In this episode of 'Seeing Them Live,' the host welcomes Amy Hill, a passionate nurse, and avid live music fan. They reminisce about their initial meeting at a bar before a Jonathan Van Ness show in Chicago and delve into Amy's extensive history with concerts. A particular highlight is Amy’s unique experiences on Gothic cruises, where she has attended multiple sailings featuring bands like Combichrist and the Gothsicles. Amy vividly describes the intimate and energetic atmosphere on these cruises, her interactions with the bands, and the strong sense of community that develops among the attendees. The conversation underscores the emotional and communal aspects of live music, including how these experiences have created lasting friendships and unforgettable memories.
In this episode of Seeing Them Live, host Charles welcomes Amy Hill, a nurse and avid music fan, to discuss her rich history of attending live concerts. Amy shares the story of how she first met Charles at a bar before a Jonathan Van Ness show and discusses her lifelong passion for music. She reminisces about her first concert experience seeing Poison, a love for music that she surmises began even before her birth, and her diverse musical tastes ranging from Goth industrial to Luke Bryan.
Amy talks in depth about her unique experiences on Gothic music cruises, her encounters with bands like Combichrist and Empathy Test, and the close-knit community that forms on these trips. She also describes taking her mom to concerts, including a memorable 30 Seconds to Mars show in Lake Tahoe. Throughout, Amy emphasizes the unifying power of music, sharing personal stories that underline the joy and connections sparked by live performances.
BANDS: 30 Seconds to Mars, Aesthetic Perfection, Amy Hill, Anthrax, Bauhaus, Beyonce, Combichrist, Empathy Test, Freddie Mercury, God Module, Gothsicles, Jane's Addiction, Jonathan Van Ness, Luke Bryan, Ministry, Motley Crue, Nine Inch Nails, Pantera, Pearl Jam, Poison, Project Pitchfork, Queen, Sisters of Mercy, Skid Row, Skinny Puppy, Social Distortion, Steven Perkins, System Synning, Taylor Swift.
VENUES: Alpine Valley, Bottom Lounge, Carnival (cruise line), Four Seasons Hotel, Lollapalooza, Mira Luna, MSC (cruise line), Norwegian (cruise line), Royal Caribbean (cruise line), Soldier Field, Vic Theater.
[00:00:00] Charles: Today our guest is Amy Hill. Amy is a nurse and a fan of live music. I met Amy at a bar in January. It was bitterly cold night in Chicago, and my wife and I had tickets to see Jonathan Van Ness at the Vic Theater. We were a bit early to the show, and because it was so cold outside, my wife and I decided to go into a bar across the street to get warm and have a drink. Sitting at the corner of the bar was Amy having a bite to eat. Amy asked if we were going to see Jonathan Van Ness and we replied yes. And our conversation soon turned to music and concerts. And six months later, here we are. Amy, welcome to Seeing Them Live.
[00:00:42] Amy: Thank you so much. I am so excited to be part of this. So we had such a good conversation that night for sure.
[00:00:49] Charles: We did. I wish I almost wish I was recording it.
[00:00:52] Amy: I know we just, we segued into so many genres in like less than 10 minutes.
[00:00:57] Charles: Yes, I know it was, it was, uh, it was a lot of fun.
[00:01:00] Amy: It was really fun. I mean, he was a character. Yes, by far, but I must say it was probably my first comedy, real comedy show. So it was a little bit of a diversion, but I have to say it was lighthearted and always a fun time when you can laugh more, you know.
[00:01:19] Charles: Yeah. And, uh, he was, yeah, he was so hilarious. It was, it was very entertaining. You know, we usually start out, you know, with people's first concerts, kind of how they got into music and such. And, so, I guess in middle school, you were saying, that you were listening to a lot of Poison.
[00:01:36] Amy: I was a big Poison fan. I had such a crush on the whole band.
[00:01:41] Charles: Okay.
