I've only been to three concerts my entire life. Two dredg shows in Michigan, and Distant Worlds music from final fantasy last night in Detroit. All were quite good.

Hmmm....

I'll place in order of personal impact:

Jeff Buckley as a small venue called the Sandringham - and I managed the impressionable fan move of meeting the guy, only to realise he was too wasted to be anyone's hero. Damn fine show though - seeing someone sing a metre away from a microphone AND be heard (and even in tune) over a drum kit, 8x10 bass amp and many marshalls is epic. Memorable moment: "What will you say?" It sounded like he was challenging God to recognise him. Prodigal father syndrome etc. Oh, and Jeff arguing with the promoter to play a half hour encore after the closing time had already past.

Mogwai when they toured Rock Action. My Father My King was glorious, I FELT the different between major and minor chords in my teeth even though my ears could only hear white noise. The point at which emotion was oversaturated to the point of the sublime.

Sigur Ros touring Takk: as above, but in an unknown language.

Isis touring In the Absence of Truth: because they were troopers - Aaron had laryngitis and STILL got up to play. Plus they snuck in a 17 year old who blamed them for not playing an all ages gig (they told him to deliver pizza and then created a human wall around him, escorting him into the venue past the bouncers).

Tool touring Lateralus: (and for the record, I don't think tool should ever be compared to dredg because they're nothing alike) because they did everything wrong - Maynard was in complete shadow the whole performance, they had an intermission and they generally acted like they genuinely owed their fans a great performance. And they had the Melvins as support.

Smashing Pumpkins touring Melancholie: Cherub Rock of course. And a big group of gen X hippies. I lost my steel caps when someone stepped on my shoes as I was helping an asphyxiating teen out of the mosh pit. Later in the evening someone threw my size thirteen steel cap at Billy.

The Tea Party touring Edges of Twilight: big ass jams going for twenty minutes for every second song (so it seemed), with spontaneous covers of Bowie, Buckley and NIN, then exiting the venue an hour after the show was supposed to finish to see a crowd of disgruntled techno heads wondering when their rave would be finally allowed to start.

Birds of Tokyo touring Universes: because it's great seeing a band I helped actually play their songs live (I'm a sound engineer) - having recorded the songs, it was hilarious watching fans sing along and think "if only they KNEW what these songs were about."

That's enough of a list, and yes, I'm an old fart, and I'll probably never be able to add dredg to this list unless they acknowledge the southern hemisphere is populated with people who would pay to see them.

That's enough reminiscing for now.

Best shows ive ever been to other than Dredg!!
1) Deftones @ The ventura Theatre 09.16.08
2) Cafe Tacuba w/ Maldita Vecindad @ The Ventura Theatre in 06 or something
3) Minus The Bear @ The Jimmy Kimmel Show
4)The Human Abstract @ Kung Fu Corner
5) LIttle Dragon @ The Roxy
6) Ozzfest 04' I Think - Lamb of God, God Forbid, Hatebreed, Slipknot and Lacuna Coil on the second Stage
7) The Mars Volta @ The Echoplex
8) System of a Down W/ Puya and Incubus @ The Palladium/Sno core 2000
9) Sepultura w/ Hatebreed and Puya @ the Avalon
10) Mudvayne w/ NothingFace and Spineshank @ The Palladium

In no particular order...just some of the best shows ive attended!

I'll attempt this with a foreword: at no point do I claim to attend shows with the intent of wearing a badge of honor for any genre or subculture that musical groups sometimes spawn- usually without any intent or participation. That being said, here goes...

1) Tori Amos, Pabst Theater, 1994. " Under the Pink" had been out awhile, and a friend invited me to this. This woman sings and plays with a ferocity and intensity that knows no boundaries. "Me and a Gun" played to a somber audience at one point, and I was hooked on her live performances from that day on....
2) Fleetwood Mac, Marcus Ampitheater, 1991. "Behind the Mask" was a CD that got beat pretty bad, but the opening of the show with "In the Back of My Mind" with Stevie Nicks standing two bodies in front of me was a rock and roll moment I will archive and treasure. Experiencing Mick Fleetwood live is entertaimant and history in living color you can't put a price on. Good show, no question...

3) Diana Ross, McCormick Center, 1990. My friend Kyle dragged me to this when i was going through a bit of a confusing phase in my life, but she is a legend for a reason. Being in my early forties now, I grew up with this woman in my life during the transition from Motown legend to disco diva. "Love Hangover" and "Upside Down" were huge on the Dance chart rotation and unavoidable on American radio. The show was a mix of age groups, and I shook her hand as she walked up the aisle singing "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". BONUS: Bill Murray and Robert DeNiro were in attendance about five rows ahead of us, in Chicago filming "Mad Dog and Glory". I recommend seeing some of our dwindling numbers of musically legends before they are gone, simply put.

