Out of Pod Experience

Let's talk about some of the show's we've seen.

My first concert was The Ramones when I was 15. That was 23 yrs ago (ugh) and I still have the shirt I got there, and the ticket stub. They came on stage about 45 minutes late, you could tell Joey was strung out on something, he steadied himself with the mic stand, and never moved throughout the whole show, lol. It was a small venue so we got up very close. It was a good first show

Last concert I saw was GWAR. I took my little brother along as a birthday gift. Im glad I got to see them before Oderus died, and I still can't belive that. The mosh pit was insane, and for a long time once I was too tired to continue I'd try to get out and the ppl at the border would bounce me back in lol.

Best part of the show? Slymenstra Hymen took off her outer shirt, threw it to the crowd, and I got it! Still have it, and it's stained a pinkish color from all the fake blood we all got soaked with. GWAR was definitelty a unique experience

BEST concert experience ever was Lollapalooza in 93 or 94 (cant remember, lol.) The lineup had Rage Against the Machine, Front 242 (sadly they suck live,) Babes in Toyland, Alice in Chains, Primus, and Tool. Tool was on the small 2nd stage, so like the Ramones show, I got really close. Like I almost could untie Maynard's shoes, lol.

Ive seen lots of local shows with local bands. Ilive near theUniversity of TN campus, and actually used to live on campus. Lots of good talent that'll never makeit big vov

Tell us about your concert experiences!!

First concert I went to was Monsters of Rock festival, back in the '80s when I was around 15 : Iron Maiden, Metallica, Anthrax Helloween and some other local band I didn't care about. Awesome experience, not just because it was my first concert or because of the bands involved, but also because back then, without interwebs, MTV (not in my country at the time) or other private TV stations for that matter, you knew very little about the bands you liked and cared about: all you had were those LP covers and insets to look at (I fondly remember studying every bit of the material included in the fantastic original LP edition of Maiden's "Live After Death", as I listened to the records).

So all you had to go with was some random interview in some magazine once in a while, hearsay, and random photos you came across, which gave all those bands a sense of mystery and wonder. And then, after listening to all those records so many times, trying to visualize and imagine what they were like IRL live on a stage, it was quite the experience seeing them performing that music you knew so well right in front of you at last.


Last one I went to was Acid Mothers Temple & The Space Paranoid (a bunch of weirdo Japanese psychedelic lords) playing a concert consisting solely of Black Sabbath covers, done in their own Psilocybe-drenched ways.


As to favorite concerts, perhaps seeing the Butthole Surfers back in 1993, playing a special 4th of July outdoor show in Berkeley. I reckon they were at their peak at that time, and the whole thing was decidedly wild, strange and intense. Gibby setting his arm on fire, manically twisting knobs on his "Gibbytronics" voice-effects box, while highly graphic and disturbing movies were being played on a large screen behind them, only to be followed by scenes of dogs running in slow motion through flower fields. And as a bonus, I also got to meet and talk a bit with the Dead Kennedy's East Bay Ray, who happened to be skulking around in some corner, sitting on the grass.

I saw the Butthole Surfers some years later again, and it was a very different experience, they seemed quite burned out, almost as if they were a completely different band altogether.

I also watched GWAR at a tiny club sometime in the mid '90s, very memorable experience as well, and more recently Watain, whose concerts are more of a Satanic Mass than simply a music show, and you can tell they put a lot of effort and heart into it, unlike other shows were the band seems to come on stage to basically punch the clock and collect the check. Actually, many other memorable concerts along the years, but probably the Butthole Surfers one comes out on top.

First was Aerosmith in 99, I was 18 at it was at the Hollywood bowl. Went with my dad, sister, best friend and his dad, was pretty cool.

Last one I went to...Was Goo Goo Dolls in Reno. Was fun

My fav was Collective Soul at this small dive in San Diego that no longer exist. This was basicly the start of there comeback tour with the launch of the Youth Album. It was intimate, and awesome. The opener was a great band that has not done much called low millions, but they totally rocked the place.

First was Heart around 1978 in Austin, Texas. Good technical performance, but somehow, it just had no charisma, inspiration, or whatever it is that makes a concert more than just people performing their songs.

