Best/Worst Show(s) You've Been To

[batman]

best:

circa survive halloween show w/ dredg

worst:

this will destroy you (sound was way fucked up, we left after 15 minutes of noise)

foxy shazam (i wanted to kill myself, SO bad)

[Guest]

I have missed TWDY both times they have come to Portland in the past couple years, but I heard sound was complete shit both times. I think they only played for like 15 minutes one of the times.

[batman]

I have missed TWDY both times they have come to Portland in the past couple years, but I heard sound was complete shit both times. I think they only played for like 15 minutes one of the times.

guess its a common thing then? i kinda gave them the benefit of the doubt because they played emo's in austin, tx, a venue that doesn't really have the best sound. lymbyc systym opened for them and they sounded FANTASTIC though so i don't know. it just sucked because it was my birthday, and the band i went to see was so unenjoyable. oh well, got some sweet records at waterloo and some delicious austin eats.

[SpinningBlackCircleofDeath]

Funny/Shocking show would be Dillinger Four, Riverboat Gamblers, Young Offenders at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. Dillinger Four came on and Paddy said, "This is a haircut show!" He shaved half of his hair off before they started playing. He had people from the crowd come on stage and D4 would shave your head. Twords the end of their set Paddy pulled his pants down and started shaving his balls on stage while singing. Dude is fucking crazy!

Worst show I saw was Throw Rag. The singer came out in a speedo and shoved/mashed a banana in his ass. Then he had some girls from the crowd come up and he fed them the banana out of his ass. He pulled the rest out and threw it in the crowd. Man, fuck that!

[Werner Herzog]

Funny/Shocking show would be Dillinger Four, Riverboat Gamblers, Young Offenders at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. Dillinger Four came on and Paddy said, "This is a haircut show!" He shaved half of his hair off before they started playing. He had people from the crowd come on stage and D4 would shave your head. Twords the end of their set Paddy pulled his pants down and started shaving his balls on stage while singing. Dude is fucking crazy!

Worst show I saw was Throw Rag. The singer came out in a speedo and shoved/mashed a banana in his ass. Then he had some girls from the crowd come up and he fed them the banana out of his ass. He pulled the rest out and threw it in the crowd. Man, fuck that!

Sounds like a GG wannabe?

[Guest]

This was one of the best shows I've ever been to. Got naked during the last song. No, you can't see my or anyone else's junk. This is the only thing I miss about being in high school.

[One Hundred Fifty-Two]

Pirate Studios was in like Elgin, right?

[Guest]

HA! Just realized how weird that post might be! SERIOUSLY! 0 DICKS! Just a lot of push moshing.

EDIT: It was in Grayslake, IL.

[rudeboydh]

Best:

Engligh Beat - 2009 at the Masquerade

The Slackers - I've seen them 4 times and every time they're fantastic. And every time they play, their set is almost completly different.

Warped Tour 2008 - A slew of good ska/reggae bands and punk played this year. Aggrolites, ORESKABAND, Reel Big Fish, Bedouin Soundclash, Big D and the Kids Table, MC Chris, Against Me, and Angelo Moore. This is all I can remember seeing, although I know there were more. Most memorable thing was when Angelo Moore got on stage to play theramin w/ the Aggrolites. Best year I've ever been to Warped.

Worst: None. I don't go to concerts w/ bands I hate. lol. Some shows I've been to were bad because of the people there, but not the bands fault. Like at Dropkick Murphys, there was an obnoxious amount of crowd surfers and the crowd was really aggressive. I've never left a show so beat up in my life. Also, Cletus @ Cumberlands in Charleston, I got hit in the face and broke my glasses.

[batman]

Funny/Shocking show would be Dillinger Four, Riverboat Gamblers, Young Offenders at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco. Dillinger Four came on and Paddy said, "This is a haircut show!" He shaved half of his hair off before they started playing. He had people from the crowd come on stage and D4 would shave your head. Twords the end of their set Paddy pulled his pants down and started shaving his balls on stage while singing. Dude is fucking crazy!

