Top 20 From The First 20 Years #3: Sick of it All/Shelter/Snapcase/Baby Gopal 9/23/94

CMJ music marathon 1994 was the first time i would go to shows four days in a row. Would be so very far from the last. Wednesday we went to Consolidated/MC 900ft Jesus/Hole/Weezer, Thursday was top 20 contender Quicksand/Into Another/Orange 9mm, Friday however...

Friday September 23, 1994 was the first big hardcore show of my life. I mean i had been to cb's once to see a high school friend's band (and did see no redeeming social value that night!), but this was pretty much as big a show as you could get. I also remember going to this show alone. My friends, including the ones who went to the quicksand show the night before, were apparently terrified to go to this show. I was warned left and right that i would get my ass kicked just for having long hair at this show. I marched on regardless.

If you see the above ticket, there was also a pre-determined end time. Had to GTFO before the club kids came in and overdosed. Which was fine for me, an early night after a couple of shows, with more coming that weekend sounded great.

It was my first time at Limelight, and it was odd, i only got lost once, and could not figure out how to get to the balconies. Baby Gopal opened the show. Now, over the years i have had plenty of arguments about this band, but syrupy sweet girl vocal pop has always been my weakness. They also gave me a false sense of security at the show. It seemed so safe and happy.

Quick set change and the driving, pulsating, screaming joy that was Snapcase blew me away. The crowd quite literally knocked me off my feet, but was pretty quick to pick me up, made sure i was o.k. and quickly went back to the chaos. It felt great. I didn't know any of the material, but i could feel it in my bones.

Shelter took the stage. Dressed in robes. I knew nothing of Hare Krishna, let alone Krishna-core so it seemed sort of odd to me. I felt myself compelled to get closer to the stage. Ray was (and still is) a very charismatic front man, and even to a long haired metal kid, i felt like he was addressing me personally.

About a month from this show, Sick of it All would release their major label Debut Scratch the Surface, this was something of a release/preview show. I only knew a few songs, and then they went ahead and played some new stuff. I moved and danced and covered my face and fell and had people climbing all over me the whole set. I don't think i stopped smiling once. Even without my circle of friends at the show, i was still surrounded by friends, i just didn't know them yet. I felt like i belonged.

The show ended, and oh my god did we get the bum's rush by security. I'm pretty sure they just screamed "GET THE FUCK OUT" over and over again. I left, sweaty and happy, arms around complete strangers that were now sort of family. I grabbed every damn flyer from everyone handing them out outside, and never looked back...

Top 20 From The First 20 Years: Side Post #1

26 Shows between December 1991 and April 1994 before one made the list. I'd like to think that you have to have some experience before you can truly appreciate anything. That many shows under my belt before i really decided that this was something i truly loved to do.

I think it's cliche to use your first show (Metallica at Nassau Coliseum) in any sort of list like this. Megadeth/Suicidal Tendencies at the Ritz didn't make the cut because i wasn't that into S.T. at the time. It was also my first general admission show that i had no business attending as i was 14 and it was a 16 and over show (i did almost die in the pit the first 3 seconds of the show).

Going through the ticket stubs for this little project, i came across an entire row (3 shows) of amazing shows, that really meant a lot to me that were disqualified because of opening acts. These shows were fundamental in my changing tastes at the time, and i feel deserve some kind of mention.

The summer of 1993 there was a bit of a dry spell, or maybe we just were not quite savvy enough to figure out about shows. I mean, we knew to buy the village voice every week (yeah, once upon a time it actually cost actual money), but for us metal head kids, it seemed like we didn't have much going on. One week we picked up the Voice and saw an ad that we just could not, for the life of us, figure out. You see, we had been to Roseland a couple of times. Danzig on the How The Gods Kill tour and Pantera on the Vulgar Display of Power tour. These were big shows for, at the time, HUGE bands. This ad had some band none of us had ever heard of headlining TWO nights at the ballroom. How could this be? Well, we had to find out what all the hubbub was about, and besides, it was only $5 (this would also be the first time i would go to the Irving Plaza box office to buy tickets. Even 15 year old Matt was not going to pay a svc charge on a five dollar ticket).

On Saturday September 25, 1993, i walked into the still black and white striped Roseland Ballroom, sat through two opening bands i did not quite understand (unrest and the spinanes), and saw FUGAZI...and i knew everything was about to change. The friends i went with were less than impressed, but i felt a door opening.

