Things I Think About While Running in the Morning (Part 2)
Best concerts (clubs) I've ever seen:(This is a hell of a lot tougher than the stadium show list - lots more to choose from including many multiples times seeing the Pressure Boys, the Connells, the Fabulous Knobs and many more put on great shows)
1) X - The Pier (Raleigh) - 1983-ish Practically leaned on Billy Zoom's monitor all night - that's some GOOD rock and roll!
2) Pressure Boys with Johnny Quest - Culture Club (Raleigh) - 1984-ish I probably saw the P-Boys 50 times over the years, but I started dancing the second Quest went on stage and didn't stop 'til the Boys were done.
3) New Grass Revival - Rhythm Alley (Chapel Hill) - 1986 I had heard a couple of tunes from one of their albums, but had no idea what to expect. I think Sam Bush, Bela Fleck and Pat Flynn had all won Fret Magazine awards at some point - add Johnny C's gospel-blues vocals and it was freaking awesome. Those guys rocked as hard as any punk band I've ever seen.
4) Fetchin' Bones with Snatches of Pink - Rhythm Alley (Chapel Hill) - 1986 Hope and the gang had gone from opening for openers in the clubs to having their tour reported on in the Rolling Stone in less than a year. SOP was the best I ever saw them and so were the Bones, including a long encore with Rob Ladd jumping on stage and jamming on guitar. Everybody just seemed to be so damned happy to be there, whether they were on the stage or in front of it.
5) drivin' and cryin' - The Milestone (Charlotte) - '86 or '87 I'd only vaguely heard of them at that time (their first album had come out on Atlanta's 688 label) and the club was almost empty when they started. Then about 50 girls from Winthrop College showed up (that's a LOT in the Milestone) and d and c rocked the house. Funniest bit was the lack of a lighting board - their roadie was sitting beside the soundboard unplugging and plugging in the lights over the stage to the beat. REAL high tech!
Honorable Mention: Guadalcanal Diary (Cat's Cradle), Violent Femmes (Cat's Cradle), The Brains (The Milestone)
(and just so you don't think there's nothing new to compare to, the Pietasters show at the Cradle almost made the list, as did the Ben Folds Five show from a couple of years ago. So there!)
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