106.  11/2/2009 - The Swell Season, Mark Dignam	Clowes Hall, Indianapolis IN
Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova (from the movie Once) performed together and with a band, and Glen did several solo songs. The opener was Mark Dignam. I was truly amazed by Glen's guitar playing and vocal ability. Wow, he has a great voice! He did an awesome version of Van Morrison's "Astral Weeks", which had some of fastest acoustic guitar strumming I've ever seen. They played songs from the Once soundrack as well as some new songs, and they were all wonderful. Another highlight was the violin solo of one of the band members. He played a 300 year old Irish song from County Mayo... just beautiful! Near the end Mark Dignam joined them on stage and they played the best version of REM's "The One I Love" that I've ever heard. Overall, this was an amazing show. I waited outside afterwards, and Glen came out to greet everyone. He was super cool.
105.  9/12/2009 - U2, Snow Patrol	Soldier Field, Chicago IL
104.  9/4/2009 - America	Conner Prairie, Indianapolis IN
103.  9/1/2009 - Dandy Warhols, Spindrift	The Vogue, Indianapolis IN
102.  8/7/2009 - Tori Amos	Murat Theatre, Indianapolis IN
101.  4/25/2009 - Flight of the Conchords	IU Auditorium, Bloomington IN
100.  11/14/2008 - Sisters of Mercy	Bogart's, Cincinnati OH
Looking back at my concert diary, I realized that it had been 13 years since I'd last been to Bogart's! Vine Street has changed quite a bit since then and not for the better. All the cool shops were replaced by tattoo parlors and nail salons. We talked to someone who was from the area, and he said everything went downhill after the riots. Apparently Vine Street was right in the heart of it. Fortunately, the sex shop made it through (haha), but that was one of the few recognizable stores. Aside from all of that, Leslie and I were excited to see the Sisters. We met up with friends, and I think half of the audience was from Indy. The Sisters really, really like fog machines. The stage was so full of fog that you could hardly see the band members. It was kind of a cool effect, but there wasn't much to look at... The songs really grooved, and I could not understand why some people just stood there. I had to dance. You just can't hear "Marian", "Vision Thing", or "This Corrosion" without moving to the beat. I highly enjoyed the show because I'd wanted to see Sisters of Mercy for a long, long time. They also did "Lucretia My Reflection", "Dominion/Mother Russia", "Detonation Boulevard", and others. Some of us wanted to hear "More", but they didn't do it. I bought a T-shirt, and I absolutely love it. It fits perfectly. I wish all my concert shirts fit like this one. The T-shirt salesman was a charming man from Glasgow, Scotland. I should also mention the opening band, who were from Iran. They are called Hypernova. Leslie bought their CD and got them all to sign it. They seemed very nice and grateful to have someone enjoy their music. In Iran, they had to do gigs in secret because they could be arrested. You have to admire their perseverance. Their music was pretty good too.
99.  9/10/2008 - Cheap Trick, Heart, Journey	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
I was really looking forward to seeing Cheap Trick again, but unfortunately we missed them entirely due to traffic. We rolled down the windows while we waited to get into the lot, and we could hear them playing. As we walked up to the venue, we could hear "Dream Police". We had to wait in line forever to buy our tickets, so by the time we were finally locating a place on the overcrowded lawn, Heart was already starting. Heart was awesome. They sounded great, and they played all of my favorite songs. Between them and Journey, we tried to get to the bathroom, but it was nearly impossible. There were so many people, that you were constantly touching someone while trying to walk anywhere. I ended up going back to the blanket without getting to the bathroom. Journey was rather disappointing. The singer was a new guy from the Phillipines. They just didn't sound that great. Heart should have been the headliner. We left early... it was *that* good.
98.  7/23/2008 - Foo Fighters	Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
James and I missed the first two songs of this concert because I was shopping for bras at Circle Center Mall. Oops! As far as arena shows go, this was a good one... partly because I was really looking forward to rocking out to the Foo Fighters live, and partly because mid-way through the concert, a big round stage dropped from the ceiling right in front of us, and they came out and played on that stage for several songs. It turned our crappy seats into really good seats. David Grohl even said "Five minutes ago your seats sucked!". Even James enjoyed this show, and he generally doesn't like going to concerts.
