The Wayback with Ryan Sickler

Episode 99: Josh Wolf – Concert Campouts

Released: November 20, 2025

Overview

In this nostalgia-packed episode, Ryan Sickler welcomes comedian Josh Wolf back for a deep-dive into their wildest, most memorable concert experiences. Reminiscing about camping out for tickets, notorious outfits, and the unfiltered energy of live shows, Ryan and Josh share stories that blend humor, youthful innocence, and surprisingly heartfelt reflections on music and growing up. This episode is a true trip down memory lane, stacked with relatable coming-of-age moments and hilarious details about a different era of concert culture.

Key Discussion Points and Insights

The Lost Ritual of Camping Out for Concert Tickets

• Sleeping Out at the Mall:
  • Ryan shares about camping overnight at Owings Mills Mall for Ticketmaster releases, a bygone ritual now vanished with online sales.
  • “We would sleep out at Owings Mills Mall… on the concrete on the sidewalk… concert tickets went on sale at 8am.” – Ryan (04:19)
  • A bustling atmosphere of anticipation: "We'd play football all night. There’d be a good 100 some people out." (05:42)
  • Josh recalls his first campout at 16, with a story that quickly turns legendary.

Josh’s Legendary First Campout Experience

• The Paul Young Concert & Teenage Hijinks:
  • At 16, Josh’s friend invites him to camp out overnight for Paul Young tickets on a college campus – an intimidatingly grown-up experience.
  • Hilariously describes prepping his 'coolest' outfit: parachute pants, sleeveless zipper shirt, a “soccer cut” mullet, and thick chain.
  • Quote: “I showed up in my parachute pants and I had a sleeveless shirt that had a lot of zippers on it. I had a mullet that we called the soccer cut.” – Josh (07:47)
  • Tells a blush-worthy story of an encounter with a 21-year-old woman in the concert front row.
    • “She put her hands in my pants from behind me… Definitely came in my pants and on her hands in the parachute pants, dude.” (09:23-09:57)
  • The aftermath: An obvious mess on his shiny pants, noticed by the band. “It legit looked like I had the map of the United States like right across my leg.” (11:28)
  • Both reflect on how such experiences shape high-schoolers and their sense of cool.

Notable Fashion Flashbacks

• Fashion statements from the era: herringbone and gold rope chains, the defining “King Tut” style.
• "These went out of style. And then it was a gold rope that came... That's the rope." – Ryan (08:58)

Memorable Concert Stories & Cultural Milestones

• First Big Concerts:

  • Josh’s first: The Police’s Synchronicity Tour with R.E.M. opening – also his first time seeing people use drugs at a show. “I remember asking, what is that? ... There was a level of naive that… we weren’t exposed to things all the time.” – Josh (15:36)
  • Ryan: Run DMC and Beastie Boys “Together Forever” tour, 1987. Ticket prices evoke laughter (“16.50, that’s what it cost. Now it gets you a Coca Cola at the venue.” – 16:51)
  • The value of keeping old ticket stubs prompts a riff about family history and lost treasures.

• Jimmy Buffett, Grateful Dead, and the Parade of Free Spirits:

  • Jimmy Buffett concerts: Parrot heads, conga lines, and “so many saggy, old titties.” (19:24)
  • Grateful Dead shows: “That’s when the drugs would come to us…” Reminisces about the unique parking lot exchange and opium PB&Js. (21:31)
  • “Look, this stack of tickets says I didn’t have parents.” – Ryan (22:57)

• Local Scene Legends:

  • Ryan tells the story of seeing Van Halen in the ‘70s in backyard parties: “You’re getting to see Van Halen, David Lee Roth in a backyard. That’s crazy.” (24:28)
  • Josh on Seattle’s grunge heyday: Seeing Chris Cornell drop in at bars, being there for Kurt Cobain’s passing. (24:55)

The Band (or Album) That Changed Everything

• For Josh: Pink Floyd in college, but especially hearing Nirvana for the first time.

