I had my mind blown just now - Page 2

What's the opinion on seeing the same band twice on the same tour? On the one hand, it seems a little redundant, on the other, there are artists who never do the same setlist twice in a row. And the crowd can make a ton of difference.

I'm torn right now, because I saw the Police in Tampa last year, and now they're coming to Orlando with Elvis Costello, and my wallet is screaming not to spend the money again, but the Police and Costello?!? Come on!

Go. Just go, Dickson. Costello is brilliant in concert.

I'm going to less and less shows as I get older but they're getting more and more intimate. Yeah, I've got tickets to Tom Petty when he comes through in August but I'd rather go catch Ruthie Foster at Knox United or Blackie and the Rodeo Kings at Jack Singer.

Part of it is being so close to the performer but a big part is that I'm not a huge fan of people and how they behave at the really big shows. I got box tickets for that reason when I see Petty. No crowd.

What's really weird about that is that I love music festivals particularly the side stages. Those crowds don't annoy me for some reason.

I actually think Patrick's post is one of the most pathetic things I've seen on the Internet, and that's really quite impressive. I actually took someone out to their first concert earlier this year and they had a similar reaction to Patrick, just intellectualising everything and completely freaking out. If I didn't go to concerts I wouldn't even know about half the bands I listen to. There's a small venue near me which has a £5/$10 entry and have gigs a few times a week. I try and get over there at least once a week and because of that I've seen some truly amazing bands before they got big.

If you're into the types of music where moshing's appropriate, one should get in there at least once. They can be tiring after a while, but, as lightning rods for every ounce of the energy in the music, they can be fun. It just annoys the shit out of me when a pit starts up for songs that have no right being moshed to, i.e. the 50-some odd jackasses who tried and failed to start one up to Something I Can Never Have last time I saw NIN live.

Normally, I would say, "Saw them already on this tour - need to save money." But the Police aren't going to be coming around again - they're done after this. Plus, you're right - when will you get to see them with Elvis Costello? Why miss something that great? I know you need to save money, but also don't miss out on a good opportunity.

And the gummint is givin' me six hundred bucks the next month....

I can't believe this. I have over 100 ticket stubs from concerts. Most of them from bands you wish you had seen. And those are just the ones that issued tickets. My first concert was when my parents took me to see the Stones on the Tatto You tour. The openers were J. Geils Band and Geroge Thorogood. I have a friend who saw Prince open for the Stones and as much as he rules, he saw people pelt him wih socks full of dirt. I saw Van Halen play Aniheim Coliseum and they parachuted in to the venue(P.S. It wasn't really them). I think maybe a lot of you have never seen a show where the potential of you getting beatenup by cops was high. When I was in my early teens concerts were dangerous. Google search Seattle + Gorilla Garedens. Just read these Social Distortion lyrics (Social Distortion, not Social "D") thats what a show is about. I still go to shows today where I know nothing of the bands playing just for the potential to say I was there when.

Well I love the sound when I smash the glass,
If I get caught they're gonna kick my ass.
My mommy's worried about the way I drink,
My daddy can't deal with the way I think.
They wake me up, tell me, "to get to work,"
I slam the door, say, "shut up you jerk."
I can't wait til the show tonite,
When I'm with my friends every things alright...
[Chorus:]
They're telling me, but I'm telling them.
"I'll do it my way, I'll always win."
"When the sun goes down I'm ready to play,
It doesn't matter what anybody says!!!"
Well I love the sound when I smash the glass,
If I get caught they're gonna kick my ass.
My girls stands very close to me,
That's just where I want her to be.
they say it costs $6 to get in this shack,
I'll go around sneak in the back.
I hope the police don't show up here,
Then we'll have to hide out of fear...
[Repeat chorus]

Oh, absolutely do it then! And also, never forget to take band politics into consideration when debating about tickets - The Police hate each other. See them as much as you can before Stewart Copeland takes out Sting's eyeball with a drumstick.

I used to be similar in mindset to what Patrick's talking about...all through high school, I would go to local concerts and whatever slightly larger stuff I could get to, but I always ended up regretting it.

I went to the Austin City Limits Music Festival in 2005 and that changed pretty quick. It's kind of like a super-saturation of live music. There was something like 130 bands playing over the course of 3 days. If you don't like what's going on at one end of the festival, you basically just walk around until you find something you like. The crowds feel different from other concerts, too...I dunno. Maybe it's just Austin.

