SHOWS 'N' SHOWS

Jim over at Patriside posted a great query. Head on over to see where it came from originally.

"If you could get your hands on any ticket, who would you see? What music defines you?"

I think I may actually be lucky in that I've gotten to see most of the bands that I've wanted to see live. There's a few I'll never get to see, like Johnny Cash and Warren Zevon, and a handful that I'd have bet that I'd never see, but actually happened.

So if I can remember them....

U2 with Pixies. Zoo TV Tour - I think this is the first concert I ever went to. I remember the contact high from Hampton Coliseum and the U2 condom that someone had blown up that was bouncing around the are I was at. I recall the guy next to me trying to boo the Pixies off stage. It didn't happen and I used to gloat to my sister that I got to see them before they broke up.

Morrissey. Your Arsenal Tour - All I really remember is the ten foot tall shadow of his hair projected against the wall of Chrysler Hall in Norfolk, VA. And that he didn't play "Everyday is Like Sunday." Bastard.

James Brown - They brought him to play at JMU during my Freshman year. I think he played a total of five songs. The show lasted two-an-a-half hours.

James. The Laid Tour - One of the top three shows I've seen. Saw them at the Boathouse in Norfolk, VA, which was destroyed by Hurricane Isabelle, which was possibly predicted by Tim Booth complaining about the wind produced by a giant fan on the side of the stage. Hearing him hit the high note in "Laid" is probably the second best concert moment of my life.

They Might Be Giants. I've seen these guys three times. They're a load of fun, but I think I'm TMBG'd out.

David Bowie with Nine Inch Nails. The Outside Tour - Nissan Pavillion. We did a road trip from JMU for this one. The four song set where they play'd together was incredible, and I managed to find a bootleg of it that may find its way onto a mixmania cd one day (although Bowie's cover of "Hurt" has nothing on Johnny Cash's.) The funniest bit came when some girl behind me asked "Why's he playing Nirvana" when Bowie played "The Man Who Sold the World."

Counting Crows with Live - Jamee and I went mainly for Counting Crows and we met up with a friend who had a couple bail on her, so we got up real close. Jamee actually got to meet Adam Duritz before the show and our mutual friend still has a photo of the two of them together. Our daughter Maddy shares a birthday with Duritz, which I only bring up to mention that she also shares a birthday with Robert Todd "Jinxy McDeath" Lincoln.

Weird Al Yankovic. Running With Scissors Tour - He's a blast in concert. However, the show doesn't change much, so we were a bit disappointed when we saw him a second time during the Poodle Hat Tour. But if he's still touring when Maddy's old enough to appreciate him, I'm taking her.

Tori Amos with Rufus Wainwright. Strange Little Girls Tour - Probably the most disappointing show I've ever seen. I'll leave it at that.

Pixies. Sell Out Tour - I went to this one with my sister and got to brag about getting to see them ten years prior. Then she went to see them again the next summer and got to brag about seeing them get awarded the gold (or was it platinum) record for Surfer Rosa.

And then Maddy came, which you'd think would have curtailed us being able to see shows, or even being able to properly use the word "curtail." But it looks like we'll be seeing four shows in a year...

The White Stripes - Our first outing without the baby. Jamee's sister watched her. And we bought her a lil White Stripes shirt at the mech stand. I'd see them again in a second. You can actually find a recording of the show we saw here.

The Pogues - First US tour with Shane MacGowan in fourteen years. Best show I've seen. And the moment an hour in where MacGowan balanced a half full glass on his head is the best concert moment I've ever seen.

And coming up...

Tom Waits and The Flaming Lips. Not together, but there's a show to consider. I'm going to slep. (It's near sleep. Look it up.)