Top 5 bands/artists I've seen in concert.

In early 1990, the Canadian trio toured for their <i>Presto</i> album. One of my closest high school friends and I saw them at Kemper Arena in Kansas City. A forgettable band called Mr. Big opened, and the songs off of <i>Presto</i> weren't much to write home about, but let's face it, everybody goes to a Rush show for "Tom Sawyer", "Red Barchetta" and "The Trees". The boys did a heckuva job, and the stage show was fun.

Funny story. There were three guys in front of us passing around a series of hand-rolled cigarettes throughout the show. It must have been some good stuff. The theme for the tour was stage magic, and Rush had giant inflatable rabbits that appeared from banks of speakers shaped like top-hats. The cheerful fellas down in front freaked out a little when that happened. "Do you see them too?" Heh.

It's hard to pick a favorite band from the inaugural year of the Lollapalooza rock festival. If Violent Femmes had been there for the show at the Sandstone Amphitheater, I think they might have topped it for me, but they weren't. I attended in the first place for Nine Inch Nails, but they were something of a disappointment live. Ice-T and Body Count were in the midst of their "Cop Killer" controversy, so it was a thrill to hear them. As the night started to slow down, though, I sat there with a good friend, a beautiful and very friendly girl I'd just met that day, and a band I'd never really appreciated before. Life was good.

Part of the appeal of Lollapalooza was the traveling carnival that attended the show. There were booths for political causes, L.A. body modification studios, and a host of other things that were real eye-openers for a kid from Kansas. I think that, in a way, that show was the beginning of a consciousness-raising for me.

This was my first rock concert ever. It was in 1986 and Billy was touring in support of his album <i>The Bridge</i>. I was (and still am) a huge fan of The Piano Man, and this show was the highlight of my year.

Our seats were behind the stage at Kemper. I had a copy of the sheet music for his <i>Nylon Curtain</i> album with me, and when the band was leaving the stage for a break, one of the sax players saw me waving it and stopped to chat about it. What a great experience!

I caught Steven and the boys in the late-'80s on the <i>Permanent Vacation</i> tour, with Black Crowes opening. The guy who invited me was an obsessive fan who dubbed me all of their albums (I only really knew the MTV stuff) and even bought the Black Crowes' CD. We were nearly the only ones in the audience singing to any of their songs!

Don't you dare laugh. I've seen Al in concert twice. Once at the Minnesota State Fair, and once here in Tulsa. He's a passionate, dedicated artist who goes through almost a dozen costume changes (including the "Fat" suit) in a show and his energy never flags. Even if you barely know anything about him, I recommend you see Al if he's ever in town.