97.  4/9/2008 - Glen Phillips	Music Mill, Indianapolis
I took my mom to this concert, and we sat right in the front row. I laughed so hard at my mom because she spilled her martini and at one point yelled "Rock 'n roll!" during the concert. Glen is always good, and I especially enjoy seeing him when it's just Glen and a guitar. He has an amazing voice. The highlight of the show was "Dam Would Break". I noticed the guys next to us were taping the show with some pretty professional looking equipment. Wouldn't you know, I just did a search for the concert to get a reminder and found a recording that I can download for free! Now I can relive it whenever I want. After the show, mom and I met Glen. She asked him what his religious background is, and he said "Judaism with a healthy dose of Sufism." Interesting... There is a picture of me with him on my cell phone. Sometime when I figure out how to get the pictures off without paying Sprint $5 a month, I'll add it to this site. The opener was Jonathan Kingham, and he was quite good. I might have more to say if I'd written this right after the show, but I just remember thinking that I'd have to check into his music again later. I do remember that he did a song that was completely ad-lib and the lyrics were all about Indianapolis and the evening up to that point. He even incorporated stuff that happened while he was there on the stage. It was very impressive. He also came out and played the last two songs with Glen at the end of the show.
96.  11/16/2007 - The Cult	Murat Theatre Egyptian Room, Indianapolis
I really liked this show, but I had a hard time standing up for it. I was 9 months pregnant and literally could have popped at any moment. For fun, I wore my "Ceremony" T-shirt, which stretched over my belly. There were girls passing out Jagermeister hats, so I got one and wore that too. I should have had my picture taken being 9 months pregnant and wearing that hat. The Cult played almost all of my favorite songs plus several from their new album, including "Dirty Little Rockstar", which is now one of my favorite Cult songs of all time. At the end of the show, the band left the stage and the song "Tiger in the Sun" played while images of violence in Darfur were displayed on a big screen. That was a depressing end to the show, but I was impressed that they did it.
95.  11/2/2007 - Tori Amos	Murat Theatre, Indianapolis
This was not my favorite Tori concert, but she does put on a good show. For me, there were not enough songs with just her and the piano. She was backed up by a band for most of it. She spent a lot of time playing two pianos at once... one in front of her and one behind her. She would put one arm behind her and one arm in front and play on both. It was impressive. I wish I could play piano even half as good as Tori. Overall, it was enjoyable, but she left out several of her great songs.
94.  8/14/2007 - Crowded House	Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI
This concert was excellent! At least, Crowded House was. When we arrived, Liam Finn (Neil Finn, singer of Crowded House, is his father) was already on the stage. He had many technical problems, but his voice certainly resembled his father's. We skipped the next opening act and walked around. Crowded House did song after song, and they were all good. I was surprised (and excited) when they did "Pineapple Head". Every song sounded great, even "Chocolate Cake". During that song, the baby kicked like crazy. At one point Neil came out from behind the mic, and the whole crowd sang along to "Four Seasons In One Day". Pretty amazing that everyone knew the lyrics. After the show, Michelle, my mom, and I went back around by the buses and waited. We met Neil, Nick, and Marcus, and their drummer, Matt, came out too. Awesome!
93.  8/4/2007 - Live, Collective Soul, Counting Crows	Victory Field, Indianapolis
This was the first time Victory Field hosted a concert (and my 7th time seeing Live!), and it had been quite some time since I attended a general admission show in such a large venue. They had covered the grass on the field with some kind of rubbery foam, so it was kind of strange to lay a blanket on top of that. Being outdoors, people were smoking even though they weren't supposed to. Neither Michelle nor I wanted to see Counting Crows, so we left after Live. Collective Soul went on first, and they were pretty good. The singer broke up a fight between audience members, which was rather humorous. Live sounded great as always, but they only played for an hour. They really should have been the headlining act. They did one song from Mental Jewelry, "Mirror Song", and the rest of their set was a mix of big hits and a few newer songs, including their remake of Johnny Cash's "I Walk The Line". Ed still looked hot as ever!
92.  7/25/2007 - Cowboy Junkies	Music Mill, Indianapolis
There was no opening act for this concert, which was kind of nice. I am not all that familiar with their albums, so I was one of the fans who went to hear the more popular songs. The singer had an excellent voice, and I enjoyed many of the songs, but the only song I recognized was "A Common Disaster". I could not believe they played for over two hours and did not do "Sweet Jane" or "Miles From Our Home". Oh well...it was still enjoyable, and we were in the front row.
91.  7/22/2007 - Rocco DeLuca & The Burden	The Vogue, Indianapolis
I had missed Rocco when he came around as an opening act before, so I was really looking forward to seeing him (and The Burden, of course). He really wails on the steel guitar. He did most of the songs from his album and two songs I had never heard, plus "I Trust You to Kill Me", which was the finale, and it was great. After the show, James and I were walking out and there was Rocco and the band! I have never seen an artist come out that fast. He had not even had time to wipe the sweat from his forehead. The two percussionists greeted me, and I said hi to the bass player (who reminds me of Phillip Seymour Hoffman). Then the drummer grabbed Rocco for me. I shook his hand. He was VERY nice! Being 20 weeks pregnant, I let him know that the baby enjoyed the show too. One of the drummers had to get a pen so they could sign my ticket stub (I forgot my CD cover). It was totally unexpected and cool! James took a picture with his cell.
