The Swamp

You are supposed to fill out the list with your concerts, but I'd rather see that from youse guys than randoms.


First: NELSON!
Last: Hayes Carll/James McMurtry
Worst: Dierks Bentley (he is much better these days but this was early doors)
Loudest: Ryan Bingham
Best: The first Billy Joel one way back in the day
Most surprising: Hayes Carll the first time I saw him and had never heard anything. He opened for Cross Canadian Ragweed.
Next: American Aquarium coming to Lexington in January so I may have a look at that one

First: New Edition (just after Bobby left). Second row seats at the Sun Dome (USF). Force MD's opened. NE entered and exited the stage via spaceship (and likely a drop through a stage opening). Blew my 9 year old mind.

Last: was supposed to be The Mountain Goats a week ago but their bus broke down. Was actually the Beaches in Copenhagen in a tiny venue. Fucking rocked.
Loudest: Beach House, opening for Vampire Weekend at Hard Rock Live Orlando. Odd for the opener to be louder than the headliner, but BH was My Bloody Valentine-esque.
Best: I want to say my first Archers of Loaf show, (also my first "club/small venue" concert), but I think it was Peter Gabriel on the Secret World tour in Orlando.

Most surprising: feels like a "opener you hadn't heard of before, but loved" type category. Definitely Julien Baker at Shaky Knees in Atlanta. Flew up from Tampa that morning and took the Marta directly to Centennial Park. She had only released Sprained Ankle and was up on stage just her and an electric guitar. Blew my mind how powerful she was with just her voice and guitar.

Next: I'm hosting a "living room" show (at my office conference room) for Eric Bachmann, lead singer of the aforementioned Archers of Loaf, and Crooked Fingers, on January 20.

First: Royal Crescent Mob
Last: Depeche Mode
Worst: Built to Spill
Loudest: Afghan Whigs (they were playing a smallish venue, and good Lord was it loud)
Best: The Cure, Starlake Amphitheater, 1992
Most Surprising: Robert Cray (only surprising in that they were so good the performance sounded like it had been recorded instead of being live)
Next: To be determined

First: Neil Diamond
Last: American Aquarium
Worst: Counting Crows
Loudest: Kyuss Lives
Best: Dave Matthews Band
Most Surprising: P!nk
Next: Jason Hawk Harris and Lydia Loveless (unless I go see American Aquarium in Nashville next month)

First: Cheap Trick and The Fixx...saw them in Millet Hall (Miami's bball arena)...they were the entertainment for little sibs weekend.
Last: no-name: Yachtley Crew; big name: Peter Gabriel
Worst: Billy Joel in Ohio State's new arena...the sound was so bad because I'm guessing it was new venue and people hadn't figured shit out yet.
Loudest: that same Billy Joel show
Best: Rush
Most Surprising: Thomas Rhett - I'm not much for country music but seeing him at Red Rocks was great
Next: tbd

Sabo wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 9:30 am First: Royal Crescent Mob
Last: Depeche Mode
Worst: Built to Spill
Loudest: Afghan Whigs (they were playing a smallish venue, and good Lord was it loud)
Best: The Cure, Starlake Amphitheater, 1992
Most Surprising: Robert Cray (only surprising in that they were so good the performance sounded like it had been recorded instead of being live)
Next: To be determined

Dying to hear what made Built to Spill the worst.

Also, I apparently didn't see the worst category when making my list.

I've endured a bunch of shit openers over the years, but some dude that opened for TV on the Radio at Jannus Live (formerly Landing) came out in matador pants and was fucking awful. He was probably the worst. Hall & Oates had clearly lost their vocal fastballs when we saw them a few years back and they were definitely the worst headliner I've seen.

First: Kiss 86 PVD Civic Center
Last: Kiss 22 Great Woods
Worst: Stones was worst experience but never made it in so James Taylor 17 Fenway
Loudest: Motley Crue 89 PVD Civic Center
Best: Billy Joel/Elton John 09 Gillette
Most Surprising: Pearl Jam 07 Great Woods (I just didn't realize how good Pearl Jam is)
Next: Shooting for Olivia Rodrigo at TD Garden in April

First: Foghat and Head East
Last: Son Volt
Worst: Billy Squier
Loudest: UFO
Best: Beat Farmers
Most Surprising: Springsteen in 1983
Next: to be determined

First: Jackson Browne (with Warren Zevon opening)
Last: Peter Gabriel
Worst: Either Mazzy Starr or MGMT
Loudest: Sugar
Best: Tough call...so breaking it into small venue: Augustines and big venue: Radiohead
Most Surprising: Brandi Carlile...I knew she was going to be good, but holy shit...
Next: Nothing scheduled as yet...

