This is blowing my mind…somehow, I had no idea until this morning that prog supergroup Asia’s self-titled debut album was the No. 1 album in the U.S. for all of 1982 — a year widely believed to be one of the best ever for pop/rock music? Love the album and obviously knew it was a hit, but No. 1?! This was the year Madonna released her debut album. It was MTV’s first full year on air. And, yes, the biggest selling album of all time, Michael Jackson’s Thriller, was released — but not until November 30 so it didn’t have time to even make the top 5 for 1982.
Well, last night’s @garbage and @tearsforfearsmusic show at PNC Bank Arts Center was an all-timer for me. Both bands sounded amazing. I had only seen Garbage once before and that was in the early 2000s, so it was fun to see them again after all that time. I think this was at least my fifth time seeing TFF since 2004/05, and this was hands down the best I’ve ever seen or heard them. And it was Curt Smith’s birthday! “Woman in Chains” just hit different last night after the horrific action taken by the fascists of the Supreme Court. I was looking forward to seeing Carina Round with TFF, but she had to leave the tour to hit the road with her main band, Puscifer. But her absence allowed me to experience the force of nature that is Lauren Evans.
Brian Kelley 