What was the best show you've seen? What was the last show you've seen?
It's been on my mind because I started cataloguing them and noticed I hadn't seen a show in like, a decade. So now I booked a few.
Belle and Sebastian was my latest one -- which was honestly a ton of fun. They have a really nice and confident presence, a cool and casual feel to how they just play these amazing poppy songs. I was front row and was just dancing the whole night. That's new for me -- when I saw shows earlier in life I never danced. I just sang along. Now I want to feel it through me.
I got Oneohtrix tickets but didn't end up going because of some life circumstances. Now tonight I'm seeing Panchiko :3 my friend said there will be incel boys moshing in front. I will try to get in on that...
Concertgoers, Inc.
Concertgoers, Inc.
We don't care what you say but we care what you do.
We’re the invisible entity that looks out for you.
seeing boris live was incredible. they had the shape in my mind as an mp3 on my hard drive. i dont even who the individual members were at all. but i liked listening to them. in some way, they felt locked in time, in the 90s. that's where a band like that belongs. learning that they still played live shows a lot blew my mind a little. m insisted that we had to go.
we drove up 10 hours to literal nowhere bozeman montana, the closest show to where we live. bozeman is supposedly its a college town, but i dont believe it. we hiked around a collage letter on a mountain. we walked around some very average stroads. we camped a hotel room. totally surreal situation. i felt out of place we walked two blocks over to where the concert was. i can't believe my beloved japanese band is in the next building over.
i learned that like the fronting band melvins quite a lot, though i havent listened to them since. i took out my earplugs for a while because i insisted on 'feeling it' without any sort of filter. it felt like it was something i had to do. boris was calling me. hearing damage be damned, this is why im alive.
they were incredibly sharp. i got to hear all of my favorite mp3 performed by the actual fucking band. god damn, wata is so cute. cute girl with guitar. behind them, towers of amplifiers. it was so loud. the bass resonates in your entire body. i shot my ears out pretty quickly, and i lost the ability to hear. i guess i know now why people wear earplugs at these things. its not just to protect their ears.
we drove up 10 hours to literal nowhere bozeman montana, the closest show to where we live. bozeman is supposedly its a college town, but i dont believe it. we hiked around a collage letter on a mountain. we walked around some very average stroads. we camped a hotel room. totally surreal situation. i felt out of place we walked two blocks over to where the concert was. i can't believe my beloved japanese band is in the next building over.
i learned that like the fronting band melvins quite a lot, though i havent listened to them since. i took out my earplugs for a while because i insisted on 'feeling it' without any sort of filter. it felt like it was something i had to do. boris was calling me. hearing damage be damned, this is why im alive.
they were incredibly sharp. i got to hear all of my favorite mp3 performed by the actual fucking band. god damn, wata is so cute. cute girl with guitar. behind them, towers of amplifiers. it was so loud. the bass resonates in your entire body. i shot my ears out pretty quickly, and i lost the ability to hear. i guess i know now why people wear earplugs at these things. its not just to protect their ears.
Just got home from Panchiko. It was really fun though kind of like trying to enjoy a concert in spite of the crowd. It was very young; a few kids came with their parents? Like 14 year olds? Most of the crowd was queer or trans, many lesbians / transbians just making out or whatever; lots of edgy anime T-shirts that I am envious of. It was just annoying being blocked from seeing anything by a couple making out the entire time.
The performances were a lot heavier than I'm used to from the record; like more harsh midwest emo flavour than cool melancholic trip-hop. They were super casual and nice, like really pleased so many people came out. My ears are ringing now...
The performances were a lot heavier than I'm used to from the record; like more harsh midwest emo flavour than cool melancholic trip-hop. They were super casual and nice, like really pleased so many people came out. My ears are ringing now...
We don't care what you say but we care what you do.
We’re the invisible entity that looks out for you.
i need to wear earplugs more but i usually dont unless its like past a certain threshold. my favorite show so far... i dont like biasing 'most recent' things but the last show i saw was my favorite band tsushimamire... and it barely squeaks out my previous best show, which was also by them. it's more about my personal experience than it is the inherent quality of the show. moments where i feel most like *in* the music or whatever.
my second favorite show was when i got to see tsushimamire in tokyo when i was visiting japan in 2018. it was after an insanely exhausting day, where the thrill of exploring tokyo was being outweighed by a few disasters and fatigue. i spent a little time lost in shinjuku on my way to the venue, and basically just thought i'd missed it - turns out they were playing second this night and as i showed up they were right in the middle of my favorite song. maybe that's why it's my favorite of theirs.
