Just a few odds and ends and afterthoughts on all the concerts I’ve ever attended. Thanks for indulging me if you read any or all 21 Episodes of this little journey on the blog. It was a lot of fun for me digging up some great memories and sharing them…
Tale Of The Tape
Yours truly has attended 106 concerts featuring approx. 141 different musical acts in 31 different venues in seven different states since June, 1979.
ACT SEEN MOST FREQUENTLY IN CONCERT
1) Kiss (15)
2) Ted Nugent (9) [Three times as headliner, six as an opening act]
3) [tie] Van Halen/Z.Z. Top (7)
4) The Who (5)
5) Pat Benatar (4) [Three times as headliner, once as opening act]
[Six others tied at 3 each]
VENUE MOST FREQUENTLY FREQUENTED AT CONCERTS
1) Kemper Arena (26)
2) Sandstone Amphitheater (21)
3) Municipal Auditorium (8)
4) Arrowhead Stadium (7)
5) Uptown Theater (5)
6) [Tie] Starlight Theater/Liberty Memorial Mall (4)
7) Guitars & Cadillacs—Olathe (aka, Roadhouse Ruby’s) (3)
[Five others tied at 2 each]
Misc. Rankings and Musings, etc.
BEST CONCERT
1) Elton John—Starlight Theater, 1982
2) Van Halen—Kemper Arena, 1982
3) Paul McCartney—Arrowhead Stadium, 1993
4) The Who—Reunion Arena (Dallas), 2000
5) Kiss—Alltel Arena (North Little Rock), 2000
6) Z.Z. Top—Kemper Arena, 1981
7) Styx—Kemper Arena, 1981
8) Rolling Stones—Faurot Field (Columbia, MO), 1994
9) Dave Edmunds—Uptown Theater, 1982
10) Van Halen—Kemper Arena, 1981
WORST CONCERT
1) Jackson Browne—Sandstone Amphitheater, 1993
2) Black Oak Arkansas—Land Of Oz (Kansas City, KS), 1995
3) Jethro Tull/Emerson Lake & Palmer—Sandstone Amphitheater, 1996
4) Rush—Kemper Arena, 1981
5) Styx—Kemper Arena, 1983
BEST OPENING ACT
1) Bryan Adams—Kemper Arena, 1983 [for Journey]
2) Quiet Riot—Kemper Arena, 1983 [for Z.Z. Top]
3) Twisted Sister—Kemper Arena, 1984 [for Iron Maiden]
4) Loverboy—Kemper Arena, 1981 [for Z.Z. Top]
5) A Flock Of Seagulls—Municipal Auditorium, 1982 [for The Go-Go’s]
6) Motley Crue—Municipal Auditorium, 1984 [for Ozzy Osbourne]
7) John Hiatt—Sandstone Amphitheater, 1993 [for Jackson Browne]
8) Night Ranger—Starlight Theater, 2001 [for Pat Benatar]
9) .38 Special—Arrowhead Stadium, 1981 [for Foreigner]
10) White Lion—Kansas Expocentre (Topeka), 1987 [for Kiss]
WORST OPENING ACT
1) After The Fire—Kemper Arena, 1982 [for Van Halen]
2) Blind Melon—Faurot Field (Columbia, MO), 1994 [for the Rolling Stones]
3) Mitch Ryder—Olathe Town Square, 2001 [for Mark Lindsay]
4) Ugly Kid Joe—Sandstone Amphitheater, 1992 [for Ozzy Osbourne]
5) Alice In Chains—Sandstone Amphitheater, 1991 [for Van Halen]
6) New American Shame—Roadhouse Ruby’s, 1999 [for Motorhead]
7) Jeff Black—Guitars & Cadillacs, 1996 [for John Hiatt]
8) Pat Benatar—Sandstone Amphitheater, 1997 [for Styx]
9) John Cougar (Mellencamp)—Arrowhead Stadium, 1982 [for R.E.O. Speedwagon]
10 The Pretenders—Kemper Arena, 1980 [for The Who]
BEST CONCERT THAT COST ME NOTHING TO ATTEND
1) Paul McCartney—Arrowhead Stadium, 1993 [Thanks, Nadine!]
2) The Who—Arrowhead Stadium, 1989 [Thanks, dear sister!]
3) Pat Benatar/Night Ranger—Starlight Theater, 2001 [Thanks, Rose!]
4) Quarterflash—Lyric Theater, 1981 [Thanks, KY-102!]
5) Mark Lindsay/Gary Lewis/Mitch Ryder—Olathe Town Square, 2001
[Thanks, whoever!]
