CDs vs digital music

I have spent tons of money on music... first with vinyl albums and 12" singles, then CDs. Often, I bought the CD version of the album, especially if there were bonus songs on it. I love my IPOD and use it everytime I am at the gym. Still, I have been slow to adapt to digital music. I know that it is the direction of the industry, and that CDs will become less and less popular. But there is something I enjoy about having something tangible. I like the album/cover art and liner notes -- and the fact that I will still have the music should my hard drive crash. As a result, I find myself buying used CDs vs digital music -- often times, I can get the CD less expensive than the digital version - especially if the album has been out for a while. Amazoncom loves me, and I love Amazon.com back as that is where I purchase and sell my music. Everyone expected vinyl records to become valuable once CDs took over but that didn't happen - aside from music that never made it CD. And it doesn't look like CDs will become valuable as they disappear - unless it never gets licensed for digital use.

I have way too many CDs and need to pare down as I don't really listen to them. My idea was to rip them to my computer, then sell the CD for whatever I could get. Of course, I would hold onto CDs that were out of print or had special meaning to me. I spent $1500 on a metal locking cabinet to hold the 2,000 CDs I have. Probably a waste but it does look nicer in the living room than open spinning towers. Alas, even with being unemployed I have not ripped many CDs -- I wish there was a device I could load 100 CDs at a time and have it automatically rip into digital files. I would definitely invest in that!

415 Records Concert

Over Labor Day weekend, I got to check out a few of the influential bands that were on 415 Records in the early to mid-80's. The bill included Wire Train, Translator, and Deborah Iyall from Romeo Void. Romeo Void's Benefactor album and Never Say Never EP were records I played a lot in 1983 - 1984. That album was incredible as it really had a defined sound -- part punk, part new wave with a dash of sax. Incredible album. And Wire Train's first record, "In A Chamber" is infamously great. In 1995, a CD was released that contained Wire Train's first 2 albums, and soon after went out of print. This CD which I have a copy of, sells for $80 - $200 on Amazon.com or eBay. Luckily, I have 2 copies, but will probably sell one for fear that another label like Rhino will pick up the rights to redistribute the album.

Deborah Iyall was great -- she did a new song, plus many Romeo Void classics. Her personality was huge - and made the show fun.

Translator was good, but I only knew one of their songs.

Wire Train was good too, but the lead singer's voice wasn't as sharp as it had been. Still, I was greatful to see this band live having waited 25 years to see them!

Not just about Concerts

Before I continue on the Concerts track, I figure I should cover something about the other topics in my blog description - 80s and Britpop.

My taste in music seems to change as I age for better or for worse:

teens: classic rock/ heavy metal
college: new wave/ hardcore punk/ 80s alt./dance
20s - 30s: indie rock/ dream pop/ house/ electronica/ britpop
40s: alt rock/some new music but mostly relistening to prior favorite music

The genres I listened to and saw the most live shows were 80s and Britpop/Indie Pop. Britpop bands like House of Love, Adorable, Charlatans UK, Chameleons, Wonderstuff, Ned's Atomic Dustbin, Jesus Jones, Inspiral Carpets, The Shamen, Happy Mondays, Ride, Stone Roses plus many classic Brit modern rock/dance bands like New Order, the Beloved, Joy Division. ....bands that were popular in the 80s to 90s before Grunge/Alt Rock/ Electronica became the big sounds. Many of these bands didn't achieve popular success and as a result won't even bother trying to reunite to cash in on all the middle-aged folks looking to relive the past. Music evolves and people look for the next new sound/group. I often wonder what do all these bands do after their short-lived careers? Do they teach music? Or hold a job in the music industry? Or are they over it all and move on to an entirely different career?

