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Life & Arts Blogs
 
First rock concerts
By Sara Foss
Monday, April 21, 2008
I was 16 when I attended my first rock concert, the B-52s at Dartmouth College. In retrospect, this seems really cool, as the B-52s are a cool band. (Check out “Funplex, their first new CD in 16 years, where they sound as fresh as ever.) But I wasn’t really that into the B-52s at the time. (I liked “Love Shack,” but, in that peculiarly adolescent combination of ignorance and dismissive arrogance, I thought they were sort of lame and soft.) The main reason I went to the concert was because I had heard that the Violent Femmes, my favorite band in high school, was the opening act. To my everlasting sadness, that turned out to be a baseless rumor, and now I can’t even remember who the opener was. And I couldn’t even stay for the whole concert, because I had to go to bed early so I could get up the next morning and take the PSATs. One of last weekend’s small delights was accompanying a friend and her 7-year-old son to the boy’s first rock concert, the They Might Be Giants family show on Saturday at the Egg in Albany. I had seen They Might Be Giants a couple times, at Five Points Music Hall, since closed, in Birmingham, Ala., and at the Tulip Festival in Washington Park. They’re a good live band, which might come as a surprise to people who think of them as two nerdy guys who like to play the accordion and sing about James K. Polk and nuclear fission. I’m most familiar with their older work, and “Minimum Wage,” which features the sound of a cracking whip and the pained cry of a stricken worker, remains one of my favorite songs. (It always makes me think of my first job, at Colonial Deli Mart in Lebanon, N.H., where, yes, I earned minimum wage.) I was interested to see how a They Might Be Giants family show would differ from one of the band’s grown-up shows. As one of my friends put it, TMBG’s music is kind of like kids music for adults. But in recent years the band has released several children’s albums, with songs like “NO!” and “I Am Not Your Broom.” What distinguishes a family show from an adult show, I learned, is the preponderance of young children. There were kids everywhere, and I kept worrying that I would step on one by accident. But the music was great, and the kids seemed to get into it. There were jokes for children, but also jokes for adults, and I was delighted to hear some of the band’s older songs: “Particle Man,” “Istanbul (Not Constantinople).” As for my 7-year-old friend, he really enjoyed the concert, and sang along with the songs he knew. “It was really rocking,” he reported. What more could you want from your first concert? At least he didn’t have to take a standardized test the next morning. What was your first rock concert? Let me know.
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May 16, 2008
8:46 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
I saw my first concert at SUNY Albany. The Diabolical Biz Markie opened up for the Red Hot Chili Peppers.
I was so overwhelmed by being in a loud electric room with a bunch of sweaty college students that I hardly recall the show at all - I'm not even sure if I enjoyed it.
the most memorable show was the first installment of Lollapalooza at SPAC. I exulted to Nine Inch Nails and Souxsie and The Banshees
10:39 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
I've seen TMBG twice in concert. You wouldn't believe who the opening band was when I saw them at Vasser College. Das EFX! A hardcore gangster rap ensemble! Talk about conflicting interests. What a mix of people we had there. I mean seriously, who schedules that?
Anyway, I have a question regarding TMBG. Have you seen the newer Dunkin Donuts commercials on television? The music sounds eerily similar to TMBG, but I cannot be certain if it is them.
It's no coincidence that I've suddenly noticed a lot of nerdy children in the area drinking coffee.
Cheers,
R.
11:07 a.m. [ Suggest removal ]
I just saw TMBG a few weeks ago in Portsmouth! I wrote about it on my blog...good times.
My first concert was Arlo Guthrie, playing a random show in a meadow in very rural Ossipee, NH. To this day, it's still one of the best shows I've seen. He played "Alice's Restaurant" in it's entirety, and even kicked in an extra verse about the Nixon tapes.
3:05 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
have you heard gnarls barkley's cover of gone daddy gone?
4:47 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
I still have yet to see TMBG ... shameful considering I've been a fan since Apollo 18.
My first concert was actually a small event in music history -- New Kids on the Block at Saratoga Raceway, when Donnie fell through the stage and ended up in the hospital.
12:45 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
I have not heard the Gnarls Barkley cover of Gone Daddy Gone, but it sounds like something that would be awesome. Here's my question: I like what I've heard by Gnarls Barkley, but don't know if it's worth investing in an album. Anyone?
4:32 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
first concert: michael jackson on the "bad" tour at madison square garden when i was 11 or so. it was awesome.
first *rock* concert was the rolling stones "steel wheels" tour at shea stadium. bonus - living colour opened for them.
for gnarls - you should check out st. elsewhere. is good.
4:33 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
To Richard: Yes, that is Them in the Dunkin' ads -- has been on and off for a couple of years now (see "the back of my legs, stickin' to the pleather" and "freezing at pee-wee hockey").
To Sara: I have St. Elsewhere, and it's pretty good. Haven't heard any of the new one yet, but it's gotten good reviews.
9:26 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
Mike Caron and I saw the Screaming Trees, Spin Doctors and someone else in 1994 or so. I won free tickets by knowing the answer to the name of the Ape in Weird Al Yankovic's song: George of the Jungle.
I think you had already started sending me your "mix tapes for your sheltered friend" by then. The concert was pretty crazy. The singers asked for folks to stop picking up chunks of turf and throwing it at people, or otherwise they (the singers) might not get invited back again.
And crowd surfing on a hill was certainly a dumb idea, particularly because there was concrete at the bottom of the hill.
We also almost ran out of gas on the way home at 1 AM or whatever it was.
7:25 p.m. [ Suggest removal ]
First concert: Rage Against the Machine, Lollapalooza 1993. Talked about starting big. The pit absolutely exploded and I still have never seen any band as hyped up for an entire set.
I've seen TMBG a few times. The first (and best) was at a small college in West Virginia that a friends brother attended. They played in a gym and there were probably only a few hundred people. Great show.