50. "Prelude/Angry Young Man" by Billy Joel [Video: Prelude/Angry Young Man. (This is from Wembley Stadium in 1984.)(Wembley Stadium: It's the Salt Palace of London!)]
Yes, I know the first concert I ever saw was Bryan Adams/Journey at the pot-smoke filled Mini-Dome in Pocatello. But, as a concert-going experience, it was lacking in several areas. For one thing, the lines getting in to the stadium were so long that Bryan Adams had already come on stage and performed a couple of songs before we were able to actually get inside the building. Then, it turned out Bryan Adams was a surprisingly foul-mouthed performer. (Bleeping Canadians!) And finally, in some foolish effort to "beat traffic" we ended up leaving the concert before Journey was actually finished. (I remember "Separate Ways" reverberating through the building as we walked outside to our car.)
No, my first real concert experience was Billy Joel in the Salt Palace on April 23, 1984. I'm not sure why I was in Salt Lake, but I remember buying four tickets for the concert at the ZCMI in the ZCMI Center downtown. The tickets were $15 each. (I don't think you could park your car at a concert for $15 these days.) (Back in my day….)
When the time came, the Arimo Mafia (with Mike in the place of Chris) sluffed school and headed on down to the big city.
I remember the thrill of seeing where are seats were: right behind the piano, just a few rows up! The anticipation built until Billy's song "The Mexican Connection" was pumped over the loudspeakers. That's when we knew it was just about time. Some shadowy figures scurried to their spots in the darkness. And then:
BLAM!!! The lights came up and there was Billy Joel, right in front of us with his hands flailing about the piano as he started to pound out "Prelude/Angry Young Man!" It was unlike anything I've ever seen, before or since. His hands were a complete blur, as if he were just randomly pounding the piano as hard and as fast as he could. And yet, he was actually playing the song! (The video I linked to from Wembley Stadium in 1984 captures some of the feel, but it doesn't capture the total awe and amazement of the experience.)
The rest of the show was absolutely excellent, but the two things I'll remember most about that concert are the moment he started playing this song, and the moment, as he was going down the stairs coming off the stage when Billy looked directly at my idiot friend who was cheering and yelling like a mad man. (Not like an angry young man, but like a crazy young man.)
COMING UP NEXT: Blasphemy!
No comments:
Post a Comment