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Last Tuesday night, I was working out at the YMCA with one of their personal trainers, just to get some new ideas. She was a chipper sort, which is good because I tend to withdraw and don't lead the conversation much. As she walked me through my paces, we talked about The Dark Knight (turns out she's a comic fan) and other movies. She must have sensed that, aside from The Dark Knight, I'm not much of a movie person. Then she switched tacks and dropped this one on me:
"So, what's the best concert you've ever been to?"
Uh ... uh ... uh ...
At this point, please feel free to peruse my back pages and you'll clearly see that I don't attend loads of concerts. I have seen some doozies, though. Here's a few that popped to mind:
- Attending the first stop on the first Lollapalooza tour, a gift from Melissa where we were just happy to see Jane's Addiction and had no idea what the heck "Lollapalooza" was anyway. This show featured Trent Reznor throwing (literally) a hissyfit when his DAT tapes wouldn't function, and Dave Navarro stomping offstage at the end of a transcendant Jane's set.
- Standing at front row to see PiL on the 1992 120 Minutes tour, and getting the privilege to see Blind Melon and Live, both just starting their rise. PiL was interesting on its own because Melissa leaned on the barrier bored (she's never liked PiL). John Lydon notices her and starts mocking her, and the two of them have a brief back-and-forth until he wis the fight by dropping trou and exposing his white flabby English butt.
- Tromping up to Pasadena with about 100,000 of my closest friends and seeing Depeche Mode at the Rose Bowl. Yup, Depeche Mode 101. I posted the experience here.
- Seeing the Curiosa festival in Chicago with my best friend Sam, who had never seen The Cure live before. Mogwai tore the roof off, The Rapture had the kids dancing in the aisles, Interpol brooded in their special way, and Sam freaked out at every Cure song because it was exactly the song he had been hoping for. The only bummer: Matt Bellamy was sick so we didn't get to see Muse.
After some quick reflection, I narrowed down to these two choices. I'm pretty happy with them.
- April of last year, I headed down to OKC and got to see Silversun Pickups play a side show away from the tour they were doing with Snow Patrol and OK Go. It was in a small venue, so there were maybe 200 people at the show. I had heard reports that Silversun Pickups did not impress in their opening slot, so I was justifiably concerned that they would fall flat. I had no reason for such worry. They really enjoyed that so many people came just to see them, and gave a terrific performance. Topping it was the chance to stand second-row in front with Nikki and interact with her a bit. I posted about it here. Oh yeah, good times.
- Coachella '08. Big crickets, bigger air mattresses, good music, better friends, and Beth Gibbons' waist. Mmmmm. Check the first few posts on this Google search, and you can read up.
This all begs the question, what is your favorite concert memory? Take your time, think it over, and let me know. Post a link to a post, if you're reviewed it here.
It's time to ressurrect a tradition that started back with AJ at the original MOG Wars: MOG Heaven is now opening its doors. You know, the big gates with the treble clefs? Yeah, those gates are now open.
I promise you that the performances make it so people will be dying to join us up here. (haha, I kill myself.) (There I go again, haha.)
Tomorrow, Nick Drake is gonna kick off the acoustic stage in fine style.
Later, Ian Curtis, John Lennon, and Cliff Burton will be playing new material. I understand that Echo, the drum machine from Echo & The Bunnymen, will be pressed into service. That should be good.
Finally, how's this for a supergroup? Janis Joplin. Jim Morrison. Jimi Hendrix. Jaco Pastorius. Keith Moon. Good. Good. Golly!
Oh, and the fountains! They're not only lovely, but the liquid that issues therefrom turns into the drink of choice once it hits your cup. My last cup tasted of the best black cherry cola ever. But never fear, there's no hangovers here. ;)
So, come on in, those that have passed on from this latest incarnation of MOG Wars, come and find the rest you crave. Let your souls heal. And let the rawk have full sway! O:-)
Comments
IAN CURTIS... I am so there
(I heard Layne Staley will also show up & rock out with Jeff Buckley) What a time we will have !!!
(SIDE note - we really should all collaborate on one final death mix of the artists we miss the most as a comfort to our beatless hearts...) I got dibs on Ian Curtis & Layne Staley !!!
right... whos the other one we keep hearing about that is still around - oh yeah... Michael Jackson I think ;)
Some ninja. Sheesh!
I have received my instrument of death from New York City itself. Yeah, you know it's hard. I'll give it a spin later, but I don't have a track listing yet.
And I had completed my mix of death, but because I've been stupid busy, I didn't send it out. My intended victim lives; that just stinks on ice.
As I ponder the eternities, I will only have myself to blame for my sloth. Sigh.
Comments
My first Kinks show (1975) when they were touring two albums (Preservation and Soap Opera), with a ten-piece group, including horns and three girl singer/dancers (one of whom sang Mirror of Love to Ray who was in character as Mr Flash), and the full multi-media show for Soap Opera.
Dylan closing the show at Atlanta Music Midtown III; one of those sets that reminds you why some people are stars and you aren't.
The first Atlanta performance by Cowboy Mouth (1991), at the New South New Music Showcase; fourth of five bands, with most of the audience there to see one of the bands and not caring about the others, they ran half-an-hour over their alloted 45 minutes with no objections from anyone, and had everybody in the joint jammed as near the stage as they could get.
Fairport Convention at their Cropredy Festival, 1992, Fairport's 25th Anniversary year, with pretty much everybody who had ever been in the band showing up and recreating the old lineups (of which there are aplenty) as they recapped FC's entire history...
People i regret most that i never saw live: Professor Longhair, Long John Baldry, Steve Goodman, Johnny Cash, Commandere Cody & his Lost Planet Airmen (well, i saw a band that called itself that, but it was just the Commander and sidemen.)...
Missed concert regrets ... that could be a long post unto itself. I love your description of the Cowboy Mouth set, as proof of a good live band's ability to convert the audience. Thanks!
oh geez man. 150+ grateful dead shows. probably 100+ phish shows. 30+ pearl jam shows. 20+radiohead shows. not to mention hundreds of others.
they're mostly all a blur.
rage against the machine in sweden perhaps? 20 people in a basement before they broke? that was surreal.
i went to 7 shows over 2 week period of neil young with crazy horse in bar in half moon bay. that was up there.
dead richmond 85 with the lost sailor, drum, space, st of circumstance and the killer comes a time/gloria? or hershey park 85? or phili 85?
radiohead shoreline during kid a tour? out of my mind wathcing spirits move through tom's body.
pearl jam in maui under the stars?
ronnie lane appeal for arms with eric clapton, jeff beck and jimmy page?
the ramones? the clash? the who?
zappa?