Gigs

[Onlythebassist]

I've got no idea who on this forum appreciates live music, so I've just started up this thread to try and find a few people I can relate to. In my opinion, going to a gig is my version of going to a nightclub. The atmosphere is awesome and aside from a few morons there's a ton of like-minded people all there for the same band. I remember my first 'real' gig like it was yesterday (I don't count seeing MCR play an arena and the pyrotechnics showing more enthusiasm than the band as a gig) - I was seeing a band at my local venue and two of my friends had tagged along; one in exactly the same situation as me with no previous experience at a live show, the other a veteran with a sizable number of gigs under his belt. Having him there with us was great as he talked us through simple concepts such as mosh pits, walls of death and crowd surfing. These things I had only seen in media and in magazines before I could now actually put to the test in real life. Having a few support bands on first was a definite help as it let me fine tune my new techniques for the main act - it was as if I was going through a rehearsal! But when the lights dimmed and the band I had paid to see using my own money finally took the stage, it was a magical moment. From the first few notes, I knew I would always love live music and find myself coming back time and time again to see countless other performances. After the end of their set, I was drenched in sweat and alcohol, ears ringing from the amps and head disoriented from being in the heart of the crowd. But I left that venue changed. I left converted into the faith of live bands and to this day I show no signs of losing my religion.

So please share your own experiences - I don't mind want the genre is or where the artist(s) played, I just want to know how you felt when you heard them in the flesh. Also it doesn't have to be all positive; if you're feeling up to it, recall some of the bad experiences.

So get posting!

[Forty Six & 2]

hmm... well, not my first concert, but Seeing Megadeth live with Suicide Silence and Machine Head. I was going to go with a friend, but he got grounded the day before the concert and wasn't allowed to go, lol I was kinda mad. But, the Megadeth concert was my first experience being in a pit and stuff, previous concerts I had, I sat in seats. I missed the first band, but arrived when Suicide Silence was getting set up. I ended up seeing some people there that I knew, but didn't really talk to them, I went up to one of them and was shoved into a pit, lol. I was fine, didnt get injured at all. Anyway, I wasn't really into Suicide Silence, but I loved Machine Head, and when Megadeth was on stage, I was so happy. They played a whole lotta songs and I thought it was so great. I just remember loving the whole feeling of the concert, lol, Everyone was kinda crazy and you were shoved around a bit, but it was still sweet. I got hit by a few people that were crowd surfing, but I never really got injured. I loved that concert and got a tee shirt too, lol. I plan to see Bad Religion and The Misfits with a couple friends of mine this October too, so that'd be cool. A little random question, but do you possible play bass, just wondering cuz of your username.

[Onlythebassist]

Sounds awesome, Megadeth and Machine Head are two epic bands. And yeah, I play bass

I'm gonna guess that you do to because of your signature? *crosses fingers*

[Forty Six & 2]

Yup, hahaha, Started playing about a year and a half ago, I'm pretty decent at it. In fact I'm starting a band with a friend that I'm the bassist for. What about you?

[zeekgenateer]

I really enjoyed my live experience (which hadn't been my first but just remembered my first). I went to see Pendulum live (they do Drum and Bass, which is a type of techno/electronic sound). Before they were on they had a couple of smaller electronic artists on, which was alright until they were stuck on the last guy, who was really bad, and they were waiting for Pendulum to show up. Once they started playing though... loved it. Jumping together with the crowd, giving the singer a high-five a couple of times after getting near the stage. It was awesome. I just wish I could find more on the lesser known groups that played before them, some of them I really liked, but I wasn't able to find anything on them.

If I had more money and more bands/songs I listened to toured near Chicago I would probably go to more live shows. Right now I'd really love to see Daft Punk, Danger, Concord Dawn, Protomen, I Fight Dragons, or Guidance Counselor live.

[Typhon]

Walls of death? Crowd surfing? Mosh pit???? This sounds like the underworld!

[Forty Six & 2]

Walls of death? Crowd surfing? Mosh pit???? This sounds like the underworld!

Sounds like Heaven to me...

[Dubiousity]

I went to the WMMRBBQ back in May, there was a ton of bands that played in this order:
Automatic Fire
Dive
Skillet
Fuel

Then the main stage:
Three Days Grace
Alice in Chains
Stone Temple Pilots


It was a blast.

