five shows
Thanks to some random youtubing the other night, I came across a video that sparked a conversation with my friend about some of my “favorite shows” in the past few years. I’ve been missing the Mid-West and the West Coast a fair amount lately, so I kind of needed a stroll down memory lane. These are the ones I came up with, leading off with the video that started the discussion:
Whitest Boy Alive – 03/01/07 @ Pueblo Amigo in Tijuana, MX:
I’m fairly certain that Whitest Boy Alive have still never played a U.S. show. The closest they came was on this 3 date tour to a few major cities in Mexico last year. I convinced some friends to drive down there with me last minute and we ended up getting there just before they started. They played in this weird central plaza downtown framed by the Tijuana skyline and the biggest Mexican flag I have ever seen behind them, so pretty. But most importantly, guess what? People actually danced. No joke. As you can see from the video it was basically a big party which ended up getting moved inside a club where we were all blown away by these 3 young punk DJ’s who would not stop playing good music. We ended up getting back to Los Angeles somewhere around 9 a.m. the next morning. Top to bottom perfect show/night.
The Unicorns, Arcade Fire – 06/17/04 @ The Open End Gallery in Chicago, IL:
I’ll admit, this one is pretty flag planter-ish. But its not very often you get to say, “Yeah I saw them play in this loft in Chicago with about 30 people.” about a band like this. It was the summer before Funeral came out and I, like everyone else there, had never heard of this band. It was their first U.S. tour supporting The Unicorns, and they basically set up, no stage, in the middle of the room, motioned everyone to come a lot closer and then beat the crap out of us. They were non-stop, yelling at the top of their lungs through the tiny P.A., playing drum parts on each others heads (helmeted), and running through songs from their then untitled upcoming album that would go on to do… fairly well. In retrospect, I probably should have spent the $5 on the “Us Kids Know” EP they had at their merch table. Lesson learned.
Oh yeah, and The Unicorns played, and acted like pompous babies. Still love that album though.
Lightning Bolt – 04/11/07 @ Warehouse in Los Angeles, CA:
When I went to this show with my friend last year we didn’t plan on being the people up front trying to holding back the hundred or so behind us. This became the case however when they started playing the first song and we were violently pushed forward by everyone behind us trying to get close. Before we knew it we were up front holding on for dear life trying not to fall forward into the band or backwards off the skate ramp they were playing on. The show itself is kind of a blur but completely amazing, I’ve honestly never been so tired after a concert in my entire life. The next day my friend sent me a link to pictures from the show. Bonus points to whoever can find me in the crowd, hint: I’m the dork trying to look serious.
The Microphones – 09/25/04 @ The DAAC in Grand Rapids, MI:
I think this was one of the last Microphones concerts before Phil started playing as Mt. Eerie. The DAAC is an amazing venue / art space in Grand Rapids, MI, (where I went to college) that despite facing considerable financial adversity from day 1, continues to put on incredible all ages events. I’ll spare all the sentimental details surrounding that night, but I will say that it was one of the most important and inspiring shows I had ever seen. It’s not very often you get to hear your favorite songs that you didn’t know were your favorite songs played live in front of you first.
Breathe Owl Breathe – Any Day @ Any Where in Any City, USA.
I’m pretty biased here. Micah, Andrea and Trevor have been friends of mine for a very long while and I have had the distinct privilege of seeing them dozens of times over the past few years. I think they are one of the few bands that can make the best out of pretty much any situation, often choosing to go acoustic and walk out into the middle of the crowd for their set. They recently just finished an awesome mini-tour in Michigan playing at a handful of kindergarten and middle schools with some other friends of mine and I believe they’re putting together plans for this summer to try and play in some different cities. If you’re lucky enough to have the chance to see them, I highly suggest taking the time.
First time I saw Jamie Lidell, I was pretty blown away. It was at Bowery Ballroom w/Jimmy Edgar. His whole loop/sample/soul/glitch one man show is pretty inspiring.
The Dirtbombs at Maxwell’s in Hoboken. Super duper ultra loud, but raunchy and super fun. This was just before Dangerous Magical Noise, I think.
I’d have to say that seeing The Most Serene Republic last September at Maxwell’s was damn near the best show I’ve seen.
The night before that show I saw Jukebox the Ghost at Pianos. (Sorry, I had to put a little plug in for Jukebox…who put on a freakin’ sweet show themselves!)
I think a lot of shows affected me more when I was a youngster…
I think during the course of 1994-95 I saw the Breeders, Juliana Hatfield, The Lemonheads, Yo La Tengo, Versus, Superchunk, Polvo, and Pavement at the Omni New Daisy, and I’m sure I flipped for all of it.
Any Fascist Frank or Superstar show at any coffeehouse or DIY space in Memphis, TN during the course of 1995 or 1996.
Neutral Milk Hotel – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club – Summer 1998 @ Kindercore Festival
Red House Painters – Atlanta GA @ Variety Playhouse – 2000?
The Olivia Tremor Control Reunion Show – Athens, GA @ 40 Watt Club in 2005 – flew back for the memories and it was worth it.
Bill Callahan – the entire “Mouth of the South 2008″ tour with Jonathan Meiburg and Thor Harris
Monotonix – March 2008 @ The Empty Bottle – After the show the entire audience chanted WTF but not in acronym form.
That time when bodycity and Lloyd & Michael played at your house. Pretty epic.
First show I ever saw was U2 at Red Rocks in 1983. I was 15 years old and highly impressionable; nevertheless, 25 years later that performance remains my personal benchmark for a rock and roll show. The setting (giant rocks encased in eerie fog and drizzle; bonfires), the audience experience (assigned seating became general admission when promoter Barry Fey realized the sparse early-arriving crowd would make the crowd look a bit weak on TV), and the performance (Bono conducted the affair like a preacher giving a particularly powerful sermon — he held us enraptured for nearly two hours) have yet to be matched in the hundreds of shows I’ve attended since. I think U2’s career took off at that point, and I knew I’d never again see them in a place like Red Rocks (of course, had I been old enough to drive I would have probably seen them At the very intimate Rainbow Music Hall a year and a half before that — missed opportunities).
I’ll also throw out The Arcade Fire at Coachella as one of those rare shows that marked a band’s elevation to “the next level.” I had seen and been dutifully impressed by them several months prior in Chapel Hill — a show in a relatively intimate venue that, at the time, made me realize (like the U2 show) I’d never have a chance to see them in a setting like that again. The performance at Coachella, though, which drew what seemed like two thirds of the people at the polo fields that day (despite a reunited Gang of Four playing on the adjacent main stage), was amazing. The band seemed to realize everything was converging for them at that point, on that day — and they nailed it.
Patrick, I am jealous you’ve seen (lived through?) Lightning Bolt. I have their DVD & have promised myself if I ever get a chance to see them, I’m there (even if I am, like, the oldest guy in the room).
No way man, age don’t matter.
Axl Rose is older and he was TOTALLY at that Lightning Bolt show, red braids / backwards Kangol and all. No joke. Probably my favorite show spotting of all time.
Lightning Bolt are so incredible in person, everyone should see them at least once.
“Favorite show spotting” would be a good topic. Mine was at a Figgs show when I noticed there was a midget to the left of me, and David Cross to my right.