Tour Remembrance and Nostalgia Thread Tour • Page 3

top 5 of 2023
1) viagra boys - Metro chicago, riot fest after show
2) Drain - Blueberry Hill, st. louis
3) Digable Planets (performing Reachin' in full, with live band) - mingewood hall, memphis
4) Muse - Chafitz arena, st. louis (most insane visuals, fire, and constant set changes ive seen up close)
5) Turnstile - Riotfest chicago

honorable mentions: amyl & the sniffers, janet jackson, TLC, B-52's (vegas residency), sleep token, thrice (performing TAITA), Thursday (performing war all the time at metro AND their riot set where i was only 1 of 10 people for their first song while everyone else was still entereing after rain delay), GEL, postal service

here's a video compilation of my top 10 i put on IG

 

seen lots of huge bands before they were big in tiny clubs but the truest answer to this was i won a radio contest where i got to sit in the studio and hear Chris from Dashboard debut Vindicated, acoustic, with the DJs and like 4 other people.

 

I saw Dua Lipa open for Fall Out Boy at a radio station’s Jingle Jam in 2017 in a House of Blues-type venue where it probably held 1K but the floor was only 500 and there were two tiered balconies that probably held 250 each.

I remember being specifically unimpressed by her— I thought the only thing memorable about her set was her sex appeal that she was very clearly leaning into. Other than occasionally twirling and shaking her ass her performance was flat and lifeless and I left thinking she would never make it big. Shows what I know.

It’s always interesting to me when certain acts have a reputation of either being REALLY ON or REALLY OFF with no in between. Stories about old Brand New sets always either sound like a religious experience or a dumpster fire.

Bright Eyes has that same quality, especially since they reunited. It’s like you never know if you’re walking in to a set of Conor the songwriter & musician or Conor the intolerable drunk.

As annoying as it is when those kinds of acts are bad, in a weird way it almost makes their good sets feel more special.

 

Modest Mouse is in this category. I’ve seen them 4 times and thankfully each time was great, but they’ve been known to have some real bad off shows

 

yeah I saw them twice and one was at best mid

 

Arcade Fire - radio recording with dozen other people from my college class

fun. - opening for Taking Back Sunday and Anberlin at a bar in Green Bay

Mod sun - on the scary kids scaring kids farewell tour

 

this unlocked the memory that I saw fun open for Manchester orchestra during the mean everything to nothing tour and fun didn’t have an album out yet

 

Got to see Billie Joe's side project The Longshot on their tiny club tour and it was surreal seeing him that close

 

My top 5 shows of 2023:

1. Spanish Love Songs (only 1 of 3 headliners they played in the US) at Mahalls in Lakewood, OH
2. Manchester Orchestra/Jimmy Eat World at Kemba Live in Columbus
3. Petey at House of Blues, Cleveland
4. The Gaslight Anthem at House of Blues, Cleveland
5. Violent Femmes at Masonic Auditorium in Cleveland

This year was my first time ever seeing The Gaslight Anthem, Violent Femmes and CAKE. I liked the CAKE show, but did not care for a 30-minute intermission (although there was no openers).

All-time favorite/most memorable shows:

Family Values Tour in 2001 at Cleveland State University: Stone Temple Pilots, Staind and Linkin Park (at the time, just Crawling and One Step Closer were singles that were out). At the time, STP were my favorite band and Staind was a pretty big deal around that time as well. This was also the first show I ever went to with friends - I was 16 at the time.

Weezer/Tenacious D/Jimmy Eat World in 2001 at Cleveland State University. My first time seeing Weezer and my introduction to Jimmy Eat World. Changed my life.

The Used in 2002 for 92 Cents at the now closed Odean in Cleveland. It was a radio promotion show for a local radio show. I had just gotten into The Used, which really was the first band ever that I liked that was a bit harder/screamy. Changed my whole outlook on how I listened to music. I ended up seeing The Used about a dozen times between 2002 and 2006.

2003 Warped Tour at the now closed Tower City Amphitheater in Cleveland - This had pretty much every huge scene band there that year.

Silverstein in 2003 at the now closed Pirates Cove in Cleveland. I was maybe 1 of 15 people there. My friend and I drank with the guys at the bar for a few hours before the show.

Green Day/My Chemical Romance in 2005 at Cleveland State University - first and only time I ever saw either band. Green Day was pretty much at the peak of their career and MCR was just getting started (in terms of getting popular). Great time to see both bands.

