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When Roque Andres Jr. isn't working on the job as an apprentice mechanic or playing bass guitar based in Regina melodic death metal band Knox Umbra, or life savingThe Saskatoon resident usually adds to his extensive collection of live rock concert memorabilia.
“I not only work with metal, I listen to metal,” Andres likes to tell people.
His collection of concert set lists, day sheets, itineraries, picks, drumsticks, signed concert posters and signed photographs are plastered on the walls and ceilings of virtually every room in his house, upstairs and downstairs.
“My whole house is storage space,” Andres said. “It’s just a temple to live music because my favorite thing in life is concerts.
“With my friends, I feel like this show is the best place on earth at the moment.”
He estimates he has 400 to 500 concert posters, about 200 concert set lists, about 300 to 400 picks and about 100 drumsticks. About 1,000 of his souvenirs are signed by the performers.
“And I probably have enough tour T-shirts that I could wear a different one every day for a year and a half,” he said.
His collection includes memorabilia from world-famous performers as well as memorabilia from local performers.
The influence of the Alice Cooper show
His obsession with live music began with his very first concert: the Alice Cooper show in the mid-1980s.
“If you've seen Alice Cooper, he sets the standard for live production and live performance,” Andres said, adding that Cooper is his idol and he has two tattoos of Cooper's signature.
His collecting began at local club shows when he noticed that performers often left their set lists on stage after the show. Then he started asking musicians for picks and drumsticks after performances.
“That’s how it all started and here we are. So now everything is out of control,” Andres said. “But it’s all part of the story from that moment in time that I experienced. I like to keep these memories.”
Method
His approach to acquiring picks is simple: “Catch them in the air as they come at you,” or look for them on the ground.
He said catching one in the air is a “fine art”, adding that he caught one in the crook of his elbow and one even landed in his ear.
Andres said the very first pick he received at a live performance was from Metallica frontman and guitarist James Hetfield at a 1989 concert in Saskatoon.
He also has a choice of The Offspring's Kevin Wasserman, Slayer's Kerry King and Bryan Adams.
“You know, I love death metal, but Bryan Adams… man, one of my favorites,” Andres said. “A couple of years ago he accepted a song request from me and I almost cried. So this song means a lot to me.”
He said his first drumstick belonged to former Extreme drummer Paul Geary when the band visited Craven, Sask., in 1992 while touring with Adams.
Since then, Andres has collected drumsticks from live performances of bands such as Iron Maiden and Skid Row.
His most unique piece, the one he treasures the most, is an abstract painting that Bif Naked painted for him after he painted a collage of her and her band.
Black Sabbath vinyl albums Mafia rules And Living evilsigned by all band members at the time, they are among the rarest pieces in his collection.
When it comes to finding autographs, Andres said, “I'm a pretty good stalker, or 'selective watcher,' as my friend would say.”
He said he shows up at venues and makes inquiries before artists arrive, adding that most artists tend to be very grateful that he gets there early and spends money on their shows and merch.
He likes to take photos of himself at concerts, enlarge them, and then the next time he sees them, sign them for the artists – often giving the performer a copy and getting a positive response.
A friend of his once got full backstage access to four KISS shows in England in 2019, when he got to meet the band.
“It was the best moment of my life,” he said, adding that he also managed to get set lists and drumsticks.
He said that he went to many foreign metal festivals with meetings. He mailed letters to friends back home in envelopes signed by members of various death and thrash metal bands because he had nothing else for them to sign.
Andres estimates he's attended about 1,200 live rock concerts so far, including 43 Alice Cooper shows, 50 Bif Naked shows, 33 Iron Maiden shows and at least 25 The Tea Party shows. He once saw 29 Dream Theater performances in one tour.
Souvenirs that are harder to find
He said it was becoming quite difficult to get a setlist because people started putting it together and at the end of the show there might be 20 people waiting at the railing “screaming about three pieces of paper”.
His advice to others: be vigilant and say “please.”
“Just be calm and cool,” he said. “I saw people just start screaming at the roadies. You don't want to be like that.”
“I saw people hitting each other. I don't want to be that person.”
As for what's next, he's considering buying a bigger house to display more of his collection, since about half of it is in storage.
“I don’t have a lot of wall and ceiling space.”
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