So who WOULD you pay silly money to see live?

The reverse of this thread’s question is more interesting: So who would you pay silly money to see dead?

AC/DC with the full line-up in their prime. First half with Bon Scott, second with Brian!

TBF that would be pretty cool – Bon Scott to sing ‘Highway to Hell’ as his final song, then Brian Johnson open with ‘Hell’s Bells’

CountZero Full Member
Speaking, as we were, of Sparklehorse, I’d forgotten I’d seen them twice at The Fleece, first time in ‘98, supported by someone called The Paradise Motel, who seem to have vanished into obscurity, the second time supported by Gemma Hayes, who, thankfully hasn’t.
For any Sparklehorse fans who might be interested, here’s the setlist for each gig, and Gemma’s rather brief one, written on the back of a large envelope!

I was at that gig in ’98! It was pretty much the thing that kicked off me going to see live music. Thanks so much for sharing!

That setlist is interesting, not least because it doesn’t quite line up with my memories. I remember Mark getting pretty hammered on stage. He seemed to be barely able to stand except when he had a guitar in his hands, but generally when he was in front of the mic he seemed relatively fine. However he abandoned Hundreds of Sparrows with a bunch of slurred apologies, then launched into Pig instead and seemed to manage it perfectly fine. What confuses me is that I remember him having played Pig before that point in the evening already, so the second rendition of it was like an apology for messing up Hundreds of Sparrows.

Maybe in my memory, or in my relative unfamiliarity at the time of Good Morning Spider’s songs I’m mixing up one of the other heavily distorted songs with Pig, maybe Cruel Sun? It is however 26 years ago now so while the memories are cherished they are somewhat dim!

I also remember that Mark did some weird sound collage things between some songs, which aren’t in the setlist above, like the odd short tracks from Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot. And during one of them he managed to break the tape machine he was using to make some of the sounds. A friend who was also at the gig (in a better position than I was I guess) said he saw metres of tape coming out of the machine in Mark’s hands, while the other guitarist (Jonathan Segel?) rolled his eyes at the mess…

I watched Manic Street Preachers in a small hall in San Francisco for free when nobody had heard of them over there. Was just handed a ticket in the street by the local radio station. It was excellent and only about 200 people. The week before they’d sold out Cardiff stadium.

Oasis tickets compare with rugby at Twickenham or F1 at Silverstone. The Monza GP tickets are 320 euros and it’s all over in 80 minutes.

I think the most I’ve ever paid for a standalone show was £100, which was Muse at the Albert Hall at the point where they’d started playing stadiums (and by luck was just before Muse went shit), plus travel costs from Scotland. Totally worth it.

It’s travel that kills me, I’m off to London to see Biffy Clyro playing their first album and the cost of the ticket’s going to be like 20% of the cost of that, it’ll be way more than a ticket for Oasis. But again it’ll be worth it.

The Smiths like some others have mentioned

The question as posed is not ‘in their prime’ – rather reformed and on the road again. I can’t imagine worse than seeing the most influential band of my youth with nobhead version Morrissey and ANOther on bass.

I’ve seen tribute Smiths (The Smyths, The Joneses) – the songs still stand up to scrutiny. I’d rather do that than 1/2 the original line up (Morrissey’s not the same person any more)

Japanese band ‘Passcode’ still need to show up in Europe.

Not the same without Yuna sadly.

Marr’s concerts are great, often in smaller venues or at festivals, and cheap. No one needs a high ticket price Smiths semi-reunion.

Re. The Smiths: Johnny Marr really has no reason to reform the Smiths. And why would he? Instant cred kill!

I remember when the Velvet Underground reformed (early 90’s?). I was a mega Velvets fan early mid 80’s, I was buying all the boot lps I could lay my hands on. A mate really wanted to go but I wasn’t having any as i knew that I really wanted to see them as per 67-69, not some old numpties. Having seen the dvd of some the reunion show, man, definitely a bullet dodged there!

That said me na day mates hummed and heyed re going to see Buzzcocks (cheap at a small Aberdeen venue) in early 90’s (they were the first band I went to see in 78) but we weakened and went. It was pretty decent though, for what it was (but they definitely enjoyed playing). Even think Mike Joyce was the drummer…

If I was spending megabuck I’d want it to be someone on form right now.

I was sorely tempted to go see IU (Uaena til I die!), serious considered the Berlin gig but chickened out (never found out the cost of tickets either!) Just as well as me and my mate both had the jandies so wouldn’t have been able to travel. As it was her first Euro trip (she debuted 16-17 years ago) probably not likely she’ll be back in a hurry…

Other than that I’d say Blackpink (or possibly NewJeans but the CEO debacle puts me off). Course, you’d really need a lightstick…?

Nirvana.

Was lucky enough to catch Fugazi and Black Sabbath before it was too late but yeah an ‘in their prime’ Queen or LED Zeppelin would be incredible, I tried to get tickets for the mothership tour, no chance.

I was due to see Rage Against The Machine in 2020… well that didn’t happen for obvious reasons.

Those would probably be my 3

Napalm Death

It was ENT with KLF wasn’t it?

