This particular post came about from my wife posting commentary on her frustration with trying to purchase Macklemore tickets for an upcoming show we were thinking about taking our daughter to for her birthday (sorry, no links). It made me try to remember how many concerts have I actually gone to and whether or not I had ever used scalpers or resale sites to get tickets. I haven't and prefer to either get the tickets through normal (non-marked up) means or just not go to the show. I am okay with just not seeing someone in concert if it is just too much of a pain in the butt to go (or too expensive - which is relative).
What follows is, as much as I can remember, a list of concerts/bands I have seen live (or seen lip-sync live) over the years in mostly-chronological order with my rating of each. There are bands who aren't known that I have seen in a club or elsewhere that I just can't recall enough about to list them here. Sorry to them as I am sure they were great fun at the time.
Growing up, high school and just after:
The Beach Boys - ? - Saw them after a Padres game at Jack Murphy Stadium while growing up. I was there with at least my dad and probably my mother and brother too. It was a fun time and those sunny afternoon days were always great. With family time thrown in and it probably being my first real concert: 4.
Oingo Boingo - ? - Great time at the San Diego Sports Arena - I can't recall when the concert was, but I think it was the first one I went to on my own with friends and we had a lot of fun. Definitely a Dead Man's Party. 4.5 Mick Happies.
Pato Banton x 2 - ? - ? - Twice in my high school days I saw Pato Banton perform at small venues in San Diego. I liked reggae. Pato was always a great show with lots of energy and up beat. Gwarn - 4.
College Years & Just after:
Milli Vanilli/Young M.C. - 5/25/90 - Saw this show at the San Diego Sports Arena (went with a girl, which is true of all the remaining concerts - though who changed over the years) - I am not proud of some of the shows I saw, but the performers seemed to be having a good time. 3.
The Cult/Lenny Kravitz - 1/29/91 - Good hard rocking show - both acts. Really enjoyed this one. 4.
INXS - 4/8/91 - Also a good show. I knew most all of the songs and it was loud enough no one around me had to have their ears bleed listening to me sing along with the band. Michael Hutchence was still alive at the time of this gig and put on a show. 4.
Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers - 9/21/91 - I am sure this was a fun show, but frankly it doesn't really stick in my mind much. 3.
The Cult - ? - Saw them again in San Diego at the Open Air Theatre, but not sure when - this was when they weren't quite as popular anymore and was a late day/early evening show if I remember right. Still pretty fun. 3.
Duran Duran/Terrence Trent D'Arby - 8/14/93 - Have been a fan of Duran Duran for a long time. Was good to see them in concert. TTD was also good. Can't recall much more about the show than I thought it was good, so: 3.5.
Depeche Mode - 11/16/93 or the 7/29/90 - Show was at the San Diego Sports Arena - surprised this is the only time I saw this band since I had a poster of them on my college apartment bedroom wall and all of their albums at the time. Lots of fun is all I can recall since I can't even remember which date I went to the show. 4.
1994: This year gets it's own section as I saw SO MANY concerts that year.
Pink Floyd - 4/14/94 - At Jack Murphy Stadium (still wasn't Qualcomm then). This was a good show. I didn't know as much of their music as I have with other shows, but the opportunity arose and I took the chance to see them. 4.
Nine Inch Nails - 4/30/94 - This was at Montezuma Hall at SDSU and a great show - no seats just standing in the audience. I made sure to stay toward the back of the crowd, which still wasn't too far from the stage and safely out of the moshing. 4.5.
Jerry Garcia - 5/17/94 - Not my type of music, but that wasn't why I went (girlfriend at the time was a big fan). Just one to check off the list of things I have done. 3.
Carlos Santana - 6/1/94 - At the Embarcadero - one of the best guitar players I have ever seen. Didn't know his songs other than the really popular ones, but good to listen to that night. 4.
Eagles - 6/5/94 - Again back at Jack Murphy Stadium this time for the Eagles. Definitely a good show and a great band to listen to with terrific songs. Venue not the best, but hey, it's the Eagles. 4.5.
Harry Conick, Jr. - 8/3/94 - Open Air Theatre this time. Not a bad show, just don't know much of his music. Also last time I did anything with the person I went to the show with, which is just fine. 3.
Gin Blossoms/Spin Doctors/Cracker - 8/23/94 - Again at the Open Air Theatre - this was a good place to see concerts under the stars. A fun show and hey I got to go back stage and meet one of the bands since a friend of mine at the time knew them. One of the band members offered me a beer - I was driving that night so I had to pass. Best song of the night was Eurotrash Girl by Cracker. 4.
Nine Inch Nails/Marilyn Manson/The Jim Rose Circus Side Show - 10/10/94 - San Diego Sports Arena. A great show - still scarred by what I saw from Marilyn Manson and the Circus Side Show acts, but turned out to be a good time - my wife still dated me after seeing it and that can't be bad. 4.5.
Rolling Stones/Seal - 10/17/94 - Jack Murphy Stadium - This was another good show though I may have enjoyed Seal's opening more than the Stones since we were bigger fans of his at the time. We were on the grass this time, not too far from the stage. Also went backstage before the show (as shown below). All in all a good night (though my wife did get a ticket for speeding on the way home - which she was not happy about). 3.5.
Concerts with my wife and daughter:
Styx/Kansas - 8/4/96 - Summer Pops in San Diego. The wife is a big Styx fan and bonus we got to see Kansas as well. Have to say that now anytime I hear Carry on my Wayward Son, I want to watch an episode of Supernatural. Fun time out in the open. 4.
Big & Rich with Cowboy Troy - 4/14/05 - Pechanga Theater in Temecula, CA. Good venue - loud music and a good time. Also my daughter's first real concert. Should have heard her singing Save a Horse (Ride a Cowboy)...4.
Trace Adkins - 3/23/06 - Another show at Pechanga. Really a good venue and Trace puts on one hell of a show. We had a blast. I am sure he has only gotten better with time. 4.5.
Aerosmith/Sammy Hagar - 7/23/10 - Oracle Arena in Oakland. A good show and great experience. Sammy Hagar opening even had Joe Satriani join on stage for a song. We paid for the backstage experience and my daughter loved it. We also had terrific seats (as shown by the photos below. One thing I like about the modern age is the ability to document shows like never before. Probably not the best show Aerosmith has put on in their long career, but we loved it and the fact that we had to travel to the show just added to the experience. 5.
James Blunt/Christina Perri - 5/3/11 - Humphrey's by the Bay. Nice little venue near downtown. James Blunt played a great show and Christina Perri was very good (first time we had really heard her - bought two of her songs the next day). James even ran through the crowd and invited fans out of their seat and closer to the stage. Whole family went, very good night. As you can tell from the photos below, James Blunt really didn't sit still for photos during the show. 4.5.
Nickelback/Bush - 5/23/12 - Minneapolis' Target Center - another dad/daughter concert. Review is here. 3.
The point of this trip down memory lane? Concerts have been a fun part of my life and as I have gotten older, I go less and expect more I guess. I like smaller venues and less hassle to get tickets - though I am willing to pay through the nose for a great time and good seats. Why can't things be this way anymore. As my wife posted on trying to get Macklemore tickets a few months before the show - the venue had 6 tickets and there were hundreds available on StubHub. So not right. I'd rather stay home and watch the concert from home instead - it will be on video/on demand at some point (or You Tube). What concerts have you enjoyed?
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