Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-up!

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runcible
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Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-up!

Post by runcible »

I was really stirred by some words a friend sent me recently in an email about the feelings he experienced with certain music. It got me thinking about the greatest music I ever heard or saw.

So rather than list lots of stuff I thought about the absolute greatest live musical moment I can ever remember and wondered what other peoples would be.

Simple rules. The greatest live performance you've ever seen. One show only and no list of the runners up. You can add a very brief description if you like. It's the facts I'm interested in.

So here's mine. Predictable I know but what the hell:
Spiritualized. Mean Fiddler, November 1st 1991. During Feelin' Just Fine I met God and sat in his lap, not once but twice, as Jason manipulated his wah-wah pedal to to just the frequency that pushed every pleasure button I have. Unequalled before or since.
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by sm-iom »

Spiritualized, Coventry Tic Toc, supported by Levitation.
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by Laz69 »

Julian Cope - Barras, Glasgow

Can't recall exact date but was after Autogeddon was released. Two sets; one acoustic and then one with the full band. Now, i'd been very VERY anti-JC for many years as i just didn't get the awe surrounding the Jehovahkill until one day i finally got it in a heavy haze of dope smoke. I fell head over heals with that album after that and this was the first time he'd played Glasgow after my epiphany. There was a batch of us going that night and, in preparation, we spent the day picking magic mushrooms. As we set off for the gig we binged on them, all the way up to the point of walking into the venue.
We were sat on the floor starting to chill out with some joints (security was non-existant back them) and then the mushrooms hit me like a freight train. Unfortunately i was on such a downwards dive. I couldn't get my head straightened out and just went to pieces. My mate was trying to talk to me to keep me calm and stop me from freaking out as the entire venue turned itself inside out in and became hell. JC came onto the stage and everyone stood up around me, leaving me in a sea of legs and feet and darkness. Just when i thought there was no return, the opening bars of Soul Desert wrung out of JC's electro-acoustic and i was lifted up by no normal means or assistance from friends... next thing i knew i was standing tall facing the stage and smiling... smiling like i've never smiled before... feeling higher than i have ever felt before... almost to the point of staring down at the gig before me... and that was me saved. JC went on to play for 3 hours and just totally blew my mind. "Upwards At 45 Degrees" took on a whole new dimension as did every WAH of his guitar and pedal that night and will be something that lives with me forever and ever...

Julian Cope saved my life!

:lol:
Last edited by Laz69 on Wed Feb 06, 2013 10:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by spzretent »

Verve- Reptile House Grand Rapids Michigan 10-31-1993.
Thanks to the pre gig two hits of kind bud I felt like someone had to scrape me off the ceiling during that gig. I swear I was levitiating. Nick McCabe really had his sound lava flowing off the stage that night. Otherworldly is a term that springs to mind.
Damn- nearly 20 years ago.
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by nickh »

Easy.

Mine’s predictable too but…

Spacemen 3 - Dingwalls - 2 January 1989

I have written about this before (I even got my review published in Optical Sounds!) so won’t again but I will say again that if I think about this for too long the hairs stand up and I have to get a fix of Performance.

24 years ago :shock:
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by olan »

Too difficult I am afraid. Every time I think I've got "the one", another equally good gig comes to memory. I've narrowed it down to about six at the moment, but if I think about it some more I'm sure it'll be eight :lol:
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by runcible »

nickh wrote:Easy.

Mine’s predictable too but…

Spacemen 3 - Dingwalls - 2 January 1989
Oh! SNAP! But then you and I were at quite a few of the same gigs back then without knowing each other...
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by Vindaloo »

So, not only did you have the best drugs in the late 80s and early 90s, you had the best gigs as well.

Hurrumph!!!!! im not playing!

:D

Spz Glasto 2004 is mine, but i dont know how that compares to ''back in the day'!
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by nickh »

Vindaloo wrote: Spz Glasto 2004 is mine, but i dont know how that compares to ''back in the day'!
I was at that one and would be in my top ten, certainly one of the best Spiritualized I have been to.
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by nickh »

runcible wrote:
nickh wrote:Easy.

Mine’s predictable too but…

Spacemen 3 - Dingwalls - 2 January 1989
Oh! SNAP! But then you and I were at quite a few of the same gigs back then without knowing each other...
Probably everyone I went to!
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by mojo filters »

Very tough call, but for the combination of good tunes performed well, I'd go for Belle & Sebastian (with the London Contemporary Orchestra) 5/12/2010 at The Sage, Gateshead. The only 4 tunes they played from 'Write About Love' (the album the tour was promoting) were the only 4 I really like, thankfully. Otherwise a genuinely well thought out (and over 2 hours long) career-spanning set.
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by evan:) »

has to be this one ...