No band in a sodding stadium – well I do sometimes pay silly money to see Scotland at Murrayfield.  If I want to be that far away and looking at a big screen, I have YouTube.

Live music in a modern stadium is my idea of hell and any money is too much money. I did see the Stuffies at Bescott in Walsall but that was a long time ago and tiny compared to stadiums today. Also saw The Cure at Crystal Palace Bowl but that was a cool venue with the massive lake in front of the stage and everyone lying around on the grass…long gone now.

If I was paying silly money now it would be because I was seeing bands in other countries….Of Monsters and Men in Iceland next year for instance.

A few years ago I went to Amsterdam to support a local band that normally plays tiny venues within 20 miles of my house! That was silly money.

Edit – just found a promo flyer for that Wonderstuff gig with New Fads and Swervedriver in support – £15.50!! Adjusted for inflation that’s about £35

Live music in a modern stadium is my idea of hell

Is it the stadium itself thats the problem? Or the band?

I can’t imagine any act at Woodstock when you were 200,00 people back listening to a 1960s PA was any good

Conversely my 1st ever gig on my own was U2 in 1993 at Parkhead and it absolutely set the standard over what a huge gig should be. Looking back, given the tech available at the time, it was light years ahead of it’s time. A multimedia work of art.

If the band in question makes the most of the environment, then it doesn’t matter if it’s a 100 capacity club or a 100,000 capacity stadium.

If the band’s good, they’re good

Stop making up rules to exclude yourself from awesome stuff

 Nirvana.

The whole reason to see Nirvana would be Kirk Kobaine. I’m not sure I’d pay a reformed Nirvana much at all (just like I wouldn’t pay much to see Foo Fighters).

The whole reason to see Nirvana would be Kirk Kobaine.

Who?

Just to annoy everyone on page 1 saying the Prodigy or Keith, I just thought I’d mention that my first ever gig was The Chemical Brothers with Keith from the Prodigy doing a set afterwards.

That is all

The now-dead lead singer of the band who took his own life but I couldn’t be bothered to spell check his name as it’s obvious everyone knows exactly who I am talking about (goes off to find a rolly eyes emoji).

If we are annoying people, I did get to see Queen at Maine Road (with Status Quo and Beluios Some supporting – again, not spell checked) the year after Live Aid.

Talk Talk playing their later stuff live…..which they never did. Or Kate Bush. Or / and Led Zeppelin. Maybe original line up Black Sabbath.

I love Black Sabbath – I saw them do a warm-up gig for the 13 tour at Birmingham O2 Academy then saw them do the full show at the arena, but I don’t think a reformed band would be worth spoiling the legacy for (they are rumoured to be doing a one-off in Birmingham next year) – Ozzy is a complete wreck now :(

I just had a thought, I’d love to see The Specials again.

And then I remembered that Terry Hall died, and now I’m sad.

I was too young to see them as a kid, but loved the music. Then I did at least see them on a reunion tour in about 2009 – 30th anniversary.

If we can say “bands where someone’s died” then does that open the doors to “bands at a specific point in time”? Cos if so I’m off to Donington Monsters Of Rock 1994. Basically the thing that got me into rock music, I’d just started getting Kerrang and they went really massive on it and I just kind of immersed into that, then it was all on the radio, so many amazing sets and a bunch of bands that I later came to love that were just absolutely at their finest- I’d kill to have seen Therapy?, Sepultura and the Wildhearts that day but tbh I’d love to see every single band there. Um, except Cry of Love, sorry Cry of Love.

winston
Free Member

Live music in a modern stadium is my idea of hell and any money is too much money.

Just once, I went to a stadium show and it was fantastic- Muse, My Chemical Romance and Biffy Clyro, all 3 bands that I love and that could really rise to it and make it an event. And being at Wembley was pretty cool too. Even Simon Neil out of Biffy had to do a day-oh, it’s the law.

Zelensky so long as all the money went to building drones for him.

Most expensive gig I’ve been to was Slade at Birmingham Town Hall, £2 was many weeks of income at the time. ;) As was the Slade Alive album, also £2. For years gigs were about the same price as an album.

“Stop making up rules to exclude yourself from awesome stuff”

The rule excluding me from “awesome stuff” is my bank account.  I’m priced out now.   As for Woodstock, don’t know about that but Glastonbury Main Stage looks pretty rough. A view of flags and mobiles.  Seen plenty of awesome stuff in places where you can actually see the performance. A good band is good on your telly as well as the big screen in Murrayfield*.

Only stadium so far was Wee Free Kings and Runrig in Dingwall.  Back then it was more like Rushall Olympic than Walsall.

*unsure if anyone any good has played there – most years the act is on my pay good money to avoid list.

I remember when the Velvet Underground reformed (early 90’s?). I was a mega Velvets fan early mid 80’s, I was buying all the boot lps I could lay my hands on. A mate really wanted to go but I wasn’t having any as i knew that I really wanted to see them as per 67-69, not some old numpties. Having seen the dvd of some the reunion show, man, definitely a bullet dodged there!

