Monday, November 16, 2009

In concert

I don't really think of myself as being particularly into concerts. I like live music, and I like going to concerts, but I don't do it that often and I'm not clued into the scene, really, so I'm sure I've missed local tour stops from some of my favorite musicians.

Over the years, though, the artists I've seen in concert have started to add up. I'm sure I'm forgetting some, but here's a partial list of artists I've seen live, some more than once (coughBenFoldscough).
  • Squirrel Nut Zippers
  • Catie Curtis
  • Dar Williams
  • KT Tunstall
  • Ben Folds
  • David Gray
  • Aerosmith
  • Rufus Wainwright
  • Missy Higgins
  • Kyo (French band, seen in France)
  • Ummm... I'm sure this isn't the whole list. Who am I forgetting? Am I senile already?
Next year, Torsten and I will be adding U2 to this list. We were impressed at how affordable the tickets to this concert are, and we are super excited about the concert because we hear that they're one of the best live.

I'm trying to come up with a list of who else I'd like to see in concert, and some of them are ridiculous pop acts but I am not ashamed. Here's what I can think of:
  • Snow Patrol
  • Coldplay
  • Pink
  • Britney Spears
  • Ben Folds, again (even though the last concert of his that I attended sucked)
  • Sara Bareilles
  • Adam Lambert
  • The Billy Joel/Elton John Face 2 Face tour (the WORST about this is that they recently added a Denver date but we will be OUT OF TOWN and thus can't go, and are both crushed about it)
  • Robbie Williams
  • The Beatles (I never said this was a REALISTIC list)
What about you? What are some memorable concerts you've been to, and/or what concerts are you dying to go to?

38 comments:

  1. I just have to say you might have to invest in...Kelly Clarkson...she was unbelievable live and just killed every song she sang. She also does an amazing version of Walking After Midnight on her current tour. Be prepared for greatness.

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  2. I love live music and concerts. In the summer my friends and I typically see around 6 or 7 shows. In the winter, going out and seeing local bands or artists play in little dive bars is fun too.

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  4. hey do u mean missy higgins, australian singer? she was/is quite big in australia.
    i saw u2 live and they were awesome!

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  5. I am not a big concert person, although I have seen U2, Rod Stewart, Elton John and Paul McCartney (all big, open air venues in Toronto). The best concert I ever attended was The Beautiful South (small venue, only hardcore fans there) and the most recent... The Jonas Brothers with Lisa in August. Hee.

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  6. I always wanted to see Britney Spears in concert. Paid a fortune to see her this year and it was awful. By far the worst concert I've been to in my life.

    Jason Mraz however knows how to put on a good show!

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  7. i'll go to any ben folds concert that comes near denver...that being said, his last one where he opened for John Mayer at red rocks, was terrible. the sound was not geared toward him...but instead, John Mayer. you couldn't understand a word that was being said and the music sounded sharp the entire time. i still love him though

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  8. I have never been to what I would consider a real concert. I've sat at a show someone was putting on, like Weird Al. And I was at a county fair when some washed up 80's hair band played. That's pretty much it though and neither was awesome enough to make me think concerts were all that interesting. My husband is appalled at my lack of concert going.

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  9. I saw The Shins a couple years ago in Austin. It was the last concert of the tour and I bet they were all exhausted and road-weary but the concert was PHENOMENAL. I highly recommend. I also saw Regina Spektor and Wilco at Austin City Limits and they were amazing. I saw Bob Dylan at Austin City Limits and he sounded awful and we left halfway through.

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  10. i actually created a google doc with the shows i'd gone to see when i realized i could barely remember which ones i'd attended... and i'd forgotten to put my most recent show (blind pilot!) on there, so thank you ;-)

    U2 is at THE TOP of my "dying to see" list. i'm so jealous!! i hear lady gaga puts on an amazing show, so i'd like to see her.. i'd love to see kelly clarkson again, and definitely regina spektor again.. would TOTALLY go see sarah bareilles.. ooh, and aerosmith! and while i've seen him 3x, i'd never turn down another bon jovi show ;-)

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  11. uhm, this dates me just a tad... favorite all time concert was KISS, with back stage pass and seeing them without makeup, circa 1978, yikes.

