You Must Be Such A Fool To Pass Me By

And then Morrissey broke my heart...on Valentine's Day!

Morrissey being my Valentine. What could be better? 

My brother and I drove to Akron from Detroit for the show. It was a long/horrible drive filled with my brother getting ill every so often. The cops don't really like it when you pull over on a toll road but was I supposed to just let him puke in the car? We eventually made it to the lovely Akron Civic Theatre, where my brother continued to be miserable and I continued to be super excited about seeing Morrissey for a second night in a row. I never used to buy merch but I couldn't not purchase this gem:

Anyway, somewhat creepy pillow cases aside, our seats were not so bad. Row M is pretty good, but there were those pesky orchestra pit seats standing between our seats and the stage. I was having a great time when a girl who was standing near me and I decided to run down to the stage, or at least the rail that was behind the orchestra pit. We were sorta reaching toward the stage while singing when Morrissey held his hand towards us and said "I can't reach you. We weren't meant to touch." And with those words my heart was broken. 

Sure, I know that in reality Morrissey and I are not meant to touch but I didn't need him to tell me. I could have happily gone my whole life without him laying it out there like that.  Thanks a lot, Morrissey. Way to break a girl's heart on Valentine's day.

The Setlist (very similar to the previous night's):

A Swallow On My Neck
I Am Hated For Loving
Ouija Board, Ouija Board
Billy Budd
November Spawned A Monster
Half A Person
Hairdresser On Fire
Boxers
Now My Heart Is Full
Meat Is Murder
Tomorrow
The Teachers Are Afraid Of The Pupils
Is It Really So Strange?
I Can Have Both
Alma Matters
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me

Encore:
Shoplifters Of The World Unite

I'd Love To See Him

My first time with Steven Patrick Morrissey

My brother and I had purchased tickets to the show in Ohio for the next night but I decided to go to this one too since it was my first time seeing Morrissey and Detroit is so close to Chicago. This is possibly the only show with seats at the State Theatre that I ever went to and it was completely bizzarre. The seats were at little round tables with three or four chairs at each, so I was sitting very close to complete strangers while being unable to see much of anything. They would have done better just setting up rows of chairs in my opinion.

I was super excited to see Morrissey and decided, since I was alone, that I would be one of those crazy people who waits outside after the show in the freezing cold for a chance to see/meet/whatever Morrissey. So, a group of us waiting by the back door of the State got to see a flash of a green hat wearing man, face down, body guards all around him running from the door to the bus. I had a hat on that looked just like it that I've referred to, from that moment on, as my Morrissey hat. 

The set list:

A Swallow On My Neck 
I Am Hated For Loving 
Ouija Board, Ouija Board 
Billy Budd
Is It Really So Strange? 
Lost 
Now My Heart Is Full 
The Teachers Are Afraid Of The Pupils 
Half A Person
Boxers 
Tomorrow 
I Can Have Both 
Meat Is Murder
Hairdresser On Fire 
Alma Matters 
Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me

Encore: 
Shoplifters Of The World Unite 

I Used To Know

This is another one of those bands that belongs to me and my brother.

There's just something about their catchy lyrics that just makes me love the Smithereens. My brother and I would see them whenever possible. Once, we sat behind the Metro listening to them because we both decided that the tickets were too expensive to logically justify paying for them but sitting out back listening was totally fine. 

I don't remember too much about this particular show, although I'm sure we were at the front. We always stood near the stage. Once, the guitar player gave me his pic and I got to play his guitar. That was at Joe's On Weed St, but we can pretend it was this one. 

He's A Fine Figure Of A Man

Finally! A show that I remember.

Somehow, after wearing out My Aim Is True on cassette and listening to Armed Forces until everyone in my dorm hated me, I never managed to see Elvis Costello before this date and I was so incredibly excited to finally get the chance. This may be the most I had paid for a show up to this date (I've paid much more after.  Ahem, Morrissey) and it was worth every single penny.

We had excellent seats and would have been in the second row if it wasn't for that darned orchestra pit. How do people get those orchestra pit seats? I've been buying concert tickets for a long time and I have never gotten one. Not in presale. Not in regular sale. Not when winning tickets. Not when other people get the tickets. Are these people just the luckiest people on earth? Are they friends with someone important? I just don't get it.