Concert #8 - Soft Cell

Soft Cell, London, 2001
Marc Almond, San Francisco Pride, 2003

My most extravagant concert experience in terms of travel/cost was flying to London to see the Soft Cell reunion shows. I was a big fan of Soft Cell, and bigger fan of Marc Almond's solo work. I never saw Soft Cell before they disbanded in 1984. Their reunion show (actually two shows) after 17 years apart was held in London at a new venue called the Ocean. Airfares were unusually low as it was shortly after 9/11 -- so I decided to do a 4-day weekend trip to London to see them. The show was amazing, and the crowd was very much into them. After the show, in the rainy, cold weather outside, the venue had a fireworks display to celebrate its grand opening and a huge display that said "Thank You".

Fast Forward one year -- a coworker of mine was an active member of SF Pride. I inquired about how they select performers and suggested Marc Almond may be a good choice (not just because I wanted to see him perform but that he has done Pride events in London). He connected me to the SF Pride entertainment director who asked if I have an "in" with Marc Almond's management. I didn't but I sent an email to Marc's manager, inquiring if Marc would be interested. His manager replied "Yes if terms are right" so I connected him with the SF Pride Entertainment Director and as luck has it -- a deal was reached. Given my involvement, the Entertainment Director asked if I wanted to be the SF Pride Handler for Marc during his stay. My job would be picking him up in a limo at SFO, checking him into his hotel, making sure he attended a couple Pride-sponsored events, coordinating his trip to Civic Center on day of performance, and then making sure he made it back to SFO for his flight. Needless to say, I was non-stop ecstatic dancing about all of this.

His manager arranged for Marc to perform at Club Universe the night before, so I went and got up close to the stage. During his performance, he recognized me in the audience and inbetween lyrics, pointed at me, and said "Greg!".

Meeting Marc and his manager, accompanying around town in a limo and actually chatting one-on-one with him was a dream come true. He signed memorabilia I had including his Autobiography, and wrote kind words thanking me. And he was kind, friendly and sincere -- someone I will always remember!

PS -- I repeated my "Handler" activities for SF Pride for Jennifer Holliday and Graham Norton, who I even got to ride in his car in the Pride parade.

Concert #7 - Sisters Of Mercy/ Killing Joke

Sisters of Mercy, Chicago, 1991
Killing Joke, Chicago 1991
I'm covering two concerts here because they were close in dates to each other and both at the Riveria theatre.

First up, Sisters of Mercy, the first time I saw them. Of course, the audience had a huge Goth contingent and the heavy use of fog from the stage enveloped the audience. The audience went wild with the opening riff from the first album's title track, First and Last and Always. But what set this concert apart for me is that it is the concert where I actually feared for my safety. Why? In the audience, behind me, were members of a rough biker gang. They were rowdy and loud. Their idea of entertainment was to buy cups of beer and chuck them over my head into the audience, and to go up to people and shove them from behind. They pushed the person behind me and he fell into me. I turned around, looked at the biker guy and said "What's the problem here?". He replied "Problem? There's no problem. Is there a problem?" baiting me to engage in dialog. I turned back around and the girl I was with said "I don't have a good feeling, let's just stand somewhere else." Which is all well and dandy, since I am not a fighter - much less against a biker guy decked out in leather and missing a few teeth.

Killing Joke was noteworthy because the show started late, very late. Supposed to start at 8:00pm, the band came on at 11:00pm to an audience that was tired of waiting. They started and it was clear that more than a few members of the band were under the influence of drugs, and the band sounded like crap. After three songs, we were so disappointed in the sound, we left. I refused to see this band again on future tours.

Concert #6 - The Cure

The Cure, Chicago, 1989
A long time fan of the band, The Cure, I saw them for the second time on their "Disintegration" tour - and they sold out 2 nights at the Rosemont Horizon (20k seats). Disintegration is considered to be one of their best albums. My friend scored 10th row center seats. The stage set was a multi-media visual combined with medieval castle and bellfry set complementing the band's goth look and music. While nothing unusual happenned, the performance - lights, stage show, music - was simply amazing and The Cure played 2.5 hours. Again, seeing a band at their musical high made this concert noteworthy.