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  12. Oh, I LOVED Aerosmith! I went to their 9 Lives tour in ninth grade and it was the best ever.

    I also went to see Tim McGraw, with a surprise appearance by Kid Rock.

    I have plans to go see Taylor Swift next year - I'm a big country dork and can't WAIT. My sisters have been to her show before and said it was amazing.

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  13. I would give several limbs to see Taylor Swift. I just missed her on account of 1) being old 2) no one else wants to go 3) $$$ and 4) people make fun of me. SIGH. I would also love to see Britney, just to see a big ass stadium show.

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  14. I think I'm in the same concertgoer category as you in terms of frequency. Among the best: I saw Sting at Red Rocks (Ten Summoners Tales tour - yes I am oldish) - that was amazing. The awesomeness of the venue helped. Probably the best concerts I've seen in general have been Indigo Girls - I've seen them a good ten times in tiny college venues and huge amphitheaters - and have never been disappointed.

    The WORST concert I ever saw was David Gray at the convention center downtown (Denver), I think it was about three years ago. I guess I was expecting something relatively acoustic, instead we got BLASTED with music and synth way too over the top for the venue (and, I would have thought, the artist), it was so loud that you couldn't really pull music out of the bombardment of noise (and I'm not THAT old), and the spotlights aimed at the audience made it almost impossible for me to keep my eyes open or look at the stage. It was so bad, I'll never see a concert there again or see him in concert again.

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  15. Oh I went to Van Halen and LOVED it. They did a great show. I think Collective Soul opened for them.

    I also saw Sting and Price and they were amazing, as well as Aerosmith/ZZ Top.

    As I got older I started seeing concerts as a chore and really more for like SUPER young people. But then Michael Jackson died and it's occured to me I will never get to see him - so I don't know ...

    as for a wish list ...

    Madonna
    Cyndi Lauper
    all the 80's hair bands ...

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  16. Concerts? What are those?

    The Botanical Gardens concert series is very good. Become a member before May and you get first dibs on tickets.

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  17. I took Sweets to see U2 for our anniversary this year. They are everything you want them to be in concert - awesome!!!

    Some of my most memorable concerts would be John Mayer, Ben Folds, Common and John Legend. Worst concert to date would be Dave Matthews. Not because the band sucked as much as the 15-18 year old audience did. Unless DMB comes up with over 21 concerts, I won't go to see them again, which is a shame.

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  18. U2 puts on an AMAZING show! It's worth every penny!

    I've seen several bands - I started going to concerts when I was 12 years old. So far the best shows have been Live and Green Day - I've seen both three times!

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  19. Ummm...not really a concert goer. Country concerts occasionally, otherwise I'm not into the crowds.

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  20. Some of my favorites have been Blink-182 on their '01 tour and John Mayer w/Ben Folds in '07.

    I am going to the U2 concert in Philly next July! I bought my tickets at like, 10:00:02 - ha ha on Friday when they went on sale. I paid a *tad* more than the $33.00 seats because this is the concert I have been waiting half of my life for!

    The worst concert I've ever attended was Dave Matthews. Never again! BLAH!

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  21. Oooh, how was David Gray? I love him and hope to catch him live one day.

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  22. I enjoy going to concerts too, but I think I'm probably like you - I'm definitely not tapped into it, and I haven't been to THAT many, really.

    Some Bands I've Seen:

    - N*Sync (my first concert, for the No Strings Attached tour and I was 15 years old, haha).
    - Yellowcard (I saw them three times, I was quite obsessed when I was 19, and I'd met them in person too)
    - Jimmy Eat World / Green Day (AMAZING)
    - Oasis (Songs were great but they couldn't speak clearly to the crowd, lol, they were so drunk)
    - Bon Jovi (SO GOOD)
    - Coldplay (SO GOOD)

    I can't recall any others right now, but I do think I've been to more, lol. Martin (my bf) bought us tickets to see U2 next summer when they come to Toronto! I hope the show is great for both of our sakes, now! :-D

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  23. Oh! Wait! I've also seen concerts put on at Casino Rama (north of Toronto)!

