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.