<a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqM8MEdfKEA' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqM8MEdfKEA</a> (random live vid of them playing this song)
my most favorite (maybe tied with that one) is when i saw them last year, same week as when mass of the fermenting dregs was playing (also amazing.) the lead singer grabbed my head to pull me in closer for a crowd surf and i got to hold her mike for her (this is a thing japanese bands are doing now i think - motfd did it too). ive been a fan of this band since my early 20s and ive seen them five times so far. i'm seeing them again next week lol.
other really fun shows: anamanaguchi, antiflag + reel big fish, basically any metal show. i saw PUP a couple times and i love them. last time i saw PUP the opener was one of like the corniest hype dudes ever but everybody was into it, he was making people run back and forth across the floor.
i'm really big on feeling music, both like, in my bones and in a rhythmic way. ive been to shows for bands where you dont really move your body and its kind of a letdown. i wanna move and my ideal venue is a bar w/ like under 100 people.
my second favorite show was when i got to see tsushimamire in tokyo when i was visiting japan in 2018. it was after an insanely exhausting day, where the thrill of exploring tokyo was being outweighed by a few disasters and fatigue. i spent a little time lost in shinjuku on my way to the venue, and basically just thought i'd missed it - turns out they were playing second this night and as i showed up they were right in the middle of my favorite song. maybe that's why it's my favorite of theirs.
<a href='https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqM8MEdfKEA' rel='nofollow noopener' target='_blank'>https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqM8MEdfKEA</a> (random live vid of them playing this song)
my most favorite (maybe tied with that one) is when i saw them last year, same week as when mass of the fermenting dregs was playing (also amazing.) the lead singer grabbed my head to pull me in closer for a crowd surf and i got to hold her mike for her (this is a thing japanese bands are doing now i think - motfd did it too). ive been a fan of this band since my early 20s and ive seen them five times so far. i'm seeing them again next week lol.
other really fun shows: anamanaguchi, antiflag + reel big fish, basically any metal show. i saw PUP a couple times and i love them. last time i saw PUP the opener was one of like the corniest hype dudes ever but everybody was into it, he was making people run back and forth across the floor.
i'm really big on feeling music, both like, in my bones and in a rhythmic way. ive been to shows for bands where you dont really move your body and its kind of a letdown. i wanna move and my ideal venue is a bar w/ like under 100 people.
I'd like to get to more concerts.
In 2007 I saw Porcupine Tree on their Fear of a Blank Planet tour. Ran into someone on campus with a PT shirt and struck up a conversation, found out they were playing in town that week, and I couldn't not go. They were great, I died irl when they played Trains. After the show, a few of us met the band on their way out of the venue and Steven Wilson replied to my gushing about the show with an extremely sardonic british-accented "I'm happy you wuh so mooouved", which has entered my vocabulary forever.
Saw Junior Boys in 2009 while they were touring Begone Dull Care. This was another case where I was living on campus and found out about the show at basically the last minute. I don't remember a lot about the show itself, but I enjoyed it. They had a live drummer, which was a good choice to punch things up from their somewhat minimalistic electronic sound on record (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Around 2010 I saw The Decemberists when they were touring The Hazards of Love, which as an album feels a bit padded IMO but as a live show was nonetheless pretty great (even though it's still padded). They played the whole thing in order and then did a second set of songs from the rest of their catalog. The corniest moment was when Colin Meloy introduced "the worst song I ever wrote, Dracula's Daughter", a live-only joke track, as if playing it were an improvised moment, when it was just part of the setlist for that entire tour. You can't just keep doing the same joke at every show!
Saw Nine Inch Nails in 2022, went with Heather and two of our friends. It was a good show with lots of energy, but I was surprised they were only playing material up through 2007's With Teeth despite having plenty of newer music to pick from. Didn't expect Trent to go for the nostalgia-tour thing. The definitive moment was when he ended some stage banter with "Okay, now for more depressing music." Man is completely over it.
I've seen Guided by Voices twice, once in 2017 while they were touring Space Gun and once in 2022 while they were touring Crystal Nuns Cathedral, both of which are among my favorite albums of theirs. This was a day after the NIN show and with the same friends brought along. Both shows were fantastic, like 3+ hours of nonstop energy, and with setlists mostly comprised of music from their newer albums. At the 2022 show we got to be the first audience to hear Alex Bell, from their then-upcoming album Tremblers and Goggles by Rank. We arrived a bit early to get dinner from a burrito place nearby and from the parking lot I heard them playing Alex Bell at the sound check, which was exciting.
In 2006 I nearly got to see the pillows at one of their rare US appearances, but I got terribly sick and had to stay home. Still kinda mad about that. A friend who went was kind enough to buy me a t-shirt from it, which I wore until it completely disintegrated.
In 2007 I saw Porcupine Tree on their Fear of a Blank Planet tour. Ran into someone on campus with a PT shirt and struck up a conversation, found out they were playing in town that week, and I couldn't not go. They were great, I died irl when they played Trains. After the show, a few of us met the band on their way out of the venue and Steven Wilson replied to my gushing about the show with an extremely sardonic british-accented "I'm happy you wuh so mooouved", which has entered my vocabulary forever.
