Date: June 14, 1991
Age: 14
We are in Vatican City. St. Peter's Basilica is so large that it makes St. Patrick's in N.Y. look like a small neighborhood church. We are going to try to climb to the top.
Love, Dad & Mom
Love, Dad & Mom
In the wee hours of June 14, Central European Time, it was still June 13 in Eastern Standard Time, and were I to have any regrets about not visiting Italy with my parents, they didn't matter once June 13 came to an end for me. I had been staying at a friend's house in Delaware, but my older brother, B, was picking me up to stay with him and his wife for the weekend.
He asked me what I felt like doing for the weekend. I knew we had tickets to see Elvis Costello, but at that time I'd only heard a few Elvis Costello songs, so even though I was looking forward to it, I was mainly indifferent to seeing the show. I shrugged and said we could go to a movie, whatever. Then he told me something that probably left me speechless.
He had gotten tickets for us to see Guns and Roses in Philly that night. Oh. My. God.
This may have been redemption on his part--he and his wife were going to take me to see Madonna's Blonde Ambition Tour in 1990, but unfortunately Madonna canceled the show due to illness, and I was so disappointed. B was disappointed too, even though it wasn't his fault. And it wasn't necessary to redeem himself, but taking his little sister to her first concert--and it being Guns and Roses (wish Skid Row opening)--I have yet to meet someone whose first concert experience trumps that.
Our seats were on the floor and in a pretty fucking decent location. To this day, it's the only concert I've been to where, if the venue had seats, people stood on top of them for the show. This tour had begun only a few weeks before. Use Your Illusion I and II wouldn't be released until September. The boys in the band weren't bickering with each other yet. Izzy Stradlin' hadn't left for 'creative differences' yet. Axl wasn't causing trouble yet. It was three solid hours of Guns n' Roses putting on a rock and roll spectacle that I still count as one of my top five concerts of all time.
So I will never, EVER regret passing up some Italian culture-soaking. My only regret is that a few years later, I didn't find it necessary to hang on to the concert t-shirt I picked up, and gave it to Goodwill. What was I thinking?
As for Italy, I spent a semester there in college, so it's not like the bad memories of family trips have forever turned me off to traveling or left me culturally ignorant.
Oh, and as for Madonna, after 18 1/2 years, my dream to see her will finally be fulfilled, come November, unless she dicks me over again. I'm taking B's 15 year-old daughter with me. It will be her first concert.
He asked me what I felt like doing for the weekend. I knew we had tickets to see Elvis Costello, but at that time I'd only heard a few Elvis Costello songs, so even though I was looking forward to it, I was mainly indifferent to seeing the show. I shrugged and said we could go to a movie, whatever. Then he told me something that probably left me speechless.
He had gotten tickets for us to see Guns and Roses in Philly that night. Oh. My. God.
This may have been redemption on his part--he and his wife were going to take me to see Madonna's Blonde Ambition Tour in 1990, but unfortunately Madonna canceled the show due to illness, and I was so disappointed. B was disappointed too, even though it wasn't his fault. And it wasn't necessary to redeem himself, but taking his little sister to her first concert--and it being Guns and Roses (wish Skid Row opening)--I have yet to meet someone whose first concert experience trumps that.
Our seats were on the floor and in a pretty fucking decent location. To this day, it's the only concert I've been to where, if the venue had seats, people stood on top of them for the show. This tour had begun only a few weeks before. Use Your Illusion I and II wouldn't be released until September. The boys in the band weren't bickering with each other yet. Izzy Stradlin' hadn't left for 'creative differences' yet. Axl wasn't causing trouble yet. It was three solid hours of Guns n' Roses putting on a rock and roll spectacle that I still count as one of my top five concerts of all time.
So I will never, EVER regret passing up some Italian culture-soaking. My only regret is that a few years later, I didn't find it necessary to hang on to the concert t-shirt I picked up, and gave it to Goodwill. What was I thinking?
As for Italy, I spent a semester there in college, so it's not like the bad memories of family trips have forever turned me off to traveling or left me culturally ignorant.
Oh, and as for Madonna, after 18 1/2 years, my dream to see her will finally be fulfilled, come November, unless she dicks me over again. I'm taking B's 15 year-old daughter with me. It will be her first concert.
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