BEST CONCERT VENUE
1) Starlight Theater
2) Municipal Auditorium
3) Reunion Arena (Dallas)
4) [Tie] Uptown Theater/Liberty Hall (Lawrence, KS)
5) Memorial Hall (Kansas City, KS)
WORST CONCERT VENUE
1) Beaumont Club
2) Grand Emporium
3) Sandstone Amphitheater
4) The Lone Star
5) Riverport Amphitheater (St. Louis)
HEADLINERS I GOT TO MEET AFTERWARDSJohn Entwistle (1998)
Mark Lindsay (2001)
Jerry Reed (1983)
Ray Stevens (1988)
TOP ACTS I STILL HAVE YET TO SEE, BUT WOULD LIKE TO (If I could afford tickets)
Bruce Springsteen
U2
Billy Joel
Aerosmith
Neil Diamond
ACTS I REGRET NEVER GETTING TO SEE IN CONCERT (In no particular order)
Led Zeppelin
Queen
Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band
Lynyrd Skynyrd (pre-plane crash)
Jefferson Airplane/Starship
Girlschool
Black Sabbath (w/Ozzy, and maybe w/Dio, too)
Ozzy Osbourne (w/Randy Rhoads on guitar)
Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble
Black Oak Arkansas (In their prime)
Z.Z. Top (On their 1976 "World Wide Texas Tour")
Missing Persons
Alice Cooper (In his prime)
The Who (w/Keith Moon on drums)
Kiss (in 1977, at the height of their popularity)
Friday, September 12, 2008
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
The one after 9/09
Only a hardcore Beatles fan would come up with that obscure reference…
D’OH!
Well, I got to enjoy having Tom Brady on my fantasy football team for all of seven minutes before his season came to a crashing halt in Sunday’s game with the Chefs. Even if TB had a mediocre day, my team would’ve won easily instead of losing by six lousy points. To me, this was the equivalent of finally getting that dream car I always wanted—then totaling it two blocks from my house.
As for the play in which Brady was injured, it was clearly a legal hit by K.C.’s Bernard Pollard, but that didn’t prevent Super Whiner Randy Moss from claiming it was a cheap shot and calling Pollard a dirty player. Uhhh, how would you know, Randy? You were way down at the other end of the field when it happened, fumbling the pass that you had just caught, so just loosen up your cornrows and shut the fuck up, mmm-kay?
DID I MISS A MEMO?
Since when did we start spelling Hawaii "Hawai’i"? All of sudden here lately during sporting events, our 50th state has this misbegotten apostrophe in it for some reason, even though all through school and "Hawaii Five-O" reruns, I grew up on it minus the apostrophe. Is this some Polynesian heritage deal that got overlooked or just some trendy new thing? If it’s the latter, I do hope this means my beloved home state won’t morph into "Missour’i"…
OFF THE RAILS ON THE CRAZY TRAIN
Following a movie discussion at work the other day, I decided to rent the camp film Pink Flamingos, starring the late gender-bender Divine and directed by chronic flamer John Waters, best known for 1988’s Hairspray. Waters has always come off as a strange ranger to me, but he topped himself in this one. Between this couple fornicating with (and suffocating) live chickens in one scene and Divine literally eating dog shit in another, this thing made Borat look positively mainstream. I don’t mean to be overly-analytical, and I do enjoy an off-the-wall movie now and then, but exactly what point was Waters trying to make here?
ONE DULL OF A TIME
In honor of actress MacKenzie Phillips’ recent drug bust, I decided to rent Season 1 of "One Day At A Time" this week since it’d been in my Netflix cue for quite a while. I watched that show sparingly back in the day, mostly after Valerie Bertinelli began to "blossom", you might say, but beyond that, I never much cared for it, especially Bonnie Franklin’s kill-joy mother character. After watching a few episodes again, I was reminded of how screechy Franklin and Phillips could get at times—like fingernails on a blackboard. It also got me to wondering which dinner theater in America Pat Harrington has an engagement at these days. I don’t think I’ll bother with Season 2…
A GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT
The Oakland A’s released former Royal Mike Sweeney yesterday, following yet another injury-truncated season. Sweeney claims he still wants to play another year, but why? If I were him, I’d take all that unearned money he’s made over the last five years and run. Or in his case, take the money and limp…
CALL ME A HERETIC...
...but what exactly is wrong with putting ketchup on a hot dog? I've read in more that one place where mustard is the only officially recognized liquid condiment allowed on frankfurters. One of those legendary drive-ins in Chicago profiled on the Food Network that specializes in hot dogs won't even serve ketchup on your hot dog. My profoundest apologies if I go against protocol, but I hate mustard, so get over it, you weenies! Get it? Weenies!
