The brainchild of Jane’s Addiction frontman Perry Farrell, this was the first major concert festival of my generation… a veritable Woodstock for us Gen-Xers.

The line-up was astonishing, and included Jane’s Addiction, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Living Colour, Nine Inch Nails, Ice-T & Body Count, Butthole Surfers, Rollins Band, Violent Femmes and Fishbone.

Yum!

Lollapalooza (1991)

I’d already seen Nine Inch Nails and Siouxsie live, but it was such a treat to see Ice-T (even though I prefer his Hip-Hip stuff like “Power” and “Rhyme Pays” to his Nu-Metal “Body Count” stuff). I also really enjoyed Rollins Band and was pleasantly surprised by Living Colour.

I recall just one unpleasantry: I got a massive headache around the time Gibby Haynes and Butthole Surfers took the stage. It wasn’t the music I hated, it was Gibby firing off his stupid, fake shotgun! Oh my God, it was SOOO loud!

Bumbershoot also has art, food, dancing, vendors of all kinds and, of course, fun stuff for all ages.  There is almost always a drum circle that starts up and lasts most of the three days.  You can walk in, pick up a drum, dance a little, and move on to the next show….  Come and go through most of the shows or just walk around and people watch.

In 1996, I was excited to see Ani DiFranco because I was just falling in love with her music and the “strong woman” music of the time.  As we watched her show, which was amazing, the sun was shining and we were surrounded by beautiful, strong and fabulous women.  We laid back in the grass, looking up where there were acrobats scaling down the Space Needle.
In the spirit of the festival, I also looked forward to seeing Sex Pistols ~ being a fashion Punk of the 90’s.  They were in one of the larger venues, but worth wading through the waves of punks young and old trying to get a view of the great band.   The music was ok ~ but not as I remember in “Sid and Nancy,” with Gary Oldman.

The bands at Bumbershoot in '96

I honestly can’t remember the rest of the bands/shows I saw that day….  But it was a wonderful weekend to be sure!  I saved all this stuff in one of my photo albums with pictures of my friends Ada, Charla and Erik ~ pretty sure they were with me that day.

I have memories of waiting for Indigo Girls the next day, Sept. 1st, but they were in one of the larger venues, and by the time the music started it was just too much, too many people, and too long a day…  I regret that now, because here, all these many years later, I still have not seen them live.  Must put that on a “to do” list.

Bumbershoot Ticket

Bumbershoot is a must do if you are ever in Seattle for Labor Day weekend.  The tickets are more and more expensive every year, but it is worth it if you love and appreciate the incredible variety of music and art!  Now, there is also the “Experience Music Project,” also pretty expensive, but if you have a day it is worth it.  And if you love the history and memorabilia of music, bands and shows ~ The EMP is the mecca.

My Concert Ticket

I have such fond memories of this show… juvenile delinquent that I was.

This was 1988, and I was a senior in high school. My fond memories are not because I was a fan of Van Halen. Or Scorpions, Dokken, or even Metallica, for that matter. Certainly not because I was a fan of Kingdom Come (who?!).

I do remember the thousands of Crotch-Rock fans who showed up for this bloated tour of testosterone, dubious rock and cheap beer… sporting torn-and-pegged acid-washed jeans (with Goodie™ combs in the back pocket) and high-top Reeboks.

This was an all-day, indoor event. The show started in the early afternoon, and there were no “in-and-out” priveledges. We didn’t think about this, so we spent all our money on beer before the show, intent on drinking in the parking lot before going inside (yep, around 11am).

So it’s like 118 degrees inside the Silverdome. The show takes forever and it’s not even good. Eventually our cheap-beer-buzzes wear off and we are crabby. We are sweating. We’re exhausted. And we are HUNGRY. Again: NO MONEY.

So I turn to my friends and say, “Don’t worry. I’ll take care of this.”

For those unfamiliar with the Silverdome, it’s a giant enclosed arena in Pontiac, Michigan. The Detroit Lions used to play there. There are food stands all around the circumference. I make a beeline toward the closest food stand, and lean over the saloon-door where stadium food workers enter. Nothing. So I move on to the next food stand.

Upon arrival, I lean over the saloon-doors. BINGO. I see the bright yellow apron each food worker must wear while working (along with sweet plastic gloves and little shower caps). I shove the apron under my shirt and duck into the crowd, making my way to the next food stand.

By the time I get to the next food stand, I’ve already donned the apron. Acting like I know what I’m doing, I confidently burst through the saloon-doors and walk right up to the oldest person I can find.

“We’re really slow in section 34, so they sent me down here to help. What can I do?” I ask.

“Hot dogs,” she replies, thumbing toward the back room.

I go into the back room where shower-capped losers are packing hot dogs into metallic bags as fast as they can. I smile and start stuffing pork parts. About 5 minutes later (again: HUNGRY), I turn to my co-worker.

“I’m gonna go on break. Mind if I take some dogs?”

“Hunh? Nah. Whatever.” (about what I expected).

So I lift my apron and start piling hot dogs into the fold. I think I got about 22 dogs before making a hasty retreat.

When I got back to our seats and revealed the score to my friends, they all cheered. In fact, folks who weren’t even in our group cheered. I guess that’s why I have such fond memories of 1988’s Monsters of Rock show in Detroit.