What’s The Best Show You’ve Ever Been To?

Music… I don’t know where I’d be without it. It helps me concentrate when I write, it helps me sleep at night, and it lifts my spirits when I’m down. To me, there’s not much better than live music. I feel most alive when I’m lost in a crowd of people, when the air is buzzing with sound waves and the only reality is just that moment. Your senses are so full that all other worries, fear and anxiety get pushed out and it’s just you and the music. Concerts are all so different, depending on the band, the venue, the size, etc…but I always love hearing about which shows left the biggest impact on people. Here, Jemma, Brigette & I share the best shows we’ve ever been to. What’s yours?

my-morning-jacket

Julia: My Morning Jacket, Bonnaroo 2008

I was with my best friend and this was THE show we went to Bonnaroo for that year. They didn’t go on until midnight, and you could feel the anticipation in the air…the energy they came out with was unreal, and they didn’t stop ’till close to 4am. They played almost all of their songs and about 10 or 15 awesome covers… fans of the band all pretty much agree it was the most epic show they’ve ever put on.

phoenix

Jemma: Phoenix, Washington DC 2010

Before I moved to America I listened to their album Wolfgang Amadeus Phoenix nonstop, then when I moved to America I met a boy who loved them also. We drove from work here in Philly all the way to DC and back in one night. The show was awesome!

feist

Brigette: Feist, Prospect Park 2008

I’ll never forget seeing Feist at Prospect Park in Brooklyn in the summer of 2008. It was a beautifully hot summer day, and right before she came on stage, it just began pouring rain. The atmosphere created simultaneously by the summer rain and by her beautiful voice is something I’ll always remember.

Tell us, what’s the best show you’ve ever been to?

My Morning Jacket image source; Feist image source.

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Laura
10 years ago

Radiohead, Cleveland, OH 2012 – Everything was perfection. Their physical set (the lights!), the set list, the weather, our seats, and of course the band. I stood there in awe of Thom Yorke the whole show and loved every second of it.

Madeline
10 years ago

Umphrey’s McGee at SummerCamp Music Festival in Illinois 2012. The third night of the festival was unbeatable

josephine
10 years ago

The Dead Rothbury Music Festival 2010
Umphreys McGee Hoxeyville music festival 2011
The Black Keys

Courtney
10 years ago

Mumford & Sons, Rome, 2013: The venue was much smaller than anything they’ve played recently in the United States or England, and the intimacy was amazing. Plus, it was their bassist’s birthday, so the entire room sung Happy Birthday in English and Italian.

Meg
10 years ago

St. Vincent at First Ave, Minneapolis! Annie Clark is an AMAZING performer.

10 years ago

This last week I went to a super small venue in which Lord Huron was headlining.
I’ve seen them once before, but the confidence they’ve gained since had a HUGE effect on their stage presence.
In a good way.
Best show yet.
(Also, just to share – the band Papa opened. I have never been so impressed with an opening band IN MY LIFE. Please do yourself a favor and listen to one of their tracks, and see them live. The bass player’s moves rival that of Thom Yorke’s… you will LOVE them.) Let me know what you think!

Gina
10 years ago

Mumford & Sons, Hoboken NJ, Pier A, August 2012
Outside on the pier with my sister; full fireworks show afterwards on the water. They played for so long that the city of Hoboken had to remind them there was a noise curfew and to end the show, they would have played all night. We walked away lifetime fans..

Mrs. Story
10 years ago

Last week, my husband and I got to see our favorite band, Sigur Ros, play in Boston–what a beautiful experience! :)

Alex
10 years ago

Phish, Miami, NYE 2011… thousands of balloons raining down, amazing people hugging each other everywhere, and a giant disco ball. It was so full of love and excitement and pure joy. But I can’t discount all the amazing local music fests around my town. We have a bluegrass festival that just ignites my body and turns me into a dancing fool!

10 years ago

Vanessa Carlton. San Francisco’s Castro District. 2011. It was autumn, and I was wearing my favorite Free People dress. The place was an abandoned church turned into a bar, and Vanessa was there promoting her newest album, Rabbits on the Run. It was just her, a piano, and a guy with a guitar. She went through all her best work and even did “A Thousand Miles.” This time, though, it was completely stripped down, and now that the song was ten years old, sounded completely different. This version seemed to be more about a woman who knows how horrible the world can be, yet chooses to focus on the positive, rather than a naive little girl.

Dani
10 years ago

The Flaming Lips – Sasquatch 2011

Lo
10 years ago

Beirut, House of Blues Cleveland Ohio April 2012

Dilly
10 years ago

Fleet Foxes. April 2009. The food court of UC Santa Barbara. Makeshift stage across from Panda Express. Strange setting, but everything incongruous evaporated when the band began to play. We were transfixed and transported as though Divinity were in the room– it was the purest essence of what music can and should be. I’ve seen some awesome shows, but nothing comes close to that night.

Kelsey
10 years ago

Bon Iver, Sasquatch Music Festival 2012.
The venue at the Gorge Amphitheater is amazing; sitting on a grassy hill with the view of the caverns of the river, in the hot weather surrounded by thousands of people sharing the same passion for music as you do.

Tara
10 years ago

Phish-too many awesome shows, I can’t pick just one.

Alexis
10 years ago

The White Stripes at the Cleveland Agora, 2003. I was right up against the stage and Jack White was so close I could’ve touched him. Amazing. Now the White Stripes and the Agora are no more. Sad.

Jessie
10 years ago

Hearing about that My Morning Jacket set at Bonnaroo 2008 is what made me decide to go to Bonnaroo in 2010. I’ve been back once (unfortunately not when MMJ played in 2011) and will be heading back to the farm again this year!

My first MMJ show at Merriweather Post Pavillion in 2010 is probably the best show I’ve been to. Everything was just perfect about it…even my one friend who got way too drunk on Jack Daniels and passed out mid-show couldn’t put a damper on that night!

katie pionke
10 years ago

Daft Punk at Lollapalooza 2007, hands down. Hoping to see them again soon with the release of a new album in May!

Sweat Pea
10 years ago

Fleet Foxes, October 2010…. unbelievable. It was in a 100 year old theatre that only seated about 300 people. I drank Shipyard Pumpkinhead beer and listened to some of the most amzing music I’ve ever heard. 4 part harmony… Some of the most talented people I’ve ever seen or heard.

10 years ago

Best show I’ve seen was No Doubt on their seven night stand tour in December 2012! Most amazing show live. They played all of their hits along with their amazing new album. It was so cool seeing so many loyal fans & amazing to watch them rock out doing what they love to do

10 years ago

Flaming Lips Sasquatch 2011

Grace
10 years ago

Phish Madison Square Garden, so much energy and excitement and an unforgettable trip with my best friends!

10 years ago

But Grace Potter and the Nocturnals was also AMAZING!

Kasey
10 years ago

Bon Iver at the Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA. It was late september, and summer night air was still lingering as people huddled together in this crazy stone stepped, outdoor venue. It was magical.

10 years ago

All Tomorrow’s Parties @ Long Beach CA <3