Mine has got to be Thee Oh Sees. Something about the crowd just going insane for an hour and a half just gets me.
Honestly? My favorite shows are local punk bands playing a packed bar of friends hanging out.
Most memorable shows recently would be Iron Chic. Just big sing alongs to bummer jams.
Also going to second Thee Oh Sees and King Gizz. Those pits are crazy for an indie show. Saw King Gizz at an outdoor venue in 2018 and got black lung from all the dust that got kicked up.
I went to a Sunn show a years ago and legitimately had to leave with 10 mins left because i accidentally knocked an earplug out. 10/10 would see again.
GBV! GBV! GBV!
fans of gbv have to be the luckiest around: there's so much to listen to. straight up avalanche of music. do you have an underrated album/ep you'd recommend? i've mostly heard the big ones. (static airplane jive is my pick outside of the big main albums, that i've listened to)
James Brown. He was such a performer! Two drummers on matching drum sets and a third on a percussion set. Lots of horns, dancers too. Quite the impressive show.
The Dillinger Escape Plan were fucking amazing live. Pure roid rage coming out of Greg while he climbed an amp stack for no fucking reason.
Gallows when Frank was leading, even though Wade is great
Meshuggah
King Giz
Frenzal Rhomb
Thundercat
Kamasi Washington
Metallica live shows are still amazingWoah what's a kamasi show like, does he have a big band or what?
Not a full big band but an awesome backing band. The sheer talent was crazy.
It was at a festival, but it was outstanding. This is the first half of the set, filmed from the front of the pit.
Oingo Boingo
Hepcat
The Adicts
Echo and The Bunnymen
The Business
Roger Waters
Jethro Tull
Madness
The Aggrolites
Allman Brothers Band always brought it.
I've seen so many great concerts, it's really hard to pick.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was great
Any iteration of the Grateful Dead I've seen
The Rolling Stones
Not Bob Dylan though. Glad I saw him, but that was an awful show
There are scales.
Small show folk: Craig Cardiff or The Low Anthem
Medium venue rock: Rusted Root or Toe
Kamasi Washington is amazing.
Arena show: Radiohead followed by Nine Inch Nails or Barenaked Ladies
I was at the same show at Bonnaroo, on acid and will always be one of my most precious memories. I still talk about that show regularly with my friends that I was there with, truly magical. Also peaking during South of Heaven: A+ experience.
damn i'm jealous af d'angelo is my favorite artist and i have listened to his live recordings so many times, from Live at the Jazz Cafe, to bootleg Voodoo Tour recordings, to North Sea Jazz Festival, to his 2 man gig with Questlove
Fucked Up
Titus Andronicus
The Mountain Goats
But probably Morrissey. Unfortunately.
Morrissey is the only act to keep me waiting for over 40+ minutes for him to come on stage (other than ZZ Top). Total diva.
Fuck, I wish that was the case here. Dude went incredibly fash recently.
Fucked Up was really cool, I have a picture somewheres with the lead singer after the show and he seemed like a real sweetheart of a dude
Titus Andronicus
Saw them after The Most Lamentable Tragedy came out, they were fantastic, played a bunch off the Monitor, and had really good energy all the way through
The Mountain Goats
Seen them twice, second time was almost perfect, they did some of my favourites like Cotton and Steal Smoked Fish, plus Heel Turn 2 as a request in the encore. You also know it's a good Mountain Goats show if you're crying 20 minutes in.
Kamelot and Epica would be my favourite two so far, like absolutely blown away. I saw them both in small venues where I was in the pit or front row constantly, absolutely the best vibes and energy. Kamelot totally sold me on Tommy as the new vocalist with that one; incredible frontman and really kept the energy going while still giving the classic kamelot feel. Epica had some of the best sound ever, like honestly sounded as good or better than in the studio, and really kept the crowd involved.
I also need to shout out Lacuna Coil since their opening for Epica was absolutely insane and hyped the crowd up soooo much. The other bands before were decent but didn't really keep the energy up going into the next set, but the stage presence and set from Lacuna Coil was just magic. Plus the straight jacket and asylum costuming was sick: it fit their albums vibe and theme and I'm a sucker for that kind of shit.
Linkin Park and Billy Talent were pretty sick; great sets, great sound, great energy, but I wasn't crazy about the venue so even though their shows were great, the hockey arena seating was trash and the floor tickets were way too limited. I really like to be involved in the concerts and that setup was just kinda poor for it. Billy Talent had Sum 41 as an opener though and i would have paid full price just to see them so that was awesome, and even cooler that I didn't even pay for the ticket.
Oasis was pretty neat to see, the vibe was cool but I was too young and couldn't be high out of my mind like most everyone else there so kinda meh. Felt more like going to see an orchestra or play than a normal concert but maybe it was just the weird venue and being sober.
Blind Guardian had a kickass throwback concert of the first albums by them I ever listened to and that was an absolute nostalgia banger. It was in a tiny concert hall so the vibe was crazy. Probably most people would enjoy their other shows more since the sets have more hype than the mix of ballads and speed that they played, but that one hit me perfectly.
Theres a shitty bar in my city that liked to do live music nights years ago and one of my buddies was playing on their death metal night. The bands weren't all that great sure - they're burial ground ontario garage bands - but the vibe was awesome since I was just drinking and smoking and partying with all the bands the whole night. My friend's drummer got me into cigars and proper tobacco which weirdly got me off cigarettes so that was dope.
