I used to live in the inner Richmond, about a decade ago, and being that I was single and in my mid-twenties, I went out a lot. And got drunk. On one of those nights, I was out with a girlfriend who had tickets to an 80's cover band at the Red Devil Lounge. It sounded like a good time, so we dolled ourselves up - me in maroon velvet pants and a black halter top with sequins and she in a shimmering green shirt and tight blue jeans - and headed down to Polk Street. We had arrived a little early and waited patiently with anticipation, and a cold pint, for the band to come on. The lights dimmed, and over the loudspeaker we heard, "Have any of you ever felt stepped on, left out, picked on, or put down? Whether you think you're a nerd or not, why don't you just join us." The audience roused with enthusiasm and delight. I thought, is he really saying this? This is awesome. As the lights brightened, five hot dudes, dressed as Nerds, sauntered on stage and exploded into We Are the Campions. I was hooked, right then and there. They followed that up with a variety of fun 80s songs like Just What I Needed, Jessie's Girl, Sister Christian, and Little Red Corvette, popping in and off stage for various costume changes. My friend and I sang our hearts out and danced our shoes off, through the encore and one too many pints of beer, until we stumbled home deliriously satisfied.
The excitement of that show was like a drug for me. I chased the high to a few more shows, but couldn't duplicate that first explosion of enthusiasm and delight. I remember one show was full of bachelorettes, with their high heeled shoes and their pointy purses. Another show ended in insult and injury, literally. My friend's foot got impaled by a stiletto boot heel connected to a short, flagrant, dancing queen and I got called an ugly piece of crap by a belligerent jock who failed miserably at flirting with me. I don't know if it was Polk Street, Poprocks, the Red Devil Lounge, or some combination of the three, but all subsequent shows ended in disappointment and a hangover. Needless to say, I have the incredibly fond memories of that first show, which still brings a smile to my lips and a smirk to my cheeks.
A decade later, and about a month ago, I stumbled across a deal for free tickets to a Poprocks show on Goldstar. Could this be real, I thought to myself, they are such a fun band and the tickets are free!? I need to jump on this... and jump on the nostalgia train. Clearly my memory had faded significantly, except for that first show of course, because I impulsively secured two free tickets (plus service fee) for the Saturday night affair. The day of the show I realized I hadn't figured out a partner in crime, so I invited a girl friend who enjoys live music and off we went into the world of yesteryear. As we meandered towards the Red Devil Lounge around 9:30 pm, we found ourselves dazed and confused by what seemed to be a foreign neighborhood. Yes, that sounds simple and silly, but with San Francisco's micro-neighborhoods, it is easy to not visit a part of the city.. for years. I actually said to her "I can't even remember the last time I was over here." And then I remembered that a friend's band recently played at the Hemlock, but that was as far north on Polk Street I had ventured in god knows how long.
It's no wonder that the bar was pumping 80's tunes upon arrival. To our surprise, however, someone had rented the place out for a private birthday party before the show. As we nestled into a wallflower seat with our first round of whisky and ginger in hand, the birthday boy was summoned on stage for a serenade and acceptance speech. He was celebrating his 40th birthday. Ah ha. A light went on for us both.. cute boys our age and we just travelled back in time. Shortly thereafter, the public streamed in and shifted the crowd dynamics considerably. To join the cast of characters, we witnessed a bachelorette party of four, blond girls dressed in 80s gear that were likely born in the 1990s, gay boys with slick hair and manicured nails, and a large number of couples composed of a gleeful gal and a pussy-whipped and/or devoted guy. Not a moment too soon, the band blasted on stage with an 80s hair band song, Here I Go Again, and got the crowd bumping. They followed it up with a whole lot of pop music, from the 80s through today. I don't remember the set list, but I remember my impressions: the band got older, just like me. They were fun, don't get me wrong, and I sang my heart out like it was group karaoke. They busted a move with AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, The Cars, and even Madonna, but I almost lost it a couple of times during the show. Like when they did a mash up of Jessie's Girl and Gangnam Style, or when they screeched through Katy Perry's California Gurls. They can pull off the 80s rock great, even the 90s rock, (I loved the mash-up of Smells Like Teen Spirit with Billy Jean) but current pop is out of their league. The whole show really reminded me of Pop Rocks: At the moment of contact, they burst into action, and then crickle and crack with your saliva until they seemingly disappear. A few get stuck in your teeth, leaving a short glimpse of that tingly feeling, but then they're gone, leaving nothing but a faded memory.
