Heavy.

Mitch’s Top-Five All-Time Favorite Concerts:

(5) Big Sugar and Gov’t Mule, 1999.
. Big Sugar was once promoted as The Loudest Rock Band In North America, and still are, I belive. As such, I suffered permanent hearing damage at this concert. Just as well, I was front and centre in the second row, at the Guvernment. It was going to happen – I’m just happy it was courtesy of Gordie Johnston.(*) Reggae/Blues/Rock-fusion kicks ass, my brutha mon…

(4) Oasis, 2000.
. The rainfall was of biblical proportions, and the opening band was the shitty Black Crowes, but this was beautiful Brit-Pop and straight-up dirty rock’n’roll at its best. The Gallagher lads were in true form, arguing with one another, but just enough to get the crowd going – they played through the entire show, which included an all-star encore of Oasis, the Crowes, Gordie Johnston, Alex Lifeson (yes, Other, really!), Edwin, and another local guitarist.

(3) The Hip w/ Hayden, Sharkskin, and some others, NYE 1999.
. The Hip played out the millenium at the Air Canada Centre, and I picked up scalped tix at cost. Centre Ice, First level, about 18 rows from the ice, for $66. From a scalper! I couldn’t believe my lucky stars.. Now then, I’m not the biggest Hip Fanatic by any means, but an evening spent with 19000 other people singing the same words to the same songs always makes for pleasant memories.

(2) Pink Floyd, 1994.
They had lay-zerrrrrrs. They needed special permission from the US Army to bring those Lasers across the border into America. They played nature sounds for an opening act. They opened with Astronome Domine. They closed with Comfortably Numb and a crystal ball. It was the best $42.50 I ever spent.

(1) Godspeed You! Black Emperor.
See last LJ entry.
. GYBE beat the Big Sugar Litmus test (see note below), and I’m glad they did.
. GYBE encourages their fans to bootleg concerts. I wondered about this – should I really go and risk the damage, when I could pick up a reasonably recorded soundboard bootleg? I’m glad I took the risk – like PF, their stage presence truly is part of the performance. Such cannot be said for most acts out there. No bootleg (even a video) could do their dark-stage and projection act any justice…

Runner-Up Concerts include The Rolling Stones at the SkyDome (the place is way too cavernous to make for a good show, unfortunately) and The Hammerheads at El Matador (my former favorite local after-hours club).

Concerts I regret not attending include Joel Plaskett at The Horseshoe Tavern, Sloan at the Palais Royale, Page and Plant at Exhibition Stadium and U2 at Thunderbird Stadium in VanCity, BC. (Its a long story.)

(*) My ears aren’t all that great anymore, thanks to the likes of Gordie Johnston, Mr. Cool, and Wicked Bassist. (Fat Guitarist from Gov’t Mule, who now is with the Allman Bros., did his fair share, too.) (Sadly, I cannot remember his name. I’m ashamed of that.) Since then, I’ve carefully considered what concerts to attend. Outdoor venues are generally okay, but I generally refrain from going to tiny club acts. I make exceptions to this rule when the club act is truly remarkable (such as GYBE), or, looks to be like a once-in-a-life-time (Stones at the ElMo) or just a special (Sloan at the Palais Royale) occurance.

—
you are commodified.