Anyway, "second row" was pretty spectacular. The sound was amazing and we could see Elvis and Steve Nieve perfectly. I danced to the hits, which annoyed some people who preferred to sit like old logs. He played some new songs that none of us knew. They would end up on When I was Cruel a couple years later, an album which, in my opinion, was just mediocre and turned out to be the last one of his that I ever purchased. I've always thought that Elvis Costello had an editing problem. All of his albums were half good, with a lot of songs that could have just been cut. The enormous setlist could be a reflection of this or the magnitude of his career. Regardless, he played all the songs I wanted to hear and I left a very happy girl.

For the last song, which was Couldn't Call It Unexpected #4, he stepped away from the mic and stood at the edge of the stage and just sang out to the audience. Being in the pseudo second row we could hear it clearly and beautifully and I was glad that I wasn't stuck in the cheap seats. It was such a perfect way to end the show and still gives me chills when I think about it.

The show lasted so much longer than we expected (who could have guessed that there would have been five encores?!!?)  that I was really late getting home to meet my friend and her boyfriend, who had driven in from Detroit to hang out. They completely understood.

The gigantic setlist (we got our money's worth):

1. The Loved Ones
2. King Horse
3. Blue Chair
4. Rocking Horse Road
5. Party Girl
6. New Lace Sleeves
7. This House Is Empty Now
8. Lesson In Cruelty
9. Shabby Doll
10. Girls Talk
11. Baby Plays Around
12. Couldn't You Keep It To Yourself
13. The Long Honeymoon
14. 45
15. Toledo
16. New Amsterdam/You've Got To Hide Your Love Away
17. When I Was Cruel
18. Radio Sweetheart/Jackie Wilson Said
19. Mystery Dance
20. Alison
21. In The Darkest Place
22. Alibi Factory

Encore 1:
23. Green Shirt
24. Watching The Detectives
25. Inch By Inch/Fever

Encore 2:
26. Suit Of Lights
27. Brilliant Mistake
28. Shipbuilding

Encore 3:
29. Accidents Will Happen
30. I Want You

Encore 4:
31. Everyday I Write The Book
32. God's Comic
33. Red Shoes
34. Radio Radio

Encore 5:
35. O Mistress Mine
36. Couldn't Call It Unexpected #4

Last Week It Was Funny

Yeah, the amount I remember is just not funny anymore.

The internet just told me that Train opened for this show. I sure hope that I got there late so I didn't subject myself to that. 

Another blog, another show I remember very little of.  I'm going to pretend, and you should too, that  I just wrote some awesome blog about this show so I can just move on to the next one (which happened the day after this one and I remember it vividly). 

Get To The Point, You're Gettin' To Me

This show was not my favorite.  Today I would pay way more than I paid to see this show to see even a mediocre Superchunk show. I just miss them.  I'd also love just a little taste of Rainer Maria again.

I wasn't in love with the setlist and the crowd was unbearably horrible. It was full of jocks and ass holes. They insisted on stepping all over me and my friends, they seemed to have no idea who Superchunk was. I'm not sure where they came from but I would have given anything to make them go back there.

Superchunk got done with their regular set and I turned to my friends and told them that the only way they could save this show for me was if they played Slack Motherfucker and Precision Auto. Basically as soon as I finished saying the o in auto they started it. Immediately following Precision Auto, Slack Motherfucker. I took that was my cue to leave because, really, anything after those two songs may have ruined their reprieve.

I Like The Fast Songs Best

Illinois representing... 

It's hard to imagine that this was 13 years ago. How did that happen? 13 years ago I used to see members of these bands out at bars. Now I see no one. Ever. Anywhere. I don't even usually see bars.

Anyway, I remember nothing of this show. I had been in Chicago for just a couple of months and had probably not run into anyone from the bands at bars yet. I was just getting my footing and didn't really like it there (I have to keep reminding myself of this as I try to not dislike living in San Francisco). I'm sure I went with Maureen and we stood closer to the front then necessary and yelled louder than necessary and had just the right amount of fun.

I'm listening to Braid right now while I write this and, well, I don't like them as much as I used to. Sarge comes up on my ipod occasionally and sometimes I sing End Of July in my shower. 

If I Could Concentrate

This is my first ticketed show after moving to Chicago. The actual first show I went to as a Chicago resident was Planes Mistaken For Stars at the Fireside, two days after moving. My friend and I got mugged by two gang banger girls (well, I got attempted mugged, I pushed the girl down who was trying to get my stuff and got it back).

I wish I could go back and see this show again and take in every detail because I don't remember a thing about it. I'm pretty sure I went with my friend Maureen, since she was one of the only people I knew and went to 3-5 shows together per week.