90.  6/28/2007 - Psychedelic Furs	The Vogue, Indianapolis
You could tell these guys still have fun on the stage. They played all their classics, "Love My Way", "Heartbreak Beat", "Ghost In You", and "Pretty In Pink" to name a few, but I had issues with the sound. I had to move to the back because my hip was aching and I needed to lean on something (plus I was nearly half way through a pregnancy). Even in the back, the sound was not good. I don't know if it's just The Vogue or if they had bad sound people, but I can't really remember a concert that sounded good at The Vogue. It's just too loud. No, I'm not too old. There is a certain threshold where music doesn't sound good anymore. There is really no reason to have it that loud in such a small place. After the show Leslie and I chatted with Joni Michels, formerly of Fox59 AM. She was really nice and down to earth, and I always thought she would be.
89.  5/29/2007 - Damien Rice	Murat Theatre, Indianapolis
I must have been on a roll with getting good seats. Michelle had a presale password, and I got us second row in the pit! They were excellent seats. They lit some incense on the stage, and we were certainly close enough to smell it. Damien played some really gut wrenching songs at the piano. It was a very enjoyable show except for the belligerent people in the audience. People kept screaming and yelling out stupid stuff during the songs and singing loudly, even during the quiet moments, which was entirely rude! Late in the show, when Damien did a song/act involving wine and a cigarette, some idiot was clapping loudly in the front, and he wasn't even clapping on the beat. That not only annoyed us, but you could tell it annoyed the person on the stage with Damien. People do that idiotic stuff at Tori Amos concerts too, and it's very, very inconsiderate to the fans and to the performer!
88.  4/30/2007 - Loreena McKennitt	State Theatre, Kalamazoo, MI
This was day number two of our Michigan road trip. We went to IKEA before heading out to Kalamazoo. Kalamazoo was an ugly town compared to Ann Arbor. The theatre was gorgeous inside, but they didn't serve coffee. We had to get "permission" from the doorman to let us go out and look for some coffee because they didn't do hand stamps (lame!). After walking around the downtown, which was small and deserted, we couldn't find any coffee and returned to the theatre. We had front row seats this time, and when Loreena was on her harp, it was like my own private concert! Another excellent show. She talked much more than the night before, which was nice. After the show, we had to drive for what seemed like forever to find an open restaurant. Finally, at IHOP, we got our coffee (or hot chocolate).
87.  4/29/2007 - Loreena McKennitt	Michigan Theater, Ann Arbor, MI
I really looked forward to this show. I wanted to see Loreena so much that I bought tickets to two shows! I picked Leslie up and we drove up to Michigan. We stayed at a very interesting "gothic guest haus" with a wacky lady running it. We headed out early to eat, and we looked around the area. Ann Arbor was very nice, and the theatre was in a cute little area that definitely had a college atmosphere. There were bookstores, restaurants, vintage shops, and the like. We spotted Loreena's tour buses right away and I had to ask someone outside them if Loreena did autographs after the show. He said she would. We were in fourth row center, so we had a fantastic view! Loreena was even better than I thought she would be. Her voice resonated through the theatre and the band sounded phenomenal. One of my favorite shows by far. Afterwards, we went to the bus area. The weather could not have been more perfect. We met Loreena, told her how great she was, and got autographs, handshakes, and hugs. Overall, my favorite concert experience!
86.  2/28/2007 - Pete Yorn, Aqualung	Music Mill, Indianapolis
I was excited that Aqualung was opening, because I had no idea prior to arriving. I met the singer after their set. I was by myself, but I still had a good time. Pete played his heart out, and every song was fantastic. The sound was really good.
85.  1/20/2007 - The Chieftains	IU Auditorium, Bloomington
Michelle and I left way early so we could hang out in Bloomington before the show. We started off with a stop at Oliver Winery, so we were feeling happy. We shopped at Sahara Mart, ate some Moroccan cuisine, and then had coffee and perused a vintage store. The concert was very good, but I found it difficult to listen to Irish reels and jigs while sitting in a tiny auditorium seat. You just have to move around to that music, even in your chair, and there was no room to do anything.
84.  8/15/2006 - The Church, Rob Dickinson	Music Mill, Indianapolis
This was a pretty good show. Rob Dickinson did an acoustic set that was impressive. He did "Black Metallic" by Catherine Wheel (his former band), and I really liked that one. We met him after the show, and I asked him if he were related to Bruce Dickinson from Iron Maiden... believe it or not, they are cousins! That is too funny. The Church sounded good, but the singer was more than a little cocky. He acted like it was such a burden for them to do "Under the Milky Way", as if the song had been too popular. Whatever... I wouldn't be complaining if I had a song that was considered a New Wave classic.
