Good Question... for an "old man"!!
OK.. My "scary story"...
It was my Birthday... I do NOT remember the EXACT age but it was around 21, My friend I and were BIG music "Buffs".. I had met him in Radio Broadcasting school.. I REALLY hated him at first, but one day after lunch he went to the bathroom and came back in the middle of class and said "phew... I feel 10 lbs lighter" I laughed so hard, I was thrown out of class for the day and he became my new best friend.
I have seen MANY bands before in "arena" settings.. zztop, hagar, van halen, scorpions, kiss -without make up- rush, etc etc.. but NEVER been to a "music club". so on my Birthday he asked if he could take me out and hang out for the evening.. "sure I said, why not I'm sitting at home, bored.. listening to the parents nag about life.. let's go.
(him and I ate lunch at college would go and "get altered" with a small group of friends and return to afternoon classes... so I knew he was ok.)
He drove over 30 miles to pick me up and we drove another 50 miles to Charlotte, NC to a club... I met a few of his friends and at the time I had no "clubbing friends", but I thought ok, my B-day, go with the flow, hang out, pocket fulla of B-day money.. fun times for all!!
We were in line for like 3 hours.. finally the line started moving we got inside to the pay counter and I saw the sign "Tonight Only 'The Butthole Surfers", I said OHHH HELL NO!!!
Him and I in between classes use to get altered and he would play their "tapes" God, I hated that crap...
But his friend had just shown up living near the club brought a VERY HUGE CUP of MILKSHAKE.. umm ok,. We shared the drink the 3 of us as we smoked up... and then like "I should know" it was told to me it was a "shroom" shake"
I'm LIKE WHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAT!????? So when they told me they WOULD pay my bar tab and the $10 door fee, I thought "what the hell..."To make a long story VERY short... I as use to "makin`" my way thru the crowd on the floor to get near the stage... and before the band even started I had made my way all the way to the far left hand side of the stage between the amps and the wooden part of the stage (safe area I thought)
After the lame first act.. I saw a few people I knew.. then "THEY" came out, .. the crowd started to surge little by little..(`bout that time I sarted "feeling funny") and I was having fun all "blitzed" by that time, ( Images of sex change operations, and school busses running over kids , reefer madness movies all shown on top of each other was starting to freak me a bit) but a WAVE damn near crushed me in the small corner between the amps and the stage and I thought,, I need to get the hell out of here!!!
I turned and started my way.. thinking "rushing" and pushing was the way out.. and I got caught up in the human "wave"..
I was so scared I almost crapped my pants.. I was HIT by a "wave" push my glasses and fell off.. but never hit the ground.. I looked right and they had been caught between the bodies with no place to fall... I LEAPED like 3 and a half feet.. grabbed them with my left hand hit the floor (the people body did NOT support my fall) I stuck the glasses in my shirt.. and CRAWLED on the floor, my way around from the stage to the "safe zone" freaking out the whole damned way....
When I got off my knees between the MOSH and the watchers.. one guy helped me up off the floor (Very tall, very thin, laughing) said to me.. I saw you up there.. when your head disappeared, I thought the worst.... I thought you were a gone-er, I yelled "Yeah, I thought I was a "gone-er" also."
.. He helped me into the next room and got me onto a bar stool.. bought me a drink, and in return I got him and I a few..
"thanks for saving my life", I said .. thanks for the drinks he said..." but he paid for all the tab himself, and warned me to becareful in the future....
Come to find out he was the owner of a used record and CD store only one town over from me.. and we have been friends ever since. After enough alcohol to calm down.. I returned to the concert, stayed aginst the back wall.. and REALLY enjoyed the show from a distance...
I've stayed away from stages ever since.
(breathing heavy.... man I still get scared thinking about that day)
PEACE
PS. The next Morning.. after having stayed the night at my friend's friend home.. we got up.. went driving looking for food, found a "indy" record store and bought 3 B-Surfers's wax the next AM... COOL!
EDIT: I remember afer eating, I puked my guts out and felt better later, but enjoyed the music for 2 hours on the trip home and have been a fan now for what.. 15- 20 years,
ROCK ON!