CLASSIC MISHEARD LYRIC #94
"Hold Your Head Up"—ARGENT (1972) When I was a little kid, I first thought they were singing "Blow your head up!" Not the most scintillating Rock song you’ll ever hear, but a classic, all the same.
JUNEAU WHAT? I THINK THIS SARAH PALIN’S KINDA WEIRD…
Have ya gotten a load of her children’s names yet—Piper? Trig? Bristol? Do they not have baby name books up in Alaska? Why would you name your child after a difficult mathematics course? Or the hometown of ESPN? And this woman could be a heartbeat away from the Presidency? Given McCain’s age, it’s a distinct possibility. Be vewy vewy caweful…
D’OH!
Well, I got to enjoy having Tom Brady on my fantasy football team for all of seven minutes before his season came to a crashing halt in Sunday’s game with the Chefs. Even if TB had a mediocre day, my team would’ve won easily instead of losing by six lousy points. To me, this was the equivalent of finally getting that dream car I always wanted—then totaling it two blocks from my house.
As for the play in which Brady was injured, it was clearly a legal hit by K.C.’s Bernard Pollard, but that didn’t prevent Super Whiner Randy Moss from claiming it was a cheap shot and calling Pollard a dirty player. Uhhh, how would you know, Randy? You were way down at the other end of the field when it happened, fumbling the pass that you had just caught, so just loosen up your cornrows and shut the fuck up, mmm-kay?
DID I MISS A MEMO?
Since when did we start spelling Hawaii "Hawai’i"? All of sudden here lately during sporting events, our 50th state has this misbegotten apostrophe in it for some reason, even though all through school and "Hawaii Five-O" reruns, I grew up on it minus the apostrophe. Is this some Polynesian heritage deal that got overlooked or just some trendy new thing? If it’s the latter, I do hope this means my beloved home state won’t morph into "Missour’i"…
OFF THE RAILS ON THE CRAZY TRAIN
Following a movie discussion at work the other day, I decided to rent the camp film Pink Flamingos, starring the late gender-bender Divine and directed by chronic flamer John Waters, best known for 1988’s Hairspray. Waters has always come off as a strange ranger to me, but he topped himself in this one. Between this couple fornicating with (and suffocating) live chickens in one scene and Divine literally eating dog shit in another, this thing made Borat look positively mainstream. I don’t mean to be overly-analytical, and I do enjoy an off-the-wall movie now and then, but exactly what point was Waters trying to make here?
ONE DULL OF A TIME
In honor of actress MacKenzie Phillips’ recent drug bust, I decided to rent Season 1 of "One Day At A Time" this week since it’d been in my Netflix cue for quite a while. I watched that show sparingly back in the day, mostly after Valerie Bertinelli began to "blossom", you might say, but beyond that, I never much cared for it, especially Bonnie Franklin’s kill-joy mother character. After watching a few episodes again, I was reminded of how screechy Franklin and Phillips could get at times—like fingernails on a blackboard. It also got me to wondering which dinner theater in America Pat Harrington has an engagement at these days. I don’t think I’ll bother with Season 2…
A GLUTTON FOR PUNISHMENT
The Oakland A’s released former Royal Mike Sweeney yesterday, following yet another injury-truncated season. Sweeney claims he still wants to play another year, but why? If I were him, I’d take all that unearned money he’s made over the last five years and run. Or in his case, take the money and limp…
CALL ME A HERETIC...
...but what exactly is wrong with putting ketchup on a hot dog? I've read in more that one place where mustard is the only officially recognized liquid condiment allowed on frankfurters. One of those legendary drive-ins in Chicago profiled on the Food Network that specializes in hot dogs won't even serve ketchup on your hot dog. My profoundest apologies if I go against protocol, but I hate mustard, so get over it, you weenies! Get it? Weenies!
CLASSIC MISHEARD LYRIC #94
"Hold Your Head Up"—ARGENT (1972) When I was a little kid, I first thought they were singing "Blow your head up!" Not the most scintillating Rock song you’ll ever hear, but a classic, all the same.
JUNEAU WHAT? I THINK THIS SARAH PALIN’S KINDA WEIRD…
Have ya gotten a load of her children’s names yet—Piper? Trig? Bristol? Do they not have baby name books up in Alaska? Why would you name your child after a difficult mathematics course? Or the hometown of ESPN? And this woman could be a heartbeat away from the Presidency? Given McCain’s age, it’s a distinct possibility. Be vewy vewy caweful…
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