Music: What are your favourite concerts?

[Stylizer1]

Souls Of Mischief, De La Soul, and A Tribe Called quest on the Midnight Marauders tour spring 1994.

 

[KallioWeHardlyKnewYe]

My favorite was a They Might Be Giants show. About a 1,700 person venue. Not sure if it was sold out but was close. Big fan of the band but what really made the night was about 30 minutes into the show a storm knocked out all the power.

After a small delay the Johns came out on stage, just the two of them. Generator lights provided some illumination. They sat on the edge of the stage with an acoustic guitar and asked everyone to be quiet because there was no sound system.

They began to play ... people started go sing along ... they stopped, laughed and politely reiterated to not sing so everyone else could hear.

They played a few songs including their wonderful cover of New York City. Just them and dead silence.

After that, they told everyone to keep their tickets and come back in two hours. Rain stopped. Everyone came back. The show went on.

 

[Chili]

The piano man Billy Joel, Supertramp, Dire Straits (probably my favorite show). April Wine played our High School before they made it, saw them later. Saw Al Stewart in a small club in Ottawa. Some girls got up and danced to Year of the Cat and Al was laughing after, he said people don't dance to my songs. For music/comedy a band called Joe Hall & The Continental Drift used to play Ontario bars. Joe was an original, funny dude (check out Nos Hablos Telephonos -we speak telephone- on YouTube). RE-FLEX is a band I saw in Montreal many years back, one of my favorite tunes of the 1980's...

 

[WetcoastOrca]

Hmmm. Lots of good ones. Top 3:
1. Supertramp just after they released Breakfast in America. Saw them in London, Ontario at UWO.
2. The Eagles Hotel California tour in Toronto.
3. Neil Young at Coachella
HM: The Guess Who

 

[Behn Wilson]

My favorite concert ever by a mile is UFO. Saw them at Chicago's Amphitheater where they recorded one of if not the greatest ever live albums Strangers In The Night. To this day they are my favorite band and Michael Schenker is my favorite guitarist.

That was the 2nd concert I saw, got off to a good start. My first was A Day At The Park at Comiskey Park with Aerosmith, Foreigner, Frank Marino & Mahogany Rush, Walter Egan Band, and a then unheard of AC/DC, Third was Genesis on The And Then There Were Three tour after Steve Hackett left. Cant remember 4th etc

seen so many over the years and they kind of blend together, so it is hard to pick favorites. Just saw Rob Zombie recently and he was amazing. Cant wait until he comes to town again.

 

[kihei]

My favorite was a They Might Be Giants show. About a 1,700 person venue. Not sure if it was sold out but was close. Big fan of the band but what really made the night was about 30 minutes into the show a storm knocked out all the power.

After a small delay the Johns came out on stage, just the two of them. Generator lights provided some illumination. They sat on the edge of the stage with an acoustic guitar and asked everyone to be quiet because there was no sound system.

They began to play ... people started go sing along ... they stopped, laughed and politely reiterated to not sing so everyone else could hear.

They played a few songs including their wonderful cover of New York City. Just them and dead silence.

After that, they told everyone to keep their tickets and come back in two hours. Rain stopped. Everyone came back. The show went on.

Sounds like a magical experience, the kind that stay with you forever.

Close as I have come to that is seeing Rick Danko, solo, about a year before his death, playing in the basement of some since torn-down ultra-grubby country and western bar on the west side. The wooden stage was just two steps up from the floor and the only illumination it had was a light bulb dangling from a cord from the ceiling. He sat on a high stool directly beneath the light and he wore a wide brimmed hat, so you could only see his face in brief glimpses. He was obviously f***ed up on something, but he sang his heart out. There were less than two dozen people in this dark room. Just remembering it gives me chills.

 

[deleted user]

BLACKPINK.

 

[BostonBob]

I've seen this guy 37 times in concert so I guess you could say that I'm a big fan.

 

[Mike C]

Sounds like a magical experience, the kind that stay with you forever.

Close as I have come to that is seeing Rick Danko, solo, about a year before his death, playing in the basement of some since torn-down ultra-grubby country and western bar on the west side. The wooden stage was just two steps up from the floor and the only illumination it had was a light bulb dangling from a cord from the ceiling. He sat on a high stool directly beneath the light and he wore a wide brimmed hat, so you could only see his face in brief glimpses. He was obviously f***ed up on something, but he sang his heart out. There were less than two dozen people in this dark room. Just remembering it gives me chills.

a dj i used to listen to on progressive fm radio in ny and later on sirius/xm apparently was friends with danko and has said on air that he performed a lot of shows close to end what she describes as "dope sick"

 

[Pranzo Oltranzista]

I've seen this guy 37 times in concert so I guess you could say that I'm a big fan.

