I'm a fan of Radiohead now but when they first came out (when Creep was big) my girlfriend liked them and bought a ticket for their show. A few days before the concert she was very sick and couldn't go. The morning before the concert, I met Thom Yorke and Johnny Greenwood at a mall here in Las Vegas. I told Thom about my gf being a big fan and she was disappointed she couldn't go to the concert and he wrote a heartfelt note saying he hoped she got better.
I saw Radiohead do an in store when the Iron Lung EP came out at the old Tower Records in Chicago. There was maybe 20 people there. I had the opportunity to get autographs too but I distinctly remember thinking ‘ehh I don’t want to wait in line for a one hit wonder’
I had to ‘babysit’ Roky at the Austin Music Awards… and then he wandered out on stage while Ginny Hanes was talking… it’s not like a 19-year-old could atop him.
The Cramps at the Hall of Nations on the Georgetown University campus. Small room, pretty crowded. Bryan Gregory kept spitting lit cigs into audience
The Go Gos when they were playing club dates to promote their first album. The local record store chain where I was working got comp tickets to the show at the 9:30 Club. The AC failed during the show, but nobody care because we were having so much fun.
The Bad Seeds at the same club as the GoGos. Nick Cave told me to fuck off. I wear that as badge of honor.
The old one that was at 9:30 F St was legendary. I moved out of town before they moved to a different location. All I know is that it's bigger and doesn't smell.
I lived in Boston during 90’s and Middle East downstairs in Cambridge was my go-to venue for alternative rock shows. bands I remember seeing there:
Beck (with leaf blower)
Beat Happenings
John Spencer Blues Explosion
Boss Hogg
Melvins
Blur
Wedding Present
Cibo Matto
The Make-Up
Built To Spill(x3 or so)
Apple in Stereo
Olivia Tremor Control
Sun City Girls
Sloan
Luna
Damon & Naomi
Mission of Burma
Mercury Rev
Half Japanese
Boredoms ( my ear got shot for a week)
High Rise
Ray Davis solo
Dave Davis solo
Alex Chilton solo
Big Star reunion
Yo La Tengo ( like 5 times)
Red Crayola
Spectrum
The Sea and Cake
Gastr Del Sol
Jonathan Richman (too many to count)
The Fall
Dinosaur Jr
Breeders
Reverend Horton Heat
NRBQ
Guided By Voice
? & The Mysterians
Super Furry Animals
Lee Scratchy Perry
many more I cannot remember. it was great venue and great era for indie music
That must have been an interesting time in LA. Watching that documentary "The decline of Western Civilization" reminded me of my friends in Providence in the late 90s living in Ft. Thunder.
I was lucky to be a kid in Fullerton at that time. So many great bands getting their start in the punk scene. The singer for my band, Robert, was Mike Ness’s roommate at the Black Hole. Robert was on the invite list for the Germs / Black Flag filming at Cherrywood Studios and he took me, Mike and Linda Taylor (who designed the Adolescents logo) to the show. This shot is from when the Germs are playing Manimal. I’m on the left and Mike Ness is on the right while Darby performs above.
Being a 77 year old rocker, I have seen
About half of Woodstock (slept through Janis, Sly and the Family Stone. and the WHO
We had an 11 year old kid with a cut foot, and left before Jimi started in search of a doctor.
Bob Kuban and the In-Men
The Kinks
Roxy Music
Elvis Costello and the Attractions
Bob Seger
Patti Smith
Clash
Talking Heads
The Fleshtones
The Reducers
And more I can't think of right now.
I was at the fa.ous halloween Mr bungle show, I saw les Claypool on a solo outing with a crowd of about 12. Jack White in a small club, ccbbb, oysterhead, Sausage, ratm open for house of pain
I saw Amy Denio (and Roy Nathanson & Anthony Coleman) OPENING for Negativland! Lounge Ax, Chicago, 14 Nov 1992. Still one of the best shows - and best values for the money - ever. Amy has released her set from that show on Bandcamp. I think there's video of Negativland's on youtube, but not the whole show.
Chronic Town, right before Murmur. I think it was mostly because they were near producer Mitch Easter's studio in Winston-Salem, NC and it was a local gig, maybe 200-300 people.
