My uncle got me tickets for my fifteenth birthday and I went with him and my best friend at the time. I was a metal head at the time and this was a few days before Metallica came out with St. Anger. The lineup was Mudvayne, Deftones, Linkin Park, Limp Bizkit and of course Metallica.

I showed up for the end of Mudvayne which disappointed me but got to see them play Dig which was my favorite song so I guess that was ok. I had just gotten into the Deftones and they were touring for their self-titled album at the time. I had really only listened to White Pony which my cousin from the last ticket stubs post had gotten me a year or two before. I thought they were great but everyone around me disagreed. I was a closet Linkin Park fan at the time because they weren’t metal enough for my friends and I didn’t want to be made fun of. I have to say that this band puts on an insane live show. This was Limp Bizkit’s first “comeback” and I could careless about them because Wes wasn’t in the band anymore. Don’t lie to yourself, you listened to Nookie and Rollin on repeat when they first came out. The highlight of their set was Fred Durst shooting a fake shotgun into the crowd and venturing to the opposite side of Giants Stadium (rip). Fifteen year old Tom flipped a shit for Metallica and did all of the toolbag things you can imagine. Banged my head till my neck hurt, devil horns in the air, sing alongs and I’m pretty sure I cut the sleeves off my shirt so I looked like I belonged in some southern state. Actually, I’m positive I did that.

Fun fact about this show: first time I ever saw a woman flash her boobs at a concert. Fifteen year old Tom loved it but twenty four year old Tom would probably still love it.