Concert #5 - The Smiths

The Smiths, 1986, Milwaukee & Chicago
The Smiths are my all-time favorite band, and when they toured in support "The Queen Is Dead". I gave away my waiter shifts for the entire weekend (when you make the most tips) so I could see them first in Chicago and then the next night in Milwaukee. In Chicago, the sold-out crowd at the Aragon Ballroom had pent up anticipation so when the opening band finished their last song, the crowd surged toward the stage, toppling folding chairs set up as floor seating and crushing people up against the stage. My friends and I balanced on top of chairs -- I'll never forget Morrissey draped over a floor monitor thrashing gladiolas as he sang "I'm alone, I'm alone, I'm alone, and I never ever had nobody ever". The crowd was crazy.

Milwaukee's performance was at the Performing Arts Center, a stark contrast to the Ballroom setting in Chicago. Red plush velvet seats in an acoustically perfect, modern venue. We had seats 11 rows back and I wanted to be closer, much closer. After their first song, Morrissey said "Please don't be shy, come forward" and with that I climbed on top of and over seats and made my way right up against the stage, which had no bouncers in front of it (they were at side stage). I was wearing a Morrissey t-shirt a friend brought back from London for me, which had a picture of Morrissey holding a typewriter in the air. The show was amazing of course, but what made it for me, an impressionable lad in his early twenties was Morrissey shaking my hand during the set. After their final encore, Morrissey was walking off the stage, stopped, turned around and came up to me (and only me!) and said "Thank you" and shook my hand again before departing the stage. Envious fans around me looked at me wondering what made me so special. OMG - Morrissey shook my hand not once but twice. There is no better high than seeing your all-time favorite band perform live up close and personal during the height of their career.

Concert #4 - Ozzy Osbourne

Ozzy Osbourne, Blizzard of Ozz, 1981, Milwaukee
This was Ozzy's first solo tour with his new band, the Blizzard of Ozz, featuring the late, very great Randy Rhoads. The phenomenal album had just been released. I belonged to a concert club offered by Stardate, the big promoter in Milwaukee at the time. For $35 a year, I would get first dibs on tickets before they went on sale, allowing me to see countless shows from the first 10 rows. Well, I scored 1st row for Ozzy, and being a huge Black Sabbath fan, and now Blizzard of Ozz fan, I was very excited. My excitement turned to concern at the venue when I realized I was in first row, but not center, and a towering stack of amplifiers were in front of me, and I did not bring ear protection. Needless to say, the opening band, Motorhead, was very loud. When Ozzy came on, the volume went even higher. As the show progressed, my ears pained in a bad way, and I couldn't help but think that permanent hearing loss may be in store for me, yet being a big fan, I would not leave my incredible seat. The music was great -- just way way too loud, distorting in my ear, making it less than enjoyable for me to get into the show. Ozzy recognized that most people in the front row around me weren't into the show as much as they should (after all, we were all in pain!). At one point, he looked at us angerly with arms stretched out and said "What the fuck?" Then took a swig from a bottle, swished it in his mouth, and showered us with it. As I wiped the liquid from my face, the smell was quite familiar -- but not beer or liquor which I had expected. It was the antisceptic Listerine! I guessed he used that when performing to keep his vocal cords tight. How many people can say Ozzy Osbourne spit on them, much less with a spray of Listerine?

Concert #3 - Luna

Luna @ the Fillmore, San Francisco, 2003
Luna is one of my all-time favorite bands, and the band I've seen perform live more times than any other band (10 shows during their existence). They had booked 2 nights at the legendary Fillmore during one of those rare heat-waves in San Francisco. Shortly into their set, all power went out inside the venue-- a PG&E blackout in the area due to a surge in electricity use caused by the heat. Emergency lights in the venue went on, but it was still pretty dark -- and of course without power, there was no music, just the crowd discussing what is going on, how long we might have to wait, etc. The Fillmore staff scrambled to light candles and pass around to the audience as we all waited for the electricity to come back on. After 15 minutes, the Fillmore staff started offering free tap beer to the audience to quell their restlessness. It was getting pretty warm in the venue as no fans were running. After about 30 minutes, the electricity came back on, and the band resumed where they had left off. Seeing the band perform at an instore the next day at Amoeba, the band's lead singer/guitarist mentioned the incident that occurred last night as a first-time experience for the band.