[00:01:42] Amy: I really wanted to see them and I think I had some art project I remember when I was in school and you had to punch all the punch dots out. So I made this huge Poison, like, I don't know what it was, punch thing, um, for school. And my mom knew how much I liked them.
[00:01:59] And then she goes, well, why don't we just go to a Poison show? And my mom took me to my first show. And what I can remember is she was on the chair before me and she was like, just dancing around on the chair. So I just kind of followed her and it was like an amazing experience because she was just as much into it as me.
[00:02:19] And I thought that that is a really amazing thing. But if you ask her today, she would say that that was not my first concert. She would say my first concert was Kiss when she was pregnant. So I often wonder if maybe back then that's where it all started. And, um, my, and my parents have always been huge music fans since I can remember. My dad had like this whole like, I don't know, record player and all these lights connected to it. So when I was growing up, there was always a record playing. There was always music in the car. So I have always grown up around music.
[00:02:57] Charles: Yeah, I had a similar, uh, upbringing myself. So your, your mom was kind of into Poison as well, maybe or she got into it at the, at the show, apparently. What was that like? You know, you're such a big fan and you're, you know, you're in middle school and then, you know, you're at this, this, uh, venue, I'm assuming it was at a stadium, perhaps?
[00:03:18] Amy: It was probably, you know, an average sized one with like 20,000 people.
[00:03:24] Charles: Okay.
[00:03:24] Amy: But, I mean, I can't even remember the venue, I just know it was in, uh, Minnesota. And it was an experience that you were, you know, getting submerged in it. And I'll be quite honest, I was like a fangirl at that time. So like, I was so excited.
[00:03:41] This person is human, like, I'm close to them. I've seen them on MTV. And I truly, from that moment, I was kind of hooked. And then, the next thing I know I was going to Motley Crue and Skid Row and I started just really going to concerts. I remember when I used to try to take my dad's credit card so I could get more tickets and then it was almost like a family thing because then my aunt took me to some show at Alpine Valley with like Motley Crue, well it was with Poison and Pantera.
[00:04:13] I think it was one of the first Lollapaloozas and then I got into a bunch of grunge music and I got my dad into Pearl Jam and to this day he still listens to Pearl Jam all the time and then he got into some Motley Crue as well.
[00:04:29] Charles: Okay, so like, so your mom after that Poison show, did she take you to other ones then?
[00:04:35] Amy: Not so much anymore, it was, it was a big, the first one was Poison and then after that I think, what happened is I got so into going to music, they just started to take me to shows and drop me off with friends. And back then it was totally different that you could do that a lot more. I think now perhaps parents don't do that as much like unattended, but I remember going to a lot of unattended shows at like six, 15 and 16.
[00:05:06] Charles: Yeah, yeah, that's kind of when I, like, when I was able to drive and stuff, um, you know, I'd go with my friends. And I know people that I work with, like with regard to Taylor Swift, for example, their daughters are into Taylor Swift, but it, you know, the tickets are so expensive. So they did the drop off to try to save themselves a few thousand dollars, uh, for, for two more tickets.
[00:05:28] Now when we were going back and forth on email, you know, you're into a lot of different genres, but I would kind of gather that your, your favorite one, or the one you gravitate to the most, would be Goth music. Is that accurate?
[00:05:44] Amy: Goth industrial.
[00:05:46] Charles: Industrial. Okay.
[00:05:47] Amy: I think people think Goth is very different from EBM, but in the end I just, I just think it's, I don't even want to say it's dark music I, I believe it's just what calls to you and a lot of times they get kind of mixed up but I would say I like the electronic part a lot, not so much the really slow, like, Bauhaus, Gothi, Sisters of Mercy.
[00:06:11] Not that I don't like them, it's just that's more slow and I'm kind of gravitated more so to the electro body music, like, Combichrist and B& B Nation is really good like that and Aesthetic Perfection. So it has much more of a dancey beat. I'm not saying I don't like the other ones, but I think for a show that always feels like much more like in an energetic type of frame, at least from my perspective.
