Concerts: 1998 - 2001
1998
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy / George Clinton & the P Funk All-Stars - Ball State University, Muncie, IN
I was up staying with friends who went to Ball State with my friend Andy Baker. We got to meet the fellas in Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, which was cool because they were in Swingers, still one of my favorite movies of all-time.
Dwight Yoakam / Trisha Yearwood / Randy Scruggs - Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN
First of many times seeing Dwight. I went with my cousin Steve who was a cop at the time and he bought me a beer. Wasn’t my first beer, but it was my first beer under-age purchased by a cop! Dwight was awesome as he would be every time I’ve seen him, but Trisha Yearwood used all her in-between song banter to tell us how successful she was. Dwight blew her off the stage.
Third Eye Blind / Eve 6 - Emens Auditorium, Muncie, IN
If you’ve read up until this point, you know I’ve met a few rock stars by now. My roommates at the time gave me a hard time, telling me I faked all my autographs. So, the night before the show, Eric Williamson and I went down to their hotel, met Third Eye Blind and invited them down to Buffalo Wild Wings, where we worked. Stephan Jenkins spent about ten minutes telling me why he was too cool to go anywhere, but the other guys were nice enough. A little bit later, a limo pulls up in front of the bar and both bands get out. The Eve 6 guys were about my age and therefore, under-age, but they were in the bar shooting pool. I spent some time chatting with Max Collins of Eve 6 and Kevin Cadogan of Third Eye Blind. Both were trying to be cooler than I could tell they actually were. This being 1998, there was a line for the payphone, people calling and telling their friends who was at the bar. The GM was both my boss and my roommate, so I ended up being told to go home, but the story goes that they were dancing on tables, acting like assholes and the cops had to ask them to leave. The next night, Stephan Jenkins talked about me from the stage and called Muncie a “podunk town”. That first record is still a banger, but he’s one of the few rock stars I’ve met that I had a bad experience with.
Everclear / Feeder / Jimmy’s Chicken Shack - Emerson Theater, Indianapolis, IN
I wasn’t supposed to go to this show. I was supposed to be in night school so I could graduate on time, but I went anyway.
Everclear / Feeder / Jimmy’s Chicken Shack - Newport Music Hall, Columbus, OH
This is the show my dad bought me tickets for, on a weeknight, so that I could not skip night school to see them in Indianapolis.
Everclear / C. Gibbs Group - Headliner’s Music Hall, Louisville, KY
The Gotohells / The Queers - Bogart’s, Cincinnati, OH
I loved the Gotohells. Great band.
1999
Chris Isaak / Bruce Hornsby - Indianapolis Tennis Center, Indianapolis, IN
First Chris Isaak show. Was trying to talk to my date here and there during Bruce Hornsby and some boomer, instead of asking me to keep it down, threatened to kill me. Must have been smoking bad weed. Chris wore the mirror ball suit and when I met him for five seconds after the show to get my poster signed, he headed straight to me and said, “I’m gonna get you first little dude” and then went to deal with the five-hundred women waiting to meet him.
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers / Lucinda Williams - Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN
Glad I got to see Tom Petty for sure. Don’t remember who all went to this, but my friend Trey rode with me and it would be the last time I hung out with him before he and my good fried Abby were killed in a car accident.
Lucky Boy’s Confusion - Emerson Theater, Indianapolis, IN
I went with my friend Brad - he loved those guys.
The Reverend Horton Heat / Nashville Pussy - The Bluebird, Bloomington, IN
Pretty sure this is a show I went to with Cody. I just remember it being a good show.
Oasis / Travis - The Murat Egyptian Room, Indianapolis, IN
Got to meet, very briefly, both Gallagher brothers and the fellas from Travis before the show. Got Dougie and Andy’s autographs from Travis. Oasis was touring for Standing on the Shoulder of Giants, not their best work, but Travis was promoting The Man Who, which is their best work. Realized I could understand a Glaswegian.
Ray Charles - IU Auditorium, Bloomington, IN
Cody’s parents gave us these tickets. What a privilege to have seen him. He was amazing.
