Concerts!

Well, I've said it about a thousand times, but my favourite thing in the world is going to rock concerts.  Be it a huge band or a really small local band, seeing a band live is the best.
In my opinion what makes or breaks a band is their live show, so I've decided to add a concert review section to my page.  Here's a list of all the shows I've been to, so far, and who played where.  They're all listed by date too.

April 24, 2001 - The Phoenix, Toronto
A New Found Glory - Movie Life - Glassjaw
-At the time of this show, I hadn't heard of Glassjaw or The Movie Life, and seeing them live wasn't what turned me onto them later.  Neither of them were anything spectacular.  We sat at the tables and chairs on the balcony of the Phoenix for their sets and awaited the appearance of NFG.  We were on the floor by the time they took the stage and they blasted right into an incredible opener of Better Off Dead.  The rest of the set featured a lot of selections from their newer self titled album.  Sadly, they played that really slow and boring song off that album too, although the name escapes me...  "Saaaaaaaay your naaaaaaame..." you know the one, the song you skip everytime you play the CD?  Yeah.  Following it with that song from Nothing Gold Can Stay that goes "Stupid games are for stupid people".  Which is a good song, but works better on the CD than live.  Not enough energy to it, and it gave the crowd a bit of a breather before throwing it into their cover of The Neverending Story.  Before they played each of their covers (they played Goonies R Good Enough, and The Glory of Love as well), they played a little sample from the movies that they were from.  I really was digging their energy in this show, it was better than when they played with Fenix TX.  They finished the show off with their single Hit Or Miss, and Jordan did that annoying gesture when he says "To see you" and holds up 2 fingers, points to his eyes, and then points at the crowd.  Someone needs to tell him to cut that shit out, he looks like such a dork.  Cool at all other times, but that gesture kills me.  STOP IT PLEASE.  

April 18, 2001 - The Reverb, Toronto
Rocket from the Crypt - The (International) Noise Conspiracy - The Explosion
-Oh my GOD was I pumped up for this show!  I'd been dying to see Rocket from the Crypt live for a very long time.  I'd always heard that they put on an amazing live show, but the last time they came to Toronto they slipped by me.  The show was at the Reverb - a small venue in Toronto that holds a couple hundred at most.  I got in no problem and almost right away the first band, The Explosion came on.  Pretty much straight ahead in-your-face punk rock.  Not that that's a bad thing at all.  Their singer seemed very comfortable and energetic on stage, and shared amusing stories between songs.  The show was the same night as game four in the series where the Maple Leafs swept Ottawa.  So all the TV's above the bar were showing the hockey game.  A crowd of 10 or so were watching the game and started counting down the final seconds.  Could you imagine what it must feel like to be putting all your energy into putting on a good performance and there's some people that are more interested in a hockey game.  (Don't get me wrong, I myself was more interested in the Leafs, but its the playoffs alright?)  Next was The (International) Noise Conspiracy from Sweden.  When they came on I was absolutely speechless.  These guys were so frigging good it was almost unbelievable.  I'll be honest and say that I had only heard their song "Smash It Up", and although its an awesome song, it did nothing to prepare me for how incredible they played.  I love the way that they lay down grooves in their songs that you can actually dance to.  Their bassist is insane!  How he can lay down these complex basslines and still swing his head around and jump all over is beyond me.  Between songs, they'd play these instrumentals while the singer was talking about the FTAA meetings.  He had all the moves too.  Swinging the mic by the cord, the hip shaking, the dances.  Like a rock star singer from the 70's, only he screamed more...and what a scream he has!  The keyboardist added so much to the band as well.  She really tied the band together.  The last song they played was one of the most incredible songs I've heard live.  I can't remember what it was called...  Every Day the Weather Changes maybe?  Anyways, I was definitely a fan after that night, and I think that anyone who saw the show would be as well.
All this and Rocket from the Crypt hadn't even set up yet!  They all walked out on stage and went right into the song Middle.  "Are you stuck in the middle say oh-way-oh!"  I was praying they'd do that one first and they did.  They even followed it up directly with Born in '69.  Those songs go so well together.  Next they dove right into their new material with the first three songs off "Group Sounds", Straight American Slave, Carne Voodoo, and White Belt.  After this, Speedo yelled to Petey X, "Show 'em how to shake their booty Petey!" and he broke into the bass intro of Panic Scam , my personal favourite song of theirs.  As the song ended they went right into Made For You.  I don't think they could have played a better first 7 songs.  It was so perfect.  Throughout the night they played some older songs that sounded amazing as well as Venom Venom , Heart of A Rat , Young Livers , and an awesome sounding On A Rope.   Then, seven words;  It's Like A Dick On A Dog !  I was so suprised to hear them play that, but it sounded great.  For the grand finale before their encore, they did When In Rome, and they got people from the audience to get up on stage to "do the jerk".  Most people just "did the monkey", but it was still a good way to end the night.  For their encore they played some old songs and closed the show with a mellow cover of Down in the Boondocks .  I'd say without hesitation that this was in my top 3 concerts list, and if any of you get the chance to see RFTC in the future - get on it!!!

