Great story, Dana! "Secret shows" are the absolute best, especially in small venues! And NGL, "Losing My Religion" is an excellent candidate for the "Most GenX Song of All Time." I got tipped off to a "secret" show around 1991 that required a short road trip from LA to Ventura, and all I can say is that it was so awesome!
Megadeth. It was on lead singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine's birthday. There was an obscure mention in one of the papers with concert listings about a show by "Vic and the Rattleheads." Well, the name of Megadeth's "mascot" is Vic Rattlehead. We went to the UCLA campus central ticket office you could get tickets to most things there) and inquired about the show. The box office attendant told us, "I don't see them listed on that night but I do see Megadeth..."
This sounds like an amazing night! I too am a huge fan of REM and Pearl Jam, and my younger self is so stoked for your younger self to have had such a rare opportunity produce a show of that magnitude! And you got to be there!!!! I miss the vibe of small venues before everything was documented. Thanks for sharing this slice of awesomeness all these years later; I felt positively transported back in time!
This reminds me of a secret dance party I attended in Seattle two years ago. I was visiting there attending the Emerald City Comic Con and went to a panel hosted by Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard, two of my favorite comic creators. I knew they were going to be at the con, but didn't know they were there to announce a new book, The Power Fantasy. After the panel they distributed handbills for an announcement party they were hosting the following night at the Comet Tavern. I went and ended up seeing at least half a dozen other comic artists and writers I had met at the convention the day before... people I had spoken to as a fan of their work, but I would've never expected to meet again at a party. Got to dance with a few of them. The next day was the last day of the convention and I went and got all the people I met at the party to autograph the handbill. Got it framed when I got back home. I've been to Seattle a few times and this is definitely my favorite memory from there.
Great story Dana, I can relate. When I was 19 (almost 50 years ago 😀) my best friends won tickets to a show at a club in Toronto. We lived an hour away and made a day of it before heading to the bus set up for ticket winners. The club was the El Macombo and we saw April Wine. It was amazing. But what we had no idea was coming was the Rolling Stones who were recording a live album. It was indescribable, I was a huge fan as was my best friend and we were star struck. Of course there were no pictures and through the people have done the "yeah right" when I mention it, but like you, the feelings and the memories remain. ❤️
Oh wow! I wish I had gotten to see them live, but I was definitely too late. They had good songs in the 90s, but I was a teenage dirtbag who mostly listened to post-grunge, emo and skater punk. By the time my tastes mellowed and expanded I was too busy with college and other hobbies to pay attention to the live music scene.
I’m back into the retro live scene now, but sadly R.E.M. isn’t part of it. Closest I’ve gotten is seeing Collective Soul (another GA band) cover a couple of their songs live.
There is a magic at work when the hearts and minds of the people at a musical performance unite, no, intertwine with the spirit of the music itself. The tonal vibrations of the notes emanating from the PA system are like a second heart beat that pulses through your body, melding it with the music, and then the feeling like it’s reverberations are finger-plucking invisible guitar strings in your chest; it’s a feeling that stays with you all the way home and beyond. It’s like a spell - the sort that sees you driving home from the experience in total silence because you don’t want to break the spell that was cast by the living music.
It’s delicious and addictive.
I’ve known people who’ve said that it’s better than sex, which is why they were compelled to follow the band on their tour.
The Grateful Dead and Phish amassed a convoy of followers.
I must confess, I still haven’t found a digital copy of a song that I loved that was on a mixtape of mine - “One” performed live in concert by U2 with both Bono and Michael Stipe on vocals. It left me totally blissed out.
Great story, Dana! "Secret shows" are the absolute best, especially in small venues! And NGL, "Losing My Religion" is an excellent candidate for the "Most GenX Song of All Time." I got tipped off to a "secret" show around 1991 that required a short road trip from LA to Ventura, and all I can say is that it was so awesome!
Who was the band??
Megadeth. It was on lead singer/guitarist Dave Mustaine's birthday. There was an obscure mention in one of the papers with concert listings about a show by "Vic and the Rattleheads." Well, the name of Megadeth's "mascot" is Vic Rattlehead. We went to the UCLA campus central ticket office you could get tickets to most things there) and inquired about the show. The box office attendant told us, "I don't see them listed on that night but I do see Megadeth..."
No words, Dana. Just damn.
This sounds like an amazing night! I too am a huge fan of REM and Pearl Jam, and my younger self is so stoked for your younger self to have had such a rare opportunity produce a show of that magnitude! And you got to be there!!!! I miss the vibe of small venues before everything was documented. Thanks for sharing this slice of awesomeness all these years later; I felt positively transported back in time!
What a perfect comment. I miss those days and times in small indie rock venues impossibly much. We had no idea how good we had it.
Michael Stipe does great things for the community here in Athens, Georgia.
This reminds me of a secret dance party I attended in Seattle two years ago. I was visiting there attending the Emerald City Comic Con and went to a panel hosted by Kieron Gillen and Caspar Wijngaard, two of my favorite comic creators. I knew they were going to be at the con, but didn't know they were there to announce a new book, The Power Fantasy. After the panel they distributed handbills for an announcement party they were hosting the following night at the Comet Tavern. I went and ended up seeing at least half a dozen other comic artists and writers I had met at the convention the day before... people I had spoken to as a fan of their work, but I would've never expected to meet again at a party. Got to dance with a few of them. The next day was the last day of the convention and I went and got all the people I met at the party to autograph the handbill. Got it framed when I got back home. I've been to Seattle a few times and this is definitely my favorite memory from there.
An amazing story, so cool. I didn’t get into R.E.M. until Green, so you are definitely not the latest comer, lol.
Great story Dana, I can relate. When I was 19 (almost 50 years ago 😀) my best friends won tickets to a show at a club in Toronto. We lived an hour away and made a day of it before heading to the bus set up for ticket winners. The club was the El Macombo and we saw April Wine. It was amazing. But what we had no idea was coming was the Rolling Stones who were recording a live album. It was indescribable, I was a huge fan as was my best friend and we were star struck. Of course there were no pictures and through the people have done the "yeah right" when I mention it, but like you, the feelings and the memories remain. ❤️
Oh wow! I wish I had gotten to see them live, but I was definitely too late. They had good songs in the 90s, but I was a teenage dirtbag who mostly listened to post-grunge, emo and skater punk. By the time my tastes mellowed and expanded I was too busy with college and other hobbies to pay attention to the live music scene.
I’m back into the retro live scene now, but sadly R.E.M. isn’t part of it. Closest I’ve gotten is seeing Collective Soul (another GA band) cover a couple of their songs live.
There is a magic at work when the hearts and minds of the people at a musical performance unite, no, intertwine with the spirit of the music itself. The tonal vibrations of the notes emanating from the PA system are like a second heart beat that pulses through your body, melding it with the music, and then the feeling like it’s reverberations are finger-plucking invisible guitar strings in your chest; it’s a feeling that stays with you all the way home and beyond. It’s like a spell - the sort that sees you driving home from the experience in total silence because you don’t want to break the spell that was cast by the living music.
It’s delicious and addictive.
I’ve known people who’ve said that it’s better than sex, which is why they were compelled to follow the band on their tour.
The Grateful Dead and Phish amassed a convoy of followers.
I must confess, I still haven’t found a digital copy of a song that I loved that was on a mixtape of mine - “One” performed live in concert by U2 with both Bono and Michael Stipe on vocals. It left me totally blissed out.