In any case, Patrick...if you wanted to give live music another shot, I would suggest attending a full on festival instead of just the occasional show or two. It might change your mind.

Saw my favourite band in the world (Lagwagon, don't know how many people are familiar with them) twice in 2 days. The setlists, except for a couple of songs, were mostly the same- but they were the 2 best nights of my life. And I would've seen them a 3rd time if that hadn't entailed flying down to Cape Town.

I totally understand the distinction that Patrick made between shows and concerts. There's nothing better than a show in an intimate setting, but concerts I can do without (which is a shame, seeing as we're not exactly overflowing with quality bands down here). Last big concert I went to was over a year ago, when I saw Metallica on a giant TV screen through some 30 000 people. I hated it.

Muse are coming through next month with Korn, Chris Cornell and a bunch of other artists. I'm pretty much the only person I know who's not going and I don't feel to bad about it either.

Your favorite band in the whole world is Lagwagon? Seriously? Fat Wreckchords Lagwagon? There isn't some antipodean Lagwagon is there?

I think Patrick could benefit from social libations served at most concerts to chill the fuck out and enjoy the show. My advice, Patrick, is to get a fake ID or start sneaking booze in. I usually enjoy shows sober (I prefer it that way, actually) but Patrick smacks me as the type of person who needs to dumb himself down a bit to enjoy things in large crowds.

And speaking as a (occasionally) performing musician, you don't have to wonder if a band is bored playing something, you can tell. And if you're seeing a band that looks and acts that bored, you're just at a bad show.

I don't get how people can get excited over a reunion tour, though. Would you have sex with Lauren Bacall now just to say you did it?

Patrick, artists fucking love to play for you. Music, even at its shittiest, is a creative force, and there's intrinsic passion and energy in doing it live, repetition be damned. Just relax and try to connect with whats happening around you.

Do you need to ask?

Seriously though, I'd do Lauren Bacall before seeing a reunion tour. Too many great new bands to see.

I dunno, I'm still ready and willing to give up vital parts of my anatomy to see Rage Against the Machine live.

Yip. And they put on a killer show. Joey Cape's cool as shit.

I'd do Lauren Bacall in a heartbeat before seeing - say - the Talking Heads get back together. There's something so shameful about a reunion tour. The Sex Pistols are right, it's just about a money grab, and it's not like you expect them to evolve artistically. You want them to not evolve, you want the moment to be like something from 20 years ago. And even in saying you saw them you probably wouldn't specify when.

Dylan doesn't count as a reunion tour type of thing, right? If not then the only reunion tour I've seen is Spinal Tap.

...probably?

Being inebriated and listening (and making a fool of myself on the dance floor sometimes) to a great band live is one of the greatest pleasures in my life. This thread is just a whole barrel of confusion for me.

Get thee to a Gun Club show, (won't happen).


I saw the Pistols money grab knowing full well that was what it was. But you know? In ended up being pretty good. To qualify I only went because it was at our Laborday fest "Bumbershoot" and I got freebies so that may have helped. Had I paid I might not have enjoyed myself so much.

And I'm sure the Pixies rocked the house in their recent tour, but it's the same thing I rail against when people still love the Goonies.

How long was the Sex Pistols set? Did they have to dip into PIL stuff?

I didn't go a concert until Feb of 2004 when I was 19. Part of it was lack of transportation and no serious interest in music until 2001 when I had a job to buy cds. Prior to that, it was a heavy devotion to Weird Al Yankovic.

While seeing live music is great, the standing around for hours on end, mosh pits and some jack off always having the need to light up always discouraged me. Not to mention the last show I went to (AFI in Long Beach 2006.) I was so tired and drained, I just couldn't keep it going. That and I just thing there are better things I'd rather save my cash for. (Vacations and the like)

Although if Rammstein ever did a live show I'd be there, just near the fire exit in case things went wrong.

I didn't go to a concert until I was in college because I lived in buttfuck Florida and only shitty redneck bands played where I lived. I was also unbelieveably poor. But NY has so many great venues for relatively cheap with so many different types of music, there was no reason for me not to check them out when I moved up here. And I must say, seeing music played live makes the shittiest song sound amazing. And a great concert is just a mind blowing experience.

