1982: Backstage Passes @ Capital Centre

Freshly expelled from Gonzaga High School I ended up with a 17-year-old’s dream job where I got to meet some of the major rock stars of the day.

The restaurant where I worked – the American Cafe in Georgetown – had the catering contract for shows that played @ Capital Centre. These are some of the backstage passes I saved from that experience. 

I got to meet The Who, Van Halen, Queen, Ozzy, Rainbow and others. Serve ’em food, bring drinks then watch the show from the wings.

My buddy and I tried to convince the staff at the Four Seasons in Georgetown (where The Who were staying) that we had still more food and had to serve it to the band immediately. We were shown the door.

Favorite backstage moment: I got to watch Eddie Van Halen warm up to a Slim Whitman 8-track before the gig on the Fair Warning tour. Mind = blown.

Runner-up? Drinking beer with Ozzy’s midget after he’d been “strung up” during the act.