Saw Junior Boys in 2009 while they were touring Begone Dull Care. This was another case where I was living on campus and found out about the show at basically the last minute. I don't remember a lot about the show itself, but I enjoyed it. They had a live drummer, which was a good choice to punch things up from their somewhat minimalistic electronic sound on record (not that there's anything wrong with that).
Around 2010 I saw The Decemberists when they were touring The Hazards of Love, which as an album feels a bit padded IMO but as a live show was nonetheless pretty great (even though it's still padded). They played the whole thing in order and then did a second set of songs from the rest of their catalog. The corniest moment was when Colin Meloy introduced "the worst song I ever wrote, Dracula's Daughter", a live-only joke track, as if playing it were an improvised moment, when it was just part of the setlist for that entire tour. You can't just keep doing the same joke at every show!
Saw Nine Inch Nails in 2022, went with Heather and two of our friends. It was a good show with lots of energy, but I was surprised they were only playing material up through 2007's With Teeth despite having plenty of newer music to pick from. Didn't expect Trent to go for the nostalgia-tour thing. The definitive moment was when he ended some stage banter with "Okay, now for more depressing music." Man is completely over it.
I've seen Guided by Voices twice, once in 2017 while they were touring Space Gun and once in 2022 while they were touring Crystal Nuns Cathedral, both of which are among my favorite albums of theirs. This was a day after the NIN show and with the same friends brought along. Both shows were fantastic, like 3+ hours of nonstop energy, and with setlists mostly comprised of music from their newer albums. At the 2022 show we got to be the first audience to hear Alex Bell, from their then-upcoming album Tremblers and Goggles by Rank. We arrived a bit early to get dinner from a burrito place nearby and from the parking lot I heard them playing Alex Bell at the sound check, which was exciting.
In 2006 I nearly got to see the pillows at one of their rare US appearances, but I got terribly sick and had to stay home. Still kinda mad about that. A friend who went was kind enough to buy me a t-shirt from it, which I wore until it completely disintegrated.
Last show I went to was a Jazz show, and next show on the docket is a Mitski show in august. There's also a Decemberists show this month no one else I know can go to but I'm thinking of doing it.
Favorite show has probably been either The Chats (it had 3 or 4 openers and they were all very high energy), Deathgrips (first time I moshed!), and Mass of the Fermenting Drugs (absolutely incredible stage presence and the show was in the smelly back storage area of a pub with loose floor boards, which is a great mix of type 1 and 2 fun haha).
I think I'm gonna go the Decemberists show anyone and see if I can't drag a friend with me.
Favorite show has probably been either The Chats (it had 3 or 4 openers and they were all very high energy), Deathgrips (first time I moshed!), and Mass of the Fermenting Drugs (absolutely incredible stage presence and the show was in the smelly back storage area of a pub with loose floor boards, which is a great mix of type 1 and 2 fun haha).
I think I'm gonna go the Decemberists show anyone and see if I can't drag a friend with me.
I've also seen the Decemberists and they're always a great show. Just amazing presence, they make sure you have a good time, etc. etc.
I'm surprised you were huge into Porcupine Tree Sarah! I've only heard of them like, as of the past few months. I've only heard Lightbulb Sun. I heard they only do metal now.
I'm surprised you were huge into Porcupine Tree Sarah! I've only heard of them like, as of the past few months. I've only heard Lightbulb Sun. I heard they only do metal now.
We don't care what you say but we care what you do.
We’re the invisible entity that looks out for you.
Yeah! I'd definitely see them again, though I was very disappointed with their last album, I'll Be Your Girl. Hoping for something different/better when their next one comes out next month.maru wrote:I've also seen the Decemberists and they're always a great show. Just amazing presence, they make sure you have a good time, etc. etc.
Hmm, I wouldn't say they only do metal...I'm surprised you were huge into Porcupine Tree Sarah! I've only heard of them like, as of the past few months. I've only heard Lightbulb Sun. I heard they only do metal now.
Lightbulb Sun is a really nice album, I also love Stupid Dream from around that same era.
In Absentia -> Deadwing -> Fear of a Blank Planet are all really strong as well, though definitely a bit of a change in style.
The Incident is where things kind of drop off for me, though that's more of a case of "parts of this are great but it really didn't need to be a double album".
For recent Porcupine Tree I'd actually just check out some of Steven Wilson's solo albums. My favorites of those are Insurgentes and The Raven That Refused To Sing. The Raven is very classic prog, definitely not a metal album at all. Insurgentes is a pretty eclectic blend that even delves into drone music at points. (I think? IDK genres)
Re: Concertgoers, Inc.
