So, as a way of at least occasionally utilizing this blog, I've decided to make some lists, which will consist of likes, dislikes, top 10s, etc. The decision of the first list was quite an easy one, since concerts are one of my passions in life. Therefore, the first list will be Top 10 concerts I've been to. I thought this would be relatively easy, until I actually sat down and started listing all the concerts I've been to. By the time it hit 80, I knew my list would be a bit harder to narrow down. Without further ado, The Top 10 Concerts of My Life Thus Far (in no particular order yet, just picking them was work enough):
Wilco - 11.1.2008 - UW-Madison Union Theatre. Wonderful show, especially with it being free. Wilco (or at least 3 of the members) were trying to get people out and voting, so they set up a free acoustic show. Jeff Tweedy was in a surprisingly good mood, and the band (acoustic guitar, bass, and a keyboard) played a great show. By the time they started into "Passenger Side", the song that originally got me into the band, I knew I was in for a good time. It was also one of the first performances of "Wilco (the Song)", with the lyrics "
Wilco will love you baby". Due to him being the day's emcee, the lyrics were altered slightly, instead saying "
Feingold will love you baby". A great way to start November.
Roger Waters - 7.2.2007 - Marcus Ampitheatre, Milwaukee, WI - Though Waters is probably one of my lesser favorites in Pink Floyd, mostly due to his general demeanor, he is still the brains behind most of the band's greatest songs. This night contained many of those songs, including "Mother", "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun", and "Sheep". To top it off, the second set started with a complete run-through of
Dark Side of the Moon. Outside of seeing Pink Floyd themselves (which has lost some appeal since Rick Wright's passing), this was as close as I'll get to seeing one of my all time favorite bands.
Robert Randolph & the Family Band - 9.29.2008 - Majestic Theatre, Madison, WI - Choosing just one RRFB show was one of the toughest aspects of this list. I've seen the band five times, and all of the shows were amazing, but I decided to go with this one largely due to factors outside of the actual performance. I got to see them with a number of my closest friends (also big RRFB fans), and we happened to get there early enough to get front and center spots. The songs played were great, but I generally come away from any RRFB show with this reaction. The band was definitely on, and being up front made for one of the most intense concert experiences I've had.
Additionally, I was finally able to convince (read: forcefully hoist up) my friend Anna to go onstage and dance during "Shake Your Hips", when Randolph invites any and all girls to dance around the stage. Seeing as I'm a male and all, I will never get this experience, but the next best thing was to see one of my good friends experiencing it. One of the other shows I saw may have been more musically sound (particularly at Summerfest 2009 when, shortly after Michael Jackson's death, RRFB covered no less than five different MJ tunes), but all things considered, this one was my favorite. (Note: the video is actually from that Summerfest 2009 show, but the girls on stage is the same as when my friend Anna went on stage at the Majestic.)
Bob Dylan/Foo Fighters - 10.31.2006 - Kohl Center, Madison, WI - The highlight of this show was NOT seeing the legend that is Bob Dylan. I've seen him three times (this being the third) and have never been very impressed, yet I keep going back because of my eternal respect and admiration for all that he has accomplished...as well as holding out hope that his classic tunes will once again sound
anything like the originals. Of course, this was not the case, though he did finally play my favorite Dylan song, "Tangled Up In Blue", though it was barely recognizable.
No, the highlight of the night was the Foo Fighters performing an "acoustic" set. I believe the idea of an acoustic show was born after releasing
In Your Honor, the double album, half of which was acoustic. In addition to acoustic guitars (obviously), drums, and bass, the band was joined by a violinist, a percussionist (introduced as "the guy who plays the fucking triangle!") and a keyboardist, the Foo Fighters re-worked many of their classic hits, such as "Times Like These", "Hero", and "Everlong" into extremely interesting acoustic songs that both sounded completely new yet oddly familiar. Dave Grohl's awesomeness as a front man only added to a truly riveting performance.
Dave Matthews Band - 8.9.2008 - Alpine Valley Ampitheatre, East Troy, WI - Probably the hardest choice I had to make in narrowing down this list. I decided to only include one performance by each band on the list, in order to avoid complete domination by DMB, as I've seen them 11 times--with that number jumping to 16 by summer's end. In reality, this entry should really include both shows from the weekend, as both were epic (by DMB standards), and save for a few random winter shows--and one summer show in Chicago--I always see a two-night stand at Alpine, and compare my yearly experience based on the whole weekend, not just one of the shows.
Choosing this weekend was easy, but choosing this show was not. In the end, I chose night 1 because of two songs: Spoon, which hadn't been played in almost 5 years prior to this show, and Halloween, which typically gets played
maybe once a tour. I was half-heartedly hoping to hear it, since they had played it at the previous two shows (unheard of in DMB circles), but the way it occurred is what made it so great. They began playing the first, unmistakable notes to "Too Much", but then quickly segued into "Halloween". Was not expecting to hear it in this manner, but it made my night. Other highlights included a "Dancing Nancies" opener, something the band hadn't opened with since 2000, and amazing covers of Pink Floyd's "Money" and the Talking Heads' "Burning Down the House". To top it off was an amazing encore of "Don't Drink the Water" segued into "Two Step". The fact that I got to go back the next night and get treated to another amazing set made for quite the weekend.