Worst show I saw was Throw Rag. The singer came out in a speedo and shoved/mashed a banana in his ass. Then he had some girls from the crowd come up and he fed them the banana out of his ass. He pulled the rest out and threw it in the crowd. Man, fuck that!

story of the year burned their pubes on stage at SXSW a few years ago. i really don't know why they were there... not gonna lie though, seeing "until the day i die" live was pretty epic.

[controlthebleeding]

Best:

A night with THE MELVINS - liberty lunch (9pm - 2am) 3 sets, no openers. FTW!

Jawbreaker - 94' emos (1st time seeing them. was front and center during the whole set)

Green Day - January 5, 93' (that was just fun. they played a small cap vfw style place to 50-100 people. Still have the flier)

Guns N Roses - 92' Use your illusion tour. Band fuckin' ruled!

Descendents - Liberty Lunch - 03-97' (i lost it when they played coolidge)

Iron Maiden/Queensryche - 87' - C.C. Memorial Coliseum - Somewhere in Time tour.

Cro-Mags - 89' - (ok, no JJ, but fun nonetheless and i think my stage dives were in the double digits for a 15 year old.)

Cro-Mags - 2011 Chaos in Tejas - ok, JJ, mackey, and others doing the 1st album. Probably the funnest and most violent show i had seen. And i don't mean violent as in fights. i meant the craziest shit went down. there was blood, seizures, broken backs, crying, etc etc. someone came out hurt at least once every 2 to 3 minutes. Makes a warp tour mosh pit seem like disney on ice.

Honorable Mentions:

Dillinger Four 95' - somewhere in Louisiana. My band was playing a show and just so happened to play before them. never had heard of them, but was a fan after and bought a 7".

Weezer - Pinkerton tour

Mercyful Fate / Cathedral / Flotsam&Jetsam - Holy shit.

Worst:

Brian Jonestown Massacre - 200? - Snooze Fest

Rush/Alice in chains- 92'- AIC ruled. Rush put me to sleep(literally)

Saint Vitus - 2011 ugh.

[scottheisel]

Andrew W.K. - Warped Tour Chicago, 2003 — first time seeing him, got to stand on the side of the stage, lost my fucking mind and even hoisted him up on my shoulders during "Party Hard."

Andrew W.K. - Duquesne University, Pittsburgh, March 2005 — Tickets were only $1! I drove down with a bunch of my friends and we had the best time ever. Again, we ended onstage for most of the night. During "Party Hard," I somehow ended up playing the piano part while AWK was at the front of the stage headbanging, and when he heard it, he came over and yelled into my ear, "GOOD, YOU'RE LEARNING!" Moments later, a security guard threw me offstage. It was fucking incredible. There is a decent-quality video of most of the show here:

http://www.andrewwkmusic.com/wp-content/media-archives/video/Live%20Concerts/Pittsburgh%20-%2012,%20march%202005%20-%20nosebleeds.avi

Basically every Andrew W.K. show, really.

[LowEndAutomatic]

Some of the best/ most memorable shows would have to be:

The Cure on Distingration tour in 1989- I was in seventh grade and begged my dad to take me. He sat the entire time and read the Wall Street Journal during the show, looking up occasionally to laugh at the crowd.

My Bloody Valentine in 90 or 91- Such an amazing show, but by far, also the loudest one I've ever attended.

Hot Water Music/ Jets to Brazil/ Four Hundred Years- I spent two hours waiting in line in freezing rain to see Jets to Brazil, but Hot Water Music blew me away. It was right around the time that Forever and Counting came out.

Elliott Smith- He played a small bar called the Pontiac Grille in Philly right before Either/ Or came out. It seemed like he played forever. I also remember him playing a ton of Beatles covers.

The recent Revival Tour date in Philly. Although I've seen all of their respective bands several times each, but watching and listening to Chuck Ragan, Tim Barry, Dave Hause and Brian Fallon sharing a stage together was pretty amazing.

Worst shows include:

The Cure a few years ago on their last US tour. Super boring and kind of sad; they were playing to a half empty arena.

The Get Up Kids/ At the Drive In- I actually didn't get in to see ATDI (it was sold out), but a friend working the door got me in right before GUK started playing. There was a pretty big and bloody fight, the band had to stop playing after three or four songs and the police shut down the show.

