Trent promised that they would come back and honor the tickets from the September 16th show since they had to cut that show short due to Jerome Dillon’s heart attack. They made good on the promise so this was the second show I was able to see from the one ticket that I had already bought for much less than face value.
Green Day was still touring for the album American Idiot that was released almost exactly a year before this show. Me and a girl I was dating at the time randomly happened to be in a parking lot where the radio station ROCK 105.3 had set up a tent and were giving stuff away. Turns out they were giving away tickets to this show and we won! Somehow I never saw Green Day before this but it was not from a lack of liking them. I remember “Hitchin’ a Ride” being absolutely amazing, I remember Tre singing “All By Myself” and I remember being impressed with how thick the sound was with a second guitar player. At the end of the show fireworks were shot upwards from the very outer top of the stage. I walked away excited that Green Day had reached the height of those fireworks and I was there to see it.
SETLIST: American Idiot, Jesus of Suburbia, Are We the Waiting, St. Jimmy, Longview, All By Myself, Hitchin’ a Ride, Brain Stew, Jaded, 2000 Light Years Away, Knowledge (Operation Ivy), Basket Case, She, King for a Day, Shout (Isley Brothers)/Stand By Me (Ben E. King), Wake Me Up When September Ends, Minority, Maria, Boulevard of Broken Dreams, We Are the Champions (Queen), Good Riddance (Time of Your Life)
A tour in which Weezer opened for Foo Fighters dubbed the “Foozer” tour. Weezer was touring for their underrated album Make Believe that had just come out in May. I think Dee may have came with me but I’m sure Macy came with me only because I remember she was scared shitless riding in my topless Jeep on the way home. I had only seen Weezer one other time up to this point eight years earlier (ironically also opening up for another band) so I was pretty excited to see them again. I think two bands of this caliber on the same bill elevates the performance of each because I’m sure they have no desire to be outdone by the other. Weezer’s backdrop looked like a jumbo version of the one that the band stands in front of on the Make Believe album. One of the things I love about Weezer is that the music is light, poppy, and heavy all at once and that was on full display here. Several three-minute bursts of hooky rock in rapid succession. Besides the new songs it was also cool to finally see songs from the Green Album and Maladroit performed as well.
SETLIST: “My Name is Jonas,” “Peace,” “Don’t Let Go,” “ In the Garage,” “This is Such a Pity,” “Big Me,” “Perfect Situation,” “Why Bother?,” “El Scorcho,” “Say It Ain’t So,” “We Are All On Drugs,” “Surf Wax America,” “Beverly Hills,” “Buddy Holly,” “Photograph,” “Island in the Sun,” “Undone – The Sweater Song,” “Hash Pipe”
This was my third time seeing Foo Fighters. I had just seen them about a year before this but now they were touring for the double album In Your Honor that came out about three months before this show. The album is one half traditional rockers (Disc 1) and one half slower acoustic songs (Disc 2). Foo Fighters flat out rocked on this night and were able to blend four new songs in with some of their classics. Their stage setup was a cool arrangement of asymmetric amps and video screens. I’m pretty sure Dave Grohl could have made it as a comic if he wasn’t so good at being a musician because he is a funny bastard. Besides rocking our world and making us laugh he treated us to a cover of CCR’s “Born on the Bayou.” Kick. Ass.
SETLIST: “In Your Honor,” “All My Life,” “My Hero,” “Best of You,” “Up In Arms,” “Learn to Fly,” “The Last Song,” “The One,” “Stacked Actors,” “Everlong,” “DOA,” “This Is A Call,” “Born on the Bayou,” “Breakout”
There I was standing on the floor of the packed arena at San Diego State University watching Queens of the Stone Age for the first time. They were touring for the album Lullabies to Paralyze that had come out in March. I had come alone, which by this point was nothing new, because I couldn’t recruit any of my friends to come to the show with me. Shortly after the band started to play “Feel Good Hit of the Summer” I was lucky enough to meet two generous stoners who didn’t mind sharing their joint with me. I say lucky because this was a rare occasion where I didn’t just sneak in my own. Not that I “had” to have one, but it always enhanced my experience. The beauty of this concert was not only that I got to see Queens of the Stone Age for the first time, but the fact that they were opening for Nine Inch Nails. This was to be the second time I had the pleasure of seeing them. Towards the end of the interim between bands camera flashes started going off in anticipation of Trent Reznor and the rest of his band hitting the stage. This is when it finally hit me. I had always wanted to write a book but had never quite figured out what I wanted to write about. When I was younger I never really took that many pictures but the camera flashes got me thinking about how other people document their life through the pictures they take. It is said that a photograph is worth a thousand words. With that in mind someone can look at one of their photographs and tell you exactly where they were, who they were with, and all the circumstances surrounding that moment in time. When I started thinking about this it dawned on me that I document my life in the same manner through my concert ticket stubs because I’ve kept one from each concert I have ever been to. I can look at the stub and tell you the exact date, who attended the concert with me, where I worked at the time, who I was dating, etc. That is what spawned this blog (originally intended as a book).
