@skate7destroy1

2 years ago

I saw Radiohead at a small venue in Phoenix AZ in 1995. They played at what was a closed and then refurbished then French breakfast bistro that was on the corner of 24th Street and Camelback. The place shared property with was the largest movie theater in Arizona, The Cine Capri. They are both now gone, replaced by glass skyscrapers with ground level Starbucks Coffee shops. You can now order a quad shot carmel macciatto latte bréve grande in the exact same spot where Thom Yorke once belted out songs like Stop Whispering and Thinking About You. The venue held about 250 people. It was named The Paradox/The Sanctuary for the two years it served as a bar/concert venue. That year I also witnessed other soon to be globally successful, stadium bands that history would remember as some of the best and most successful rock bands in the history of humanity. Bands like Smashing Pumpkins, NIN, TOOL, Penny wise, Face to Face, and NOFX. Being 17 in 1989 during my senior year in high school meant that I was blessed to be where I was at the time, and the age where going to concerts was a popular pastime for many Gen X'ers. I was in my late teens/early 20's when Lallapalooza kicked off, when the whole west coast gangsta rap culture began with NWA, Cube, Pac, Biggie, etc. I personally went to 5 Nirvana shows in those few years, starting with their tour for their Bleach album, ending with their final performance at the Arizona State Fair a month before Kurt's death, as they promoted their last studio album, In Utero. I saw Jane's Addiction a handful of times, with my first experience a concert they played at a small club called The Underground in 1989, where tickets cost me $5 bucks. I saw TOOL tour in support of their 5 song LP Opiate in 1995 at a small bar called The Mason Jar. Tons of Grateful Dead, U2, Pearl Jam, RHCP, and REM shows that give me a lifetime of memories, long before the days of YouTube and streaming services. I was lucky enough to be in a city that had a punk rock scene in the mid-80's, where I saw everyone from Minor Threat, Dead Kennedys, The Exploited, JFA, Bpack Flag, GBH, the Vandals, etc. All ages shows at 13-18 years old helped me develop a love for attending concerts that continued well into adulthood. Now at 49 I catch the sporadic U2, Coldplay, Radiohead, TOOL, stadium tours but for the most part I simply sit with my memories and reminisce on a lifetime of once in a lifetime experiences. Radiohead for me is nostalgia manifested through music. Life has been a beautiful journey and I'm grateful for every last second of moments like those expressed here.

6 |