Inspired by the current Facebook thread - here are 50 bands I've been fortunate enough to see live in concert. If a number is listed in brackets, that's the number of times I can remember seeing them - but it's probably more. Indeed, I've seen most of these bands/artists on multiple occasions.
1. Coldplay
2. U2 (four times)
3. Kajagoogoo
4. The Stereophonics
5. The Wonder Stuff
6. New Kids On The Block
7. Alanis Morissette (twice)
8. Red Hot Chili Peppers
9. Sunny Day Real Estate
10. Bryan Adams (twice)
11. Ani DiFranco
12. The Vines
13. Martha Wainwright
14. Veruca Salt
15. Blood Circus
16. Muse
17. The Smashing Pumpkins
18. Modern English
19. Pop Will Eat Itself
20. Pearl Jam (four times)
21. The Eurhythmics
22. The Mission
23. The Smiths
24. Cosmic Rough Ryders
25. Suede (twice)
26. Blink 182
27. Easterhouse
28. Garbage
29. Paul Weller (three times)
30. The Cranberries
31. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion
32. Rush
33. After The Fire
34. The Nymphs
35. Ned's Atomic Dustbin
36. Spiritualized
37. Elbow
38. Bloc Party
39. Tortoise
40. Gene Loves Jezebel
41. Kylie Minogue
42. The Close Lobsters
43. Skrewdriver
44. Swervedriver
45. Silverchair
46. The Farm
47. Dubstar
48. The Verve
49. The Cardiacs
50. Linkin Park
I'm working on my own list, but have run aground on my need to annotate it and also include one Facebook friend -- to be tagged, naturally -- for each show I list. One of them will be Mudhoney as a three-piece in August, 1989, when Matt Lukin was missing (and, if Mark Arm was to be believed, in jail, though I suspect the audience's leg was being pulled.)
ReplyDeleteyou've seen SKREWDRIVER? umm...
ReplyDeleteYes. You might spot something all these bands have in common...
ReplyDeleteThey're all bands you don't like? Kind of surprised about Jon Spencer.
ReplyDeleteThey are all white rock acts;the majority are quite mediocre or just plain awful.There are no 1970s bands there you must have seen a few bands back then?
ReplyDeleteNope. Didn't see any shows until I was 17. My first ever gig was Buzzcocks/Subway Sect at Chelmsford Odeon in 1978.
ReplyDeleteAh, there's a long standing history between us that tends to colour even the most impartial observer - and certainly me. I actually thought Pussy Galore rocked big-time, but the last time I saw the Blues Explosion I lasted 20 seconds.
ReplyDeleteGlen Danzig looks strangely alluring in that photo.
ReplyDeleteplease tell about Skrewdriver? hateful band but intrigued how that came about and what happened
ReplyDeleteIt was the early-mid 80s. They showed up (uninvited, obviously) with about 100 of their supporters at a Membranes gig in Cricklewood, London - apparently, cos both bands were from Blackpool or something.
ReplyDeleteIt was easily one of the scariest concerts I've witnessed. Particularly fond memories include Coofy Sid (drums) laying out all the metal poles and implements for the crowd to bang together (as was the Membranes' wont back then), entirely oblivious to the tension in the air.
I was standing at the back thinking, fuck, I don't want to be here - but the band were sleeping on my floor that night (only minutes away). Round about that point my mate Geoff the Postman started dancing down the front and a couple of massive skins slammed into him - so I thought, fuck it, and started dancing too. Bam! Couple of massive skins jumped me, John Robb leaps down off stage into their faces...and for 10 seconds I was quite sure we were all going to die (there were only a handful of us Membranes fans present). To this day, I still don't quite understand why we didn't... except there was some bloke there who was clearly a BM organiser, who was going round saying, "C'mon lads, no need to fight, we're all on the same side".
Another memory: while John was dismantling the mics, massive skin comes up, asks him if he's having trouble with the leads, whips a knife out his boot, and cuts the lead off, saying, "You should be careful mate. Some of the lads here scare me."
We drove out of there with a police escort under a hailstorm of bottles.
[...] comments everetttrue on ET Recommends – 18: Kids…everetttrue on 50 bands I have seenEllen on ET Recommends – 18: Kids…Kai on 50 bands I have seenJohn Doran on 50 [...]
ReplyDeleteIt's definitively the list of bands you hate and that you nethertheless saw live... Because sometimes you/we can't escape going to see crap bands acts...
ReplyDeleteaaaah, this is a good list indeed then. I really dislike most of those acts too...
ReplyDelete(From Facebook)
ReplyDeleteJoe Dilworth
skrewdriver?!
