I Was There: Your "Losing My Edge" Moment

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For those who haven't heard it, the lyrics in LCD Soundsystem's "Losing My Edge" list, among other things, a series of "big moments" in music history at which the narrator was present. He says things like, "I was there in 1968, at the first Can show, in Cologne" and "I was there in 1974 at the first Suicide practices." It's all very tongue-in-cheek.

So anyway, I'm wondering if you have any "I Was There" stories to tell, where you were present at something that would later be seen as "important," or caught a major artist very early in their career, before anyone knew anything about them.

― Mark, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I know we've done some similar questions to this, but not in this context, so humor me (Please.)

― Mark, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Hardly a case where they weren't known, but I saw Hole open for the Smashing Pumpkins in late 1991 in LA -- just knowing the tangled history and fame of both bands in later years makes seeing that show all the more of an odd situation in my head. But alas I don't think I've ever seen a totally random opening act just starting out turn into the gods on high in later years, alas.

― Ned Raggett, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I wish I had one...

...which is how I read the "we all know what you really want."

― GCannon, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I saw the Police at the old & very small 9:30 club. They weren't particularly good and there was hardly anyone there!

― Matt Riedl (veal), Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I was at the Sonic Youth show right before their instruments were stolen.

― Sterling Clover, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

kill yr alibis

― Kris, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I once farted on the set of "The Blue Lagoon"...

― Brooke Shields, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

In either 1985 or 1986, I found myself at a large dance party thrown by the Black Student Caucus of Michigan State University. Seeing how I am not black and was not at that time a student at MSU (I was only 15 or 16), I’m not sure how this happened. I do know that I was a friend of a student at the University, and I believe he borrowed another kid’s ID card for my use.

In any case, my only memories of the party are: 1) my friends and I were the only white people there about of close to a thousand attendees; and 2) some famous DJ had driven up from Detroit to play the party. I remember he went by the name "The Wizard," and I recall him doing a routine where he was cutting up the theme song from the Wizard of Oz, which I thought was pretty cool. We didn’t stay long, but I stood by the booth for a few minutes and watched him do his thing. Incredibly, I just put it together today while browsing the book Last Night A DJ Saved My Life that "The Wizard" was Jeff Mills.

― Mark, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

* Pavement's first-ever show as a band at the Court Tavern, New Brunswick, NJ, August 1990. They played in front of a few dozen local drunks and a few rock critic/record store types who'd mostly come down from NYC.

* Belle & Sebastian at the Borderline, London 1996. (The show was sold out, but I am almost certain I was one of the first Americans to know of them.)

I'm sure there were a few others, but these are the first two that come to mind.

― mike, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I just realized I havent seen anyone famous in YEAAAAAAAAARS (unless you count Sloan). Maybe Spiritualized in 98 or something. Dandy Warhols don't count on this side of the Atlantic.

― mr noodles, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

how was that Pavement show? and why were the critics there from NYC? had slay tracks been released yet? and were you there to see pavement, or just there?

― Aaron A., Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I was there in 1966, when the Velvets first took the stage at the Dom.

― Mary, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Last Germs show at the Starwood, Chuck Wagon's final Dickies show at the Topanga Corral, nothing notable in the last twenty years.

― dan, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Slay Tracks had already been released; I think they were actually touring behind Demolition Plot J-7. I certainly wasn't a huge fan yet, though I had heard of them - I'd heard "Box Elder" on the radio and read effusive praise for them in Conflict (as had the NY'ers, I think), and that was enough for me to drive the 15 minutes into downtown New Brunswick.

The Court Tavern, as you New Jerseyans may know, is a fairly divey bar. So when I was accosted by a strange long-haired hippie at the door who asked me "if I was there to see Pavement," it didn't seem so unusual. Imagine my surprise when that same hippie turned up behind Pavement's drumkit!

My memories of the show are foggy at best - I can't remember specific songs (though I do think "Fork Lift" was in the set). I do remember how engagingly sloppy they were, and remember feeling lucky - even then - to have seen them in such an intimate atmosphere.