Everyone Is Watching You

A well worn Hepcat ticket. Someone did some dancing...

The last Hepcat post could have actually happened at this show. I don't remember exactly but I don't think so. I really think it was the last one. Regardless, another Hepcat show. My stance on them remains, they're alright for a ska band. 

You Look So Far Away Sometimes

What was I doing in Detroit in February?

My brother and I must have gotten to this show late because we were in the balcony. I remember this specifically because throughout the whole show I watched the photographers. Not that I hadn't thought about it earlier but this show was kind of the moment where I felt really confident in my decision to study photography. I was borderline obsessed with the Afghan Whigs (what's this was business. I get chills thinking about seeing them in a little over a month on their little reunion tour) and yet I was completely distracted trying to figure out what kind of camera the girl taking pictures was using and where she was standing and what it would be like to shoot the Afghan Whigs (which I did at the Double Door, using way too low ISO film and no flash, a year and a half later). Yeah, you get it.

1965 came out about four months before this show and the first time I heard it was in my car. The volume was way up and I didn't know it started with that match noise and it scared the shit out of me. I still love every single album they ever made.

Where Have You Been

I've been trying to picture what the inside of Clutch Cargos looks like for the past two days. It opened after I left for college and I didn't go there very much. This may have been the first/only show that I saw there, although I can vaguely remember going there to meet someone for a drink.  This is unimportant.

Another thing I've been trying to figure out is who went to this show for me. I think I can thank the Swingers soundtrack for knowing who Big Bad Voodoo Daddy was and I feel like the Mighty Blue Kings (a band I still listen to on a very rare occasion) played with them at this show but I can't find anything about it anywhere on the interwebs. I did find out that they're still playing shows, which I find a little bit amusing. 

Anyone? A little Help.

I tried to figure out who else played this show and I can't find anything. There's isn't an extensive list for the Shelter like there is for St. Andrew's Hall.

Did any of you listen to this band? I went to their myspace page (what???) and now to Spotify in an attempt to figure it out and, while I don't hate them, I don't really like them very much. I don't recall listening to them so how I ended up at the show is beyond me. This ticket was pretty cheap so maybe I got it for free?  It's a mystery never to be solved (unless someone who reads this was there with me).  

All The Drunks They Were Singing

I have very little to say about this show, and not because I don't remember but because I simply wasn't there for very long. I got there late. I left early. That was it. Oh, his name is spelled wrong on the ticket stub.

I had other things going on, although I don't remember what, so I showed up super late. I left after only a couple songs but I could tell that he was wasted. My brother, whom I met at the show, reported that it only got worse. So, I missed watching Shane MacGowan attempt to get through this show while getting totally hammered. Pretty standard. 

I Will Do What I Do

I wish my mind was like a sponge and I could just remember everything. This was my first time seeing Fugazi and I can't find the setlist. The video isn't up in the archive. My memory, not so great.

One of the many reasons why I love Fugazi, and I really do, is that they stuck to their guns with the show price. $6! It's the perfect price for my 20 year old broke self.

Before the show bunch of my friends and I  stopped by the rehab facility that our friend was in after having brain surgery months prior. It was a long and tough recovery for him and I tried to be there as much as I could, which wasn't as much as I wanted to since I lived in Illinois. It's pretty difficult to go from visiting your 19 year old friend who is trying to relearn how to walk, talk and feed himself to being super pumped to see a band but we did our best.  I feel like we dedicated this show, because we were playing it and all, to him.

Shellac and Blonde Redhead opened and I feel like we missed both of them. I would see them plenty in my future anyway but I didn't know that at the time.

End Hits had just come and I hadn't really gotten into it yet. I was all about Repeater and 13 Songs at the time. In fact, whenever I think of Fugazi I think of being 15 years old and sitting in the back seat of my friends car driving around Northville while screaming all the lyrics to Promises.  They didn't play it, and I remember being disappointed.

Is it really possible to be that disappointed in a Fugazi show? What I wouldn't give to see them again.

I Don't Know Any Of His Songs

It's been a while. I was doing so well for a while and then life happened and the blog was sort of on hold. I'm approaching the time in my show life where I remember things. This one, however, isn't really one of them. I remember that my friends and I had a super good time dancing like fools but other than that, nothing.

Shows at the Bradley's Field House were always sorta odd. It was a huge space, as field houses tend to be, and it sounded like you were in a tunnel. It was filled with pot smoke, which seems totally appropriate for this show, and we were sitting pretty far back. That didn't matter though. 