This concert was special because it was a “2 for the price of 1.” Let me explain. By this point the internet had taken over the ticket world and more specifically the legal ticket scalping world. Basically even if you logged on to Ticketmaster, etc. right when the tickets first went on sale you would still end up getting really crappy seats that were expensive because the legal scalpers had figured out a way to suck up all the good tickets that were not already given out to radio stations, etc. I say this because I had pretty much all but given up on buying tickets the traditional way and instead tried to buy tickets off of people looking to get rid of them at the last minute. This was one of those times but I ended up buying it for way less than face value (I want to say $20) from a legal scalper. He said that they just bought too many and now were trying to unload them for something.
Nine Inch Nails was touring for With Teeth that had come out in May and this was the first night of the tour. They came out behind what looked like a giant mesh screen that images were projected onto and proceeded to take us on a thorough musical journey. Jeordie White (better known as Twiggy from Marilyn Manson) was in this incarnation of the Nine Inch Nails touring band. So they played what seemed like a full set but all of a sudden they stopped playing and disappeared for quite awhile. Nobody knew what the hell was going on until Trent came out and apologized to the crowd saying they had an unexpected emergency and would be coming back to make it up at a later date. It turns out what happened is they had to cut their set short because the drummer Jerome Dillon had a heart-related health issue that caused him to be rushed to the hospital. They ended up coming back on November 20th to play the “make up date” which was just fine with me.
What can I say? Tom Petty is a legend. I’m pretty sure a lot of “older” music I like is because of my exposure to it through my dad. He always had music playing so I think I absorbed it subconsciously and in some cases really got to liking and appreciating it. In the case of Tom Petty I really started getting into it with his Greatest Hits album released in 1993. There is not one bad song on that album. I’m sure there are plenty more gems hiding on his full-length albums but at the time of this writing I am saving the exploration “for a rainy day.” It’s like having new music on tap from an older artist whenever I decide for it to be.
I went to this show with a girl I was seeing at the time, her friend and her friend’s boyfriend. We had lawn “seats” which lack in view but make up for in vibe. There seems to be more of a “community” type of feel to the lawn. All I remember of the Black Crowes is “She Talks to Angels” but I’ve never really been a fan of their music. While Tom Petty is not the most energetic person I have ever seen perform, the music was on point. You could tell the band were actually enjoying themselves playing all the hits, which made a huge difference. I was disappointed they did not play “You Got Lucky,” but “Breakdown” and “Runnin’ Down a Dream” were huge for me.
SETLIST: Listen to Her Heart, You Don’t Know How It Feels, Breakdown, Don’t Do Me Like That, Free Fallin’, I Won’t Back Down, Mary Jane’s Last Dance, I’m Crying (The Animals cover), Handle With Care (Traveling Wilburys cover), Honey Bee, Melinda, Learning to Fly, Don’t Come Around Here No More, Refugee, Runnin’ Down a Dream, You Wreck Me, Gloria, American Girl
This was my first time to the iconic San Diego Sports Arena and I had not seen System of a Down for almost three years. They were touring for their new album Mezmerize that had come out in May, the first of what could have been a double album with Hypnotize but the band decided to release the two albums separately and six months apart to give fans time to digest the first before releasing the next. Lucinda and I were talking again so just her and I went. I remember it was HOT AS HELL inside and the Mars Volta opened up. I want to say the stage was in the middle of the arena as opposed to being at one end.
System of a Down came out behind a semi-opaque curtain hanging from the ceiling so we could only see their silhouettes. Just like the album they opened with “Soldier Side – Intro” and right as they went into “B.Y.O.B.” the curtain dropped. We were right in front of the stage on the floor and everyone lost their fucking mind. After that I remember the band continued with the new album in sequence with “Revenga.” Other than that I remember Daron Malakian talking a little about Charles Manson before they played “ATWA” and I remember “Lost in Hollywood” seeming so much heavier live than on the album. This is one of the few bands I have ever seen that plays the songs better live than on the album. They definitely gave us our money’s worth on this night.
