MUSHROOMHEAD 1993

I’m going to write a series on my Cleveland concert going in the 90’s…and it wouldn’t be the 90’s in Cleveland without Mushroomhead!

I want to talk to you about all the fun I had at the infamous Agora in Cleveland Ohio. I want you to believe all the stories you’ve heard – Cleveland really does Rock. I’ve experienced so many Fantastic unbelievable garish sinfully outrageous bizarre concerts people and Situations at the awesome Agora and of course in the early days and the hey day of Mushroomhead! Because during the 90s it was nothing for me to see about 80 concerts a year, I feel it’s really important to document for those of you who weren’t there who wish you could have been there and those of you who should have been there to read and understand all about it.

I Cannot say enough about the Agora it’s my absolute favorite place to see a show in Cleveland. For one, it was general admission, my favorite. You could get as close or as far as you needed to be from the stage.

But first, the exterior… parking was so far away you had to walk a few blocks because the parking lot was always full, but the best spot was by a now-defunct Mr. Hero or the gas station right across the road on East 55th. You would have to start lining up along Euclid and wait in line until you got into the building. Posters that would line the side of the building, all from the 70s – half of the Bands I didn’t even know but I knew that they were important to Cleveland. By the time you were able to get in and you’d enter through a foyer and hallway and then you would turn to the left there would be the ticket window to the right and you’d have to go up some steps before you get stamps and later you’d have to get patted down but that’s after a lot of fisticuff. Being patted down in the metal detectors – that became normal probably I say sometime in about 94 when Mushroomhead started getting pretty gosh darn big. After getting through security there was a smaller bar to your right and one larger bar to your left and then there was the merch table you descend down some steps and there’d be all the Mushroomhead merch you want to fight over.

THE BALLROOM

It was separated into two venues joined by a common big huge hall, one was called the ballroom my absolute – favorite because it was so small and so near the bars and you had to walk down a another flight of steps to get down to it. It’s just a fantastic place you’d be smashed in there, so much fun. I’ll probably talk about that later. Mushroomhead was just too big to play in that section. Just wasn’t big enough to hold the crowds and Mushroomhead drew so big for a local band it was so hard to even get a ticket and I’ll go into that later too. The interior is so Majestic and has all these plaster reliefs I know they were crumbling but it was so royal it was almost like a museum. And then there are balconies . I never really went up there because I wanted to be close to the band but if you haven’t seen it you’ve got to.

THE THEATRE

The big theatre that’s where Mushroomhead played you’d walk through those doors they would be a Bar to the extreme right and then there would be all these rows of seats set up like a theater rotund so they would descend to the left and to the right. Along the walls they were series of steps then Plateau series of steps of plateau series of steps and then finally you would come down to the orchestra where you could descend the steps. It was huge space before the stage and the stage is up pretty high. Huge stage and a vast open space like I said they were balconies but they were also private to the left into the right more little private balcony booths. Again all kinds of plaster reliefs just an awesome awesome place.

Mushroomhead at the Agora would usually bring outstanding supporting bands with them local bands like Runt, 13 Faces of course Mushroomhead side project 216. In the early days Mushroomhead with string together a curtain of brown craft paper they would play all their intros and then Yank It Down they come out with wearing all kinds of masks- gas masks Ace Frehley mask Pig – Good Times. The original Roxy and Mario would be there all decadent. And the crowd would go wild they were hostile, violent, push you around crowd-surf all night long – but if you fell they would help you up it was a rarity when things got out of hand. Sometimes especially if guys got too drunk they would get it ejected. And I’m telling you I’ve never seen so much crowd euphoria and audience participation I mean from the get-go Mushroomhead had it. I’ve been to many kinds of shows and I know Mushroomhead are fans and I love Kiss, too, but I got to tell you nothing absolutely nothing could top a 90s Mushroomhead show – I’m talking even before the camo.

Mushroomhead became so big that ticket agencies started carrying their tickets. I stayed down in the pit but far enough away so I wouldn’t get smashed or too many people would fall on me that happened a lot. I lost a couple of shoes but being a short girl I just knew I wanted to be down in that action and they were loud make no mistake about it – my ears know and I’ve lost some hearing from too many shows but in order to get that full experience you had to be there! Like I said I’ve been to many Kiss shows but the level of people dressing like their heroes from Mushroomhead was crazy. Especially in the beginning when the mask was something that you could probably find at a store good stuff. A lot of the more risky girls would dress like Roxy. But I never understood why none of the guys tried to be like Mario, darn! As a footnote I wonder where that guy is now!