Everyone I Know Is Coming Down

A Squirrel Nut Zippers song came on the stereo at the bar I was drinking at the other day. Funny. 

Remember that time when people started swing dancing a lot? I think we could probably give the movies Swingers some credit for the revival. My friends and I got all dolled up to go to this show and danced with each other the whole night. 

Jesus Lizard

Since I've been so bad with the blog lately, my friend Jon sent me an entry. It's out of order but well worth it.

June 10, 1995

I had been booking shows in Peoria for less than six months. This was my biggest to date, and the first to warrant advance tickets. I was 19 years old, operating out of my dorm room, and was soooo excited to head to Lum’s on Knoxville, where we all drank coffee and smoked cigarettes, and announce it to my friends.

The Jesus Lizard had released Down, their fourth studio album, the previous fall. It would be their last great record, and their final one for Touch & Go. They’d just signed to Capitol, and the Peoria show was a warm-up gig for their slot on Lollapalooza that summer. 

When the band showed up, they seemed a bit surprised (pleasantly so) that I’d actually purchased ALL the liquor requested on their rider. More than $200 worth.  I wasn’t 21—I didn’t even drink at the time...I had to get someone to buy it all for me. They drank. A lot. And afterward, hauled a vanload of alcohol with them back to Chicago.

Slightly more than 500 people packed into the American Legion Hall at 406 NE Monroe in downtown Peoria. The building’s no longer there— they literally tore it down to make way for a parking lot, next to a shiny, new Catholic Diocese building, where the ghosts of back in the day still roam the hallways. In my head, at least.

Sidekick Kato and Nora Hate opened the show, and both were in peak form. And then…watching the Lizard file on stage and launch into “Destroy Before Reading,” the crowd bobbing up and down, I rubbed my eyes in amazement. Here was one of my favorite bands, playing a legion hall for a bunch of (mostly) underage kids in Peoria. How did this happen? They were probably wondering the same thing.

The band played beneath a banner that read, “For God and Country.” This would become the theme of the evening—as the madman patriot, David Yow, would not let us forget. “This next song….is for God and country”… he proclaimed that evening, more than a few times.

It was classic, no-holds-barred Yow, prowling the stage back and forth, hurling himself into the crowd, all sweat and spit and scratches all over. When the band went into “Lady Shoes” from Goat, he spotted a large wooden pulpit at stage left, lifted it up and carried it out onto the stage. Now he was a reverend, preaching to the awed congregation, and perfectly illustrating the song’s creepy tension.

As a fan, I was thrilled. But as the promoter, I held my breath, watching that pulpit teeter back and forth, just waiting for it to fall, thinking I’m gonna be paying for that after the show. Sure enough, it toppled to the ground, but when the song was over, it was still in one piece. Yow dragged it back where it came from. I exhaled.

David Wm. Sims was his usual menacing self, glaring at the crowd, daring them to get close enough to kick in the face with his steel toes. Duane Denison was cool, calm, collected, the jazz player. And Mac McNeilly was the workhorse, pounding away, holding it all down.

We’d all been wondering if Yow would perform his trademark “tight and shiny” act (Just google it.)  He did…as did my friend Stan! Later that July, after a Lollapalooza date, Yow was taken into custody by Cincinnati police for the same deed; a writer at the Journal Star got wind of it, and the paper printed an editorial decrying the moral decline of western civilization…

After the show, some guy came up to me and started asking a bunch of questions. Said he was a reporter. After five or ten minutes, I asked him who he wrote for. “Rolling Stone,” he said.

“As in Rolling Stone magazine? THE Rolling Stone?” I asked incredulously.

Indeed, several weeks later, a feature on the Jesus Lizard ran in Rolling Stone. “America, You’ve Been Warned,” announced the blurb on the front cover, right next to Hootie & the Blowfish. Inside, in big, block letters, the article opened with “For God and Country.” Naturally.

A video crew came down from Chicago and filmed the show for a documentary on the Chicago music scene. It was called Out of the Loop, it came out in 1997, and it’s long out of print. I’ve had a VHS copy of this show for years.  It’s amazing…and recently digitized. I will be sharing soon.

This show was very special.

Consciousness, Unconsciousness

I fell asleep at the show, not during Pigface but during the opener. I drove up from Peoria and went to this show with my friend Matt. I was so tired and cranky that I just sat down in back against a wall and took a nap. I felt a lot better afterwards and enjoyed Pigface. 

You're On Your Own

Another show, another remember nothing post...

