Music Thread

[Billy Hoyle]

Saw REM and Bon Jovi on side stages at Summerfest before they hit it big.

Funny (kind of) REM story. A number of years ago, I was at a marina getting ready to go kayaking, when this guy asked if I could give him a ride to the marina supply store because his boat battery had died.   Sure, it was pretty close. We got talking, and I mentioned having moved from NYC, and he goes, "I went to NYC once. My brother's band was playing there, Peter Buck. They played at Madison Square Garden."

Yes, dude, I know who Peter Buck is, LOL!

[Uncle Rico]

Saw REM and Bon Jovi on side stages at Summerfest before they hit it big.

Same here with Foo Fighters. 

[JWags85]

Same here with Foo Fighters. 

I went to Lolla in 2007.  Walking around the small side stages mid day, we saw a female duo performing in essentially sparkly/underwear bikinis.  As 22 year old guys do, my friend and I decided to go over and watch for a few.  Beyond the visual intrigue, within a few minutes we were like "holy hell this chick has pipes".  Turns out it was one of Lady Gaga's first performances outside of NYC, a year before her debut album dropped and she blew up.  Pretty amusing in retrospect.

Ive seen multiple bands, that subsequently got huge, at small shows or as openers, but happening upon them at Summerfest/Lolla/other festivals is always cooler in memory cause sparse crowds in the daytime always make it more impactful as a visual.

[Jockey]

Funny (kind of) REM story. A number of years ago, I was at a marina getting ready to go kayaking, when this guy asked if I could give him a ride to the marina supply store because his boat battery had died.   Sure, it was pretty close. We got talking, and I mentioned having moved from NYC, and he goes, "I went to NYC once. My brother's band was playing there, Peter Buck. They played at Madison Square Garden."

Yes, dude, I know who Peter Buck is, LOL!

Don't know if you know who Michael Shannon (the actor) is, but he's part of an REM tribute band. Except they have been endorsed by Stipe and he has actually performed on stage with them. Check it out on Youtube - especially the version of Driver 8 that he did on, I think, Jimmy Fallon's show.

[Galway Eagle]

My two iterations of that phenomenon were Dropkick Murphy's shows, pre Tessie (Red Sox World Series anthem) & Shipping Up to Boston, had like 100 people at them and it was more blue Mohawks and studded leather jackets than Irish caps and firefighter shirts back then.

Then there's Dermott Kennedy who was busking still when I saw him for the first time. Then I'm in grad school and this new song "power over me" comes out, he opens for Mumford & sons. Then boom international hits the next year.

[Galway Eagle]

Recently made a playlist of every artist I've seen, just a song per artist rather than times I've seen them. It's actually been great to stroll down memory lane but also hilarious to literally hear my musical tastes develop as well as recall who a friend would drag me to for a summerfest show back in college. I'd encourage everyone to give it a shot!

https://link.deezer.com/s/3374JSEnLYKS7nTrPTf7P

[MU82]

Recently made a playlist of every artist I've seen, just a song per artist rather than times I've seen them. It's actually been great to stroll down memory lane but also hilarious to literally hear my musical tastes develop as well as recall who a friend would drag me to for a summerfest show back in college. I'd encourage everyone to give it a shot!

https://link.deezer.com/s/3374JSEnLYKS7nTrPTf7P

Cool list, and interesting exercise. My playlist would only consist of one Milli Vanilli song.

[BrewCity83]

Recently made a playlist of every artist I've seen, just a song per artist rather than times I've seen them. It's actually been great to stroll down memory lane but also hilarious to literally hear my musical tastes develop as well as recall who a friend would drag me to for a summerfest show back in college. I'd encourage everyone to give it a shot!

https://link.deezer.com/s/3374JSEnLYKS7nTrPTf7P

This is a great idea!  I've recently started a list of bands I've seen live (excluding small-time local bands that never amounted to anything).  I'm at 267 bands, and growing, as those are just from memory.  I'm sure I'm missing quite a few.  I need to make a Spotify playlist like this.

[Billy Hoyle]

Cool list, and interesting exercise. My playlist would only consist of one Milli Vanilli song.

I did see them live in 1990, 8th grade. My friends and I went to see the opener, Young MC. Our first concert

[MU82]

Recently made a playlist of every artist I've seen, just a song per artist rather than times I've seen them. It's actually been great to stroll down memory lane but also hilarious to literally hear my musical tastes develop as well as recall who a friend would drag me to for a summerfest show back in college. I'd encourage everyone to give it a shot!

https://link.deezer.com/s/3374JSEnLYKS7nTrPTf7P

Curious: How did you handle when a performer was part of a band but then went solo? For example, I saw Ben Folds Five but I later saw just Ben Folds. Would each band/performer get its/his own song on a playlist? Other examples: Old 97s and Rhett Miller; Beach Boys and Brian Wilson.