83.  8/2/2006 - CSNY	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
I went with Michelle, and we had a great time! We sat on the lawn, and the weather was nice. The anti-war sentiment was high. From the peace and love symbols on the merchandise to Neil Young's many songs from "Living With War", it was definitely no place for Bush supporters to hang out. We saw a few people leave early, and there were occasional faint boo's, but for the most part, everyone was into it. At one point they listed all the names of the soldiers who have died in Iraq on the screens, and that was pretty powerful. The highlight of the show was everyone singing along to the lyrics of "Let's Impeach the President", which were prominently displayed on the screens so everyone could read them. Awesome!
82.  7/12/2006 - Fiona Apple, Damien Rice	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
Our seats started out pretty good, but when they set up Fiona's stage, there was a huge speaker blocking our view. It was ridiculous. Michelle complained to the staff and they said there was nothing they could do. So, each time Fiona moved to the piano, we would move our seats so that we could see around the speaker. I didn't think the show was that great. She played some good songs, but she didn't sound very good. Perhaps it was the sound man's fault, but next time I'll just stay home and listen to a CD. I later complained to Deer Creek about the experience and they gave me some $10 food vouchers to use next time. I guess that's better than nothing.
81.  6/15/2006 - Toad the Wet Sprocket	The Vogue, Indianapolis
Memorable Moments:  This was a great show because I got to meet Glen Phillips before the show started (he was out walking in Broadripple), and they did several songs from my favorite album, Coil. The opening band was called Luce and they did a cool version of Eleanor Rigby.
80. 8/9/2005 - Glen Phillips (singer of Toad)	Music Mill, Indianapolis
I went to this show by myself, so I was able to get a single chair up in the front. It was awesome... just Glen and his guitar, and he did a lot of talking. It was almost like VH1 Storytellers.
79. 7/24/2005 - Duran Duran	Murat Theatre, Indianapolis
They have so many hits, how could any moment of this show be boring? It was one hit after another. During "Save A Prayer", everyone held up cell phones instead of lighters. It was a lovely cellular glow.
78. 2/22/2005 - Finn Brothers	The Vogue, Indianapolis
The Finn Brothers are from Crowded House (and one from Split Enz), so they did some Crowded House songs, including "Weather With You" and "How Will You Go", which was the highlight for me.
77. 8/27/2004 - Sarah McLachlan	Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
I was pregnant at this show, so I don't know if it was hormones or not, but I cried during "Angel Song" because I thought of my cat, who had passed away 4 months prior. This was an excellent show even though it was in a stadium.
76. 10/20/2003 - Pete Yorn	Bloomington
Memorable Moments: Before the show, I was waiting outside the venue to meet my mom, and I saw Pete Yorn and some other guys go into a bar right down the street. Of course I walked down there and went in. I scoped out where he was, and then went over and asked if I could shake his hand. He signed my CD. I felt like an idiot interrupting him at dinner, but I'm sure it's happened to him before.
75. 7/2/2003 - Peter Gabriel, Tracy Chapman	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
Memorable Moments: Peter jumped up and down inside a giant ball to the beat of "Growing Up". He did all of his hits... awesome show.
74. 5/6/2003 - Concrete Blonde
Memorable Moments: After the show we waited outside, and we got to meet the band. Johnette was really nice.
73. 3/18/2003 - Tori Amos	Murat Theatre, Indianapolis
I went to this show by myself, and I was farther back than the first time I saw her, so it wasn't quite as fun. She sang some great songs though. I was sad when it was over.
72. 2/23/2003 - Toad the Wet Sprocket, Bleu	The Vogue, Indianapolis
I just remember having a good time at this show... we were on the floor right in front. I was impressed with Bleu, so I bought his CD and had him sign it.
71. 11/10/2002 - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band	Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
This show actually took place on 12/17/2002. It had been rescheduled because Clarence Clemons had a detached retina. Well, lucky for us, it was Christmas time, so they did the classic "Santa Claus is Coming to Town". We were pretty far back, but it was a lot of fun anyway.
70. 10/5/2002 - Paul McCartney	Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
My dad, James, and I went to this show. We were right up on the side of the stage. It was great, and I couldn't believe how long Paul stayed on the stage... He did so many songs that I was tired by the end. Memorable Moments: "Long and Winding Road" and "Let It Be"
69. 8/19/2002 - LA Guns (blast from the past)	Hard Rock Cafe, Indianapolis
I don't remember a whole lot about this show other than it was at the Hard Rock Cafe.
68. 4/27/2002 - Concrete Blonde
67. 7/19/2002 - Poison, Cinderella, Winger, Faster Pussycat	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
This show was mildly entertaining, but it was more fun watching the people attending the show. Did you know people still wear leather fringe, lace up jeans, and teased hair? Yeah. Cinderella actually impressed me with their musical talents. Tom Keifer played several different instruments.
