Music What was the last concert you went to?

Mark

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No one was arguing that they were iconic, Mark.

You’re right, people were sharing opinions until you stepped in all serious and shit. Calm down, buddy, I have no beef with the violin guy, I was not aware this was such a serious subject for you. He can jam all he wants… but it ain’t gonna stop me from cracking jokes.
 
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Saw Yellowcard today. They played every song from Ocean Avenue in order. Unfortunately, they didn't play anything else because this is Saint Louis and if STL's own Budget Dashboard Confessional is touring with, they are the headliner instead of the much more well known band. Had hoped they would play together, but it was not to be. Skidaddled as Story of the Year played their last and most well known song from Page Ave and beat all of the traffic.
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Edit: I bought an Ocean Ave street sign and an Ocean Ave 20th anniversary t-shirt. They kept mentioning they had a new EP that was just released but the merch store didn't have copies of it. :(
 
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I just got home from spending the weekend in Montreal - on Friday night I saw Metallica (with Pantera, Mammoth WVH, and Sword), on Saturday night I saw 3 Metallica tribute bands (Sandman, Motorbreath, and Damage Inc.), and last night I saw Metallica again (with Five Finger Death Punch, Ice Nine Kills, and Anonymus).

The shows were awesome overall, although the sound was pretty tricky in Olympic Stadium, and the current stage setup Metallica is using is really rough. I was on the floor both nights, and you're actually better standing a little further back to get a better view. This was my second and third times seeing Metallica and the song I wanted to hear the most was Battery, which they played near the end of last night, so I'm extremely thrilled with the outcome.

I also stopped in at Freeson Rock, which is my favourite record store in Canada. 18 CDs later and I'm broke but very happy :D
 
Yeah it's pretty tough in person. I go to as many record stores as I can find anytime I go to a new city, but most of them are 95% vinyl and have a limited CD selection (let alone a metal cd section!). This particular store, I have been going to since 2012 and it has an insane selection.

We have one really good store in Toronto as well, but the best CD store I've ever been to is in Germany. Generally, I just order online though.
 
Last night I saw Kamelot/Battle Beast/Xandria. I was on the fence about going, but decided last minute and it was a blast. Never seen Xandria before, and they were your standard symphonic metal band, so it was fun enough.

Battle Beast was outstanding. This was my third time seeing them and they just get better and better. To quote them, it really was a heavy metal party all night. I hope they do a headline tour soon so they can play an even longer set.

I'm not a huge Kamelot fan, but this was my third time seeing them (funnily enough, I had seen Battle Beast and Kamelot tour together before; I've also been to multiple Kamelot headline shows where I left before they came on). They were really good, and truthfully, their material is enjoyable but I think their reputation is a bit overblown compared to the other big name power metal bands. In any case, this tour is 100% worth going to.
 
I skipped out on that kamelot show. I've seen them four times and they're just old now. It was right in my hometown but I didn't feel like going...

... Because Amon Amarth and Ghost played the next day that I went to. I was so happy seeing Amon Amarth playing in a 15000 person venue and everyone was interactive with their show. It was epic and they sounded awesome. It was an outdoor amphitheater and it was nice and cool.

Ghost was professional and great, but the same exact set list as their first circuit last year. He is hilarious at banter and him coming out for the encore alone on a dark stage asking all of us why we are still here was so funny. I probably won't see them again unless they really mix up the songs because it almost feels like a shtick at times. Like almost formulaic but it sounds and looks so good.
 
Kamelot is one of the few bands I haven't seen live that I would have liked to at some point. They're actually playing here in KC this Saturday night, but I will be out of town. I stopped following them after Ghost Opera, but their four album run from 4th Legacy through Black Halo is classic.
 
Tonight I saw Alice Cooper for the 10th time. He's my all-time favourite singer and it was awesome. He played two songs I've never seen him do live before: Snakebite and Lock Me Up. Hopefully the next time he comes back he plays stuff from the new album.
Took this picture when I saw him live.
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Tonight I saw Alice Cooper for the 10th time. He's my all-time favourite singer and it was awesome. He played two songs I've never seen him do live before: Snakebite and Lock Me Up. Hopefully the next time he comes back he plays stuff from the new album.
I saw him open for Iron Maiden one time, and having never listened to his music, it was a pretty enjoyable show. The songs were catchy and he was a great showman, which is what you like to see in a band you've never listened to before and weren't really there to see.
 

