I went to 16 concerts in 2012 (real professional/touring bands not friends or locals). That's two more than last year, but still about ten less per year from my heyday in the mid-late 2000's. Getting old sucks.
Anyways, here are my top 5 favorite concerts from last year:
The Dillinger Escape Plan/NAILS/Dangers! @ Center for the Arts, Eagle Rock. 1/18/12.
The first show of last year was pure insanity. Introduced to Dangers!, NAILS shook the floor boards and Dillinger caused sheer pandemonium as usual. I sprained my wrist in the pit, and damn near lost my voice singing "Milk Lizard." My last time seeing Jeff Tuttle live with the band also. You will be missed man.
Refused & The Hives @ The Warfield Theater, San Francisco. 4/18/12.
Road trip/vacation. Check. 2nd time seeing The Hives in same week. Check. Watching Refused perform songs off The Shape of Punk to Come live even though the band broke up in 1998 and you've only enjoyed their music posthumously. HOLY FUCK. Singing "New Noise" with the thousands of other awe struck individuals, worshiping our mighty Swedish Overlords = priceless.
Hatebreed @ The Fox Theater, Pomona. 9/29/12.
Tour celebrated the tenth anniversary of Hatebreed's Perseverance album. This was the greatest karaoke night of my life. Every song on that album is like a tattooed Drill Sergeant. You will lift weights, scream and smile like an idiot when Perseverance plays and you will like it. The most fun I've had at a metal/hardcore show in years.
Converge/Torche/NAILS @ The Echoplex, Los Angeles. 10/28/12.
Sickest tour lineup of the year. Every band slayed (even "local openers" Dangers!) but Converge took the cake, like always. They played "Jane Doe" at FYF, but kept the old/rare song motif going this night, playing "Heartless," "You Fail Me" and "My Unsaid Everything." New songs off their killer new album were top notch live as well. It was Converge overload and I loved every minute of it.
No Doubt @ The Gibson Amphitheater, Universal City. 11/24/12.
I was worried this show might suck because I spent a good chunk of 2012 hating on No Doubt's latest album Push and Shove. Luckily, they played a crap load of old material and, miraculously, those new songs sound kind of awesome live. Gwen Stefani remains one of the hottest women in the universe.
Film. Music. Laughs. (FML)
Showing posts with label Top 5 Concerts. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Top 5 Concerts. Show all posts
Sunday, January 13, 2013
Monday, January 9, 2012
Top 5 Concerts of 2011
I went to 14 concerts in 2011 (real professional/touring bands not friends or locals). That's ten less than the 24 shows I attended in 2010. I've been going to shows for about a decade now and this is the least amount of concerts I've been to since my days as a car-less high school metal head, trying to scrounge together money for tickets and bum rides off friends. Crazy. Anyways, here are my top 5 favorite shows from 2011:
Scion Rock Fest @ The Fox Theater/Glass House, Pomona. 3/5/11.
Dozens of awesome underground metal bands together at one event. Multiple stages/venues covering all different genres (black metal, death metal, thrash metal, grindcore, etc)...and it was all free! Immolation, Wormrot, Fuck the Facts and these guys, Anaal Nathrakh were my personal favorites.
(1:20 mark, Dave getting pissed @ security for dropping a kid/crowd surfer!)
Rival Schools @ The Bootleg Bar, Los Angeles. 5/21/11.
Never in a million years did I think this reunion would happen. Loved this band via headphones for 10 years and I finally got to see them live (not once, but twice!). New material off awesome new album + classics from United By Fate = out of body experience. Amazing times.
(not the show I attended, but damn fine version of this song!)
The Strokes @ The Chelsea (Cosmopolitan Hotel), Las Vegas. 3/12/11.
Celebrated my girlfriend's birthday in Vegas w/ The Stokes. Sure, they made us wait an ungodly amount of time before they finally took the stage, but they put on a damn good, nay, great concert. Also, had an awesome little vacation as well.
Amon Amarth @ The House of Blues, Hollywood. 4/24/11.
First time seeing Amon Amarth in 7 years and they did not disappoint.They've settled into their role of unstoppable heavy metal juggernaut quite well. The last half of the show was a heavy metal karaoke party on the Sunset Strip.
Kylesa & Intronaut @ The Troubadour, Hollywood. 9/2/11.
Stood in the front against the stage for both bands, something a rarely do these days. Intronaut redeemed themselves in my book after a string of "eh" performances and Kylesa proved they are ready for the big leagues, as part of this show was filmed for a TV appearance on Later W/ Carson Daly.
