Top 10 Concerts I've Ever Been To

I thought this would be fun to do... There are a lot of things to consider when trying to compare shows to one another. Shows like Kanye and RHCP have amazing production value because they're big budget acts that can afford to have huge lighting displays and screens on their tours, while smaller bands can't afford that stuff. But that shouldn't be held against the smaller bands. Also, there is the overall performance: how long the show was, has well the act performed, etc. Finally, there is the personal x-factor. The overall experience and memories you have when you think about a show.

1. Dispatch: Zimbabwe (7/13/07)
Madison Sq Garden, NYC
Dispatch's reunion concert is my #1 because of the x-factor. Radiohead put on the best show I have ever seen, but Dispatch was my favorite concert. I took the trip with a group of my best friends to NYC for the night, and was 3rd row at MSG. How can you beat that?!

2. Radiohead (8/13/08)
Grizzly Bear; Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA

3. Coldplay (10/29/08)
Duffy; TD Banknorth Garden, Boston, MA

4. The Roots (3/13/07)
Lupe Fiasco; Avalon, Boston, MA

5. Zox (11/27/04)
State Radio; Lupo's, Providence, RI

6. Atmosphere (10/12/05)
POS, Blueprint; Lupo's, Providence, RI

7. Jack Johnson (8/6/08)
Rogue Wave, Neil Halstead; Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA

8. Dave Matthews Band (8/1/07)
Xavier Rudd; Comcast Center, Mansfield, MA

9. Jurassic 5 (5/6/05)
Lupo's, Providence, RI

10. Kanye West (7/10/07)
Common, Lupe Fiasco; Mohegan Sun Arena, Uncasville, CT

Honorable Mentions/Runners Up:

11. The Who (10/24/08); Inward Eye; TD Banknorth Garden
12. Red Hot Chili Peppers (10/2/06); The Mars Volta; TD Banknorth Garden
13. Dispatch (7/31/04); The Hatch Shell, Boston
14. Rock The Bells: Rage Against the Machine, Wu-Tang Clan, Public Enemy, Cypress Hill, Mos Def, Talib Kweli, Immortal Technique, Jedi Mind Tricks, MF Doom, Felt/Atmosphere, Sage Francis, Brother Ali, Mr. Lif, Akrobatik, Eligh & Grouch, Rahzel, Supernatural (7/29/07); Randall's Island, NYC
15. Guster (11/12/05); Matt Pond PA; Lupo's
16. Gym Class Heroes (2/17/07); Rx Bandits, POS, K-Os; The Avalon
17. Immortal Technique (4/1/07); Poison Pen, Akir; Middle East Downstairs
18. OAR (10/6/05); Dunkin Donuts Center

Mountain Dew Christmas Tree!!!

This is one of the coolest things EVER!!!
(click the picture to see it full-sized)

(Thanks to Eth. on kL for showing me the pictures)

Bad Larry Reunion Show

So last night was the Bad Larry reunion show after 3 years of not playing together... I was so excited about this show, even though I thought it would've been better at the Living Room over Thanksgiving when everyone was home, like it was originally scheduled for. But what are you gonna do... They are the best band to ever come out of Cranston, RI and they put on awesome shows, this was my 6th time seeing them.

Show was awesome! I was about 3 or 4 people from the stage, right in front of the horn section, which is my favorite part. They played great, everything seemed to go off without a hitch. The only problem for me was that it went by so fast. I really hope these guys get together again and play another show, even if its a few years from now.

With the number of concerts I go to, I kind of look for new and exciting things to do or take away from a show. For a while now, my goal has been to catch a drumstick thats thrown into the crowd at the end of a band's set. Bad Larry gave me the perfect opportunity, being so close and all. The drumsticks were thrown out into the crowd, and one was coming right at me. I was taller than most of the people around me, stuck my hand up, and should have had it... but I blew it. Rather than hit me in the soft part of my hand just above my thumb, it bounced right off the hard bone/joint at the base of my pointer finger. It hurt, too. I'm still bitter.

Anyways, here are some pictures I took with my phone. Keep in mind it's a camera phone so they aren't the best quality. If you click it you can see the full size version.

Random

I haven't posted anything in a while, and I don't really have anything to post at the moment... but felt like it was necessary to "check in".

Posts Coming Soon:
"Top 10 Concerts I've Been To", "Favorite Albums of 2008", and more...

Everyone should check out 2 comic strip sites that are updated almost daily... xkcd.com and explosm.net
Both sites had funny ones up today, which I will copy below:
(click to enlarge)