favourite concerts/gigs?

Quoted from Les Brechin

Blur are decent live too, seen them a few times but the best was when they were fairly unknown. Went to a festival in Germany, very early 90's. I'd not heard much of them as  I think they'd just released their 1st single She's So High. It was a sweltering hot day but Damon Albarn came on dressed as an English Country Gent, complete with jacket, waistcoat and even wearing a bowler hat. They were amazing and blew everyone away and I knew from that minute they would go on to have a great career.

I remember first time I heard blur was driving to see Town at Palace one Saturday in the early 90s. Girls & Boys. Might have been on Gary Crowley’s show on BBC GLR as it was then. Took me ages to find out who it was.

As for best gigs, that goes back a long way. Doctor Feelgood at Kent university in the early 80s. Absolute riot. And completely different genre and mood, Emma Kirkby at the Wigmore Hall sometime in the 90s, singing baroque choons accompanied by a small group playing period instruments. What a voice. Hairs on the back of the neck stuff.

Quoted from Rick12

I love Liam Gallagher. The man is a legend. So much passion for his music and I like the guy as well. Very honest and in your face and funny with it. Only thing I dont like is the drugs he use to do and still does occasionally. I saw a film on him recently .You may of seen it : Liam Gallagher  As it was (2019) .Interesting  and gives you an insight into who he really is.

As for Ludovico Einaudi interesting choice. I love classical music. Probably my favourite genre of music now . Another favourite Italian musical artist of mine is Andrea Bocelli.

Had the pleasure of meeting Liam (and Noel) a couple of times. Liam’s a dude, genuine and courteous unlike his egomaniac brother. No doubt Noel is a genius but he was a member when we met him, Liam on the other hand was mega. Met him with the wife, he introduced himself as if she wouldn’t know who he was. He was clearly going somewhere but told the geezer he was with to carry on and I’ll catch you up. Really decent bloke and not the egocentric arrogant bottom he is portrayed as…although the minute the camera was lifted he became ‘Liam’…was brilliant.

The film is a great insight and probably did more good for him than he’s ever imagine. Showed him as humble and honest and at times nervous, he had no reason to be but it had a lot of positives for his image.

I’m in the film loitering outside that first gig, about 5 minutes later I made my run for it and got in.

I noticed some folk have said Blur, that’s an interesting one. I’ve seen them a couple of times and don’t mind their tunes but I didn’t see them first time around which I think would be better. I saw them at a festival late on and their own gig and just felt like Albarn was trying too hard and sometimes they feel like a novelty band…very strange. Not saying it’s shite but was weird.

Someone mentioned Blossoms too, saw them on their first sort of real tour….was very ‘meh’, saw them at Leeds festival this weekend and felt exactly the same. The crowd seemed sterile and their performance was just a bit too ‘nice’ I guess…

Had the privilege of seeing the verve 8 times on their comeback in 2007…was at Blackpool…one of the greatest things I’ve seen and heard. It was a proper fans setlist, a new song and just bleeding guitars and melody. No big screens, no support act, no gimmicks just 4 blokes playing for what felt like an eternity and loud, very loud…

I was in there somewhere!  

Quoted from aldi_01

Had the pleasure of meeting Liam (and Noel) a couple of times. Liam’s a dude, genuine and courteous unlike his egomaniac brother.  Liam on the other hand was mega. Met him with the wife, he introduced himself as if she wouldn’t know who he was. He was clearly going somewhere but told the geezer he was with to carry on and I’ll catch you up. Really decent bloke and not the egocentric arrogant bottom he is portrayed as…although the minute the camera was lifted he became ‘Liam’…was brilliant.

Your a lucky man in having met Liam Gallagher. I always remember reading something that stuck with me. Before Oasis got big the Gallagher brothers use to spend all their days as teenagers playing and practicing on their guitars.  So much passion for their music. As someone who has played the guitar on and off throughout life this is something I can relate to. Chuffed that they have done so well in life  but sincerely hope Liam and Noel get back together at some point and start speaking again.

One of the best gigs I ever went to  was as much about what happened around the gig as the brilliant music and performance inside the stadium.
It was 1996 and was I still at school and doing work experience at Cleethorpes leisure centre which meant having to leave early (what a rebel-it was literally rock and roll)
Along with one of my best mates from school we’d persuaded our parents to pay for an unaccompanied jolly to see Oasis in Birmingham. We booked through solid entertainment and sat in the shelters at coxons taxi rank awaiting our transport. A battered and ancient Mini bus pulled up to ferry the 12 or so people there.
As it pulls up the exhaust falls off and it’s bodged together hastily. By the time we get to scunny for another pick up the bodge has failed and comparatively we’re sent a luxury tour bus to replace it. From being crammed in we’ve got 3 seats a piece along with a toilet n drinks machine. The Gallagher brothers ain’t got shiit on us we thought!
The older lads were passing out tins and must have smoked 3lbs of weed by the time we arrived to see travis and the mighty Oasis.
The gig itself was amazing and being in crowd around the place was eye opening. The drugs, booze, the pisss throwing and fighting was intoxicating. There was this weird switch up and great juxtaposition of this revved up and fevered crowd becoming captive and eating out of the palm of Noels hand for his acoustic set.
Even afterwards watching illegal merchandise sellers being chased by police and scuffling all over the place was entertaining.
Our comparative innocence played its part  of course but the whole experience was other worldly and I’ll remember it fondly for life.