Mark

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I saw him open for Iron Maiden one time, and having never listened to his music, it was a pretty enjoyable show. The songs were catchy and he was a great showman, which is what you like to see in a band you've never listened to before and weren't really there to see.

He’s notorious for bringing the best talent on board for his touring band, too. Commonly referred to as one of the best bosses in the business. In a world of cutthroat people and debauchery, he’s always been known to be a stand-up dude to and for his band and employees.
 

LegendaryKing6

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Saw Ghost opening for Metallica a couple of years ago. Great show, Tobias Forge is a real charismatic frontman! I like the fun contrast between his on stage persona Papa Emeritus, and his "normal" self!
I fell asleep during their set on the lawn at a festival they were playing lol. Some dude got mad at me when he asked why I wasn't into them and I told him I just don't care for them.

To be honest i don't remember the last big show I went to. I go to a lot of local shows and tonight my band played one so I guess it technically counts as the last show I went to.

Also only undercover cops say "concerts". He's wearing a wire, boys. Git 'im!
 

Mark

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Also only undercover cops say "concerts". He's wearing a wire, boys. Git 'im!

I’ve always broken it down like this…

Club/small venue = show
Arena/stadium = concert
Pavilion/fairgrounds/racetrack = festival

Not once did I ever associate it with cops, but we also don’t see many UC’s inside venues… they’re usually positioned outside because of how thin the ranks are here.
 
Last night's show was Delain & Visions of Atlantis. This was my 3rd Delain show and my 1st for VoA. I don't love the venue it was at in Toronto, because even though the sound was excellent, it's pretty tough to see anything at that place. Still, VoA makes their songs better live than on record, and Delain was really great. It's pretty much an entirely different Delain lineup (other than their keyboard player) than the last two times I saw them, but they rocked. The only thing I don't get is that they only played one song from Apocalypse & Chill, which seems strange for an album released during COVID that they couldn't tour behind. I suspect they were downplaying both Moonbathers and Apocalypse & Chill because that was made by their old lineup, and some of the guys in the new lineup are actually from even older incarnations of the band, but who knows.

Also, merch prices continue to be insane. $50 for a shirt and $30 (!!!) for a CD.

Tonight's show is Beast In Black, which I'm stoked for. I saw them once at a festival and they were one of the best bands there. I have even higher expectations tonight since they're playing more than half of their discography!
 
Last night's show was great! Dance With the Dead was a super fun synthwave band. It got pretty repetitive by the end, but they were a surprisingly good fit for a metal show, and were pretty heavy too.

Beast in Black was amazing. There were a couple of times where they had to stop the show because it was so hot in the venue that people in the crowd were struggling. Thankfully, everyone was ok after their stage crew handed out tons of water.

I like all of their stuff, but the first album benefits the most live. Songs that I always thought were average became incredible last night. The highlights were definitely Blind and Frozen, Born Again, Sweet True Lies and Crazy, Mad, Insane.

You can tell bands have no idea what to charge in Canada for merch because shirts were cheaper than Delain ($45 vs. Delain's $50), but CDs were more expensive ($35 to Delain's $30).

April Rain is the only Delain album I like but it's great. Haven't heard anything with their new singer but I saw them live and Charlotte Weasels stood next to me when kamelot was on. She's tiny.
The new singer sounds identical to Charlotte, but obviously it's not quite the same.

I gave April Rain a listen a week or so ago. I've been trying to collect the old stuff because I only have the newer ones, but haven't found that one on CD yet.
 
Another good one last night: Cannibal Corpse, Mayhem, Gorguts, and Blood Incantation.

Blood Incantation was awesome. Pretty sure I've seen them every time they've ever played Toronto (which is 4 times). Gorguts was even better. They haven't been playing anything from their first album since the mid-90s, but they're bringing it back on this tour. Their first two albums are the only ones I really like from them, so the set was pretty much perfect.

Mayhem was not my thing. I'm familiar enough with them to know that I wasn't expecting to like it, but the sound quality was really rough, so it was all blast beats. But they were always the odd band out on this lineup, being the only black metal band on a death metal tour.

This was my 6th Cannibal Corpse show and as enjoyable as ever. It was a pretty short set, but they just fired through songs without too much stage banter. I would definitely recommend seeing this tour if it rolls through, especially if you've never seen CC before.
 
Last couple of shows:

I saw Cryptopsy and a couple others last week. I genuinely think Flo Mournier might be the best drummer out there. He was the only guy that sounded like he wasn't using triggers that night, and he barely looked like he was trying. The blasting in their songs is so absurd, but he makes it work.

