(18 Weeks)
A love of music is also something I share with my daughter and with Kurt. She has introduced me to many new artists and as a designated driver I’ve seen a lot of them live – something I never would have done on my own. While at the same time, Kurt and I have made it a point to see many classic artists before the opportunity fades.
Summer 1981, when the Brendan Byrne Arena in New Jersey’s Meadowlands opened with a six-night stand by local artist, Bruce Springsteen, I was 16. A lot of people I know were there. I was not. My first trip to the new venue was a week later when my friend’s parents took us to see one of the first performances of Disney on Ice. Well, that’s something, I guess. But it wasn’t Springsteen.
My first concert was Crosby, Stills & Nash there on August 13, 1982. While not being a huge fan, I was very familiar with their music and knew I’d enjoy it when a friend suggested we go. Of the four of us, I was also one of only two who already had my driver’s license. It’s funny how the memory works, because I’ve been telling people for years that Billy Joel was my first concert, but in researching Concert Archives, the dates didn’t add up.
For some reason, after 42 years I still knew for sure that the CS&N show was August 13, 1982. I even remember the circumstances around why my best friend, Connie, was grounded and couldn’t come with us. But in my mind, Billy Joel was the previous December. It wasn’t.
Billy Joel at Brendan Byrne was the day after Christmas 1982 – so my second concert. A high school friend invited me to go with her and another friend. The invitation was last-minute, and I was surprised my parents said yes although they did question where the tickets came from. I don’t remember what I told them, but I do remember, it wasn’t until I was in the car driving away that my friends confessed that we didn’t actually have tickets.
The $20 I was told to bring to reimburse someone for the ticket was the budget for the ticket I was to purchase in the parking lot from a scalper. I remember being annoyed at the time that the best we could do was $25. If only, right? And the seats were incredible. About 3 rows up, stage left. Easily a $1000+ ticket now.
The first concert I remember attending at Madison Square Garden was Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers the summer after I graduated from college. Another good show there was Ziggy Marley opening for INXS the following summer. The venue at which I’ve seen the most live shows I believe is still Brendan Byrne (and the Meadowlands Arena by other names).
Connie and I drove out to Queens to see Simon & Garfunkel at Shea Stadium in August 1983. My car had broken down the previous week and I had to take my dad’s ’77 Chevy Impala station wagon. I remember paying someone $20 to park in a very sketchy lot, then in trying to leave, backed into a park bench taking out one of the taillights which my father made me pay for ($75!). I also remember our seats where so high up that we could see the landing gear on the planes coming into LaGuardia and that the stadium’s acoustics weren’t that great. That might have been when I started questioning the value of concert tickets.
I went to a fair number of concerts from my late teens through my early 20s, then between rent and mortgage payments, building a career, and parenting, my entertainment budget shrunk and what little disposable income I had to put toward music went to my CD collection rather than live music.
When I worked for The Record (1989-1994), they had corporate suites at the Arena and Giants Stadium, so I would always put in to host concerts. I saw more concerts than I can remember as “work events” and they were totally free for me and a guest! The Who, Eric Clapton, John Mellencamp, George Thorogood, Janet Jackson, are a few that stand out.
Thanks to Kurt and my daughter, I am now creating new musical memories. I have probably been to more live shows in the last 8-10 years than the previous 30. My daughter has introduced me to many new artists, and I got her to Fleetwood Mac (my favorite) and Teenage Fanclub (one of Chris’ favorites). Thanks to Kurt, I can finally say I’ve seen Elton John, The Rolling Stones, James Taylor, Jackson Browne, and yes, finally, Bruce Springsteen.
Did you really think this wasn’t going to include a fundraiser? It’s me. Of course it is! Over the course of these 60 weeks, I am hoping to raise $6000 for the children of Mercy Home for Boys & Girls (that’s just $100 a week!). To learn more about Mercy Home and my why, please visit my fundraising page. Thank you.
