Rate Your Gigs....

[arginite]

Was having this chat with someone last night and thought tis an interesting one... So... what was the best gig you have ever been to? best large venue? Best intimate gig? Worst gig? Biggest missed gig regret?

For me:
Best Large Venue: tie between Macca in the RDS in 2003 or The Pixies in Phoenix Park in 2004
Best Intimate Gig: currently going with DS in the Sugar Club cos it just blew me away, and the company was super!! :)
Worst gig: dont really have one of those I think
Biggest gig regret: probably Bowie in The Point in 2004, was writing my thesis. Or the time that was offered tickets to an intimate Radiohead gig in Oxford when I was living in London. Got the bus down, booked hotel, and then myself and the then other half decided that the novelty of staying in a hotel for the first time ever was too exciting and we got there late and couldnt get in.... bummer!


So... what are yours?

[Fintan]

Best Large Venue:
Oxegen 2005 - Punchestown Racecourse

Best Intimate Gig:
Duke Special in Grace Neills in Donaghadee! Also loved the intimacy in Aunty Annies

Worst Gig:
Never had a really bad gig, just where the band/artist got a bad reception from the crowd

Biggest Gig Regret:
Not going to Electric Picnic

[jan]

OK.......as I'm VERY old........the most prestigious gig I ever attended was in June 63 at City Hall Newcastle when The Beatles played with support from Gerry and the Pacemakers and, the immortal, Roy Orbison.. The Beatles were probably amazing but I did not hear a word of their set, nor any of Gerry and the Pacemakers except for their finale which was You'll never Walk Alone which was encored at least once. The only artiste I remember fully was Roy Orbison who stood alone and almost immobile with his guitar in the spotlight, performed his repertoire to a silent audience and was obliged to do two ecores, at least, of Running Scared. What a stage presence! Youu really had to be there.
Shakes away the memory................
The worst........well there were some pretty poor North-eastern bands knocking around in the 60s doing just covers which would count as being bad.
I saw Yes in Leicester in the early 70s.....Rick Wakeman and co.....they were pretty memorable......and Steeleye Span a few times who were excellent......Maddie Prior was their lead singer and was mesmerising in her floaty clothes and perpetual motion.
Most influential was going to see David Ford in February and learning of the existence of Duke Special (support act).............once seen, never forgetten............. :)

[Yellow Dog]

Best large venue: To be honest twas probably coldplay in the Odyssey in 2002 *i think*

Best intimate gig: hmmm, I quite enjoyed The4ofus in a wee tent in the Cathedral Quarter a few years ago. It was a rare treat. Or Henry McCullough in The Lyric (intimate-ish)

Worst gig: without a doubt The Cranberries at the Ulster Hall. Dunno whether it was coz it was their first gig in the tour or whether it was The Ulster Hall. I suspect the latter. Dire.

Biggest gig regret: where do I start :cry: Arriving late for Tennants Vital and missing dukemeister, the whole concept of Queen with Paul Rodgers, The time i had a hay fever attack during Meatloaf at ravenhill and i ran back to Granny's house snivelling, never having the chance to see Nina Simone in concert.

[thesneakybandit]

Best Large Venue:
Bon Jovi at the RDS bak around 2001ish. Standing outside in a huge thunder and lightning storm. The atmosphere was literally electric.

Best Intimate Gig:
Glen Hansard supported by Mark Geary in Auntie Annies in 2003. Everyone sitting on the floor in complete revered hush. No one even got up to go to the bar or anything. It was truly spellbinding stuff.

Worst gig:
Susan Enan in The Bush Cafe in 2002. We were promoting this gig and I use the word promoting in a rather fast and loose sense as it was shambolically arranged and she ended up playing to cafe staff and her entourage of a few friends. It was highly cringeworthy.

Biggest gig regret:
I have missed countless great gig opportunities and will no doubt miss many more fantastic live shows. But the knowlege that I have seen and will continue to see some truly amazing bands and artists balances it all out.

[Guinness]

Best Large Venue :
Eh well if outdoor festivals count I would say that it would have to be Wacken Open Air in Germany! Was amazing! It was about 40 degrees all the time but you get money back for your empties at the offys!

Most Intimate Gig:
Well there have been a couple and of course as Claire said above there was Grace Neills, but I remember when I was like 15 there was a gig in 'Giros' (childhood getaway) with Dave and the Aubergines when the P.A blew up and the whole set for the rest of the night was acoustic with candles all around the walls and floor! Awsome!

