What does the famous lalalalauren want me to write about? It's actually a pretty awesome topic:
Allison's mystery post will be about concerts! It will answer the following questions:
What is the best concert you've ever been to? Explain.
What is the worst concert you've ever been to? Explain.
Good questions...and I may have ties for each question - for different reasons.
The Best
a) R.E.M. @ The Molson Amphitheatre in Toronro, Ontario, on August 24, 1999.
This was my first concert. I must have heard about the tickets on the radio and begged my mom to buy them. She bought tickets for me, her and my dad and one for my friend Jacqueline. We had lawn seats, which aren't really seats at all, but a grassy area at the very back. While it would have been amazing to have been closer, I didn't care. The music, the lights, the atmosphere - it was amazing. I knew I'd witnessed something great. For years all the concerts I attended were compared to this one. I don't think anything beats a first concert experience.
b) Red Hot Chili Peppers @ The Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, on September 25, 2006.
This was my second RHCP live experience - only this time I had a pre-sale code and that bad boy landed me front row seats. Not floors, but seats - close to the side (not way at the back). We had an amazing view of the stage, unobstructed. This seating arrangement made the whole experience that much better! No stress - just fun! The band sounded awesome - which was a plus.
The Worst
a) U2 @ The Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, on September 12, 2005.
It wasn't a bad show, it was more of a seating arrangement vs. the cost issue. You see our seats were labelled "rear view" - 'cause you know U2 loves to do that full stadium experience. That's all well and good, but I think bands are just conditioned to face one way. And drummers can't really move at all. The light show was an issue sometimes too, as lights would be lowered and block our view. We paid well over $100 for this. It was fun, 'cause I was with friends - but it wasn't my favourite experience.
b) Sam Roberts @ The Mississauaga Waterfront Festival in Mississauga, Ontario, on June 19, 2009.
Sam Roberts put on a great show and that was awesome, but I get pissed off in crowd situations because tall guys always stand in front of me. I also hate being shoved around as people are moving from spot to spot and don't give a shit if they ruin your view. We all paid the same - can't we all just get along? I felt edgy for a lot of the show because of this. The music did make up for it, but this stupid group of guys in front of us were all really tall and they mashed their bodies so close together that they formed a wall that I couldn't see over unless I jumped. So fuck you tall boys. Thanks a lot.
I've seen more good shows than bad - as I'm pretty selective about who I see live. I'm actually going to see the band Guster in March with my friend Amanda. We saw them before, back in April 2004. They don't come to Canada much, so I'm looking forward to a good show!
I hope you've all had amazing concert experiences as well. Any really bad ones?
The magical mystery tour is waiting to take you away Tom! Waiting to take you away! See you Wednesday...shhhh...it's a secret until then.
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| T-shirt from the Broken Social Scene show I saw in December 2010. I'd say it's high on my list of amazing shows for sure! |
I think my best concert was Greenday at the Milton Keynes Bowl. It was outdoors, the weather was incredible and their set didn't finish until it got dark, at which point the fireworks and pyrotechnics went into overdrive.
ReplyDeleteIt was a great day - although getting out the car park took hours. Hours I say.
I think at this point I'm the only one who knows what everyone's topic is. I feel powerful.
You're Captain Transatlantic! Woo! Can't wait to see what you picked for Lauren on Friday. And I'm excited to see what you decide to do with the one I gave you. Shhh.
ReplyDeleteOutdoor shows in good weather are awesome. I've done them all, stadium, outdoor festivals, club shows...each have their pluses and minuses.
Nicely done. You rocked my mystery topic!
ReplyDeleteI love that your first concert was R.E.M. I also love that you remember the exact dates of all of the shows. I totally do that too. I'm guessing you probably never throw away ticket stubs? :D
I've seen some great shows, but I think the best was when my friend and I saw The Kooks in college. We ended up in the very front, pressed against the stage and afterwards we met the band.
The worst was probably when Ryan and I saw a local band called King Carlos and the lead singer from the opening act bitched loudly about the sound system. He actually ended his set early by throwing his guitar down and storming off the stage. It was unprofessionalism at it's finest.
Can't wait to see Tom's post tomorrow!
Yeah...it was a fun topic. I do keep all my tickets...i now keep them in an album called "ticket stub diary." You should look for one. I got mine on Amazon.
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