MacGyver
Beagle Scout
We were gonna meet...
Posts: 1,641
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Post by MacGyver on Oct 25, 2009 13:16:31 GMT -5
I'm putting together a short little article on the Mats for the student newspaper, and would like to hear some of the classic Mats stories that I could use for reference. Drunken stories, making the audience want to run to the doors, all of that fun stuff. Any help would be appreciated!
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Post by wecantgetanybetter on Oct 25, 2009 18:00:17 GMT -5
These aren't classic but eyewitnessed. At the 7th St. Entry, Paul and Bob brawled, bringing the show to a halt. Somewhere out East, a fan won a guitar at a Mats show. He sat on the floor hugging it after the show, the first guy I ever heard say, "Paul Westerberg is God." Out on the street in downtown St. Paul after the Mats opened for REM, the two bands engaged in a chicken fight (on each other's shoulders).
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Post by pm on Oct 26, 2009 14:24:43 GMT -5
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Post by paulie on Oct 26, 2009 17:24:26 GMT -5
i saw the mats at a college in Rhode Island.I got my first migraine. two and a half years later i was ended up at Boston University Hospital with pretty good sized Brain Tumor. I'm still glad i went to the show......
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MacGyver
Beagle Scout
We were gonna meet...
Posts: 1,641
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Post by MacGyver on Oct 29, 2009 18:32:38 GMT -5
UPDATE
I need some help guys! In my article I want to bring up 5 anecdotes that perfectly epitomize the drunken Mats, and their greatness. I'll be mentioning the SNL incident, the Tom Petty Tour incident, possibly the stolen master tapes incident... Any info on these, or any better stories?
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Post by wecantgetanybetter on Oct 29, 2009 19:01:54 GMT -5
counter-programming their shows against their audiences, the prime examples being the show in NY (LA?) where all the label scouts came and they played corny covers, and the hardcore audiences that got all-country sets. Those are written up somewhere authoritatively.
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Post by BronxTeacher on Oct 29, 2009 19:36:54 GMT -5
I read about this one on the old Replacements Misheard Lyrics website, and this is what I remember of it.
The Portland show during the PTTM tour, maybe the last one of the tour, is particularly notorious, where the Young Fresh Fellows opened and throughout the set the Mats were pelting them with stuff. Apparently they broke into a room above the theater and found a chest with costumes in it. Westerberg walked on stage wearing a cloak and a crown, and the boys were clearly loaded and couldn't play. According the report I read, about half of the audience left, but the half that stayed had a great time watching the shenanigans. At one point, the mats threw all of their clothes into the audience, which responded by throwing their clothes back at them. Tommy suddenly remembered he had ten bucks in his pocket, stepped to the mic and said something along the lines of "Give it back, asshole." Then in a stroke of inspiration, he rifled through the pile of clothes until he found a $20 bill in someone's pocket which he triumphantly showed to the audience and did a little victory dance.
There were also rumors of swinging from chandeliers during the show, but the report I read discredited that legend.
The Portland press panned the show the next day. The band must have felt bad about the show, because I heard they scratched "We're sorry, Portland" on the interior band of the Don't Tell a Soul vinyl. And of course, Paul would go on to write "Portland" about the incident.
And then there's the notorious CBGB show...
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MacGyver
Beagle Scout
We were gonna meet...
Posts: 1,641
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Post by MacGyver on Oct 29, 2009 19:45:50 GMT -5
Great story!
I never did hear much of the CBGB show, other than Paul saying that if they couldn't be the best band to play there, they'd be the worst...
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Post by wecantgetanybetter on Oct 29, 2009 21:50:51 GMT -5
covering the stage with backstage pass stickers, sticker side up
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Post by mrblasty on Oct 30, 2009 7:41:50 GMT -5
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