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
Devin Townsend was without a doubt one of the best artists I’ve seen live last year. I limed his music for the longest time, and got tickets the day before the concert, and it was so damn good. It wasn’t anything fancy, just awesome interaction with the crowd and amazing music.
Joanna Newsom & Blind Guardian
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 the 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
The Tallest Man on Earth. Sounded like he left his heart on the stage for the songs he performed.
Covering “Come In From The Cold” shortly after lockdowns blew me away and introduced me to Joni Mitchell, somewhat embarrassing to admit for a forty year old music snob. https://www.youtube.com/live/37uYSek4r-0
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.
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.
Got to see Chicago/ Beach Boys double headline back in 1989 (I think). Both bands were great. Saw the Beach Boys at the old Riverfront Stadium in Cincinnati, OH about 5 years later and it was a great show.
Bad Company Holy Water tour. Brian Howe was front lining the band and he was great, but really would have preferred to have seen Paul Rodgers.
Black Crowes opening for ZZ Top on the Recycler tour. ZZ Top had a great show, but musically, Black Crowes was much better.
Duran Duran … I was a closet fan of theirs back in my teens. I’m not in the closet any longer. Soup Dragons opened for them and they suuuucked.
Linkin Park opening for Metallica at the Atlanta Braves stadium in 2003. They were great, Metallica was meh, but I’ve never been a huge fan of theirs.
Live… Not a big fan of theirs, but they did have a good live show. (see what I did there! Yes, I’m a Dad.) They opened for the Counting Crows who were great too.
Santana is a lot better live than anywhere else. I saw him on the Supernatural tour, or at least that was the album he had just released. Funny side story about this concert. This was in 1999 and was there with a friend. 25 years later, my wife and I were talking about concerts we have attended over the years. She mentioned she went to see Santana when she first moved to Cincinnati, which is where I lived at the time… Turns out we were at the same concert 5 years before we met and didn’t realize it until last year.
Yes, I’m old.
Pop Will Eat Itself in the early 90’s.
Amazing fun shows with tons of energy from the band and the audience.
the early ’90s*
Avatar
Sigor Ros. Saw them live and, despite their melancholy music, put on a helluva show. I was surprised by how much I enjoyed them live!
That and The Flaming Lips. Their live shows are always spectacular, seen them twice
Not a band, but a DJ, Jake Beautyman, April 2024 in São Paulo. He started his set with the Severance OST and was a banger song after song. Still think about that party today
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.
Massilia Sound System. Crowd is basically in a state of plasma from beginning to loooooong after the show ends. When it’s set on the port, you can be sure some of us will launch ourselves in the oily water for the hell of it, come back and slippery dance some more. At the start of every show they distribute a platter of pastis shots in the pit. It’s not a band, it’s a culture. A generation