Tuesday November 4, 1993 would be the first show i ever would get in trouble for going to. You see, we bought our ten dollar tickets for the show with two bands on the bill. Each band only had one record out, how late could this show possibly go? Then when we arrived, there were two more bands on the bill. Gotta love the CMJ music marathon. I remember calling my mom from the bank of pay phone that used to be between the men's room and the pin guy in the basement of Roseland, she was pissed. As was I. At least i got an early start on the Stabbing Westward hate. After them, and State of the Nation (who were surprisingly good) was Quicksand. Now i had seen Quicksand once before, opening for Megadeth at the Ritz. I hated them. In all honesty, any band that was not Megadeth that night was going to be hated, and Quicksand being what they were, well, i was with the majority that night. My friend had talked me into giving Quicksand another chance, and coming off state of the nation, they fit really well. I became a fan that night. The headliner took the stage. They were coming off a critically lauded run on that past summer's lollapalooza tour. The Roseland Ballroom was packed to the gills (again, gotta love the cmj music marathon), and Rage Against the Machine powered through a just shy of an hour set. While i had been sweaty at shows before, this would be the first time i had to just throw away my clothes afterwards.

Ten days later. The New York Coliseum. A building that, at the time was already a relic, being used as a flea market every other weekend, and now is long gone with the Time Warner Towers on that sight. A general admission venue out of need for a building bigger than Roseland to fit the crowd that Nirvana would draw that night. Imagine seeing Nirvana in a giant sized version of your high school cafeteria. The people who designed and built the New York Coliseum, clearly built all the public schools in NYC. Even the clocks were the same! (also when the hell have you been to a venue with multiple analog clocks on the walls?) The breeders opened and were the one hit wonders they were at the time, Half Japanese was the first band on that day and were just terrible, noisy in the not good way, squandering their prime slot playing before 7,000 people. Seeing nirvana live was a treat, I'm very glad i had the opportunity, i didn't know it would pretty much be my last. This show is most meaningful less because of the bands, and more because of the friends i made that night. We would somehow run into another group of kids from our school and sort of merge cliques for the night. After that i spent more and more time with these slightly punkier kids, who introduced me to more and more bands outside of my sphere, and pretty much got me into hardcore. They would, years later, move on...but i'm still here.

Show number 3 on the list...later today or tomorrow.

Top 20 From The First 20 Years #2: Metallica/Danzig/Suicidal Tendencies 6/8/94

(i am incapable of taking a straight picture)

This show!

The open air on the water vibe of the Jones Beach Amphitheater combined with METAL!

I'm pretty sure this is the first show with top to bottom repeats. This was my third time seeing Metallica (i think i would go on to see them only twice more.), my third time seeing Danzig (i would go on to see them/him countless times, actually i'm still waiting for the 25th anniversary show announcement for nyc), and my second time seeing Suicidal (i would see them a week later and then not again till like two weeks ago.). So i was familiar with everyone and knew exactly what to expect. Then i had all of those expectations blown away.

Suicidal played a quick intense set, totally ignoring the fact that the amphitheater was less than half full, with a ton of people just chilling in the parking lot. The parking lot i'm pretty sure you can see from the stage. Mike was crazy and full of energy, taking full advantage of the giant stage. This was suicidal with both Trujillo and Rocky, classic lineup.

Danzig. Danzig in 1994. Danzig at the absolute peak of their popularity. The re-release of 'Mother' from the Thrall:Demonsweatlive EP was still in ridiculously heavy rotation on mtv and on the radio. This was the last go around for the original Glenn/Christ/Eerie/Biscuits lineup. The amphitheater was mostly full by the time they took the stage, as they were quite the draw at the time. A ten or eleven song 40 ish minute set that was all hits, opening with 'Brand New God' which was at the time a new song from their forthcoming record, 4P. Performing 'Mother' smack in the middle of the set as opposed to the tradition of closing out the set with the biggest song, came as no surprise as Glenn, the non-conformist, is actually quite predictable. The crowd was alive and headbanging the entire time (the fully seated venue was kind of a downer, but the atmosphere of the beach almost always makes up for it), singing along with most of the songs, but obviously 'Mother' was the moment. The biggest surprise was the fact that Danzig, the opening act, came out for an encore. Yep, he's that much of a dick.

The amphitheater was filled to the brim. The parking lot was full of people who couldn't get in. You could see the stars, you could see the stars reflecting in the water around the stage. The intro music hits, the people go crazy, Metallica takes their places, and BANG open with fucking "Breadfan." This was Metallica having fun. This was their "we're stir crazy in the studio and just need to get out on the road" tour. This was before all the psychiatrists and all the "coping with success" nonsense. They had released a monster record, toured the world, achieved more than any of their contemporaries, and were working on the follow up. This was their break. The set was a good balance from all the records (they played 'disposable heroes'!!) and they genuinely looked like they were having fun. Maybe it was the last time they had fun. It was all disappointment and over-thinking for the band from here on out.