[Sleet]

I hate mosh pits. They're obnoxious, sometimes dangerous and there's no opt-out option. People have died in mosh pits before.

[Typhon]

Walls of death? Crowd surfing? Mosh pit???? This sounds like the underworld!

Sounds like Heaven to me...

O_o

[Onlythebassist]

Yup, hahaha, Started playing about a year and a half ago, I'm pretty decent at it. In fact I'm starting a band with a friend that I'm the bassist for. What about you?

That sounds like exactly the same scenario as mine actually Strange

[Onlythebassist]

I hate mosh pits. They're obnoxious, sometimes dangerous and there's no opt-out option. People have died in mosh pits before.

It's true actually! People have died in mosh pits before but that only makes them more exciting. It may sound insane, but the added danger makes them more fun - think about it in terms of a rollercoaster; people have died on them before, but only when they go castastrophically wrong. It's basically the same with mosh pits; when done right, they have proven time and time again to be a really fun expression at live concerts.

[Forty Six & 2]

Ha, that's kinda weird, I just went to practice for the first time finally yesterday, and we actually came up with some good stuff, even when we were just jamming and playing random stuff, it sounded good together. Man, we played so much, I got blisters on my fingers (Beatles reference kinda, but I really do...). Yes, mosh pits add to the excitement, I agree 100% with OnlyTheBassist.

[Onlythebassist]

Do you remember when you first started playing and you got blisters on your picking hand? Or do you use a pick?

[Sleet]

I hate mosh pits. They're obnoxious, sometimes dangerous and there's no opt-out option. People have died in mosh pits before.

It's true actually! People have died in mosh pits before but that only makes them more exciting. It may sound insane, but the added danger makes them more fun - think about it in terms of a rollercoaster; people have died on them before, but only when they go castastrophically wrong. It's basically the same with mosh pits; when done right, they have proven time and time again to be a really fun expression at live concerts.

And yet simply standing near one will force your participation, even if you don't want to. Even if you're, say, pregnant.

[Dubiousity]

I don't do the whole mosh pit thing.

[Medli]

What are mosh pits? Describe that please, my dictionary fails. As nearly always. Maybe because I don´t need to use it often.

[Dubiousity]

What are mosh pits? Describe that please, my dictionary fails. As nearly always. Maybe because I don´t need to use it often.

Pretty much an area at a concert where people push and shove each other around.

[Medli]

Doesn´t sound like fun :/

[Dubiousity]

It is to some people.

[Medli]

Hm. Either you must be drunk for that or an adrenaline junkie who doesn´t cares about his life to have fun with mosh pits. You choose.

[Dubiousity]

Hm. Either you must be drunk for that or an adrenaline junkie who doesn´t cares about his life to have fun with mosh pits. You choose.

I can assure you I am neither.

[Medli]

Well yes, you stated that you don´t enter them. That lets me assume you don´t have fun there. Oh, and it was no offense to those who do so, just to say that ;p

[thrasherblades]

Lol I've been too busy and have missed so many awesome gigs. The biggest one I ever missed was my guitar hero Yngwie Malmsteen live.

=(

My friend caught the picks he threw and showed them to me when we were hanging out. I was jealous xD.

[Onlythebassist]

Lol I've been too busy and have missed so many awesome gigs. The biggest one I ever missed was my guitar hero Yngwie Malmsteen live.

=(

My friend caught the picks he threw and showed them to me when we were hanging out. I was jealous xD.

Unlucky, still plenty of time now to make up for said missed gigs I assume?

[Onlythebassist]

Well yes, you stated that you don´t enter them. That lets me assume you don´t have fun there. Oh, and it was no offense to those who do so, just to say that ;p

*sniff* None taken

Nah, I'm good. I fit the first option (drunkard)

[Forty Six & 2]

Do you remember when you first started playing and you got blisters on your picking hand? Or do you use a pick?

It depends really, I use both a pick sometimes and my fingers to play, but I only got blisters on my playing hand and not strumming that time. We're gonna practice today again though, lol. Anyway, as for mosh pits, since I'm under the drinking age, would that mean I'm the adrenaline whatever who doesn't want to live? lol. I guess that works too.