A couple of nights ago I went to a local show and saw my favourite local band Borealis for the 9th time. They shifted away from power metal and more towards progressive metal over the years, but it's not a big deal in their live shows because each album still has a handful of absolutely great songs, and those are the ones they tend to play. I've been meaning to revisit their discography since that show, but have only had a chance to enjoy The Offering again.
 

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I'm not sure anyone really wants my response, but...

Last concert I went to was probably 6 or 7 years ago. I think it was Casting Crowns unplugged? Anyways, I discovered I have a crippling phobia of being in a large crowd. I became very defensive and felt I had to get "out" ASAP. I've avoided concerts and festivals ever since but I'm trying to work up my nerve to go to festivals at least because I don't want my own mental illness to rob my daughter of forming childhood memories of local festivals.
 
I might recommend trying a smaller general admission venue or festival. The nice thing when you don't have designated seats is that you can go as far away from the stage as you want. The last few shows I've been to, I deliberately stay far away from the pit because I'm losing the energy for that sort of thing (not that I ever went into the pit, but I used to like to hang around on the edge because you'd get really good viewing angles).

Also, I wouldn't let other people get to you. At 99% of the shows I go to these days, I am the only person wearing a mask. I definitely stand out a bit, but I'd much rather feel safe going to a show than not, just because of what other people might think.
 
You can also find a venue where they have a balcony where people are going to be much less crowded and rowdy. Only issue is that tickets for balcony seats tend to be more expensive than floor areas. But at least you get to listen to a band live and can sit down while doing so.

Also, good idea to bring someone with you.
 
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Agreed with FR. The balcony is a great spot for indoor shows if you are feeling that way. It feels more like going to a cinema up there.

I have a slight anxiety moment every time I enter a venue for a show and find myself a spot away from everyone for a little bit until I get acclimated. It's common. I actually find gigantic venues easier than smaller ones. I like to know I have a seat number as my own space rather than piling into a small club.

Being 6'7 also makes me hyper self-aware at shows to not block people when I can. In pits I tend to hang near support columns or the bar. I can still see just fine since I am my own ladder. The last show I went to I sat through the opener because most people were still sitting except a few people right in front of me. I know I have every right to stand and enjoy myself but I also know how GOD MADE ME.
 

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Tonight I saw Alice Cooper for the 10th time. He's my all-time favourite singer and it was awesome.
My father once pulled him over for speeding. Totally let him get away with it.

Last concert I went to was a few years ago but it was A Perfect Circle. They had all these rules about how you had to sit and fucking listen and not take pictures and shit.

That was when I realized I was getting old because it was probably my favorite concert ever.

Haven't been to a TON of concerts in my day. Seen Tool, Disturbed, Lacuna Coil, The Dear Hunter, Russian Circles...seen Coheed and Cambria 8 or 9 times...I've still got horrible tinnitus from when Between the Buried and Me opened for them.
 
Last night's show was a big one: Unleash the Archers! This was my second time seeing them - I actually saw them in 2009, long before they resembled anything similar to what they are now. I also was at their show in 2018 with Striker, but left after Striker because I wasn't a huge UTA fan at the time, and had to be up early for work the next day. Since then, they released Abyss in 2020, which was a masterpiece, and luckily, they played 8 songs from it last night (the 2 they didn't play were my least favourites from the record, so you couldn't ask for a better setlist). I only have positive things to say about them. They were on point all night.

The lineup from start to finish was killer. Ammo was a local band that opened. I've seen them a bunch of times and they're just a fun traditional heavy metal band. Any group with a song called "Too Metal For Metal" is going to be awesome. Up next was Paladin. These guys are a super thrashy power metal band that is super technical. Their sound was perfect (even better than UTA's), and I think these guys are some of the best guitar players I've ever seen. Their frontman recently joined Theocracy, and it's a well-deserved promotion. The final band before UTA was Lutharo. They're another local band, although they are part of this tour as well. I don't love them - their sound feels like it has been done quite a bit before, but it's still fine live.
 
UTA would be fun to see. I don't think they're touring US yet. They came to Boston in 2021 but I missed them.
They were supposed to play Toronto on March 16, 2020. I think they were one of the first concerts cancelled in Toronto because of COVID. I didn't realize that they had done some US dates other than ProgPower, but they said they'll announce their new album in January, so I'm sure they'll tour North America next year.
 
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