My gf is a big fan and was supposed to see him (for the first time, mind you) this fall, but the concerts are sadly all postponed. Hope he gets well and can come back.

37 times is very impressive. I thought I was a groupie! (despite having seen Patton with multiple projects and by himself, I've seen him max 12 or 13 times).

 

[Unholy Diver]

Music

KISS - tour with the original/main members in 99/00
AC/DC
Roger Waters doing the Wall
Motorhead/DIO/Iron Maiden
ELO
.38 Special
Lynyrd Skynyrd / ZZ Top
Zakk Wylde / Thin Lizzy/ Judas Priest
Rush
Van Morrison
Billy Joel @ the Hollywood Bowl
Weird Al

Comedy

Steve Martin & Martin Short - tickets were kind of expensive, and going for crazy numbers on the secondary market but they put on a great show, highly recommended if they come to a venue near you

 

[TheGreenTBer]

a dj i used to listen to on progressive fm radio in ny and later on sirius/xm apparently was friends with danko and has said on air that he performed a lot of shows close to end what she describes as "dope sick"

He was a heroin addict so dope sick sounds correct.

 

[Mike C]

He was a heroin addict so dope sick sounds correct.

I was always scared to do it or crack. Booze was my big thing. Got sober in '96. Lucky to be alive!

 

[TheGreenTBer]

I was always scared to do it or crack. Booze was my big thing. Got sober in '96. Lucky to be alive!

God Bless you, congrats

 

[Mike C]

God Bless you, congrats

Thanks man. Truly appreciate that!

 

[kihei]

I've seen this guy 37 times in concert so I guess you could say that I'm a big fan.

That's a seriously impressive number. My high water mark is Pat Metheny who I have seen 13 times. I thought that was impressive, but it pales in comparison.

 

[Ceremony]

Before I start - I promise I tried to keep this brief.

I have a notebook (two now) listing every gig I've ever been to and the full setlists. I don't have a setlist for every band I've seen at a festival, obviously, but everything else is there and I still have all my tickets. Up until this year when paperless became unavoidable. Is there an Etsy or something similar for custom printing these kinds of things? If there isn't I should start one, mugs like me would throw out fortunes.

When I started listening to Pearl Jam when I was 17/18 I took great joy in the amount of video footage of their 90s years on youtube. As a result I have a great fondness for live footage and I'll be sharing it here since that's what the thread is about.

In 2011, Pulp reformed. They were the first band I ever loved, and I never thought I'd get to see them live. I did, and it was the happiest day of my life:



As was usually the case with festivals in the UK, the weather was on and off all weekend. On the Sunday two pals and I went into a tent to see a band and came out to go to the main stage to see My Chemical Romance, Pulp and Foo Fighters. It was dry when we went in. When we came out there was a really strange noise and when we came out we were in a swamp. MCR were alright. I decided to leave them and try and fight my way forward. I got pretty far. Then I ran into a loudmouth Aberdonian who was only there for the Foo Fighters. I forgave him as he pulled us forward, and I got to see my all-time hero up close:

In 2011 I saw probably the best value gig I've seen - The Xcerts and Manchester Orchestra at the ABC, for 11.84. I loved The Xcerts. They're a band from Aberdeen whose 2009 debut album was very important to me when it released, and still is. I saw them at T in the Park here and ended up underwhelmed, although this video is great. They released their second album in 2011 and I didn't like it as much, but when I saw them live I got it. I only started listening to Manchester Orchestra because of them and oh, that was a live performance to behold. We even got an extreme rarity when there was a technical malfunction and Andy played 50 Cent:



He should have featured in this post... well, in this place, but earlier in time. In 2011 I saw Frightened Rabbit frontman Scott Hutchison in a bar. He got progressively drunker and drunker as the night went on with the eventual highlight being going up to the back of the floor and playing Poke without any amps:



In 2012 I saw The Xcerts at King Tuts and realised how magical it is when there's a quiet song in a small venue and everyone's quiet enough to listen to it:



In 2012 I saw New Order live for the first time, after also thinking I'd never get to see them. I saw Age of Consent and 1963 live. I'll not post anything from that one because there's more on them later but it was important.