66. 7/17/2002 - Concrete Blonde
Leslie and I drove to Columbus, Ohio for this concert because we both had wanted to see Concrete Blonde, and we thought the chances of them coming to Indy were slim. We had a great time at the show, but the hotel was the noisiest one I've ever been in. It sounded like someone was dropping bowling balls all night long in the room above us. One of the worst night's sleep I've ever had!
65. 1/15/2002 - Dokken
64. 10/25/2001 - Tori Amos	Murat Theatre, Indianapolis
Memorable Moments: Tori did a cover of Joni Mitchell's "River", which almost made me cry. I had waited so long to see Tori... I thoroughly enjoyed this show.
63. 7/29/2001 - XFest - Live, Rammstein, some other acts I don't remember	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
James won the tickets to this show from X103. The highlight for us was seeing Live. Rammstein was quite entertaining with their pyro tricks. The singer had fire coming out of his boots at one point. They rocked. I remember seeing some little people wrestling. They called themselves "Bloody Midgets". There were all sorts of side acts going on all day. Thanks to James's prize package we got to sit in a VIP area with free food and drinks. It was hot that day!
62. 7/25/2001 - Poison, Warrant, Enuff Z'Nuff	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
I don't remember anything about the concert. What I do remember is someone walking up beside me and jerking off with his thing in the lady's hair in front of me. I was so appalled at what I was seeing... either my friend or I went to get a security guard (can't remember), and the guy ran off. WTF?
61. 7/17/2001 - Journey	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
Unfortunately this was Journey sans Steve Perry, but the replacement they had for him had us questioning who it was. First off, the guy sounded exactly like Steve Perry, and his name was Steve Augeri (sounds like O'Jerry), so when they announced his name it almost sounded like Steve Perry. We sat in a special box for the concert, and I think the tickets were free thanks to someone Leslie knew.
60. 5/21/2001 - The Cult	Murat Egyptian Room, Indianapolis
I was very excited about this show because I'd always wanted to see The Cult. I used to idolize Ian Astbury. We got right in the front. James caught a drumstick for me. Afterwards we met the band, which included Matt Sorum, who played for GNR. He signed the drumstick, which was cool. He was really nice. Ian gave me a hug and James got it on camera. Sweet!
59. 5/15/2001 - LA Guns
58. 5/10/2001 - U2, Tracy Bonham	Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis
We paid way too much for our seats... this was the first and last time I'll ever go through a ticket agency to get tickets. I think I could have done just as well, or better, without them. Regardless of that, this was my first time seeing U2, and they were at the top of my list of bands to see. Every song they played was awesome. The highlight for me was "Pride (In the Name of Love)" because that is one of my all time favorite songs.
57. 7/15/2000 - Sting	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
As stadium shows go, this was good. We were all the way out on the lawn, but thanks to the video screens we could get a good look at Sting, and wow! He still looked good. I remember that the weather was nice and he played many hits from The Police and his solo stuff, so you really can't ask for more.
56. 4/30/2000 - Live
55. 11/9/1999 - Live
54. 6/22/1999 - Dave Matthews Band (I don't even like them, but it was free)	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
My friend from college, John, called me and asked if I wanted to go. We sat on the lawn, and a cloud of smoke hung over us the whole time. I was lightheaded by the end of the show, and as we left, I noticed tons of empty baggies scattered all over the lawn. Yes, the pot was a burnin' at that show!
53. 6/18/1999 - Santana	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
I remember a few songs, like "Black Magic Woman", but other than that I have very little memory of the show.
52. 10/19/1998 - Dokken
51. 7/12/1998 - Yes	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
50. 6/13/1998 - John Fogerty	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
I think this is the only concert where both of my parents and I went. He did all my favorite CCR songs, and as most people know, they are the type of songs you want to dance to. I mean, how can you stand still to "Green River" when it's being played live? So we were up dancing and having a good time when the people behind us, who were apparently lazy ass white trash, started yelling at us to sit down. Excuse me? Sit down at a rock concert? Well, just to irritate them I stayed standing to EVERY song after that, even the slow ones. They heckled me some more and I thought it was sad that they spent all their hard earned cash to yell at me instead of enjoy the show. Finally, my dad (who is 6'5) was pissed off enough that he turned around, grabbed one of them by the collar and threatened him. We didn't hear anything out of them after that.
49. 5/11/1998 - Cheap Trick
48. 11/5/1997 - Sarah McLachlan, Madeleine Peyroux	Murat Theatre, Indianapolis
I really enjoyed this concert, and part of it had to do with the location. Seeing Sarah in a smallish theatre was really awesome, and I'm glad I had the opportunity before she got big enough to play stadiums. The highlight was "Possession", my favorite Sarah song. The stage backdrop sparkled and set the atmosphere. This was the first time I had heard Madeleine Peyroux. Her music was unlike anything else out at the time, so I bought her CD.
