When I moved to Boston in 1996, I was thrilled with all the shows I could see-- musicians and bands that wouldn't come anywhere near Wichita regularly played in Boston and Providence. I could see The Violent Femmes, or The Lemonheads, or the Mighty, Mighty, Bosstones!
Once we were old enough to drive, my friends and I would see any show that came through The Cotillion and would venture to Kansas City and Tulsa as well.
The Show I'll Never Forget edited by Sean Manning is collection of writers who recall, obviously, the show they'll never forget. Some are first concerts and some are just really iconic concerts (Woodstock). Some read like braggarts (so, yeah, I saw Hendrix...) and some are extremely personal (a high school benefit concert for an ill student). The shows run the gamut from Patti Smith to Nirvana, from Nina Simone to the Beastie Boys. In some cases, I would be just as mesmorized to see the writer (Jennifer Egan, Chuck Klosterman) as the concert (The Stones, Miles Davis, James Brown!). I was disappointed by only a few essays- by and large each writer evoked a time and place (watching a Red Sox game with The Pogues at Fenway).
Two shows came to mind for the Show I'll Never Forget. For my 18th birthday my mom got me four tickets to see The Cranberries in Kansas City. When I look at the pictures from that trip, I remember how excited myself and my three friends were and also think what a great mom I have. She drove us to KC and took us to an early dinner, then waited in the parking lot during the whole show while we were inside (well, outside). I know concerts are about smoking pot, but we were good kids, and since it was my 18th birthday I did two things: I bought a legal pack of cigarettes and I registered to vote at the Rock the Vote tent (the voting stuck, the smoking didn't).
The second show I really remember was seeing Pavement in 1997. I'd just finished my first year of college and my friend Caron and cousin Jenny came into Boston and we saw them at the Roxy. We were SO EXCITED!! I remember Jenny had to use a fake id to get in, because she wasn't 18 yet and I remember the opening band sucked (Shudder to Think) and I remember just being thrilled that they played everything I wanted to hear. We could see them pretty close and I was just in love.
I read the 2nd book in Stieg Larsson's Millenium trilogy-- The Girl Who Played with Fire. You're either going to read this book or you're not (or you already have) and it's no use giving details. Needless to say it was captivating and I can't wait to read the third and final book.
netflix stars: 4/5 and 5/5