In 2012 I saw Scott at Bloc again. This time he was sober, and the recurring mantra was "no Snake, no Free Bird, no problems." I managed to avoid being on the internet in this one:



This was the last song. I was there with the guy in the Foo Fighters tshirt, I'd gone to the toilet before we left and he never told me this happened. I nearly died laughing when I saw it on youtube a few days later.

In 2013 I saw Frightened Rabbit in full and without going into a lot of detail, my life was in a very bad place and this entire performance was a mixture of vindication, catharsis and at least distraction. I've read from later interviews that this was a very bad time for Scott, so at least I wasn't alone:



In 2015 I saw New Order again in the same place and I don't think I've felt like it at a gig before or since. It was November, it was pissing down, I got there half an hour early to be at the front and was stood under a drip outside so I was extra drenched.



I used this picture as an avatar on here:

In 2015 I saw The Twilight Sad at the Barrowland Ballroom for the first time. The Barrowlands is Glasgow's and one of Scotland's most famous venues, with a storied history as a gig venue, dance hall and, er, pickup spot for serial killers. If you like a band you want them to play here, and if you are a band from Scotland you want to play here. Mogwai guitarist Stuart Braithwaite published an autobiography last year and wrote at length about how their first gig at the venue was a milestone for them, and he also mentioned how special a December gig is there. I still remember the frost on the ground the night I saw the Twilight Sad there. This was a year after their fourth album which gained much more mainstream support and attention than their previous three (which eventually led to them touring with The Cure multiple time) and, even though it was only my second time seeing them, the night felt like a vindication. I still don't think I've heard anything as loud as the crowd at the start of Cold Days From the Birdhouse.



In 2016 I saw Jimmy Eat World at the Barras. The night after Donald Trump got elected. Futures rang a bit hollow that night.

In 2010 Frightened Rabbit played their first shows at the Barras. I think they did two nights. It was sold out by the time I went to get tickets but I could still have gone. It snowed like god knows what and there were still tickets on the door. I've seen videos and it looks magical. The crowd going out on to the street after still singing The Loneliness and The Scream is now what people do at the end of gigs here.

I wasn't there in 2010, but three straight nights at the end of 2016 would have to do. 2016 was an odd year, and it was a tough year for the band and Scott, but these three nights made everything feel just a bit better. Observe:

Three nights of Frabbit with support from Paws was, genuinely, perfect and it's my favourite live music experience. I think I'm too old to enjoy anything as much as I did then. The crowd on Saturday was a bit shite but it was still celebratory, rather than grating. The video of Poke I posted first? It's a heartfelt ode to a lost love. One man, an acoustic guitar and mournful ooooooohing. Now imagine him trying to do that with a few thousand drunk people yelling out every word with him.

In 2017 I saw Manchester Orchestra again when they were touring A Black Mile to the Surface. There are some pretty low quality videos of this on youtube. I say low quality because after a couple of songs when the eventually stopped leading one into the other this voice came from behind saying TURN THE GUITARS DOWN. Awful sound. I've just remembered I took a video of I Can Feel a Hot One but it's useless. But seeing The Silence performed live is unlike anything else.

The first time I went to the Hydro, which in 2019 was the second busiest venue in the world after Madison Square Garden. I wonder if creative accounting took place there. I saw Mogwai for the first time. If you don't like post rock, give it a try. It was the first time a combination of volume, heat and light hit me physically:



They were supposed to play there again in 2021 but didn't because of covid.

In 2018 I saw The Xcerts, My Boys, at the ABC. This was my last gig at the ABC before the roof got destroyed in the second Glasgow School of Art fire in 2018. I remember how proud I felt of them, knowing how long they'd struggled with seemingly nobody loving this band the way I did. Here they're playing at a large, historic venue.

I was so proud I've just realised I took a picture of their name on the... what do you call that thing? The white thing with the names of movies playing at the cinema you see in American films from the 80s. That. I never take picture of the venue, you look like a tourist.

In 2018 I saw Frightened Rabbit for the last time in their final show commemorating the tenth anniversary of their breakthrough album The Midnight Organ Fight. 2016 at the Barras felt like vindication, this felt more like closure. It's difficult to say this now and make it sound convincing, but it did genuinely feel like a line in the sand in their career up until this point. A celebration of what came before, but somehow still looking to what was coming. I bought a smartphone for the first time purely cause I needed to be able to get a ticket for this. The ensuing sense of frustration with touts led to them organising a mini-festival in June 2018, which was supposed to become a recurring thing.

