The Replacements were my life in the 80's. The greatest concert I ever saw was Replacements 1989 at the Oscar Meyer Theatre in Madison, Wisconsin. Not the typical venue the Replacements had previously played, and there was a major conflict with the "anything goes" fans and the steroid security f***s who were on hand to make sure nobody had any fun.
The stage was set when Westerberg tried to ride a motorcycle on stage, just like Judas Priest, and security knobs jumped him immediately and grabbed the bike and pushed it back off stage.
The show was decent but this was a "theatre", not a club, and fans refused to stay in their seats, and the security f***s constantly jumped fans throughout the night who were standing on seats and roughly removed them from the theater.
When the show ended, the band came out for the expected encore, left the stage and the lights come on. Just about everybody had filed out of the place and were hitting the street when sombody yelled "They're back !".A mad rush ensued and all those security f***heads tried to put a human wall up to block people from getting back in but the crowd was too strong. They ended up having to flee to the stage and squatted down at the front while the Replacements played one more song. It was awesome.
Oh, best Replacements song by far is "Left of the Dial"
Best Westerberg Album is Stereo.
Saw them one more time in 1991 on the last tour when Westerberg stopped drinking. Just wasn't the same. It was time to change and the right time for that band to call it quits and Westerberg went in a different direction and I'll always immediately buy anything he ever puts out.
But wouldn't a Replacements reunion be cool? Too bad Bob can't make it.