Bad Brains tomorrow night. The thought of seeing them is bittersweet. I know it's not going to be like it used to be and I'm afraid I'm going to go see a shadow of what once was.

My first Brains show was in 1983 at the Olympic Auditorium. H.R. was a no show so the bass player (his name escapes me) for Scream (another D.C. band) filled in for him.

The next time I saw them was at Fender's Ballroom, 1987 - the I Against I tour. That was so amazing. I hadn't become a friend of the band yet.

The last time I saw the real Bad Brains was the Country Club, 1989 - the Quickness tour. That was even more amazing then the Fenders show.

I'll tell you how it went.