Spacemen 3 — London — Notre Dame Hall — 22 March 1989

http://www.songkick.com/posters/2970901
Last edited by evan:) on Sun Feb 24, 2013 4:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by mc »

Probably Mogwai in 2005. An exclusive show for a mental health charity in a teensy tiny Edinburgh club. No way did they turn down the volume for the cramped surroundings, yet the sound remained crystal clear. "Glasgow Megasnake" was like being punched in the face; "Ratts Of The Capital" and "My Father My King" were brutally astonishing. What a night :)

setlist etc: http://youngteam.co.uk/brightlight/eng/gig281105.php
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by redcloud »

This is hard...there are so many that come to mind. Grateful Dead at Alpine Valley or standing on the pitchers mound of Oakland Coliseum. Early Flaming Lips shows where myself and about 10 others witnessed chaos and nirvana all at once. Maybe the swamp rock, Georgia mountain hillbilly duo Chickasaw Mudd Puppies at a sweaty bar in Kansas City? Or, the London debut of the White Stripes at the 100 Club? Mazzy at the Union Chapel, Spiritualized 'Acoustic Mainlines', Brian Jonestown at Big Hands in Manchester (after their Academy show was cancelled they set up in a tiny, tiny bar nearby and rocked the house)? Or, maybe seeing my heroes The Pretty Things or Roky for the first time?

No, I think for my "SINGLE Greatest Gig" I have to choose:

Eels -
Oct. 08, 2010,
Roseland Ballroom,
Portland, Oregon.

Why is this my choice? In August 2009 my 42 year old sister was diagnosed with stage four melanoma. During that time I flew across country several times to visit her and Eels-'End Times' was my companion and soundtrack during those difficult, tiring days, weeks, months.

When E announced he was coming to town a few months after my sister's death I jumped on tickets immediately and made the decision to sit in the balcony (front row/center). On the day itself I had so much excitement, anticipation but also melancholy and worry. The lights went down and just E took the stage with guitar in hand and performed a delicate and beautiful 'Daisies of the Galaxy' and the tears quietly began to flow down my cheeks. My wife wrapped her arm around me and we sat and listened to the music. It was a deeply profound, numbing, emotional and cathartic experience. For two hours I silently sat there absorbing it all in while literally being exorcised of the pain, stress, frustrations and sadness that was, for the first time since my sister's passing, being released through beautiful music.

A very special concert that happened at a significant time in my life. And for that, it has to be the single greatest gig I ever saw.
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by runcible »

evan:) wrote:has to be this one ...

http://www.songkick.com/posters/2970901
Woo hoo! Another one I was at!
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by runcible »

redcloud wrote:This is hard...there are so many that come to mind.
You broke the 'no runners up' rule my friend!

The rest of your post is fantastic though. I can imagine the impact that night must have had. I also love Laz's description of the Cope show - brilliant!
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by sunray »

I've been asked this many times over the years and the answer to escape my lips, without hesistation, has always been "Spirirtualized's two gigs in the Rock Garden". Luckily for the parameters set by Runci the second gig edges the first.
The band made their debut Irish appearance in December 1991 in the Rock Garden in Dublin ( I actually think it was the first ever gig held in that venue ). Anyone familiar with The Temple Bar area of the city would probably know the venue better as Eamonn Doran's, which it later became. So, yep, a tiny place to witness the sonic and visual onslaught the band provided at that time.

Anyways, in early May 1992 they returned. The first gig was mindblowing but this one raised the bar again. I basically was in the 'Now' for most of the show. There was no past, no future, my whole existence had always been just me and the band in that moment. It was all I had ever known. I wasn't even aware of any audience for most of it. I was also stone cold straight and sober. Occasionally you could make out three silhouettes through the strobes, projections and dry ice but heading towards the end it was complete whiteout. You knew there had to be someone on stage but there was no sight of them. Complete sensory bombardment with the visuals and the most amazing noise coming out of the speakers, all totally controlled. I remember when the keyboard kicked in during Smiles and me and my mate turned to each other at the same time and uttered "Sister Ray". It was a head fuck of epic proportions.
My mate got backstage for a moment afterwards and was talking to Will. They discussed the fact of Spiritualized playing the Trinity Ball ( ! ) the following night and how most people there wouldn't know, or care, who they were. Will's response was that they might play a 20 minute version of Smiles then!

The rest of the night was spent trying to find a space to crash as there was about 10 of us and we'd missed the last bus home. After being refused from a couple of different gaffs that someone knew we ended up spending a few hours in a bush in Fairview! :lol: We walked back into town at dawn and got the first bus home.