That said me na day mates hummed and heyed re going to see Buzzcocks (cheap at a small Aberdeen venue) in early 90’s (they were the first band I went to see in 78) but we weakened and went. It was pretty decent though, for what it was (but they definitely enjoyed playing). Even think Mike Joyce was the drummer…

Mate, I went to see the Velvets at Wembley Arena and it was one of the worst gigs I’ve experienced. Maybe not because of the absolute quality of their performance (I can’t remember), but because they were clearly very uncomfortable and because sitting in a plastic seat drinking warm Carling didn’t feel very Underground IYKWIM.

I also saw the Buzzcocks on that tour. It was the same year I saw Ramones (incredible) and I came away feeling a bit let down. They played too slow and were wearing woolly jumpers IIRC. Them and the Velvets soured me on seeing “reformed for tax purposes” bands for decades after.

Glad I relented for Iggy & The Stooges / Suicide though.

 Kirk Kobaine.
Who?

Y’know, that grunge guy who died at 27 – like Jackie Jormp-Jormp and Amy Winegums.

Just to put some things in context concerning prices as Queen are so often mentioned.

We were at the “A Night at the Opera” at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1975. Ticket prices ranged from £1 to £2.50

Not sure what we paid but had great seats….    What would they cost now if possible.

Marr’s concerts are great, often in smaller venues or at festivals, and cheap. No one needs a high ticket price Smiths semi-reunion.

I saw The Smiths at the Dome in Brighton in 1985 and I saw Johnny Marr there a couple of months ago. It was every bit as good a gig and for me a Smiths gig without Rourke or Joyce wouldn’t be a Smiths gig anyway.

Stadium gigs are awful, saw REM at Twickenham I think it was once, dull as shit and I love REM. Friend worked for Ticketmaster at the time so it was free …

I’d like to see Bob Dylan. Heard him at a festival once but was a bit erm….altered and couldn’t stand up.

<smug mode>I saw Prince at the Camden Roundhouse, and he was just as good as you would imagine.</smug mode>

@johndoh I paid a lot of money (at the time) to see Roger Waters tour The Wall and it was almost as good as the Prince gig above. It made me understand why people rave about Pink Floyd.

I was gutted to miss AC:DC this year because I was in the Alps.

I’d pay a lot of money to see Depeche Mode.

I was due to see Rage Against The Machine in 2020… well that didn’t happen for obvious reasons.

I saw them live at a Download. You didn’t miss much. Every so often in between Zack’s political grandstanding monologues they’d occasionally play a song. I sodded off halfway through and went to watch My Chemical Romance instead, who were excellent.

I’m off to Donington Monsters Of Rock 1994

Oh, I was there for that. That was the gig where Gary Cherone comitted career suicide by being utterly contemptuous towards the crowd.

I’d kill to have seen Therapy?

I’ve seen them… three times now I think? They make one hell of a noise for just three blokes.

No one, stadium gigs are crap and so are the greedy tossers playing them.

No one, stadium gigs are crap and so are the greedy tossers playing them.

I don’t agree. I have seen stadium gigs that absolutely nailed it (Queen, Iron Maiden, AC/DC and The Cure being my stand-outs) along with ones that didn’t (Jamiroquai springs to mind). AC/DC do seem to have crept into ‘greedy’ territory, although the River Plate gig proves they can fill a huge place and nail it. Iron Maiden and The Cure still charge reasonable ticket prices so big respect to them.

It made me understand why people rave about Pink Floyd.

I saw Floyd during the Pulse tour, I was at the rescheduled gig after part of the seating collapsed.  I was never a fan particularly.  I went solely because I could and because I figured, it might be one of those things that I’d kick myself for the rest of my life if I didn’t.

It was astonishingly good, just indescribable, probably one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to.  The band were tight, the sound was perfect beginning-to-end, the stage show was incredible, and they had Sam Brown on backing vocals who absolutely annihilated Great Gig In The Sky.  I’m getting a tingling on the back of my neck now just thinking about that performance.

If the remit of this thread was “what would you pay silly money for to reattend a gig you’ve already been to” it’d either be Floyd at Earl’s Court in 1994 or MoR at Donington 1990 (my first ever ‘proper’ gig).

AC/DC do seem to have crept into ‘greedy’ territory

I was never a fan of AC/DC either, they make Status Quo look nuanced.  But they’ve disappeared firmly up their own arseholes in recent years.

They finally relented to do a festival – Download – after years of saying they never would, neatly sidestepping the fact that for many fans it was Donington which put them on the map in the first place.  They refused to share a stage with anyone so an entire second main stage had to be built right next to the actual main stage.  They vetoed having their name on the official tee-shirt, so if you bought a download shirt that year it was missing the headline act; you could however buy their own merch.

Money-grubbing self-important cockbags.  And it wouldn’t have left such a bad taste in my mouth if after all that palaver they hadn’t turned out to be not much beyond mediocre.

For me, ‘silly money’ is £100.
Bit niche, but the only band that immediately comes to mind is Dance Hall Crashers. Gutted I never got the chance in the 90s.

Are The Cure good live still?

Wish I’d joined my friends at the Crystal Palace gig in the 90s. One of the very few big acts I’d be interested in seeing.