[EvilTwin]

The most memorable gig of my life was the finale of AC/DC tour last year. Hamden park, Glasgow scotland. It was an album tour but since it was the last show they instead decided to do what must have been the best greatest hits set of the bands entire repetoire. The atmosphere of a sold out stadium gig is incredible and I'm told that the show was audible half a mile away.

As a note to the mosh pit debate, ninety percent of rock/metal crowds are drunk And adrenaline junkies.

[Onlythebassist]

The most memorable gig of my life was the finale of AC/DC tour last year. Hamden park, Glasgow scotland. It was an album tour but since it was the last show they instead decided to do what must have been the best greatest hits set of the bands entire repetoire. The atmosphere of a sold out stadium gig is incredible and I'm told that the show was audible half a mile away.

As a note to the mosh pit debate, ninety percent of rock/metal crowds are drunk And adrenaline junkies.

AC DC, man you're seriously lucky! That's definitely one for the wish list of life...

[Adzo]

My second gig was my favourite, and my first gig didn't really count as it was sitting at the back of a busted concert( the folly of youth ,trust me)
My first real gig was seeing the Who in Dublin, the best gig I have ever been to. There was a great atmosphere, it was loud, and it was The Who.

[Onlythebassist]

My second gig was my favourite, and my first gig didn't really count as it was sitting at the back of a busted concert( the folly of youth ,trust me)
My first real gig was seeing the Who in Dublin, the best gig I have ever been to. There was a great atmosphere, it was loud, and it was The Who.

Nice one. I am also guilty to being part of the Busted generation. Luckily I only liked them before I turned 8 (phew) so that's a plus

But The Who? The atmosphere must have been phenomenal! I'm glad most bands do decide to tour Ireland; there are still a few that miss it off their bill...

[Forty Six & 2]

Went to go see The Misfits with a friend of mine last night and it was really sweet, it started at 5:30 and we didn't leave the place till like 12:30, like 7 hours spent at that place, lol. But there were like 6 opening bands, and then the Misfits, but it's pretty sweet that I got to see 7 bands for like 20 dollars. All the opening bands were local, but like half of them were good. First band was a hardcore punk band called The Defendants, they were sweet and me and my friend moshed to them, even though there was not a lot of people yet. The Second band sucked (Don't remember their name), they were like, a pop band, and tried to be punk, and they were just bad, me and my friend were just makin fun of them the whole time. The third band was a local horror punk band called The Suicide Ghouls, and they were the best opening band. They were sweet, and they had this song (I can't say the name title) but I thought it was super hilarious, and I told my friend as soon as I heard it, "Dude, we gotta mosh to this song, now!" and I pulled him into the pit with me. I moshed to a lot of songs by them and they even covered "Paranoid" by Black Sabbath and covered "Murder the Government" by NOFX. They were definately my favorite opening band. The next band was like, a death metal band, I like metal, but this guy's voice was terrible. The singer also looked like a cross over of Kirk Hammet and Ron Jeremy, lol. I didn't really like this metal band, the only good person was the drummer and he was like 15 years old and everyone else in that band was like 35 years old, lol. Next band was called the Get-Ups and they were a ska band which was sweet. I liked them, but when I moshed to them, I got kicked in the shin and punched in the eye, lol, but I was fine. Then the final opening band was a band called Juicehead and they were cool, but I was just so tired about opening bands I didn't mosh to them or really listened, cuz me and my friend were so tired. Then, The Misfits came out, they were really awesome, played a good balance of old and new stuff. They even played new songs they were workin on. After the concert I bought a poster and I got three things signed by Jerry (bass player and singer) my ticket, ticket receipt and my shoe, I also got my other shoe signed by the guitarist Dez or something. It was like the best concert so far.

[Blue Braixen]

My best was Edgefest 20, an annual concert for a local radio station. There were a lot of amazing acts on two stages, including:
Three Days Grace
30 Seconds to Mars
Switchfoot
Phoenix
The Deftones
And a lot of other bands, a few of them local.
I was in the stands, so I couldn't participate in the mosh pit.that would have been a lot of fun.
Edit: fixed for the interest of not being moderated.
Edit 2: My first concerts were, unfortunately, Depeche Mode concerts.