Let's Go Bowling - Humpty's, Lake Tahoe, California - October 25, 1992

Seeing a show on your birthday is never a bad thing. I spent the evening of my 23^rd birthday in Lake Tahoe seeing Let’s Go Bowling – supporting their 1991 release, Music to Bowl By.

This was the first real Ska band I ever saw live. Ska was definitely not a new thing in 1992, Madness and others had been doing it for years, but in Northern Nevada it was getting a bit more attention, thanks a lot I think to local band the Mudsharks, who played pretty regularly at local bars, and with whom my friend Dan once shared a house with in Reno.

I know it was definitely also the first Ska band PCH ever saw live, and I suspect today he still appreciates it more than I do.

I remember a couple of things about the show – first – it was here I was offered my first ever free drink at a bar in honor of my birthday. Unfortunately, the barkeep wanted to give me a shot of Jagermeister – and I was not interested in chugging a small cup of cough syrup, so I respectfully declined. Second – I remember dancing like a downright fool, since that is what you do at Ska shows. Everyone jumps around like idiots without any sense of rhythm or style – which makes it very fun indeed.

Mary's Danish - the Lil' Waldorf, Reno, Nevada - October 21, 1992

Mary’s Danish was the first of several shows we saw at local bars rather than at larger venues in Reno. Going to a show at “the Wall,” as the locals called it, was kind of strange, since in college it was a hangout for all the jocks and frat guys who were either 21 or had fake ID’s. I tried to get in when I was 20 with my own borrowed ID, but no dice. After I turned 21, I did go a couple of times for beers, but thought it was a pretty nasty place, filled with stuffed dead animals – goats, deer, elk, and even a gigantic bear.

I remember little about the show. I wasn’t really that into Mary’s Danish, and the only song I really knew was their song about all the different shapes Nevada could have been. But the novelty of a band we had heard of coming to Reno was always too good to pass up.

Back to the Journey

After a few computerless months, I am ready to go back to semi-regular concert blogging. About 7 weeks ago I moved over here to London and just last week, I saw my first show as a resident, Peter Murphy at Scala in Kings Cross. I definitely enjoyed it more than the first time I saw him, a little more than 13 years ago. I think Peter is one of the few from that era of my life I would still go out of my way to see.

Admittedly, I am a little more somber about my relocation than I was a few weeks ago, although I am determined not to let psycho extremists get me down...or keep me away from the underground. But I am looking forward to seeing more shows and continuing this blog.

Plus, now I'm back and happy to see that Blogger now has easy to use image support...and I now have a scanner to put in all my old (or new) concert tickets.