No kidding. The rent on my garage apartment by Hermann Park was $65 a month, bills paid. By the time I moved from that place, it had gone up to $75 a month... after almost 4 years. Impeach Bush.
Sadly, considering how much I like music, I haven't been to many concerts in my life. I used to live in the hometown of Bonnaroo and I have never been to see any of it (mainly because I didn't want to fight the crowds nor pay a fortune to see just 2 to 5 acts). There are so many bands/artists that I would have loved to seen but will never get that chance (like Pink Floyd, Bob Dylan - a Dylan in his prime, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Led Zeppelin, etc.) However, I have seen a couple and here are the ones that stick out: 1990 in Murfreesboro - Keith Sweat - I used to be the biggest R&B fan when I was in high school and getting to see KS along with Johnny Gill and Bell Biv DeVoe was like a dream come true for me. I went with 2 buddies of mine and Keith, by far, was the best of the "triple threat" and he was performing with a walking cast on one of his feet. A great performer Curiosa Festival, 2004 (I think) at Starwood in Nashville - first time I got to see Interpol also saw Mogwai and The Rapture but it was The Cure going through about 20 songs that was the highlight of the show. I was probably the only person there that wasn't smoking, lol. Valentines Day, 2006 at the Ryman in Nashville - saw Sigur Ros and it was a life-changing moment for me. Would love to see them several more times in my life. Seeing them close their set with "Popplagio" (aka "Untitled #8") was one of the greatest moments in my life (if you have ever heard that song you would understand what I am talking about). St. Patrick's Day, 2006 at the Ryman in Nashville - saw Wilco and they might have been even better than Sigur Ros which I didn't think was possible. Jeff ended the show by playing acoustic guitar (and minus the rest of the band) and singing an old Uncle Tupelo song in "Acuff-Rose". Amazing show and an amazing way to end it. September, 2007 at the Ryman in Nashville - saw Interpol (for the 2nd time) with my wife - memorable in the fact that it was the first concert we had ever seen together as a couple. Oh and Interpol was great. That's really it although I do want to mention that I saw Coldplay at Starwood in September of 2005 (I think it was 2005) and they were really good, too. However, they weren't the best I've seen - that would be either Wilco or Sigur Ros.
Bruce Springsteen @ The Summit - December 1978 (Darkness on the Edge of Town Tour). Ticket said 7:30 PM- he went on at 8:30 PM, played until 10:15 PM, took a half hour break, and then played from 10:45 PM until 2:00 AM At 1:00 AM, they turned the house lights on in the Summit to try to get him offstage, and he still played for another hour. 20+ encores. Intense energy. Definitely the best concert I ever saw.
That's a real bummer. The kicker was that when I saw him he opened for Korn. It was my second time seeing Korn, but I was even more blown away by Zombie's show given that he was the opener. I dig your taste in music. The only show I nearly walked out of was Tool at the Woodlands a year or so ago. Worst concert I've been too: The music was WAY too quiet (and I've been to many other shows out there where this wasn't an issue), they quit selling beer and merch as soon as Tool came onstage, no moshing or semblance of moshing was allowed AT ALL, and Maynard was sick and had to keep leaving the stage to puke. Just cancel the effing show and reschedule if you're too ill to perform!
Dude....I want your life. If for no other reason, for the artists you've seen and the time at which you saw them. I'm totally jealous. Rock on, Deck.
I forgot about those two. I remember the Nirvana concert as it was the last time they performed here before Kurt died. The NIN at Numbers show I attended was in 88 or 89. Completely intense. Great memories.
Let me say this, that if you've seen one concert you've seen them all. Most concerts are boring as hell after you've been to about 100 or so of them. Hell I saw Lou Reed over the weekend and though he was interesting, it wasn't anything special either. There are a few performers that consistently love to see on stage. Super Chikan and the Fighting Cocks give great energy and I love singing along to his songs. I loved a Bruce Hornsby set a while back. Nancy Griffth a while back was cool and she sounded amazing on all of her songs. Skillet was really cool too. Usually the concerts that I love are the ones where I unexpectantly get way more than I bargained for. A group called Back Door Slam has done that for me. That young guitarist is the second coming of SRV. Also, Umphry's Mcgee did that for me. Eric Sardinas is another guitar hero. I loved Joan Jett and the Blackhearts this weekend too. They were great.
