February 14th was (and probably still is) my future ex-wife's birthday, so she was never a big fan of Valentine's Day. We always focussed on her birthday instead. To celebrate in 1991, I took her to see my all-time favorite band at Hill Auditorium in Ann Arbor, MI (although she probably drove).
But I have a predicament.
I'm getting Replacements shows mixed up in my mind.
It's a good thing I kept so many stubs. Without a Facebook record or digital pictures, I feel like some of these shows would completely vanish from my skull.
I saw The Replacements three times in the course of a couple of years. Twenty-one years ago.
I really don't know which memories apply to which shows. In particular, two of them are intertwined: a show in July 1991, and this show from February. I'm not sure how to handle this, except to tell you what I think happened.
But to understand my main Replacements story, you need to understand my Replacements history.
But I have a predicament.
I'm getting Replacements shows mixed up in my mind.
It's a good thing I kept so many stubs. Without a Facebook record or digital pictures, I feel like some of these shows would completely vanish from my skull.
I saw The Replacements three times in the course of a couple of years. Twenty-one years ago.
I really don't know which memories apply to which shows. In particular, two of them are intertwined: a show in July 1991, and this show from February. I'm not sure how to handle this, except to tell you what I think happened.
But to understand my main Replacements story, you need to understand my Replacements history.
The Replacements formed in Minnesota in 1979. They pioneered indy-garage rock by doing absolutely doing nothing more than having fun while performing and writing great songs.
They were sloppy drunk on stage and in the studio. Sometimes they wouldn't even finish a show. The audience would boo them off the stage. I once had a bootleg LP of a show they tried to perform in New York. It was a complete disaster, and I wish someone hadn't stolen that from me so I could share some clips.
They were known as unreliable and uninterested in fame. And they would have gotten away with it, too if it wasn't for Paul Westerberg's lyrics. They were clever, sad, touching and funny.
They were sloppy drunk on stage and in the studio. Sometimes they wouldn't even finish a show. The audience would boo them off the stage. I once had a bootleg LP of a show they tried to perform in New York. It was a complete disaster, and I wish someone hadn't stolen that from me so I could share some clips.
They were known as unreliable and uninterested in fame. And they would have gotten away with it, too if it wasn't for Paul Westerberg's lyrics. They were clever, sad, touching and funny.
Before I had a driver's license, my pal Mike occasionally drove me school and introduced me to The 'mats (their nickname (short for 'placemats', duh)) around the time of their album "Tim".
It was their first major-label album, but I wasn't really aware of that kind of a transition, I just knew I liked 'em. I borrowed and recorded cassette tapes to build my library. (I eventually ended up paying for it all, some of twice, ok? They got their money out of me. Eventually.)
To this day, I still love crunchy guitars and clever vocals sung with passion. I have no doubt that The Replacements are the main reason for that pocket of my musical tastes.
It was their first major-label album, but I wasn't really aware of that kind of a transition, I just knew I liked 'em. I borrowed and recorded cassette tapes to build my library. (I eventually ended up paying for it all, some of twice, ok? They got their money out of me. Eventually.)
To this day, I still love crunchy guitars and clever vocals sung with passion. I have no doubt that The Replacements are the main reason for that pocket of my musical tastes.
With all that said, my memories are becoming clearer about these shows. The February show was definitely the "less eventful" of the two that I have mixed up, but I already typed all of the above. That's how this blog works: me throwing my thoughts at you and not taking them back if they're wrong.
Looking at the seat location of each, I definitely remember being bummed out in the Mezzanine of the July show instead of the Main Floor of this one.
I have only vague memories of the songs played. I think there may have been an acoustic version of "Here Comes A Regular" for which the audience had to supply some of the lyrics.
Or maybe I heard a recorded version of that. Memories are weird.
This show was fun, but fairly uneventful, so now I feel like I misled you at the beginning of this post. Sorry about that.
But fret not! I have two more shows in February to share. Recaps of those shows will reveal more about my personality than I'd like. And in July, when I get to the other 1991 Replacements show, you'll get to know my loser side even better.
Ever see The Replacements? Were you at this show? Share in the comments below!
Looking at the seat location of each, I definitely remember being bummed out in the Mezzanine of the July show instead of the Main Floor of this one.
I have only vague memories of the songs played. I think there may have been an acoustic version of "Here Comes A Regular" for which the audience had to supply some of the lyrics.
Or maybe I heard a recorded version of that. Memories are weird.
This show was fun, but fairly uneventful, so now I feel like I misled you at the beginning of this post. Sorry about that.
But fret not! I have two more shows in February to share. Recaps of those shows will reveal more about my personality than I'd like. And in July, when I get to the other 1991 Replacements show, you'll get to know my loser side even better.
Ever see The Replacements? Were you at this show? Share in the comments below!
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