March 23, 2001 - The Guvernment  The Warehouse, Toronto
Lagwagon - The Ataris
-They've returned!  Shortly after the release of their new album "End Is Forever", The Ataris made a return trip to southern Ontario.  This time, they were "warming up" for Lawagon (I'll get to that in a minute).  First of all, I'd just like to say that although their new album rocks for the most part, there are a few songs that just can't match the solid effort that was "Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...".  It must suck to be in a band and have an incredible album and then have to follow it up and try to surpass it.  Such was the case with The Suicide Machines...  I seem to have digressed, let me get back to the show.  Due to a scheduling conflict, I missed most of the first band and didn't catch their name.  However, from what I heard, I'm not kicking myself too hard.  You see, I went and bought tickets for this show the day they went on sale expecting them to sell out.  I mean, Lagwagon and The Ataris playing at the Guvernment?  Its not a tiny venue by any means, but I still figured that such a big headliner could sell out a show in Toronto after a long drought in good concerts.  The door opening time on the tickets said 5:30pm.  I wondered it was so early, but I just chalked it up to the Guvernment being a night club as well.  I figured they wanted to finish up the show and clean up before the hordes of club kids came out.  My brother and I walked by the back of the building at around 5:45 and could hear Lagwagon playing Angry Days .  Hastily we made our way around to the doors and saw about 10 people milling around.  My first thought was "ummm..."  The roadies were unloading all the gear into the Warehouse instead of the Guvernment.  (To those of you scratching their heads, The Guvernment and the Warehouse are both part of the same building but are seperate rooms)  I went and asked the doorman what time the show started and he said 8pm.  Shit.  I assumed that yes, the Guvernment sold out, and they must have moved it to the larger Warehouse so they could sell more tickets.  (I think its safe to assume that we heard Lagwagon's soundcheck earlier.  They didn't even play Angry Days durning their set.)  This worked out nicely actually because my brother and I went to Shopsy's and had dinner.
We return to the venue at 8 and see a large lineup.  After a small kink in the plans, we were on our way...  a lot less hungry too.  We get in and like I said, missed the first band, but then about 20 minutes later, The Ataris walk out on stage.  Initially, they seemed to be having technical problems as they were standing with their backs to the audience for a good five minutes fiddling with their amps.  Finally, they turned around and blasted into an uptempo intro of Losing Streak .  Everyone started moving and just having a great time.  Next they instructed everyone to jump for I Won't Spend Another Night Alone .  Everyone it seemed was having a great time.  No skinheads pushing little girls around in sight!  (for more about that, check out my review for the March 11, 2000 Ataris show in Guelph)  They stayed away from material from their newest album playing only Bad Case of Broken Heart and the piece de resistance, Summer Wind Was Always Our Song .  To my surprise, they played Between You and Me, a song from their EP "Look Forward to Failure", as well as the Claire Danes inspired My So Called Life .  They played The Radio Still Sucks twice, changing the lyrics the second time.  Dipping into their vintage songs, they played Hey Kid! , and Make It Last, as well as their rad cover of Jawbreaker's Boxcar.  They played one of my personal favourite songs with Broken Promise Ring and 1*15*96, the song I wished they played a year ago in Guelph.  They ended their set with San Dimas High School Football Rules, and some guy from the crowd got to play the rhythm guitar part while Kris jumped into the crowd and sang the lyrics.  Kris yelled at him when he fucked up the slow crescendo middle part of the song.  What can I say?  An incredible show with a setlist that didn't have to include anything else to make me happy.  Between songs, Matt talked about the last time they played Toronto with Beefcake.  This got me to wondering what happened to them?  They were the funniest band when I saw them.  If you read this, come back to Canada, Beefcake!
Lagwagon took only 10 minutes or so to set up and came out to get right into their set.  I'll admit that although I like Lagwagon, aside from "Duh", I don't know too much of their stuff.  Joey Cape came out wearing a hilarious shirt that said "Who let the dogs out" on the front and "WOOF WOOF!!" on the back.  As lame as that song was, I thought the shirt was damn funny.  During their second song, someone threw a shoe and hit Joey in the face.  He didn't even flinch and finished the song without missing a beat.  During May 16, someone threw a bra on stage and the bass player put it on and played the rest of the show in an all too revealing brassiere.  They finished up with Alien 8 and Mr. Coffee , and that was it.  No encore, but they played for at least an hour and fifteen minutes.  Maybe more.
I was shocked to see that more people were getting into The Ataris than Lagwagon.  I never would have figured this, given the more aggressive nature of LW's music.

