Mike Young is a lifelong Metro Detroit resident. He grew up in Warren, where his parents owned a garden center. Mike graduated from Mott High School in 1979. In his…

Peter Wolf, the lead singer of J. Geils Band on stage at Cobo June 10th, 1979. Photo by Michael Young – enhanced by AI

Mike Young is a lifelong Metro Detroit resident. He grew up in Warren, where his parents owned a garden center. Mike graduated from Mott High School in 1979. In his high school years, Mike went to some of the biggest, most iconic concerts Detroit has seen. At many of these shows, Mike smuggled his 35MM camera in and caught photos of the events. This is Mike's story, in his own words, about his experience with front-row tickets to the J. Geils Cobo show in 1979. (Some photos have been enhanced/restored using AI)

The date is June 10th, 1979. A few months earlier, I waited outside Pine Knob's box office for 23 hours to get seats for the greatest party band there is: J Geils. When I arrived, I thought there was no way anyone was gonna be here, but there was! One other guy. We staked out our spots, and the long, long 23-hour wait began. (Back when tickets were sold through box offices, you could wait in line and have the best shot at getting great seats at face value. In 1979, the internet was non-existent)

In typical fashion, I was prepared with a beverage and assorted "party supplies." As the hours passed, the line began to grow, and the excitement built for the J.Geils Cobo show. My girlfriend stopped in for a while with a beer run, and it was one big party. Nightfall was filled with stories of concerts, which band is the best, and other tales of the day.

When morning arrived, the crowd had swelled to several hundred, and I was 2nd in line. The box office posted a 6-ticket maximum, and unless the band had reserved some seats, I knew I was going to get front row! I got Row A on Stage Left: seats 1-6.

The J. Geils Band performed at Cobo on June 10th, 1979. Mike Young, a lucky fan, got front-row tickets and shared his photos and ticket stub.(photo enhanced/restored by AI)

When June 10th arrived, I was filled with excitement as the J. Geils Cobo show was that night, but first, I had a little something to take care of. I had to graduate from Mott High School and walk the most famous stage in Detroit. My class of 700+ graduated from Cobo Arena!

To walk the stage where legends had played before was a thrill I can't describe. I looked out at the crowd, imagining what it was like for Nugent, Zeppelin, KISS, and so many others. After some photos, it was back home to get ready to head to Cobo for a second time that day.

This was my first (and only) time I ever had front-row tickets, and I was just a high school kid. The 23-hour wait was worth it. Each row we passed, people looked to see just how far we were going. And when you're in the front row, and you turn around and look out at that crowd, it gives ya chills. Of course, I had my camera and lots of film.