Love this story and photos! I saw them on (what I assume) was the tail end of that tour the following May. Somewhere on YT there’s grainy cellphone footage from the crowd. As the band kicks into “Bastards of Young,” this does de screams “f**k yeah!” It’s the most cathartic thing ever, and I can’t sum up this show—and this band—any better than he did.
We saw them at EchoStage in D.C. on that same tour. It's a shitty relatively small venue, with terrible acoustics, and was a much different vibe from the Forest Hills show. Still, hearing those songs again was great in a club setting.
Is Echo Lounge even still open? My sense is it filled a need (venue size) before The Anthem opened and I think I saw somewhere that Echo Lounge had closed. Terrible location aside, seeing The Replacements there is an experience I will always cherish.
I've seen so many shows in my 55+ years of concert-going I find it nearly impossible to pick a "best" one. That said, in my top ten would be seeing the original Replacements at a club called Astor Park in Seattle in December 1985.
The only live 'Mats I was familiar with was the cassette-only release "The Shit Hits The Fans," which documents one of their legendary drunken shows including partially-played covers of '70s stadium rock hits and sloppy renditions of their own material. I loved their albums ("Tim" had recently come out) but went into the show with very low expectations - so imagine my surprise & delight when they absolutely *blasted* out of the gate with "I'm In Trouble," tight, loud and delivered with swaggering confidence - and pretty much blew the top of my head off! The rest of the show was equally powerful and we even got a taste of the silly, sloppy 'Mats as they switched instruments for the encore and played (I think) "Hootenanny." One of the greatest rock shows I've ever seen.
Was Forest Hills Stadium the same as Shea Stadium? If I had to pick my most-life changing concert (as opposed to best), it would be seeing The Beatles at Shea when I was 8 years old.
At my days at Warner Bros. Records/Sire I sat in on the listening party for their album "All Shook Down." When Tommy started Bash & Pop I got to see them in the dive bars in Hollywood. Tommy was also one of my girlfriends next door neighbor.
Love the story! Hands down, my favorite show was seeing the 'mats in 1987 in Cincinnati on the PTMM tour. Bogarts was the name of the place, if I recall correctly. To this day, it remains the loudest show I've seen. Everyone sounded like a Charlie Brown adult for about two days after the show. But they were definitely on fire that night. And I agree - “Friday Night Is Killing Me” is debatably the best post-Replacements solo effort" - certainly the most consistent imho. I almost went to this show, but well, you know, almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades (#iykyk). Thanks for this!
Thank you for reading and commenting! Yes, Bogarts is a club in Cincy; I saw a random show and had a very memorable (and near Mats like) birthday party there more than a decade ago.
Wow. This world, the world of rock bands and arena concerts, is NOT one I have ever inhabited at all. Nevertheless your accounts of the concerts you've attended, told with your passionate voice, make me feel as if I would have, could have, ought to have been there myself. Thanks for sharing this story! And I love that Bernadette was part of it too... and that a year later our shared "Newsies" story would begin.
Oh! I just got around to seeing this! Thanks, Glenn. I guess Step 1 would be for me to give myself permission (which roughly equals “finding or making the time”) to actually GO to one of these concerts! Even in “retirement” I’m finding myself too busy to do that, at least at the moment. (Years of always having to say “yes” to gigs have left me almost unable to say “no,” but I’m trying to teach myself.) Heh heh!
Ten years? Damn, tempus fugit. Well, as I recall, you spent very little time sitting and much of the time singing along! It was a once-in-a-lifetime show. Any time I hear about Forest Hills, or look at a map of Queens, the pictures in my head from this event come flooding in.
Great post, Glenn! I poo-pooed the reunion shows at the time partly because I had seen them in their heyday (Irving Plaza, 1986) and partly because the tickets were expensive. Your beautifully written account (and great photos) and the fact that Westerberg has disappeared from both stages and records make me wish I had gone.!
Love this story and photos! I saw them on (what I assume) was the tail end of that tour the following May. Somewhere on YT there’s grainy cellphone footage from the crowd. As the band kicks into “Bastards of Young,” this does de screams “f**k yeah!” It’s the most cathartic thing ever, and I can’t sum up this show—and this band—any better than he did.
*this dude
We saw them at EchoStage in D.C. on that same tour. It's a shitty relatively small venue, with terrible acoustics, and was a much different vibe from the Forest Hills show. Still, hearing those songs again was great in a club setting.
