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VAN HALEN FANS, 20 YEARS LATER:
The last time I saw Van Halen was in 1984. It's easy to remember the year because the title of Van Halen's latest record (LP!) at the time was "1984" (homage to the George Orwell novel). I was a freshman in college. Last night I saw Van Halen again, two decades later. At the 1984 concert, I recall a rebellious and insolent crowd. There was pushing, people pressed up against each other, harsh words, graphic gestures, etc. Before the show, in the lobby area of the Richfield Coliseum, my girlfriend was accosted. And although I went after the guy as if I wanted to fight him at all costs, I was secretly relieved that I was pulled back from going after him. And I'm my girlfriend realized I would have embarrassed himself and gotten my tuchus whooped. I realized that as well, which made it easier to stand down -- but not without making the obligatory gestures and uttering the obligatory expletives. At the 2004 concert, it was a much different crowd. Twenty years older, and probably an average of twenty pounds heavier, the crowd was friendly, polite and generous. There was no rush of bodies to fill the gaps between people waiting for the gates to open. Everyone was patient and gradually shuffled forward as the crowd ahead of them allowed, all the while keeping a respectful distance. It was as if everyone was concerned that slipping in between the gaps would be viewed as line-jumping and rude. Instead of passing joints, people were passing napkins or asking the age of each other's children. Instead of vomit and muscle cars in the parking lot, there were mini-vans and hamburgers grilling. Don't get me wrong. There was some drunken revelry from the men who either refused to grow up, or decided that night they would re-live their immature past. And there were some inebriated women making idiots of themselves (do drunken women always dance like that) and saying things no lady should say in mixed company. But overall, the difference is quite remarkable. The effect of time and maturity was crystallized and memorialized in Eddie Van Halen's beverage of choice that evening: Gatorade Conversation heard at the Van Halen concert, Richfield Coliseum, Cleveland, Ohio, 1984:
Conversation heard at the Van Halen concert, Post-Gazette Pavilion, Burgettstown, Pennsylvania, 2004:
(June 30, 2004) ©2004 James Hilston
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