April 19th, 1997

​Not to sound braggadocios but growing up I was a really good kid. Family and friends could attest to that. I made it a habit from day 1 of doing the things the right way. 

Respecting your elders. 

​Helping old folks cross the street.

Ok the last one was a tad exaggerated. Furthermore -- I sound like a complete douchebag. 

But the title of this blog entry represents my one "get out of jail" free card of my  teenage life. 

Exactly 20 years ago on April 19, 1997, I saw Metallica in concert for the very first time in person at the old Miami Arena in downtown Miami. A big deal for me in every which way if you know how big a fan I was and still am of Metallica. But it isn't so much the attending concert that was significant although that was the main course. It represented the ONLY I have ever lied to my mom about my whereabouts of that weekend. 
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The story actually starts at my old church I use to attend. I had a fellow friend name Daniel, who was first off

a) black like me
b) a fellow bass player
c) loved Metallica

First off there was no way in hell my mother was going to allow me to attend the Metallica show even if I asked her. Growing up in a strict Christian household their music was already off limits in the house. Now that did not necessarily stop me from hiding the CD's under my bed and listening to any forms of secular music whenever I was outside the doors of my home. You do what you can to survive. 

But that's a whole other story. 
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So I took a huge chance. My friend Daniel, who was already planning on attending the show so we had to figure out a plan to get me into the Miami Arena that fateful Saturday. The plan was to get my mom to agree to spend the weekend at his house so we can go to the concert. I felt weird doing this because no matter how rebellious I got as a teenager (which was hardly) I always kept my parents at a high regard. Lying was never an option.

​Except THIS TIME!! I had to be at that concert.

You want to know what was even crazier. My friend's dad was even in on the plan. Imagine another parent actually being ok with me lying to my mom just to go see Metallica live in concert. It's insane.

Anyway my mom actually agreed to let me stay at his house for that weekend which in all honesty was shocking. 
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The rest as they say is history. Saturday April 19, 1997 at the age of 16 (I turned 17 years old 11 days later), I met him with my fellow high school friend's Leo, Patrick, Jonathon and others and proceeded to have one of the greatest nights of my life. An awesome concert with my favorite band TO THIS DAY on the planet. 

For a kid who was raised in a pretty conservative household, that night was my one and lone chance at rebellion. The one night I got to see how it was to be a kid who did not follow the rules.

I succeeded with flying colors. 

​Now -- years later I have since confessed to my mom about that April 19th day. She still shakes her head about it in disbelief.