February 12, 2001 - Lee's Palace, Toronto
Pedro the Lion - Low
-I'll admit that I knew very few songs by this christian emo group going into the show, but after having seen them do their magic, I think I'll be a listener for a long time to come.  To me, that's the true power of a live show.  When you go in knowing little about the band, and then come out wanting to hear more.  Pedro the Lion is pretty much just one guy, David Bazan, that writes, arranges and plays all the music.  I had heard the Whole EP on Tooth and Nail before, and on the inside cover they say that there's 5 guys in the band.  I find it kind of interesting that on this night there was only a drummer and a keyboard player to back up David's vocals and guitar.  This was my first true emo concert and first real exposure to the scene.  Just to give you an idea of how small the place was, David was answering questions from audience members in the breaks between songs.  He seemed incredibly nervous while talking, but still had an almost sarcastic dry sense of humour when he spoke to the crowd.  The crowd was filled mostly with twentysomethings that stared on in amazement as Pedro did his thing.  I've never seen a room full of people so intently listening to a musician before.  Like I said, most of the songs I had never heard, with the acception of Bad Diary Days which sounded incredible.  I picked up the Its Hard to Find a Friend album and its great.  I give my utmost respect to a man that can draw my attention to a totally different style of music than what I'm accustomed to.

December 16, 2000 - The Warehouse, Toronto
Gob - Eve 6 - Treble Charger
-To tell you the truth I wasn't THAT jazzed about going to this show.  When the day of the show came, I was feeling like ass.  Something in my stomach wasn't sitting all that great, but still- the show must go on.  I hadn't seen Gob since Warped and even then it was my first time seeing them.  I still don't have their newest album, but I listened to it in the store and wasn't all that impressed.  Then again, I heard it in HMV and my mood going into that store is almost always sour anyway, so maybe I didn't give them a fair chance.  I'll probably end up buying it.  Used.  Meanwhile... back to the show - The wait in line was uneventful except for chuckling at everyone taking a huge detour around a puddle that was about half an inch deep.  I just walked right on through it and everyone else stared at me realizing their foolishness.  Maybe they were just staring at me because I'm the sex symbol of the new millenium...  that or I had toilet paper from the bottom of my shoe.  When we got in we got to see Gob come on almost right away which was a bonus.  They opened up with Fuck Them and followed it up with some more classic songs that I know and love.  Then they played some slower new songs that everyone else knew...  Oh well.  Towards the middle I noticed that the band wasn't totally tight.  When they played Self Appointed Leader, the drums noticeably slower than Tom and Theo's guitars.  Like a split second behind.  Hey, its obviously not a tiny mistake if I can notice it when I'm moshing.  Eve 6 were alright.  They played mostly songs from their newest, but reached back for the old material as well.  While they were playing their last number they even got Snow to come out on stage and do some fast talking reggae ad libbing.  That's right, The Informer himself busted it out on stage.  Don't ask me why he was in Toronto (let alone at a rock concert) as I'd like to know myself.  On a side note, it seems that Eve 6 relies heavily on the muted guitar picking.  You know, like The Cure uses all the time (or like in that song Every Breath You Take).  Instead of the "daaaaaah daaaaah daaaaah daaaaah" of fully played chords you get the "dunt dunt dunt dunt" sound.  Not that its a bad thing, its just that its in like every song.  Between the break between bands, they started playing AC/DC's High Voltage over the P.A.  Its been so long since I heard AC/DC let alone one of their finest albums.  They made it all the way to TNT before Treble Charger came on.  One word...  well, one word sorta- "meh".  I wasn't impressed but then again, I'm not a Treble Charger fan.  Although they did do a funny "Name That Ass" segment where they had xeroxed picures of their asses and the audience had to decide which picture belonged to which band member.  I left as Treble Charger were coming back for their encore.