Concert #2 - Ted Nugent, my first concert

My first rock concert was in 1977 to see Ted Nugent and a band making its first appearance in the US called The Scorpions. The show was memorable as it was my first concert - -but also the lead singer of the Scorpions, in his attempt to physically connect with the audience, stepped off the stage to sing directly to the audience below (there was a small incline hill from the audience up to the stage). Upon returning back to the stage, the singer decided to walk backwards uphill so he could still face the audience. He didn't remember there was a step between the hill and the stage, tripped and fell backward onto the stage - at least he didn't roll down the hill. But he hit the ground hard, and he got up a bit dazed. As a professional he shrugged it off and continued to perform the remainder of the show, but it was evident he had hurt his head, neck and/or back.

Ted Nugent on stage I remember never standing still, running across the top of Marshall amps which lined the entire stage length. And it was very loud! Everyone around me was smoking pot, and as a haze enveloped the audience, I started feeling high and dizzy. After the show, with ears seriously buzzing and sound dampened, we went to grab pizza. I was overstimulated -- the concert lighting, the loud music, the visuals, the pot effect -- all made me dizzy. My friends ate pizza while I sat outside in the parking lot throwing up what little I had in my stomach. There, that's my first concert, and to think I went to many, many more after that!

Remembering Concerts

Over the last 30 years, I've attended over 250 live concerts. While I do not remember all the particulars like the set list or dates, I can usually picture in my mind the band on stage and memorable elements of the performance. Bands that have a big stage show usually guarantee that I will remember something. Or bands that make connect with the audience by making conversation, saying something witty. Or when something unusual happens. That guarantees a spot in my memory. Over the next few weeks, I'm going to recall the most memorable concerts I attended and share it with you.

Concert #1: Black Sabbath/Blue Oyster Cult (dubbed "The Black & Blue Tour", 1980, Milwaukee Auditorium. By far the most violent show I have attended. After a great set by Blue Oyster Cult, Black Sabbath took the stage. On their second song, some idiot from the audience threw a beer bottle on stage (Milwaukee was at that time a famous beer). Unfortunately, the bottle hit Black Sabbath's bass player, Geezer Butler, in the forehead making a large gash which required medical attention. As he stumbled off the stage, the other band members joined him. Then the lead singer, at this time, Ronnie James Dio was lead vocalist, came back and told the audience what happenned pointing the area in front of the stage which he believed the bottle came from. He said, "We will play for you, but will not bleed for you. Fuck you Milwaukee." Well, the audience's shock quickly turned to anger as people realized they were not going to see Black Sabbath perform. Fans started picking up rows of folding chairs in the audience, breaking them, throwing them up on the stage, and some even lighting the chairs on fire. Fights broke out in the audience, and most sensible people, myself included, high tailed it to the exit doors. Here people had already taken to smashing many of the venue's glass doors and starting to vandalize neighboring businesses. Sirens and police paddy vans came driving down the city streets from every direction. A full scale riot was taking place and that could only mean there would soon be a swarm of police officers with billy clubs and handcuffs coming in to restore order. Luckily, my friends and I get out of harm's and the police's way to avoid being arrested -- afterall, we didn't do anything wrong. After several long hours, the venue was rendered non-functional by extensive damage, estimated at several hundred thousand dollars. The city of Milwaukee banned Black Sabbath from ever playing in the city limits again, earning the band the dubious honor of being the only banned rock band. The city proceeded to sue Ticketron, the promoters and the band's management to compensate for the damage. Not sure how that ended up. But I do have to say, the promoters were accurate in billing the concert as "The Black and Blue Tour".







townby far was the most violent showI still remember the time when during a San Francisco heat wave, all the power at the Fillmore went out three songs into the set.