne
a boy, but returned a man (or so I thought anyway). Steve Quinlivan - Rock Shot
Cream with Spirit opening—Orange County
Convention Center—California. It was a
life-changing experience. That’s what I want to do when I grow up. Mike Gattiker - Spanks Band
When I was 19, I was lucky
enough to catch a relatively new band called GWAR in a small club in Charlottesville, Virginia.
The level of energy, showmanship, and creativity that these guys displayed on
such a painfully small stage was just short of amazing. To this day, I think
about that every time I step on stage…play every venue as if it was a stadium. C.G. Jenkins - Bullet Theory
Def Leppard and
Krokus—1983—Rochester War Memorial [upstate New York]. Once my favorite bands for a few
months. Joe Delcorvo - Dead Serios
Tiffany at the Palace
Theatre, Albany, New York. Don’t judge…my next concert was
Skid Row opening for White Lion at the same place! Erin Coe - formerly of Open
Fire
I saw the Stray Cats at the Baltimore Civic Center
in 1983. I was 15 and my older brother drove my friend and I down I-95 from Delaware in a Datsun
280Z two-seater. We had to take turns riding in the hatchback. Greg Caputo - Pinch
My first concert was the
AC/DC “Back in Black” tour—Kalamazoo,
Michigan, Wings Stadium, Sept. 26, 1980. Opening act
was Ronnie Montrose’s “Gamma” (first album). I’ve been in love with both bands
ever since! Eric Hotton - formerly of Open
Fire
I was 15 and I saw Willie
Nelson and Waylon Jennings, and about 20 others at the Suwannee River Jam in
Live Oak, Florida. Julia Edwards - All About
Nothing
This is very different, but
my first concert experience was the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. I was probably
7 or 8 years old. One of my music teachers was performing with the DSO and
offered my parents tickets in exchange for tolerating me as a young, sassy
jack-ass music student. When I experienced the sound of that orchestra, I was
changed. Forever. It was so wonderfully loud and yet so beautifully clear!!! I
loved it!!! I remember to this day that my first “crush” was from that concert.
The hottie cello player in the freakin’ DSO!!! I wonder what she is up to these
days? Glenn Hess - Medusa
So, readers – what was your first concert experience? Feel free to share your personal story by posting a "Comment." Chris and I would love to hear from everybody on this one!
-Michelle Wilson
(August 2012)