I saw a few more Spiritualized head crunching gigs in '93 but I was spoiled and expected all of their gigs to be like that. From '94 onwards I was always chasing an experience that wasn't forthcoming. It wasn't until the A&E tour that I reconciled myself with the fact that I would never witness Spiritualized shows like that again. It took a long time to get there but i'm alright now!
I do feel privileged to have attended those early shows though, with May 1992 being the most intense of them all.
Nineteen...Nineteen...Six Five
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by redcloud »

runcible wrote:
redcloud wrote:This is hard...there are so many that come to mind.
You broke the 'no runners up' rule my friend!
Yeah, I know. I was rambling through my head potential candidates BUT....in the end I choose just one! :D
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by nickh »

runcible wrote:
evan:) wrote:has to be this one ...

http://www.songkick.com/posters/2970901
Woo hoo! Another one I was at!
Me too!!
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by evan:) »

runcible wrote:
evan:) wrote:has to be this one ...

http://www.songkick.com/posters/2970901
Woo hoo! Another one I was at!
Spacemen 3 — London — Notre Dame Hall — 22 March 1989

I went to this gig with you ... think you brought along a mate too - it was his first Spacemen 3 gig and he was pretty impressed.

This was when we were working in Virgin Marble Arch. I seem to remember going to see Sonic Youth supported by Mudhoney the next evening in Kilburn. Good times ...
Last edited by evan:) on Sun Feb 24, 2013 4:00 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by runcible »

Ha! Yes I remember now. That Sonic Youth/Mudhoney was Mudhoney's 1st UK tour. They had loads of hair back then...
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by James T »

Leonard Cohen
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by One Asian Under A Groove »

It would have to be Spiritualized playing Ladies And Gentlemen... live at The Sage in Gateshead on 19th December 2009. The 3 best bits were:

1) Thinking I was seeing ghosts in the strobe lighting during Electricity and being unable to resist laughing like a mad thing.

2) Being unable to stop crying during the final song, Silent Night - the euphoria and emotion of the whole thing, in particular being able to share it with my then-girlfriend (now wife) just got to me.

3) Meeting Jason afterwards, rambling on about how the album means so much to me that I have a tattoo of it, and him insisting on seeing it and taking a photo for himself.

As long as I live, and whatever wonderful gigs I see, I very much doubt that anything will top this show.
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by johnnyboy »

I think my brain way be wired in a different way as I struggle to remember proper details of gigs I've been to. Lots of gigs for me blur into one whole, or I can remember the venue and have visual memories but then not recall what they sounded like. The ones I can remember as being holy moments of bliss or rock n roll mayhem, well, there's way too many to mention. One that had a huge impact on me when I was young was the Mudhoney/Nirvana/Tad 'Lamefest' gig at the Astoria back in 89. That was completely wild. I went alone, not sure I drank, loved the long haired and beat up look of the crowd. Nirvana completely blew me away, almost animalistic, very primal, a roar explosion of sound and emotion, guitars being thrown across stage, me in the front 'mosh pit' area. Can't really recall Tad. Mudhoney were awesome. Pure rama-a-lama rock n roll drunk on cheap booze and young hormones, dirty scuzzy riffs, screams, howling, laughing, rolling around. Nirvana and Tad stage diving during their set, Kurt landing right next to me (honest). My teenage mind was well and truly blown and that howl at the moon gig has been imprinted in my soul ever since. I'll always search high and low for records or other gigs that make me feel that way. (Thee Oh Sees do it very well)

Not sure it qualifies as the greatest gig I've ever witnessed as there's too many other goodies breathing down it's neck - Primal Scream on their Screamadelica and XTRMNTR tours when I was hopped up on all sorts, early Ride, early Spz, Leftfield or Underworld, etc etc etc. All have left a lasting impression, but that Lamefest show was when I was 17, fresh faced, fairly innocent still, from the sticks, so it was an eye opener in all kinds of ways. I actually hope that the best gig I've ever witnessed is still to come.
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by Ringo »

Blimey - that bought back some memories and a strange coincidence

I was at the Lamefest too having driven down from Brum with a few mates. We were fairly hungover after being out the night before but added to it with the cheap swill served in the venue. During the previous nights shenanigans, I 'liberated' a humourous (to an 18 year old) poster and on the way down had waved the wording on the poster to passing motorists (more about this in a bit)

Anyway Tad were awesome, I'd got their album from the ledgendary plastic factory beforehand and they bought it to life - he was a big old unit Mr Doyle. Nirvana and of course Mudhoney' were also superb and as raw as described

