aside from high school symphonic band concerts I played in [contrabass clarinet], the first "real" concert where I wasn't a player, was back in the summer of '83 at seattle's central tavern where blues harmonica player charlie musselwhite and his band were blowin' the walls down, almost literally. the speakers were refrigerator-sized, and the volume was so loud that my drink sloshed in its glass as I sat right up front and center. my hearing has never been quite the same since. shoulda wore industrial hearing protection. young and sorta dumb about it.