Scion Rock Fest @ The Fox Theater/Glass House, Pomona. 3/5/11.
Dozens of awesome underground metal bands together at one event. Multiple stages/venues covering all different genres (black metal, death metal, thrash metal, grindcore, etc)...and it was all free! Immolation, Wormrot, Fuck the Facts and these guys, Anaal Nathrakh were my personal favorites.
(1:20 mark, Dave getting pissed @ security for dropping a kid/crowd surfer!)
Rival Schools @ The Bootleg Bar, Los Angeles. 5/21/11.
Never in a million years did I think this reunion would happen. Loved this band via headphones for 10 years and I finally got to see them live (not once, but twice!). New material off awesome new album + classics from United By Fate = out of body experience. Amazing times.
(not the show I attended, but damn fine version of this song!)
The Strokes @ The Chelsea (Cosmopolitan Hotel), Las Vegas. 3/12/11.
Celebrated my girlfriend's birthday in Vegas w/ The Stokes. Sure, they made us wait an ungodly amount of time before they finally took the stage, but they put on a damn good, nay, great concert. Also, had an awesome little vacation as well.
Amon Amarth @ The House of Blues, Hollywood. 4/24/11.
First time seeing Amon Amarth in 7 years and they did not disappoint.They've settled into their role of unstoppable heavy metal juggernaut quite well. The last half of the show was a heavy metal karaoke party on the Sunset Strip.
Kylesa & Intronaut @ The Troubadour, Hollywood. 9/2/11.
Stood in the front against the stage for both bands, something a rarely do these days. Intronaut redeemed themselves in my book after a string of "eh" performances and Kylesa proved they are ready for the big leagues, as part of this show was filmed for a TV appearance on Later W/ Carson Daly.
Friday, January 7, 2011
Top 5 Concerts of 2010
Out of the 24 concerts I attended in 2010 (real professional/touring bands not friends or locals) here are my 5 favorite shows from last year:
Weezer @ The Gibson Amphitheatre, Universal City. 11/27/10.
I just posted a lengthy review of this show last week. TLDR, Weezer played their album Pinkerton all the way through and I shat bricks.
Converge/Coalesce/Gaza @ Chain Reaction, Anaheim, 5/17/10.
I went to both SoCal stops on this tour but Chain Reaction's show was INSANE. Watch the clip below and see the wave of stage divers and dudes literally walking on other dudes. First time seeing Gaza live also =p
The Black Dahlia Murder/Obscura @ The Roxy, Hollywood. 3/6/10.
I marveled at Obscura's amazing technical musicianship, and lost my mind (old guys can't stage dive....can we?!) during BDM's high energy set.
Interpol @ Space 15 Twenty, Hollywood. 9/7/10.
Their new album may have sucked, but watching a huge band like Interpol play a free show in a parking lot is something that doesn't happen too often.
Suffocation/Goatwhore @ The House of Blues, Hollywood. 2/12/10.
Both bands were opening acts for some lame metal band I shall not name, but man, combined they put on one hell of a show! This was the best Suffocation performance I'd seen in years and Goatwhore got a huge response from the crowd. This quality of this clip is horrible, but I like seeing myself looking retarded near the front of the stage so I'm gonna go ahead and post it.
Weezer @ The Gibson Amphitheatre, Universal City. 11/27/10.
I just posted a lengthy review of this show last week. TLDR, Weezer played their album Pinkerton all the way through and I shat bricks.
Converge/Coalesce/Gaza @ Chain Reaction, Anaheim, 5/17/10.
I went to both SoCal stops on this tour but Chain Reaction's show was INSANE. Watch the clip below and see the wave of stage divers and dudes literally walking on other dudes. First time seeing Gaza live also =p
The Black Dahlia Murder/Obscura @ The Roxy, Hollywood. 3/6/10.
I marveled at Obscura's amazing technical musicianship, and lost my mind (old guys can't stage dive....can we?!) during BDM's high energy set.
Interpol @ Space 15 Twenty, Hollywood. 9/7/10.
Their new album may have sucked, but watching a huge band like Interpol play a free show in a parking lot is something that doesn't happen too often.
Suffocation/Goatwhore @ The House of Blues, Hollywood. 2/12/10.
Both bands were opening acts for some lame metal band I shall not name, but man, combined they put on one hell of a show! This was the best Suffocation performance I'd seen in years and Goatwhore got a huge response from the crowd. This quality of this clip is horrible, but I like seeing myself looking retarded near the front of the stage so I'm gonna go ahead and post it.
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