Dumbek's Random Stuff

10/5/86 - Robin Williams @ Rec Hall - Penn State

I had never seen a comedian in concert before. Robin Williams was pretty huge at the time. There was no Comedy Central back then - showing stand-up comics every hour. It was a pretty unique experience for the time. I just remember him being really dirty and very much out of his mind and sweaty. The only topics I remember him talking about were how huge Penn State was and being amazed that we have our own nuclear reactor. That seemed to freak him out a bit.




10/5/04 - WEDrock @ 9:30

Bob put together this benefit for Freedom To Marry - a group fighting for gay marriage rights. It was hosted by Henry Rollins and performers included Bob, Morel (the band - not just Rich), Sandra Bernhard, John Cameron Mitchell and a few others. Great night for a good cause. And I got to meet Henry, who I'm not-so-secretly hot for. Technically it was the second time I'd met Henry. The first time nearly 20-years prior at a Black Flag show. He was quite scary at the time. I think he said "Hi guys." and I ran away.

Anyway - My original, more detailed review is here.




10/5/08 - Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds @ 9:30

Speaking of Henry Rollins - I'm still reading Fanatic, Vol. 2 (Vol. 3 was just released!) and one of the bands that comes up on a regular basis is Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds. Henry consistently raves about them - almost enough to give me serious doubt that they were that good. I know who Nick Cave is, but I never really got into The Birthday Party for some reason. I have 2 records - Best and Rarest (an LP that I bought in the 80's and listened to maybe 5 times) and Junkyard, which I bought along with 50 other cds when Tower went out of business. I don't think I even got through all of those.

So everyone I know was raving about Nick coming to town and Henry's book got me interested. I figured I'd go. I considered listening to the records I have so I could catch up a little, but I figured at this point I might as well go in completely cold.

Holy friggin' cow. This show was fantastic. So powerful. Dark, but not morbid or morose. The band comes off with such conviction it seemed like...I don't know...you could just tell they really meant it and it was hard not to get wrapped-up in how good they were. It was one of those shows where you just felt kind of emotionally drained when you were done. That rarely happens to me with a band I don't really know. Here's a short clip from the show. It doesn't quite show how intense the show was, but it's a decent indication. They don't tour often, but I'll be back next time, for sure.