November 19, 2000 - The Trasheteria, Guelph
Planet Smashers - Samiam - Subb
-I've been waiting to see The Smashers live again since they totally blew my home town away a year and a half ago.  After a couple warmup local bands played, Subb played their usual brand of ska influenced punk.  They were better than the last time I saw them in Guelph.  I just may buy their CD one if these days.  Samiam played next and were really good as well.  The veterans showed everyone in attendance just how good their music sounds live.  Once again, The Smashers stole the show...  and how!  The whole crowd was into it from their leadoff number Surfin' In Tofino.  In my opinion, they couldn't have picked a better song.  the rest show included songs spanning their entire career including classics Pee In the Elevator, Pierce Me and a rare performance of My Love (Vampire).  They played a new song and it sounded just as fun as anything else they've ever released.  The night was also a diverse style affair.  At one point in the show, I was dancing surrounded by a raver girl, a dude with a mohawk, and a guy dressed in rudie clothes.  Truly on this night, the Planet Smashers proved yet again that they lead the pack in Canadian ska.

October 17, 2000 - The Opera House, Toronto
Fenix TX - A New Found Glory - Good Charlotte - Lefty
-Another spur of the moment decision to buy tickets for this show, I had to go through hell to find someone to work for me.  I found out about the show on the 16th, and I found a reluctant person to fill in for me.  Its always interesting lining up for shows at The Opera House because the line swings around the side of the building and forms a barrier between the buses and the building.  Consequently, the band members have to push through the line to get from their vehicles into the venue.  There were quite a few scalpers outside as well, which I've been noticing more and more of at punk shows.  Especially that asshole with the mullet and the Toronto Blue Jays hat.  Fortunately, the show wasn't sold out, so the scalpers were losing money.  A friend of mine actually ended up paying less than the box office price when he bought from a scalper.  Once we got in, Lefty started playing, and although they seemed like more of a rock band, the crowd reacted favourably.  They didn't really do anything for me, but maybe that's just because I was getting impatient to see A New Found Glory.  Good Charlotte came on next and they totally rocked!  What a pleasant surprise it is when you go to a show and leave having found a new band interest.  I don't think they have an album out yet, but you can be sure that I'll pick it up when it comes out.  They said that they had just filmed their first video in Scarborough, so I'm hoping that the album will be out soon.  Then A New Found Glory came out and started to play a song that I'd never heard before.  Shit.  I found out later that they had released a new album a month earlier, and I had missed it.  (Its alright, I picked it up from the merch stand at the show for 15 bucks.)  I hate it when my favourite bands release new albums and I never hear about them.  Maybe it has something to do with their "website" that hasn't been updated in over a year.  It took me half a year to find their Nothing Gold Can Stay... record in any store (which is really good for anybody that hasn't heard it before).  Although they stuck mainly to songs off their new album, they did play a few of my favourites.  Broken Sound (the song that turned me onto them...), The Blue Stare , and 3rd and Long all sounded great live.  A standout performance of You've Got A Friend In Pennsylvania , highlighted the night and gave me a new favourite song on the album.  "Love is another word for regret" is a great line and I always find myself singing this song to myself.  They played Hit Or Miss as well, but I was a little disappointed with how it sounded.  Maybe I just had high expectations for how it would sound.  I was never very interested in the song Passing Time before I heard it live, but I've since grown a fondness for that track as well.  They even covered the theme for The Never Ending Story .  As for their new songs, a couple made an impression on me even before I heard them on the CD.  Dressed To Kill sounded awesome as did their first song of the night, Better Off Dead.  A New Found Glory's performance that night was nothing short of fantastic.  It would be nearly impossible for another band to top that show (ok, Goldfinger could do it...), and Fenix TX just couldn't measure up.  Their set was flawed from the get go as they opened up with a song where the vocals were unintelligable.  It was as difficult to hear the lyrics as it was the guitars.  The whole first song was nothing more than a droning powerchord.  It took me about halfway into the song for me to tell that they were playing Ben.  Their whole show was dragged into the ground as a result of horrible mixing.  They never even bothered to fix the vocal level, and the whole night was spent trying to figure out just what song it was that they were playing.  Don't get me wrong, I like what these guys can do in the studio, and when they played with Unwritten Law and Blink 182 over 2 years ago, they were good enough to make me get their CD (when they were called River Fenix).  However on this chilly November night, Fenix TX tanked.  Their sound was reminiscent of the Smashing Pumpkins at Summersault.  One interesting point of the show was when a little guy who said his name was Bloodclot went up on stage to sing a G'N'R cover of My Michelle.  After faking his way through the first verse, Fenix TX boo-ed him off the stage, but not before he could tell the audience to fuck off and give the band members the finger.  At least one other guy in the crowd shared my opinions...