Mushroomhead used to toss all kinds of stuff into the crowd, sometimes their merch but mostly just things they bought specifically for the show. Speaking of merch even in the early days they had VHS then later DVDs stickers patches I remember them having jumpsuits masks and this was before all the camo of super Buick CD. Back in the crowd there were guys who landed on my head and I haven’t even touched on the Halloween shows so let’s start there.

HALLOWEEN

Mushroomhead Halloween at The Agora soon became legendary…. everyone would scramble to get a ticket. They have the biggest best show for Halloween they design stages specifically for the shows and they were super fun and again I’m talking about the Jman years. And anything with Jman was outstanding. Remember this was the 90’s so I was dressed as Batgirl. I remember trying to crawl out of the pit but somebody was stepping on my cape! There was a lot of booze beer pot crazy women trying to be Roxy, not too many Mario’s though! The Mush guys before the show with mingle in the crowd sometimes without their masks or makeup and then of course after the show. It was so unbelievably crowded in there a lot of guys sweating slimy drunk puking in the trash cans but it was so thrilling. I would take friends of mine who in no way shape form or means even remotely liked metal music, they’d go once and experienced it and want to come again! Problem of course was getting the money up to buy everyone’s ticket! So usually I’d have to rotate friends but from 93 on until Jman left I never missed a show. Only later after I experienced Waylon it just wasn’t the same for me I’m sure it wasn’t the same for a lot. There would be lines to the restroom people passed out sometimes the bouncers dragging guys out the side doors. The bar inside the theater was always lined up. The balconies were full of private parties amps were loud but luckily my hearing lost helped a lot.

The Faded Elegance of the Agora cannot be topped and one time when I did get a little tipsy cuz I’m usually light-duty and I don’t drink much. All I remember about a Mushroomhead show are three things – confetti, two tall guys looking down saying ‘ are you okay’ and my one friend in a balcony yelling down to me ‘hey I got up here .’ After that only two screwdrivers for me period. Can’t say enough about the crowd and how everybody was just part of the fan base and we all got it. We all knew the music cues and what to say and how to react. I’ll never forget all the girls in the restroom passed out vomiting smoking .

I’ve seen it least 80 shows minimum at the Agora alone. That place just hold so many great fun memories. I absolutely love the way it was so dark in there when you want to see a band so you’re just focused in that atmosphere. I never did drugs and like I said I was a light drinker so I am so fully aware of all the great things that went on and all the bizarre things that people did. These people were probably doing some recreational drugs worse they were drunk but boy were they having a great time. You’ve never seen so many shirtless big guys all sweaty because they’re in the pit it was a rarity to see a guy who still had a shirt on. It was a huge party to get your aggression out and to be honest since I was in the pit I’d keep track of Jman and that was about it. I was too busy hearing the music and making sure then I got out of there alive.

But absolutely everyone who attended those shows won the lottery. You are a multi-millionaire if you attended those shows and were able to see them in succession. Now bear in mind I live a good hours drive from there but I would go to Cleveland every time for Mushroomhead and then some. I would be remiss if I didn’t thank the owners of the Agora for all those great shows. Cleveland really does Rock no doubt about it.

I did see some other great shows there so many I really have to write them all down and think about but those that stand out especially are 311 in the ballroom. I went to get my friend a beer and you have to cross the crowd to go up the steps to get to the bar by the time I got the beer went down the steps across the crowd to get to my friend the beer can was crushed and there might have been a quarter of the beer left – great freaking times!

Mushroomhead at the Agora wow you had to be there -you can’t even describe the atmosphere so much excitement just leading up to it and the other bands opening bands Runt so fun and angry 216 angry Mushroomhead they were ferocious but it was a good anger not a violent anger. Everyone who I took to experience it would want to go again and again and again. It was unbelievable it was a phenomenon. People would be lined up around that building waiting to get in.

We actually knew the parking lot attendants at the Mr. Hero section. They recognized us that’s how often we were there. I remember the man telling me he recognized quite a few of the people but us especially because we came from afar. Mushroomhead was kind of like a movement it was different listening to the CD you had to experience it. I’ve seen them relatively recently and again not even close to what they were. A show then was a tangible feeling of excitement and energy like nothing else I’ve experienced since.

If you want to one show you probably went to them to them all!

Long live The Belkins!!!