The Offspring / The Flys / The Living End - Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN
I feel like I have to say something about all these shows, but this one was pretty forgettable. No disrespect to any of the bands and their recorded work, just not memorable.
Wilco / Beulah - Buskirk-Chumley Theater, Bloomington, IN
Summerteeth tour. Loved that record and loved Jay Bentley.
They Might Be Giants - Otterbein University, Westerville, OH
Fun time visiting with my friend Ellen away at school. Not a band I would have gone to see on my own, but glad I went.
2000
Live / Counting Crows - Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN
Brad was working at X-103 at the time so we got to go to a pre-show dinner / meet & greet for contest winners. I was wearing my Stereophonics shirt I got when I saw them at the Vic and Ed Kowalczyk came up to me and started fanboying about Stereophonics with me for awhile. I’ve always thought he was very cool for doing that - I love fellow music nerds.
Red Hot Chili Peppers / Foo Fighters / Blonde Redhead - Freedom Hall, Louisville, KY
Another show thanks to Brad’s job at X-103. Most memorable moment was Taylor Hawkins playing guitar and singing Pink Floyd’s “Have a Cigar” with Dave Grohl on drums.
Bob Dylan - IU Auditorium, Bloomington, IN
I went with Cody, I wasn’t a Bob fan at the time, but this show made me a fan. He was absolutely on point and played a lot of the earlier stuff. I later became more of a fan of his later work, but this hooked me for sure.
U2 / PJ Harvey - Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, IN
Silouan went to this show with me. It was around Indy 500 time and pretty early before the show I spotted Jason Priestly in the crowd. I passed the time entertaining those around me by yelling things like, “Yo Brandon, Nat needs you back at the Peach Pit!”. U2 was good, riding high again before sucking again after this record, but a great show. When the lights came up, who was standing right behind us but Jason Priestly. I turned and shook his hand, we spent fifteen seconds talking about the show before a security guy grabbed him and offered to take him out the back way. He wished us goodnight. Nice guy that Brandon Walsh.
Pearl Jam / Sonic Youth - Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN
Traffic getting in was horrendous. Only saw a few songs of Sonic Youth. Pearl Jam was good and this was the tour where they released a CD of every show, which is a nice keepsake. I don’t hate them for who they were, I hate them for what they became.
Travis / Remy Zero - Bogart’s, Cincinnati, OH
Two good bands, though Remy Zero is mostly famous for its singer having been briefly married to Alyssa Milano.
The Charlatans UK / Stereophonics - The Vic, Chicago, IL
I woke up the next morning at my friend Anthony’s house to a phone call saying my grandfather was at Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis having suffered an aneurysm. I have always loved Stereophonics and this was the first time I got to see them, but that show will always be tied to that bad memory.
Better Than Ezra (Acoustic) - Hard Rock Cafe, Indianapolis, IN
Free show announced that morning on X-103. I walked down straight after work that day. Fun show, but mostly memorable because I met Peyton Manning.
Supergrass - Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN
I know I saw them at Deer Creek, but I can’t remember what show it was to save my life. I dug that record a lot though, “Pumping Through My Stereo” is still a banger.
2001
Warped Tour 2001 - Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN
311 / AFI / Alien Ant Farm / Bouncing Souls / D12 / Good Charlotte / Guttermouth / Hank 3 & Assjack / Less Than Jake / Me First and the Gimme Gimmes / Rancid / Sum 41 / The Ataris / The Distillers / The Living End / Misfits (no Danzig) / The Tossers
I have to admit, other than Rancid, I don’t remember seeing a lot of these, I just know I saw them and I know who I would have chosen to go watch at that time. First of several times seeing Rancid who is still a favorite.
Aerosmith / Fuel - Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN
Another forgettable show really.
Oasis / Black Crowes / Spacehog - Deer Creek Music Center, Noblesville, IN
The Brotherly Love Tour. I went with Silouan. I love Oasis obviously and I really like the Crowes and Spacehog, so not the best venue for this, but a fun show.
Ryan Adams / Lucinda Williams - The Vic, Chicago, IL
First time seeing Ryan Adams who had just put out Gold. Good show but not as memorable as the ones to come.
Melissa Etheridge - Chicago Theater, Chicago, IL