Last was Hugh Cornwell, formerly of the Stranglers, in a regular fairly seedy club in Manhattan. That was great. Hugh played the hell out of that black Telecaster, with the drummer from Blondie and a bass player named Fish.

Best was Talking Heads, again in Austin, on their Speaking in Tongues tour. Those guys and all of their backup musicians and singers just enjoyed the hell out of playing. It was like a party that the audience got to enjoy too. The Cure on their The Caterpillar tour around the same time was a close second. Dark, almost uncomfortably expressionist and emotional, driving, trippy. It really had that excellent post-punk understated extreme vibe of those old times.

Strangely enough my very first concert and the last one I saw were the same band but different years. Trans Siberian Orchestra(TSO) go on tour every Christmas and put on an awesome show!

The first time I saw them I didnt like the first half but loved the second half, the last show I loved the whole thing. We got 11th row almost middle! Awesome set design, fire explosions and an awesome laser show. Being up front def makes a difference!

At the end of the show they had 2 guitarists on 2 different cranes, as they were coming down one started dipping toward the audience before it got back over the stage, I thought I was going to have to hold it up to keep from getting hit. The guy just kept on playing until it got close enough for him to jump off, he jumped off then kissed the floor! lol.

my first was Sonic Youth/Pavement in '92 (I didnt know who Pavement was at the time tho). I was 15 and my parents wouldnt let me go so I made up some story about staying at my friend's house... We couldnt find anyone with a car that wanted to go so we rode our bikes over 40 miles to get there! It was pretty fun but on the way home we got picked up by the cops (this was like 3 AM we were riding our bikes down the highway). They drove us home (we were about halfway back when they stopped us) and woke up our parents... that part wasnt much fun

(I also happened to see Tool at Lolla. I think it was '94. I didnt know who they were at the time either. most people that saw it seemed to agree that the had they best set tho. The main thing I remember about seeing Alice in Chains was Layne Staley sitting down through the whole thing. He was barely even there)

I cant really choose a favorite show but maybe my favorite single song Ive seen live was Frank Black around the turn of the century (before the pixies reunion etc) playing "jumping beans". I hadnt ever really paid much attention to that song (the record version is fairly weak) but he got really into it. It was a stripped down semi-acoustic set but by the end he was just screaming about jumping beans. I was about 3 feet in front of him. it was intense

another good one for me was a few years ago das racist/miho hatori/kool keith. i talked to kool keith for a while. he had a sweater wrapped around his face the whole time

I havent seen much the last couple years... the last one i remember being cool was a Yo La Tengo hanukkah show where their guest was Kurt Wagner from Lambchop. the show wasnt that great but I liked seeing them play together. also Sonny Rollins a while ago. that was cool

Wow...this will dredge back some memories...

First concert was with my parents when I was young. Tom T. Hall. Thats the sort of stuff my parents listened to and what I grew up on. My first concert with friends was Devo. That was fun.

Add Foghat, Molly Hatchet at a big outdoor event but I was pretty wasted that day...

I saw Prince when he toured with Sheila E. Was a fun concert but now I'm a bit ashamed of admitting that one. Seen a few concerts at biker events like .38 special in Sturgis and Quiet Riot in Iowa. To this day, .38 Special is still one of my favorite bands.

Pink Floyd. That is probably my all time favorite. When they did their dome tours for Delicate Sound of Thunder. Incredible show.

The last one, which still ranks up as a favorite of mine, was Blue Oyster Cult at the state fair. The reason this one rates is because my son is a huge BOC fan and how excited he got when he got to see his favorite band.

Jeez. Old people.

Pink Floyd in concert? Wow. Dinosaur McNally! <3

I would love to see them though. Guess that's impossible now. Always liked their music.

This.

I remember concerts in tv, they were magnificent, lots of fire, great music, electronic, futuristic sounding songs, I was so small, and those people dancing in tact looked like a singers personal army from star wars. Magic moments. Now when I see the sexual explicity as a means of taking the media attention, I feel that something went horribly wrong somewhere.