[BrewCity83]

I did see them live in 1990, 8th grade. My friends and I went to see the opener, Young MC. Our first concert

I saw Milli Vanilli "live" too, in July 1989 at Summerfest for the Club MTV Tour.  It was Milli Vanilli, Tone-Loc, Paula Abdul, Information Society, Lisa Lisa, and Was (Not Was).  I'm pretty sure Milli Vanilli wasn't the only group lip-synching during that show...

[Galway Eagle]

Curious: How did you handle when a performer was part of a band but then went solo? For example, I saw Ben Folds Five but I later saw just Ben Folds. Would each band/performer get its/his own song on a playlist? Other examples: Old 97s and Rhett Miller; Beach Boys and Brian Wilson.

Depends, with John Fogerty I did CCR because his setlist was 90% CCR songs. Meanwhile with Brian Fallon Frank Turner or Craig Finn I was there to see them play their solo stuff and their sets reflected that.

[Jay Bee]

Deezer.com isn't pr0n?

[Uncle Rico]

Deezer.com isn't pr0n?

I'll pray for you

[BM1090]

If anyone likes R&B/neo-soul, Mack Keane's new album is worth a listen.

[Billy Hoyle]

I saw Springsteen in Cleveland, and man, Dear Leader was right on about Bruce. Nobody there to see him (well, except for the 20k capacity crowd standing all night), low energy (he only went 2 hours and 50 minutes, so shameful for a 76 year old), and it was a massive hate America message (calling for unity, peace, not hating others due to politics, dialogue, defending the Constitution, choosing hope over fear etc.). I have to tell you, all of us in the crowd were ready to storm out of the arena and burn down Cleveland when we heard his speech at the end, considering it was such a call to violence as you will be able to read below...but instead everyone emptied into the bars instead and continued a great night. Shameful!

12th time seeing him, the band is playing at tight as ever. He's going to standard set lists now instead of the old "jukebox" concerts but still, it's Bruce and E Street. Morello absolutely shredded his solo on Ghost of Tom Joad. Once again, an amazing and inspirational night.  His closing speech before "Chimes of Freedom" is below.

"These are the hard times, but we'll make it through. We're the Americans. But I think — I know — for me, the hardest part about all of this is feeling the distance between your neighbors, your fellow citizens, and that distance... well, it can darken your soul. Now we have a leader who says he wishes nothing but ill upon the people he disagrees with, and who disagree with him. I don't feel that way. America, from the beginning, was born out of disagreement. It was built on disagreement. We can argue about what course we thought the country should take while recognizing our common humanity, our dignity and, yes, our unity...

"I go back to thinking about Renée Good's last words before she died, to the man who she was protesting against, the man who would take her life. She said, 'That's fine, dude, I'm not mad at you. I'm not mad.' God bless her.

"So tonight, when you go home, hold your loved ones close. And tomorrow, do as Renée did, find a way to take aggressive, peaceful action to defend our country's ideals. And as the great civil rights leader John Lewis said, 'Go out and get into some good trouble. Say something. Do something. Help! Sing something!' If you're feeling helpless, hopeless, betrayed, frustrated, angry ... I know I've been. That's why The E Street Band is here tonight. This is a tour that was not planned. We're here tonight because we need to feel your hope, and your strength. And we want to bring some hope and some strength for you. I hope we did that. All I can say is God bless Alex Pretti, God bless Renée Good, God bless you, and God bless America."

[Jay Bee]

Springsteen is a dipsh1t

[Uncle Rico]

Springsteen is a dipsh1t

I agree with everything he said.

Also:

Use of profanity, racist or sexist comments prohibited

[Billy Hoyle]

Springsteen is a dipsh1t

Yeah, saying it's ok to disagree about the direction of the country but still staying united as Americans instead of hating one another (common on both sides) is just an awful message.

Since you must have missed it the first time:

"Now we have a leader who says he wishes nothing but ill upon the people he disagrees with, and who disagree with him. I don't feel that way. America, from the beginning, was born out of disagreement. It was built on disagreement. We can argue about what course we thought the country should take while recognizing our common humanity, our dignity and, yes, our unity."

[MU82]

Springsteen is a dipsh1t

Well, he's not a fine gentleman, stable genius and Jesus-pretender like your hero, but he's OK.

[Spotcheck Billy]

Graham Parker solo was excellent last night @ Shank Hall. 

[21Jumpstreet]

Graham Parker solo was excellent last night @ Shank Hall.

Love Shank Hall, have seen some crazy good shows there.