Back in 2014 I got to see Rise Against play at the House of Blues in Boston, which was amazing, and just recently I went to see grandson and K. Flay perform together.
I think these are my two favorite concerts I’ve been to, and the key factor seems to be the energy between the crowd and the band. It’s a thing that’s kinda hard to express in words, but for me that’s definitely what makes a concert go from good to great. It doesn’t need to be a high-energy thing necessarily, either: one of the best moments from grandson’s set was actually a really somber, lower energy song that he came down onto the floor to perform, and you could just tell that everyone was really invested in that moment.
What about you all? What takes a concert to the next level for you?
Best one I’ve been to was Lightning Bolt. Out of the numerous death metal, grindcore, and thrash shows I’ve seen, Lightning Bolt just had the room in a trance. Couldn’t stop moving if I wanted to. The energy was insane.
The first time I saw Chippendale perform (it was actually with Mindflayer (drums & electronics) not Lightning Bolt (drums & bass)) it changed my life. That was… summer, 1999? I had spent the 90s listening to rock from the 70s and whining that there was no good new music… WRONG! Ha ha.
The only other drummers I enjoy as much are Gabe Serbian (The Locust) and Max Roach.
Jeez I’m envious of that, I would love to have seen them live, but I’m on the wrong continent