Under the best of circumstances I would remember very little about this show but this week is certainly not the best of circumstances. I will use stress and lack of sleep as the excuse for me knowing nothing about this show.  I have a world's worth of respect for the Skatalites. If I had to guess I went to this show with my college best friend and we had a great time. That's all I've got. 

This Is The Time (maybe?)

That time I shook Vince Vaughn's hand....I think

For the life of me I can't figure out if the following story happened at this Hepcat show or the next one, which was a year later, but I really feel like it was this one. Regardless, this happened at a Hepcat show. I swear. 

 

First of all, my enjoyment of ska when I was younger has not really carried into adulthood.  That being said, I still really like both Hepcat and the Slackers, who opened for them at this show. 

While watching the Slackers (or if it turns out this did happen at the next Hepcat show then it was during Deals Gone Bad) my friends and I noticed a very tall man, basically hovering over everyone in the crowd. My friend was the first to notice that this giant man was Vince Vaughn. Swingers had come out not long before this and we were all HUGE fans. She basically ran over to him before I even knew what was happening and by the time I got over there she had shaken his hand, talked to him, something, and he was off to make his way back stage. I was not about to let my chance to meet him slip by so when I saw him standing at the side of the stage (with Joey Lauren Adams) I wormed my way up to the front of the stage by the speakers. I waved to get his attention and he waved back. I then shook my head no and put out my hand. He actually bent down and shook my hand. Satisfied, I found my way back to my friends.

I would never do that now. I guess I did force Eric Bachmann to shake my hand and talk to me a couple month ago when he played at my work but I felt like a complete jackass when I did it. Back then, this was a proud moment. 

It's Gonna Take You Years To Find Out

The third time...

The Warped Tour was nice enough to put these posters up on their flickr account so I actually know the bands who played.  In case you can't read that small writing it says:

Descendents, Royal Crown Revue, Blink-182, Pennywise, Sick of It All, The Vandals, Lo Presher, Social Distortion, Millencolin, Bouncing Souls, The Suicide Machines, Face To Face, Lagwagon, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Less Than Jake, Hepcat, Reel Big Fish

Other places on the internet say that the Alkaholiks, Limp Bizkit, Murder City Devils, Orange 9mm, Snot, Strung Out, Sugar Ray, Vision of Disorder, Hi Standard, Latex Generation, White Kaps and Jimmy 2 Times were also there. They're probably the names too little to read at the bottom. 

If I had to guess the bands I watched I would say Descendents, Pennywise, Social D, The Suicide Machines, Hepcat, probably Lagwagon, maybe Millencolin, Orange 9mm but really who knows. You probably could have found me at most of these bands. I just have no memory.

Can't You Hear It Calling

This causes me no shame.

My brother worked at Pine Knob this summer so I'm pretty sure this was free for us. Say what you will about them but I've always liked Queensryche...you know, for what they are. They are a group of very talented musicians and you will never convince me otherwise. My brother and I both enjoyed this show very much. 

bim skala bim

My triumphant return to stubs after six months of $5 at the door/get in for free because I know the band or the person putting on the show....

I don't remember anything about this show. I feel like I've blocked out all the ska show memories, not really but I don't remember this one. In fact, I'm not even sure I really ever listened to Bim Skala Bim, a fact that became abundantly clear as I searched for a song to use for this blog's title.

I like how I had to initial the ticket when I purchased it. I noticed this on Corey's Social Distortion ticket stub but I don't think I had seen it on any of mine before this one. Maybe they started doing it sometime during my stub-deprived months.

Social D at the State '96

I have another six month time lapse in ticket stubbed shows so my friend Corey graciously offered to guest blog. This show is a little out of chronological order but it's my blog so I can do what I want to....

Shop class, 3rd period. Only 6 hours until showtime. Sanding, cutting, buffing, did I make a clock? AP Algebra next, Mr. Fritz. Lots of yelling, followed by Fritz giving Burnt Toast a McNasty, painful screams follow. Is this really happening? Left school in a hurry as usual, I think Jonna was driving. A
few minutes at home to get ready and next thing I know, Nate and I are bombing down the Lodge to the State in a car that belongs to who the fuck knows being driven by who the fuck knows. One stop on Gratiot for Mickey's and we're on Woodward. Park the heap, finish the Mickey's and jump in a short line for the show. A mad rush to the doors with minimal security and we make it to the main floor right when Mike growls, "under my thumb..." The band is clearly not messing around tonight and madness ensues. "Don't Drag Me Down", "Prison Bound" and "Bad Luck" follow and the crowd is getting rowdy as fuck. A nasty "Sick Boys" comes next and then we get a couple minutes to catch our breath. Mostly sweaty dudes but there were quite a few ladies getting down. Mike switches guitars and says something about Detroit being as real as it gets. Crowd goes ape and the band gets to tearing it up again. "1945", "Another State of Mind" and "Let It Be Me" are the songs I remember most. "Ring of Fire" closed the show and everyone went bananas. 2nd show at State, 1st Social D show, so bueno.