That said no matter how good the band is, concerts are usually shitty for me in that at 5'0 tall, I almost never am able to actually see the band and get trampled by people who think there is space, only to run me over. Alcohol always costs an arm and a leg for a small plastic cup and then I'm afraid to go to the restroom for fear that I will never be able to find my way back to my friends. And as someone who likes to dance to music, its usually an impossibility when your packed into large crowds. I kinda wish I had starting going to concerts in my youth when I was less cynical because this sort of stuff wouldn't have bothered me as much. And everything seems new and wonderful from youthful eyes.

But despite my cynicism, I wouldn't give up going to concerts. i went to one two weekends ago at the Beacon Theater and it was just so amazing. My friend had an extra ticket to see Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings. I had never heard of her, but once she started singing it didn't matter. At age 52, she had so much fucking energy. And the more energy she gave, the more the crowd gave energy back and it just turned into an awesome jam party. And the crowd was an interesting mix of old, young, wall street suits, hippies, people of all races...it was just so interesting that this one woman could bring all these diverse people together. I can't imagine not going to another concert and it amazes me that I hadn't done it sooner.

I've learned rap concerts are terrible (I'm look at you Talib Kweli and LL Cool J) and jam band get their rep for a reason (good lord, 40 minute guitar solos are no joke). And small venues with no name bands trying to make a name for themselves are always a blast.

My favorite concerts:
Prince (who I saw in a small rooom at Webster Hall, which was being taped for a MTV special. Fucking amazing)
Pearl Jam (Giants Stadium) One of the greatest experiences in my life.
Beastie Boys (Madison Square Garden)
The Roots (Irving Plaza)
Jamiroquia (Bowery Ballroom) If it wasn't for this concert, I would have been at work on 9/11 - 2 blocks from the towers.
Sharon Jones (Beacon Theater)

I went to a few of them. Thing is that very few bands come down here, mainly the biggest ones on world tours. And a lot of Heavy metal bands because they know how awesome the Crowds are.

Let me recap what i saw.

The Stones
U2 - twice - once in the "golden circle"
Oasis
Pearl Jam - twice - Best concerts ever
Velvet Revolver - Terrific live, specially the GNR songs
Aerosmith
Roger Waters
Robbie Williams - Fuck you, went for a girl, was kinda fun

I had tickets for Metallica but they canceled 2 weeks out. Fuckers.
Megadeath came here a bunch of times and filmed a live dvd. Mustaine loves Argentina and it's crowd.
And next month Ozzy Osbourne, Korn and Bob Dylan come to town.
Deciding if i should go. Specially to Dylan.

I'm sorta curious about people listing these big bands. The best live music experiences I've had are bands that play mid-level to small sized venues. The ones that play in some darkened club where the admission is around $10 and the bar is a couple of shuffles away.

Patrick what about movies? If you project that much negativity at a show with thousands of people, the movies must be a real drag. My musical taste tends to be fairly mainstream, but a couple of my best concert experiences would be seeing the NIN/David Bowie tour about 10 years ago and I snuck into a bar in High School to see Alice in Chains. The last one was pretty neat because they were relatively unknown then, and six months after that I saw them open for Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax, then in December of the same year I saw them open for Van Halen. It was cool watching them progress like that. Then Layne Staley died. What a fucking waste.

I always preferred the smaller venue shows too. I should be going to see Nile at small venue at the end of the month, and have ringing in my ears for the following week. Gotta love technical death metal.

Ah.

Now everything makes sense.

See, the Pixies would be one of the few reunion tours that I would pay full price to see. I missed them the last time because I was broke. Even the Stooges was a bit of a disappointment.

Smaller shows are great, but big stadium concerts just have a crazy amount of energy. My wife wants to visit Europe next year, and I've told her we HAVE to go check out one of those huge festival shows with a few hundred thousand people. Those must be nuts.

Smaller venues are definitely a more intimate experience, but if the band is big enough there is something about thousands of people all feeling the same thing at the same time that is just powerful.

Indeed. Probably only time I actually came close to tears at a concert was the aforementioned NIN show, and hearing everyone of varying ages, stages of sobriety, and assholishness gather their civility to sing Hurt. No cheering, no hoots and hollers between verses, no glow sticks. Just 20,000 people singing. That's a sound and spirit that just can't be replicated in a smaller venue.

