As music lovers, we all have a special memory. But what about artists themselves? We asked a few to take us back in time.
“I went to Reggae on the River. No one was smoking weed. It was crazy … There were no dreadlocks, no weed, and it smelled great … Make no mistake though, people SCHMOKED WAAAADE. There’s no way to write that, is there?”
–Andy Samberg, The Lonely Island
“Just this last summer at the Download Festival in Donington, it was just unbelievable to play half of the set without the lights because it’s so bright in the sun … To just go, ‘you know, we’re not using anything but us,’ it was a wonderful moment just knowing it was just you five guys playing to 130,00 fans without any electronic gizmos or any help with pictures or anything.”
–Brian Johnson, AC/DC
“As a kid I used to be lulled to sleep at the beach in Tel-Aviv while listening to the sound of hundreds of paddle balls being hit, mixed with a steady stream of ’80s new wave being pumped through a beachside hot dog kiosk. Sometimes I would wake up feverish and sunburnt, surrounded by surfers with acoustic guitars trying to impress girls. Eureka.”
–Luke Top, Fool’s Gold
“The first show I ever saw was the Beach Boys for free at a big public park in Wilmington, Delaware, my hometown. Few things are more enjoyable than listening to the Beach Boys outdoors in the summer, though the Beach Boys sound good any time, any place!”
–Tony Goddess, Papas Fritas
“My first outdoor concert was the first Lollapalooza. … That was a spiritual experience right there. I remember Jane’s Addiction singing, ‘Summertime Rolls,’ and it was raining out and it was like, ‘Ahhh, this is so great!’ … The summertime outdoor shows are the best concerts to attend and the best concerts to perform, because I think the ancient purpose of music is so spiritual, however you want to translate that word, and our ancestors have used it over the centuries in the outdoors, whether singing to the stars or singing for rain or singing for medicine, but it was always working with the natural world, so the experience of being able to be in the outdoors and be able to listen to music and play music just takes the whole ceremony up a few notches.”
–Craig Minowa, Cloud Cult
“Summer, winter, fall spring — it’s all the same to me. I’m not in school anymore so every day is summer.”
–Nikki Sixx, Motley Crüe