47. 8/17/1997 - Live
46. 12/7/1996 - Dishwalla	The Vogue, Indianapolis
We sat in the upper level. I think the show was pretty average... must have been because I don't remember much about it. Funny that I remember eating at Cracker Barrel beforehand though.
45. 6/23/1996 - Moody Blues	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
Memorable Moments: A storm blew in about midway through the set, and it absolutely poured on us. Moody Blues was at the start of a song, "Never Comes the Day" (Thanks, Michelle), and BAM! Lightning struck and the power went out. If you've ever experienced a power outage at a concert you know how weird it is to be jamming to a song and then have everything go quiet and dark. The audience was a little shocked (no pun intended) and watched to see what would happen. The band kind of looked at each other, and unable to tell us their plan, they waved and walked off the stage. The crew covered the speakers and we waited out the storm. After that, they came back out and finished the show for the waterlogged fans who had stayed.
44. 6/14/1996 - Cheap Trick
43. 9/26/1995 - REM, Radiohead	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
Brandi and I were late, so we pretty much missed Radiohead, and I regretted that later. REM was good, but I wished we could have been closer or seen them in a smaller venue.
42. 7/2?/1995 - Dokken
41. 3/20/1995 - Live, Love Spit Love	Ball State Emens Auditorium, Muncie
Love Spit Love featured the singer from Psychedelic Furs, and they were OK. Live was great. I remember Ed being all over the stage and sometimes disappearing and coming out in a doorway to the right of the stage.
40. 3/17/1995 - Buddy Guy	Bogart's, Cincinnati OH
I don't remember much about the show other than the green beer they were serving for St. Patty's Day. It was blues. That's about it.
39. 7/2/1994 - Metallica, Danzig	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
Never go to a Metallica concert without ear plugs. It wasn't necessarily the music, but before they launched into "One" I really felt like I was in a war zone. There were flashing lights, thick smoke, loud explosions, and so forth. I really had to hold my ears through the whole thing. After that I was ready to leave.
38. 6/18/1994 - Cheap Trick
37. 6/14/1994 - Pink Floyd	Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis
As humongous stadium shows go, this one was good. I was a little annoyed by David Gilmour's endless guitar solos in every song, but I enjoyed hearing the Pink Floyd classics. For die-hard Pink Floyd fans, it was probably the best show they had ever seen.
36. 3/26/1994 - Rush	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
I remember more about the previous Rush concert that I went to than I do about this one. They had the blow up rabbits again, but one of them didn't fully inflate, so that was pretty funny. I had a good time.
35. 7/23/1993 - Bon Jovi, Extreme	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
Memorable Moments: Before Bon Jovi went on, a guy who was with us tore a board off of the fence that surrounded the backstage area. I had been back there before so I knew where to go. I stumbled down some rocks in my sandals and bell bottoms, and proceeded to walk up near the buses. The crazy guy took off in another direction, and no one else came with us. A lady just happened to get off of the bus, so I walked up behind her like I was with her, and then I sat in the picnic table area where legitimate backstagers waited to meet the bands. A few minutes later I saw the crazy guy being escorted out by a security guard. Some guys struck up a conversation with me and asked how I got backstage. I was like "Hear that hammering back there?" and motioned toward the fence. They thought that was funny. Someone came out and passed out photos of the band. Soon after that Extreme came out, and I was extremely excited! I got all their autographs and hugged Nuno with his bare chest. Whew. I was telling the band that I was a fan when I saw their first video, and they said they didn't believe me. They got on their bus, and a few minutes later the same lady who I had followed to the tables came up to me and in a thick Bostonian accent she said "I'm supposed to give these to you". She handed me the drumsticks from the show and some guitar picks! Sweeeeeet. I was on cloud nine. I thought about staying back there to meet Bon Jovi but I knew my friends wouldn't want to wait that long. So, I went back to my seat and they were all amazed at all the crap I got. About then, Our friend who was a die-hard Jon Bon Jovi fan got a hug from him, and it was on all the big screens surrounding the stage. She was happy too.
34. 7/5/1993 - Lollapalooza (Primus, Alice In Chains, Rage Against the Machine, others)	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
The "highlight" of the day was when everyone on the lawn started a mini riot. They were throwing sod and trash and whatever else they could hurl into the air. I looked up and saw a cloud of sod and trash descending on the ampitheater. The worst that I got was a few drops of coke or beer on me. The girl in front of me was hit with a corn cob, and that just made me laugh. It was funny and gross at the same time. Mostly, it was just a bunch of kids trying to be hip and alternative all gathered together. Alice In Chains sounded awful. Lane seemed to know it and I think he cut their set short. Primus was fun. The band I enjoyed the most was Rage Against the Machine, and I bought their CD shortly after. "F*** you, I won't do what you tell me!"
