Concerts: 1995 - 1997

These are all the shows I can remember… the best I can remember them.  No promises on how entertaining each post will be, but I’ll do the best I can. They’ll be in the best chronological order I can remember, but again, no promises.

1995

X-Fest - Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN

Better Than Ezra / Bush / Johnny Socko / Letters to Cleo / Material Issue / Ned’s Atomic Dustbin Quicksand / Sponge / Sugar Ray / Teenage Fanclub / The Toadies / The Why Store / Weezer

This was my first proper concert, meaning a ticketed show, not a show at Rhino’s or a basement show.  Pretty killer line-up.  I didn’t appreciate Material Issue and Teenage Fanclub as much I would come to later, but so glad I got to see them both.  Better Than Ezra, Quicksand and Weezer were great, Sponge stole the show and Sugar Ray hadn’t yet written “Fly”.

Live / Veruca Salt / PJ Harvey - Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN

Live was promoting Throwing Copper and I was particularly taken by their mid-set, acoustic set where they brought out a couch and some rugs and brought us all into a living room.  This was the first of three times I saw PJ Harvey without buying a ticket to see her.  No disrespect, I like her some, but just funny I’ve seen her three times as an opening act.

Soul Asylum / Matthew Sweet / The Jayhawks / Victoria Williams - Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN

Let Your Dim Light Shine hasn’t aged like I thought it would, but there are some bangers on that record including “Misery” and “Just Like Anyone”.  Matthew Sweet is, along with Material Issue, 90s power-pop at its best.

The Trash Brats / Plastic Cheeses - Rhino’s, Bloomington, IN

Not the only show I saw in 1995 at Rhino’s, but the only one I remember… my first time at Rhino’s.

1996

Babes in Toyland - Emerson Theater, Indianapolis, IN

I went, I think, with my friend Megan.

X-Fest - Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN

Everclear / Goldfinger / No Doubt / Prong / Reacharound / Spacehog / The Verve Pipe / The Why Store

Ska was obviously a thing in 1996.  While not a big fan of the genre, I have nothing bad to say about any of these bands.  The best of No Doubt, I love.  I love Spacehog, the Verve Pipe were great and Everclear could handle the larger crowd.  Met the fellas in Goldfinger.  Reacharound were great, that record is great.  Damn shame they weren’t bigger.

Everclear / Menthol / Hagfish - The Murat Egyptian Room, Indianapolis, IN

Met the guys in Everclear and Hagfish after the show.  I asked Zach Blair if we could interview them for our zine, As Is, and he hooked me up with his manager, Laurel (last name escapes me at the moment, but I haven’t forgotten it, I’m just old).  I ended up on the phone with Tony Barsotti and George Reagan later on and had Laurel’s number when the Descendents got back together (more on that later).  Hagfish’s …Rocks Your Lame Ass is an under-appreciated pop punk record that may, or may not have been, the first album recorded at The Blasting Room in Fort Collins, CO, which is owned by Bill Stevenson and Stephan Edgerton of the Descendents/ALL who produced the record.

Green Day / The Riverdales - Pepsi Coliseum, Indianapolis, IN

Green Day had just put out Insomniac, which, in 2026, is the only Green Day album I can still listen to.  This was the first time I ever crowd surfed (I miss the 90s).  There was a barrier, so you couldn’t reach the stage, but I made multiple passes through the crowd and up to the security guards and back.

1997

Gravity Kills - Emerson Theater, Indianapolis, IN

I went… I think with Megan and my friend A.J.

Green Day / Superdrag - The Murat Egyptian Room, Indianapolis, IN

Green Day was supporting Nimrod and Superdrag was supporting Regretfully Yours. I went with my friends, Jeremy and Justin Carie. We got up there early. As we got out of the car, Brandon Fisher and Tom Pappas from Superdrag came out of the back door and asked us if there was a Wendy’s around. We told them we’d take them and they hopped in the back of Jeremy’s car with Justin and we went. When we got back, they got us all on the guest list and we scalped our tickets. We met John Davis at the merch table, bought some shirts and he wrote me a nice note. We met some girls in the crowd, then Superdrag took the stage, John pointed us out and thanked us in front of the entire crowd and dedicated a song to us. After the show, we went on their bus, for a brief moment, before Jeremy told me I was welcome to walk back to Columbus, but he was leaving… so, regretfully, I got off the bus.

Less Than Jake - Emerson Theater, Indianapolis, IN

Ska was a thing, remember? Back in the day, I would sit on the speakers on the side of the stage at the Emerson (more on that later). I stage dove and crowd surfed. I’ll be on Chris Demakes’ podcast April 20th.

Squirtgun - Emerson Theater, Indianapolis, IN

I told this story here.

Sloppypalooza - Fountain Square Theater, Indianapolis, IN

I couldn’t find the full line-up, but I remember Red Ball Jets, Merle Allin & the Murder Junkies and, obviously, Sloppy Seconds.

X-Fest - Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN

Better Than Ezra / Bloodhound Gang / Gravity Kills / Local H / Matchbox 20 / Reel Big Fish Sugar Ray / Tripping Daisy / Wilco 

Wilco had just put out Being There, which I still love. Sugar Ray was high on “Fly” and I met Mark McGrath for about thirty seconds before he went and followed some girls.  Nice guy that Sugar Ray.

Descendents / Suicide Machines / Shades Apart - Emerson Theater, Indianapolis, IN

Laurel hooked us up.  My friends Cody, Ryan and I met Milo across the street and interviewed him for our zine.  He got the band to sign our copies of Everything Sucks, except Bill for some reason, who we were told was, “taking a shit”.  That tracked, so we didn’t question it.  Bill mixed my first solo album, I’m Not Enough & That’s Okay, but he still hasn’t signed my CD.

MxPx / Puller / Stavesacre - Emerson Theater, Indianapolis, IN

MxPx was supporting Life in General, still a great pop-punk record and were still on Tooth & Nail.  After the show, we were standing around to meet Tom and Kris Roe of the Ataris handed Tom a copy of Anywhere But Here and the next time I saw Kris was on TRL.