2001 Concert Year in Review
My retroactive look back at the concert year in review continues with 2001. 2001 was before I consistently kept track of dates for gigs. Most of these gigs wouldn't have a ticket stub that would justify me digging around in my big bag of tickets to find the date, but I was able to nail down when the U2 and Bob Dylan shows are via the awesome majesty of the internet. I also was a little less concerned about tracking every single band at large shows. This means that list includes things like "Speakeasy and other bands" on it, which is why I can say that I saw 20 concerts with 39+ bands at them.
The Buddy Guy show was in late August / early September and was the last show I went to in Cleveland before I moved back to North Dakota just after 9/11. Geography explains the extreme lack of shows after that one.
Freekbase w/Fenster - Euclid Tavern
Moxy Früvous w/The Supers - Opera House (Toronto) - S 2/17
Deborah Coleman - Beachland Ballroom
Long John Hunter with Maurice John Vaughn & the Nutbreakers - Beachland Ballroom
A cappellooza: Speakeasy and others - Harkness Chapel
Jill Sobule - Grog Shop
U2 w/PJ Harvey - Gund Arena - R 5/03
Geronimo's Cadillac with Qwasi Qwa - Peabody's
Geronimo's Cadillac - The Grog Shop
Slash's Snakepit - Peabody's - M 6/25
WRUW Metal Benefit: Domestic Violence, Bioaxident, Environmental- Peabody's
LA Guns w/Mimsie & Shock Cinema - Peabody's
Barenaked Ladies w/ Vertical Horizon & Sarah Harmer - Blossom
The Slackers w/Martigan - Grog Shop
Riddlin' Kids, Home Grown, Zebrahead, Goldfinger & Reel Big Fish - Nautica
Bob Dylan - Illinois State Fair - Su 8/12
North Mississippi All Stars - Freiberger
Studio-A-Rama 2001: Easy Action, King Nixon, Mr. Payback & many others
Buddy Guy w/The Lonny Brooks Blues Band - Palace Theater @ Playhouse Square
BB King - Fargo Civic Center
By Venue
Peabody's - 4. This was the CSU location.
Grog Shop - 3
Beachland Ballroom - 2. These were my very first two shows at the Beachland Ballroom
Euclid Tavern - 1. This appears to the very last show I ever went to at the Euc.
Road Trips
The sixth and final time I saw Moxy Früvous was on their home turf in Toronto. On a side note, in all the show summaries, when they refer to a giant paper "Pisco Bandito" with a dollar bill in its mouth and a hat... that was me, Dutton, Bybluk and my sister. We were the Pisco people.
The one and only time I saw Bob Dylan was at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on the way from North Dakota to Cleveland in August after (I presume) my backpacking trip with my father.
BB King was in Fargo, which was more than an hour from my parent's house, but I know people who commute that every day so it's not really a road trip.
Albums Purchased
I don't think there were any this year, as I had no money.
Bands I don't Remember At All 20 Years Later
Alas, most of the openers have escaped my memory. Apologies to Fenster, Qwasi Qwa, Mimsie, Shock Cinema and all the bands at the WRUW Metal Benefit and Studio-A-Rama, Martigan, the Lonny Brooks Blues Band. Others are solidly in "I know that band, but don't remember the show", namely the North Mississippi All-Stars and all four of the openers for Reel Big Fish at Nautica.
Best Opener
My recollection was that Sarah Harmer was very good in front of Barenaked Ladies, and that somewhat surprisingly Vertical Horizon was too. The Supers did a fine job opening for Früvous. Most of the others I don't recall.
Show of the Year
I was tempted to choose Moxy Früvous since it was the last show ever from what was then my favorite band, but honestly it was maybe the fourth best show I ever saw them do (behind Pittsburgh, Oberlin and Ferndale). Instead, it goes in the honorable mentions along with Reel Big Fish, Deborah Coleman and Slash's Snakepit.
My friend Roger from WRUW (metal Roger, not Irish Roger) was the promotions director for the station at the time, and he hooked me up with a ticket to see Buddy Guy at Playhouse Square right before I left Cleveland. Buddy Guy was still at the height of his powers and shredded it. Every song killed. I distinctly remember four female forty-something African American nurses who were in the row behind me who were losing their shit over Buddy Guy's every move. My comparison, when I saw Buddy Guy in 2013, he was now old. Basically, Buddy Guy 2013 was BB King 2002 - old, clearly not able to bring it anymore, occasional glimmers of greatness. I'm super glad I got to see him in 2002, and I wish I'd seen BB King in like 1990.
