My First Concert was Phil Collins
A story about being a lame teenager in 1994
On July 28, 1994, I attended my first real rock concert. I know the exact date because I just googled it.
For those that don’t remember — and for those who weren’t yet born — let me paint a picture of the state of popular music in 1994.
Kurt Cobain committed suicide in April of that year, sending shockwaves throughout the music industry and popular culture.
In February, Green Day and Beck had their first major label releases. Other bands with major debuts that year: Weezer and Oasis.
In January, Alice In Chains came out with Jar of Flies. Soundgarden released Superunknown in November. That’s two seminal grunge bands — and major influences of the era — finally getting their songs on mainstream radio and their videos in frequent rotation on MTV.
Pearl Jam released Vitalogy — dipping their toes into some less accessible waters — that fall and spent the year fighting with Ticketmaster.
I know this account is a little alt-rock-centric. That’s because 1994 wasn’t a great year for other genres.
Ace of Base had three of the top ten singles of the year.