33. 6/16/1993 - Foreigner, The Why Store	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
Without Lou Gramm... not so good.
32. 6/12/1993 - Enuff Z'Nuff	The Vogue, Indianapolis
Thanks to Leslie's Karma Records job, we got to go pick up a fruit tray for the band before they did an in-store. Derek Frigo asked me to shine his sunglasses. Later, they let us into the soundcheck AND Chip Z'Nuff sneaked us in for the show! We were underage and we didn't pay. It was awesome!
31. 12/5/1992 - Alice In Chains, Screaming Trees, Gruntruck	Bogart's, Cincinnati OH
Alice In Chains shaved some guy's head on stage, and they put on a decent show. It was much better in this small venue than when I saw them later at Lollapalooza. Screaming Trees members were walking around the place, but they were big dudes, so we didn't bother them.
30. 11/30/1992 - Danzig	Bogart's, Cincinnati OH
I remember getting pretty close to the front, and Talena threw a matchbook with her phone number on the stage, hoping that Glen Danzig would call her... I think she was also kicked in the head accidentally by Glen at some point during the show, but she was really happy about it!
29. 9/12/1992 - Neil Young	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
My mom came to pick me up at my dorm at BSU, and we drove to Deer Creek. My friends were jealous that I got to leave for awhile to do something so cool. Neil was amazing... he was his own one man band, playing guitar, harmonica, and drums at the same time (plus singing, of course). The weather was nice and we sat pretty close. I bought a T-shirt that I later ripped on the gate at my parent's house (don't know why I remember that). It was a great concert!
28. 9/6/1992 - Toad the Wet Sprocket, Gin Blossoms	Bogart's, Cincinnati OH
Brandi and I really looked forward to seeing Toad, and we later regretted not staying afterward to meet the band. The Gin Blossoms were brand new, and they were passing out singles of their new song before the show. I was surprised later that they became pretty popular, while Toad never gained that level of popularity. I mean, "Walk On The Ocean" had its 15 minutes, but I still hear the Gin Blossoms on the radio a lot more than Toad.
27. 8/26/1992 - Ozzy Osbourne, Faster Pussycat	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
My friends and I just wanted to see Faster Pussycat, and unfortunately we had to see them in a large venue as an opening band since we were too young to get in when they had come around before to The Vogue. I don't remember very much about the show.
26. 8/7/1992 - REO Speedwagon	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
AKA REO Chuckwagon. I really don't care for this band, but one of my aunts asked me to go, and who am I to turn down a concert?
25. 7/4/1992 - John Mellencamp	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
At the first concert, just a few days before, they passed out free tickets to the July 4th concert. Knowing this, I couldn't figure out why Mellencamp did the EXACT SAME SHOW again. Couldn't he mix it up a little? There were fireworks. Combined with his all American music it could have been fun if I had not seen it 4 days earlier.
24. 6/30/1992 - John Mellencamp	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
At the time of the show, I liked Mellencamp's music. As I write my memories of the show 15 years later, I can't think of anything outstanding. Probably because I'm tired of hearing his stuff.
23. 6/24/1992 - Rush, Primus, The Storm	Market Square Arena, Indianapolis
This was the first of two times that I saw Primus inadvertently. The Storm was a short-lived band featuring members of Journey, and they were OK. I remember Rush having a giant inflatable rabbit on each side of the stage. Their eyes glowed and they rocked back and forth during "Tom Sawyer". That was pretty cool.
22. 6/23/1992 - Live	Bogart's, Cincinnati OH
This was a great show because it was a small venue and Live was very young and energetic. They only had one album at the time, and it's still my favorite one (Mental Jewelry). After the show, Brandi and I were standing by the backstage door. Someone came out, and Brandi stopped the door with her foot. We looked around to see if anyone was watching and then slipped in the door. We went up some stairs, and there was a room with a table of food. We stood in the doorway, probably looking like deer in headlights, when Ed Kowalczyk saw us and said "Hey! Come on in!". It was awesome. We have pictures of all four members, who are barely older than us, and we got their autographs. They got us on video tape, but I have yet to see that surface anywhere.
21. 6/20/1992 - Spinal Tap	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
I remember being pretty close to the front for this show. They had the cow skull with glowing eyes from the movie, and it was classic.
20. 6/17/1992 - Electric Love Hogs	Bogart's, Cincinnati OH
This band was very energetic. After the show, I realized I didn't have anything for them to sign, so I had them sign my sock.
19. 6/12/1992 - Cheap Trick, The Smithereens	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
I had a lot of fun at this show. I remember dancing to the Smithereens' songs and probably Cheap Trick's too.