Rage Against the Machine at Lollapalooza in 93?- It was the show where they stood on stage naked for like twenty minutes with tape over their mouths and had written PMRC on their chests in protest. I saw them the week before and they were insane and I was super-excited to see them again.

Biggest show I regret missing was Mineral, Jimmy Eat World and, I want to say, Sensefield at the Pontiac Grille in Philly. A ton of snow was predicted for that night and it only turned out to be an inch or two. The show went on, but friends of mine and I skipped it to go to a diner instead driving the ten minutes into the city.

[000000]

Best shows:

- The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Streetlight Manifesto at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo - Bosstones played for almost 2 hrs, and it was their first non-Boston show in a couple years. So much dancing.

- Brand New/Manchester Orchestra/Kevin Devine at the Town Ballroom in '06 - BN played half of YFW, ALL OF DEJA STRAIGHT THROUGH and half of Devil and God. Also my first time seeing them.

- ZOX Reunion Show at Lupo's in Providence, RI - Amazing set, amazing band, and first time seeing them in their hometown.

Honorable Mentions:

- Arrogant Sons of Bitches and Laura Stevenson at The Warsaw in Brooklyn - First time seeing ASOB, one of the biggest circle pits I've seen (second only to ETID at Warped in Buffalo). Laura always has an amazing set and is perfect in every way.

- Good Old War at Mohawk Place in Buffalo - Band is beyond amazing live.

- Death Cab For Cutie at Sound Academy in Toronto - First time seeing one of my Top 3 favorite bands.

Worst shows:

- Portugal The Man at the Town Ballroom this past year - Band had virtually no energy on stage compared to the other four times I've seen them...extremely disappointing.

- Cute Is What We Aim For at The Icon in Buffalo - I don't remember who they opened for, but all Shaant did the entire set was whip his hair back and forth and keep scooping it out of his eyes. Also they sucked live.

[rudeboydh]

- The Mighty Mighty Bosstones and Streetlight Manifesto at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo - Bosstones played for almost 2 hrs, and it was their first non-Boston show in a couple years. So much dancing.

Going to see the Bosstones for the first time in Atlanta in November. I'm stoked! I think this is the first time they've played anywhere even remotely close to me since they've come out of hiatus.

[000000]

Going to see the Bosstones for the first time in Atlanta in November. I'm stoked! I think this is the first time they've played anywhere even remotely close to me since they've come out of hiatus.

they play a great mix of old and new stuff, and they're just such a fun band to watch. I want to be Ben Carr when I grow up and dance on stage at every show.

[adictsdroog1]

Best Shows

Tiger Army's Octoberflame 3 in 2010. First night had Throw Rag open, really great live band with a heck of a lot of energy for their ages. Then Jack Grisham and The West Coast Dukes. TSOL songs. My heart was complete. Then Tiger Army came out and played through one of the greatest set lists I have ever heard. Mind you, I flew from Orlando, FL to Anaheim, CA just to see them play.

2nd night was Hillbilly Casino, great psychobilly band from Tennessee. Then freaking Mad Sin. just stuff from their newer albums, but it was still great. Then Tiger Army played all of Power of Moonlight, my favorite album. Perfect.. then a couple more awesome songs. Best trip I took next to my honeymoon..

Rise Against/Alkaline Trio/Thrice/Gaslight Anthem... no need to talk about it. I didnt care for gaslight or Thrice too much before this show. After, I fell in love.

Koffin Kats/Devil Sits Shotgun/The Afterbirths?- 2009. Flew up to Long Island. NY and I missed the Orlando show of the Koffin kats. So glad i found this show. It was one of the best I've ever seen. Played all 3 Graveyard Tree songs in a row. Afterbirths play for 15, and I will never forget the debauchery i saw from them. By the end of the 15 minutes, it was 4 naked dudes playing fast punk.

Motorhead with Reverend Horton Heat- amazing

Casualties/Leftover Crack/Trash Talk- this was when Trash Talk was still pretty decent. Horrible crowd, lots of energy though. Casualties put on a hell of a show. Incredible energy. Leftover Crack was also just as awesome. Played some Choking Victim stuff. Stza is a douche though. Kept throwing kids off the stage

Worst

Outbreak/Forfeit/local band from Orlando i cant remember- first "hardcore" show I went to. Me and my buddy left during forfeit. horrible crowd

havent really seen anything that Ive been too disappointed with. Maybe AFI could have played more old stuff when I saw them, but they played almost all of Sing the Sorrow.

