by Mark Gornto, Philadelphia, PA

I was and still am a huge fan of the ’90’s brit alterna-pop “shoegazer” movement. On one particular evening in the early ’90s, my friends and I braved a torrential downpour to travel from Philadelphia to Trenton’s City Gardens to see the godfathers of shoegaze, Ride. It was the first time that I had seen any of the Shoegazers live and it deepened my appreciation of the genre. At one point the guitarist, Andy Bell, began to play the opening to their melodic hit “Vapour Trail.” The crowd went crazy. Andy broke a string and had to stop. The crowd booed and chanted for the song. After a few moments (that seemed to last an eternity) the band broke into the song once again. It was the best version of “Vapour Trail” that I have ever heard. I’m not sure if it was because of the anticiptation, the rawnwess of the sound at City Gardens, or the sheer power of Ride as a live band, but it was a moment that changed my appreciation of live music entirely.

Another semi-related moment for me is when Ian Brown of the Stone Roses announced that they would never tour in the U.S. Huge disappointment for us shoegazer fans.