It Seems I'm Getting Old

I was home for winter break

The perfect way to spend a holiday break is hanging out with all of your friends from high school. I'm sure this was an awesome time. I remember nothing. 

You Thought You Had All The Answers

A drive up to Chicago from Peoria for a band that does not play ska

Sharon and I drove up for this one. I remember it being really cold, but I also remember it being at the RIV so what do I know? Parking over there was never easy and we had to walk a bit. The show was pretty packed, as it should be, and we were both super excited to be seeing Social Distortion.

After the show we were sort of milling around and I found a shiny silver winter coat on a bench. I remember thinking whomever left it was completely insane for leaving it when it was so cold (and they owned a silver shiny coat so....). 

Yes I Be

I had no intention of going to this show....

I lived in the dorms my freshman year of college and I became friends with a lot of the girls on my floor. They were all different from each other and yet a lot of us bonded over being away from home for the first time, being excited about boys and classes, getting drunk, whatever. I was very good friends with the two girls who lived in the room next to mine. One of them was super into all kinds of stuff (aka hip hop) that I had never been into for no other reason than I lacked the exposure to it. My friends didn't necessarily listen to it and the radio stations that I listened to didn't play it. I was missing out.

My neighbor friend convinced me to go to the De La Soul show with her. She didn't have anyone else to go with her or she wasn't super comfortable going alone, some reason like that so she convinced me to go with her and I am so glad I did.

This show was so much fun, one of the most fun times I've ever had seeing any music anywhere.  Despite feeling like a complete idiot, I danced a ton, laughed a ton, smiled even more. De La Soul was great. The sound was...well, we were in a field house...

Best show I've ever been talked into. 

Talk Is Cheap

I don't hate the Toasters. I don't actively listen to them or anything but I don't have the same negative reaction to them that I do to some other ska bands of this era.

This blog is making it very difficult for me to forget that I listened to ska. Lucky for me my brain remembers nothing. The proof may be in the stub but that's all I've got.

We drove up to Chicago two weeks in a row for these ska shows? Huh. 

ugh

I have absolutely nothing to say about this.

Never Can Make A Clean Break

This stub is difficult to read. It says Download

This show happened mere days after I left for college, which means I drove up from Peoria for it. I have this feeling, but no concrete memory, that Mateo was responsible for this. I mean, I can't imagine ending up here without him. I owned one cassette tape copy of one Download album.

Sometimes I think I Forgot About You

Apparently the friend who drove me to this show didn't really want to go so we ended up leaving after Drill played.  If I could go back I would have stayed. 

I ran into an old crush, who had repeatedly broken my heart, at this show. I didn't want to leave but also didn't want to put my friend out who drove me there so we left early and went to see our friend's band called Skazilla play. 

Remember the days when all your friends were in ska bands? 

I'll Just Press My Luck

Another stub, another show I remember nothing about. 

I can't even make anything up about this. How did I end up seeing Voodoo Glow Skulls so many times?

Fighting, Learning, Saving, Burning

I would be the worst concert reviewer ever. I guess I would take notes if I did this sort of thing for a living and not wait 15.5 years to write my article.

I did write in my journal that Pennywise was there and "boy were they good." I also said that during Unwritten Law a security guard slammed a kid against a wall so the whole band jumped off stage and fought him. I, apparently, thought this "was the coolest." Yeah, that's my exact quote. I'm guessing that was the end of their set.

The internet told me that the lineup that year was: Face to Face, Dick Dale, Down By Law, Fishbone, Fluf, 311, Blink-182, Beck (really???), CIV, Dance Hall Crashers, Deftones, Rocket From The Crypt, Mushroomhead, NOFX, Pennywise, The Mighty Mighty Bosstones, The Figgs, The Alkaholiks, Unwritten Law

I remember basically none of it.  I wouldn't have remembered Unwritten Law's melee had I not written about it and kept my high school journals. I am continually amazed by how much I suck at this.