[00:06:43] Charles: And I'm, I'm absolutely terrible at trying to put a band into a genre, so to speak. But, thanks for, you know, breaking that down. But, um, you'd mentioned, uh, this band, you just mentioned Combichrist. Um, and you, you said they're amazing to see them live. And, um, from what I was gathering, the vocalist, um, Andy...
[00:07:09] Amy: Andy LaPlaga..
[00:07:10] Charles: LaPlaga, okay. Is it just him on stage, or is he joined by other members, or how does that, how does it look?
[00:07:17] Amy: It's very interesting because he makes most of the music It's my understanding. I've seen Combichrist, I have no idea. I want to say almost 40 times.
[00:07:29] Charles: Oh, okay.
[00:07:30] Amy: The change of the band members has been, has been interesting along the years, but he was a lot more electronic and he started to play a lot of those old school shows in the last couple of years.
[00:07:44] And now he's gotten more kind of going down the metal. The metal area. He is from Norway, so that doesn't seem odd.
[00:07:53] But I, I find it very interesting because I've had a lot of experiences with Combichrist in the sense that, you know, some of the members have stayed the same and I think they're part of Combichrist, but I think he is pretty much the driver of the music and he's been on many of the cuises, like a couple of the cruises and he's had other projects as well. But it's an interesting show because the music kind of, I remember one of the shows, I think it was at the bottom lounge and we were all there.
[00:08:25] The whole, the whole entire place shook where everybody's jumping up and down right to the music. Like everybody just moves to the music and sings along and there's just an energy in that. And it was almost like being in a church of Combichrist. Like you're actually in a church where you can feel like everybody moving to that music.
[00:08:45] And it's just an amazing experience how he kind of really talks to us at the same time. And he builds that energy. And I think a lot of the band members he picks to love the music just as much. So I think that is a really interesting thing and a plus side of it is he's just an amazing person to talk to and he's so kind.
[00:09:07] And after all these years, he still remembers some of us who have been around for a long time. And I think that's something to say about people who play live, that they can recognize the same people who keep coming to their shows.
[00:09:21] Charles: Yeah, and that's, you know, great, obviously a great way to connect with the fans and just chat with them and get to know them as well. That sounds pretty interesting, uh, experience because I just got on, uh, the Bottom Lounges, uh, which is in Chicago, their email list. So, I have to keep an eye out for when they come to town. The other band you mentioned was, um, Empathy Test and, and some of the research I was doing, it looks like they're, they're not on a record label. They crowd fund a lot of things, which I thought was kind of cool. And, uh, yeah, maybe if you just comment on, you know, Seeing Them Live, how that, uh, compares or, or what, what makes it unique.
[00:10:08] Amy: That's interesting because if you were to listen to two of those bands side by side, they're totally different. Empathy Test is very ethereal, almost like electronic, going kind of back to the 80s with a little flair to it. They're from England. And so they've only been in, I think in the States twice here.
[00:10:30] I think I saw him once with, Aesthetic Perfection when they first came over and they just did a tour, I want to say like a year ago and the music is just very. It was like the first show that I, if you've ever had those shows where they're, they're playing songs and you know, every single word to their songs and you're like singing along with them and you have no idea where the time went.
[00:10:54] Yeah. And aren't we still on song number one? Like, where's the rest of the show? And it's already over. And, and just, you know, Isaac, who is the singer, how he just sings those melodies and his voice is just perfection. And it just, it's just a different feeling because it's, it's slow, not really slow, but it's just kind of relaxing.
[00:11:18] And it's like, almost as if you're going through a nostalgic experience of your body starts moving almost like medicine. And I think music is medicine depending on how you're feeling. Like, whereas Combichrist brings a lot of anger and releasing this, this huge emotion of, you know, whatever energies may be locked in your body.