Quoted from Sandford1981

One of the best gigs I ever went to  was as much about what happened around the gig as the brilliant music and performance inside the stadium.
It was 1996 and was I still at school and doing work experience at Cleethorpes leisure centre which meant having to leave early (what a rebel-it was literally rock and roll)
Along with one of my best mates from school we’d persuaded our parents to pay for an unaccompanied jolly to see Oasis in Birmingham. .

Interesting  story.  I've never seen Oasis play live but love some of their songs. Notably don't look back in anger and Rocking Chair. Good shout on the band Travis. I liked them a lot . I remember one of their songs driftwood .Really struck a chord with me at the time.

Do I get a bonus point for the radio 1 roadshows!

So many shows but off the top of my head,

Prince at the London 02 in 2007 and Manchester Academy in 2014, I know it's the blatantly obvious song but seeing him doing Purple Rain at both shows still makes hairs stand up just thinking about it.

The Pixies at Manchester Apollo around 2004 time.

The Streets at Liverpool Academy 2006 and a couple of times in Manchester and at festivals.

Beastie Boys at Brixton Academy 2007.

Mars Volta, Manchester Academy 2004.

Anytime I've seen the Flaming Lips at numerous venues over numerous years. Likewise Public Enemy have never let me down when I've seen them live.

I do enjoy seeing a lot of heavy bands live, much preferable seeing them live than listening to them on record and having a fair few friends into the more heavier stuff I've thoroughly enjoyed seeing the likes of Napalm Death, Slipknot, Amen, Slayer, Gallows, The Bronx, Anthrax and Metallica doing Master Of Puppets from start to finish. I think it's just the raucous loud energy of heavy music done live which gets me.

I enjoyed watching Biffy Clyro on the telly last weekend headlining Reading. As much as I've gone off their newer stuff, anything past the 3rd album really they still have it live and I saw them a bunch of times when I first moved to Manchester  in tiny venues, some that don't even exist anymore like Manchester Roadhouse so it's heart warming to see they've become an arena behemoth.

Looking forward to getting back to going gigs again soon.

Quoted from Davec

Somebody who I would have loved to go and see but obviously can't now is George Michael, say what you like about him as a person but song wise he was incredible imo

As a person he was up there too. Did loads of stuff for charity and NHS staff on the sly which only really came to public knowledge after he died. But yeah, some awesome tunes, Praying For Time being my personal favourite.

Would've loved to have seen The Clash live or even Joe Strummer doing Clash songs with his band but alas, never to be.

Quoted from Manchester Mariner

So many shows but off the top of my head,

Prince at the London 02 in 2007 and Manchester Academy in 2014, I know it's the blatantly obvious song but seeing him doing Purple Rain at both shows still makes hairs stand up just thinking about it.

The Pixies at Manchester Apollo around 2004 time.

The Streets at Liverpool Academy 2006 and a couple of times in Manchester and at festivals.

Beastie Boys at Brixton Academy 2007.

Mars Volta, Manchester Academy 2004.

Anytime I've seen the Flaming Lips at numerous venues over numerous years. Likewise Public Enemy have never let me down when I've seen them live.

I do enjoy seeing a lot of heavy bands live, much preferable seeing them live than listening to them on record and having a fair few friends into the more heavier stuff I've thoroughly enjoyed seeing the likes of Napalm Death, Slipknot, Amen, Slayer, Gallows, The Bronx, Anthrax and Metallica doing Master Of Puppets from start to finish. I think it's just the raucous loud energy of heavy music done live which gets me.

I enjoyed watching Biffy Clyro on the telly last weekend headlining Reading. As much as I've gone off their newer stuff, anything past the 3rd album really they still have it live and I saw them a bunch of times when I first moved to Manchester  in tiny venues, some that don't even exist anymore like Manchester Roadhouse so it's heart warming to see they've become an arena behemoth.

Looking forward to getting back to going gigs again soon.

I’m with you in the metal bands thing. I wouldn’t necessarily buy their records or get involved at a gig but bands like Slipknot (saw them way back when) and Metallica are bands for live performance, albums never do them justice. It’s not really my music and some of it is toss but live, so many are almost addictive to watch.

I remember seeing Slipknot and thinking it would be shite and to be honest, musically it probably was but I felt compelled to watch the whole set…