I could not disagree more, dude. In fact, if I ever get to the point that I feel like concerts are all run of the mill, non-descript wastes of time, I'm going to find much better things to spend my money on....I'm not going to be seeing hundreds of them if I feel like they aren't distinguishable or somewhat special. But hey, we can agree to disagree, I guess. Tough to pick a favorite....maybe a Counting Crows show at the Austin Music Hall in '97. Might be the Lollapalooza show with Green Day, Beastie Boys, P-Funk, and a Tribe Called Quest, to name a few acts that year. I'm certainly fond of seeing RATM before they broke up, although it's looking like people might have a better chance to see them again now that they've reunited. Between that show and a Toadies show at Liberty Lunch, it's a wonder my eardrums don't spontaneously bleed on a regular basis!
Concerts are mostly a waste of time, unless you catch lightning in a bottle, like a young GnR. That would be special. Of course all of these performers are professionals and will give a good show, but I could count on my hand the times when a group came out on stage and electrified the crowd. I'm thinking like Janis Joplin did or Hendricks or Elvis did in his day. It just don't happen much anymore. People with unbelievable talent and fearlessness and they hit the stage and just blow the crowd away like SVR did.
Genesis - Lambs Lay Down on Broadway tour at the Music Hall Ian Hunter/Mick Ronson - Cullen Auditorium The Clash - Cullen Auditorium Iggy Pop/The Dead Boys - The Music Hall The Replacments - some warehouse near the ship channel Neko Case - House of Blues in San Diego Whiskeytown - Liberty Lunch
Wow, there are some good concerts here. I am jealous. My personal favorite is going to the U2 concert in Madison Square Garden right after 9/11. It was definitely a moving and emotional concert. Not sure if it was their best effort musically or as a show (I liked their Zoo TV Tour a lot for all its spectacle over the top glory), but it was a magical time in NYC, where everyone just banded together.
I've just been to enough concerts to know that the artist is half the time on cruise control. Yes, they may be good, but come on, you'll the proverbial sing-a-long song. You'll get the guitar solo. The shout out to the city. You'll get one great song played with passion. But once you see this song and dance 100 times or more, it's like watching the same movie over and over again. In fact it is just like that. The older I get the less i like movies because I've seen the same film a thousand times already. Now the younger artist is the difference. Just like I said. If you find that brilliant artist and catch him before he has become jaded, and plays with passion, then music is exciting then. Otherwise, it is a bore.
Umm....I totally disagree as well. Granted, your experience is your experience, and your opinion is your opinion, but I feel sorry for you, man.
It is not an argument. It is simply an observation. I remember when King Kong came out. I thought the movie was painful to sit through while everybody on this board had a different experience. Too them the non-stop violence was awesome to me it was pretty stupid. Don't feel sorry, I used to get a rise out of riding a go cart and playing video games, and then I grew up. The ultimate experience that never gets old is reading a good book. That's the thing I love the most.
Utterly, completely, emphatically disagree, though I respect your opinion. It's more that your expectations are not realistic. I've seen so many artists who put on "electric" performances that I don't even know where to start: REM, U2, Genesis, Peter Gabriel, They Might Be Giants, The Ramones, Billy Idol and Faith No More, The Kinks, Bruce Springsteen, .38 Special, Blue Oyster Cult, Eddie Money, The Replacements, The Call, Midnight Oil, Cheap Trick, Van Halen, The Smithereens, Warren Zevon, Foghat, Jethro Tull, Queen, Dio, Iron Maiden, Arrested Development, Judas Priest, Ted Nugent, Prince, The Clash, Terence Trent D'Arby, Matthew Sweet, The Fixx, Rick Springfield (yes, it was great, and I don't even like his music, I was dragged to this one), and there's many more. Not all of them, though- Supertramp, The Cars, one of Rush's concerts, David Gilmour- they were OK, just not what you would call electric.