4) Nine Inch Nails w/ Pop Will Eat Itself, 1994, Mecca Arena. My then future wife and I attended this show with the full intention of getting into "the pit". We watched opening act PWEI perform material from the last true CD made by this band, "Dos Dedos Mis Amigos". Clint Mansell, as I'm sure he might know, had an amazing group of performers there. Honestly, I knew nothing of this band prior to attending, but I became a fan, ironically, close to their demise. A great CD produced by the Trentreznor Machine and Interscope/Nothing label. NIN was touring behind "Downward Spiral", but opened with "Wish". As I said, we intended to get into "the pit"...and we did. Between the heat, my fiancee' FAINTING, and me sustaining an injury within seconds of that familiar syncopal beat, safe to say: no more "pit" for us.....and yes, an amazing show.

5)Natalie Merchant, Gleason Theater, 2002. "Motherland" was an extraordinary CD that I believe reinvented her as a brilliant songwriter, despite "Tigerlilly" and it's success. She is amazing live and she interacts well with the crowd. Great smile, and a voice for the ages. Her performance in a somewhat subdued setting in South Beach, Miami. Though I miss 10,000 Maniacs at times, change and growth are essential...

6) Tool, Lollapalooza,Palm Beach Ampitheater. 1997. Along with an eclectic mix of groups (Korn, James, Snoop Dogg, Tricky, The Orb, etc. ), Tool provided what I believe an unbelievable show to a mixed crowd. "Aenima" had been out for awhile, and aside from "Undertow" and "Opiate" selections, the newer material was incredible live. "46 and 2" live kicked my ass, and Maynard was doing a quasi-drag thing for his stage persona. Incidentally, I get these bonus moments a lot, but as I was turning away to see my wife running towards a small thin man, I realized she was going to HUG the one and only Perry Farrell, who was just ambling along through the crowd. I followed and shook his hand, telling him how much I enjoyed the Porno for Pyros work and played the gushing Jane's fan for a moment....great times.

7) dredg, Culture Room, 2009- I assure you, not for brownie points. ....."Catch Without Arms" was a CD that gives me constant memories of a summer vacation spent with my son, and the association made me an instant fan. "El Cielo" came to me earlier after seeing the "Same Ol' Road" video on MTV2, and remembering how beautiful and haunting the voice of Gavin and the melody was. Lyrically, these guys are grassroots poets-- I love this. The imagery they paint on the"Leitmotif" CD and "Canyon Behind Her" is breathtaking. This band will never rust as far as I'm concerned. "Of the Room" performed that night with the intensity that Dino plays those drums with and Gavin sings with just tells me that these gentlemen are there to share great music without ego or rockstar swagger. When I left after this event, I walked out of the club and saw that Gavin was standing behind the tour bus, giving and receiving thanks....how cool is that? I walked up and sincerely thanked him for giving us the gift of music that he AND that band provide....

There are more, but this is enough to start with. Guys--thank you, and see you on July 22nd in Fort Lauderdale. Peace in our time...

Shows get expensive depending on the band and sometimes venue. I've had to bail on a few great shows over the years [Tool, Incubus, etc] just because I couldn't spot the money.

FLOWING MINDSPIN wrote:
I've been to thousands of shows. There's no way I can list them all.

I've seen Dredg probably about 30 times. And I've seen 311 83 times.

Just saw 311 a few weeks ago...it was fun, lots of smoke.

For me Coachella '09 was the best never ending 4 day concert of my life.

Incubus - touring A Crow Left of the Murder, 2004: Raleigh, NC

Red Hot Chili Peppers - touring Stadium Arcadium, 2006: Raleigh, NC

Dredg - 2009: Raleigh, NC

Soma wrote:

AnewKINDofFEELIN wrote:
. . . Porcupine Tree (twice in Atlanta, once in Houston)
Opeth (twice in New Orleans) . . .

With any luck, I'll be seeing Porcupine Tree this September.
I hear their live performances are pretty awesome.
Also, I gave up a ticket to my brother to see Opeth when they were touring for Ghost Reveries. Biggest regret of my life.

Porcupine Tree are amazing live. When you hear them do their vocal harmonies, you can't help but get giddy. Plus, Colin Edwin is one of the most low-key, but sickest bassists I've ever seen. Very understated talent.

As for Opeth, that Ghost Reveries tour was amazing. I'm so glad I got to see them before Peter left the band. He was such a huge part of Opeth for so long. Anyway, Fredrick is definitely a more talented guitarist and seeing him live was pretty unreal. I wish I could play like that, but I'm not going to spend 6 hours a night playing scales.