Top Songs — 1993
▶ Spotify PlaylistIn early 1993, Dinosaur Jr played Binghamton University (Mandela Room, for those who know it). My friend Gayle was working hospitality and recruited me and my three suitemates to work security. Previous shows had drawn rowdy high schoolers, so they wanted extra bodies. I had no experience — just the promise of a free ticket, a cool security tag, and my first GA show.
At the venue, we got our assignments. The head of security put five of us on stage, crouched in front of the band to manage crowd surfers. At the time, I didn't realize how weird this was — I've never seen anything like it since.
The rules were simple: if someone surfed to the stage, they had to dive off immediately. If they lingered, we'd "help" them off. Things ran smoothly at first, but then one diver landed badly, gashed his face, and all bets were off. Security decided no one else could reach the stage. The crowd did not take this well. They heckled the band — "Dinosaur Jr, don't you like your fans?" — and turned their anger toward us.
The security guard next to me, Ron, was especially hot-tempered, and tensions escalated. Eventually, a fan grabbed Ron and yanked him into the pit. Bad idea. Ron went down swinging, absolutely demolishing the kid who pulled him in. Another guard and I rushed to haul Ron back up — unclear whether we were saving him or saving the fan from further damage. The chaos ended only when the set did. Dinosaur Jr walked off to a chorus of boos, seemingly unaware of the mini-riot unfolding at their feet.
Despite the madness, I fell in love with the small-show, GA format that night. Even though I don't particularly like being in crowds, nothing matches the energy of being immersed in live music. A big part of why I stay engaged with new music is to keep chasing that feeling — to keep finding times where the music and the moment collide in amazing and unpredictable ways.
1.⭐ James — Laid
2.⭐ Archers Of Loaf — Web in Front
3.⭐ Liz Phair — Divorce Song
4.⭐ The Smashing Pumpkins — Mayonaise
5.⭐ Sugar — JC Auto
6.⭐ Red House Painters — Mistress
7.⭐ Sugar — Tilted
8.⭐ Yo La Tengo — Nowhere Near
9.⭐ The Smashing Pumpkins — Hummer
10.⭐ The Smashing Pumpkins — Cherub Rock
11.⭐ Pulp — Lipgloss
12.⭐ Dinosaur Jr. — Start Choppin'
13.⭐ Belly — Feed the Tree
14.⭐ The Lemonheads — I'll Do It Anyway
15.⭐ U2 — Zooropa
16.⭐ Arcwelder — And Then Again
17.⭐ Liz Phair — Never Said
18.⭐ Slowdive — Machine Gun
19.⭐ Radiohead — Stop Whispering
20.⭐ Sugar — Judas Cradle
21.⭐ Sebadoh — Soul And Fire
22.⭐ Soul Asylum — Summer of Drugs
23.⭐ Luna — Indian Summer
24.⭐ Belly — Dusted
25.⭐ Catherine Wheel — Show Me Mary
26.⭐ Superchunk — Mower
27.⭐ The London Suede — Animal Nitrate
28.⭐ Slowdive — When The Sun Hits
29.The Flaming Lips — Turn It On
30.Mekons — Millionaire
31.The Breeders — Cannonball
32.The Verve — Slide Away
33.Aerosmith — Cryin'
34.Liz Phair — Fuck And Run
35.Radiohead — I Can't
36.Teenage Fanclub — Hang On
37.Pearl Jam — Rearviewmirror
38.Hammerbox — Hed
39.Superchunk — The Question Is How Fast
40.Dr. Dre;Snoop Dogg — Nuthin' But A G Thang
41.The Breeders — Divine Hammer
42.New Order — Regret
43.Unrest — Make Out Club
44.Frank Black — Hang On to Your Ego
45.Mazzy Star — Fade Into You
46.John Mellencamp — Human Wheels
47.The Flaming Lips — She Don't Use Jelly
48.Pet Shop Boys — Go West
49.The Lemonheads — Dawn Can't Decide
50.Hammerbox — Trip
51.Archers Of Loaf — Wrong
52.Yo La Tengo — The Whole of the Law
53.The Smashing Pumpkins — Rocket
54.Buffalo Tom — Sodajerk
55.Bikini Kill — Rebel Girl
56.Uncle Tupelo — New Madrid
57.The Lemonheads — Into Your Arms
58.Bad Religion — American Jesus
59.The Smashing Pumpkins — Luna
60.The Juliana Hatfield Three — My Sister
61.Liz Phair — Help Me Mary
62.Therapy? — Screamager
63.Duran Duran — Ordinary World
64.The Cranberries — Linger
65.The Breeders — Saints
66.Slowdive — Alison
67.Red House Painters — Grace Cathedral Park
68.Catherine Wheel — The Nude
69.Catherine Wheel — Strange Fruit
70.The Smashing Pumpkins — Disarm
71.U2 — Stay (Faraway, So Close!)
72.Slowdive — 40 Days
73.The Lemonheads — Down About It
74.Dinosaur Jr. — I Ain't Sayin'
75.Nirvana — Heart-Shaped Box
76.Manic Street Preachers — La Tristesse Durera (Scream to a Sigh)
77.Ice Cube — It Was A Good Day
78.James — Say Something
79.The Fall — I'm Going to Spain
80.Cypress Hill — Insane in the Brain
81.Pearl Jam — Daughter
82.James — Sometimes
83.Melissa Etheridge — I'm The Only One
84.Björk — Human Behaviour
85.Duran Duran — Come Undone
86.Pearl Jam — Crazy Mary
87.Eleventh Dream Day — After This Time Is Gone
88.The Posies — Dream All Day
89.Urge Overkill — Positive Bleeding
90.Yo La Tengo — From a Motel 6
91.Eleventh Dream Day — Makin' Like a Rug
92.Archers Of Loaf — Might
93.Swervedriver — Last Train To Satansville
94.Tindersticks — City Sickness
95.Catherine Wheel — Crank
96.Heavenly — Atta Girl
97.Frank Black — Los Angeles
98.Mega City Four — Iron Sky
99.Cracker — Low
100.Urge Overkill — Sister Havana