In 2018 I saw Scott in some form for the sixteenth time with Mastersystem. His hairline was in a bad place:



I actually saw them the week before at Monorail, and independent music shop in Glasgow. I talked to Scott after and thanked him.

In 2018 I went to Edinburgh to see The Twilight Sad. This was their first gig in Scotland since Scott died in May that year, and I had to see it. This video quality isn't very good. I'm not going to post every version of them playing Frightened Rabbit's Keep Yourself Warm I've seen (there will be just one more) but this was the first and, collectively, the hardest:



In 2019 I saw The National at Kelvingrove Bandstand, an outdoor venue in Kelvingrove Park in Glasgow's leafy west end. They played two nights. There was apocalyptic rainfall on the first night. I went the second night. I... I think this is actually the only time I've been at an outdoor gig here and it was completely captivating.

In 2021 I saw my first live music in nearly two years when I saw Mogwai at the Royal Concert Hall. I'll not tell you my thoughts on the masks or vaccine passports required to get in. This still ultimately felt like more of a hassle than it should have done, but it's worth mentioning here with the context.



In 2022 I saw The Twilight Sad at the Barrowlands, with two nights that had been postponed since April 2020. The Twilight Sad and Frightened Rabbit started out as bands in Glasgow (originally from Aberdeen and Selkirk respectively) around the same time and they were all great friends and played with each other a lot. On the third night in 2016 I remember the queue being very excited that something was going to happen - James came out and sang one of Frabbit's old songs. Since Scott died the band have done their utmost to keep his legacy going, and they've played Keep Yourself Warm at probably every gig they've played since. For these two shows their drummer, who is American, couldn't make it. Who should fill in but Grant, Scott's brother and Frightened Rabbit drummer.



As you might imagine from the thumbnail, it was an experience. Of all the bands I've seen several times I've probably seen the biggest change in The Twilight Sad over the years, and it's not a good one. The band are fine and deserve everything they get, but since Robert Smith covered one of their songs in 2014 and the tours with The Cure, their crowds are now full of fans of The Cure. I've never listened to The Cure, but it turns out fans of The Cure are a some combination of three things: old, weird and irritatingly punctual. I feel like a fraud saying this since my first Twilight sad gig came after they released their fourth album but in moments like that, at least, they can still make me cry like a little girl.

On that note actually, they released a live album in 2020. I had obviously listened to it a lot, and the setlist from that was basically the same as the one they played those two nights. I thought I could cope with Keep Yourself Warm. I couldn't.

In December 2022 I saw Mogwai at the Barras over two nights. I got to hear my favourite song:



Throughout all of these years I mainly took pictures, with the odd video on a shitty camera when I thought I could get away with it (an acoustic song, or the like). In 2023 since Ticketmaster forced digital tickets on me I have a decent phone and can do videos like this:



This Twilight Sad performance didn't feature any old people or weirdos. This was a nice change of pace.

In April 2023 I finally got to see Paramore after a solid fifteen years of being completely in love with Hayley Williams. I have no idea what the entry situation was with this performance but we got there at 5, with doors at half 6 and there were genuinely thousands of people outside already. It was a Monday. Do none of these people have jobs? The hair colours, piercings and lack of clothes on show would suggest not. Even though we were actually quite close to the front of the queue at the main door there was still at least a thousand people inside when we got in, including about seven or eight girls literally sat on the floor eating a takeaway.



It's Paramore in 2023 so the setlist wasn't ideal, but I was very glad I got to see this. Hayley is tiny and the amount of volume someone that size can generate is terrifying.

I've never really liked the idea of shows at large venues. I saw the Foo Fighters at Milton Keynes in 2011 which was just horrible. Imagine a field with 100k people in it while a band plays... somewhere. They're technically in sight but you're not there. I've seen the following bands in anything larger than a 3k capacity venue: Arcade Fire, Bryan Adams, Muse, Mogwai, Arcade Fire, Paramore and... The National. Last week. The latter four at the Hydro and the reason I've never really been interested in a venue that size is the lack of connection I'd feel with the band. Mogwai was fine because it's post-rock and everyone just sort of stands about. Arcade Fire live is basically a circus anyway. Paramore had too many children between me and Hayley but it was still a good enough performance to feel involved in. The National, though, are about the only band I can imagine going to see who could play an arena venue and manage all that nonsense you see in music criticism about arena anthems with intimate moments without it ever feeling contrived or insincere. It also helps then you have the best crowd I've been in for years who, if you watch this video, you'll see actually stay quiet when they should:



I craned my neck all night and the closest I got to Matt was when his mic wire nearly took my head off when he went for a wander during Graceless, but I just felt really... pleased after seeing this.