18. 5/13/1992 - Teenage Fan Club	Bogart's, Cincinnati OH
These guys were hilarious. They had very thick Scottish accents and they were drunk, so Brandi and I couldn't understand a word they said. We met them after the show and Norman gave Brandi a kiss in the picture.
17. 3/18/1992 - Bryan Adams	Ball State Stadium, Muncie
All I can remember about this show is that he did all the hits... "Summer of 69", "Heaven", "Cuts Like a Knife". It was good overall. I don't remember the opening act.
16. 2/26/1992 - Cheap Trick
I can't remember much about this show, but I love Cheap Trick. I've seen them too many times to remember individual shows.
15. 8/27/1991 - ZZ Top, Extreme, BulletBoys	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
We went with my dad, who still goes on about how great ZZ Top was. Leslie and I saw some members of the BulletBoys walking around, and they signed her ticket stub. I really just wanted to see Extreme. ZZ's stage decoration was interesting... looked like they were in a junkyard.
14. 8/13/1991 - Bad Company, Damn Yankees	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
This was not very memorable.
13. 7/16/1991 - David Lee Roth, Cinderella, Extreme	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
Why do I keep seeing David Lee Roth without really meaning to? We went to see Extreme and Cinderella. Extreme was my favorite band, and I loved seeing Nuno do his solo number.
12. 7/1/1991 - AC/DC, LA Guns	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
Leslie and I only went to see LA Guns, and we appeared to be the only ones in the audience there to see them. We sat out by the food area on a bench during AC/DC because neither of us cared to see them. I met a guy who wanted to try on my purple silky shirt and he never gave it back. I went on a date with him later but that went nowhere.
11. 6/22/1991 - Warrant, Firehouse, Trixter	Deer Creek, Indianapolis
I was in the Warrant fan club, and one of my newsletters mentioned that if you showed your fan club pass you could get backstage passes. Well, once we had the passes (which I remember being somewhat difficult), we felt so cool walking around with them on. We met Jani Lane this time, and some members of Firehouse and Trixter but I don't remember which ones.
10. 4/15/1991 - The Ramones	Bogart's, Cincinnati OH
This was a cool show! I loved how The Ramones started up one song right after another without stopping to talk. Bogart's got all the cool shows.
9. 3/17/1991 - Sweet FA	The Ritz, Indianapolis
I'm sure they rocked again, but I don't remember. I know we met them every time, so we probably got more autographs.
8. 12/4/1990 - Poison, Warrant
Before the show we met Warrant (all except Jani Lane) at an in-store. My immature high school boyfriend got jealous because Erik Turner wrote "69" next to his autograph on my photo of the band.
7. 10/9/1990 - Winger, Sweet FA	The Ritz, Indianapolis
I can't seem to remember much about this show other than Kip Winger's very white teeth and Reb Beach's big, bouncy hair.
6. 8/4/1990 - Sweet FA	The Ritz, Indianapolis
Another show and more autographs. It was so easy to meet bands at The Ritz, which was an old movie theatre.
5. 5/19/1990 - Sweet FA	The Ritz, Indianapolis
Sweet FA was a local band, and they put on a rockin' show. Steve DeLong was the singer and he was hot. All the ladies loved him. We met the band, of course.
4. 3/27/1990 - LA Guns	The Ritz, Indianapolis
Again, we met the band. They were letting fans on the bus to get autographs. I have a great picture of Phil Lewis and half of my head (Thanks, Leslie!). We were a bit awe struck since we were still new at the whole band meeting thing.
3. 3/2/1990 - Britny Fox, Bang Tango	The Ritz, Indianapolis
By this time I was thinking that I really liked going to concerts. Leslie, Brandi, and I went and Brandi let us "fix" her hair before the show. We met the band, and let's just say those pictures won't be making it into any family albums. The hair was just too much.
2. 7/30/1988 - David Lee Roth, Poison	Market Square Arena, Indianapolis
When my mom took us to buy tickets, we were waving our hands out the window and she told us to stop because people might think we had guns(?). Leslie and I had our moms with us for this show, and they kept hogging the binoculars! I remember David Lee Roth riding around the stage on a giant, blow-up microphone and Steve Vai's heart shaped guitar.
1. 6/20/1987 - Stevie Ray Vaughan, Greg Allman	Pepsi Colosseum, Indianapolis
I won the tickets to this show from the local Kroger store. The funny thing is that I entered 6 times (according to a horoscope book, 6 was my lucky number), and they pulled my name out twice. I won two sets of tickets! My dad took Leslie, me, and my sister. I remember Greg Allman's flowing blond hair and the song "I'm No Angel". Stevie wore his feathered hat and played guitar behind his back. I'm proud to say it was my first concert.