Last concert you went to

[TheSquirrel]

Just got home from The Pierces at the Rescue Rooms in Nottingham. The small venue was packed out but the gig was still enjoyable. The big negative is that they have changed a number of band members including the great lead guitarist. Surprisingly one of the highlights was "Boring" which I have never liked but tonight it was used as an encore and sounded really good. Maybe I finally "got it." Have tickets for the Bush Hall next week. They are in the charts now over here and have sold out the small venues. They caught fire quickly over here due to all the hype and could have played much bigger venues.

[TheSquirrel]

Two Pierces concerts in London and Cambridge. Fabulous stuff.

Then a change of pace for Britney Spears at Birmingham LG Arena. She was miming except for one song. The miming and the music adds up to everything I hate and despise about music, except I thoroughly enjoyed it. The finale "Till The World Ends" goes down as one of my fave moments of gig going. Don't know why but I loved it.

Another change of pace tomorrow with Evanescence at Hammersmith Apollo, then two Alison Krauss and Union Station concerts the following weekend, and November rounded of by Monster Magnet in Camden.

PS Saturday - Sadly missed half the Pretty Reckless set as they played 15 minutes earlier than advertised. This is a great new band in the Hole/Girlschool girlie pop heavy rock genre. Higly recommended.

[TheSquirrel]

Rita Ora very good at Shepherds Bush Empire.

[Quincy]

Hi Everybody,

This is not strictly "The last concert.." but you're going to have to read about it anyway! When I was in hospital last year, my son recorded the Who live in concert in 1970 at the Isle of Wight. I have seen this in the past but a few weeks ago I decided to watch it again. Half way through I stopped the film and jumped back a few seconds only to find my ugly mug in the audience staring back at me!. To say I was gobsmacked is an understatement. The IoW 1970 was the first big concert I ever went to (I was just turned 17 then), and I remember seeing camera's all over the place but I never thought I'd be captured on film. (Remember there was an estimated 500,000+ people there). I saw everybody from John Sebastion to The Who, Jimmy Hendricks, Family, Jethro Tull and many, many more that I've forgotten. I remember that Hendricks died not long after this. I'm even sure that Bob Dylan was there but I can't remember much about him. (I did subsequently see Dylan in Newcastle a few year later, along with Carlos Santana, but I was very disappointed with Bob Dylan). I remember it took longer to get there and back to the IoW than the concert itself. It took 2 days just to get off the island! I'd like to think back nostalgically and say "Those were the days..." but I got home absolutely knackered, cold, wet, hungry and skint! Ahhh...those were the days!!!!!

Q

[Karine]

Hi Everybody,

This is not strictly "The last concert.." but you're going to have to read about it anyway! When I was in hospital last year, my son recorded the Who live in concert in 1970 at the Isle of Wight. I have seen this in the past but a few weeks ago I decided to watch it again. Half way through I stopped the film and jumped back a few seconds only to find my ugly mug in the audience staring back at me!. To say I was gobsmacked is an understatement. The IoW 1970 was the first big concert I ever went to (I was just turned 17 then), and I remember seeing camera's all over the place but I never thought I'd be captured on film. (Remember there was an estimated 500,000+ people there). I saw everybody from John Sebastion to The Who, Jimmy Hendricks, Family, Jethro Tull and many, many more that I've forgotten. I remember that Hendricks died not long after this. I'm even sure that Bob Dylan was there but I can't remember much about him. (I did subsequently see Dylan in Newcastle a few year later, along with Carlos Santana, but I was very disappointed with Bob Dylan). I remember it took longer to get there and back to the IoW than the concert itself. It took 2 days just to get off the island! I'd like to think back nostalgically and say "Those were the days..." but I got home absolutely knackered, cold, wet, hungry and skint! Ahhh...those were the days!!!!!

Q

Seeing yourself in the video must have been surprising! This concert seems to be full of memories for you.

[TheSquirrel]

I wonder what my old self would think of my new self. I think I may have become what I didn't want to become - old.

On a slightly different note I remember being taken to a diferent magical world 34 years ago by Kate Bush, in two of my favourite concerts ever. I didn't think I would see a show as magical as that again, because it was the perfect marriage of music and visuals. The visuals didn't detract from the music, they complemented it perfectly and turned it into the sort of experience only live music can provide. In a movie you are the observer, but at a concert you are part of it. Sunday night Rush took me to that world once again. I was staggered, because I had expected nothing like it. This was a much more cynical, bitter, and sad world, than Kate Bush's, but not without hope, beauty, or humour.