Foo Fighters/Weezer in 2005 at Cleveland State University

TBS/Angels and Airwaves/The Subways in 2006 - great lineup and biggest venue I ever saw TBS at - sold out Nautica in Cleveland (5,000 cap)

Panic! at the Disco/The Hush Sound in 2006 at Nautica - First of many times seeing PATD and definitely their most theatrical performance.

Brand New/Manchester Orchestra in 2007 at House of Blues - First time seeing both bands - ended up seeing both more than a dozen times.

Straylight Run/The Color Fred/Cassino at the Agora Ballroom in 2007

Bayside/Straylight Run in 2008 at Headliners in Toledo

Brand New/Manchester Orchestra/Kevin Devine/Thrice/Glassjaw at Nassau Coliseum in New York in 2009. Furthest I ever traveled for a show.

Jimmy Eat World in 2010 at Newport in Columbus - First show I ever went to solo and easily the best JEW show I ever saw.

Manchester Orchestra in 2011 at Beachland Ballroom in Cleveland - Best headlining MO show I ever went to. Right before Simple Math came out.

Panic! at the Disco/Fun in 2011 at House of Blues Cleveland - first show I ever took my mom too and my introduction to Fun.

Taking Back Sunday/Thursday in 2011 at HOB Cleveland - the reunion show, absolutely bonkers. I remember Adam walking around the entire venue during songs, singing on top of the back bar, playing Prom Night and Your Own Disaster. Top tier TBS show

Bright Eyes/Mountain Goats in 2011 at HOB Cleveland - best show I ever saw BE put on.

Right Away, Great Captain in 2012 at Musica in Akron - hung out with Andy for a long time after the show

Twenty One Pilots 2011-2013 at The Grog Shop in Cleveland Heights/Musica in Akron/LC in Columbus - really surreal to be at those early TOP shows before they blew up. Some of those shows were 150-200 people. Their energy was the same at those shows as they are now at arenas.

Macklemore in 2012 at HOB - Y'all can laugh, but Macklemore was blowing up at this point and this show was bananas. It was originally supposed to be at a smaller venue and was upgraded and I remember they oversold for this show. Never really cared for him afterward, but it felt like a big moment being there.

Kendrick Lamar in 2013 at Nautica Cleveland

Brand New in 2013 at Bogarts in Cincinnati - an unannounced Deja Entendu album play show.

The Front Bottoms in 2013/2014 at Musica in Akron and Mahalls in Lakewood, OH - I just remember those two shows being absolute bonkers.

Lupe Fiasco in 2016 at House of Blues, Cleveland

Brand New/Modest Mouse in 2016 at Stage AE in Pittsburgh - Probably my favorite time ever seeing MM.

Bayside/The Minzingers/Sorority Noise in 2016 at Agora Ballroom in Cleveland - easily my favorite time seeing Bayside. The energy that night was incredible. Small, hot, sweaty show

Nas/Wale at Agora Theatre in Cleveland in 2017

Hot Mulligan at Beachland Ballroom in 2021 in Cleveland - You could just tell the band was about to blow up.

Petey at The Grog Shop in Cleveland in 2022 - I had just heard of him a few months prior. Saw he was playing a show nearby and couldn't figure out why it was sold out months in advance. Ended up buying a ticket off stubhub for $100 and the show was worth every penny.

 

That Family Values 01 tour was awesome. STP headlined out of respect/legacy but both Staind and LP were arguably bigger than them at the time. Shoutout to Deadsy who was also on that tour.

 

5 Favorites of 2023:

1. Adjacent Fest
2. Furnace Fest
3. The Postal Service / Death Cab
4. Tied Down Fest
5. Kenny G

 

5 favorites of 2023

1. Feist (maybe one of the best shows I’ve ever seen)
2. The Postal Service/Death Cab For Cutie
3. Blink-182
4. Jeromes Dream/Elizabeth Colour Wheel
5. Copeland playing Beneath Medicine Tree

HM:

Gouge Away
Gel

 

My top five from last year.

1. The Wonder Years - 10/8 at Riviera
2. Bleachers - 12/7 at Aragon Ballroom
3. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - 8/9 at Wrigley Field
4. The Wonder Years - 3/16 at Concord Music Hall
5. City Mouth - 11/22 at Beat Kitchen