Is Echo Lounge even still open? My sense is it filled a need (venue size) before The Anthem opened and I think I saw somewhere that Echo Lounge had closed. Terrible location aside, seeing The Replacements there is an experience I will always cherish.
I think it is still around. Haven’t seen another show there though.
Great story & photos!
I've seen so many shows in my 55+ years of concert-going I find it nearly impossible to pick a "best" one. That said, in my top ten would be seeing the original Replacements at a club called Astor Park in Seattle in December 1985.
The only live 'Mats I was familiar with was the cassette-only release "The Shit Hits The Fans," which documents one of their legendary drunken shows including partially-played covers of '70s stadium rock hits and sloppy renditions of their own material. I loved their albums ("Tim" had recently come out) but went into the show with very low expectations - so imagine my surprise & delight when they absolutely *blasted* out of the gate with "I'm In Trouble," tight, loud and delivered with swaggering confidence - and pretty much blew the top of my head off! The rest of the show was equally powerful and we even got a taste of the silly, sloppy 'Mats as they switched instruments for the encore and played (I think) "Hootenanny." One of the greatest rock shows I've ever seen.
Was Forest Hills Stadium the same as Shea Stadium? If I had to pick my most-life changing concert (as opposed to best), it would be seeing The Beatles at Shea when I was 8 years old.
Long live rock 'n' roll!
Love your story! Forest Hills is not the same as Shea. It was a tennis venue in a Queens neighborhood.
Yes, much smaller than Shea. I saw Talking Heads on the Stop Making Sense tour in Forest Hills in 1983!
Very jealous about that one!
At my days at Warner Bros. Records/Sire I sat in on the listening party for their album "All Shook Down." When Tommy started Bash & Pop I got to see them in the dive bars in Hollywood. Tommy was also one of my girlfriends next door neighbor.
Very cool! I really wish Bash & Pop had found the audience it deserved.
I agree. I have not thought about him much after he got with Guns and Roses. That was a shocker for me. Glad you got to see the Mats!
Love the story! Hands down, my favorite show was seeing the 'mats in 1987 in Cincinnati on the PTMM tour. Bogarts was the name of the place, if I recall correctly. To this day, it remains the loudest show I've seen. Everyone sounded like a Charlie Brown adult for about two days after the show. But they were definitely on fire that night. And I agree - “Friday Night Is Killing Me” is debatably the best post-Replacements solo effort" - certainly the most consistent imho. I almost went to this show, but well, you know, almost only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades (#iykyk). Thanks for this!
Thank you for reading and commenting! Yes, Bogarts is a club in Cincy; I saw a random show and had a very memorable (and near Mats like) birthday party there more than a decade ago.
Wow. This world, the world of rock bands and arena concerts, is NOT one I have ever inhabited at all. Nevertheless your accounts of the concerts you've attended, told with your passionate voice, make me feel as if I would have, could have, ought to have been there myself. Thanks for sharing this story! And I love that Bernadette was part of it too... and that a year later our shared "Newsies" story would begin.
Thanks, Chip. I can steer you to a few shows I think you'd like. It was a great evening and I was happy to have Bernadette as the co-pilot.
Oh! I just got around to seeing this! Thanks, Glenn. I guess Step 1 would be for me to give myself permission (which roughly equals “finding or making the time”) to actually GO to one of these concerts! Even in “retirement” I’m finding myself too busy to do that, at least at the moment. (Years of always having to say “yes” to gigs have left me almost unable to say “no,” but I’m trying to teach myself.) Heh heh!
I was there too, incredible night, it was really beautiful. I love your story and the photos!!
Thank you for reading and commenting!
Ten years? Damn, tempus fugit. Well, as I recall, you spent very little time sitting and much of the time singing along! It was a once-in-a-lifetime show. Any time I hear about Forest Hills, or look at a map of Queens, the pictures in my head from this event come flooding in.
Time flies. Thankfully, the memories don't.
Great post, Glenn! I poo-pooed the reunion shows at the time partly because I had seen them in their heyday (Irving Plaza, 1986) and partly because the tickets were expensive. Your beautifully written account (and great photos) and the fact that Westerberg has disappeared from both stages and records make me wish I had gone.!
Thank you! And I understand your reasoning completely, but you definitely missed out...