I'm going to see New Order at the Hydro tomorrow. Hopefully it will be joining this list.

I have more pictures from over the years - of varying quality, but if you've been paying attention to HF you'll remember a lot of them from avatars anyway. While I'm here I might as well expand - I have absolutely no problem with people taking pictures or videos at gigs. I always have done, and as I've said I really value the notion of bands being documented. I know my limitations though. I get there early, I stand at the front and I quietly enjoy what's going on. If you're twenty people from the front and watching the whole performance through your Instagram live feed in 20 second increments then the person behind whose view you're blocking should be legally allowed to suplex you.

 

[Mescaleroman]

All the talk of the Barrowlands in Ceremony's post made me search one of the many Stiff Little Finger intro clips from their numerous shows there. I missed them when they were playing back in the heyday but was able to see them at the Opera House in Toronto. Was pushing 40 back then so had every intention just to hang back at a table and enjoy a few pints. Once the opening riff from Go For It started playing , that wasn't going to happen. Fantastic night , was worth risking the coronary.



Speaking of intro's , this wasn't a bad one to be the first song I saw in concert in '76.

BTW @Ceremony , the word you were looking for is marquee .

 

[Jovavic]

Jeez, Ceremony, I thought your game reviews were in depth

 

[Unholy Diver]

Music

KISS - tour with the original/main members in 99/00
AC/DC
Roger Waters doing the Wall
Motorhead/DIO/Iron Maiden
ELO
.38 Special
Lynyrd Skynyrd / ZZ Top
Zakk Wylde / Thin Lizzy/ Judas Priest
Rush
Van Morrison
Billy Joel @ the Hollywood Bowl
Weird Al

Comedy

Steve Martin & Martin Short - tickets were kind of expensive, and going for crazy numbers on the secondary market but they put on a great show, highly recommended if they come to a venue near you

Forgot about

Paul McCartney
Rolling Stones
Stevie Wonder

 

[Lshap]

Speaking of intro's , this wasn't a bad one to be the first song I saw in concert in '76.

Station to Station is a freakin' amazing album! Absolutely love the epic title track, though I never saw him perform it live. I saw Bowie on his Let's Dance tour in his big suit, then a few years later on a scaled down stage where he did all his hits.

Since you're a David Bowie fan, I assume you heard his very last record, Blackstar, which I consider a masterpiece. The man hit his prime in the early 1970s, then kept on hitting different primes all the way until the very end.

 

[Mescaleroman]

Station to Station is a freakin' amazing album! Absolutely love the epic title track, though I never saw him perform it live. I saw Bowie on his Let's Dance tour in his big suit, then a few years later on a scaled down stage where he did all his hits.

Since you're a David Bowie fan, I assume you heard his very last record, Blackstar, which I consider a masterpiece. The man hit his prime in the early 1970s, then kept on hitting different primes all the way until the very end.

Actually haven't given Blackstar much of a listen despite hearing only glowing reports on it's brilliance .
Think I'll check it out though. Glad he went out on a high.

 

[Ceremony]

I'm going to see New Order at the Hydro tomorrow. Hopefully it will be joining this list.

It was everything I'd hoped it would be. Go and see them if you can.

BTW @Ceremony , the word you were looking for is marquee .

Well there's me learned a thing.

Jeez, Ceremony, I thought your game reviews were in depth

tbf if I'd gone "in-depth" on each of those gigs the post would have been a book.

 

[TheAngryHank]

I've seen pretty much all the big rock bands and this is going to sound weird but no bull shit , twisted sister was easily the best show I've ever seen , Judas priest would be up there.

 

[Fire Sweeney]

Jonas Hellborg, Shawn Lane and Jeff Sipe at Ziggy's in Winston-Salem NC back in 1996. Someone uploaded an amazing sounding audio of the show which I came across recently. Seriously the best musicianship I've ever witnessed.