The Black Keys - 8.6.2008 - SoCo Music Fest at Willow Island, Madison, WI - This was a damn good show. Recently I've been less into the Keys, but that's another story involving a roommate
severely overplaying them. This show coincided with the height of my enjoyment of the band, though, making for a great time. Seeing the Benevento Russo Duo a couple hours before this show was also nice, and gave me time to get a real good buzz going off $6 SoCo drinks. I guess that's how they get you when the show/fest is free for 21 and up. Needless to say, I don't remember this show as well as I probably should, due to my intoxication, but I remember my favorite parts vividly, such as when they covered Captain Beefheart's "I'm Glad". I was holding out hope to hear them do their take on the Beatles' "She Said She Said", but no. They played many of the songs I wanted to hear, particularly "Strange Times", my favorite song off their newest record,
Attack & Release. Oh, and I was in the equivalent of the fifth or sixth row (of a crowd that would have equated to about 100 rows), so it was a real good time.
Ringo Starr & his All-Starr Band - 7.13.2008 - Charter One Pavilion at Northerly Island, Chicago, IL - Fabulous show, my first time seeing a Beatle, and definitely worth the drive, even with the hassle of getting lost...twice. In the end, this proved to our advantage, as we literally walked into the Pavilion as the band started playing. So many singalong songs, and getting to watch the joy they bring to so many people (myself included) was amazing. If Ringo alone wasn't enough, his backing band is made up of Billy Squier (who performed "Lonely is the Night" and "The Stroke"), Gary Wright (who performed "Dreamweaver"), Colin Hay (of Men at Work fame, who performed "Are You Looking at Me" and "Land Down Under"), and Edgar Winter (who performed "Free Ride" and "Frankenstein"). If you somehow got bored of Ringo, which I didn't, there was more than enough variety to entertain anyone, making the whole rotating headliner thing a superbly executed idea. As for the man himself, Ringo treated the crowd to "Yellow Submarine", "Act Naturally", "Never Without You", "Liverpool 8", "Photograph", and even a rousing rendition of "Give Peace a Chance". We were even able to weasel our way up near the front for the encore. Phenomenal show at a great venue.
Get Out and Vote Tour - 11.2.08 - U.S. Cellular Arena, Milwaukee, WI - First, the lineup: Ben Harper and Relentless7, Tenacious D, Crosby & Nash, and the Beastie Boys. Though I could have done without some of the politics (since I already knew who I was voting for, seeing as it was two days before the election), I understood that they would be present, as it was a politically themed concert. Lucky for me, the music more than made up for the front-and-center politics. Ben Harper was alright, but I would have much preferred him with the Innocent Criminals (who I saw back in '04, with My Morning Jacket, Jurassic 5, and DMB...on second thought, maybe I should have included this show too). Tenacious D was next, but I'll get back to them. Crosby & Nash were nice to see, but they only played for maybe 30 minutes, and avoided any CSN hits, which was a bit of a let-down. The Beastie Boys were fun to see, and put on an extremely energetic show full of their hits. In their encore, they even played their own instruments for "Sabatoge".
But the night's best act was FAR AND AWAY Tenacious D. I've been wanting to see them since high school, when their self-titled record was released, but this was my first opportunity. They put on one of the most fun shows I've ever seen, and the fact that the whole time, it's just two guys with acoustic guitars just makes it that much better. Roger Daltrey (of The Who) once said he thought Jack Black should quit acting and focus solely on a music career, and after seeing his showmanship, coupled with his extremely good voice, I might be inclined to agree with Mr. Daltrey. They played all their hits, and even did a portion of Crosby, Stills, and Nash's (and maybe Young too?) song "Ohio"--quite well, I might add. But what made them the highlight of the night wasn't simply their set, but the fact that they came out and performed with each of the other bands, doing "Time for Living" with the Beasties, a song I can't remember with Crosby & Nash, and an absolutely stellar version of Queen and David Bowie's "Under Pressure". A great night.
Redbird - 12.18.2009 - Cafe Carpe, Fort Atkinson, WI - Redbird is well known and respected in the folk world, and I have been a fan since I was introduced to their first record back in 2005. The group (a folk supergroup, if such a thing exists) consists of Peter Mulvey, Jeffrey Foucault, Kris Delmhorst, and David Goodrich. They recorded an album of covers devoted to the theme of Americana, and periodically get together to play. I saw them back in 2005 or 2006 (can't remember exactly) when the record was still fairly new, so the night was dominated by those songs. Not that there is anything wrong with that, but when I saw them in December 2008, at their yearly Redbird reunion at the Cafe Carpe, the night consisted largely of random covers, which made for a unique show.
