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First Time Story
I just told this story to a friend the other day - I had actually sort of forgotten some of it to be honest. Figured you guys might get a kick out of some of it.
So, in April 94 I was a senior in high school and PJ was touring through the area. I think this was before 10C tickets (although I have no idea if that is true or not, but it was before I was in the fanclub anyway). Before buying tickets online too, so the day they went on sale a bunch of my friends and I were trying our damndest to get our hands on some. I was working phones and some other guys were at various Ticketmaster outlets. I totally struck out, as did most everyone else. That afternoon I got a call from my buddy (no cell phones either - had to wait til he got home to call me) Alan who had been in line at the Ticketmaster outlet at our local Video Galaxy store. Apparently there were only like 5 people there and despite the fact that he was only allowed to buy 2 tickets at a time he kept going to the back of the line and ended up scoring 10 or 12.
The show was in Springfield, Mass. on April 6, 1994. Of course, we were all scattered throughout the arena in groups of two. I was sitting with another friend, Josh. This is back in the days when the whole floor was General Admission and after Mudhoney played and the lights went out of PJ you could see like 1/3 of all the people in the arena seating rushing the floor and jumping the hockey fence. I totally wussed out and stayed in my seat (at that point I had scored floor seats to the show at the Boston Garden the following week, so I figured I'd just enjoy this show from the side - which pissed Josh off because he didn't want to jump the wall alone, so he stayed with me). The rest of my friends (sans Josh of course) made it to the floor.
So the show goes on and it's fucking mindblowing and life changing and all of that. Afterwards we all walk separately to the parking garage where our cars were because there was no way we were going to find each other in the venue. Josh and I were out first and slowly but surely everyone starts to show up. Everyone is totally stoked and telling stories about being in the pit and getting to the very front and it's just euphoria. My friend Tim was down one sneaker - someone had taken his other one while he was crowd surfing and he never saw it again. He wore two different sneakers for the rest of the school year.
The last two people to show up were my friend Matt and whoever he was sitting with. I honestly don't remember who it was, but it doesn't really matter because the rest of this story is about Matt. From across the parking garage it looked like Matt was carrying something, but we couldn't tell what the hell it was. My first though was that it was part of his chair, but that didn't make any sense. As he got closer we realized what he had and all started freaking out. At the old shows when surfing was en vogue you used to get two or three chances with security before they'd toss you out - at least that was my experience. You'd go up, and if you got passed to the very front, security would bring you down and say they didn't want to see you again and let you go back into the crowd. So Matt goes up and they pass him to the stage and a security guard grabs him sort of rough and starts trying to yank him down. Eddie sees this and runs over and grabs Matt's arms, trying to help him not get his ass dropped on the floor. He starts yanking him towards the stage and the guard is yanking him back. Eddie is losing the tug of war and he looks at Matt and goes "Sorry." But before letting go he reaches behind him and grabs his guitar stand and gives it to Matt. The guard pulls Matt down and tries to take it from him, but Matt has that shit on lock down. The guard goes "You can keep it, but get the fuck away from me now." Matt took off to the back of the arena for the rest of the set.
The reason this story still means so much to me (besides the obvious) is that a few years later Matt was in a terrible car accident and suffered some serious brain damage. His memory isn't great and every once in a while we have to remind him of the story and why he has a guitar stand when he doesn't play. It's awful that he doesn't remember that night, but I'm glad that the rest of us have been able to hang onto the story for him.
Anyway, that's my first time seeing the band play story.
So, in April 94 I was a senior in high school and PJ was touring through the area. I think this was before 10C tickets (although I have no idea if that is true or not, but it was before I was in the fanclub anyway). Before buying tickets online too, so the day they went on sale a bunch of my friends and I were trying our damndest to get our hands on some. I was working phones and some other guys were at various Ticketmaster outlets. I totally struck out, as did most everyone else. That afternoon I got a call from my buddy (no cell phones either - had to wait til he got home to call me) Alan who had been in line at the Ticketmaster outlet at our local Video Galaxy store. Apparently there were only like 5 people there and despite the fact that he was only allowed to buy 2 tickets at a time he kept going to the back of the line and ended up scoring 10 or 12.
