A day or two ago Genuine asked what our first concert was. I replied and he wrote back that I really should share the story. Not needing much encouragement, here it is.
It was, I believe, 1980. Jefferson Starship was coming to town, to promote their new album “Freedom at Point Zero.” I was fifteen.
They were playing the Wintergarten, in Dallas, which is a dance hall or some call it a ballroom. I’m not sure it’s still there (Google isn’t much help) but it was not too long ago. It basically had a long room with a stage at one end, and they had set up folding chairs. Tickets were $8, a high price back then.
Somebody’s mom gave us a ride down there, I went with my buddies from school. One of them brought a friend – Monique. Monique had an older boyfriend, who did not go to the show. She was also, shall we say, advanced. Of course I fell in love. She smoked, I found my way to the back of the hall, found a machine, and bought my first pack of cigarettes. (the beginning of what would turn into a two-to-three pack a day habit for a time).
During the show you could see that the crowd was really friendly. They would share cigarettes, one would start and you could see it passed all the way down the row of folding chairs. Then if there was any left it would get passed to the row behind and so on. Very friendly. And pretty good smokes, too, but by the time the concert was over I got really hungry.
Still drooling over Monique, toward the end of the show we decided we couldn’t see well enough (all of what – 50 feet from the stage?) so we made our way to the front. Before we arrived the band finished the show and disappeared. Everyone kept yelling (this was my first concert, remember?) so we kept working our way to the front. We were next to the stage so I leaned up against the wall to keep from getting trampled. I was hoping to find some more shared cigarettes but no luck.
The crowd screamed as one band member after another re-appeared on stage. Suddenly, the wall next to me erupted. Well, that’s what it felt like, it was like a bomb had gone off. It wasn’t a wall, after all, but an amplifier stack, connected to the lead guitar player. I couldn’t hear for about a day after that.
I felt the final song more than heard it, but didn’t really care. It was great, too, one of my Starship faves, “Familiar Stranger,” which was actually released on the next album, along with the crowd favorite “Find your way back.”
What is veiled now soon will be shown
Come walk with me through the unknown
Familiar stranger
Should I know your name
Did we meet some time ago?
I feel uncertain
Shadows whisper to me now
Sudden wind begins to blow
As the last chords disappeared into the night, I followed Monique’s Chic jeans out into the parking lot, where we quickly located my mom’s station wagon, waiting in line to pick us up. But not before we stopped at the van for KZEW to pick up some window stickers.