my friends kevin and nole posted blogs about the top 5 bands they have never seen, upon further reflection i have decided there are far more than 5 bands that i want to see more than anything. to follow will be the top 5 bands i have seen... i really love music.
10
the roots: more that is coming soon in my life.
09
the mars volta: this shit would also be crazy.
08
madonna: i can only imagine all the crazy shit going on here. i want the 80's shit!
07
the flaming lips: duh.
06
the postal service: it will never happen but i would be stoked.
05
zepplin reunion and/or
robert plant and alison krauss: i straight up stole this from nole.
04
saul williams: when i get bored, i watch all of his youtube videos. that's what i'm doing with my life. when he was here i went and saw my brother play instead. good thing my brother is awesome. i saw his spoken word the next night and i am in love. oh saul.
03
the cardigans: i fucking love them. one of the best bands right now. seriously.
02
margot and the nuclear so and so's: my favorite band of my life, my friend quinn and i will be seeing in a few weeks. the last time they were here mike and i ate ice cream in the parking lot. if i were making a list of regrets, this would be among the top slots.
01
radiohead: we will meet one another in august and it will be magical.
05 rilo kiley/tilly and the wall/the elected: so fucking fun.
04 noise ratchet: the first and last time.
03
john vanderslice: every fucking time.
02 the lilith fair: this was my first. it was obviously epic.
01 u2: i'll be cliche.
Bennett
Top 10 Never-Seen (videos included)
1.
At the Drive-In: There's something to be said for a band that rocks so damn hard but literally does not allow moshing or anything resembling aggressive dancing.
2.
The Dismemberment Plan: I've been to shows where I've danced my ass off, but in my head, this would take every single one of them behind the shed and put them out of their misery like Old Yeller. Except better.
3.
Further Seems Forever: Technically, I've seen them. I don't count it because there was only one original member left. And they had Jon.
4.
Thursday: I wouldn't be able to do it now, but they were playing my first Warped Tour in about 2002 or so right after Full Collapse dropped. The girls I was with weren't down at all so I was only able to listen to half a song. Little did I know, they would be a go to band of mine for years.
5.
onelinedrawing: After the GUK show at Gabe's in 2002, we received quarter sheet fliers for a onelinedrawing/coheed & cambria show. I can't even imagine the set list that would result from the differing styles of those two bands. I've seen Jonah play before but that's for the second list...
6. Led Zeppelin: Every year I'll go through a Led phase for about 2 weeks. I get blown away by the brilliance and wonder what it was like to have grown up with this band developing and touring. Wow.
7.
Final Fantasy: I want to go to a show where one man's musicianship is so outstanding the audience doesn't speak. I need this in my life.
8.
Beirut: Take the previous sentiment and add a few more people.
9.
Lullaby for the Working Class: Listen. Just... I've seen Ted with Cursive and I've seen Mike with Bright Eyes but let's get real. LftWC was probably the best thing that never made it out of Saddle Creek.
10.
Karate: Pure musicianship. The rock would be so solid my head would probably explode.
Top 5 Shows
1. Sage Francis: He opened for Against Me!.... wtf? This was my one and only experience with Sage and he played 88% of what I wanted to hear. He even did Dr Feel Nathan. Just wow.
2. The Spill Canvas (circa 2004): These guys have been my boys since the DashTabs days (good find to Leesa, who about two of you will know). Getting to see them play live in a little coffee shop in Pella, IA was so ridiculously good.
3. Gratitude: They played in Milwaukee (Algonquin for "the good land") with two openers, the second of whom was The Spill Canvas, who people were obviously there for. I'd been following Jonah for a while and have nothing but respect for him and his music. The amount of crowd interaction was outstanding. He stared me in the face and we shared vocal duties for a bit of a song. It was the second to last show for Gratitude and the energy was outstanding. I literally dumped all the money I had into his sliding scale merch that night. I've never done that before in my life. I can't wait for him to come back around.
4. Caleb Engstrom (I think)/Portugal, the Man/Rocky Votolato: I'd been a fan of Rocky Votolato for a while when he finally came around Iowa City. I was pumped for him and didn't know any of the other acts. Caleb Engstrom was the IC version of Rocky and stole just enough of the show to impress. Portugal, the Man was the find of the night. Simply good fun music that made my toes tap. Rocky played my favorite songs and played them damn well. It was an abundantly satisfying experience. Not over the top brilliant, not underwhelming. Just a solid show that left me feeling like I should marry music.
5. PCC/The Show is the Rainbow/Make Believe/Cursive:
Just look at the bands there for a second. This show was out of this fucking world. I didn't know PCC yet but they were good and the crowd was way into it. You can't go to a PCC show more than once without getting sucked into the whole thing. The Show is the Rainbow had an amazing stage presence and entertaining performance. Make Believe was hilariously strange (Tim Kinsella may or may not have been high). They more or less violated the crowd, myself included. Cursive just released Happy Hollow and had horns and a new cellist. I was front row for my favorite band of all time. I was literally drunk from the performance. I can honestly say that I have never seen a better show.
