this is tough... have seen a ton of concerts, most of which were great. some highlights:
1. david bowie- beacon theatre, 2002. intimate setting for my first and only bowie show. he played absolute beginners and a bunch of
low cuts, among other surprises. wish we got 'belway brothers,' 'station to station,' or 'hallo spaceboy' which were somewhat common at the time, but i still can't complain. have no idea why i skipped the
reality tour. bad timing, maybe? probably thought he'd be back again...
2. killing joke- irving plaza, 2013. call me when your band is as good in 20 years as the day you started... blew my face off.
3. nine inch nails- webster hall 2009. obvious reasons. was on rail for this, robin finck stage dived and landed directly on my head during 'march of the pigs.' seen the band about 15 times now, and the only one that comes close to this show was the jones beach show with bauhaus in 2006...
4. pj harvey- beacon theatre 2007. only time i've seen her, on tour for
white chalk, which i adore. one woman show, rotating in a circular fashion to play different instruments during the show. really amazing!
5. the cure- pnc arts center, 2000. first time seeing the cure. since i didn't have heavy internet access, i had no idea that the band played such long sets, nor busted out so many deep cuts, so the show more than made up for the terrible seats . this one makes the cut even though i enjoyed the reflections tour at beacon theatre more from a musical point of view... sometimes, it's all about that first moment.
6. the fall- knitting factory. my only time seeing the band. show was slated to start at 11, but the band didn't bother coming on until 1am, with no support act. they played a short, antagonistic set that ended with mark e. smith throwing me the mic to sing the rest of 'new big prinz.' he fired his band (again) a few days later...
7. smashing pumpkins- radio city music hall 1998. my first concert, touring heavily behind an album i love. had great seats, had a great time. my second favorite show was terminal five in 2010 with two good friends in tow and a killer setlist, but the first stands out to me for obvious reasons.
8. carter tutti play chris and cosey- santo's party house 2014. i know it's super fresh in my mind, but it was FAR better than expected. perfect setlist, and even the new arrangements were beat-heavy and devastatingly good, which is more than i can say for front 242 when i saw them....
9. his name is alive- maxwells, 2006. i've seen this 4ad band half a dozen times, but this poorly attended show was my favorite. it was my birthday, they passed out bells and percussive instruments, and i won "two gold stars" for enthusiasm.
9. dead can dance- radio city music hall 2005. first time seeing them, never thought i'd have the chance. they played with a full string orchestra, which spoiled me for the more recent tour which was very cheese-keyboard heavy. this show, unlike the second time i saw them, was a revelation.
10. the wrens- luna lounge 2004. my friend had discovered the wren's sorely underrated and at the time, rare first record,
silver in a dollar bin. again, with little access to the internet, we knew nothing about the band, but enjoyed their art damaged pixies meets dreampop vibe. after a bunch of misfires, the band finally got some indie attention and played a college not far from me. i went, loved it, and impressed them with a copy of that cd. flash forward a few months later, and i'm attending the CMJ festival via my radio station, and i made a point to be front and center for their performance at the ill fated luna lounge. they recognized me (and we had a few beers after), and during the show i took part in a band stunt in which the guitarist/keyboardist/second vocalist hopped on a monitor and played piano, jerry lee lewis style, while i was holding the stand (and the keyboard) in the air. no injuries, just pure showmanship!
other gigs i loved and hate to leave out:
modern english, le poisson rouge 2010
the ex, maxwells 2006
the church, city winery 2010
robin guthrie/brendan perry, irving plaza 2011
nick cave and the badseeds- both beacon theatre in 2013 and roseland in 2003.
wire are always consistently great, and i've seen them four times now... can't pick a favorite
nitzer ebb, gramercy 2009
new model army- maxwell's 2006
codeine, the bell house 2012
psychedelic furs, supper club 2005
for against, bell house 2010 (felt weird that they opened when i was in the chameleons, felt they were the best band that night even over us)
placebo, irving plaza 2001
tuxedomoon, le poisson rouge 2008
crime and the city solution, music hall of williamsburg 2012 - almost didn't make this one but glad i did
peter gabriel- jones beach 2012
the wake, littlefield 2010
iron maiden, izod center 2008
devo, mccarren pool 2008
faith no more- both times in 2011
tamaryn, the knitting factory 2012. best show i've ever seen from a friend's band.
ashrae fax, glasslands 2013. second best show i've seen from a friend's band.
xeno and oaklander/a place to bury strangers- can't pick one from the dozen or so times i've seen both bands, but are almost always great
revolting cocks (minus al), the metro 2010
the faint, webster hall 2004
wovenhand, knitting factory 2008
garbage, webster hall 2012
omd, terminal five (hate this venue), 2011
public image ltd., terminal five 2010
sorry that's a huge list, but all of those gigs were amazing for one reason for another. i can only think of four i HATED:
1. jesus and mary chain, webster hall 2007. completely boring and non-eventful
2. my bloody valentine, roseland 2008. way too loud, even with earplugs, with no sense of melody or purpose. walked out at the end.
3. ladytron, webster hall 2009. the faint blew them off stage. we are the robots.
4. grouper, new museum 2009. she was amazing, but the crowd talked and made noise through the entire set, dulling the effect.
total list (missing a ton of the weekly wierd shows, and others i may have forgotten over the years):
http://www.setlist.fm/concerts/frankieteardrop