― mike, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I woke up naked at a beach in Ibiza at 1988

― Chupa-Cabras, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

that pavement show was actually August 1991... rob chamberlain (who worked at Strand Books at the time) was on bass.

here's a pic from the show http://dragcity.com/bands/pavement3.jpg

― gygax!, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

Nope, 1990. The Drag City site has the date wrong.

― mike, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i saw ut's last ever show; sonic youth's last ever w.bob bert as drummer (best rockshow i ever say ever) (ever); i saw alterations' last ever show (david toop, steve beresford, terry day and peter cusack) (it wasn't very good: i was due to interview them afterwards, and i asked the first question and toop said "that's really had to answer because we just decided to call it a day)

― mark s, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I saw X before their first LP was released, but they were well-known on the LA scene by then. I saw the Dream Syndicate play in this storefront in Pasadena when they only had one EP out, and I saw the last show at the Hong Kong Cafe - it was a new year's eve show, and I can't remember any band that played.

― nickn, Thursday, 15 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I'm a loser. I am always the last to find out about GRATE bands or be there when something pivotal happens. But I was there when the 2 Many DJs /Soulwax thing started. In a way I wish I wasn't. heh Just kidding. Really.

― nathalie, Friday, 16 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I saw the Jesus and Mary Chain at the Ambulance Station, plus their later 'riot' gig at some polytechnic or other, that's the best I can do.

― Andrew L, Friday, 16 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

A bunch of the early Fugazi shows, the last Happy Go Licky show, the first Moss Icon show gig when they were called Hundreth Monkey; also the Joseph Holbrooke Trio reunion in Cologne in 1998 (which was amazing).

― Colin Meeder, Friday, 16 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

First electric Sebadoh show (a one-off band I was in actually opened for them); first Cat Power show (I think--they were like a six-piece band then); the infamous Fall show at Brownies where they broke up on stage; first Neutral Milk Hotel show with a band; first Princess Superstar show; Laito Laichee, before they became Cibo Matto...

― Douglas, Friday, 16 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

The last Replacements show in Grant Park. It was a really dull show. We spent most of it playing cards and drinking beer and laughing at the people who were calling out for "Merry Go Round."

― Dave225, Friday, 16 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I saw Hole at a small bar in Pittsburgh. Courtney was on the phone screaming wheres my fucking drugs!! Before they went on stage in front of the whole audience.

― brg30, Friday, 16 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

I saw Hole's first show at Raji's in Hollywood. They had this crazy girl wearing Kiss makeup playing bass, a stripper friend of Courtney's. I wonder what happened to her? She was very foxcore. They also had some guy in a white oxford shirt playing guitar,along with Eric. He had some kind of Thurston and Kim affiliation. He sang a couple of songs that didn't really fit in with the Courtney/Eric songs.

They were great, but, oh me of little faith, I thought Courtney was too scary to rise above the late Eighties indie ghetto.

Also saw the Contortions first show at Max's when I ran away in '77, as I mentioned on some other thread. Yes, I old and decrepit.

― Arthur, Friday, 16 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

i got murdered at altamont

― unknown or illegal user, Friday, 16 August 2002 00:00 (twenty-three years ago)

nine years pass...

I was "dating" Rufus Wainwright when he flew to L.A. to sign with Dreamworks back in 1996. I didn't really believe him until I saw the area code on my caller ID.
He wrote to me this past weekend on ManHunt. Said he was in Montreal.

― LeRooLeRoo, Wednesday, 27 June 2012 21:56 (thirteen years ago)

ManHunt

― Black_vegeta (Hungry4Ass), Wednesday, 27 June 2012 21:58 (thirteen years ago)

Not me, but my sister saw Gary Clark Jr. back in '98-'99 when he was part of a duo guitar act "Gary & Eve" ("Eve" being Eve Monsees, who is currently co-owner of Antone's Record Shop in Austin). They were doing a bottom of the bill set. She took a bunch of photos, although I haven't seen the prints in years. One of the last in the series shows the two of them (both about 14-15 at the time) playing behind their heads.

― Electro-Shock Rory (C. Grisso/McCain), Thursday, 28 June 2012 00:51 (thirteen years ago)

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