Gigs

The best gigs stay with you for years -- the best ones make all the other lesser ones worthwhile, and all the ignominy worth it. And since I've been making musical lists on recent weekends, here's a list of my top ten most memorable gigs from my own pre-history that still stick with me. Dates are approximate (I'm not a damned encyclopaedia here):

1. Manic Street Preachers, London Astoria, 1993. Richey's last show (pun sadly intentional). Rock experiences don't come better than this.
2. Green Day's first London gig, 1995 (where spitball volleyball got played between crowd and band) - also at London's Astoria. These guys thought they could take on the word and win. I think they did.
3. Velvet Underground, Forum, London. 1993. It was over before we realised what we'd all just seen...
4. The Members, at Auckland's Mainstreet, November 5, 1978. The first time one of those nasty English punk bands -- the real thing! -- came to li'l old NZ. So naturally a friendly, local skinhead had to try and set fire to the place. Well, it was bonfire night. And the place was already on fire.
   
5. Toy Love, Albert Park. 1979. An afternoon show just as The Enemy came to Auckland and changed their name; back when they were at their savage, snarling, dangerous best.
6. Wilko Johnson, somewhere in Wellington, 1986, with a tight band and a machine-gun guitar sound. What a show.
7. Christy Moore, Hammersmith Odeon, 1991. A man at the top of his powers, who could hold an audience of thousands in the palm of his hand with just his own voice and the sound of a bodhran. Pure genius.
8. The Ramones, Logan Concrete Centre, 1978. Newspapers next day had headlines declaring 'Ramones Rock Riot.' It was that good.
9. John Cale, Gluepot, 1983. Camouflage-era Cale showing he always did have the necessaries.
10. Bob Dylan, Perth, 1985. I went to see Tom Petty. Realised pretty quickly that on his night, Bob was the real thing. And this was Bob's night.
    

I could add performances of Parsifal and by Wynton Marsalis to the list, but I might save those for a different list at another time. :-) So how about you? What were your ten best? (Careful now: Anyone suggesting Robbie Williams gets banned for a month - and that means you, Sus.)

TAGS: Music, Events