1) Minnesota, hats off to thee – For a first concert, this was on fire! It was fun to see Bronko Nagurski’s name in huge letters behind the head of the lead singer from the opening act, Interpol. A friend added on her Facebook page: “Ski-U2-Mah!”
2) The claw – The giant claw, which I half expected to rain down a firestorm a la “Independence Day,” led those in the stands behind me to riff on claws in general. My favorite? Their discussion of Baron von Raschke’s “brainclaw” wrestling move.
3) The rain – Watching the band power through the howling wind and stinging rain to continue performing was awe-inspiring. Another friend wrote that as soon as the rain started, it was like we were all in a music video – but do they make music videos anymore? My husband commented, “This is actually a nice day in Ireland.”
4) The shirt – The audience was awed when Adam Clayton removed his shirt to reveal a well-sculpted 51-year-old. The downside? Several concert-goers nearby took this as a cue to also remove their shirts.
5) Purple Rain – Bono sang snippets of rain-related lyrics throughout the show, even paying homage to Prince with a little “Purple Rain.”
First concert memories
The U2 concert on July 23 led us to ask about first concert you ever attended. I’ll show my age and admit that the first band I saw in concert was “Chicago,” and I promptly developed a crush on one of the trombone players.
Here are some of the responses we received:
Michelle Wallin – “My first concert was the band Poison with special guest Britny Fox on Nov. 4, 1988, at the Met Center in Bloomington. (Britny Fox was an 80s “hair” band similar to Poison.) I was 14 1/2 years old, in ninth grade and I attended the show with two other friends from my junior high school. My friend’s mom gave us a ride to the show. I think I wore a Poison jersey with three-quarter sleeves that I ordered through the mail, though I am not certain. I just remember it was already cold outside. My favorite song was absolutely, “Every Rose Has Its Thorn.” I held up a pink lighter during the song – isn’t that what you’re supposed to do during a ballad? That song actually topped the Billboard Pop Charts that winter. At the concert we saw one my neighbors who also went to school with us. She looked surprised to see me, I don’t think she knew I listened to Poison. There was also some perceived “rebellion” in the mix that night: I got home from the concert quite late, because the three of us had a misunderstanding on where to meet my friend’s mom after the show. We had a great time and even though it was my first concert, this was the second to last concert that I went to at the Met Center before it got torn down. The site of the Met Center became part of the Mall of America/ Mall of America parking.”
Lori Carlson – “My first concert ever was The Jets with opener Limited Warranty at the MN State Fair. I’m sure I wore something along the lines of stirrup pants with a baggy shirt and some big earrings (and bigger bangs). My favorite Jets song was “Crush on You.” I was also a big Limited Warranty fan. I loved “Victory Line.” Luckily, I don’t think any photos were taken of me in my concert garb.”
Leah Shaffer – “My first concert wasn’t until freshman year of college. I got to see the Smashing Pumpkins on their final tour. Great show at the Granada in Lawrence, Kan. I stood in line for in the wee hours of one frozen morning with my boyfriend (and future husband) to get tickets for the show …”
Meryn Fluker – “My first official concert (not including kids’ shows like the Chenille Sisters, who were amazing) actually has local ties: When I was 13, I attended KDWB’s Last Chance Summer Dance at Canterbury Park in Shakopee. The slate included memorable acts Blu Cantrell, American Hi-Fi and O-Town. Exactly. I remember having a total blast and being really excited to wear my tie-dyed Last Chance Summer Dance T-shirt at school the next day, because I was so cool. I can’t really remember any of the songs played at the concert (though I’m sure the acts played their respective hits: “Hit ’Em Up Style,” “Flavor of the Weak” and “Liquid Dreams”) but I remember feeling super mature, weird because I definitely recall my friend’s dad coming to pick us up at the end of the event. Luckily, no photos remain.”
Melissa Gilman – “I won tickets for the 1991 or 1992 Pixies concert at First Avenue from KJ104, which at the time was a super cool Twin Cities alternative music station. I was 14 and BEGGED my parents to let me go with my much older cousin. I promised I would never leave my home in the safe northern suburbs for scary Minneapolis EVER AGAIN if they just let me go to this ONE concert. They said yes. I sucked in every smoke-filled moment of that amazing concert, bought the T-shirt and never went home again. So to speak.
Anonymous – “July 4, 1990 - I had somehow convinced my dad that he was the perfect person to chaperon four 12-year-old girls at the New Kids on the Block concert at Harriet Island. I'm pretty sure I still owe him something for not only driving us three hours to get there but then sitting around ALL day long (in the rain) to wait for the concert to begin. To us, it was totally worth it. Tommy Page opened (of "I'll Be Your Everything" fame) and I remember my dad lifting me up so I could see his bright red shoes. Naturally, we exhausted ourselves screaming at/singing along to the New Kids’ songs. And suddenly it was all over. As we walked back to the car the Fourth of July fireworks began. I think the four of us were asleep in the car before my dad could make his way out of the metro. If I could remember where I stashed that picture of me in my super cool black and neon Hard Rock Cafe T-shirt and acid washed jean shorts, you would be enjoying that view right now.”
Anonymous – “I saw a lot of bands at the po-dunk Fox Lake Ballroom when I was in high school. I think I saw Litterer and Slave Raider more often than I saw my college-aged brother in those days. I remember begging my parents to let me go to the big city to see Motley Crue and Night Ranger (on separate occasions - not one ticket). I think "Over my dead body" was exclaimed more than once. But, I think my first REAL concert was Britney Fox and Joan Jett on the Mankato State University campus when I was a senior in high school. But the one that really counts was going to Queensryche at the Fargo Civic; or was it Tesla at the Fargo Civic? My early concert experiences have kind of melted together until I get to Aerosmith at the Fargodome. Now that show I remember!”
This story originally appeared in Southwest Newspapers' Let's Go.
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Almost got run over by a laundry truck later to find out, that was how the Beatls got out of there.