Worst Gig:
Worst gig was probably Oxegen this year! After going year after year for about 5 years with nothing much to complain about... this year was a disaster! Long story short, our crowd got ejected from the venue at 5.50am on the last morning of the festival for mistaken identity of people who were burning tents!

Biggest Gig Regret:
Not being able to go to electric picnic and attempt to play piano in the trees...

[Matt Burgess]

Best Large Venue :
Iron Maiden in the Point in December. I don't like Maiden. Thought I'd have to go see a Maiden gig in my lifetime. Blown Away!!

Most Intimate Gig:
Duke Special in Auntie Annies before He went on tour with the Beautiful South.

Worst Gig:
Trivium supporting Iron Maiden in Dublin in December. Can't believe they were out of time with their drummer.

Biggest Gig Regret:
Having free tickets to Metallica and not going.

[nymphcat]

Best Large Venue:
Without question, R.E.M at Ardgillan Castle in the Summer of 2005. Right at the front, not bad for an old git, I thought Moby would never work as a support and he was just amazing, The Zutons were brilliant and R.E.M were the best I had ever seen them, even though I was driving and couldn't get drinkies in it was outstanding. The setting, the stage backing on to the sea, the sunset and the moon all at once, it was magical.

Best Intimate Gig:
Not wholly intimate but seeing the Barenaked Ladies in the Olympia a couple of years ago was fantastic, felt like it was in my own living room. Download it from their site, so much banter, so many brilliant moments, the cover of Lady in Red was just...

Worst gig:
Couple of these...
This is going to get LOTS of abuse but I thought Snow Patrol in Botanic were dreadful, the sound was atrocious and it ruined what was promising to be a cracking night, so disappointing. Divine Comedy in the Empire a few years ago was horrendous, they came out and played the entire new album, which no one had yet heard and then walked off. No encore required.

Biggest gig regret:
Missing lots of gigs that were later reviewed as being amazing... Not listening to may mates when they said I should go see some band called Booley house...
regrets are futile, if its gone its gone...

[mickoc]

Best Large Venue:
The Divine Comedy at The Royal Albert Hall.

Best Intimate Gig:
Can't choose between the Duke and Evan Dando, both at The Cluny in Byker, Newcastle.

Worst Gig
Stone Roses (well two of em) Reading Festival. Musically fine but Ian Brown as flat as hell and quite ruined it for me.

Biggest Gig regret
Not saying Hello to the Duke when he walked passed on his way to the loo in the Cluny. And not having heard of him when he played The University Global Cafe last year! :(

[Zeyneb]

Best Large Venue Gig:
I quite liked U2 on their All That You Can't Leave Behind tour, in Sportpaleis in Antwerp. And silly as it may sound, Eminem, 50ct, Cypress Hill and X-zibit in the Amsterdam ArenA was quite impressive too.

Best Intimate Gig:
Josh Ritter in Ancienne Belgique last year, but I think/hope this will be excelled by the Duke. Also TDC/Duke Special in Le Botanique in Brussels last autumn. Oh and obviously the Duke in the lovely creaky Thekla Social in Bristol. That was soo ace!

Worst Gig
The support for Jarvis at the Astoria a couple of weeks ago. Painful!

Biggest Gig regret
No gig regrets, it's all been good. Just wish I'd met some more people (eg Josh Ritter, Calexico)

[slipofgirl]

Best Large Venue Gig
Has to be Robbie Williams at Knebworth with 100,000 other people on the first night when his voice was ok. A very hot day and worth the journey. Prince at Wembley Arena in 1989 was pretty good.

Best Intimate Gig
Jamairoquai jumping around in a club in Bristol, not the Thekla, but similar in 1990 - little did we know how big he was going to be.... DS at Oxford the other day comes in level though.

Worst Gig
Being Dragged to NEC to see George Benson by someone with a spare ticket, Curtis Steigers was great but GB was appalling....

Biggest Regret
Easy- Live Aid, or even just seeing Queen at Wembley....

[Fintan]

Best Large Venue Gig
Has to be Robbie Williams at Knebworth with 100,000 other people on the first night when his voice was ok.

Even though he tends to annoy me sometimes that is one gig I would have loved to have been at. All the footage seemed awesome!! So atmospheric!

[slipofgirl]

Best Large Venue Gig
Has to be Robbie Williams at Knebworth with 100,000 other people on the first night when his voice was ok.

Even though he tends to annoy me sometimes that is one gig I would have loved to have been at. All the footage seemed awesome!! So atmospheric!

Oh god all the material he's released since has annoyed the hell out of me. I think I've got a couple of albums, I'm not a fan but I loved his Guy Chambers stuff and we were offered the tickets cheaply. It was amazing.....