CONCERT CRAZY

1999: The HFSmas Nutcracker with Tori Amos, Foo Fighters and Beck at the 9:30 Club--We dwelled and grooved on our steps as usual, show was perfect, festive and fun, crowd was wonderful, Beck's THE MAN (and that Johnny Riggs is whacked). / The HFStival Fall Edition w/ Limp Bizkit, Everclear, Filter, Buck Cherry, Fuel, Chemical Brothers, Jimmie's Chicken Shack, 311, Long Beach Dub Allstars and BUSH at RFK Stadium in DC--Perfect day all the way around, though gone are the days of the artist AND the diversity... Everything sounds the same, bleh!  Bush and 311 were the best. / Bruce Springsteen at the MCI Center with the original E Street Band... Larry and Wade, I missed you (snif), but I did the right thing and went with a Jersey boy (thanks to a Jersey girl)... after some silliness in the parking garage, we watched the man play for over three hours, and one of the best parts of the whole event was its nostalgic effect on the entire auditorium, (loved you folks in the row behind me--and Pat showing up to dance with us)!  Downtown was a Springsteen zoo. / Robert Palmer at the 9:30, easily the best dressed entertainer out there, sounds great, danced the entire time, loved those Gap Boy singers. / Soul Coughing again at the 9:30--groovy as usual, and Doughty has hair! (Wonder if four shows within one year make me a groupie?) / Lyle Lovett at Wolf Trap--the man still has large hair and a large band and is loaded with talent... what a great voice--like velvet. He sang Nobody Knows Me just to make me weep. We had wonderful seats in the pavillion, and Pisto stuck beer in his pants, there's your story. / For some retro fun, Pisto and I did Bad Company and David Lee Roth at the MCI Center, and Foreigner and Journey at Nissan Pavillion--all which brought back a huge flood of memories I didn't know I still had... (Kris tells me the Post said it wasn't Steve Perry and that it was a clone, and whaddup widdat I say??) / James Brown at the 9:30 on June 10th--what a whacked show, complete with dance revue, magician (don't ask, I hardly remember) and a couple spills from the Godfather himself... what was all that babblin' about anyway? / The HFStival w/ the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Blink 182, Offspring, Lit, Goo Goo Dolls, Buckcherry, Live, Fountains of Wayne, Citizen King, Orgy, Marvelous 3, Sugar Ray, Beth Orton, and the Mighty Mighty Bosstones at PSINET Stadium in Baltimore--a good time was had by all, (see the pix link in the Snaps Gallery), though the line-up was rather soft.  The turkey sandwich maker was me this time, and they were huge, thank you.  Biggest gripe: Bring it back to RFK, boyz, PSInet is not pedestrian-friendly. / Saw the back of the Rolling Stones at the MCI Center and it was a great event, complete with satellite stage and a perfectly gritty black and white intro film. Though a bit slower, they've still GOT IT--though they didn't sing Satisfaction (what the ??) and those skinny Brits need some more bangers and mash! / Sugar Ray at the 9:30...stood through the whole thing like always, but this time danced w/ Pisto through a lot of it--quite the charismatic lead singer there that McGrath.