19 Years of BBG!
How can that be? I started BBG! on December 3, 2006 and now it’s that same date in 2025. Good lord, I’m old (but so are you!)
It’s been a wild ride of so much fun music, great shows, freelancing, and meeting so many readers. A lot of you are my actual friends just because of this goofy site. Like, we text, send Christmas cards and even vacation together. That’s what music can do!
Nineteen years? I’ve been married for 23 years this Sunday, meaning BBG! has been a large part of that relationship too. Eric just shakes his head and accepts that music is just part of my identity. Luckily he’s a big music guy too with very similar tastes. He’s always my partner-in-crime at live shows. Once he almost got killed at the barrier of an Avenged Sevenfold concert getting pictures for me to use here and for Noisecreep.
Remember back in 2007 when Rocklahoma happened for the first time? God we were kings then. So many great bands, all on one amazing bill in the middle of freaking nowhere Oklahoma. It was sweaty, dusty and a blast. That’s when I got my picture taken with Jani Lane. I saw him the next summer at Rock the Bayou with Warrant and that was his last live show ever. Yes, I went to RTB down in Texas for this site, too. I escaped Hurricane Gustav at that fest.
I got to meet Tommy Lee and Mick Mars backstage at Rock on the Range in 2009. Tommy commented on my dimples (which aren’t very pronounced but whatever) and Eric did a head nod with one of the dude’s in Avenged Sevenfold. Heather was terrified by Slipknot and was bewildered when I dance-moshed with some strange dude all through their set. I also saw George Michael - which is my favorite concert ever - in Philadelphia with Heather and Eric in 2008.
I’ve gone on lots of music-related vacations over the years, including cruises (ShipRocked was born from the Motley Cruise) and I was there for the big Gun’s n’ Roses sold-out reunion in Las Vegas. I’ve found so many obscure bands, just sifting through forums and YouTube looking for content for this site. Hell, I fell in love with Bandlands because of YouTube. That wonderful self-titled debut came out in 1989 and it just got lost among the other MTV hits for me back then. I mean, I was only 10. I’ve talked about that debut album so many times to so many different people, I feel like the world knows how much I love it. My friend and coworker Jim found a vinyl copy of that album for me when he was on vacation up the East Coast. The guy who owned the AirBnB Jim was renting happened to have records for guests to use… and Badlands was among the pile! Jim was able to talk the guy into selling it and it became one of the best birthday gifts I’ve ever received. Eric gasped when I opened it.
I swear I’ve gotten jobs because of this site too. I don’t mean writing gigs. I mean like my actual 9-5. People ask me about hobbies, I mention the site and folks are amused and then probably impressed I can keep up with something so long. Really, it’s just spite. After all, all things are possible through spite, which strengthens me. I refuse to break my streak and here we are.
In honor of that great George Michael show, another anniversary: 41 years ago today “Last Christmas” was released. The only acceptable Christmas tune!
