If anyone still cares, on this date (29th November) in 1982 Metallica headlined their first show in San Francisco.One of the support acts was Exodus, featuring Kirk Hammett on guitar. It was also the first-to-last show with original bassist Ron McGovney (his final show was the next night at The Mabuhay Gardens.. A benefit for the legendary local fanzine Metal Mania..).
The Old Waldorf show was taped for the Metal Up Your Ass live demo. Once Lars made copies and gave them out, the tape spread like avian flu across the U.S. and European Metal Scenes via the tape trading network.
Umlaut's copy of the 11/29/82 tape (TDK D60).
Note to The Kidz: The tape trading network utilized things called the "postal service" and "blank cassette tapes". Back in The Day "broadband" was more appropriate as a quaintly offensive term to describe a group of female musicians.
A year later Metallica had released Kill 'Em All, completed their first U.S. Tour, and the band was only around 20 years away from paying a therapist $40K a month to enable them to be whiny millionaires on camera.
After the 11/29/82 Waldorf show I crashed in the band's hotel room on Lombard St. and hung out with them all day and then at The Mabuhay Gardens for the show that night. I was supposed to be going to classes at Foothill Junior College; I think that’s when I dropped out of college for the first (but not the last) time.
Also on this date: In 2001, George Harrison passed away. All Music Geeks should watch the Concert For George DVD from the tribute concert at the Royal Albert Hall that happened a year to the day after his death. There are some genuinely spine-tingling moments... like Ringo singing 'Photograph'.By coincidence, Umlaut was in London on the day of the concert (11/29/02).. but tickets were (of course) IMPOSSIBLE to find and IMPOSSIBLY expensive on the grey market.. If I remember correctly, scalpers were asking up to $1,500 or more per ticket... and getting it.
In hindsight, I suppose if you're going to spend that kind of money on a concert it should be for a once in a lifetime gig like that as opposed to a run of the mill Stones show.
===
Submitted by Rich Hellhound:
Ha! Yes, that Old Waldorf Metallica show. Umlaut and I once again helped Metallica load their gear in (funny how we thought that meant something; doing a roadie's job for free). We got to use the freight elevator! So exciting.
I remember stealing a keg from the venue, and smuggling it out via the elevator. Kirk Hammett saw my partner in crime and I carrying it out; he had a shocked look on his face, like he couldn't believe we were doing it. Maybe he thought Exodus would get blamed.
We put it in the back of Umlaut's Volkswagen. It was empty by the way, but I think it was a symbolic act. Anarchy!
Years later, I had other people carry my gear around for my band. I paid them, though. Maybe that's why I never "made it".
