mellicious | 1982 - I thought we were the right combination

"Poison Arrow" is one of several songs that I've posted less for the song itself (although it's a good song!) and more because it evokes an era in my mind. These early-MTV-era songs especially seem to do that.

As far as concert-going is concerned, I know I went to see The Cars in 1982 because I had a t-shirt that said so. (This one, with the tire tracks printed across the back. I'm glad I can't see what it sold for, I would probably cry. I let Rob wear it and wear it until it finally wore clean out.) That was at the Erwin Center, or the Drum, which is what everybody used to call it when it was new. That's where most of the big arena shows were. We must have been up on the upper deck because I visualize that concert in my head as sort of a bird's-eye view.

I hadn't really tried to look this up before, but it turns out that you can figure out when you saw a band, if you know an approximate time period - at least for the major acts - because there are lists on Wikipedia and elsewhere with tour dates. (Also sometimes set lists, which are interesting.) I knew what year The Cars were, as I said, and I knew I had to have seen The Police in 81 or 82 because I went with my roommate and suitemate at that time. Turns out it was probably on March 22nd, 1982. We had better seats, or at least not the bad nosebleed ones, and I remember that it was a really excellent concert. With Fleetwood Mac, I was only sure that it was some time in the early 80s, and that it was around Halloween because I remember Stevie Nicks swanning around in a witch's hat that she had added to her usual witchy outfits that she always wears anyway. Turns out it was actually ON Halloween - 10/31/82. I'm not at all sure who I went to that one with. I do remember who the opening acts were - it was the Fabulous Thunderbirds and then Glenn Frey of the Eagles, who was very popular at the time because he had had some solo hits and also (I think) had been doing some acting. (He did do some acting, I'm remembering that much right, but it wasn't til a couple of years later.) Anyway, that was also a really good concert - I enjoyed all the acts, really. I remember "The Chain" as being a song that was especially awesome live.

Let's see, the "right combination" quote reminded me about dating. I dated this guy named Charles off and on through the summer in '83 - he was very smart and kind of crazy, but we had a lot of fun together. That one didn't outlast the summer, though. I had dated (or well, mostly just slept with) a guy named David the fall before and he kept popping back up. Mostly I didn't date a lot in those days, though, we just went places in a mob for the most part. I became an officer in the co-op and I was on the Board of Directors off and on. And I guess it was in '82 that I went to Ann Arbor to a big national co-op meeting, which was interesting. (Also one of the guys that I had been friends with in Dobie was in law school at Michigan, and we had a meal together while I was there. So I got to have old home week and meet all these new people besides. It was a fun trip.)

I'm too tired to think of much else to say about 1982. If I think of anything else really interesting, I'll do another entry. :)

This fairly-famous music video was mostly filmed in and around Austin:

1982 - I thought we were the right combination

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