Anoushka Shankar, Hollie Cook at Millennium Park

OUT at Quenchers

Annie made me talk to a whole bunch of people.  I have since forgotten all of them.  So there.

Nonagon, Cell Phones at Brinkman Haus

Tiny's 50th birthday celebration.  Did another band play that we listened to from the yard?  I think so - I seem to recall the singer sounded like Johno, but wasn't.

Eddie Palmieri at Millenium Park

A perfectly pleasant evening picnicking downtown.  I picked up banh mi for Amy and I on my bike ride down.  I got to bike over that crazy windy "new" bridge.  Amy and i also strolled over it to gawk at the climbing wall.  I also showed her where i broke Jonah.  Oh, there was some salsa music too (we even saw folks, mostly old or young, dancing).

Nonagon et al at Township

Did i miss Haymarket Riot?  I think i might have - i tend to show up late to these things.  [EDIT - i just noticed i have a Haymarket Riot cd, and it's darn good; leading me to believe that i did, in fact, see them and liked them so much that i bought a cd.  That sounds right.]

Knife the Symphony are a good bunch of guys and i like their music.

Maple Stave are great.  Finally picked up one of their CDs.  Why did i wait so long?  And how long will i wait to get more of their stuff?

I sure do like the Nonagons.

Was this the show that we went to get pizza afterwards, and all i got was fries, only to discover on the way out that they had vegan pizza?  Actually, i don't think it was.

Nonagon, Bear Claw, Sweet Cobra, The Austerity Program at the Burlington

ho. lee. crap.

Poster Children at Bottom Lounge

Droids Attack opened.  Did i see them?  I'm not sure.

I seem to remember liking the second band, ifihadahifi.

Poster Children, as usual, killed.  I hadn't seen them in a while at this point and remember thinking: "Damn, they're good.  Why don't i see them more often?"  Of course i didn't get around to seeing them again for several years.

Shellac at Lounge Ax

The second to last show at Lounge Ax.  Long live Lounge Ax.

The poster i have says the Traitors played, but i have a strong suspicion i was late and didn't see them as i have no memory whatsoever of that band.

I know i've seen Scrawl (at Lounge Ax, i believe), but i also suspect i may have missed them that night.

I definitely actually saw the Thinking Fellers, and they were good.  Never got any of their records, which i probably should.

Shellac put on their usual great show.  Actually, i remember liking this show better than most.  Less math, more rock.  Mr. Albini made some crack about the embarrassing ska wave of a few years prior.  I was horribly offended.

I don't know that i hung out much with jay, but i definitely bought a poster from him.

Jumpknuckle at Metro

If i remember correctly, Metro used to have a bunch of 'local' bands for cheap on Wednesdays.  This was one of those shows.  Jumpknuckle played with Hushtower, Superhero Forehead and Tiny (not this Tiny).  I don't know if i saw any of those other bands - i know i did hangout backstage with the Jumpknuckles before watching their set from the floor.

I seem to recall subway down the block beforehand as well.

Pato Banton, No Doubt at Cubby Bear

That's right, No Doubt opening for a reggae singer nobody (at least nobody who isn't an English Beat fanatic) had heard of at what is essentially just a bar.  I think they went on to bigger things after this.

Fishbone and Primus at the Riviera

I remember being pretty excited about this show.  Both Fishbone and Primus were pretty big deals in our little world at the time.  Maybe this was a little past their prime as far as we were concerned, but still...

It seems likely maybe Johno and I had more friends there, and even more likely that Jen brought a friend or two of hers along as well (perhaps that Michelle M girl?).

Fishbone had an informal 'big booty contest' up on stage during their set.  It was embarrassing even then.  But thank grod at least i didn't see my little sister up there.

I do not remember seeing the Hard Corps, but I do have an ep by them, so maybe this is where I heard of them.  I do seem to recall buying a bootleg t-shirt outside the riv on the way out.

Culture, The Spores at Mabel's

Well i sure don't remember this concert at all.  But here's the ticket stub proving i was there:

What's funny is, i distinctly remember buying my first Culture CD.  It was in downtown Evanston the summer i was parking cars (1992?) at the suggestion of the guy who worked at the CD store (i'd have called it a 'record store', but they only sold CDs).  I do not recall knowing Culture at the time.  Did i even remember this concert then?...

Volcano Suns, Poster Children at Trito's Uptown

I remember being at this show, but honestly don't remember much about it.  I'm not even sure who i went with.  Johno? Gumby?  Both seem likely due to the time period and venue, but i really don't recall.

The only thing that sticks in my head after all these years is the drummer's hair waving crazily about.  Which is odd, since in every picture the internet turned up the drummer has short hair.  Oh well.

They Might Be Giants at Mabel's

The second time seeing They Might be Giants at Mabels.  The second time being flogged by Frank's hair.  You'd think i'd find a better place to stand.

Fishbone at the Metro

We drove up from Champaign.  I can't remember who all "we" was.

Schooly D opened.  He likes his women middle-aged - between 11 and 13.  This is a lot less funny now that i'm not 19 years old and have teenage children of my own.

Fishbone was, of course, amazing.  I stage dove for the first and only time.  I was not caught.

INXS at Poplar Creek

I did not go to this show with Bonnie.  We had gone to Depeche Mode together the previous month, and she said she wanted to go with her other friends to this show.  I'm still not entirely sure what that was all about, but we weren't officially dating and it still depressed me.

I think I ended up going with Greg Brown, but I really don't remember.  I do remember we were all the way in the back at the top of the hill that the lawn formed.  So when INXS dedicated "(Kiss the Dirt) Falling Down the Mountain" to the folks at the top of the hill, it was in fact dedicated to me.

Also, this was my sister Chris' birthday.  I don't remember it from then, but maybe she went with Bonnie.  That would explain some things, as we didn't really get along back then...

Depeche Mode at Poplar Creek

Naked Raygun, The Slugs, Sixteen Tons at Friends & Co.

This was my first real Punk Rock show.  Johno drove Robbie's car down.  This was well before Lisa and i dated; it's possible this is where we first met and it's also possible that she didn't remember that.  This seems to be a recurring theme... perhaps i am more nondescript than i suspected.

The show was great.  It was in a small venue with a concrete floor.  I spent much of the time keeping bigger folks from slamming into smaller folks.  At one point my nose was bloodied, so i beat a hasty retreat to the bathroom.  I think i only missed one song, if that.

And Roller Queen is still stuck in my head.

The thumbtack hole at the top left of the ticket is from where i tacked it to the doorframe in my room up in Zion.  This was before i officially moved out of my folks' house.  Also before i had far too many ticket stubs to tack them to just one doorframe.

The lollipop says NAKED RAYGUN on the stick (it's a bit hard to read now).  I'm pretty sure it's from this show, but i did collect a lot of 'free shit' from various Raygun shows - but i remember this one being tacked to that same doorframe.  Also, is it wrong for me to want to eat a nearly 30 year old lollipop?

They Might Be Giants at Mabel's

They Might be Giants are great.  Standing behind Tripping Frank and his wildly swinging long hair, not so much.

Judging by the date, i went to this show with a bunch of new friends.  Could this be the first show i went to with Johno?  i think it might be...

U2 at Assembly Hall, Champaign

We sat dead center in the very last row ... I could reach back at touch the domed ceiling.  Turns out that johno was sitting just a few seats over, but this was before I knew him.