[00:11:40] And then there's this Empathy Test that just it makes you feel kind of ethereal and you just, you, you sing those words along with him. You can feel all these emotion, whether he was feeling it or not when he wrote it. It's just such a gift that they can give it to you back they give you like your own better than therapy.
[00:12:03] You can continue to talk things out, but I think music is what's own feeling feels like, you know?
[00:12:10] Charles: Yeah, that, that's a great way of putting it. Yeah, I've been to shows like that and it's like, where did the time go? You know?
[00:12:18] Amy: Yeah.
[00:12:19] Charles: You just look forward to the next time. When we were chatting in that, the bar in what kind of caught my attention was that you were going on this Gothic cruise ship. And I, you know, I admit, I must be totally clueless cause I never, I'm like cruise ship music. What? So I just thought that was super interesting and I, what I've noticed now over the last six months, it's kind of like when you buy a new car and then you notice like everybody on the road has same car, you know, or similar car that you just bought.
[00:12:52] Now I'm hearing more and more about these music cruises. Since you, you've been on quite a few of these, I wanted to chat with you about that. Cause I, I found it to be really a unique way to experience music. I'd never heard of that, but it's obviously a big, a big thing.
[00:13:10] And you're a fan also of this band called the Gothsicles. And they're from what I read, Amy, they're originally from Chicago, I think. Right. And then they went to Madison and now they're out in Boston, I think. And I wanted to know, which came first? Did you see them in Chicago first or did you experience them on the cruise? Cause I, are they regularly featured on, on these cruises?
[00:13:37] Amy: The cruise is very interesting. I actually had my first cruise in 2010 and went all the way through 2019 and I missed obviously '20. There wasn't one and my last one was last year and I don't believe they had one in 2023 because they moved it to 2024 but the Gothsicles had been really, really apparent in our area here in Chicago because the singer Brian was from here.
[00:14:09] So a lot of times he would have these little shows in the smallest venue you could think of. And I had gone, I think like the Cobourg Lounge and even smaller venues than that. So I knew who the Gossicles were and Again, totally flipped genres because he's, he's, I don't know, even if you can put him in a genre, but he sings about video games and, and everything is happy and hilarious and sword cane and all this stuff I don't really know about, but his shows are super fun because They just make you laugh and just sing along and scream and it's, it's like the whole, again, everybody's kind of going with the flow.
[00:14:49] So I knew who he was, but he had gone on, he's gone on. Actually, he went on the cruise that I took my mom on in 2016. So the Goth cruise, he was on for Alaska. So that was, that was an experience, just because again, it was taking me back to me and my mom, and now we're on a Gothic cruise together.
[00:15:14] So I think a lot of times, at least with the Gothic cruise, it was, you know, A lot for me, I truly love seeing bands and I think that, that area of being on a cruise ship with a band and having them play shows is really interesting. Cause you're kind of stuck on the, in the same area for a week. And you do see each other throughout the cruise.
[00:15:36] So you somehow, in some ways always kind of see them in real life. Like if they're hanging out at the beach or if they're like at the pool side. So you have a lot more experience to talk to them and, you know, get to know them a lot better. And it's much more, at least with the Gothic cruise, it's not a sell sold out ship.
[00:15:58] So some of these like six men do, they do like rock, rock by the sea and all these like metal cruises, and they're sold out just as metal cruisers. I've never been on that, but ours is usually only a section of the cruise. So there may be, I think the biggest one I was on was 350 people just in our group.
[00:16:20] So, but sometimes it's like only 70 people. So you can. You can realize how close knit you are, because you have all your own private parties. And I think one of the hardest ones that I went on was with System Sinning, God Module, they were on a cruise and we went in a tropical depression. That was the most interesting live show I've ever seen.
[00:16:44] Cause the boat is rocking and everybody's rocking. And, and even the singers were like, I'm not sure what way the ship is moving. So if we slide around, just know we're doing our best up here. So it was, it was a really interesting, it's just an interesting thing to be on a cruise ship. Just because you have other elements you can't plan for and I think the bands that go on that it's amazing they take the time because they're taking a whole week out of their schedule to come on this cruise ship, and yeah, it's kind of a vacation, but they're still working on it.
