Rick Daris: Although I am extremely jealous, I'm not too jealous. Here's why.
A) I was five at the time of the Hysteria tour, albeit an awesome five year-old who loved Def Leppard and had every line of Hysteria memorized. At five! But obviously my parents wouldn't let me go to a Def Leppard concert then.
B) My dad, a snooty classical fan and opera history professor, had to take me. He and my mom drew names out of a hat to see which one HAD to go. He did EVERYTHING to try to dissuade me from going to that concert. He even told me the day of the show that "their bus broke down in Omaha." Bastard. But I didn't believe him and we went anyway. Then, while his third grade son is standing up with all the other 1/2 full crowd at Bramlage belting out "Make Love Like A Man," he sat there miserable, with earplugs in, reading a book on the composer Joseph Haydn. Wonder if he was spotted at the Def Leppard show by any of his students? The only regrettable part is that it started at least an hour and a half late, so, on rock star time, which gave him an excuse to make me leave early because it was "past my bedtime." I absolutely have never forgiven him for this and never will. It's nice because it gives me something to lord over his head whenever I want something out of him. "Oh yeah? You won't do this for me? Hey, remember that time when I was eight and you made me leave the Def Leppard concert early?" Then he gives in. It's my version of the Michelle Tanner puppy dog lip.
Pretty great first concert story if you ask me.