Worst Show
The North Mississippi All Stars were at their peak of popularity, but like so many shows at college events, it was phoned in and not very good. You'd think that given colleges usually pay more they'd get more enthusiastic shows, but that never seems to be the case.
Other Fun Stories
Geronimo's Cadillac was a local band that tried to do the jam band thing. My radio station colleague Tre, who had a show before me on Mondays for two years, was in the band so I so them twice. I liked Tre a lot, but never much liked his band.
When I saw Slash's Snakepit, Slash didn't come on stage for 20 minutes. Once he came on stage I couldn't have told you what the rest of the band was doing. Slash is mesmerizing. I couldn't take my eyes off him. I realized later he was probably giving the rest of the band a chance to perform where people might actually pay attention to them. I cannot imagine how great it would have been to see Guns N' Roses in a venue that size - and believe me, they were pretty great in an arena 15 years later
Bob Dylan was set up on a stage at the race track in the Illinois State Fairgrounds. I was in the standing room area on the racetrack. In the middle of the show, someone hits me very hard in the back and I went to my knees. I popped up ready to fight and see a couple of police officers clubbing a guy to the ground. I must have caught the backswing. Anyway, I discretely moved forward into the crowd. I've been told that on any given night Dylan can be the greatest show you've ever seen or the worst; on that night he was pretty average, enough so that I've never been tempted to pay to see him again at the price points he (justly) commands.
I score my U2 ticket off a classmate, Vicki, who had bought the tickets before realizing that she had a final the next day. As I did not have a final the next day, I was happy to take it off her hands. This was on the Elevation Tour, and I personally think it was better than when I saw them in 2005. Anyway, she was going to the show with a friend - but it turns out that friend didn't care about U2 and really, really loved PJ Harvey. She watched PJ Harvey's opening set and then left before U2 started. Granted, back then U2 was like $30, but that's still a lot of money to not even bother giving U2 a chance!
I had fallen in love with Deborah Coleman's music at the radio station, so my very first visit to the Beachland Ballroom was to check her out. As I recall, the Beachland at the time was having "Blues on Sundays" (Wednesdays?) I had such a great time that I convinced some friends to go the next Sunday (or whatever day) to see Long John Hunter, who was way less electric (in all senses of the word). I wouldn't return to the Beachland for more than a year, and I wouldn't get into the Tavern until 2003.
I had a ridiculous amount of fun at the Reel Big Fish show, which featured four different openers. It's pretty easily the best show I ever saw at Nautica, which I'll grant you is a low bar to get over.
The Buddy Guy show was in late August / early September and was the last show I went to in Cleveland before I moved back to North Dakota just after 9/11. Geography explains the extreme lack of shows after that one.
Freekbase w/Fenster - Euclid Tavern
Moxy Früvous w/The Supers - Opera House (Toronto) - S 2/17
Deborah Coleman - Beachland Ballroom
Long John Hunter with Maurice John Vaughn & the Nutbreakers - Beachland Ballroom
A cappellooza: Speakeasy and others - Harkness Chapel
Jill Sobule - Grog Shop
U2 w/PJ Harvey - Gund Arena - R 5/03
Geronimo's Cadillac with Qwasi Qwa - Peabody's
Geronimo's Cadillac - The Grog Shop
Slash's Snakepit - Peabody's - M 6/25
WRUW Metal Benefit: Domestic Violence, Bioaxident, Environmental- Peabody's
LA Guns w/Mimsie & Shock Cinema - Peabody's
Barenaked Ladies w/ Vertical Horizon & Sarah Harmer - Blossom
The Slackers w/Martigan - Grog Shop
Riddlin' Kids, Home Grown, Zebrahead, Goldfinger & Reel Big Fish - Nautica
Bob Dylan - Illinois State Fair - Su 8/12
North Mississippi All Stars - Freiberger
Studio-A-Rama 2001: Easy Action, King Nixon, Mr. Payback & many others
Buddy Guy w/The Lonny Brooks Blues Band - Palace Theater @ Playhouse Square
BB King - Fargo Civic Center
By Venue
Peabody's - 4. This was the CSU location.
Grog Shop - 3
Beachland Ballroom - 2. These were my very first two shows at the Beachland Ballroom
Euclid Tavern - 1. This appears to the very last show I ever went to at the Euc.
Road Trips
The sixth and final time I saw Moxy Früvous was on their home turf in Toronto. On a side note, in all the show summaries, when they refer to a giant paper "Pisco Bandito" with a dollar bill in its mouth and a hat... that was me, Dutton, Bybluk and my sister. We were the Pisco people.
