I saw G. G. Allin in 1989. It was on July 29th, at Wally's on 3rd Street in Bethlehem, PA. Wally's was a disgusting hole, operated by a physics prof from Lehigh U. I saw some great shows there (e.g. the Original Sins' record release party for The Hardest Way, a few days after I turned twenty-one; their keyboard player, Dan McKinney, was checking IDs at the door (DIY, man!) and wished me a happy birthday. ...and then they got on stage and rocked like motherfuckers.)
G. G. Allin was useless. He was pathetic. He shambled blindly around the stage and muttered into the mike. I think he poured cheap beer on himself: Ahh, debauchery. Maybe he sometimes had a good night, but that night wasn't it. The band was competent but they looked and played like they were watching the clock. This is the new Iggy? Riiiiight...
The stupid kids all punched each other and beat their friends' heads against tables and the floor. The police came. I left early. Wally's was closed for fire code violations within a year or two, but that wasn't the real reason: It was really because the place was just plain reprehensible in every conceivable respect.
The opener, Uptown Bones from Philly, rocked like bastards. Where are they now? I don't know, but I've got an uninspired posthumous CD by them which has eight flyers reproduced very tinily on the back, and one of them is for that mess at Wally's: This is how I know the date. The year isn't mentioned, but it was probably 1989 or 1990.
Node for the Ages?