Every Concert I Can Remember Attending
Who doesn't like a live show? Most of my friends and family members, as it turns out. By far the majority of the concerts listed below I attended all by my lonesome b/c I either didn't know anyone else who was interested, in the right place, or who could afford a ticket. I have probably paid a family member w/ a car to drive me to the concert in exchange for my buying their ticket more often than they've attended willingly w/ me.
This is mainly for personal reference as memories fade. Details like the year, location, who attended with me, and the price of the ticket are in parentheses. Eventually, I may add details to distinguish the concerts I do not remember very fondly, as well as other details and editorial content for those that don't make it into my .
ABBREV. KEY: (BotB = Beijing Battle of the Bands, 2010; CB = Celebrate Brooklyn outdoors in Prospect Park; CR = Chiang Rai, Thailand; fOtV = from outside the venue; M = Milwaukee; ML = The Mercury Lounge, NYC LES; MSF = ModernSky Fest 2011, Beijing; O = The Observatory or The Constellation Room, Santa Ana, CA; Pabst = Pabst Theater; TH = Turner Hall; W = Woodstock’99; WPP = Williamsburg Pool Party)
Pop Concerts (For those not steeped in the terms of college radio, "pop" will always mainly mean rock, apparently. Excluded are things experimental, world music, post-rock, electronica, etc.)
Aesop Rock/Blockhead 2007, M Pabst, w/ Mom…she had us leave before set was over, $15?
Annuals 2010, ML, $10?
Devendra Banhart 2017 or ’18, Beijing, 120 yuan?
Barcelona Oberlin w/ Jesse
Beach House 2010 NYC Island, free outdoors
Black Moth Super Rainbow LA 2019, $25?, w/ A
Buddy ML $10
Budo Band O, $5
Built to Spill O, $20?, w/ A
Bush W
Califone Madison, $5 or free?, w/ Mom so painfully noisy we left early
Caribou 2010 NYC Island, free outdoors
Carsick Cars NYC DUMBO, free
Cibo Matto Santa Monica Pier, free, w/ Hh & friends
Les Claypool M The Rave, $25
Clem Snide 2009, NYC outdoors, free
The Clientele NYC, $25, w/ Matt
Cloud Cult Madison, $15, w/ Mom
Collective Soul W
Bobby Conn 2004 NYC, $20?
Elvis Costello W
Creed W
Dave Matthews Band W
Decibully M?
Deerhoof M TH, $15
Deerhunter 2010 NYC outdoors on a pier, free
Dengue Fever O, $18, w/ Hh & Yidi
DeVotchka M Pabst, $18 w/ Cecilia
The Diagon Alley 对角巷乐队 2016 Beijing, Modern Sky Space
Dinosaur Jr. 2009 NYC outdoors
The DonnasCleveland WOBC comp w/Theo
Elanors Madison, $5, w/ Mom, N, Dan as almost the only audience members
Everclear W
Everlast W
Benjy Ferree 2009, ML, $18
Experimental Dental School 2007 M TH, $12
Explosions in the Sky 2008 M Pabst, $15
Failure LA Amoeba, free
Fatboy Slim W
Field Music NYC, $25, w/ Matt
Fiery Furnaces WPP, free or cheap?
Flaming Lips NYC fOtV
Fleet Foxes M Pabst, $18
Fredrik 2010, ML, $15
Freelance Whales O, $15
G-11 BotB, 100 yuan
Geographer O w/ A, $15
Grandaddy Cleveland WOBC Comp
Grizzly Bear WPP fotV
Handsome Furs 2009, Denver, $15
Richie Havens Oberlin, free
Head of Femur ML, $15
Helado Negro NYC CMJ $12
Heliosequence O or M???, $18
Hella NYC?
Jewel W
Kaki King M Pabst, $20
K and the Boys NYC free…notable b/c I craplisted their album while managing WOBC
Kid Rock W
Jonny Lang 2000 Vancouver w/ U. Jon
Lightning Bolt Oberlin basement, free?
Limp Bizkit W
LIVE W
Low M TH, $18
M. WardM Pabst, w/ Matt, $15
Madison County late 2000s?, Cambridge, WI, Fire Dept. Ball
Man Man AO, w/ Hh & Mike?, $18
Margot & The Nuclear So-and-Sos O, w/ Tiffany, $15
Me & My Arrow NYC w/ Matt, $12
Menomena O, $15
Metric NYC CB
Mixer 2017 Beijing, 80 yuan
Keb’ Mo’ 2000 Vancouver w/ U. Jon
Modest Mouse WPP fOtV until just before lightning cut their set short
The Mooney Suzuki Cleveland WOBC Comp w/Theo
Alanis Morissette W
The Mountain Goats M Pabst, $20
Muckafurgason 2003 Oberlin outdoors, $5
Murder by Death 2009 M gymnasium $10
The National CB fotV
Neon Indian 2010 NYC Island, free outdoors
The Notwist NYC $18
Nurses ML $12
The Octopus Project M Pabst, $20 w/ Mom
Of Montreal M Pabst, $20 w/ Matt
The Offspring W
Our Lady Peace W
Owarikara/Freaky Styley/Sooogood! 2017 Sapporo
Pale Young Gentlemen late 2000s Madison w/ Mom, A, $10?