SETLIST: Soldier Side – Intro, B.Y.O.B., Revenga, Know, Needles, Deer Dance, Suggestions, Psycho, Chop Suey!, Kill Rock ‘n Roll, My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue)
(Neil Young & Crazy Horse cover), Sad Statue, Violent Pornography, Mr. Jack, Cigaro, This Cocaine Makes Me Feel Like I’m on This Song, Bounce, ATWA, Forest, Lost in Hollywood, Question!, War?, Prison Song, Roulette, Aerials, Toxicity, Science, Suite-Pee, Sugar
For reasons unknown to the author, Street Scene was moved from the actual streets of downtown San Diego to the parking lot of Qualcomm Stadium in Mission Valley for 2005. I do not remember why I ended up going by myself but I remember that I did. While there were a handful of bands there that I liked, I was really there for the White Stripes, who I had never seen. There were three different stages set up on the west side of the parking lot with only a slight overlap in set times, so you pretty much had to choose one of three bands to watch at any given time. The first band I checked out was Kasabian after a recommendation from my friend Ben. They were alright but did not do much for me. The next band up that I wanted to watch was Garbage, who had just released the album Bleed Like Me in April. I had only seen them one other time about three years prior and they had not lost a beat. Shirley Manson commanded the stage and the band was tight. I was able to watch the entire set before I headed back over to the stage farthest from where I was to see the Black Eyed Peas, but not before stopping to watch a little of Social Distortion’s set on the way. Apparently 311 and Snoop Dog were at this Street Scene but they must have been playing at the same time as someone else because I did not see them at all. So back to the Black Eyed Peas…they had just released the album Monkey Business back in May, their second album with Fergie. I’m not sure how I ended up with this album but I did and it was a good album to listen to when I had girls over (instead of blasting them with heavy metal). I wanted to check them out because I actually liked them but I also wanted to already be at the stage the White Stripes would be performing at so I would have a good spot without having to fight for it. So I made my way over to the stage where the Black Eyed Peas should have already been playing but nobody was on stage so we waited…and waited…and waited some more. I believe they ended up coming onstage about 45 minutes late. Rumor has it that Fergie was so drunk that they could not get her onstage. Her pissing her pants onstage did not help her dispel this rumor. Seriously, she pissed her pants onstage and I was there to see it! By this point all I wanted to do was smoke the joint I brought with me and see the White Stripes but the delay pushed their set back as well.
After what seemed like an eternity Jack and Meg White finally took the stage and I was able to fire up my doobie. They were touring for their new album Get Behind Me Satan that was released the previous month. I first heard the White Stripes when I lived in Portland through a couple of friends right before “Seven Nation Army” got super popular. They were worth the wait. Looking back at this show I am still astonished at how much music was coming from just two people. Jack White was bouncing from guitar to keyboards to marimbas and back again. He is one of the best guitar players I have ever seen. Just strangled the guitar. Meg was not the most fancy drummer I have ever seen but her playing provided the solid backbeat that the music needed. One of my favorite moments was when they played a cover of Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” It was so beautiful it gave me goose bumps. Another favorite was “Ball And Biscuit.” Simply amazing.
AMAZING footage of “Jolene” from a different show
Motley Crue was touring for the anthology album Red, White & Crue that had just come out in February. This tour also marked the return of Tommy Lee who had left the band in 1999. I had no idea that they were coming to town until I was listening to the radio at work one day and it was announced that they were giving away tickets to caller number whatever. I was feeling lucky so I called in and I ended up getting through to win! The caveat was that I only won a single ticket because the radio station was organizing some sort of blind date, which was fine since I happened to be single at the time.
I was left under the impression that the contest winners would be served food and alcohol in our “special area” so I did not bring any money or beer to pregame in the parking lot like I normally would. It turns out the contest winners got to purchase beers for $8 instead of the usual price of $9. We were not off to a good start but I hung around to see what this blind date was all about. They had some silly little game to match everyone up and I got matched up with a gal that was probably blowing Motley Crue when I was still riding my bike around with training wheels. I am not opposed to older women in general but she looked like your average worn-out-older-rocker chick that was probably never that cute to start with. That set aside we did not hit it off too well either so I found my way to my seat. Not only was my free seat almost as far away from the stage as possible in the corner but the weather also turned from sunny to cold and rainy within a matter of only a few hours. I put the swag t-shirt I received from the radio station over my existing t-shirt and waited in misery for Motley Crue to come out. They ended up starting the show a full hour after they were supposed to so by then I was sober, alone, sopping wet and cold. They opened with “Shout At the Devil” which was awesome, but I will never know how good the rest of the show was because by then I was so over it that I decided to get the fuck out of there.
So this was my second time seeing Helmet, my second time seeing Chevelle and my second time sneaking into Soma. It was Marvin and I again and we literally did the same thing we did previously at Static-X: had several beers at Chili’s and walked right through the back door like we owned the place. There were other bands on this tour besides Helmet and Chevelle but we did not care about them. Helmet had the same lineup and pretty much the same set list as when we saw them back in October but it was still awesome to see them again. Chevelle on the other hand had released the new album This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In) back on September 21st and I had not seen them since they rocked Ozzfest in the summer of 2003. I did not know they had a new album out until I stumbled upon it at Tower Records but was not disappointed. I remember being happy that they played a ton of the new songs and also remember thinking that their songs translated much better to this smaller venue instead of the giant amphitheater.