September 7, 2000 - The Trasheteria, Guelph
Flashlight - Subb
-My brother calls me up the night before and tells me to get my ass to Guelph.  Flashlight was playing their last show at the Trash before taking a break to write some songs for their upcoming album, and I had to be there.  I smoothed a ride out to the Royal City and made it to the club just in time.  I caught a small amount of Subb's set and I have to say that they're pretty good.  I also heard that two of their guitars were stolen at this show as well.  That's got to suck, I hope they catch the people responsible.  Anyway, back to the headliners.  After a quick break to set up their gear, (and I mean quick, I've never seen a band set up so fast) Flashlight started into July, the greatest live song I've ever heard them play.  I always find myself humming the intro to this song in my head, for some reason it sounded so good to me.  They were on that night, and you could tell just from their first song.  They included a couple of vintage tunes from their first CD, but stuck mostly to their second album.  They also played A Freak , Choopy , and Ice Cold (Sweden) , the three songs from their MP3 only EP.  I think its great that these guys went into the studio and recorded three songs to release for free (via download) on their website.  At the audience's request, they played Cycle , and Matt commented on how long and boring the intro of the song is.  While thanking the other bands on the bill, Phil said that he had seen NOFX play at the Trasheteria in Guelph in 1991.  I wonder if he was telling the truth?  He said he was on some mushrooms at the time, so maybe it was just playing through the sound system and he was "seeing" the band play as a result of the nature of the fungus?  Well, mushrooms or not - Flashlight rocked that night.  I'd say that this was without a doubt the best I've ever seen them play.

September 1, 2000 - The Warehouse, Toronto
Less Than Jake - The Suicide Machines - One Man Army - Pollen - Subb
-I must say first off, that these last two days have been without a flaw.  Two of the best shows I've seen, and so close together!  Me and my friends were late getting in, but we did get in in time to see One Man Army who weren't that bad.  The lead singer/guitarist even had hair like mine, and he looks like Bruce Campbell from Evil Dead/Army of Darkness fame.  When the Suicide Machines came on they turned the crowd into a huge moshpit that I couldn't stay away from.  They led off with Break the Glass , which I think would have been a better last song than a first song.  Playing only two songs off their latest album, I think they realize how their fans think of it - dogshite.  They didn't play Sometimes I Don't Mind (thank god) which I give them a lot of credit for not playing their radio hit.  They did play one of the few highlights from that album though with Permanent Holiday , as well as classics like S.O.S. , Islands, and New Girl.  Actually, they played most of their Destruction By Definition album (one of my favourite albums of all time ) and some kickass songs off of Battle Hymns like Black and White , Hating Hate, and the heavy as an anvil D.D.T.  Even the Romantics cover, What I Like About You.  Man, I could talk about these guys forever.  They have that great anti-rascist message too, gotta respect that.  Now, onto the highlight of the night - Less Than Jake.  They turned all the lights off for their entrance and slowly turned up the orange stage lights displaying a banner with flames and the bands moniker on it.  Flames were also painted on the amps giving the whole stage a heavy metal look.  The band came running out on stage and exploded into My Very Own Flag, followed quickly by Happyman and 9th and Pine.  I was a little disappointed with their lack of older songs, their opening number being the only song not on Losing Streak or Hello Rockview.  I would have loved to hear Shotgun and Liquor Store, but it was not to be.  Why the hell am I complaining?  They dumped a cloud of confetti on the audience during the early part of the show, and fired a couple of rolls of toilet paper into the crowd as well.  They played a bunch of new songs which all sounded really good.  Especially Gainesville Rock City, which they called Toronto Rock City, and changed the lyrics as well.  They ended the show with an encore of Automatic, and Help Save the Youth of America From Exploding .  During their final number, Roger and Chris instructed the crowd to start a giant circle pit that covered the entire floor of The Warehouse.  I only wish I could have seen the surge of circling people from the stage, I'm sure it looked amazing.  Mysterio came out at the end, and blew four fireballs while Vinnie crashed the cymbals with flaming drumsticks in a huge finale.  In-fucking-credible.