And another category...most seen: Bob Mould (in various configurations...Sugar, solo electric, solo acoustic, and current Bob Mould band)

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 12:06 pm Loudest: UFO

Where did you see UFO? I saw them at Day on the Green, July 4th 1979, along with Journey, J Geils, Thin Lizzy, and Nazareth.

First: Live
Last: Wolves in the Throne Room
Worst: Cannibal Corpse (they actually aren't bad, I just don't have the ear to appreciate more than a few death metal songs in a row)
Loudest: Sleep
Best: Sigur Ros
Most Surprising: Ghost
Next: Slim Cessna's Auto Club (NYE!)

First: Alice Cooper
Last: Seun Kuti & Africa 80
Best: Talking Heads
Worst: Jethro Tull (Never a gig fan, and it was a 50 minute show. Next day they announced that they were cancelling their next few dates due to Ian Anderson's laryngitis that he was obviously feeling during the show I saw)
Loudest: The Who original lineup when I was 14 or so. An awesome life-changing show that led to a couple of days of stuff oozing from my ears)
Most Surprising: Wasn't a big Tragically Hip fan but got to see them in a small venue and they were incredible.
Next: tbd

First: Billy Joel (River of Dreams tour)
Last: Government Mule and Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin tribute band
Best: Phish Great Went festival. Not necessarily the best performance, just the best overall experience, including the 24-hour drive there and
even long home.
Worst: Who knows, I can't remember that long ago
Loudest: See above, but lots of small venues where my ears were ringing the next morning.
Most Surprising: Government Mule. Their Dark Side of the Mule set was pretty incredible. Really wished I wasn't sober for the light show.
Next: No plans

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 12:38 pm

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 12:06 pm Loudest: UFO

Where did you see UFO? I saw them at Day on the Green, July 4th 1979, along with Journey, J Geils, Thin Lizzy, and Nazareth.

I saw them three times. Twice at a now-gone, great little club in Denver called the Rainbow Music Hall. Once at Denver’s version of Day on the Green (Colorado Sun Day), as the second band to play, among the Rockets, Heart, the Cars, and Ted Nugent (we left early in TN’s set). It sucks when a band you really liked played early in a festival. Much of the crowd was just arriving and many were yakking and did not give a shit, while you were trying to enjoy the show.

govmentchedda wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 10:36 am

Sabo wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 9:30 am First: Royal Crescent Mob
Last: Depeche Mode
Worst: Built to Spill
Loudest: Afghan Whigs (they were playing a smallish venue, and good Lord was it loud)
Best: The Cure, Starlake Amphitheater, 1992
Most Surprising: Robert Cray (only surprising in that they were so good the performance sounded like it had been recorded instead of being live)
Next: To be determined

Dying to hear what made Built to Spill the worst.

When I saw them, they just mailed in their performance. You could tell they wanted to be anywhere else other than the stage they were on. Just didn’t enjoy watching a band that didn’t care about what they were doing.

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 2:34 pm

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 12:38 pm

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 12:06 pm Loudest: UFO

Where did you see UFO? I saw them at Day on the Green, July 4th 1979, along with Journey, J Geils, Thin Lizzy, and Nazareth.

I saw them three times. Twice at a now-gone, great little club in Denver called the Rainbow Music Hall. Once at Denver’s version of Day on the Green (Colorado Sun Day), as the second band to play, among the Rockets, Heart, the Cars, and Ted Nugent (we left early in TN’s set). It sucks when a band you really liked played early in a festival. Much of the crowd was just arriving and many were yakking and did not give a shit, while you were trying to enjoy the show.

UFO was/is a criminally underrated band. "Strangers In The Night" is such a fantastic live album.

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Fri Dec 22, 2023 12:25 pm

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 2:34 pm

DaveInSeattle wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 12:38 pm

sancarlos wrote: ↑Thu Dec 21, 2023 12:06 pm Loudest: UFO

Where did you see UFO? I saw them at Day on the Green, July 4th 1979, along with Journey, J Geils, Thin Lizzy, and Nazareth.

I saw them three times. Twice at a now-gone, great little club in Denver called the Rainbow Music Hall. Once at Denver’s version of Day on the Green (Colorado Sun Day), as the second band to play, among the Rockets, Heart, the Cars, and Ted Nugent (we left early in TN’s set). It sucks when a band you really liked played early in a festival. Much of the crowd was just arriving and many were yakking and did not give a shit, while you were trying to enjoy the show.

UFO was/is a criminally underrated band. "Strangers In The Night" is such a fantastic live album.

Agreed. I still have my t-shirt from seeing them nearly 44 years ago.