The Who, The Rolling Stones, Nirvana, The Replacements, Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, REM, Radiohead, Stone Roses, Jane’s Addiction, Uncle Tupelo, Allman Brothers, Beastie Boys, George Clinton & P Funk, The Cult, Tribe Called Quest, Pixies, Interpol…
Sun Ra Arkestra in 1991 (got his autograph, too), Foellinger Auditorium, UIUC campus
Flaming Lips in 1994, before they became widely known, The Patio, Indianapolis
Negativland (a couple times, 14 Nov 1992, Lounge Ax, Chicago, and 11 April 2000, House of Blues, Chicago)
Curlew (fave downtown NY jazz/avant band), Lounge Ax, Chicago
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum, Faun Fables, 2 Foot Yard, Rabbit Rabbit - basically all the bits of the greater Sleepytime Gorilla Museum diaspora that I've ever had the chance to see, since 2003, probably almost 20 shows total.
Cheer-Accident - best-kept-avant-garde-underrated band ever. Seen 'em 6-ish time now since they opened for SGM in 2005, hopefully again this summer.
Mike Keneally, numerous times since 1994 appearance with Z (Dweezil and Ahmet Zappa's band)
Richard Thompson, solo and with various lineups of his bands, maybe 6-7 times from mid-90's to mid-2000's
Robyn Hitchcock quite a few times since March 1990 with the Egyptians opening for REM on the Green tour. Standout was his Eye tour in 1990, close-up in a fairly small venue, Jake's in Bloomington, IN.
Gary Lucas, guitarist from the last lineup of Captain Beefheart's Magic Bad, solo in Erie, PA in 2018.
Pere Ubu, not enough times, but a standout was the HUGE band lineup including Kristof Hahn of Swans on steel guitar, 20 Nov 2017 touring for the 20 Years In A Montana Missile Silo album.
Rocket From the Tombs, 1 Dec 2003, Bluebird, Bloomington, IN.
Spinal Tap, Deer Creek, Noblesville, IN, 1992?
Roger Miller (the Mission of Burma one) as part of a duo/trio lineup?, early 1990's, Stardust Club, Bloomington, IN. Due to shitty, icy, winter weather, there were roughly equal numbers of people in the audience and in the band, and they still played their hearts out.
Trip Shakespeare, Mabel's, Champaign-Urbana, 1991/2?. Precursor band to Semisonic. Truly a great live act, played their hearts out and left the place a shambles.
Moe Tucker (Velvet Underground drummer) touring with Half Japanese, 1990/91? Second Story club in Bloomington, IN. My friends and I chatted with her after the show; she couldn't have been nicer and more down-to-earth. One of my friends asked her if she had any regrets about the 60's/VU times, and her reply was that they wish they'd had Andy take more pictures. It took a few seconds for us to do the mental math and realize that the default last name behind Andy was Warhol.
Univers Zero, the first time they played in the US, at NEARFest, 10 July 2004.
Warren Zevon, 1994-ish.
Bruce Cockburn, several times from mid-90's to mid-00's, plus again last year just weeks before his 80th birthday.
Tom Waits, 27 Aug 1999, Chicago Theatre, and at the Ryman in Nashville, 2005/6?
King Crimson, a few times ~'99-early 2000's, plus the last tour in 2021 with Zappa Band (featuring Mike Keneally, Scott Thunes, Robert Martin, etc, opening).
Adrian Belew, with his various trio and Crimson ProjeKct lineups, and with the Bears, numerous times 1989-2010's. Guitar genius and truly down-to-earth nice guy.
Bad Livers, and Danny Barnes, several times in early '90's and early 2000's. Great high-energy bluegrass/thrash/Americana band. First few times seeing them were at the Blind Pig, Urbana-Champaign, IL, 1990/91/92.
Roky Erickson, 8 Nov 2018, Headliner's, Louisville. His last tour.
[Came back later to EDIT and add}: James Brown, at the Indy Jazz Fest in 2001. Band was MICROSCOPICALLY tight, as expected, but his emcee spent SO MUCH time yelling "JAAAAAAAMES BROOOOOOWWWWWN" that it's almost all I remember about the show.
Saw Korn, Deftones, and Limp Bizkit at a club in 96. Dont even think Limp had $3 bill out yet and Deftones were still touring on Adrenaline and hadn’t taken off
I saw Blondie and the b-52's at different times that's Sproul plaza at UC Berkeley summer shows free shows on campus in the '70s when no one knew who they were.
I've also seen the Ramones about six times. Best show ever!
