So who WOULD you pay silly money to see live?

Are The Cure good live still?

Yes – I saw them a couple of years ago at Leeds Arena and they were mesmerisingly beautiful. No theatrics, no fancy sets, just the band captivating their audience from start to finish. I just wish I had seen them earlier in my life – I don’t know why I didn’t as I have attended gigs from aged 14 back in 1981 and I have always liked them.

The cure also set the ticket prices recently and did some very successful gigs I’ve always wanted to see them

Bit niche, but I’d pay silly money* to see Dance Hall Crashers, as I never got the chance before they split.

I’d also pay a good amount to see Daughter play on a venue that had atmosphere to suit.

Tbh I have no desire to see a band in a huge venue, Biggest gig I’ve ever been to was the Foos at MK bowl. Not a huge fan but was pretty excited about seeing Jimmy Eat World in support, but they did nothing for me, (not due to some sort of inverse snobbery, just horses for courses) Take me back to the pissy walled Tunbridge Wells Forum(Symposium, 1998 ISH, Chefskiss.gif), Upstairs @The Garage(Idlewild, Captain era, incredible), or Brighton Concorde and I’m a happy man.

*To me £100 is silly money…

Queen. Obviously. If they were that good a spectacle in the pre-Napster era, imagine how mind-bendingly amazing they’d be now? Downloadable music may have reduced revenue from recordings but it doesn’t half make people put on a stunning show now and when they don’t make the effort people really kick off about it (looking at you Ian Brown, Kings of Leon, Aerosmith @ download 2010). Even batshit mentalists like Jane’s Addiction who’d otherwise turn up stoned, do a pi$$ poor half show and then clear off have seemingly cottoned onto the idea of professionalism in live music.

OK, The Cure are on my list then :)

Upstairs @The Garage

I saw the Jazz Butcher (RIP) killing it at that venue, and later ran an easy listening themed club night there :D

Paid very silly money for the Cure. I was seeing a lot of punk bands at the time, so thought their standing still strumming away was quite boring. I’d see em again. (For the same price)

After watching these two videos, I’d pay a lot for the Foo Zeps or the Lead Fighters

If we’re including dead people, Amy Winehouse.

A few mentioned above plus The Band, Joni Mitchell, The Alman Brothers Band and Stephen Stills

The Cure

Mate, I saw them when they were support for Siouxsie & the Banshees in Aberdeen when the Banshees split.

The Cure played, someone came on said that half the band had naffed off and that was that. Except Siouxsie and Budgie came out and did a couple of songs with… the Cure (Lords Prayer & Helter Skelter from memory). And then they gave us a refund :D

Saw them again on the A Forest/Seventeen Seconds tour.

For dead folk, I’d loved to have seen the Clash (always missed them). I did see Joe Strummer & the Rockabilly War which was decent (esp. I’d low expectations). Around London Calling era please!

Saw Bob Dylan in AECC (not really my choice but how could we not…) and that was actually really good (well for a Dylan gig).

Also, I saw MBV (supporting the Pixies) at Manchester International 2…

Bob Marley…. the only one i missed back in the day.

Luckily got to see all my heroes, including Joy Division (Leeds supporting the Buzzcocks) Clash, Cure, The Jam, Bruce in 85 St James Park, Southern Death Cult, Spear of Destiny, RamonesBig Country, INXS at Newcastle City Hall. would like to see the Rumjacks if they land in the UK. I was the right age at the right time and luckily made the most of it.

Another vote for Queen but only if they played their earlier material (up to and including Jazz, though I’ll give them permission to also include Radio Gaga)

And only a proper theatre gig…not a soulless arena

Are The Cure good live still?

Based on the gig Mrs Vlad went to a few years ago, they’d be good value as they were on stage for about 3.5 hrs and did about three encores!

I saw Queen at Wembley Stadium when I was 15 in 1986. I know it doesn’t count in this thread, I just never miss the opportunity to tell people and they were at least as good as you imagine them to be (actually better).

I managed to see Aphex Twin last year at Forewards Festival last year, amazing! That was a bucket list gig. My missus **** hated it!

I’ve seen most bands that I love over the years at various gigs and festivals not Radiohead as yet so certainly them. Smiths as others have said but no chance.

Dead, would be Nirvana, absolutely worshipped them as a teen. Frank Zappa would’ve been great too.

The Alman Brothers Band and Stephen Stills

Saw the Allman Brothers in the 70’s, Duane had unfortunately passed a few years earlier.  2.1/2 hour set, amazing.  Would like to see Stephen Stills, he’s very good.