The show was in Springfield, Mass. on April 6, 1994. Of course, we were all scattered throughout the arena in groups of two. I was sitting with another friend, Josh. This is back in the days when the whole floor was General Admission and after Mudhoney played and the lights went out of PJ you could see like 1/3 of all the people in the arena seating rushing the floor and jumping the hockey fence. I totally wussed out and stayed in my seat (at that point I had scored floor seats to the show at the Boston Garden the following week, so I figured I'd just enjoy this show from the side - which pissed Josh off because he didn't want to jump the wall alone, so he stayed with me). The rest of my friends (sans Josh of course) made it to the floor.
So the show goes on and it's fucking mindblowing and life changing and all of that. Afterwards we all walk separately to the parking garage where our cars were because there was no way we were going to find each other in the venue. Josh and I were out first and slowly but surely everyone starts to show up. Everyone is totally stoked and telling stories about being in the pit and getting to the very front and it's just euphoria. My friend Tim was down one sneaker - someone had taken his other one while he was crowd surfing and he never saw it again. He wore two different sneakers for the rest of the school year.
The last two people to show up were my friend Matt and whoever he was sitting with. I honestly don't remember who it was, but it doesn't really matter because the rest of this story is about Matt. From across the parking garage it looked like Matt was carrying something, but we couldn't tell what the hell it was. My first though was that it was part of his chair, but that didn't make any sense. As he got closer we realized what he had and all started freaking out. At the old shows when surfing was en vogue you used to get two or three chances with security before they'd toss you out - at least that was my experience. You'd go up, and if you got passed to the very front, security would bring you down and say they didn't want to see you again and let you go back into the crowd. So Matt goes up and they pass him to the stage and a security guard grabs him sort of rough and starts trying to yank him down. Eddie sees this and runs over and grabs Matt's arms, trying to help him not get his ass dropped on the floor. He starts yanking him towards the stage and the guard is yanking him back. Eddie is losing the tug of war and he looks at Matt and goes "Sorry." But before letting go he reaches behind him and grabs his guitar stand and gives it to Matt. The guard pulls Matt down and tries to take it from him, but Matt has that shit on lock down. The guard goes "You can keep it, but get the fuck away from me now." Matt took off to the back of the arena for the rest of the set.
The reason this story still means so much to me (besides the obvious) is that a few years later Matt was in a terrible car accident and suffered some serious brain damage. His memory isn't great and every once in a while we have to remind him of the story and why he has a guitar stand when he doesn't play. It's awful that he doesn't remember that night, but I'm glad that the rest of us have been able to hang onto the story for him.
Anyway, that's my first time seeing the band play story.
I suggest you step out on your porch...run away my son...see it all...oh see the world...
Springfield, MA 4/6/94 -- Boston, MA 4/11/94 -- Hartford, CT 10/2/96 -- Hartford, CT 9/13/98 -- Mansfield, MA 7/2/03 -- Reading, PA 10/1/04 -- Albany, NY 5/12/06 -- Milwaukee, WI 6/29/06 -- Mansfield, MA 6/30/08 -- Toronto, ON 9/21/09 -- Philadelphia, PA 10/31/09 -- Worcester, MA 10/16/13 -- Hartford, CT 10/25/13 -- New York, NY 9/26/15 -- New York, NY 5/2/16 -- Boston, MA 8/5/16 -- Boston, MA 8/7/16 -- Boston, MA 9/2/18 -- Boston, MA 9/4/18 -- London, UK 7/8/22 -- Hamilton, ON 9/6/22 -- Toronto, ON 9/8/22 -- New York, NY 9/11/22 -- Chicago, IL 9/5/23 -- Chicago, IL 9/7/23
Springfield, MA 4/6/94 -- Boston, MA 4/11/94 -- Hartford, CT 10/2/96 -- Hartford, CT 9/13/98 -- Mansfield, MA 7/2/03 -- Reading, PA 10/1/04 -- Albany, NY 5/12/06 -- Milwaukee, WI 6/29/06 -- Mansfield, MA 6/30/08 -- Toronto, ON 9/21/09 -- Philadelphia, PA 10/31/09 -- Worcester, MA 10/16/13 -- Hartford, CT 10/25/13 -- New York, NY 9/26/15 -- New York, NY 5/2/16 -- Boston, MA 8/5/16 -- Boston, MA 8/7/16 -- Boston, MA 9/2/18 -- Boston, MA 9/4/18 -- London, UK 7/8/22 -- Hamilton, ON 9/6/22 -- Toronto, ON 9/8/22 -- New York, NY 9/11/22 -- Chicago, IL 9/5/23 -- Chicago, IL 9/7/23
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i am glad Mat has a good friend like you to remind him of an awesome night he should never have to forget!
take care man.