Playcast Episode #82 -- Disney NES Capcom Titles

It's interesting that you both had bad Smashing Pumpkins Mellon Collie tour experiences. I saw them in Omaha, and their set was fantastic. Yeah, they were a tad indulgent, and got a bit noodly, but they played really well, and it was an awesome show. The live version of "Porcelina of the Vast Oceans" was incredible. I didn't appreciate Fountains of Wayne at the time, and I thought they were boring, and sounded like a 2nd rate wannabe alt rock band. I might appreciate it a bit more now, though hearing that snippet of "Radiation Vibe" again, it's not hard to see they didn't have to leap very far to get to "Stacy's Mom" in terms of their sound. They clearly already had a commercial bent, despite trying to coyly hide it behind being an "alternative" band.

I also had an experience similar to Shawn's Digger show. I went to an all-day music festival in the summer of 1994, and one of the big draws at that was one of my favorite bands of the time, Guardian. I had got into them with their 1989 debut album, though I was late to the party, as I didn't hear it until '91 or so. It was part of my early education into heavy metal as a kid. I still love that album, and have a lot of fond memories of listening to it as a kid. Just a year after that, their original vocalist & drummer left, and they recruited 2 new guys, and changed to a more commercial hard rock sound. They were winding down touring on their 3rd album "Miracle Mile" in the summer of 1994, and getting ready to release a mostly acoustic album. Anyway, it was an amazing show. After the concert, a bunch of us were standing in line to get autographs. The guitarist wasn't there, though, as he was getting cleaned up. So he did a separate signing session later in the day, during which the drummer, Karl Ney, stood beside the line, and just visited with folks while they were waiting for Tony's autograph. He was very chill and friendly. Later in the day, I was sitting on a blanket in the big open field where the festival was held, disinterested in the rather tame contemporary vocalist who was performing then, and waiting for the next rock band. Karl was walking around the grounds, and came up to me and sat down with me. He probably sat there with me for a half hour, just talking music and different things. It was a big moment for me, being such a fan of the band's music, but also coming to the realization that musicians are just regular people who have their lives out there for all to see, more than most people. Anyway, it was a very cool experience, and something that I hope I never forget.