Wednesday, 26 March 2003 | Raising

Monday night was Pinback, and I watched the band from the back of the room in what turned out to be one of the best locations: standing on a bench, leaning against the back wall sipping my sadly expensive drink, my feet roughly level with the feet of the people on stage, the sea of dark heads in front of me looking short and stumpy. It was good—one of those bands that don't quite look like you expected, who play their songs just as they sound on their albums, songs which remind you of specific times you listened to them. I was a little distracted, though, because for some reason at that moment I tried to recount all of the bands I've ever seen play live, an exercise that wasn't particularly productive and one that has plagued me ever since. In an effort to kill the exercise, I have made a list.

While looking through my tapes (to help with the list), I came across a tape cover for Run D.M.C.'s Raising Hell that my well-intentioned brother made for me in 1986. Since it was for his 12-year-old sister, rather than name the album by its actual title, he simply called it "Run D.M.C." He was a little less smooth when it came to the song entitled "Raising Hell," and simply retitled it "Raising." (See the tape cover, with a 1986 song list bonus.)