Concerts thread: Best/Worst/Next/Last one you attended?

They’re not making them up because the final standings are set. This will cause Tommy Thayer to miss his appearance bonus and Eric Singer will not have enough service time to qualify for arbitration, so Gene will pocket a couple extra mill, which makes him very happy.

 

If any of you fine folks happen to be going to the Hold Steady Thursday and Friday night shows at Brooklyn Bowl, hit me up.

Also, if you know where I can get a beer for less than $13 in Brooklyn, hit me up.

 

Saw Blues Traveler - a favorite of mine from the mid-1990s - at a small casino a few weeks back.

All things considered, cheap beer, a $35 ticket and cozy venue, it was a great show. Seeing John Popper rocking out Devil Went Down to Georgia on a harmonica was pretty cool.

 

Last night almost killed me, since I don’t normally drink in NYC until 4 am. But that was the buzz we were riding after the Thursday Hold Steady show. We’ve got the Horn Steady joining for tonight’s show, which should be a fucking banger. And I’ve managed to sniff out some happy hours. I dig Williamsburg/Greenpoint way more than Manhattan. Very friendly vibe.

 

I can't say I know Brooklyn super well, but in the short time (about 18 months now) that my daughter has lived in Crown Heights while in college, I've really liked Brooklyn and that area. I have a favorite pub just a few steps from her apartment, and beers are only $8/9. I go every time I visit her.

Side note: There's two or three guys who I've seen more than once when visiting. They're between the train station and my daughter's apartment, and they set up a small table and chairs on the sidewalk outside their building, and smoke weed and play chess. I've said hello to them while walking by more than once. One day, I truly want to hang with them. Me, late 40s white dude from NC, them early 30s black dudes from wherever/Brooklyn. Someday.

 

A version of this thread is trending on X.

Trending: Music Lovers Sound Off on the Worst Concerts They Ever Attended



https://x.com/Livefreak01/status/1736203428932510177?t=hBex8Pv2pTrnHUohvfWmcA&s=09

 

Well, I’m not going to go on x dot com, but this seems like a fun exercise, so here goes:

1. First concert (to which I was not dragged by my parents): Little River Band, 1984. They were already on their next lead vocalist and were on their way to being a weak imitation of themselves.
2. Most recent concert: Jason Isbell, Ryman Auditorium, October 2023.
3. Worst concert: Chuck Berry, 1988 State Fair.
4. Loudest concert: Reverend Horton Heat and Supersuckers, Revolution Live in Fort Lauderdale, 2011. Both acts way too big for that room in the best way.
5. Best concert: Jason Isbell, Red Rocks, 2016 and 2021. These are followed very closely by a Rainmakers show I saw in a tiny room in Springfield, Mo., in 1988, which went for nearly four hours and was just about peak rock ‘n’ roll.
6. Seen the most: Jason Isbell, 20 shows.
7. Most surprising: Boston on the Third Stage tour, Alpine Valley, 1987. I love Boston (make fun of me, I don’t care), but I had very, very low expectations for how Boston would sound live. It was a fucking incredible show at a great venue with my best friends.
8. Next concert: I’m on a waitlist for tickets to one of two sold-out Noah Kahan shows in January. Fingers crossed.
9. Wish I could have seen: Johnny Cash.

 

I'll play:
1. First concert: Radiohead at the old 9:30 Club in D.C., 1992
2. Most recent concert: Hold Steady at Brooklyn Bowl, 12/1/23
3. Worst concert: Probably the Spin Doctors at Merriweather Post Pavilion when I was a kid.
4. Loudest concert: Franz Ferdinand at the National in Richmond
5. Best concert: Hard to pick, but the Saturday night Hold Steady show in London last March was as good as it gets.
6. Seen the most: The Hold Steady, 11 times
7. Most surprising: Tyler Childers in Brighton, England. Not surprised that he was good, but I had no clue Americana was so popular in the UK, great crowd.
8. Next concert: Not sure, potentially Living Colour in February? Hold Steady London Weekender March 8-10 if not.
9. Wish I could have seen: Sturgill Simpson. Was supposed to see him on 3/13/20 and I doubt he ever tours again.

 

Love these things ...

1. First concert: Ratt and Poison in about 1985-86 at Palmer Auditorium in Davenport, Iowa
2. Most recent concert: Blues Traveler at a small casino on the Missouri/Kansas/Oklahoma border
3. Worst concert: Really haven't had a horrible experience, but by process of elimination, probably Melissa Etheridge (at my wife's urging) in Peoria in about 2005 or 2006?
4. Loudest concert: Def Leppard in Iowa City in 1988 was pretty loud. That's the only one that comes to mind ...
5. Best concert: The Police on their reunion tour in about 2007, maybe? In St. Louis
6. Seen the most: Billy Joel and U2, 5 times each
7. Most surprising: The Doobie Brothers. They still freaking rock, and I couldn't believe how many of their songs I knew and could sing along to.
8. Next concert: Not sure. I'm to the point where if I'm going to (likely) drive long distances and pay high ticket prices, it has to be a concert that I REALLY want to see. Need to see Pearl Jam at some point, so hopefully them
9. Wish I could have seen: Prince

 

Ratt and Poison in 1986 in Iowa? The hair must have been epic.

 

It was ... something.

The only thing more epic were the trailer-park Iowa girls who were willing to do anything to land their golden ticket out of Iowa, on the wings of Ratt.

 

Let's do this...

1. First concert: Police/Oingo Boingo, the Fabulous Forum, February 1982
2. Most recent concert: Echo & the Bunnymen, Wild Horse Pass Casino in Chandler, May 2023
3. Worst concert: Probably Counting Crows, Desert Sky Pavilion in Phoenix, 1997. Sting is in the discussion too.
4. Loudest concert: Oingo Boingo, Hult Center in Eugene, 1985. Sat right in front of the speakers. Couldn't even tell what they were playing it was so loud.
5. Best concert: So tough... U2, Songs of Innocence tour? Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense tour?
6. Seen the most: Fishbone, about 18 times.
7. Most surprising: Maybe Thompson Twins? I had low expectations but they were very good.
8. Next concert: "Remain in Light" tour --Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew doing Talking Heads songs, December 29
9. Wish I could have seen: I've been lucky in this regard -- saw Bowie, saw Prince, saw the Clash, saw most of my favorites. Biggest misses are probably The Smiths and Split Enz... but I've seen Morrissey, I've seen Johnny Marr, I've seen various iterations of the Finn brothers, so I got pretty close.