It was as good as the Kate Bush show. They didn't have video in her day of course, and most of the Rush show involved video and lighting. Moving video screens and some amazing animation that complemented Rush's music made it one of the best concerts I have ever been to. It was an experience. The really incredible thing is, this came from a band who would not look out of place in an old folks home with a blanket across their laps.

I thought their last album Snakes And Ladders was their best ever. It's hard to believe they formed in 1968 and have recorded 20 studio albums. So much for artists only having two or three great albums in them. I guess this brings hope to Sarah McLachlan fans. Being old or middle aged doesn't mean you have to be artistically redundant. They preformed the Clockwork Angels material with an orchestra. Their strength is they can play pop, rock, prog rock, or hard rock equally well.

Thankfully they played my favourite The Pass. They play it in half of the shows and I was lucky enough to be there on one of those nights. Far Cry was the only song from Snakes And Ladders but it was a cracker. I wasn't particularly looking forward to the new Clockwork Angels material but it was magnificent. Check out The Garden and The Wreckers. The Wreckers sounds like it could have been written by The Searchers. Beautiful song, but so sad, cynical and bitter. The video to accompany the song is perfect.

They are great artists and seem totally comfortable on stage. Nothing forced, and no posturing. This is what they do, and they do it better than anyone else. No screaming girls and hardly any idiots with mobile phones or ipods. They came to experience Rush at their peak. Over 40 years and they are still at their peak. Uplifting.

[Karine]

They are great artists and seem totally comfortable on stage. Nothing forced, and no posturing. This is what they do, and they do it better than anyone else. No screaming girls and hardly any idiots with mobile phones or ipods. They came to experience Rush at their peak. Over 40 years and they are still at their peak. Uplifting.

I was once one of these "screaming girls" (for a Backstreet Boys concert in the 90s, when I was 12-13 years old), but my musical tastes changed, luckily, and I don't scream at concerts anymore. The experience of going to a concert has changed in the last years, but it has a lot to do with the artist or band and the fans.

[TheSquirrel]

They are great artists and seem totally comfortable on stage. Nothing forced, and no posturing. This is what they do, and they do it better than anyone else. No screaming girls and hardly any idiots with mobile phones or ipods. They came to experience Rush at their peak. Over 40 years and they are still at their peak. Uplifting.

I was once one of these "screaming girls" (for a Backstreet Boys concert in the 90s, when I was 12-13 years old), but my musical tastes changed, luckily, and I don't scream at concerts anymore. The experience of going to a concert has changed in the last years, but it has a lot to do with the artist or band and the fans.

Well there are screaming girls and then there are screaming girls. I don't mind it sometimes but to hear it all the way through or to hear singing all the way through so you can hardly hear the artist is a little annoying. That happened at Taylor Swift.

At Lana Del Rey, a young girl sitting in front of my partner would have given her male lager lout equivalents a run for their money. Generally the young girls screamed at the start then a few times after that , but listened to the music. The young girl in front was clearly already the worse for wear by the time Del Rey appeared. She swayed in her seat, swayed with her arms outstretched, beer glass in one hand, got up, fell to her seat, fell backwards in her seat as though she was about to pass out, staggered to her feet and walked down to the front where security told her to go back, staggered back up the stairs and fell in her seat, swayed forwards, backwards, got up and sat on the stairs, oblivious to anyone around her, got up, walked down the front again, came back fell in her seat, swayed to left to right, then got up and disappeared for the last five numbers. I have never seen so many drunk young girls, although most of them were merry rather than comatose.

[Karine]

Well there are screaming girls and then there are screaming girls. I don't mind it sometimes but to hear it all the way through or to hear singing all the way through so you can hardly hear the artist is a little annoying. That happened at Taylor Swift.

At Lana Del Rey, a young girl sitting in front of my partner would have given her male lager lout equivalents a run for their money. Generally the young girls screamed at the start then a few times after that , but listened to the music. The young girl in front was clearly already the worse for wear by the time Del Rey appeared. She swayed in her seat, swayed with her arms outstretched, beer glass in one hand, got up, fell to her seat, fell backwards in her seat as though she was about to pass out, staggered to her feet and walked down to the front where security told her to go back, staggered back up the stairs and fell in her seat, swayed forwards, backwards, got up and sat on the stairs, oblivious to anyone around her, got up, walked down the front again, came back fell in her seat, swayed to left to right, then got up and disappeared for the last five numbers. I have never seen so many drunk young girls, although most of them were merry rather than comatose.

Oh no, that wasn't like me
I prefer to be sober and enjoy the concerts.

[jessiemonkey]

taking back sunday