My next concert was when I was a much older – I won tickets to George Michael on the radio. This was a concert I was actually looking forward to. It was the first concert I knew all the words to all of the songs.
I can actually remember George Michael and looking over at my best friend and just freaking the hell out. He came out and the crowd went crazy. The energy in the crowd was something so overwhelming I wished I could bottle it up and take it home with me. That was the first time I ever looked up at a musician/singer and realized how powerful that must feel to be standing on a stage with thousands of screaming fans all singing your songs. I was in awe. I was also hooked on going to concerts.
From then on, anytime I had any spare money I would stash it in a shoebox waiting for the next good band to come to town. I saw Slaughter and Poison (back when Brett Michaels didn’t need a bandana) Aerosmith, Paul McCartney, Ratt, Extreme, Skid Row, and a great triple show of Warrant, Trixter and Firehouse. There are more, but this is just off the top of my head. I was like a crack addict - I couldn't get enough.
But, I wasn’t one of those concert groupies, waiting around hoping to hook up with a band member or anything like that. I was just a fan of the music and the energy that there in that arena, sportatorium or stadium when those bands took the stage. I was the girl in the stands screaming every word to every song until my voice would just totally give out. I literally lived for those concerts. They meant everything to me as a teenager.
And, the funny thing was even with all these rock and roll hairbands I was listening to - my favorite musician at the time was Billy Joel. And, when Billy Joel was coming to the Miami Arena when I was in 12th grade I just knew I could not miss it. I had been living with Rita and Jack for many years now, and I knew Friday nights were a hard night to go out and do things because we are Jewish and Friday night dinners in our house were a must. But I wanted to go to this concert so badly, I begged and pleaded and tried everything possible to get them to let me go, but I got nowhere. Then when Billy opened a second show up on Saturday night because the first one sold out I thought I had beat the system and I was going. But, my parents still said no. I was floored. I couldn’t understand why I was not allowed to go see Billy Joel. He was so much tamer than some of the other groups I had seen. What the heck was going on?
At the time I was dating this guy and we wanted to go to this concert together. I asked him to get me a ticket and told him I would find a way to get to this concert, because there was absolutely no way in hell I was going to miss it. So, he got me the ticket, and I continued to work on my parents to let me go… until finally my mom relented. She finally broke down and told me that she had asked my boyfriend to get me the ticket to the concert and that it was meant to be a surprise for me. I had driven her SO crazy about going she finally had to tell me I was going just to shut me up! I was so excited I cried. Maybe it was just from frustration because I had put so much effort into my begging!
This was more than just a milestone in my life – it was a whole obsession I went through. But, that Billy Joel concert was the best concert I had ever gone to. That is until I heard Guns N’ Roses was coming to town...
There's a new band in town
But you can't get the sound from a story in a magazine...
Everybody's talking about the new sound
Funny, but it's still rock and roll to me!
-Billy Joel
22 days and counting!