Groupie Girl

(I apologize in advance - when you ask my to list these things, I get wwaaayy caught up in remembering every. Single. ONE. I can't make myself stop. I'm so sorry.)

Holy mackerel. I have no idea how to tackle this post, so I'm copying Megan and Andria here and going for the chronological. No doubt omitting a ton of shows because I was highly intoxicated.

Early Childhood Education
* Alabama - Atlanta-Fulton County Stadium; my parents made me go.

*Kenny Rogers - My aunt and uncle were friends with Kenny and MaryAnne, so we got free tickets and backstage passes. Opening band was a group of brothers whose name I cannot remember for the life of me. Not Oakridge Boys (I don't think)...but something like that.

* NKOTB - HOLLA! My first concert with Andi, but sadly the last with her side ponytail. At the Omni, and I saw not Tempe but a boy we both ended up kissing in our teenage years.

High School
* Lilith Fair #1 - My first concert with Ashley (or was that Counting Crows?), my first real peek into the life of a lesbian

* Live - Apparently my first concert with Megan! Also crowd-surfed, landed on my bum. Ouch. Really awesome concert though, really awesome. One of my favorites. (Aside: Pete Droge opened for Live, and I later became a really big fan of his, disappointed that I didn't appreciate this show more.)

* Mel and the Party Hats (80s cover band) - Um, not naming names, but I believe a certain other Smartini girl was present at a party where we snuck out and went to see Mel at the Georgia Theatre (am I making this up and/or confusing it with the time I snuck out to a frat party and saw Mel??). First use of fake ID. Awesome.

* Counting Crows - Right? Our first show was at the Classic Center, Fiona Apple opened - we were in high school, Ash? Also a really great time. Later saw Counting Crows multiple times - once at Chastain, where we met Adam Duritz, and at a festival in England (see below).

* Tori Amos - Right before this show my parents read an article in the paper where she said performing with the crowd's response was akin to having an orgasm. They were not so pleased to let me and Jenn attend, but I went anyway.

* Blind Melon - At the Tate Center, opening act was Ben Lee (who dated Claire Danes at the time) and Matchbox 20 - they hit it really big about 6 months later, and I like to take some credit for that. Blind Melon, well, they sucked.

College!
* Hepcat - local Ska band that was phenomenal, some of the best shows of my life until they broke up

* Jennifer Nettles - I have seen her probably more than almost any other act, always a good show; I mean who doesn't like "sex on stage"?

* Kinchafoonee Cowboys - Thanks to Megs who showed me a good time one night while I was fighting with my then-boyfriend (who took me to ska shows...he was not pleased that I sampled the country music). Megan - did you also drag me to see David Allen Coe, or did I fend that one off?

* More Lillith Fair - I think this was the first place I saw Indigo Girls, Sarah McLachlan, I just can't even name them all. Maybe Dixie Chicks? Biff Naked, I remember that for all the wrong reasons.

* Dido/Travis - Flirted my way to the 4th row, center. Also met a Brazilian boy. Need I say more about the fabulousness of this concert? (Confession: This was just after my first sojourn in England, so I totally took a Union Jack to the concert and waved it around - both Dido and Travis are Brit acts.)

* Jonathan Richman - A boyfriend's choice, but a damn fine one.

* Elf Power/Crooked Finger - Also boyfriend recommendation, but really, really beautiful music.

* More Indigo Girls - I've seen them so many times in so many periods of my life, it's useless to recount them all here.

* Jump, Little Children - Multiple times. Once Megs' and my roommate, Katie, and I snuck up on-stage after and into the band's dressing room. We were "scolded" by the upright-bassist and he gave us a "spanking." Hot. As the title indicates, I'm totally a groupie.

* Glastonbury Music Festival - 3-day festival in UK where you camp out and listen to music on about 9 different stages from dusk til dawn. Probably the best concert experience of my life. I worked at a vegetarian restaurant to get free admission. Memorable moments include: surviving the second row mosh-pit of a Cypress Hill set in order to be front row for Counting Crows; Nine Inch Nails for the first time; Ozomatli one of the funnest bands of all time; David Bowie HUGELY overrated; Willie Nelson, Chemical Brothers, Macy Gray

Ok, I have to stop doing commentary or I'll never get through this.

* Ani Difranco (security - Andi, I think you worked that with me. Lots of angry lesbians because we had to keep them from dancing in the aisle!)

* Green Day - so ashamed. I worked security and Billy Joe hit on me before the show. He is not much taller than my pinky toe.

* Music Midtown - worked security backstage on the main stage, different year than Andi. My favorite concert moment of all time happened here - Live was on, it was Saturday night, and they had brought Dennis Rodman with them onstage as well as a bunch of "guests." They put me and a couple other small, white girls on stage to ensure the "guests" didn't take over the stage. For that one hour I was a Rock Star - the fans were screaming at the stage, and I could totally experience the rush it must be to perform in front of thousands of screaming fans. Then Dennis Rodman incited a riot and we all sort of got in trouble. Totally not our fault.

* Ben Harper - he touched my arm when I escorted him to his tourbus as his "security guard." He's even hotter in person. I've seen him several times and he always puts on a great show.

* The Wallflowers

* Widespread Panic - FREE! In downtown Athens. Megan - weren't you there?? Andi??

* Craig David

I give up. I can't remember any more from this period of my life.

Law School and Beyond
* Blackalicious - My boyfriends have excellent taste in live music, I must say.

* Bright Eyes/Feist - AAAAHHH. Conor. Our first time was great. We were right across the street from the White House and we all screamed "When the President Talks to God" as the encore. We fell in love, then you stayed away from touring for two years and broke my heart. Oh, and Feist rocked as well.

* Alison Wedding - she was one of my housemates in Australia; she's a gorgeous jazz-inspired musician.

* The GZA - It's true. Wu-Tang totally doesn't start on time.

* Aimee Mann - not as good as I wanted to her to be.

* Brazilian band at Latin American Festival in Melbourne - it was so freaking sweaty in there, but they were so jamming and we were having so much fun that no one cared. I loved them so much I texted myself their name, but uh, have totally forgotten it now.

* The Felice Brothers/Nic Freitas - THE FELICE BROTHERS ROCK. GO SEE THEM IF YOU CAN!

* David Dondero - most recent concert with Ash, who may be my most frequent concert-going buddy.


DISCLAIMER: This excludes a boatload of crappy local bands and friends' bands that I've seen and cannot remember details about.

Wish List
This list could be longer than what I've posted, but I'll keep it to the top three off the top of my head:

* Johnny Cash - LEGEND.

* Jack Johnson - I want to be his girlfriend. How have I not seen him live by now??

* Rilo Kiley - I'm obsessed.