LIVE BRADFORD BALLROOM, BOSTON 1981
The date was October 21, 1981. The scene was out front of the Bradford Ballroom, Boston, MA. Scheduled to play the Bradford tonight at 9:00pm was the only ever Boston gig of The Professionals. It was at approximately 6:00pm when it all began, and it was NOT just another dream.
Myself , Mike and Joe were all hanging around the Bradford, cans of beer concealed in our jackets. We didn't have tickets for the gig, but had to be there, just knowing that two of our heroes, amongst many in the punk scene, were somewhere in the area....we had been in a punk band for over a year now and Boston was our hangout...our band was called the Incineratorz, and we played a few local gigs at some seedy clubs in Boston, but we were mostly a party band playing to numerous friends at house parties and cellar gigs.
As we stood outside the Bradford Ballroom just posing and drinking our beers, the front doors opened and out walked Steve Jones and Paul Cook. Me, Mike and Joe immediately recognized them and called to them. They came right over to us and openly engaged us in conversation. After providing Cook with a cold beer, we explained that we did not actually have tickets for the gig. No problem they said, follow us. In the front doors we followed Steve and Paul, all the while they were telling any security types, "They're with us"....We went into the stage area and watched the roadies assemble the stage. Steve and Paul left stating they had to go find some decent food. We stood around for about an hour, still amazed at what just happened.
At approximately 7:30pm, Steve and Paul returned and again we started talking. The Boston punk scene was discussed as well as the fact that me and my friends had an active band. All of a sudden Steve states "We may need you guys to open support tonight, one of the acts hasn't shown up yet. Talk about a reality check, any buzz we were feeling from our beers went cold and reality hit home. We were just asked to possibly open for the band that we worshipped (actually not The Professionals, but the Sex Pistols, but at that time they were the same to us). We immediately went to to the pay phones in an attempt to contact our bass player who was not with us. We never did play that night. To tell the truth I don't know what happened, I don't remember if the support bands did play...it was to be Boys Life and the Future Dads.
Most of the night it kind of a blur, it was almost twenty years ago, and I was an 18 year old punk amazed at what had transpired so far. Although we did not get to open for The Professionals, the night was not over. After an amazing show by The Professionals we ended up backstage. We sat and drank from barrels full of iced Heinekens with Steve and Paul till 2 a.m...although they did not speak in detail of the Sex Pistols I will always remember this quote from Paul Cook when asked about Sid, "you wouldn't believe the stories about Sid"...we left in a drunken haze, I don't remember the actual departure. I do know to this day that this night was one of the most memorable nights of my life, and displayed to me what the whole punk movement was about. Steve and Paul, thanx for the memories.
Mike from Boston...Feb. 2000.
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