Going to see Mountain Goats and New Pornographers this weekend! Excited about it, it's going to be my first outdoor show too 
Re: Concertgoers, Inc.
Went to a King Gizard and the Lizard Wizard show! It was awesome, easily one of the best show's I've been to in a long time. I'll upload photos later but the performance used a live screen behind it to do very like, 1970s acid-psych demoscene stuff and the mosh pit went feral. I adored it although man it was long and I skipped one of the openers.
Re: Concertgoers, Inc.
King Gizard pics!!
I didn't grab any pics of the mosh because it was hard to take photos and a bit unsafe to be on the edge and take photos, but there was some wild dancing, and a lot of folks got on the ground and started pretending they were rowing too, I think it was a reference to the song playing?
I didn't grab any pics of the mosh because it was hard to take photos and a bit unsafe to be on the edge and take photos, but there was some wild dancing, and a lot of folks got on the ground and started pretending they were rowing too, I think it was a reference to the song playing?
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Re: Concertgoers, Inc.
Saw Mitski on Friday! can put up pics in a bit
Re: Concertgoers, Inc.
I saw Slowdive in Brooklyn last night. It's interesting — I always think I am "unsure what happiness is," but when I'm jumping up and down excited that I get to live in a world where I see Slowdive play live, it's clear I definitely know what happiness is.
The show opener was quannnic who I honestly still don't know anything about; I just remember bemoaning how the show was mixed to only hear the bassline and the drums and the guitars and vocals were just completely silent. Even when the singer was speaking between songs I just had no idea what was said.
But Slowdive itself ... I don't know ... it was a really ... spiritual ... experience? I just remember closing my eyes at several times just astounded at what I felt, at what hearing these songs brought out of me. They don't talk much — Neil Halstead stood off-stage left and Rachel Goswell was the only one speaking between songs to just say "thank you" — but their set, mostly post-2017 material with a few Souvlaki tracks and opening with Avalyn I of all things, was slow, mournful stuff. "Pure vibes," as the kids said (a lot of the audience was like late teens and early 20s? And only knew their newer stuff??)...
I was struck by how in charge of the situation Rachel Goswell was. Several times during the set she just would walk away from her instrument (keys, guitar) and just walk through the stage set, watching everyone else play, or several times she just came up to the front of the stage to look at us. She had this benevolent gaze, seemingly looking past you, or to the Mass, to the group, and to take in the love. She seemed very intent to ensure that everyone had a good time — she stopped one of the songs at the start to be like, "you guys ok there?" and then they restarted, for example. Likewise I was struck by how much Neil did not want to talk or show himself a lot. But I couldn't help but get transfixed by him. He has this really strong aura to him. These people have been in a band together since they were, like, 19. How strange it must be to see the lineup get different fans of different eras, to always be able to play new stuff, to not become a catalogue act, to be in control.
They're playing again in Montreal apparently, they announced just today — but the set will be the same, so it feels like I got what I wanted. I feel really happy — honoured — that I got to hear this particular band, I suppose...
The show opener was quannnic who I honestly still don't know anything about; I just remember bemoaning how the show was mixed to only hear the bassline and the drums and the guitars and vocals were just completely silent. Even when the singer was speaking between songs I just had no idea what was said.
But Slowdive itself ... I don't know ... it was a really ... spiritual ... experience? I just remember closing my eyes at several times just astounded at what I felt, at what hearing these songs brought out of me. They don't talk much — Neil Halstead stood off-stage left and Rachel Goswell was the only one speaking between songs to just say "thank you" — but their set, mostly post-2017 material with a few Souvlaki tracks and opening with Avalyn I of all things, was slow, mournful stuff. "Pure vibes," as the kids said (a lot of the audience was like late teens and early 20s? And only knew their newer stuff??)...
I was struck by how in charge of the situation Rachel Goswell was. Several times during the set she just would walk away from her instrument (keys, guitar) and just walk through the stage set, watching everyone else play, or several times she just came up to the front of the stage to look at us. She had this benevolent gaze, seemingly looking past you, or to the Mass, to the group, and to take in the love. She seemed very intent to ensure that everyone had a good time — she stopped one of the songs at the start to be like, "you guys ok there?" and then they restarted, for example. Likewise I was struck by how much Neil did not want to talk or show himself a lot. But I couldn't help but get transfixed by him. He has this really strong aura to him. These people have been in a band together since they were, like, 19. How strange it must be to see the lineup get different fans of different eras, to always be able to play new stuff, to not become a catalogue act, to be in control.
They're playing again in Montreal apparently, they announced just today — but the set will be the same, so it feels like I got what I wanted. I feel really happy — honoured — that I got to hear this particular band, I suppose...
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We don't care what you say but we care what you do.
We’re the invisible entity that looks out for you.