[00:17:18] Charles: Yeah. If you experienced some weather that would make it, like you just said, all the more interesting for, for you and the band. What I was reading on some of these Gothic cruises, is that also like the name of an annual, I read like an electronic Gothic music festival? Is it like a festival on the ship?
[00:17:37] Amy: So I think to answer that question I wouldn't say it's a festival because when I think of festival, at least in my opinion, I think more of Gothic Wavetrap and in Germany, Mira Luna. Those are huge Gothic festivals that happen in Germany. And I've been to Mira Luna. And it's like a surreal thing where they're on an airfield and it's like, I want to say 50 bands, maybe even more than that, multiple stages.
[00:18:09] Whereas in the Gothic cruise, it's more of, to me, it's, it's more of an annual Gothic cruise where you have anywhere from three to seven bands. It just depends on how many bands come. And then you have your own parties. So we have our own dance parties until like four in the morning. We have dinners that we have together.
[00:18:32] We have different activities, some of our own personal shore excursions. So you're, it's not really a festival, but you're, you have your own set of, of things outside the ship. So nobody else is going to go to those unless they're part of your group. And I think the organizer of this spends a lot of time trying to make sure there's, there's things that we're doing together.
[00:18:55] We have like our own spa day. And honestly, I've met some really good friends. From all over the world on the Gothic cruise and like I said, my girlfriend from Indianapolis, I met her on the cruise and now we just travel and see a whole bunch of bands together. And I think that's amazing. You make friendships and we have great friends from Canada that I've been to Canada multiple times to visit because you see them annually on these cruises and you, you really get to know each other because some of the, the same faces come up and I think it's really fun and I think a lot of the bands, like Combichrist has been on there twice, and then Andy came with one of his side projects so some of the bands even repeat themselves so you get to know them as well.
[00:19:42] Charles: Yeah, that sounds like a really nice environment where you can meet people and have, you know, common interest and, and keep in touch with them. Yeah, I just find that really interesting. The other thing I was gonna ask Amy is like when you're on the cruise and you're seeing these bands, is it like a music venue? Is it different? Is it the same? You're on a ship? What's that like? What's the feel of that room, when you're with the band on a cruise?
[00:20:09] Amy: It's interesting because these cruise ships have so many theaters and so many rooms so each cruise line that we have like, we've sailed on, so we've sailed on Carnival, Norwegian, Royal Caribbean, and MSC. So they're all different cruise lines. And it depends what, what venue you're at, like sometimes the cruise, whoever our cruise person, so there's always a point person that's working with the person that sets the cruise up.
[00:20:39] So depending on how big the group is, kind of, has us pick a certain, this theater or that theater. So some of the theaters will, you'll have areas where you sit down, but some of the theaters we've been in, it's like, all the lighting is there, there's a huge dance floor. They move things out of the way.
[00:20:57] So again, we could be in three different theaters on the ship on any given day. Cause if you're sailing seven, seven nights, so if we have three bands, there's probably three nights of concerts and then there's a dance party. And all of these things happen when everyone else on the ship is going to sleep.
[00:21:17] I guess I want to say like the people who have kids who are just regular cruise goers that are not part of the Gothic cruise. And I kind of like the fact that the whole ship isn't sold out as a Gothic cruise because I think there's an intimacy about having less people. It gives you more of an option to just be closer to the band because there's not like five thousand people or you have to choose, am I going to go to this show or that show and that's one of the things I find hard with festivals is your favorite bands all may be playing at the same time.
[00:21:51] Like Lollapalooza. I like Lollapalooza, but if there's three bands you like, which one are you gonna go to? I think that makes it hard.
[00:22:00] Charles: That's interesting because I, again, I have no experience with, with this at all. Amy, do you have to prepare any differently when you're, like, packing or thinking about what to bring on a, on a cruise like this, other than maybe I was thinking, like, a set of earplugs or something? Or is it just like going on a regular cruise?