Top to bottom an excellent show, metal head matt loved it, hardcore kid matt was still in his infancy...but he would be breaking out soon...three months or so from this show...

Top 20 From The First 20 Years #1: Anthrax & Fight at Roseland 4/20/94

It takes two and a half years and twenty six shows before the first one makes the list, odd.

This was Anthrax on the sound of white noise tour, arguably (by me mostly) their best record. If memory serves me correctly this was the last show on this part of the tour, and this was the last leg of the SoWN tour. Before the record came out in may of 1993, Anthrax did a run of extremely small shows. They played at the Grand in NYC, it was the record release show the day before it came out. I remember walking into the local video store (tyler video in Woodhaven, Queens) with my friend to get a pair of tickets. There was literally only one left. I bought the ticket under the agreement that we would go down and scalp another ticket and split the cost. Then i had to have knee surgery the week of the show...and had to skip it. Damn. (I remember making my mom drive me to the record store on crutches to buy Sound of White Noise the day it came out.)

The first leg of the tour later in 93 i somehow missed...i can only imagine it was on the same day as a show i was already attending. Being that it was Anthrax/white zombie/quicksand...well...clearly i must have had something MUCH BETTER TO DO.

To say my anticipation for this show was high is a complete understatement. I had eleven months to digest that record, at that point they had a number of videos on headbanger's ball from that album. Just ridiculously amped for this show.

Then you have to take into account that FIGHT was announced as the opening act.

War of Words was a record that hit me like a ton of bricks. I mean, i was familiar with Rob Halford, i liked Judas Priest as much as required by the metal head community, but FIGHT was a whole new ballgame. That record was far ahead of its time.

The show itself was amazing. Fight hit the stage like a wrecking ball. Im pretty sure they played the entirety of War of words, the crowd knew every word...moved to every song...in all honesty, when they were done, that would have been enough to get this show on the list. Then came Anthrax. The hometown conquering heroes. They had spent the previous year supporting their biggest commercially successful record ever. Had proved that replacing their singer would not only not be the death of the band, but instead infused new life and energy into their act. This was Anthrax at the absolute top of their game. If you needed to pinpoint the absolute PEAK of their career, I would be convinced it was this show. They played a shortish set 12-15 songs...but it was all go! If i recall, there was also a cover of "lookin down the barrel of a gun". John Bush absolutely killed the older material, and just shined on HyProGlo and the other "new" material. When it came down to the end of the set/encore part, they were just like "screw it, we arent going to pretend to walk off and come back...lets just do this." and continued through the end. For such a large show it seemed so intimate and small. Like everyone knew each other and everyone had a good time. The only downside was that the three friends i went with and i all bought the same shirt...we had to coordinate attending school for awhile. (it was the fight war of words tour shirt with all of the words maxi-printed on the front. I actually wore that shirt up until a few years ago, i remember wearing it to the gym when a guy struck up a conversation with me about how he knew rob halford when he lived in San Francisco. I had no idea i was being chatted up. i am a little clueless all the time)

Anthrax/Fight was the first show i went to where i had no complaints, had a good time throughout, and obviously to this day, still talk about.

The Top 20 Shows From The First 20 Years: An Introduction

Recently I finally got around to arranging the last year and change worth of ticket stubs. Put them all in a new binder...then rolled some out of the last binder into this one. Essentially dividing the first 20 years of concerts from what i hope will be the next 20.

I go to a lot of shows, always have. I decided last summer that i should put together a top list...top 10 did not seem enough, 20 certainly seemed like a possibility. So i gave myself some parameters. First being they had to fall within the first 20 years. That gives us December 18, 1991- the same date 2011. That is still a lot of shows. In order to help me narrow it down, and of course because i like to give myself ridiculous rules, the ENTIRE show had to be worthy. Opening acts, the bill from top to bottom. This made it more challenging. Made it a little more fun for me. The order will be chronological. I mean seriously, it was hard enough to pick 20, and as I sit here getting ready to do this, even the 20 I picked might not be set in stone.

Starting tomorrow and continuing over 20 posts (obviously), I will list the top 20 shows i have attended over those first 20 years. I reserve the right to make additional "honorable mention" posts, as well as particular break out sets that don't qualify because of poor openers or what have you. Who knows how long this will take, I am, obviously easily distracted by things. Lets have a little fun and talk about music for a bit.