They began with an acappella rendition of Queen's "We Will Rock You" using foot stomps and claps as their only instument. Other covers included a Chuck Berry song, Wilco's "Jesus, Etc.", a Tom Waits tune, a Warren Zevon song, "Play It All Night Long", and an amazing encore of The Faces' "Ooh La La". If you think you've never heard that one, you have. Its chorus goes: "I wish that I knew what I know now, when I was younger." Yeah, great choice, each performer got to take a verse.
Finally, it must be noted that seeing any show at the Carpe is amazing. I've been going there since I was a small child, when my parents would go to eat and socialize with the owners, Bill and Kitty, while I would go upstairs (where Billy and Kitty lived) to play with their kids, Satchel and Savannah. Once I got into folk music in high school, I had such a rapport with Bill that he had no problem letting me attend shows there, even though he has a general (though not strictly enforced) 18+ rule. In my humble opinion, the Cafe Carpe is the greatest bar/music venue in the world. The bartenders (including my sixth grade science teacher!) are extremely friendly, happy to converse about any number of topics. Bill is still one of the nicest, wittiest people on the planet, always splitting time between the kitchen (really just the corner of the dining room) and playing host. The performance space holds no more than 40 people, depending on the set up of the musicians. The sound in there is just perfect for folk shows, which at their loudest are still quiet, relatively speaking. With the addition of a screened porch a few years ago (where the music can still be heard, no less), the Carpe just added to its mystique. If you are ever in Fort Atkinson, do not miss this place. Seeing any show there makes it immeasurably better.
See the video below for a Redbird performance, though not from the Carpe. And picture the performers playing in the round, making it seem as though they are playing for each other, with the audience simply watching. Very cool.
Radiohead - 8.1.2008 - Lollapalooza, Grant Park, Chicago, IL - Back in 2006, when Radiohead headlined Bonnaroo, I was a very vocally opposed, telling anyone who would listen that Radiohead did not belong at Bonnaroo. Flash forward to Summer 2007, and suddenly, I realized exactly why they headlined. I finally understood why everyone says they are so great, and could tell from listening to the albums that they would translate really well in a live setting. Lollapalooza 2008 provided my first opportunity to see the band, and I did not pass it up. The day leading up to Radiohead was good, as I caught Rogue Wave, Jeff Tweedy solo at the kid's stage, Bloc Party, and the Black Keys, among others, but the day belonged to Radiohead, and anticipation of the show later that night.
And man, they did not disappoint, playing a great mix of songs from all their albums (save
Pablo Honey). They began with 15 Step, from
In Rainbows, and never looked back. "There There" included a drum circle, "The Gloaming" and "Jigsaw Falling Into Place" were both awesome, as was "Reckoner". The highlight, though, was undoubtedly when a perfectly timed (or, seemingly perfect) fireworks show started behind the stage during "Everything In Its Right Place" and continued through "Fake Plastic Trees", a personal favorite. Oh, and did I mention they have far and away the coolest and most intense light show ever? Yeah, bonus points. If you've never seen Radiohead, you are truly missing out.
EXTRA SPECIAL BONUS!
So I originally thought of doing this list because I was about to see Paul McCartney, and figured (correctly) that it would be the greatest concert experience of my life, and so I wanted to reminisce about some of the other great moments in concert-going that I've had. But man oh man, Sir Paul trumped them all. It didn't hurt that it was the first time I had traveled a long distance (Madison, WI to Boston, MA) for a concert. We planned time to see the city, which is amazing by the way, with the last night of our stay there being the concert--at Fenway Park, no less.
We arrived about and hour and a half before the opening band (MGMT), and figured out seats would be pretty good. They were supposed to be right behind home plate, nine rows back. Of course, I had figured they would take the foul ball net down for the show, but that wasn't the case. OK, we all said we could deal with it. But of course, that wasn't the biggest issue; that came in realizing that there was a set of speakers stacked up behind home plate, which even when standing, made it nearly impossible to see the stage. Needless to say, we were pissed. I needed to at least let the staff there know how upset we were, so I went and talked to the nearest staff member, purely so I could vent my frustrations. After a nice exchange where they said they couldn't move the speakers, I went back and dejectedly sat down. About five minutes later, the staff member came over to us and directed us to a woman who would be able to move us. We were guessing this meant moving us further back to worse seats, but lo and behold, we were moved to about the third base dugout, AND to the second row! Absolutely awesome seats. Moral of the story kids: always complain, even if you don't think it will do any good. Every once in a while, it'll turn out in your favor.
So, then there was the concert. I can't even begin to explain how much fun I had. Paul is a spectacular showman, so even though almost every line of dialogue is rehearsed, it sounds as though he's saying it off the top of his head for the first time. I won't get too into specifics of the show, but will say that Paul and the band sounded absolutely great, and played SO many wonderful songs (check out reviews of the show for a song-by-song recap).
It's basically indescribable how happy that concert made me, as well as the rest of the group I went with--who, it's worth saying, were the perfect group to go with for this trip, as we all had significant knowledge of Paul and the Beatles, a desire to see and experience Boston, and the ability to both be in the moment at the concert but also to step back and realize the cultural impact of what we were seeing. In a word: Perfect.