[00:22:19] Amy: Well, I'm gonna be honest with you Charles. I'm probably not the best person to ask because I am I am not a over packer, but half my friends that go to these, they have three bags because they have an outfit for the show. They have an outfit for dinner. I mean, for, a lot of these cruise, cruise goers, they really like to dress up and it gives them a time to really kind of be extravagant about it.
[00:22:46] A lot of people make their own costumes for the masquerade ball. We also have a couple sisters that were into cosplaying, so they were actually featured the Hunger Games. So they were in some of the cinema movies. So they really do a lot of really extravagant outfits. And it's very interesting because you can always tell, I'm sure the people around who are not part of the Gothic cruise, see all of these people walking into the dining room.
[00:23:20] And it's really a fashion show for many people. I'm more, feel like to me, I'm going there to, to experience music. I, I really. Take it as a vacation and I don't want to lug all that around. Or maybe I'm just getting to the point where I just want to be in the moment and not have to worry about carrying this or dressing into that.
[00:23:42] And I think a lot of people really enjoy that. And I am honored that I get to watch it. I'm just maybe too lazy to do it now. And I just want to sit and have a beer and listen to some music. And you know, I think everybody has their thing on why they love to go to that.
[00:23:57] Charles: No, that makes, that makes sense. That sounds like a, a nice, people watching experience, for those who aren't getting into the dressing up and stuff. Once you had mentioned you were going on this cruise, I, I started hearing about all these other ones. And just recently, I mentioned in an email to you that Little Steven's Underground Garage has one going from Miami to Nassau Bahamas in May. And Social Distortion is the headline act and there's 25 or no, I think I counted 30 bands. And to me that that seemed like a lot. From what you're saying, it probably is a lot, right?
[00:24:37] Amy: It is a lot, and they may charter the whole entire boat, so they're, they're going to use all those stages, like the metal cruise, they call it the 70,000 tons of metal, and they have 80 or 70 bands, and there's, it's again, it's, that's more like what, what stage am I going to go to. So there's a lot going on with that. I'm not against those, but I always feel like, then I'm going to have to choose who I want to see.
[00:25:07] Charles: Yeah. Okay. No, cause I, yeah, I mean, just what you're talking about, how, you know, you, you have them in these different stages and it's like, kind of like Lollapalooza. Cause I was wondering, you know, that's a lot of bands, for like a, you know, not that long of a period of time. So, okay. That, that clears that up for me.
[00:25:24] You know, you'd mentioned you, you took your mom on one of these, and I, and I kind of thought it was neat. It's like kind of comes full circle, sort of. Now you take your mom to some concerts when she took you to your first one. And, you'd mentioned the Goth, Gothic cruise. And you also said you took her to see 30 Seconds to Mars in, is that Lake Tahoe I...
[00:25:45]
[00:25:46] Amy: Lake Tahoe.
[00:25:47] Charles: Yeah. Was that for like a special occasion or something or?
[00:25:51] Amy: I just wanted, actually, it was scheduled to be in Las Vegas, and that last minute they canceled Las Vegas. And I just asked my mom, do you want to go to Las Vegas and see 30 Seconds to Mars? Because She knows that I've always loved 30 Seconds to Mars. And she was like, yeah, I'll go to Las Vegas. And then I had to tell her, oh, I'm going to have to ask her if she'll drive to Lake Tahoe because now they're not playing in Las Vegas.
[00:26:23] And I really honestly thought that she would say no. And then she was like, yeah, let's just rent a car and then we'll just drive to Lake Tahoe. And the next thing I know, my mom and I are driving to Lake Tahoe to see 30 seconds to Mars. And she met some, one of the other mother fan goers and they were in the back having some drinks together while I was up watching the show and this other woman's daughter was watching the show. So I think it all worked out. And it was a real experience that I'll remember the rest of my life because it was just me and my mom and I think people don't realize that you're not, you don't have your parents forever.
