Best In Show
I've seen a lot of concerts... A LOT! My first concert was Depeche Mode in '86... We're talking nearly 20 years ago. Damn.
Anyhow, after seeing Kasabian at Coachella I got to thinking about my favorite concerts over the years and have come up with a list of my "Top Five Best Concerts I Have Ever Seen."
Here we go...
Suede 6/14/93 San Diego, CA
It was Suede's first tour (back when Bernard was still in the band), and it changed my life. I remember being really into the album at the time, but I wasn't fully aware of just how important this band was... at least not until the show started. Up until then, my idea of the perfect pop star (or rock star if you prefer) had been Morrissey... but as the show started and Brett Anderson shook his androgynous ass all night long to Suede's sexy Britrock music, I realized what a bore Morrissey really was! Brett was a true Messiah that night, and had he served up glasses of Kool Aid to drink... I'd have been the first in line.
Morrissey (with David Bowie) 11/18/95 London, England
I give Morrissey a lot of shit these days, but there was a time when he was "IT" for me. He had a huge influence on my teenage years and I still have a soft spot in my heart for him. Between the years of 91-95, I saw Morrissey six times. The last time was in London. It was a bit sad because he was opening for David Bowie, and it was pretty much a Bowie crowd. Us few faithful Moz fans were up in front when he came out and it was the tamest Morrissey show I had ever attended. Two cool things happened at this show though: First, he threw his tambourine out to the audience, and it now hangs proudly on my wall. Second, I decided to continue the tradition of jumping on stage and hugging Morrissey. The security barrier between stage and front row was far… and when I leaped towards the stage, the security guy grabbed my foot. I tried to pull away, but he had me… Morrissey came running over mid-song and yelled at the guy to let me go! Morrissey then pulled me on stage, I gave him a hug, and walked back around to the audience. I was the only one to get on stage that night.
I haven’t seen Morrissey live since.
Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach 10/20/98 Los Angeles, CA
“Painted From Memory,” the Elvis Costello / Burt Bacharach collaboration was either loved or hated. It was definitely for an “older” easy listening audience, but I found myself obsessed with it. Could be because I am a huge fan of both Costello and Bacharach (minus “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” and “That’s What Friends Are For!”)… Anyhow, the two of them played a show along with a complete orchestra and it was (to quote Rodney Bingenheimer) “AMAAAAAZING” and “GODHEAD!” It’s not everyday you get to see two legends play on the same night. From “Alison” to “Accidents Will Happen” to “What The World Needs Now” to “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again,” these two tunesmiths dove deep into their songbooks and showed what true songwriting was all about. In today’s musical climate of mediocrity, it was an honor to be in attendance.
Pulp (with Blur) 9/24/94 Hollywood, CA
Quite possibly the best double bill in Britpop History. Blur were on the Parklife tour, and Pulp were the support act. I had a copy of "His and Hers" which I had been listening to religiously, but like Suede, I didn't quite realize the importance of one Jarvis Cocker. The majority of the crowd had never heard of Pulp and were there to see Blur, but Pulp won EVERYBODY over. With a set containing “Razzmatazz,” “Babies,” and the soon to be Britpop anthem “Common People,” Jarvis Cocker and Pulp had the audience in the palm of their hands. Jarvis would go on to sing “I am not Jesus, though I have the same initials” and it was a privilege to see him perform a miracle that night: that of turning a pretentious L.A. audience into a dancing, frenzied bunch of disco biscuits! Within a year, Jarvis would be one of the most famous names in British music and Pulp would return to Los Angeles in ’96 headlining their own sold out show. It’s nice to be able to say “I saw them back when they were just an opening band…”
Shed Seven 12/6/02 London, England
I flew to London to see this show. I figured they were never going to come to The States again (which they didn't), and I was afraid they would never release another album (which they didn't)... so I had to go. We flew all night and got to London around noon. We found our hotel, picked up the tickets, took a short rest and headed for the show. I was expecting a loyal fanbase and a great show... but I wasn't expecting 2000 Shed Seven fanatics! These were wild Brits! Beer was flying everywhere and I was soaked by the end of the first song. I remember just being overwhelmed with happiness when "On Standby" started and myself and 2000 of my new best friends were all singing happily along in London. Have a listen.
My favorite band. My favorite city. My favorite memory.
Any concerts that changed your life? List em...