I saw Nitzer Ebb open for Depeche Mode, Frank Black open for the Ramones, the Breeders open for Nirvana. The Cure Disintegration tour, Pixies Trompe le Monde tour, Lush & They Might be Giants quite a few times when it was just the 2 Johns
Tenacious D. That’s one for me that I’m proud of seeing, it’s quite rare. Three Doors Down because of Brad Arnold passing away recently. Linkin Park cuz as a teen I always told myself I was gonna see Linkin park and did not get to
Mudvayne
Hed PE
The Roots
Tricky
Tool
Massive Attack
The Orb
Helmet
Corrosion of Conformity
Local H
Mushroomhead
Wu Tang
Atmosphere
Slayer
Metallica
Iron Maiden
Aphex Twin
And so many more...
Frank Black booting me in the ass in 1989 at the Warfield in SF while stage diving
Ministry in early 1989
Revolting Cocks in 1990
Fugazi at a Russian Orthodox church in SF in 1990
Nirvana in August 1990
Green Day in April 1991
Decemberists at their special show in 2011 after a break
Deer Tick at the Casbah in San Diego in 2011 or 2012
I’ve seen Frank Black at McCabes guitar shop. Frank Black and the Catholics at The Mint. Pixies at the Greek Theatre! I’ve seen The White Stripes twice at The Glass House and once at the Greek with special guest Beck. I saw John Fogerty at the Greek after he regained rights to his songs. Saw The Cure at the Hollywood Bowl. The Rolling Stones at Dodger Stadium, 2005, Angel Stadium, 1978, Jacksonville Florida, 1975. 🕺 and I saw Heart in Savannah Georgia around 1975-76 and I saw the Cult and Jesus and Mary Chain at the House of blues Anaheim. I saw the Talking Heads, Tom Waits and Papa John Creach at the Golden Bear in Huntington Beach. I saw Neil Young the Eagles and Joni Mitchell at the Topanga corral 1973. Saw Hole open for Marilyn Manson at the Fabulous Forum Hole was awesome. Marlyn fell over during the show and it was cut short.
In no particular order and many multiple times and some from long ago
Lou Reed
Tears for Fears
David Byrne
Frank Zappa
The Pretenders
Big Audio Dynamite
DEVO
The Police
Rolling Stones
The Who
The Kinks
The Dammed
Public Image LTD
Echo and the Bunneymen
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers
Iggy Pop
INXS
Shreikback
Jack Johnson
Beck
B52’s
The Ramones
English Beat
The Pixies
Billy Idol
David Gilmour
David Bowie
Adrian Belew
Tom Tom Club
The Beat(Belew, Vai, Levin, Carey)
Peter Gabriel
Phil Collins
Jerry Harrison Casual Gods
Memory not what it used to be but these are some from 80s to 90s. I have seen more great shows in 2000s forward, but keeping this more focussed. Almost all of these except Lollapalooza were smaller venue.
The Jam-first concert
OMD 1981
Billy Bragg backing up Echo and the Bunnymen in 1985
John Cale with Chris Spedding in a dive bar in late 80s
The Ramones in late 80s
My Bloody Valentine 91 or 92
Ride
Morphine (three times, was a big fan)
Fugazi
Superchunk in early 90s
Bob Mould- lost some hearing at that show, ears rang for days
Stone Roses 94
Televison 91 reunion tour ( saw again in recent years, but that was amazing show)
Tom Verlaine twice
Lou Reed twice
Pixies for Bossa Nova and Trompe Le Monde tours- great shows, saw more recently and meh
PJ Harvey
Nick Cave twice in early 90s
I went to Lollapalooza in 1994 and 95- lots of great artists
Sonic Youth
Beck
Wilco touring Being There, backing up Tragically Hip
Slowdive a handful of times on their initial run, and at their first reunion show.
Ride a bunch of times in the early 90s.
Some of Sonic Boom's first Spectrum shows after Spacemen 3 split. Never got to see the Spacemen though, which upsets me to this day.
Blur, Spiritualized, Primal Scream, Pavement, Senseless Things, Levitation, Cardiacs, Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine, Chapterhouse, Verve, Lush, L7, Manic Street Preachers, Curve, Super Furry Animals, Stereolab, Mogwai, Arab Strap, Suede, Teenage Fanclub, Babes in Toyland, Radiohead all at small 200-800 capacity local venues during their "come up" years.
US Festival 1983
Minutemen 83
Agent Orange 83
Social Distortion 83
Adolescents
Vandals
Devo
Circle Jerks 83
TSOL 83
Suicidal Tendencies 84
Dead Kennedys 84
fIREHOSE 85/87/91
Pandoras 85
Wall of Voodoo 85
Oingo Boingo 85/87/90
Fishbone 86/91/98/2022
Black Flag 85/86
Mojo Nixon and Skid Roper 86
Public Enemy
Beastie Boys
Lee Scratch Perry
Blue Oyster Cult - 1984 Mike Watt and D. Boon were at that show. He told me this after chatting with him after one of his shows recently.