[00:27:00] And so having experiences where you can make memories of that, like we still talk about going to Lake Tahoe and her experience on the Gothic cruise because all the Gothic cruisers sing happy birthday to her because it was her birthday. And so, it's an experience to have your parents now take part, or your parent take part in, in some of the things that you love, and she always knows when I go to, oh, I went to 30 Seconds to Mars, and I always tell my mom, I'm going to meet this person.
[00:27:35] I'm going to meet that person. She always says, no, you're not. And I come back with pictures of 30 Seconds to Mars, and she'll be like, how did you do that? And, you know, I went to Germany, to see Project Pitchfork and I met Project Pitchfork in Germany and met them when they came here on tour. So I think when you really love music, it kind of loves you back, if that makes sense.
[00:27:57] Charles: For sure. We've had other guests say that and their connection they have to the band and to the music or multiple bands helps them in their own way from what they're going through or dealing with. They're just a pure joy and happiness of, of seeing live music.
[00:28:14] Was there anything else you wanted to touch on Amy? Cause you'd mentioned, you've seen Beyonce and Luke Bryan. Have you seen any of those, or any, anything outside of what we've talked about, or anything coming up for that matter?
[00:28:30] Amy: Well, I think it's really interesting that you, you said what you did in the beginning, Charles, because I think it's a big point that you can't really put music into a genre really anymore because I used to think, oh everybody's gonna revoke my Goth card because I went to all these country shows or I mean, I do like listening to Taylor Swift.
[00:28:52] I think music is music and I think we all love music in a different way from Anyia to, you know, the eighties music to Luke Bryan. I would have never went to Luke Bryan, but you know, my girlfriend really liked him and I feel like it's more about the experience and sharing the time, even if it's somebody you don't love.
[00:29:14] And my Beyonce experience was really hilarious because I went with my friend and we were going to Soldier Field and of course I had no idea that there was a, because I go to all these small shows, so there's some bag requirement.
[00:29:29] So everybody had the wrong bag and it was too big and I felt so bad because my friend ran all the way to this apartment to drop my bag off because I didn't, I go, what am I supposed to do now?
[00:29:41] And he ran all the way back and came back and we enjoyed Beyonce together. And all these women were putting their bags in the bushes so they wouldn't have to go back to their car. And I think a lot of bags were stolen. It was a really great show more than I thought. And I think the more we try to say, this is what I listened to, or that's what I listened to, we miss out on the experience of just learning more about music and just being in the moment and sharing those memories.
[00:30:10] And last night, I had an experience of going to this wedding that was Muslim and Colombian. And there was so much music and it's traditional music. Like they had a lot of drumming. And when the bride and groom came in and just so much dancing, And I'm realizing like we do it with music and they do it with a lot of, you know, real drums, real traditional dancing and all that.
[00:30:40] And I thought how everybody's just moving to the music and it, it gets everyone involved. Music has no borders. It's moments that you have even in a bar and waiting to see a comedy show. And you're like, Oh, look at these people. Let's all talk about music. And. I think one of the first questions we asked each other is, If you could choose somebody you would love to interview who's not either here or not here, who would it be?
[00:31:06] And I was like, oh, Freddie Mercury, like no, hands down. I, I would totally be, that's like the one show that if I could go back and see him live, I wish I, I could have saw that because even impersonators aren't the same. So I really missed out on that. I was a little late to the game, but, you know, it'll be interesting this year because I'm gonna see Jane's Addiction, which is one of the shows I've been waiting to go see, because I've always loved Perry Farrell, and I think he's an amazing performer and musician, so it'll be interesting to see the original Jane's Addiction lineup.
[00:31:46] And now I think it's really sad because a lot of the people that we love to see are kind of getting to the point where we're not going to tour, so. Seeing that last Skinny Puppy final tour was really a cool experience to see them when I used to see them when I was in college and I was so amazed by them.