Pet Conspiracy Beijing, 50 yuan?
Phantogram 2010 NYC Island, free outdoor
Pinback (x3) (M Pabst $15, LA Del Rey w/ Tiffany $18, O w/ A $20)
Potato 2020 CR, $1.66
Pulmolight/Tuumu/Feliqroom 2017 Sapporo
Queen Sea Big Shark 后海大鲨鱼 BotB
Rage Against the Machine W
Re-TROS (Rebuilding the Rights of Statues 重塑雕像的权利) MSF
Red Hot Chili Peppers W
Reflector BotB
Josh Ritter Oberlin, free
Rotary Downs T2010 Williamsburg bowling alley, $10?
Rusted Root W
Second-Hand Roses 二手玫瑰 MSF
Secret Chiefs 3 (x2 M The Rave, O w/ Hh & Yidi
Sevendust W
SNAPLINE BotB
Son Lux CB
South Paradise CR
Tenkyu PingPongs/My Blueberry Nights/Enigma to Cattlemutation 2017 Sapporo
Thinking Fellers Union Local 282 NYC
Timber Timbre x2 O w/ Mom & A, $18, 2019 in Beijing 150 yuan
Tina Turner 1980s outdoors from the back of a vehicle very distant from the stage, maybe fotV M w/ Mom
TMBG Oberlin outdoors, $5
Tomahawk O w/ Hh, $25
Toro y Moi Williamsburg bowling alley, $15
TV on the Radio CB fOtV
Via Tania ML, $15
The Walkmen M Pabst, $20
Mike Watt 2017 Beijing, 100 yuan?
Emily Wells LA w/ Hh & Nick
Xie Tianxiao 谢天笑 BotB
Xiu Xiu O w/ Mom & A, $18
The XX NYC fOtV
Yeasayer 2019 LA, $25
Non-Pop (I don't remember any of the classical, experimental, or jazz concerts I attended in college at Oberlin, but there were definitely quite a few of them. The following could be categorized as those, plus electronic, world, etc. There's also a few I went to in Asia that were entirely too poppy or even "easy listening" here that I would not have in the USA, Anything that's not rock.)
Afro Begue 2017 Hakodate
Antibalas NYC Battery Park fOtV, free
Boxhead Ensemble NYC MoMA
Cerberus Shoal 2004 NYC w/ Jacquelyn
The Chemical Brothers W
Dan Deacon M TH
Dee-Jay Punk-Roc/Dieselboy/Dave Ralph Oberlin gymnasium
Godspeed You Black Emperor Oberlin ’Sco, $20?
Icy Whiskey 乐队 2016 Beijing Modern Sky Space
Job 2 Do CR Peace & Love outdoor festival
Nikaido Kazumi 2017 Hakodate
Kid Koala NYC outdoors
Lichens M Pabst
Lula Brew & Blend Chiang Rai, 2019
The Parkinson Brew & Blend Chiang Rai, 2019
Riddimates 2017 Hakodate
Steroid Maximus x2, CB & NYC Red Basement
Supermarket 超级市场 MSF
Tang Dynasty 唐朝 MSF
Uz Jsme Doma Madison UW Student Union?
Wang Yong 王勇 MSF
Xiao He 小河 NYC DUMBO
Zhou Yunpeng 周云蓬 MSF
MISSED OPPORTUNITIES…REGRETS FOR NOT PRIORITIZING/BEING IGNORANT OF… (There would be a near infinite number of different ways to have done Woodstock'99 or either of my stays in NYC with unlimited funds and no work on weekends. My current self in 2021 would have prioritized the following more highly than whatever I did instead. These are only concerts I know I missed because I declined an invitation, couldn't afford a ticket, didn't have time, or was just benighted and stupid.)
@UCI: Jandek, TV on the Radio
@NYC 2004, 2009-10: zillions of ‘em. Firewater.
@Beijing: Hauschka, Johan Johansson, Mew, Hedgehog, A Silver Mount Zion, Liars (& many more)
@Japan summer 2017: Fuji Rock
@Thailand: Big Ass, Farm Fest
@Oberlin: Magnetic Fields, Blonde Redhead, Guided by Voices, Warn Defever (& many more)
@Cleveland: Wesley Willis, Momus, Songs: Ohia,
@Woodstock’99: James Brown, Willie Nelson, Metallica, & probably others
I went to Busker Fest w/ Hh in Long Beach in 2015, I think, it was a fine evening of music, but I don’t remember any of the bands that played it. Most of the bands actually performing in the battle of the bands in Beijing in 2011 were hard rock/death metal and blended together too much for me to remember; several I only attended b/c they included a more established Chinese band playing a set as the finale after the vote count. In my youth in Milwaukee, we got into the Summerfest grounds a few times, but I don’t remember any of the concerts, only that the playground equipment was awesome! I think I was out of town when my mom took a friend from high school backstage at a Violent Femmes concert. I have attended only one Madison concert organized by Daniel Grimes, and the performers’ names slipped my mind.
Eventually I'll sort the long list into contenders for best and worst concerts, but just listing them again won't be worthwhile without also typing up the stories and reasons why they were superlative for those who weren't there.
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