Chapter Nineteen: I Can't Feel My Fingers, Oh No, Wait, I Can, I Think They're Bleeding.

It started with a guitar.

It was 1998. A wonderful, magical 1998. I got my first guitar that year. I'd finally convinced my Dad to let me get one. Prior to his agreement, I was told, regularly that I'm not getting one, because I won't stick with it. Anyway, after fighting about it for weeks, he finally caved. He agreed to let me get an acoustic because, get this, they're quieter. Ha.

You see, electric guitars come with two wonderful functions. The first being volume control, the second being the ability to use head phones.

So we headed over to Long & McQuade, the one near Keele Street, on Steels. After some relatively crappy customer service and trying out every acoustic guitar under $100, we left, leaving me mildly unimpressed.

In the near future, we visited an uncle of mine, actually, an uncle of my dads. The whole house played guitar. I picked up an acoustic, probably a Yamaha of sorts, and hammered out some Nirvana tunes, not as well as I could have, but better than was expected of me. My uncle asked me how long I've been playing, and what kind of guitar I have. I explained to him that I've been learning over the past few years on a friends guitar, that I really want an electric guitar, and my dads beliefs.

My uncle chuckled, and explained to my dad why the electric was the quieter option, but then explained to me why I'd want an acoustic. In all honesty, it all went in one ear and out the other. I was 14 years old, and I knew what I wanted. You can't mess with that.

After a long conversation about the pros and cons of each. He told me he had a guitar, an electric guitar, and a tube amp collecting dust in his basement, and that I was welcome to it.

We walked down the stairs, we didn't even turn the lights on, and there, in the middle of the room sat the guitar, literally covered in dust, leaning against the amp, in the spotlight of the sun beaming through the barely-above-ground window. Like it was sent down from the heavens. I picked it up, dusted it off, and there it was, my beautiful, custom made vantage. From that moment on, we were inseparable.

1998 was also the year of my first concert. Edge Fest '98. It was amazing, maybe not to the people who had been to concerts prior to this massive event, but I couldn't have asked for a better first concert experience. Spending the day with 40 000 other people, all there for the same reason might be the best experience ever.

It was Canada Day, and my first "Steve" experience. Steve is the guy with the clown wig on, who's mastered the art of setting the tone. After singing "Oh, Canada" at least half a dozen times in the line up, and lets not forget, that one time in french, a few rounds of the wave, and a bit of impatience, we were frisked, and we were let in.

Immediately drawn to the side stage, seeing as it was the only stage with music on it, we ventured over. Occasionally looking at the seemingly endless lines of jewelry, t-shirt, and paraphernalia booths. And then it happened, the gates to the main stage were opened.

With a powerful line up consisting of Bif Naked, Sloan, Matthew Good Band, The Foo Fighters, Green Day, Moist and headlining, The Tea Party. Each tried to out show the prior with some sort of gimmick. Bif had bra's lining the stage, Sloan tried to be extra Canadian (after all it was Canada Day), Matthew Good Band, well to be honest I don't really remember them. The Foo Fighters crucified a man only known as "Dan, the Man", We though Green Day was going to stop at Billy Joe's leopard print thong, but topped that by setting their drums, and the stage, on fire. David Usher, of Moist, entertained us with a few songs from his solo career, and an attempt at ballet. Lastly, The Tea Party put on the light show of that century, only topped in recent years by Nine Inch Nails and their Lights in the Sky tour. Mid-set, they were joined by what Jeff Martin called their special guest Edwin (previously from I Mother Earth), either before or after he asked us to light up those funny looking cigarettes.

Gimmicks aside, the music rocked from start to finish, and started what we had hoped to be a yearly ritual for us, which sadly only lasted a few years. It started with Bif, and ended with Hole, and the closing of Molson Park.

Concerts to follow that year, would include Edge Fest '99, and 2000, the original Summersault Festival, Pearl Jam and Friends, a few Green Day Concerts, The Offspring (which led to our introduction to The Living End), The Living End, System of a Down, Fuel, Finger Eleven, and Nine Inch Nails. What can I say, it's been a good run so far. I can't wait to see what the future has in store. As music and tastes change, life only seems to get more interesting.

In the mean time, I'm gonna crawl back into bed, my Vantage is calling.