[Mick]

Spring, 1982, sophomore at SCU.  A coincidence; SCU at the time did not have classes on Wednesdays, so they had a surplus of really good bands seeking decent paydays (they could be had cheap) for Tuesday night concerts.  At the same time, my roommate's best friend was the student body social VP, so he got to pick the bands and the students who worked stage crew.

That's how I was sitting on the back of the stage one night when a local band that had been bouncing around Bay Area clubs for a few years appeared.  They had just had their first hit, but they'd never played before a crowd of more than a few hundred before.  But that night, our little gym was packed with about 5,500 people.  The band?  Huey Lewis & the News.  The song?  "Workin for a Livin."

They received a warm reception (more than polite, less than crazed...call it "enthused" but when they went into "Workin for a Livin" the place erupted.  At the instrumental portion, Lewis turned around and looked at his drummer and yelled "can you fxxxing believe this!?!?"  Sheer delight on his face, and his band mates' faces.  A band that was about to make it.  You could feel it. 

Also got to work Starship.  Grace Slick on my list of Top Ten People to Avoid At All Costs.

[Mick]

Spring, 1982, sophomore at SCU.  A coincidence; SCU at the time did not have classes on Wednesdays, so they had a surplus of really good bands seeking decent paydays (they could be had cheap) for Tuesday night concerts.  At the same time, my roommate's best friend was the student body social VP, so he got to pick the bands and the students who worked stage crew.

That's how I was sitting on the back of the stage one night when a local band that had been bouncing around Bay Area clubs for a few years appeared.  They had just had their first hit, but they'd never played before a crowd of more than a few hundred before.  But that night, our little gym was packed with about 5,500 people.  The band?  Huey Lewis & the News.  The song?  "Workin for a Livin."

They received a warm reception (more than polite, less than crazed...call it "enthused" but when they went into "Workin for a Livin" the place erupted.  At the instrumental portion, Lewis turned around and looked at his drummer and yelled "can you fxxxing believe this!?!?"  Sheer delight on his face, and his band mates' faces.  A band that was about to make it.  You could feel it. 

Also got to work Starship.  Grace Slick on my list of Top Ten People to Avoid At All Costs.