Anyways, coincidence being when Kurt stagedived (from the wings) was probably during mudhoneys set as i remember thinking 'hope Tad dont stagedive!' set, he actually landed on me (so I was probably near you). Getting up from the floor I actually didn't realise and he hung about for a short while. At the end of nirvana s set, smashing of guitars ensured and as we were down the front, were baying from some guy the other side of barrier to throw the broken bits out, he handed the bulk of the body to someone and launched another bit in the air. Reaching up I caught a splinter laden piece with the neck plate still attached - I've still got it aswell but couldn't / wouldn't get rid of it as who'd believe me (the serial number matches an 89 guitar though)
Next day all three bands were at rough trade ping a signing - one of the guys I went with went but we were too knackered and went home. I was going to give him him guitar piece to get signed as he had a drumstick ( but to be honest, I thought he'd nick it!). I gave him my tasteless poster as described above and they all signed it - Kurt signing 'Kurdt' back then.....

Great long sleeve shirt bought at the time too with saucy print! Great to wear it around Brum after as no one else had one

As you say, probably not the greatest gig but up there with best

Happy days
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by BzaInSpace »

Love those last two posts about the legendary 'Lamefest' - you lucky people, that must have been amazing.

Mr Runcible's account of that show is a superb piece of writing too - hats off!

Anyway, I'm torn between several gigs here to be honest but if we're going for game-changing, earth-shaking moments of primordial mad stuff then it has to be T H I S > > >

http://ideensynthese.de/spiritualized/v ... 96#p101961

It's sometimes about where you come in isn't it? I suspect a lot of the craziness of that show was the sheer unexpectedness of a lot if it - dunno what I thought I was in for, maybe I imagined it would be more like a typical 'indie-rock' show, not this vast, dense, soul-crushing noise mixed into these beautiful songs...
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by johnnyboy »

Ringo wrote:Anyways, coincidence being when Kurt stagedived (from the wings) was probably during mudhoneys set as i remember thinking 'hope Tad dont stagedive!' set, he actually landed on me (so I was probably near you). Getting up from the floor I actually didn't realise and he hung about for a short while. At the end of nirvana s set, smashing of guitars ensured and as we were down the front, were baying from some guy the other side of barrier to throw the broken bits out, he handed the bulk of the body to someone and launched another bit in the air. Reaching up I caught a splinter laden piece with the neck plate still attached - I've still got it aswell but couldn't / wouldn't get rid of it as who'd believe me (the serial number matches an 89 guitar though)
As you say, probably not the greatest gig but up there with best
Happy days
Excellent!! We were probaly right near eachother then as Kurt stagedived during Mudhoneys set, landed next to me then stayed a while. I can remember looking at him thinking two things - 1) wow, it's the guy from Nirvana, 2) isn't he short.
It's great that you still have that piece of guitar!

I do remember Tad stage diving as well. Imagine being down the front and seeing him bounding across the stage and leaping out towards you!! Jesus H Christ. Some poor sod probably still wakes up in a cold sweat about that one. Shame I can't really remember their set. I can still picture them up on stage, very imposing, but their actual sound has left my memory.

I can remember smiling and laughing a lot during that gig. Something was in the air. Reckless, yet innocent, abandon. Wild and crazy and free. Sounds cliched but I really did feel alive and wide eyed during and after that gig.
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by Shinesalight »

Been thinking long and hard over this and have found it almost impossible to single out one "ultimate" gig as have seen so many fantastic performance and had such great nights over the years. If I had to choose one though it would probably have to be this:-

Ride and The Charlatans - Daytripper: Brighton, Friday 12th March 1993

I was 20, at Kingston Uni and back in Brighton for a long weekend just for this gig. My two favourite bands at that time (The Stone Roses were on their extended break from the music industry and I was yet to really discover the wonders of Spiritualized) were playing together for just two nights; one night in Blackpool and one night in my home town, Brighton. Bring it on!!!

At the time I think Ride were my number 1 fave and, for the Brighton show, it was Ride who were to headline (the two bands swapped stage times for the Blackpool show). For me, it was like seeing one headline gig followed straight away by another. The Charlatans were on fire that night; Tim was really up for it and the band were great. The gig fell between their second and third albums so I'm sure we were treated to a preview of a few tracks from "Up to Their Hips" along with a load of their classic songs. I just remember jumping up and down near the front for the whole of their set and being pretty drenched in sweat by the end of it. One of my clearest memories of that night was that a friend of mine managed to loose one of his shoes during the Charlatans set and hid from us during the interval as did not want to face us taking the piss out of him :D

