10 Of My Favorite Live Shows
List is the the 10 best live shows I have been to off the top of my head. List is in no particular order and I'll probably forget some great shows but I just went with the first 10 I could think of that stuck out in my mind. Very few of these shows were the first time I saw the band, rather it was a perfect storm of the venue and the setlist and other factors that made it great. Random Fact: First show I attended by myself was Pearl Jam and Sonic Youth in 1998(?). |
| 1 | Radiohead
Kid A tour. Not much to say here except that Radiohead always has been and always will be one of my favorite bands; they are just phenomenal. |
| 2 | Tool
Lateralus tour. A great mix of songs from Lateralus and before with some pretty intense visuals. It was at a pavillion which I hate, but we had "pit" tickets so I was as close as you could get still. |
| 3 | The Smashing Pumpkins
Return in 2007 in Asheville, NC. I have seen them several times but this one was special and the setlist was incredible. |
| 4 | Between the Buried and Me
I have attended every single CD release show this band has played since(and including) their self titled album. I have seen them over 30 times, all but 5 of those were before Colors was ever even written. That being said, I think the best show I have seen of them was their release show for The Silent Circus. The setlist all from S/T and TSC and the energy at the show was great. Unfortunately I didn't really get into TGM....hoping for some material I can get into more on the EP. |
| 5 | Sunny Day Real Estate
Reunion tour in 2010. The reunion show featured them possibly performing better than they ever did when they were a regular active band. |
| 6 | Jimmy Eat World
My friend and I won tickets to a "warmup" show for their Chase This Light tour. The show was in Charlotte, the night before the tours first "real" date. We were both fans of their early material and expected to hear a lot of CTL songs but went because it was free. The shows turned out to be a huge list of old songs (including 7 off Clarity). Great surprise, great show with a smaller setting than the rest of that tour had. |
| 7 | The Dillinger Escape Plan
One of two shows on this list that includes TDEP. This first one from 2004 wasn't chosen because it was the first time I saw them, rather it was a really good overall lineup for the show at a good venue. Zao (past their prime but still ok), Every Time I Die (only playing material from Hot Damn, last night in town, etc.), Misery Signals (touring for of malice and the magnum heart...my favorite of theirs), and of course TDEP touring the awesome album Miss Machine. |
| 8 | The Dillinger Escape Plan.
This 2nd inclusion of TDEP on my list actually comes from 2009. Having seen them several times already, I was excited but thought I knew what to expect. I think what made this show special was the fact that the venue they played in that night only held 250 people. In other words, this venue is TINY. Dillinger tore it up, playing a long set including songs from every album including old EPs and rarities. Best set I've seen them play. |
| 9 | The Mars Volta
Bedlam in Goliath tour. This was, unfortunately, the first time I saw them. De-loused and FTM are still my two favorite TMV albums but I always kept missing them every time they were near me. ie I had tickets to a FTM show and had to go to a funeral instead. All that aside, it was still a great show with a setlist spanning several albums. |
| 10 | Beloved
This spot is a tie. Having grown up seeing Beloved from their very beginning, this band always holds a special place in my catalog. I probably saw them 15-20 times before they broke up but two of their shows stand out in my mind:
1) Their Failure On CD release show. Great set, tons of friends there, and a really good lineup of other bands. This show included Copeland touring for Beneath Medicine Tree.
2) Beloved's farewell show. Sucked to see this band go, but they left on a high note. Played a packed show at a fun venue with a solid lineup. |
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