The first time I saw Placebo perform was at Irving Plaza (back before it was the Filmore) in New York City. It was quite the event – two friends and had made the trip down from Buffalo, in a combination of modes of transport: first my friend’s shiny red Beetle, then once we got to her boyfriend’s place around Albany we swapped to the train for the last leg of the journey into Manhattan. I’d never made that kind of trek to see a band play before, and I knew this was going to be special.
We stood in line for the unreserved seating for hours, finally getting to the front of the line before the show began only to find out that we’d mistakenly purchased tickets for the show the night before! We were all shocked and upset, but the doorman let us in after hearing how far we’d come to see the band.
In a stroke of unexpected luck, my friends and I made it right to the front of the stage and were just feet from Brian Molko the entire show. It was an emotional show – full of screaming fans, emotional outbursts around certain songs (during “My Sweet Prince,” Molko literally tore the stage apart), and by the end of the experience my friends and I were all exhausted. After the show closed, we walked all the way back up to Grand Central, where we caught the last train home to my friend’s boyfriend’s place.
That was back in 1999 and the experience has never left me; it’s made the purchase of each new Placebo CD since an important part of my musical habits. I can hardly wait for the next new Placebo CD to come out – it’s bound to be a really great album.
