Jonathan Swift's - Cambridge MA - Lifeboat, 10,000 Maniacs
My first "name band" show. I remember going with a friend of mine, John Paquette, and a few other folks. Jonathan Swift's was in Harvard Square in Cambridge. Last I heard, it was a comedy club (Catch A Rising Star). It's probably a Starbucks by now. I remember going there a few times, but not often. Parking was difficult. I vaguely remember enjoying the show. I definitely remember not having my glasses with me that night - couldn't see a damn thing. (That was my mom's idea. My parents were up visiting me. Mom takes away my glasses - "you look better without them". I had real parental issues back then. My mother was a control freak, even before they invented the term. Moving away to Iowa 6 years later was the best thing for me.)
Anyway, the show - the Maniacs were pretty good. Natalie did some twirling. They probably played a lot of songs from The wishing chair. Lifeboat was a local band who put out an EP on the Dolphin label (same as Tommy Keene). "Bully up" was the big song. I still have that one - haven't listened to it in years. I would have enjoyed the show more with the power of eyesight. (I did get to see the Maniacs again a few years later.)
So far:
Number of shows seen, October 1985: 4
Number of bands seen, October 1985: 9
Total number of shows: 4
Total number of bands seen: 9
30 Boylston Street now called JFK Street as in 30 JFK Street went from being a comedy club "Catch a Rising Star" to being a book discount store "Buck a Book". Then for many years it was a used clothing store as "Planet Aid". It is now laying vacant. A recent meeting of the Harvard Square Business Assoc. and the bureaucrats of Cambridge City Hall determined that there is demand for a 24 hour cafe and another live music venue. What better place than in a basement?
Posted by: Richard | 2005.10.28 at 07:07