[00:32:07] I think that's one of the most beautiful things is that it creates conversation at the table. I would have never had this experience if I didn't say, Hey, how are you guys? What are you here for? So I think music brings people together.
[00:32:24] Charles: I'm glad you struck up a conversation because it was interesting. I remember the Freddie Mercury comment. I don't know if I ever commented who I would, I would interview.
[00:32:33] Amy: You know, I think you might've changed the subject real fast to something else. So maybe you should answer who, who would it be?
[00:32:40] Charles: That's interesting. Well, it's funny you mentioned that because, I'm a, I'm a big Jane's Addiction fan and we were downtown, my wife and I, my daughter was in a STEM camp at Loyola, so we were staying downtown during Lollapalooza. And, at one point, we were strolling past the Four Seasons Hotel and I see this guy out there signing autographs. And I'm like, oh my God, and it was Stephen Perkins.
[00:33:08] And so it's totally unexpected. We chatted a bit and my wife took a picture with me, with him. And he was super, super nice, super friendly. And so that evening, you know, I had this idea of this podcast, you know, kicking around in my head, like I wanted to do it, but I wasn't sure.
[00:33:24] And so my wife goes, well, who, you know, if, if you had an opportunity to speak with him longer, what would you ask him? And I kind of got nervous. It's like, Well, I'm not a musician. I don't know anything about drums. I mean, I have everything basically they've ever recorded, but I don't know. Do they see, really want to talk about that?
[00:33:42] And then I thought, you know what I would ask him? What was the first concert you want to, who were you with? And why did you go? It occurred to me like, you bring the person down to what, you know, and what you can talk about and then like, like you and I, and, and, and my wife, we just started talking for a long time about music.
[00:34:03] And so I thought that's when it kind of solidified in my head. Like, you know, this, this might be a good subject for a podcast. I could talk to Steven Perkins, you know, probably for a while about concerts and things that he's been to rather than Jane's Addiction.
[00:34:19] Well, anyway, Amy, is there anything else you wanted to talk about, or plug or bring attention to before we sign off here?
[00:34:30] Amy: I just think like that story that you just, you just said, very interesting. It's almost going back to the being simple. Instead of asking all this stuff about music, asking about the moments in your life that music touched them. And I think how great that is that this concept came from that. Oh, I'm a little nervous about what I would ask. But you make a great point, ask what you know, and who knows what will follow, you know?
[00:34:56] Charles: Exactly. I really enjoy these conversations with people and I learned so much too. Like, with our interview here, all of these bands I had never heard of before, but I'll, you know, I'm going to keep an eye out for them now and, I'll shoot you an email.
[00:35:11] Amy: Yeah, and then I'll shoot you an email when I'm going to a show and say, Hey, are you and Valerie out anywhere? This is where I'm going to be. You know, especially with like, I think next week, no, two weeks, I'm going to see 30 Seconds to Mars. And I think I'm going to see Aesthetic Perfection in September, right after Jane's addiction. So it's going to be a kind of busy, but I think at the same time, it's almost like I need to go and take a day off. It's like my self care.
[00:35:41] Charles: For sure. I know some of these are, uh, my wife and I say it's on a school night, but a, you know, yeah, you might be a little sleep deprived the next day, but you'll, you'll survive.
[00:35:51] Amy: That's right. I totally agree.
[00:35:53] Charles: All right, Amy. Well, thanks again for being on Seeing Them Live. I've immensely enjoyed this conversation and I've learned so much about you and, and the music you like and then these bands and such. We'll keep in touch.
[00:36:07] Amy: All right. It's been an amazing experience. So thank you for thinking of me for it. And if I have any friends that might be good for you, I'm going to send them your way.
[00:36:16] Charles: All right. Yeah. We're always, always looking for guests.
[00:36:18] Amy: All right.
[00:36:20]
Charles:
Well, thanks, Amy. Have a nice rest of the day.