August 31, 2000 - The Phoenix Club, Toronto
Weezer - Dynamite Hack
-I originally wasn't going to go to this show.  I lined up for tickets at 9:30am at the Sunrise Ticketmaster in the Upper Cananda Mall, behind about 20 other suckahs, and at 10 when they opened up, the first 3 people in line got tickets and that was it.  SOLD OUT.  In 3 minutes!!!  I was so disappointed I went home and cried.  Well no, I didn't cry, but I did go back to sleep.  (Hey, it was summer vacation alright!?!?)  My brother then called his friend who we were supposed to get tickets for, and it turns out that he called in and bought six tix, and he had two left for me and my bro.  YEAH!  We got down to the Phoenix and the scalpers were charging 200 bucks a ticket!  I couldn't believe it!  My friend had an extra ticket and sold it to a lucky Weezer fan for face value.  Anyway, we got in in time to see some of Dynamite Hack including their cover of Boys in tha Hood .  The rest of their stuff was ok, and they got some respect from me when they started making fun of Insane Clown Posse.  After about an hour wait, Rivers and the boys walked out in front of a huge flashing "=w=" sign.  The next hour was nothing but pure rock, and oh my god, can Weezer deliver!!!  Their intro was My Name Is Jonas followed quickly by one of my favourites, No One Else.  One of the best surprises of the night was a kickass Why Bother?, a song that got the whole crowd jumping.  They played four new songs, which all sounded great, and were a perfect teaser to put up some anticipation for the new album (am I ever looking forward to it!), especially a song called Superstar .  Actually, in terms of a setlist, you couldn't ask for much more.  They played their entire first album except for 2 songs (Holiday and The World Has Turned... ), and a few choice selections from Pinkerton.  Actually, if I can complain about one thing, its that they didn't play The Good Life .  I just love that song, it actually might be my favourite by them.  But hey, they played You Gave Your Love To Me Softly, possibly my favourite Weezer B-side.  Their encore was unbelievable, three words - Only In Dreams.  I was almost sure they wouldn't play it because of its length, but after the band left, Mikey came back and started the bass intro.  He was followed ten seconds later by Patrick, and then another ten seconds later, by Rivers and Brian.  If you know the song, you know what I mean (bass intro - drums start - guitars start).  It was a really cool way to perform the song, and I obviously ate it up.  Then they played Buddy Holly and the classic Surf Wax America .  This concert was SO good!

August 11, 2000 - Molson Park, Barrie
Summersault 2000: Foo Fighters - Smashing Pumpkins - Sum 41 - Eve 6 - Our Lady Peace - Treble Charger - A Perfect Circle - Catherine Wheel - Finger Eleven
-The bands on the bill are a little of a departure from what I'd usually go to see.  However, its always cool to go and see the big rock bands to see how their live antics compare to what you hear on the radio.  The first band I really watched was Treble Charger and I was very impressed with how they can rock out.  They had a whole military theme going on, and they marched out to the sounds of explosions and military personel barking orders over the speakers.  Carrying Treble Charger flags out on stage, the four camoflauge clad band members got their instruments and started right off into a superb rock and roll ride.  American Psycho got the most response from the crowd, and it sounded like the whole audience was singing along.  Sum 41 put on a great show despite a small, uninterested audience.  I missed the second half of Eve 6's slot, but what I heard sounded awesome.  I'd never thought too much of them before, but they're a live band to see.  They even had Josh Freese from The Vandals on guitar.  Our Lady Peace were ok, and so were Catherine Wheel.  A Perfect Circle just flat out sucked, with who had to have been the most annoying singer.  I'm not saying his voice was bad, its that he stripped down to his scivies and made jokes about wanting little boys that annoyed me.  Foo Fighters were just awesome!  I was totally unprepared for them to be that good, and its changed my opinion of the band forever.  I'd defintely go see them again.  Then there was The Pumpkins.  Disappointment is the best word I would use to describe the show.  Billy Corgan, whine a little more about your fans not liking your "art", because no one cares.  His vocals are terrible live, and are almost indistinguishable from the droning distortion that makes up the rest of their sound.  I am to assume that this was their "farewell" tour, so why didn't they play any of their big songs?  Cherub Rock got the biggest reaction from the crowd, but that was it.  They ended the set and that was it.  They just left.  No encore, no nothing.  Blah blah blah, the Smashing Pumpkins are just not that good live.

