Mike Baretz - FIRST CONCERT EVER

In this First Concert Ever segment, the pop/R&B artist, Mike Baretz, talks about the story of his first experience with live music. You can check out the story below:

My first concert growing up was the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the Prudential Center in NJ. I was an eleven year old, and like many people who pick up the guitar, had fallen deeply in the chili peppers and john frusciante wormhole. It almost feels like a rite of passage for guitarists. I had spent so many hours at that point just trying to learn their songs and play his parts. So much time just going through each album and trying to figure out damn near every single song. So seeing them in person was the first time seeing music live that I felt deeply connected to and fallen in love with.

I went with my family and remember watching teenagers in front of me drinking a mysterious liquid and smoking right in front of the ledge and hoping they wouldn’t fall off the ledge of the upper deck lol. I think a notable moment was definitely seeing the intro of Under the Bridge. such a classic riff. I also remember really enjoying ‘Meet Me At the Corner’ off of the album that they had been touring and felt super proud to be a fan that didn’t know just the hits and hear and enjoy an album cut.

Overall it was a great night with my family and my favorite band, and eleven year old me could not have loved it more. It definitely inspired me to go deeper and find more of their stuff to learn!

Keep up with Mike Baretz on Instagram.