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I was recently digging through a pile of ticket stubs I've saved, finding cool show after cool show, from high school, college and especially, these last six years since we started Paste magazine. There are some big omissions—I've still never seen Springsteen or The Stones. I've only in the last few years checked off Dylan and Prince (neither made the list and only Prince was close). Some of my favorites are obvious choices. Others are more offbeat or just personal. But all are seared into my memory; for each night, I stood (or occasionally sat) in awe of the performance that was given. I'll countdown my Top 12 this week, and begin with one of the obvious:
#12
Radiohead
Oct. 6, 2003, HiFi Buys Amphitheater (Atlanta)
I kind of figured that my credibility as editor of a national music magazine was going to be in question if anyone found out I'd never seen Radiohead live. They were headed to Atlanta in support of Hail To the Thief, an album that I liked but didn't love. The evening started out poorly as my will-call ticket was under Josh Paxon, and they only found it after I'd walked around the entire complex looking for someone to help me and finally asked them to check under "P" for "Paste." I missed the opening set from Supergrass, and barely got to my seat in time the main show. The band started out with four straight songs from Thief, and that didn't do much to settle me down. But then the setlist went all over the place, playing "Exit Music (For a Film)," "Paranoid Android," "Creep," "Idioteque," "National Anthem" and "Fake Plastic Trees." I found a bunch of my friends from The Brick Store, and Johnny Greenwood and Ed O'Brien alternated between tearing up their guitars and making a ruckus from weird electronic gadgets. Cable & Tweed has audio of the whole set here. I got to meet the band afterwards and hitched a ride home with some local EMI folks. I've now seen them three times in the last five years and twice at whatever they happened to be calling Lakewood/HiFi Buy/Coca-Cola Amphitheater. All three were great, but my favorite was that first one.
Next>
The Countdown:
#12 Radiohead - Oct. 6, 2003, HiFi Buys Amphitheater
#11 Guadalcanal Diary - Sept. 15, 1989, Center Stage
#10 The Hold Steady - Oct. 25, 2007, The 40 Watt
#9 Uncle Tupelo - Feb. 11, 1994, The 40 Watt
#8 The Ramones - Nov. 22, 1988, Center Stage
#7 U2 - Nov. 19, 2005, Philips Arena
#6 INXS - March 3, 1988, The Omni
#5 Midnight Oil - Aug. 28, 1993, Lakewood Amphitheater
#4 Sufjan Stevens - April 1, 2005, Calvin College
#3 Beck - Oct. 28, 2006, The Knitting Factory
#2 Pixies - Oct. 15, 1989, The Roxy
#1 Arcade Fire - May 1, 2007, Atlanta Civic Center
I'd love to hear about your favorite concerts or your recollections from tours on this list, especially if you happened to be at one of these shows.
Radiohead
Oct. 6, 2003, HiFi Buys Amphitheater (Atlanta)
I kind of figured that my credibility as editor of a national music magazine was going to be in question if anyone found out I'd never seen Radiohead live. They were headed to Atlanta in support of Hail To the Thief, an album that I liked but didn't love. The evening started out poorly as my will-call ticket was under Josh Paxon, and they only found it after I'd walked around the entire complex looking for someone to help me and finally asked them to check under "P" for "Paste." I missed the opening set from Supergrass, and barely got to my seat in time the main show. The band started out with four straight songs from Thief, and that didn't do much to settle me down. But then the setlist went all over the place, playing "Exit Music (For a Film)," "Paranoid Android," "Creep," "Idioteque," "National Anthem" and "Fake Plastic Trees." I found a bunch of my friends from The Brick Store, and Johnny Greenwood and Ed O'Brien alternated between tearing up their guitars and making a ruckus from weird electronic gadgets. Cable & Tweed has audio of the whole set here. I got to meet the band afterwards and hitched a ride home with some local EMI folks. I've now seen them three times in the last five years and twice at whatever they happened to be calling Lakewood/HiFi Buy/Coca-Cola Amphitheater. All three were great, but my favorite was that first one.
Next>
The Countdown:
#12 Radiohead - Oct. 6, 2003, HiFi Buys Amphitheater
#11 Guadalcanal Diary - Sept. 15, 1989, Center Stage
#10 The Hold Steady - Oct. 25, 2007, The 40 Watt
#9 Uncle Tupelo - Feb. 11, 1994, The 40 Watt
#8 The Ramones - Nov. 22, 1988, Center Stage
#7 U2 - Nov. 19, 2005, Philips Arena
#6 INXS - March 3, 1988, The Omni
#5 Midnight Oil - Aug. 28, 1993, Lakewood Amphitheater
#4 Sufjan Stevens - April 1, 2005, Calvin College
#3 Beck - Oct. 28, 2006, The Knitting Factory
#2 Pixies - Oct. 15, 1989, The Roxy
#1 Arcade Fire - May 1, 2007, Atlanta Civic Center
I'd love to hear about your favorite concerts or your recollections from tours on this list, especially if you happened to be at one of these shows.
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