Anyhow, after seeing Kasabian at Coachella I got to thinking about my favorite concerts over the years and have come up with a list of my "Top Five Best Concerts I Have Ever Seen."
Here we go...
Suede 6/14/93 San Diego, CA
It was Suede's first tour (back when Bernard was still in the band), and it changed my life. I remember being really into the album at the time, but I wasn't fully aware of just how important this band was... at least not until the show started. Up until then, my idea of the perfect pop star (or rock star if you prefer) had been Morrissey... but as the show started and Brett Anderson shook his androgynous ass all night long to Suede's sexy Britrock music, I realized what a bore Morrissey really was! Brett was a true Messiah that night, and had he served up glasses of Kool Aid to drink... I'd have been the first in line.
Morrissey (with David Bowie) 11/18/95 London, England
I give Morrissey a lot of shit these days, but there was a time when he was "IT" for me. He had a huge influence on my teenage years and I still have a soft spot in my heart for him. Between the years of 91-95, I saw Morrissey six times. The last time was in London. It was a bit sad because he was opening for David Bowie, and it was pretty much a Bowie crowd. Us few faithful Moz fans were up in front when he came out and it was the tamest Morrissey show I had ever attended. Two cool things happened at this show though: First, he threw his tambourine out to the audience, and it now hangs proudly on my wall. Second, I decided to continue the tradition of jumping on stage and hugging Morrissey. The security barrier between stage and front row was far… and when I leaped towards the stage, the security guy grabbed my foot. I tried to pull away, but he had me… Morrissey came running over mid-song and yelled at the guy to let me go! Morrissey then pulled me on stage, I gave him a hug, and walked back around to the audience. I was the only one to get on stage that night.
I haven’t seen Morrissey live since.
Elvis Costello & Burt Bacharach 10/20/98 Los Angeles, CA
“Painted From Memory,” the Elvis Costello / Burt Bacharach collaboration was either loved or hated. It was definitely for an “older” easy listening audience, but I found myself obsessed with it. Could be because I am a huge fan of both Costello and Bacharach (minus “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head” and “That’s What Friends Are For!”)… Anyhow, the two of them played a show along with a complete orchestra and it was (to quote Rodney Bingenheimer) “AMAAAAAZING” and “GODHEAD!” It’s not everyday you get to see two legends play on the same night. From “Alison” to “Accidents Will Happen” to “What The World Needs Now” to “I’ll Never Fall In Love Again,” these two tunesmiths dove deep into their songbooks and showed what true songwriting was all about. In today’s musical climate of mediocrity, it was an honor to be in attendance.
Pulp (with Blur) 9/24/94 Hollywood, CA
Quite possibly the best double bill in Britpop History. Blur were on the Parklife tour, and Pulp were the support act. I had a copy of "His and Hers" which I had been listening to religiously, but like Suede, I didn't quite realize the importance of one Jarvis Cocker. The majority of the crowd had never heard of Pulp and were there to see Blur, but Pulp won EVERYBODY over. With a set containing “Razzmatazz,” “Babies,” and the soon to be Britpop anthem “Common People,” Jarvis Cocker and Pulp had the audience in the palm of their hands. Jarvis would go on to sing “I am not Jesus, though I have the same initials” and it was a privilege to see him perform a miracle that night: that of turning a pretentious L.A. audience into a dancing, frenzied bunch of disco biscuits! Within a year, Jarvis would be one of the most famous names in British music and Pulp would return to Los Angeles in ’96 headlining their own sold out show. It’s nice to be able to say “I saw them back when they were just an opening band…”
Shed Seven 12/6/02 London, England
I flew to London to see this show. I figured they were never going to come to The States again (which they didn't), and I was afraid they would never release another album (which they didn't)... so I had to go. We flew all night and got to London around noon. We found our hotel, picked up the tickets, took a short rest and headed for the show. I was expecting a loyal fanbase and a great show... but I wasn't expecting 2000 Shed Seven fanatics! These were wild Brits! Beer was flying everywhere and I was soaked by the end of the first song. I remember just being overwhelmed with happiness when "On Standby" started and myself and 2000 of my new best friends were all singing happily along in London. Have a listen.
My favorite band. My favorite city. My favorite memory.
Any concerts that changed your life? List em...
posted by Michael Charming at 11:59 PM
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