    I saw The Barenaked Ladies perform there (so good, so sad about the lead singer guy and his drug troubles now, because they were always one of my favourite bands), and I also saw Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman from The Guess Who (they were pretty awesome). Some good, Canadian bands, haha.

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  24. Oh! And I saw Jan Arden too! Another awesome Canadian.

    This is the type of memory I have... things come to me in random succession, LOL. I'll stop adding comments now!

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  25. Ok, I have to do a "top 4" because they were all too good to pick just one:

    1. Bon Jovi- Have a Nice Day Tour at Giant's Stadium during a thunder storm. Amazing!

    2. Jason Mraz- small hole in the wall in NYC- I can't remember the place but it was 2 summers ago before everyone jumped on the I'm Yours bandwagon. He is Super Amazing (as he suggests with his Super Band).

    3. No Doubt- this past April at the Borgata in A.C.. I was seriously like, 2 feet from Gwen. She is amazing at 40 and the band sounded better than they do on their albums...

    4. Damien Rice- Radio City Music Hall a few years ago. He sang Cannonball without a mic, and I could hear every syllable from the back of the orchestra. He's Irish and awesome!

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  26. I used to see a lot of live music so my full list runs into the hundreds. I really like small venues and enjoy local bands down a local pub but there's nothing quite like seeing one of your favourite internationally famous artists in the flesh. Whenever I see Blur or Foo Fighters I get chills from being so close.

    Last gig I went to was just last night, as it happens. We saw Jonathan Coulton supported by Paul and Storm. It was a tiny venue with a crowd who all knew the music inside out and I loved every minute.

    Artists I'd love to see but haven't yet? Ben Folds must be top of the list, closely followed by Red Hot Chili Peppers.

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  27. some of my favorites:

    Indigo Girls (have seen them 4 times, in 3 different states)

    Stephen Kellogg and the Sixers (they put on what was probably my favorite concert I've ever been to)

    Regina Spektor, in a free show on the Mall in DC.

    I've seen Dar Williams a couple times and always leave disappointed, especially since I like her recorded music so much.

    I would LOVE to see the Weepies one day when they start touring again.

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  28. My two favorite concerts ever were John Mayer & Tom Petty, go if you have the chance!

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  29. If you get the chance, definitely see Sara Bareilles. She's fantastic! I have a short list of bands/musicians I want to see live since luckily I've been around a long time and seen a lot of shows. :-)

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  30. I saw U2 in concert about 20 years ago when I lived in Dallas. I STILL remember it because it was fabulous!

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  31. I may not be a fan of Britney SPears but I surely will wanna watch her concert. I heard it's lways crazy. So is Beyonce :D

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  32. I love concerts sooo much. I had the opportunity to go to Coachella music festival a few years ago, where I saw a million bands I loved, including Rilo Kiley, Tegan and Sara and probably most notably Prince! It was awesome! I've seen most of my all-time faves in concert and I feel really lucky.

    I really want to see Damien Rice and Camera Obscura in concert...then I could die happy.

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  33. Being an Aussie, I love that you saw Missy Higgins. She is amazing!

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  34. WOW!! Aerosmith!!!

    And I do love concerts, I've seen most of my fave artists/bands live in concert already. I would def love to see Robi Rosa, but I already met him in person, so is NOT SUCH A MUST. I would like to see Luis Miguel, Ricardo Montaner.. can't think of anyone else right now. you probably have no clue who they are, but you can always google them :)

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  36. Theres no shame in liking ridiculous pop acts!

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  37. I've seen Snow Patrol and really LOVED them. Back in the day I used to travel all over the state and see the band Blue October play before they got such a large fan base. I once saw them play with only 4 people at the venue, including me!

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