Petting Zoo - FIRST CONCERT EVER

In this First Concert Ever segment, Zack, from the pop band, Petting Zoo, talks about the story of his first experience with live music. You can check out the story below:

My mother took me to see the Police on their reunion tour in New York City when I was ten years old. She’s a huge fan of the group, and by that point in my childhood she had already instilled in me only slightly inferior levels of affinity. She’d seen one Police show and a couple Sting shows after they first split, as I believe the tour we attended marked 20 years since they had last shared the stage.

I remember a growing drone of chitter-chatter and restlessness as the crowd awaited the trio’s arrival - the reader may know show business can make a habit of delaying a performance from the time advertised on a ticket. In an instant the lights dimmed, suspenseful whoops and cheers proliferating; about a minute later the three Police leaped on stage with the beginning of “Message in a Bottle”.

Man, the volume! I couldn’t believe how loud the venue had gotten. My mother sufficiently treated my sensory overload with periodic hugs and check-ins while singing along to Sting all night. Next they played our favorite, “Walking on the Moon”, followed by an entirely captivating and commendable reunion of one of rock’s foremost hitmakers. To this day the Police provide me with some of the most re-listenable tracks in my library, and my band's even covered "Message in a Bottle" live on numerous occasions. (If you hear the rhythm guitar on "Rum Raisins", you may notice 9th chords inspired by the signature style of Andy Summers, who's further influenced acoustic guitar mavens like Dave Matthews and John Mayer.) I owe this fandom chiefly to my mom for bringing me to one of the loudest and most spectacular live events of my young life.

Keep up with Petting Zoo on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.