by Sarah, Philadelphia, PA

I was in college in the late 80s and Billy Bragg came to perform at our smallish auditorium. Many of my friends who worked at the college radio station already knew his music but I went wide-eyed. He rocked out and gave a great show, with stories and great music. The most striking thing to me was how he was able to combine the personal with the political (i.e. A New England). He made us wake up to the politics going on and the part the US was playing around the world. Also, as an artist, he proved to me that the personal can be universal. Soon after that, several of us protested at the nuclear power plant nearby. Don’t know if we had any effect there but he was so inspiring. I have had great experiences seeing bands in small venues at that time period but that was my favorite.