Disclaimer: The Vertebrats had earned much success in the first 12 years of their band’s career before I was even born. I do not pretend to know the full potential of a Vertebrats reunion show. All that I know is what I have seen, heard or read about the band, and from this view it looks promising that Friday and Saturday night’s shows will be beyond words.
I have a confession to make. My first concert was N*SYNC. Guffaw all you want, but I was a product of my generation. I was a 13-year-old girl when Britney made a video in that strapping red pleather suit – a member of their prime teenie bopper audience. It took my years before I could learn the fine craftsmanship of rock ‘n roll and stuff my memories of boy bands deep into my occipital lobe.
When I first came to Champaign-Urbana I was introduced to a number of people who were knowledgeable jackpots of muscial information. Turns out the gold pot at the end of the rainbow is in C-U and brimming with Geoff Merritts, Kurt Lanthrops and the like.
One day Merritt literally sat me down with a sheet of paper of almost every band in the C-U area from the past three decades. He explained which bands shared members, when they debunked, who they toured with, where they played. It takes more time and energy than one could ever know to become such a gold mine.
I may not know much about The Vertebrats, but when people like this are excited to have them play, you can count on it being a fantastic show.
The Vertebrats have also been praised by none other than The Replacements, so if you can’t trust my word, trust theirs.
C.D. Scoggins and William Gillespie also sure do know their stuff. Be sure to check out the comment section for more information.