The one and only time I saw Bob Dylan was at the Illinois State Fairgrounds on the way from North Dakota to Cleveland in August after (I presume) my backpacking trip with my father.
BB King was in Fargo, which was more than an hour from my parent's house, but I know people who commute that every day so it's not really a road trip.
Albums Purchased
I don't think there were any this year, as I had no money.
Bands I don't Remember At All 20 Years Later
Alas, most of the openers have escaped my memory. Apologies to Fenster, Qwasi Qwa, Mimsie, Shock Cinema and all the bands at the WRUW Metal Benefit and Studio-A-Rama, Martigan, the Lonny Brooks Blues Band. Others are solidly in "I know that band, but don't remember the show", namely the North Mississippi All-Stars and all four of the openers for Reel Big Fish at Nautica.
Best Opener
My recollection was that Sarah Harmer was very good in front of Barenaked Ladies, and that somewhat surprisingly Vertical Horizon was too. The Supers did a fine job opening for Früvous. Most of the others I don't recall.
Show of the Year
I was tempted to choose Moxy Früvous since it was the last show ever from what was then my favorite band, but honestly it was maybe the fourth best show I ever saw them do (behind Pittsburgh, Oberlin and Ferndale). Instead, it goes in the honorable mentions along with Reel Big Fish, Deborah Coleman and Slash's Snakepit.
My friend Roger from WRUW (metal Roger, not Irish Roger) was the promotions director for the station at the time, and he hooked me up with a ticket to see Buddy Guy at Playhouse Square right before I left Cleveland. Buddy Guy was still at the height of his powers and shredded it. Every song killed. I distinctly remember four female forty-something African American nurses who were in the row behind me who were losing their shit over Buddy Guy's every move. My comparison, when I saw Buddy Guy in 2013, he was now old. Basically, Buddy Guy 2013 was BB King 2002 - old, clearly not able to bring it anymore, occasional glimmers of greatness. I'm super glad I got to see him in 2002, and I wish I'd seen BB King in like 1990.
Worst Show
The North Mississippi All Stars were at their peak of popularity, but like so many shows at college events, it was phoned in and not very good. You'd think that given colleges usually pay more they'd get more enthusiastic shows, but that never seems to be the case.
Other Fun Stories
Geronimo's Cadillac was a local band that tried to do the jam band thing. My radio station colleague Tre, who had a show before me on Mondays for two years, was in the band so I so them twice. I liked Tre a lot, but never much liked his band.
When I saw Slash's Snakepit, Slash didn't come on stage for 20 minutes. Once he came on stage I couldn't have told you what the rest of the band was doing. Slash is mesmerizing. I couldn't take my eyes off him. I realized later he was probably giving the rest of the band a chance to perform where people might actually pay attention to them. I cannot imagine how great it would have been to see Guns N' Roses in a venue that size - and believe me, they were pretty great in an arena 15 years later
Bob Dylan was set up on a stage at the race track in the Illinois State Fairgrounds. I was in the standing room area on the racetrack. In the middle of the show, someone hits me very hard in the back and I went to my knees. I popped up ready to fight and see a couple of police officers clubbing a guy to the ground. I must have caught the backswing. Anyway, I discretely moved forward into the crowd. I've been told that on any given night Dylan can be the greatest show you've ever seen or the worst; on that night he was pretty average, enough so that I've never been tempted to pay to see him again at the price points he (justly) commands.
I score my U2 ticket off a classmate, Vicki, who had bought the tickets before realizing that she had a final the next day. As I did not have a final the next day, I was happy to take it off her hands. This was on the Elevation Tour, and I personally think it was better than when I saw them in 2005. Anyway, she was going to the show with a friend - but it turns out that friend didn't care about U2 and really, really loved PJ Harvey. She watched PJ Harvey's opening set and then left before U2 started. Granted, back then U2 was like $30, but that's still a lot of money to not even bother giving U2 a chance!
I had fallen in love with Deborah Coleman's music at the radio station, so my very first visit to the Beachland Ballroom was to check her out. As I recall, the Beachland at the time was having "Blues on Sundays" (Wednesdays?) I had such a great time that I convinced some friends to go the next Sunday (or whatever day) to see Long John Hunter, who was way less electric (in all senses of the word). I wouldn't return to the Beachland for more than a year, and I wouldn't get into the Tavern until 2003.
I had a ridiculous amount of fun at the Reel Big Fish show, which featured four different openers. It's pretty easily the best show I ever saw at Nautica, which I'll grant you is a low bar to get over.