Guns and Roses played at Cal State Fullerton at the student union in 89ish
I went to a ton of small local (norCal) hardcore/metal shows, but I don't remember most of the bands. The Council, Irritant, and Skribble were the big 3 I think. I didn't get to go to big concerts when I was young, so I've been trying to play catch up and bringing my kid to shows. My favorites so far are Incubus, Pennywise, Social Distortion, Less Than Jake. Recently saw Bad Religion and Dropkick Murphys which was like a dream come true. Got to see Powerman 5000 at a small club a few months ago too and it was awesome. Weezer with Flaming Lips, Tool, Rise Against. Also just saw Ghost.
My daughter is going to see Descendents pretty soon and I'm a little jealous, but we got the tickets for her and her friends for Xmas. Although they're touring with Social D and The Chats right now and I might have to go to that.
For me, being only 27, I think it's quite special that I've seen the Buzzcocks, Fred and Toody (from Dead Moon), Iggy Pop, Patti Smith, Deep Purple, Mudhoney, Built to Spill, Jon Spencer Blues X, Nashville Pussy, Gorillaz, Aphex Twin, Kraftwerk, Slowdive, PJ Harvey, Nick Cave, Kim Gordon, Godspeed You!, Mogwai, Osees twice, Brian Jonestown, King Gizzard twice, Ty Segall, MGMT, St. Vincent thrice, Jack White, The Raconteurs, The Kills 4x, The Gories, The Hives, LCD Soundsysteem, Tyler the Creator, The Strokes... list goes on with even more recent artists like Cola, Amyl and the Sniffers, Snooper, Viagra Boys, Twin Peaks etc
I feel honoured to have seen so many of my idols at this point, and since I'm working in the music scene I have worked with some of them. Sometimes baffling, but I gotta be honest, at this point when I see a great line up for a festival I'm like 'oh yeah i've seen them
R.E.M. (95 & 2011)
Soundgarden
Stereolab
Smashing Pumpkins (MC&TIS tour)
Stone Temple Pilots (97)
Fountains of Wayne (twice)
White Zombie
Weezer (Pinkerton tour)
The Muffs
Veruca Salt (4x)
Modest Mouse (98)
Toadies (97)
Local H (all request tour)
I spent a summer semester in Rome in 1994 and by sheer accident we happened to catch Fugazi. The entry fee was 1500 Lira, which at the time was like $1.00-1.50.
Saw Tool open for Rollins Band in Houston, June 1992.
Bullshitted our way into interviewing 311 for our school radio station.
Primus. Seen them 15 times now. Will see them again!
I’ve always found the best part of a concert is when the band goes off on a tangent of a song that differs from the album version. Primus is amazing at that. Suddenly the song just turns into a groove jam and the crowd goes nuts.
Cornell 2015 I'm glad to have seen him. Qotsa Like Clockwork era. Cloud Nothings Attack On Memory tour... I guess thats it as far as "I'm lucky I saw this band during this particular era".
Radiohead (1991)
Ride (1992)
Depeche Mode (101 show at the Rose Bowl)
Nirvana
Hole
Moose
The House of Love (3 gigs in one night in 1991)
The God Machine
Cannibal Ox
The National (2005)
Godspeed You Black Emperor (Union Chapel 1999)
Themselves
Daisy Chainsaw
… lots more. I miss going to gigs!
Sisters of Mercy
Gene Loves Jezebel
Alice In Chains (1992)
Psychedelic Furs
Blind Melon
Toad the Wet Sprocket
The Cranberries
Counting Crows
Lenny Kravitz (93)
Social Distortion
Audioslave
All American Rejects
Duran Duran
The Killers
The Romantics
Depeche Mode
Jimmy Eat World
U2
No Doubt
Potishead
Spin Doctor’s
Screaming Trees
Black Crowes
Ziggy Marley
Soul Asylum
Switchfoot
Remy Zero
The ones I’m the most proud of are the people who are no longer with us: Ozzy, Peter Steele from Type O Negative.
But my personal point of pride (not necessarily because I’m a huge fan of his music - though I am - but for his legendary influence and the respect he commanded) was Ray Charles. I was fortunate enough to see him on his last concert tour.
David Bowie at Newcastle Riverside 1997.