August 18 at 6:58pm · Delete
Everett True
yep. they hijacked a membranes gig in the early 80s. turned up with all their supporters. one of the scariest concerts i've witnessed. we walked out of the venue under a police escort and a hailstorm of bottles
August 18 at 7:10pm · Delete
Joe Dilworth
wow. thats something i dont miss about the 80s. old skool heavy shows.
August 18 at 7:13pm · Delete
Joe Dilworth
youve missed out happy mondays in spain. although im not sure you were technically there.
August 18 at 7:16pm · Delete
Everett Tru
eha ha ha. um.. no that wouldn't have counted anyway, cos there's a link between all the bands listed.
August 18 at 7:31pm · Delete
Joe Dilworth
and the link between the cardiacs and linkin park?
August 18 at 7:35pm · Delete
Joe Dilworth
ah, i see, im supposed to work it out. err..
August 18 at 7:38pm · Delete
Everett True
yep.
August 18 at 7:42pm · Delete
(More from Facebook)
ReplyDeleteChris Matthews
Ummm... seems to me like you've seen an awful lot of shit bands. There must be tons of good ones you've seen too, surely?
Yesterday at 7:20am · Delete
Caitlin Carpenter
The Smiths and Muse are phenomenal...I was lucky enough to see Muse live but The Smiths ended before my time but they are a great band live or not!!
Yesterday at 8:10am · Delete
Larry Pickleman
I WATCHED THE SMITHS ON BBC4 LAST NIGHT (caps lock off) on the old grey whistle test doing "this charming man" and they were lame as fuck!!!...i loved "the queen is dead" album when i was 16 tho...
Yesterday at 8:38am · Delete
Paolo Fernley
Close Lobsters and The Smiths? Are you saying they wete both bad gigs or you don't like them.
Yesterday at 8:39am · Delete
Matt Bowen
the smiths mustve been awesome to see live, come on
Yesterday at 11:34am · Delete
Everett True
it was their fifth ever gig, third on the bill to Sisters Of Mercy (who I didn't watch) and Laughing Clowns (who I did). M had the gladdys sticking out his bum pocket even then. About 10 of us watched 'em and he scattered petals over all of us. They were fine actually: their inclusion in this list is more a reflection of the fact I really didn't rate their records.
Yesterday at 4:42pm · Delete
Massimo Usai
oh no! can't miss THE SISTERS! ;)
Yesterday at 4:48pm · Delete
Everett True
i stood outside and smiled at their version of 'Jolene'
Yesterday at 4:59pm · Delete
Massimo Usaim
an, you have a gooooooooood memory there... they do crazy weird covers don't they?
Yesterday at 5:01pm · Delete
Everett True
no. actually. i have a totally crap memory when it comes to gigs. weirdly i can remember that one.
Yesterday at 5:02pm · Delete
Massimo Usai
must've been becuz of Eldritch's tripped-out howling?!
Yesterday at 5:04pm · Delete
Everett True
nope, sorry. i was a massive fan of Laughing Clowns and - for us uber-hipsters - The Smiths were big news even then.
Yesterday at 5:06pm · Delete
Massimo Usai
ET and the uber-hipsters... damn I can't type coherently anymore... fever!
Yesterday at 5:09pm · Delete
Paul Rosen
You b**tard! You beat me by two gigs. Saw them a couple of months later supporting the Fall. We'd expected from the name that the support band was a piss-take of Mark E Smith. Possibly the only good support band the Fall have had out of what must have been 20+ of their gigs that I've been too.
3 hours ago · Delete
Everett True
hey wait. UT supported The Fall at least twice - that's why I finally went to see them play live. um. i can see why folk might not've liked them...
about an hour ago · Delete
Jack Sargeant
UT were great. They played with the Fall in Brighton many years ago.
4 minutes ago · Delete
Has anyone seen the Ericka Beckmann's film 135 Grand St (Soul Jazz DVD)? It marks Ut's only filmed performance (I believe).
ReplyDeleteLengthy interview with Ut from 2006: http://www.warpedrealitymagazine.com/2006/06/looking_for_edges_an_interview.html
(from Facebook)
ReplyDeleteRussell Birrer likes this.
Julie Cafritz
Yeah well, the only possible thread that I can see between all that awfulness would be that you would have to pay me to see them...so I'm guessing that this list could be alternately titled, "The 50 Top on the Job Hazards of the Workin' Rock Cricket"
31 March at 13:07 ·
Russell Birrer
Julie, at least STP, Action Swingers, Free Kitten, and Pussy Galore aren't on that list of horrors ....
31 March at 13:15 ·
Everett True
Why would they be?
31 March at 13:15 ·
Julie Cafritz
YEAH RUSSELL, WHY WOULD THEY BE???
31 March at 13:17 ·
Russell Birrer
they wouldn't...that was kinda my point...i love each and every one of them...
31 March at 13:19 ·