Rock genres dominate many concert memories

Get ready for a rock ’n’ roll train wreck, nickel harp metal, a “Carnival of Sins” and more as we dive into another round of one of my favorite questions: What is your all time favorite concert in Pensacola?

Entertainment manager Tracy Popa’s life revolves around live music, so choosing one concert was a tall order, but a full-on, heavy metal circus from 2005 topped her list.

“Motley Crue’s Carnival of Sins Tour at the (Pensacola) Civic Center,” said Popa, who manages local group Jukebox Superhero. “Getting to see a legend like that, but also the stage show and the pyrotechnics and the dancers was phenomenal. It was sexy. (It) just epitomized rock ’n’ roll.”

The concert was also special to Popa for another reason.

“That Motley Crue concert was an anniversary present to my husband, with backstage passes for the meet-and-greet.”

Sometimes in the rock ’n’ roll gamble, you might go to a show just to have a good time and get rewarded with one of the most memorable concerts of your life.

Music enthusiast Angelique Watzka Stewart hit such a jackpot when she attended a concert at the Pensacola Civic Center in 2008.

“It’s the Foo Fighters, the most amazing show I’ve ever seen,” Stewart said. “That’s not actually one of my favorite groups at all, but that was the best show I’ve ever seen in Pensacola. Very talented.”

For musician Brent Condon, the concert gamble included his impromptu assistance.

“My favorite show in Pensacola would be Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum, which was at Sluggo’s shortly after (Hurricane) Ivan.” said the University of West Florida nursing student. “They’re very much a Mr. Bungle-influenced band; very experimental metal, which is not normally my thing, but seeing them live, amazing.”

Crediting their musicianship and theatrical presence for a memorable show, Condon unexpectedly became part of the performance.

“I go to the bathroom and I come back and — Sleepy Time Gorilla Museum plays a lot of homemade instruments — Carla (Kihlstedt), their violinist, has this thing that’s got all these strings and keys and she’s bowing it, and I’m like ‘What is that?’ I said it so loud that Carla and (guitarist) Nils (Frykdahl) looked at me and just had to totally reign back to not burst out laughing mid-song. After the song, Nils, who’s got the basso profondo deep voice said, ‘As the gentleman in the crowd was inquiring, what Carla was playing was the Bavarian folk instrument known as the nickel harp.’ and I was like, ‘Thanks! That’s pretty awesome.’ ”

For psychotherapist Rachel Levesque, a hell-raising Los Angeles hard rock group stole her top honors.

“Definitely Faster Pussycat at The Handlebar,” Levesque said. “They’re a train wreck, but they’re a beautiful train wreck and it was entertaining.”

So be prepared the next time you step out to see a show. Whether you’re a casual listener or a lifelong fan, you may just be walking into a band on fire and your favorite concert of all time.