Back in 1985?  I bought three sets of tickets to see The Suburbs at the Norshore theater.  One hour before the show my friends Josh Udeson and Ben Warner chickened out and I was left to go to the show all by myself.  So I combed my long New Wave hair down firmly in my eyes and threw on my black wool trenchcoat and headed down to the show. My sister Kelly said that if I found her friend Gia Milinavich I could hang out with her during the show.  Before the show I picked up a pack Djarimn clove cigarets at the Last Place on Earth, which was located where the Antiques store currently is.  Off to the show!
In those days the Norshore still had the balcony open and the ticket booth was located between the two sets of glass front doors.  Besides concerts, the Norshore had a monthly calender of movies that featured four or five different flicks every week!  Anyhooo...for the Suburbs show, the underage were put up in the balcony, while the rest filled the main floor.  I seem to remember a local band opening up the show YRU?... can't quite remember.  When the Suburbs started the place went crazy and I still can feel the floor of the balcony bouncing in time to Rattle My Bones.  Another image I remember is the powerfull uplight that was pointing up under the snare drum casting a shadow on the ceiling of the old theater.  That was mt first bug rock show, and was hooked

I recall a show at Roy Wilkons Auditorium in St. Paul at which a women "stage dived" off the upper tier and landed on a bunch of metal folding chairs on the cement floor below.  She got up and kept going, but I bet it hurt like hell the next morning.

In Stillwater, the 'Burbs wore large distinctly shaped foam hats.  A person nearby asked "why are they wearing mushrooms on their heads?"  The reply: "Um, those aren't mushrooms."

In 86 I saw the Suburbs at the Cove Cabaret in Superior with my buddy Jack. The legal drinking age was 19 then but had just changed to 21 that year. We were "grandfathered in," so we were allowed, at least we thought we were. Jack's birthday was September 1, and in Wisconsin, the "grandfather clause" cutoff date was August 31 (Minnesota Sept.1) so they wouldn't let Jack in. By ONE DAY! Well, we weren't going to let that crap prevail so we went behind the club where NIMROD was parked (the Suburbs' bus was destined to NIMROD) and Bruce Allen came bolting out of the bus towards the club. We said, "Hey BRUCE! Get us IN!" He stopped and listened to us for about 10 seconds, shook his hair out of his face then said, "This way.." and he led us backstage. Simple as that, not only were we in, we were IN!! A great night followed. I miss the days when people would dance their asses off at shows. God love ya, Bruce! Credit in Heaven indeed..

Mounds View H.S. in Arden Hills.