For me it was Wolfmother at a major German festival. I didn’t really know them before and did not expect too much, but was totally blown away by their performance.
I saw Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds on the Skeleton Tree tour on the first night of tour. This was shortly after Nick’s son had died in a tragic accident where he had fallen off a cliff. It was quite obvious he was deeply grieving but needed to be on stage to begin healing.
It felt like during the first song that the whole audience was keeping him alive and singing with our collective breathing, like the whole room was breathing as one person and holding him aloft with our breath? It’s a bit hard to describe, but like we were holding his hand across a tightrope. Then after a song or two he found a groove and began being the Nick Cave we all know, and began moving like a jaguar across the stage the way he does and doing his Nick Cave things (if you know you know). He didn’t talk much but it was pretty clear it was giving him some of his life back. I’ve seen him three times since, and he’s back to his funny self despite the loss of another son in that time, but I’ve never lost the feeling when I see him that the audience keeps him afloat. It’s pretty special. Also listening to and reading about him talk about grief has helped a lot of people.
So hard to decide.
Most impactful was probably seeing Above and Beyond at one of the Wonderland festivals. They were the last band to play and did their group therapy stuff. And sure, part of it was probably the drugs, but On a Good Day really connected with me.
Most fun might be Bad Religion. The concert was great and all, but I was in California and my friend in Chicago told me they had an extra ticket so I flew out to go to the concert with him. Probably spent $350 on flights for a $35 concert ticket.
Then there was Panic at the Disco last year. It’s my girlfriend’s favorite band and I very much enjoy them. Now Im living in Chicago, so I flew out to California and drove with her to Las Vegas for the concert. It was one of our earlier dates once we decided to be more serious.
Best performance might have been the Adicts. It was a small venue, but gorram did they have such an incredible time.
A&B sounds amazing! My answer would be similar, but with Phish… Hard to say what was just the drugs, but definitely some great moments at those shows.
I’ve seen them a few times, but nothing has ever matched that first time.
I was going through depression and having a really rough time during that period of my life, went to the festival with friends that I got separated from. Which didn’t bother me, they were putting out some negative vibes. The ecstacy had me feeling super empathetic and connected with everyone. And then they close out their set with On A Good Day. And dude, it felt like me on a good day. It resonated with me to the center of my soul.
It started a period where I was going to raves solo pretty regularly, became a kandi kid, and would always meet random people when I went. I had one show that I met a guy who snuck in, was kind of sketch, but we had a good time. After the show, I had gotten home when he called saying he was stranded with no way to get back. And ya know what, I drove back and picked his ass up. It was like an hour drive and 5 am, but man, I was all about that PLUR life. Even wore kandi that said ohana on it all the time. Never saw him again after that night, but I learned to love the short friendships I made at those shows. They were all the more beautiful knowing they were temporary.
oh man, that sounds amazing. :) thanks for sharing.
I’ve really only been to a bare handfull of live performances, but the one that stands out was Blues Traveller. Their second album had just come out and one of the guitar players turned 21 at the show. Proceeded to play the fastest version of Johnny B. Goode I’ve ever heard in my life.
This was, Jesus, 30 years ago now? 1991… so shit… 33 years ago.
Finntroll live in a small venue in Belgium called Biebob. The hall is barely bigger than a decent café, so that means everyone is very close to the band. Once they started playing, the ENTIRE hall went absolutely berserk. Including the staff behind the tables and technical materials. Everyone was so completely enthralled that it was an almost religious experience. I’ve never before or after seen anything like it. Must’ve been over 15 years ago though.
Recency bias: Tool - I hadn’t been to a concert of that caliber in years, it was exactly what I was craving. Setlist was incredible and the band were on top of their game. 9.5/10 wish they’'d played vicarious instead of the pot.
Favorite band: Rush - saw them back in 2012 on the Clockwork Angels tour. There’s no way these guys tour if they can’t play, show was great despite a lackluster setlist. I’m a 70s/early 80s rush fan and that era of their discography was largely unplayed.
