we're just following ancient history

Some random link clicking somehow led me to a list of Journey concert dates...and I found the first concert that Greg and I went together: the "Raised on Radio" tour, in Cincinnati, with Glass Tiger [!!] opening for them. The date?? October 2nd, 1986 [yipe].

That got me curious about my very first concert, so I tracked it down [gotta love the internets]: Adam Ant's "Strip" tour, with The Romantics opening, playing at Vets Memorial in Columbus, Ohio, way back on on March 9th, 1984. I stayed at my friend Kim's house that night; she was supposed to go with another friend, but they couldn't go, so I jumped at the chance. Her dad drove us and even seemed to enjoy the concert a bit [brave man, nice man], and I remember bits and pieces about the night: the older crowd [well, older than me at the time]; the double drums, two separate drummers on either side of the stage, high up on scaffolding; the smell of pot in the lobby [the first I'd encountered]; the long lines for the restrooms; Adam performing the song "Strip", slowly losing piece after piece of his clothing, until ending up in a big clear plastic cube filled with water, wearing nothing but leather trunks [cue audience screaming and applauding]; trying to act like I did this all the time, and that I wasn't some kid at her first concert.

I came home the next day with ringing ears, a t-shirt, a program [both long lost to time, sadly], and a grounding...I didn't get the okay from my parents before going, so they grounded me when they found out.

But it was worth it.