Marina Swamp : Jacksonville 1978, 1979, 1980 & 1996
I was raised in a music loving family...
We always had the stereo on and we always danced around the living room singing and such...
My mom could sing opera and my dad could play the piano like Chopin ,Tchaikovsky or Franz Liszt...man he could play.
He started when he was 5 and my nanny saved up to get my dad the piano that was being sold at the local piano store and
when she finally got it he played and played that thing and on the weekend`s my nanny and papa would take him and his piano all
over town to let people hear him....he played at a lot of old folk`s home`s and church`s and wedding`s and such ...he just loved playing and
having people hear him. My uncle Gerhard in Germany has been in a band for 40 years and he plays the piano and accordion and he sing`s and just has a ball...
we would visit Germany occasionally and the Oktoberfest`s were the best....lot`s of music, dancing , parade`s , food and bier even
though at the time I didn't drink bier it was all so much fun...The last time I visited Germany was in 1975 and I was 15 and one night my
opa gave me a small glass of bier and said shhhhhhhhhhhhhh drink up young lady it will make ya feel good,,,so I was
15 and I wanted to feel good so I took one sip and was like holy crap wtf?...and looked at my opa and he was sitting there with a big smile on
his face saying " sehr gut ja " which mean`s taste good yes .....I just smiled and shook my head ....I didn't wanna hurt his feeling`s ..hehe!!
anyway`s I drank a lil with him that night and shorty afterward`s I remember wanting to get to sleep before my mom and oma came home ....lol....
By the time I was 13 ,I had a lil transistor radio attached to my hip and one day when I was about 15 I heard this lil band from Australia start playing on the radio and from that very moment I was an AC/DC fan. I knew when they came to town I was gonna be there on the front row rockin out , now the question was how and when? Well a few month`s later I hear that they were coming to my area and I had to be there. Later I hear the radio station was giving away concert tickets and I told my mom and she said you win the tickets and I will take you to the show so from that moment on I tried and tried to win and behold I WON!! I was known to win many many ticket`s to show`s back in the day....and with the rotary phone to..... It was August 1977 and I was so excited because I was gonna go and see my favorite band....I had won 2 tickets and my mom always made me take my lil sis to the show`s who was only 9 at the time....yep 9 ...I wish I knew why and what her reasoning was by that but hey I didn't mind one bit ....actually she went to all of the cool shows with me 8-) we had some really good time`s and we still share those stories
from time to time ....
In August of 1978 I saw them again and in December 1978 I met Robert and he also was a huge AC/DC fan
so that was a plus and we hit it off right away and I found out later that he was at both previous shows as well which was cool.
In October 1979 we saw AC/DC together along with my dad,who was the coolest dad ever and we all were just blown away soooooo
afterward` s Robert and I decided to try and get back stage because we were really wanting to meet our favorite band so we go to the back of the coliseum and the gate`s were open so we just walk right on in and people would look at us like we belonged and didn't say a thing ...so we were on a mission , a mission to find AC/DC...and in a distance we see a few folks going in and out of this room and a photographer was leaving so were were like , THEY ARE IN THERE....and
we walked right on in and no one said a thing except for Bon that is ....he walked right over to us and introduced him self ( as if we didn't know who he was ) :D and I was just kinda speechless and kinda shy back then ....lol....so Robert did most of the talking ...I was just taking it allllllllllll in.. .. Bon offered us some Heinys and started telling joke`s and such and later we had him autograph a business card that Robert had of his dads and he noticed it was a landscaping card and said to me"hey you need to come do my lawn " I was like well ok sure why not and he said " IN THE NUDE " I turned blood red and looked at Robert and he said go for it after all its Bon Scott and we all just laughed ..., he was such a nice guy and smiled all night and if we knew what we do today we would have invited him to the swamp where I`m sure he would have come with us because we have heard that Bon would just take off with his fans and then just show up in time for the next show . I`m just happy and honored that we had the chance to meet him so later on we gave hug`s and such and Bon went on his way with this groupie that was hanging around so we then mingle with Malcolm, Cliff , and Phil and took a few pictures and got autographs and such ...the only one we didn't meet was Angus and they said he was passed out on the bus ...lol....and before the picture of Malcolm and I he said I`m way shorter than you please squat so I did and we laughed as he was singing Splish Splash I was taking a bath ...anyway they were all so nice and we were just so excited to have met them....it was one of our highlight`s for sure.
On February 19th 1980 Bon died and we were just devastated and sad ,we just couldn't believe that our favorite singer was gone :(
R.I.P Bon we will never forget your kindness , your sense of humor and your music.
16 year`s Later they were coming to town and we wanted to go but we find out it`s the same day as the Gators season opener game so Robert asked our son Jessie what he would like to do and he picked the Gator game. I was gonna go no matter what so I asked my brother and he said sure.
A few day`s before the concert one of our customer`s wanted us to clean out their garage and take it all away so we did and in that stuff was this barrel so Robert was like I have an idea that will get you back stage and I was like ohhhhh nooooooo what is this clever idea of your`s ? He then got the barrel and painted it all up to be a barrel of dynamite, he painted TNT on it and made straps so I could wear it and that I did ...It appeared that I had nothing on but I was wearing shorts and a tube top ....my brother held a sign that said Rock and Roll and noise pollution and we walked around the coliseum a few time`s and hung out around the gate`s where the band`s usually go in and out and introduced myself to the security guards as they were having their picture`s taken with me and such .....lol.....so I was kinda working my magic and becoming bud`s with them ...anyways later on when the band was on their way they let us know so we could be prepared and when the van pulled up they were smiling real big and giving us the thumbs up and such and they went on in ....well we waited for about an hour and my brother said he was gonna go in and check out the shirts and such and I was like I will be right in because I had to get dressed because I surely couldn't wear the barrel to the show ... :D so I go the the car and get changed into regular clothes and was going to go in and I thought to myself let me check out the back one more time before heading into the show and as I was walking up by the wall I could hear someone say "where is that lady in the barrel"? So I ran up and was like I`m the lady in the barrel and he said wheres the barrel and I said in the car and he said the band wants to see you AND the barrel after the show and he handed me some back stage passes as he said the other is for the dude that was with you , I was ecstatic and thanked him and went to the seat, my brother was like well we tried and was like yeah we did (in a low sad voice) and then in a loud excited voice I said "and it worked " and showed him the passes ....yes he was elated as well.
The show was about to begin and this is Rosie,it was inflated for the song Whole lotta Rosie ....
So after the show we go right on in with all the cool folks ....hahahaha.....and I take my 8 x 10 of me and Bon and all my picture`s of them in 1979 and they loved them , they gave me some heineken`s and my brother a bud or something and we all just kinda hung out and talked and such, now Brian didn't sign the picture in honor of Bon so my brother and him just hung out all night and as a matter of fact everyone thought that they were brothers .... at one point this gal wanted her boob`s signed by the band and she gave the marker to my brother and they all just laughed ....and another gal had whipped cream and gave it to Brian and said put it any where on me and lick it off , I was like OH MY and my brother was like IM NEXT ....lmao.....and she let him ....oh lordy.
I then got autographs and picture`s and all was good....It was great to be alive!!!
There were about 30 people backstage that night and all I know is I am glad I was one of them . AC/DC is will always be one of my top favorite band`s , yeah even when Im old ...I mean older ....haha I just know I will be a rockin old granny one day and I`m gonna love it.
With that said I pretty much love all of their music, some song`s more than other`s but for the most part they still put on one hell of a show >>>>>> AC/DC rocks !!!!