Childhood: System of a Down - I was a massive fan of these guys and a young teenager and my old man took my brother and I to see them in '05
Honorable mentions: Black Sabbath, Slayer, Rob Zombie
I go to loads of concerts, but my favorite eas Lady Gaga’s Chromatica Ball in Wrigley Field a couple years ago. A friend drove 3 hours to my place Sunday night, then we drove 5 hours to Chicago Monday morning for the show. 45,000 people crammed into that tiny jewl box baseball stadium was incredible. Looking out at the grand stand felt like a wave of people about to crash down on the field. Lady Gaga is an amazing artist and performer and knows how to rally a crowd. She played all her hits as well as most of the songs from Chromatica, which is a great EDM pop album. Lady Gaga always spends about 30 minutes if every concert at a piano and it feels so intimate, like she cares for you specifically.
Wolfmother is a band i really like as well. It’s always a great when you go into a show with no expectations and get blown away.
Las Vegas, early June in the early 2000s they used to hold “JuneFest”. $10 to get in for the day, all day outdoor event with everyone from REO Speedwagon, Joan Jett and Jethro Tull to Kansas, Jefferson Starship and Bad Company and more. It was a who’s who and who’s still alive of the classic rock genre in 2003. But it was one hell of an event. I think it got killed due to lax id checks at the vendors and some violence and heat related injuries.
Cage the Elephant honestly puts on an incredible show.
Beach House is transportative
But I think Sigur Rós is an altogether different experience. They are so so good live. I’ll be seeing them later this year when they have their full orchestra and I’m so excited.
We saw Cage the Elephant and while it was memorable, it was more weird than good. Basically the least sexy strip tease you can imagine, he started out in lots of clothes, layers of clothes like two pairs of pants on top of each other and ended up in running shorts - at one point awkwardly wriggling out of skinny jeans, even. They sounded great but it was kind of awful, like someone had gotten way too high and thought “you know what would be a good idea?”
Last time I saw them was right after their Social Cues album came out. The singer first came out in a black and white stripey outfit, then halfway through came out in a skin suit that was the color of his skin so that it made him look like he was naked.
I honestly thought he gave out awesome energy and they sounded amazing.
Beach House circa Myth, along with TV on the Radio, M83 and Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2011 - 2014 era) were my favorite shows of all time, clustered. Good times.
EDIT: And LCD Soundsystem, that is pure fun.
For me it probably has to be Opeth at the Ancient Roman amphitheatre in Plovdiv, 2015. They were accompanied by a symphonic orchestra and the whole thing sounded unbelievable. Some of the songs were included as bonus tracks on “Sorceress” later on.
I’d also mention any of the TDK shows I’ve been to.
There have been quite a few good ones since, but the first concert that my parents let me go by myself to was a Primus NYE show in Oakland, some time around '94. I was, maybe 15? It was the coolest thing ever. Why was it so amazing? I mean, it was Primus, there was weed everywhere, and I was 15.
I saw Motion City Soundtrack when they were supporting the release of their first album. Their keyboardist spent more time in the air than on the ground. He was on another level. The show was killer. So much enthusiasm, so much passion, and when it was over they came into the audience and talked with us and hung out while Story of the Year did their set. It was one of the most “real” experiences I’ve had a show. Not some fever dream of energy and strobe lights. Just connecting with the artist afterwards and seeing that they are real people, too. I’ve never forgotten it.
I just looked at when that album released. 20 years ago. Goddamn.
Muse for the Simulation Theory tour. Marching bands, laser beams, a giant robot (Murph). It was an incredible show.
Delain, Sabaton, and Nightwish. Best concert I think I’ll ever see. I hadn’t even heard of Sabaton at the time and they quickly became one of my favorite bands.
One evening in 2002 I saw In Flames, Soilwork, and Pain on the same stage, one after the other. It was while In Flames were small enough to stick to the smaller and more intimate concert venues, so the crowd was small enough that you could greet anybody there if you wanted. Met a lot of cool people that night. And the night finished with the entire crowd jumping in unison to In Flames - Only For the Weak.
I saw that tour too. I was so disappointed I never listened to melodeath ever again :D. To each their own I guess.
Saw Panic! At The Disco in 2012 after they released their third album. They’re one of the few groups that borderline sound better live.
They also did a cover of I Believe In A Thing Called Love which I wish they’d release as an actual single. Kinda sucks that Bohemian Rhapsody got that treatment years later but this didn’t.
