1989 Reading Festival Day One

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Ah, nostalgia. I was just perusing a website on the history of the Reading Festival, an annual three day music fest in Reading, England. I was particularly interested in 1989, as that was the year I attended. Total cost: 32.50 pounds. It was quite the adventure, and since a lot of my favorite bands were on the bill, well worth it. My concert buddy and I drove all night, from our barracks in Germany, through Belgium, to Boulogne, France, where we caught the ferry to England (somewhere, there is a really cool photo of me on the ferry, looking very Morrissey-like.) They searched our car at customs in Dover, luckily, all we had was our allotment of duty free booze. (I had a bunch of white cross in my pocket, but they didn't look there.) A couple of nice British girls helped us set up our tent for beer , and we hung out with them for the next three days. First day lineup, in order: Gaye Bykers on Acid, Spacemen 3, My Bloody Valentine, That Petrol Emotion, Tackhead, Swans, The House of Love, The Sugarcubes, and New Order. I outsprinted everyone to the front of the stage, where we enjoyed Gaye Bykers on Acid's short set. My Bloody Valentine (THE shoegazer band) was brilliant, and That Petrol Emotion got their first-ever bra thrown onstage. The House of Love was as good as I expected, and with The Sugarcubes, I got to see Bjork before she became Bjork. When I had seen New Order at Red Rocks, their set was shortened by equipment problems. At Reading, they played a full set to an enthusiastic crowd. Highlight? Bassist Peter Hook setting fire to the band's amps as he walked offstage. And after all of the trouble setting up the tent, the girl I'd met and I slept in the car. And that was just day one. (The video was shot by someone in the crowd, so the quality is poor.)