Top 3 TMBG Concerts
Thanks to This Might Be a Wiki, which has made it way easier to do this!
- Western Maryland College (Now McDaniel). What could compare to your first rock concert, away from your parents? The thrill of helping a friend sneak in your tape recorder to get a bootleg, the endless speculation before they came out whether they are actually giants or not, the momentary confusion of getting the two Johns voices backwards, the massive concert hall-wide conga line, and the pride in being the first guy to shout out “Encore!” as they left the stage. Oh, and my very first shitty opening act. Gravel Pit, I will never forget thee.
- Newport Music Hall. TMBG Unplugged! I came up with a couple people from Miami U. I remember the crowd being fairly rowdy, and TMBG chastised them about not crowd-surfing onto the stage. Then a full blown mosh pit broke out near me, and the song stopped. I remember being freaked out at the possibility that the band had just decided to quit the show (right after “Boss of Me”) because of the crowd. Instead, it turned out that the entire area had lost power. While waiting in the dark, the crowd began to sing the chorus of “Whistling in the Dark” over and over again in unison, which drew some weird looks from a security guy standing near a generator-lit emergency exit. Finally, they came back out on stage, lit by roadies holding flashlights, and explained the power was out. They said they were trying to get a generator and would be back. Then, they came back out and played a few songs without power! Flans tried to tell the crowd to be completely silent so that it would carry across the hall, but that didn’t happen. Still, I was close enough to the front to hear it. Then they said they would adjourn until midnight and pick up the show. My college buddies all left for this unplanned intermission to go to someone’s house nearby, but I stayed in the dark (and was there when the power came back on) and tried to teach a drunk girl hitting on me how to play Aquarius. At midnight, it started back, and I had a prime spot. They finished the show, though with only one encore. The drunk girl asked my help to get on stage to nab a playlist, so I obliged and received a long hug in return (much to the amusement of the people I came up with.) Still, the highlight remains the 3 unplugged songs, illuminated by roadie-light. Also the surreal “whistling in the dark” chorus.
- 9:30 Club. Previously explained.
I feel like there’s a 4th awesome set I’m missing, but it’s not coming to me at the moment. Thanks to TMBW, I may go back and try to figure out exactly how many concerts I’ve been to.








that Newport show story was awesome. just so you know.
When they have the brass works with them, its certainly good. Yeah, I think this was the first proper concert I went to- at the wolf trap center. I like the small, intimate college shows the best.
(glancing at ‘Ive listened to..’)
HEY I’ve got a trunk full amps motherfucker!!! Like Freddie Murcury: Mooootherrr…. fucker!