The excitement of that show was like a drug for me. I chased the high to a few more shows, but couldn't duplicate that first explosion of enthusiasm and delight. I remember one show was full of bachelorettes, with their high heeled shoes and their pointy purses. Another show ended in insult and injury, literally. My friend's foot got impaled by a stiletto boot heel connected to a short, flagrant, dancing queen and I got called an ugly piece of crap by a belligerent jock who failed miserably at flirting with me. I don't know if it was Polk Street, Poprocks, the Red Devil Lounge, or some combination of the three, but all subsequent shows ended in disappointment and a hangover. Needless to say, I have the incredibly fond memories of that first show, which still brings a smile to my lips and a smirk to my cheeks.
A decade later, and about a month ago, I stumbled across a deal for free tickets to a Poprocks show on Goldstar. Could this be real, I thought to myself, they are such a fun band and the tickets are free!? I need to jump on this... and jump on the nostalgia train. Clearly my memory had faded significantly, except for that first show of course, because I impulsively secured two free tickets (plus service fee) for the Saturday night affair. The day of the show I realized I hadn't figured out a partner in crime, so I invited a girl friend who enjoys live music and off we went into the world of yesteryear. As we meandered towards the Red Devil Lounge around 9:30 pm, we found ourselves dazed and confused by what seemed to be a foreign neighborhood. Yes, that sounds simple and silly, but with San Francisco's micro-neighborhoods, it is easy to not visit a part of the city.. for years. I actually said to her "I can't even remember the last time I was over here." And then I remembered that a friend's band recently played at the Hemlock, but that was as far north on Polk Street I had ventured in god knows how long.
It's no wonder that the bar was pumping 80's tunes upon arrival. To our surprise, however, someone had rented the place out for a private birthday party before the show. As we nestled into a wallflower seat with our first round of whisky and ginger in hand, the birthday boy was summoned on stage for a serenade and acceptance speech. He was celebrating his 40th birthday. Ah ha. A light went on for us both.. cute boys our age and we just travelled back in time. Shortly thereafter, the public streamed in and shifted the crowd dynamics considerably. To join the cast of characters, we witnessed a bachelorette party of four, blond girls dressed in 80s gear that were likely born in the 1990s, gay boys with slick hair and manicured nails, and a large number of couples composed of a gleeful gal and a pussy-whipped and/or devoted guy. Not a moment too soon, the band blasted on stage with an 80s hair band song, Here I Go Again, and got the crowd bumping. They followed it up with a whole lot of pop music, from the 80s through today. I don't remember the set list, but I remember my impressions: the band got older, just like me. They were fun, don't get me wrong, and I sang my heart out like it was group karaoke. They busted a move with AC/DC, Guns N' Roses, The Cars, and even Madonna, but I almost lost it a couple of times during the show. Like when they did a mash up of Jessie's Girl and Gangnam Style, or when they screeched through Katy Perry's California Gurls. They can pull off the 80s rock great, even the 90s rock, (I loved the mash-up of Smells Like Teen Spirit with Billy Jean) but current pop is out of their league. The whole show really reminded me of Pop Rocks: At the moment of contact, they burst into action, and then crickle and crack with your saliva until they seemingly disappear. A few get stuck in your teeth, leaving a short glimpse of that tingly feeling, but then they're gone, leaving nothing but a faded memory.