 I see @binners is keeping his powder dry but he can’t fool me……I know where his hard earned is going. No price is too high to breathe the same air as this mighty lord of the quill, I just hope ticketmaster has added in a couple of new server banks…

https://www.theguardian.com/guardian-live-events/article/2024/jun/03/an-evening-with-adrian-chiles-live-in-london-and-online?utm_medium=ACQUISITIONS_HOUSE_ADS&utm_campaign=Live_event_Adrian_Chiles&utm_content=HouseAds_AdrianChiles&utm_term=Live&utm_source=GUARDIAN_WEB&redirector=Adscience

I am trying very hard to think who I should pay silly money to see?

Nope, can’t think of anyone. Nobody.

The time has passed.

Daft Punk for me please.

Living: Stevie Wonder is the only one I can think of who would be worth “silly money”. And Kate Bush.

Dead: Bowie and James Brown (With Bootsy Collins) would each be an amazing experience.

Other than that, I just don’t think there are many others I’d really be that desperate to see. Does that make me terminally 1980s?

PS Seen Queen a few times – they were great. Radiohead not so much – more fun to sit at home and listen to the music rather than be at the gig.

Led Zeppelin.  Dig ‘em up and get ‘em on.

Also Mazzy Star.

@ovoderbars I used to go The Bowgie where he used to DJ before he got famous. The dancefloor used to absolutely kick off.

I coughed up a smidge over £100 to see Joe Bonamassa at the Albert Hall earlier this year (in very average seats).  That’s my  limit – but he’s on top of his game, a great guitarist if you’re into his kind if thing ( and given we’re sadly not gonna be seeing SRV playing on this planet, about as good as it gets). The  sound quality was good.  Nice venue too where you were treated like civilised humans.

Hated the O2 Millenium dome experience when I went – total bit of a mess trying to get in, treated worse than crims, etc. Vowed never again to go there (Foo Fighters themselves were good, but the place itself left a bad taste in my mouth).

Wembley arena acoustics were… shite. Like a hollow concrete bunker with no dampening – which is what it is.  And badly ventilated. And I got Covid there again, 3 months ago. FFS.

Wembley Stadium… actually for a Stadium, it was OK.  Didn’t feel like being totally hearded like cattle, sound was acceptable when I’ve been.

£14 for Florence Black at KKs Steel Mill earlier this year must have been the bargain of the century though- absolutely banging.  And food / drink at sensible prices too, no London gouging £9 for a shit pint of euro fizz.

Seeing them again in a couple of months at Rock City (support to Massive Wagons.

Now if we have a time machine…  I’d love to see Gary Moore again. Just a fabulous player.

Wish I could have seen Thin Lizzy. And Rory Gallagher. I was just a bit too young when they split up / departed.

I thought they’d be loads of bands I’d have to pick from but having thought about it since the OP the only two I can think of is either the impossible The Doors or maybe The Replacements with all the remaining live members and different guitarist.

The Cure in Orange (’86?) I was there for them setting up in the amphitheatre, purely by accident. Heard a bit of a sound check.

Then had to be the mardy teen dragged away and around the town for family stuff, didn’t even get some nougat to soften the blow.

Dead: Bowie and James Brown (With Bootsy Collins) would each be an amazing experience.

I’ve seen both. Bowie in the mid 90s playing his (not very popular) newer material, supported by Morrissey. James Brown was supporting the Red Hot Chillis. All were fairly average, tbh. The Bowie gig was half empty even before most of the Morrissey fans walked out after his set.

I’d pay silly money to see Dire Straits, or Mark Knopfler.

Saw them at Swindon Oasis (!) supporting Talking Heads. Also saw Blondie supporting Television. Subsequently saw Blondie as a headliner, and Television twice as headliner. As they only toured about every fifteen or so years, each tour was treated as if it might be their last. The last time I saw them was their last because Tom Verlaine died a few years ago.

I did pay silly money to see Peter Gabriel last June, ‘cos he only releases a new album every ten years, and he’s now in his 70’s, so it’s difficult to imagine him playing in his 80’s. Still, one never knows…

I think Tom Waits is about the only artist who I’ve never seen live who I’d happily pay a fair bit, like £100+ to see – last time he played over here I think was at least ten years ago, and tickets were £75 back then, and they sold out almost instantly because he only played one gig in London.

Relatively the most I’ve ever spent was about £50 to see Neil Young about 20 years ago. I was skint and it was a lot of money for me at that time but it was definitely one of the best gigs I’ve been to. I’m not sure I’d see him again as I think it might be a bit of a letdown but I can’t imagine anybody who’d cost more currently that I’d want to see. Most expensive after that was the Stones but that was a present. Again, doubt I’d pay to see them again.