[maskedvigilante]

I saw Weezer last night and was left a little cold. Now because it was free I can't complain whatsoever. Just bummed they didn't play any material from Pinkerton.

As well, the band isn't very energetic at all. They all kind of just stood in their spots and played. Not a criticism, I don't expect to see letlive. style antics or anything. Just very different from the smaller bands I'm used to seeing.

All that said, Surf Wax America sounded fantastic. That was definitely the highlight.

[Family Friendly Rap God]

Best show I've ever seen was Coheed and Cambria a few years back right after Afterman Acension dropped. Claudio sounded amazing and brought out the triple necked guitar to play Welcome Home as an encore

Also All That Remains/Lacuna Coil right after Overcome dropped was a great show

[roadmonkey]

Saw Kraftwerk last week. Easily the best concert I have been to in a really REALLY long time. The visuals were awesome and the songs were timeless. 

[streetwaves]

Best:

 

Patti Smith - performing Horses in its entirety at BAM

The Smiths - The Greek Theater (Queen is Dead tour)

The Jesus Lizard - The Kennel Club

The Boredoms - The Kennel Club

Nirvana - The Blue Max (1989)

Sonic Youth - The Fillmore (Sister tour)

Jane's Addiction - The Stone

Soundgarden - The I-Beam

Unsane - Nightbreak

Ruins - The Chameleon

Echo and the Bunnymen - Berkeley Community Theater (Ocean Rain tour)

Sons of Hercules - Hole in the Wall

The Nomads - Emo's

The Pixies - The Fillmore

Royal Trux - Brave New World

The Black Keys - McCarren Park Pool

 

 

 

 

 

 

Worst:

 

Tool - The Berkeley Square

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Slim's

Bonnie Prince Billie/Billy

Smog

[Thundrstruckk]

Best - Coheed and Cambria - SSTB or the tour they did right after uproar last summer. That was intense.

Best v2 - SOJA with The John Butler Trio. I was under the influence of some...things and this show kicked ass. John Butler playing ocean, as it was pouring rain, with everyone dancing in the rain, it was something.

I try not to go to shows that I know will suck

[Thundrstruckk]

Best show I've ever seen was Coheed and Cambria a few years back right after Afterman Acension dropped. Claudio sounded amazing and brought out the triple necked guitar to play Welcome Home as an encore

Also All That Remains/Lacuna Coil right after Overcome dropped was a great show

That would have been double neck. If Claudio ever brings out a TRIPLE neck, I will have seen it all with that man. I saw a show on that tour. I believe it was with BTBAM, and Russian circles. That show had me bleeding by the end of it. Good show.

[EntryLevelDave]

Was that ALK3, Thrice Gaslight show also with Rise Against? If so, I saw that tour too and it was crazy. 

 

In terms of line-up, performance, etc., what were some really great shows you guys have attended?

In the same note, what were some performances that you really thought were going to be great, but didn't live up to your expectations?

Some really great shows for me would include:

Alkaline Trio w/ Gaslight Anthem & Thrice

Beastie Boys

Fall Out Boy w/ NFG & The Early November

Copeland's farewell tour

Bright Eyes w/ Mountain Goats

Blink-182

The National, Spoon, Black Keys (separate shows, but all in Columbus)

Foo Fighters

Being from Akron (and some will agree), it's becoming more difficult to see some really great shows that I know some of you have had the privilege of attending. I'm curious as to see what they were

[dkrtz]

Last month I saw the Neutral Milk Hotel reunion tour at a soldout new orleans show. It was indescribable and I never imagined they'd have the energy they presented.

Last year at Dir en grey in Atlanta I had such a great time I had to pull over on the interstate and puke, completely sober, afterwards.

Only recent disappointment was Chelsea Wolfe's reaction to the new orleans crowd. The show was great but she seemed put off by the people and she hasn't booked another new orleans show since. At the same show the members of true widow were so drunk that the guitarist forgot how to sign his name, resulting in him hovering over my record for five minutes poking it with a Sharpie. Great performance still.