The Owners' Manual | Issue 25 | End of Summer 2022

JOE MICHIELS My first concert was the Grateful Dead March 19, 1995 at the Spectrum in Philly. I was in 8th grade, and my dad took me. They debuted a song (Unbroken Chain) that was over 20 years old that night, and the reaction of the crowd in that moment started a love for live music that has taken me to over 500 concerts all over the country. I’ve also seen a few bands over 50 times. I don’t know that I can say “This was the best concert” because at this point my favorite memories are more about the good times that I’ve had with friends traveling, being in the moment, or specific versions of a song. I do have 2 concerts that come to mind that were special or different though. First, in 2011 my wife and I saw Phil Lesh & Bob Weir of the Grateful Dead in an elementary school cafeteria in San Francisco on our honeymoon for a Christmas benefit with less than 50 people. Everyone made food, and along with a ticket you had to bring an unwrapped toy. Afterwards they were putting their own gear away talking to everyone, and I was so star struck I couldn’t even get a word out but a mumbled thank you. My wife still makes fun of me for it. The other was Aretha Franklin in 2005 or ’06 at a small theater in upstate NY. We had front row center seats, and halfway through the show the power went out and there were only emergency lights. She continued the concert without a PA or microphone and just had someone playing piano for her. I had to go to the bathroom at one point, stood up between songs, she stopped me, asked what I was doing, and then asked me to let her know how she sounded in the back of the theater. When I came back after the next song she asked if I could hear her ok in the back, and I could just fine. She then joked that it had been probably 50 years since she sang at church without a mic and still had it.

DAVID MANCUSO First Concert: Poison, Lita Ford & Britney Fox (1988) I think this was the first metal concert the Lake Compounce had. Best concert ever: Guns n Roses, Worcester Centrum (1991) fun fact: GNR didn’t go on until around midnight but we were pretty close to the stage so it was worth the wait. When we finally got out of the show (probably somewhere around 2:30 am) there was a foot of snow on the ground. I had to drive my friend back to Boston and then drive back to Bristol. I finally got home around 10 am. If not the best, certainly the most memorable! Saw them three more times after that.