  • “Nevermind’s” Smells Like Teen Spirit was a revelation: “I remember sitting in that car like, what the is this? ... It tapped right into whatever we were feeling.” (27:09)
  • Meeting Dave Grohl: “For him to just talk Nirvana with me was just… Nirvana for me is the band that more than any… changed me.” (28:32)

• For Ryan:

  • Kiss (“What the hell is this?”); AC/DC’s Back in Black; Appetite for Destruction by Guns N’ Roses – “That’s rock and roll.” (26:47)

Jimi Hendrix and Prince: Music as Extension of Self

• Ryan is a “super freak” for Jimi Hendrix, once meeting bassist Noel Redding in L.A. and getting his album signed.
  • “He was an introvert offstage, but an extrovert on stage… watching someone put this flair. He brought fashion, flair. Lit it on fire. No one was doing anything like that.” (30:22)
• Both note the way certain musicians make their instrument an extension of self, with Prince as another unforgettable example.
  • “When I saw Prince live, it’s exactly how it felt. There’s no separation between that guitar. That guitar is part of him.” – Josh (32:36)
  • Visiting Paisley Park, Prince’s legendary studio, Josh is awestruck by the unassuming yet iconic setting. (32:57)

Reflections on Legacy: The 27 Club

• Both hosts reflect on the outsized impact and short lives of Hendrix (Ryan) and Cobain (Josh), and the other icons in the “27 Club” (Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison). (33:49)

Notable Quotes & Moments

• “She put her hands in my pants from behind me… Definitely came in my pants and on her hands in the parachute pants, dude.” – Josh (09:23)
• “Look, this stack of tickets says I didn’t have parents.” – Ryan (22:57)
• “You’re getting to see Van Halen, David Lee Roth in a backyard. That’s crazy.” – Ryan (24:28)
• “Nevermind’s Smells Like Teen Spirit… I remember sitting in that car like, what the is this? … It tapped right into whatever we were feeling at that time.” – Josh (27:09)
• “He was an introvert offstage, but an extrovert on stage… plugged himself in as that guitar was an extension of him.” – Ryan on Hendrix (30:22)
• “When I saw Prince live, there’s no separation between that guitar. That guitar is part of him.” – Josh (32:36)

Timestamps for Key Segments

• 03:35 – Josh introduces his new “Campfire Special” and talks touring, podcasts
• 04:19 – Start of nostalgic stories; sleeping out overnight for concert tickets
• 06:30-11:28 – Josh’s coming-of-age Paul Young concert and the handsy 21-year-old
• 13:32 – Discussion of first big concerts (Police w/ R.E.M., Run DMC & Beastie Boys)
• 15:36 – First exposure to concert subcultures, drugs, wild scenes
• 18:34 – Memories with parents/kids at shows, generational traditions
• 19:24 – Jimmy Buffett, Grateful Dead, and the “parrot head” economy
• 22:18-23:41 – Keeping every ticket stub, symbolic of independence
• 26:47 – Life-changing albums and hearing Nirvana for the first time
• 30:17-32:12 – Jimi Hendrix, meeting Noel Redding, the magic of musical icons
• 32:36 – Prince, Paisley Park, and legendary musicianship
• 33:49 – Reflecting on the 27 Club and the nature of cultural impact

Tone and Style

The conversation is loose, fast-paced, and hilariously frank, blending raunchy realness (“hand job from a grown-up, bro!”) with earnest reverence for the transformative power of music. Both Ryan and Josh bring a playful candor and a sense of brotherhood to their shared memories, making the episode feel like swapping stories with old friends in your own living room.

Conclusion

This episode is a golden example of how music, youth, and community experiences forge some of the funniest and most formative stories. Ryan and Josh’s reminiscences are both individual and universal, immortalizing the shared, unrepeatable magic of the pre-digital concert era with their signature blend of heart and humor.

For more from Josh Wolf, check out his special "The Campfire Special" on YouTube and the podcast "Hey Man" (soon to be "Generation Wolf"), and find Ryan Sickler on all social platforms.

End of summary.