Neil Young and The Stones are two of my favourite artists. I have spent a small fortune on their vinyl and don’t regret a penny. Unfortunately I’ve never seen either live but there is no way Id bother now – well perhaps if the gods granted me an acoustic set of Young in a small venue but the Stones? Not a chance – I’d far rather see 10-20 new bands than pay the cost of a massive unfulfilling bunch of old gits milking it and pretending they still have it no matter how groundbreaking they were 60 years ago.

Rod Stewart.

So I could shout at him and chuck stuff* at him, the bas*ard. £1.85 (or so), a long drive from York to Newcastle city hall and then he walked off after about 45 minutes. No encore and then night spent the dossing in the multi-story car park on the concrete.

*Newky Brown obvs

I’d pay a couple of hundred quid to see a reformed That Petrol Emotion at Brixton Academy supported by Carter USM.

I paid £112 via a ticket resales site to see the Stone Roses 5-6 years ago at Wembley, knowing that they would soon split up again and it would be last chance, never seen so many drunken middle aged men in one place, but it was a great day. I wouldn’t normally spend anything like that though, but it was also a mates birthday.

Bands i would of loved to have seen at the height of their powers but didn’t….

Portishead

Massive Attack

Gil Scott Heron

James Brown (sadly saw him way past prime, as warm up for Red Hot Chilli Peppers, where he had assistants to lower him to his knees and pick him up again!)

Bands i would of loved to have seen at the height of their powers but didn’t….

You could have ticked off two of those at Glastonbury ’95 (Portishead and Gil Scott Heron), and also the Stone Roses if John Squire hadn’t famously spanned himself by falling off a mountain bike, leading to the famous Pulp headline slot.

James Brown (With Bootsy Collins) would each be an amazing experience.

I think with a lot of these artists, you’d have to handpick the era and venue (and crowd) to get the experience you want. I saw James Brown like the bloke above, past his peak, and while it was great musically, despite the age of the bloke, the audience were hopeless and he must have looked at the sea of gormless, unresponsive, East London faces and wondered why he bothered.

I once found myself watching James Brown at the Leeds Festival. How I got there I have no idea, but I was just coming down from my first (and last) Mushroom Bomb. I then ate some noodles. I *think* it was 1998 or 1999.

I couldn’t tell you if he was good or not.

I paid £100 to see Suede at the 100 Club back in 2010 which was pretty silly money at the time. It was a warm up gig for their one off reunion appearance at that years Albert Hall Teenage Cancer gigs, and you had to submit bids for tickets to the 100 club gig in a blind auction (money to charity).

I don’t begrudge them, but slightly funny that they are still going (and I’m still going to their gigs) after paying good money to get to their “final, last ever” gig in 2003. Then paying lots to see them at a “one off” reunion show in 2010.

Hated the O2 Millenium dome experience when I went – total bit of a mess trying to get in, treated worse than crims, etc. Vowed never again to go there (Foo Fighters themselves were good, but the place itself left a bad taste in my mouth).

Been there quite a few times for various acts, never had any significant issues, maybe it was something about that particular event?

chakaping

Without MCA though?

No, it wouldn’t be the same, but if he was still alive, i would.

Also, F cancer.

Neil Young and The Stones are two of my favourite artists. I have spent a small fortune on their vinyl and don’t regret a penny. Unfortunately I’ve never seen either live

Saw the Stones, along with some other bands at Bristol Ashton Gate around 1982, and saw Neil at Reading I think around ’95, where he was fronting Pearl Jam on his Mirrorball tour. Still wearing the tee shirts I got at that one. That might have been when Soundgarden played, and Bjork.

I payed £2.50 to see Zeppelin play Earle’s Court on the Physical Graffiti Tour! Those were the days…

Probably paid about the same to see Thin Lizzy, Yes, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath and Pink Floyd, all in Bristol. Saw Supertramp play Chippenham College, payed 50p for that one, six months later saw them play Bristol when they released ‘Crime Of The Century’, I think that one was about £2-3, Chippenham was a pre-tour warmup. Glad I saw them then, I still think that’s the best album they ever released.
Bath Pavilion was a great venue in the 70’s, saw The Clash, The Jam, Souxie and The Banshees, the Human League (original band) The Stranglers, Ian Dury and The Blockheads, Elvis Costello, Girlschool, Hawkwind, and probably a few more whose names escape me now.

Here’s one from the left field.

A band that I have seen loads of times back in 90-93, then again in maybe 2010.

I would genuinely pay whatever they asked to hear them live again. Their last gig was 2012, a gig that I’ve watched on YouTube dozens of times.

All band members still alive, still active and still friends (although at least one lives in the States).

They are my all time favourite band, a band that started off as anarcho-punk, and have dabbled in pretty much every genre until their split in 2012 when they were a four piece (mostly) acapella folk band.

Chumbawamba.