My First Concert:

(Written on dooty, 9/21)

I was a late bloomer. I was 16 when I went to my first concert. ‘Twas the H.O.R.D.E. Fest with Neil Young, Beck, Ben Folds Five (no-name at the time), and Primus. I went to see my favorite band, Primus.

Dig this, I MET LES CLAYPOOL at my first concert. Les being my musical inspiration to learn bass. Primus’s 1st album, ‘Suck On This’ taught me how to play bass. Imagine meeting one of your greatest inspirations of all time before you even know what’s what. I had no idea how loud live shows were. Wow!

Primus blew it up.

Les Claypool hung out behind Ben Folds’s tent. They drank beer together.

Beck is certainly entertaining live. I had no idea. The band has choreographed dances, animal costumes, the like.

I fell asleep during Neil Young.

After the show, I made a tape with all the songs, in order, that Primus performed. It didn’t leave my Dodge Omni for months. They opened with ‘John the Fisherman’ and ended with ‘Tommy the Cat,’ my favorite song for years…until I heard Faith No More’s ‘A Small Victory.’