July 22, 2000 - Molson Park, Barrie
Warped Tour 2000: Long Beach Dub Allstars - NOFX - Green Day - MxPx - Gob - Mighty Mighty Bosstones - Suicide Machines - Save Ferris - Snapcase - Sum 41 - Good Riddance - Bif Naked - Flashlight - Kingpins - Planet Smashers - Reset - Subb - Jersey - Hot Water Music - Jurassic 5 - Anti Flag
-I was so fired up to go see this show.  I was anxiously waiting for over a month, literally counting the days until I got to see the Long Beach Dub Allstars.  I never got to see Sublime before Bradley Nowell died, (I'm sure over 80% of Sublime/LBDA's current fanbase never saw Sublime live...) so I was pumped to see them.  They totally blew me away!  They played almost an entire set of Sublime tunes including Scarlet Begonias (Hmm, LBDA covering Sublime's cover of a Grateful Dead song...  Everybody got that?), 5446 That's My Number / Ball and Chain, and an unbelievable version of Doin' Time with alto sax and turntables.  I can't wait to see them again!  Suicide Machines were as awesome live as they were 2 years ago, but its a shame their newest album lagged at times.  Still, they rocked with songs like S.O.S., Break the Glass , and the super heavy cruncher, DDT.  The Bosstones were really good, even if they didn't play Someday I Suppose, or Let's Face It.  Still, they had a guy fly out of a fucking cannon during their set, which says it all about their crazy show.  I even got to come face to face with Bosstones frontman, Dicky Barret!  I was definitely starstruck.  MxPx were sweet, playing only 2 songs off their new album and more crowd pleasers like Chick Magnet, Punk Rawk Show, and a cover of Bryan Adams' Summer of '69.  Save Ferris did their pop-ska thing, with their cover of Come On Eileen .  Gob was really funny, and Tom showed off his dance moves to a disco beat.  Then there was Green Day.  I was defintely disappointed with their 40 minute performance of only 7 songs.  What the hell was with bringing random people that can't play guitar onstage to ruin what would have been a great cover of Operation Ivy's Knowledge ?  I guess even at Warped Tour the big bands get special treatment.  No headliners my ass.  Still, they're really good live from what little I DID hear...  They even played Jaded, my favourite Green Day song.  All in all, an awesome Warped Tour that beat the hell out of last year's lineup.  I even heard that there were upwards of 17 000 people there, over twice the attendance from '99.

April 24, 2000 - The Opera House, Toronto
U.S. Crush - Ignite - Goldfinger
-I was so unbelievably psyched about seeing Goldfinger again that I bought tickets for the show the day they went on sale.  Damn, am I glad that I did.  It was sold out a week before the show.  I was a little surprised that Goldfinger could sell out a place like The Opera House, especially since there were only about 100 kids that went to see their free show at the CN Tower.  That's definitely a good thing for them though, their popularity is spreading.  If there was ever a band that deserved success, its these guys.  I was even offered 80 bucks for my ticket by some girls only hours before the show.  I turned them down though, there was no way I was going to miss my favourite band on their first tour after the release of their new album.  (Which kicks ass by the way, go out and buy it if you haven't already)
Anyways, onto the show.  My friends and I made the mistake of coming way early and had to stand through lame performances by Sector 7 and U.S. Crush.  The singer for U.S. Crush is a total Johnny Rotten lookalike, and he sings like him too.  It was cool at first, but some of their songs are way too long for their simplicity and get old really fast.  Hey, I like my songs short and to the point alright?  Leave it alone!  Ignite came on next and impressed me a lot more than they did when I saw them on the Sno Jam 4 Tour, 2 years ago.  I was a little disappointed that the singer didn't hit himself in the face anymore.
After over an hour of annoying anticipation, Goldfinger finally took the stage.  (Reportedly, they were on Open Mike with Mike Bullard and couldn't make it on time... or so I hear.)  Opening up with an over the top version of Anything, followed by My Head, the crowd got totally into it.  Darrin dressed up as Ms. Britney Spears again, and did covers of Baby One More Time and Nookie followed by a song off his solo album entitled The Only Man I'd Have Sex With .  (Wayne Gretzky, of course)  They only played a few songs off their new album, sadly not including 99 Red Balloons.  John said at the beginning of the show that they were going to play songs mostly off their first album, and that was fine by me. (it's badass - for more details, read my Favourite CD's section! )  They even played Nothing To Prove, which they said they haven't played since their first few tours.  A little treat for their Canadian fans.   When they played Mable, John invited the audience up on stage to sing along.  After everyone cleared off they left the stage for a while and came back to finish the night off with a cover of Knowledge by Operation Ivy.
The most memorable part of the night was ironically due to an equipment failure.  The mics didn't work for their opening song, but everyone in the crowd was singing so loud that you almost couldn't notice it.  It sounded fucking incredible.