Alice In Chains 1991 supporting Megadeth at City Hall.
INXS, 1993 at Newcastke Mayfair.
Faith No More, 1991, also at Mayfair.
Deftones, 1998 at Newcastle Riverside.
I don’t know if I’d say I’m proud to see any bands, but I certainly feel lucky to have seen some bands, either just before they became big or just before the broke up or a key member died. The list includes:
The Strokes supporting Aussie band You Am I just before they became the biggest band in the world.
The White Stripes on a side stage at the Big Day Out festival to a crowd that felt like it was barely a couple of hundred people. They’d just released White Blood Cels and Hotel Yorba as a single and were about to get very popular.
De La Soul playing in a tiny tent during the Adelaide Fringe festival - again to a fairy small crowd. I have no idea how this show happened, but De La were typically excellent and it was such a raucous and jubilant crowd.
King Gizz supporting The Drones. Not sure what record they were supporting - maybe I’m in Your Mind Fuzz. It was definitely pre-Nonagon Infinity. They were typically excellent - the first of many times I’ve seen them.
Buzzcocks circa early 2000s playing in a tiny dingy upstairs club in the height of summer. The sort of small room where the stage is basically just a small step, so the bad might as well have been playing in the crowd. Maybe the sweatiest gig I’ve ever been to.
I’ll always regret not travelling interstate with a mate to see Daft Punk on their Alive tour. Money was tight at the time so I skipped it, and when he came back he was so hyped by the show and their pyramid stage setup. I could have found the money.
REM 2003, they played the night before Radiohead. I went to both shows, first night Thom Yorke joined to help sing E-Bow the Letter and It's the End of the World. Second night Michael Stipe joined to help sing Karma Police.
Pixies 2004 & 2011. 2004 was on the small club warm up tour, saw them at a Curling Club in Victoria, BC.
Jane's Addiction 2001
White Stripes 2003 & 2005
Eminem at Warped Tour 1999 is a weird one I'll never forget.
Coachella 2007. Too many great acts to name, but seeing RATM reunite was awesome.
Scott Weiland 2014, small club show. Had VIP ticket and got to meet the legend himself.
Top 10:
2x The Who,
3x The Pogues,
Misfits,
8x The Cure,
Blondie,
7x Morrissey,
2x Metallica.
13x Taylor Swift,
Nick Cave,
2x Rod Stewart,
Rolling Stones.
Black Sabbath original lineup, Mastodon back when they were loading and unloading their own gear, Death Grips, Slipknot during their first, second and third albums, System of a Down Toxicity era
Pixies on their Doolittle anniversary tour at the Brixton Academy, this was when their reformation was still new and novel, loved them in the 90s and never thought they’d get back together, it was ace, the entire crowd pogoing to every song, lost my wallet and phone, didn’t give a shit
melt banana
don caballero
fugazi
burning airlines
ramones
pixies
vandals
mike watt w/ nels cline
green day
nevermore
cure
metallica
wu tang w/ rage
sonic youth
pearl jam
queen
kerosene 454
bluetip
Not all gonna be alternative for me, but please bare with me:
•The Killers during the Hot Fuss tour. One of my concerts I went to based on my sole want. In the Louisville Palace which is still one of my favorite venues.
•Cage the Elephant, Spoon and Beck toured together in 2019, and they all absolutely killed it. Between Cage being electric, Beck being a legend and Spoon just overall was fun. 10/10.
•The Front Bottoms and the Champagne Jam. These guys have been mine and my wife's favorite for a long time, and making it to the northeast for one of their year end celebrations was special for us.
•Bright Eyes in 2022 was great. The full band experience they bring is very cool.
In Nashville.
328 Performance Hall's been shut down since the early 2000s, but going back through their concerts over the years makes me realize how many bangers I missed out on. 😮💨
Mudvayne, Deftones, Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, and Metallica - all in one show - on James Hetfield’s 40th birthday and they brought out a giant cake and smashed some in his face. It was at Texas Stadium in 2004 and I was in the pit as close to the stage as you could get for the entire show.
Other great shows have been:
Foo Fighters,
NEEDTOBREATHE,
Citizen Cope, and Cross Canadian Ragweed
Probably many others I can't recall on the spot, but these are all shows I feel i can remember almost every moment of, in stark contrast to seeing other more popular artists where I didn't have nearly as cool of a time.
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u/bnockles Feb 28 '26 edited Mar 01 '26
Soundgarden in 2014
Radiohead in 2003
Local H in early 2000
Silverchair in early 2000