Three words: “Weird Al” Yankovic
He and the same guys in his band have been touring together for 40+ years, and the experience shows.
It’s one of the hardest rocking shows out there. Yes, I’m serious.
I was at Hersey Park for a company picnic one year and there were a lot of people walking around dressed up as Weird Al. While waiting the group from my store on a ride, I noticed there was an amphitheater behind me. I turned around and leaned on the rail trying to figure out what was going on when someone dressed as Weird Al came up next to me and started looking down at the stage, he asked if I knew what was going on. I shrugged and then he ran down the steps and onto stage. It was actually Weird Al.
I won front row tickets to his show and it was lovely! My mother got the signed tshirt and ticket stub framed for me, its in my dining room wall!
Buddy Guy. the concert was pretty posh (think bankers in suits), with everyone having arranged seating, audience sitting still and quiet like at a classical music concert.
he was like ‘fuck this, this isn’t a proper concert, my guitar is wireless, let’s stand up, go to the entry hall and jam’. so he’s just standing in the middle of the crowd and going nuts, at like 83 years of age. That was amazing.
I saw buddy at a music fest once and he yelled at the crowd for not singing along in time. Dude is a hilarious legend
Muse. They are almost too perfect live. It feels uncanny.
They are my number #1 live too.
God Speed You! Black Emperor.
Not a band, but Patti Smith, with Philip Glass.
Beck. He did a solo acoustic portion in the middle of the set, which is pretty normal. But while he was playing solo they brought out a massive dinner table ala the last supper behind him. They went all out, bringing platters of food and drinks and everything. His band came back out and sat at the table. And then they played the table…
The food was fake. It was shakers and noise makers and percussion instruments. The glasses were tuned crystal. The dinner was his backing band. It was amazing.
Anyone else see this tour? It was right after Guero.
Edit: typo
Ghost. I was not a fan of theirs at all. I loved their look, but could not get into their music. Then I went to an Iron Maiden concert and Ghost was opening for them. By the second song I was hooked. I have been a huge Ghost fan since. My wife and I are going to Vegas to see them for our anniversary this year.
I saw Jazz guitarist Julian Lage last year and I was not expecting to have my socks completely blown two blocks away. I really enjoy his work and recognize that he is a master of his instrument but holy hell; he and his rhythm section were a hive mind operating in a higher plane of existence. He emitted an energy that I’ve never felt at a concert before. Please check out his trio’s performances on YouTube just to feel a tiny fraction of what happens in person.
Seeing ok go with my future wife is one of my all time favourite memories.
Van Halen 1984 tour (the final with David Lee Roth) in the Hollywood Sportatorium, Hollywood Florida.
Maybe they knew it was over, but they didn’t leave anything undone. It was a smaller venue, and they just fucking killed it. Here’s the setlist:
- On Fire
- Hot for Teacher
- Drum Solo - Alex playing upside down on gimbal
- Unchained
- Runnin’ With the Devil
- Little Guitars
- Cathedral
- House of Pain
- Bass Solo
- Jamie’s Cryin’
- I’ll Wait
- Everybody Wants Some!!
- Girl Gone Bad
- 1984
- Jump
- Guitar Solo
- Oh, Pretty Woman
- Panama
- You Really Got Me
- Ain’t Talkin’ 'bout Love
- Happy Trails
Band of Horses. Saw them live before Lola, buying their albums seem like a waste after hearing how much emotion they can pump into thier live act.
Jack White. Amazing shows live.
ASP
So many that my answer is just listing most of the concerts I can remember going to
The Midnight
Roosevelt
Tycho
DJ Shadow
deadmau5
Perturbator
Rush (RIP Neil)
Celldweller
The Crystal Method
Psychostick
Above & Beyond
Kodo (Japanese taiko drummers)
Lateralis (chiptune musician and indie game dev)
If I had to pick the three most memorable, it’d be Kodo, DJ Shadow, and The Midnight
+1 for above and beyond, saw them at the o2 in Greenwich. Amazing musicians.
+1 for The Midnight. About halfway through the show all but one person went backstage. For about 20 minutes this guy had the most killer synth solo. I was mind blown how well they incorporated the synth into a live concert.
Hell yeah!
I remember the audience just absolutely losing it the first time the sax came out, and also every time after that. Such an excellent band, and I was so thrilled to see how much they blew up
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, every single time. He has walked across the audience and the seats to hold hands with me and sing together, he has chased me through the audience onto the stage, and every time he comes on the stage it’s like someone has released an exotic panther from a crate or something. It’s like going to church with the devil himself preaching.
Pantera and White zombie in 1997. Metallica in 1993. Ozzy and Sepultura in 1998. Those bands were unbelievable to see live at the time and blew me away. Still vividly remember those concerts.