I was excited enough seeing the Charlatans but then to have Ride follow after was just incredible. It was after "Going Blank Again" but I remember them playing "Birdman" & Crown of Creation" which were to appear on "Carnival of Light" and an early version of "Walk on Water" which wouldn't appear till "Tarantula" three years later. I moshed like crazy to "Leave Them All Behind", "Taste" and "Mousetrap" amongst others. If my memory serves me correct they came back for two encores. The first they came back on to "Seagull" and another track, perhaps "Chelsea Girl" (I've seen Ride around 10-12 times so my recollection of specific songs on specific nights is hazy to say the least!). They then went off and came back on for one more song. I'm sure Mark said something like "as we're down here in Brighton we thought we should close with a mod song" before finishing with The Who's "The Kids Are Alright":-

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Ewvr0FoAIrU

Such a fantastic night when going to a gig meant jumping up and down like mad for most of the night and coming out soaking wet with sweat and steam coming off of you. Oh to be young again :wink: :D
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by spunder »

Verve - Sheffield Uni - 1992

despite them only having released 3 singles, i was absolutely obsessed by them....at this time i was a shoegaze fan but Verve were a lot groovier and free-er. anyway amazing show, as the set progressed Ashcrofts shamanic freakout was inciting the audience to climb over each other to get to the stage....by the end people were sat on the stage and i distinctly remember one girl sat by McCabe stroking his guitar strings in between tunes whilst he was trying to tune / fiddle with pedals.

i'll never forget one security guard saying to his colleague afterwards 'well that was the biggest load of bollocks i've ever seen'

lol
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by mojo filters »

One Asian Under A Groove wrote:It would have to be Spiritualized playing Ladies And Gentlemen... live at The Sage in Gateshead on 19th December 2009. The 3 best bits were:

1) Thinking I was seeing ghosts in the strobe lighting during Electricity and being unable to resist laughing like a mad thing.

2) Being unable to stop crying during the final song, Silent Night <snip>
I don't recall Silent Night at the Sage gig - thought they ended with Out of Sight (as per other live LAGWAFIS gigs) :?:

I do remember the 1st night Union Chapel Acoustic Mainlines set ending with Silent Night as a nice surprise/bonus :?
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by Greeny »

I'm like a few others, I have a gaggle of favourites and any one of them could come out on top depending on my mood and current musical muse.

At this very moment of writing? Lift to Experience at Dingwalls. I've never seen one man do so much with one guitar, and for the second half of the gig we were standing in the front row, so close I could touch him. Astonishing.

But I could just as easily come on here tomorrow and say Radiohead at Earl's Court!!!
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by davedecay »

a few well-enhanced Butthole Surfers shows came close to this:

http://diamandagalas.com/about/discography/plague-mass/

I was there one of the nights, on a handful of 'shrooms.

Nothing short of amazing... Diamanda, in a cathedral, with hundreds (thousands?) of white candles, minimal amplification, and a silent audience, like a church service.

She, in a simple black dress, but open/topless from the waist up. Her body: painted crimson.

Photo from that time:
Image
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by redcloud »

Greeny wrote:But I could just as easily come on here tomorrow and say Radiohead at Earl's Court!!!
I was at this show. It was the last Radiohead show I saw. They were simply too big by then (and getting bigger by the minute) and it wasn't as enjoyable as previous gigs of theirs I had seen. But, no doubt this is more down to me being a grumpy/sour grapes fan from their early days rather than the gig itself. I'm sure it was good. I have similar gripes with early vs new Flaming Lips (mind you FL's new music does nothing for me).

I did meet Zoe Ball at Earl's Court that night though! Man, she was tall but super striking in that kinda awkward way (similar to Uma Thurman who is also gawky/awkward, yet beautiful). Where is Zoe now....still in Brighton with Norman Cook?
Greeny
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by Greeny »

redcloud wrote:
I did meet Zoe Ball at Earl's Court that night though! Man, she was tall but super striking in that kinda awkward way (similar to Uma Thurman who is also gawky/awkward, yet beautiful). Where is Zoe now....still in Brighton with Norman Cook?
Yep, she's still living just down the road from me in Brighton, with Norman and their nipper. She's the regular deputy for Chris Evans on the BBC Radio 2 breakfast show, which is quite a big gig in the scheme of things...

I've never actually met her but she was good mates with a friend of mine, indeed for a while they did a radio show together. I'm sure Zoe has calmed down loads now but back in the day... canetastic!
les revenantes
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Re: Single greatest gig you ever saw. ONE only, no runners-u

Post by les revenantes »

Spiritualized @ Slim's
San Francisco, CA
1995 (PurePhase Tour)
" Some people never go crazy. What truly horrible lives they must lead. " - Charles Bukowski
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