The summer of ’84 was a big one for me. I was fourteen years old and had just started playing keyboards in my very own rock band with a classmate, his older brother and his older brother’s friend. We were called Blizzard. Dave and I were freshman and Chad and Rob were juniors. There was no denying that rock and roll was going to change our lives. Are you kidding me?! Actually playing in a real rock band with knowledgeable upperclassmen who could teach us all that they had learned about girls? It was an exciting time for me. No doubt we would be VERY popular.
That summer, .38 Special and Eddie Money were playing at the Red River Valley Fairgrounds and Dave and I got to go with the older guys. I had never been to a concert before so I had been a little nervous but once we arrived, the excitement washed over me like the raging floodwaters of the Red itself. It was a very hot summer day and the place was packed. There were even girls wearing bikini tops there much to our adolescent delight. The opening act were the Metro All Stars who I had never heard of. In retrospect, I realize now it was a band made up of numerous very talented local musicians. It was a helluva lot louder than I had expected. Next up was Eddie Money, who drunkenly stumbled around while honking on his harmonica… but again, it was loud and awesome. He was playing tunes I had heard on the radio; live, loud, and in person. It didn’t hurt that all of those girls in the bikini tops were now standing up in front of us and dancing wildly to those chart toppers. To say it made an impression on me would be putting it mildly. Finally, .38 Special hit the stage and they were louder still. “That must be how it works,” I thought to myself. “The next band always gets to be louder than the previous band. Interesting.” Being fourteen and sober, I realized most of the people around us were really getting worked up into a drunken frenzy by the last few songs. I loved it! I couldn’t wait until I was older and experiencing the drunken frenzy for myself. I went home and lay in bed with my ears ringing and my head spinning. A feeling I would have many more times in the years to come.
Over the next few summers, I’d see many shows at the fairgrounds. I went to shows at the Fargo Civic and the NDSU Fieldhouse as well, but nothing quite measured up to the experience of going to those outdoor summer concerts. I remember seeing Night Ranger, Cheap Trick, and of course (once METAL was big) going to see RATT and IRON MAIDEN. We sat in the bleachers for that one. I remember being concerned that one of those Iron Maiden fans might be swinging around one of those studded arm bands and end up taking my eye out. It was stupid, but I had seen their music videos and it seemed very plausible. I wish now I had stood closer.
Once I was on my own and no longer had to get permission from my folks, I was even bold enough to venture to the cities for the very first Lolapalooza, where I saw Henry Rollins, Nine Inch Nails, Ice T’s Body Count, and Jane’s Addiction. Went to a few Warped Tour shows as well, once I was firmly devoted to seeing as many punk and alternative acts as I could before they were all gone. Surprisingly, most of them are still together to this day and I’m FIFTY!! What?!
Because of Covid-19, going to see your favorite bands in concert may not happen for a while. I’m guessing it will be 2021 at the LEAST before it’s safe enough to gather for a festival show, but until then at least I’ve got my memories. -Scotch
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