Yeah, being in a amphitheater with 15,000 other people screaming out "bring down the government, they don't, they don't speak for us" at a Radiohead gig in 2003 was one of the best concert moments I've shared. Actually, that whole show was just electric... and while I too, prefer smaller venues, there are some times when it's nice to be lost in a sea of appreciation...

Sometimes thousands of people feeling the same thing at the same time is just annoying.

This reminds me of the Tool shows I've been to - Keenan often will lead the crowd in the "Tool Pledge of Allegiance"...which ends with him telling 10,000 or so people to repeat "I will think for myself" after he says it.

He sees the humor; I don't think most of the crowd does.

That was my experience at the Pearl Jam concert. It was the last show of that leg of the tour and the crowd was so into it that they wouldn't stop playing. The stadium folks turned on the lights and Pearl Jam kept playing and the crowd kept singing...it was just amazing. And I was sober at the time so that's saying alot.

Sucks for you.

I'm in the Greg David boat re: going to shows - prices are outrageous, plus the fact that, apart from the Stone Pony, a lot of the clubs I'd frequent (Birch Hill, Club Bene, Fastlane, Saint, etc.) are long gone, has pretty much limited my options. Yes, I do go to NYC on occasion, but nowhere near as much as I used to.

Ah, but every so often, when I do go see a show, it's magic. Last good show I saw was Rush at the PNC Bank Arts Center last summer, and damn if they aren't coming around again in the next month or two. Yeah, probably'll be the same setlist, etc. but those guys put on a hell of a show, have fun on stage doing it, and get the crowd jumping. Definitely worth the $80-$100 I'll drop.

...

The smaller venues in NYC charge like $30 for tickets. It's the large stadiums like MSG that charge $100 or more. Plus there are so many free concerts in NYC, including some big name bands. Summer Stage attracts some really great bands.

From time to time I've considered checking out one of the summer tours that come thru every summer but I think about the fact I'd be bored out of my mind 3/4 of the time and fry in the sun for that day while spending $8 on water per bottle. Doesn't seem worth it really.

You never know what cool thing is going to come out of a live show. Back around '91, I saw this unbelievably great girl singer at The Blue Note. Didn't catch her name, but I remembered what a fabulous voice she had and what she looked like. Six years later, when she hit it big and was on the cover of Rolling Stone, I completely geeked out when I realized that it was the same girl. Turns out I'd seen Joan Osborne back when she was an unknown singer down in the Village. I don't go to nearly as many concerts as I should, but little moments like that make it alot of fun.

Well that's true, but I'm thinking to myself how much of a tool I'd look like going to something like the Warped Tour. Yeah, that'll go down well.

Yeah, it was even cheaper when I'd hit the city and the clubs (how I miss CBGB's). Part of the problem too is finding time to go - I have a long drive to and from work every day (out of state), I get home and I'm pretty much shot for the night. Weekends are pretty much booked up with my wife, and most of the folks I'd go see shows with are scattered.

'Cause I'm an adult now
I'm an adult now
I've got the problems of an adult
On my head and in my libido
I'm an adult now

I dunno; I think back to what it would've been like if I'd seen an "older" guy (like myself now) at some show. I would've either thought "huh, that's cool" or disregarded it.

Maybe today's youth is more judgemental than I was.

Try 60 thousand people. That's some power right there.

Small venues are great and all, but the bands that come down here are not small, and in order to get them here, they get payed big, and they need a big show.

Coldplay played in a theater. 3000 people. Tickets were $500 each.

Local bands are different. Those you can see in small venues for a more intimate experience.

At the movies all I have to do is find a seat, sit there, and watch the movie. I bet I'd feel the same at, say, Rocky Horror Picture Show, though.

I prefer to assume that if you were alive when punk first started, you wouldn't be caught dead at Warped Tour.

Amen.

I was assuming it was more about perception than principle. I certainly could've been wrong.

EDIT - I figured I'd take a look at some of the Warped lineups, and I'm figuring if the tour was good enough for Bad Religion, The Circle Jerks, The Descendents, Dropkick Murphys, Fear, Fishbone, The Germs, NOFX, Sick of it All, Social Distortion, and The Specials, it should be OK for most punks.