March 11, 2000 - The Trasheteria, Guelph
The Ataris - Beefcake
It's been waaaaaaay to long since I've been to a live show, and this was a great one to get me back into the loop.  New York's Beefcake took the stage first after a line up of local "talent".  I'd never seen or heard these guys before, but they're awesome!  The lead singer wore a hilarious wig and made countless dirty jokes with the audience.  With songs like Bob Saget (I Hate You), Proctologist, and My Dominatrix , you get the idea.  I bought their CD and it's as funny as their live show.  The Ataris took the stage next and played a set leaning heavily on songs from their latest album.  Losing Streak , San Dimas High School Football Rules (Bill and Ted reference!  I love it!), and their cover of Jawbreaker's Boxcar were all played to their best.  I was a little disappointed with the absence of 1*15*96, but whatcha gon' do?
As a side note, I'd just like to give a great big piss off to the drunken 5th District skinheads in the crowd at this show.  Throwing girls at the front of the stage into the mosh pit and hitting them is not cool.

November 26, 1999 - Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto
Rage Against the Machine - At the Drive-In - Gangstar
-I've always been a casual fan of these guys ever since my brother loudly played their debut album.  Seeing them live has turned me into a die-hard fanatic getting my hands on as many of their live CD's as possible.  At the Drive-In played first and were just all about anger and energy.  The guitarists were all over the stage swinging their afros around, and the singer was like a man possessed. Gangstar came on next and got everybody in a hip hop groove.  One look at the concerts I've been to and you can probably tell I'm not an avid rap enthusiast, but Gangstar was pretty cool.  My bad ass friends ate it up, so I guess as far as rap performances go, it was pretty good.  After prepping the crowd with a few songs from The Sex Pistols on the monster sound system, the lights dimmed.  Zack belted out, "We're Rage Against the Machine and we are from Los Angeles!".  Those would be the only words he would say without being backed by the sounds of pounding drums, thundering bass and unworldly guitar riffs.  They kicked it off with Testify, and followed it directly with Guerilla Radio.  The rest of the show was pure madness.  I was surprised with the inclusion of No Shelter , and The Ghost of Tom Joad. They ended the show with Killing in the Name, where they turned on the house lights and you could see the entire floor jumping up and down in the biggest mosh pit I've ever seen.  You haven't lived until you've heard 10 000+ people screaming "FUCK YOU I WON'T DO WHAT YOU TELL ME!".

October 1999 - CN Tower, Toronto
Goldfinger - Showoff
-This was almost the worst show I'd ever been to.  I had read about this show on Goldfinger's pathetic Mojo Records webpage.  I went to the world's largest phallic symbol at showtime and was informed that it was a 19+ show.  So, what the security was going to have us minors do was stand outside of the warm beer tent and freeze our asses off.  The stage was about 50 ft. from the tent's  entrance.  When it seemed that we were to spend the night huddled up for warmth while listening to the band rock out, Goldfinger's John Feldmann came out from the side of the tent.  He told the security guards that they could either let everyone in, or deal with the rest of the crowd when they found out that they wouldn't play!  Apparently, Goldfinger has never played a non all ages show, and they were willing to call the show off if everyone wasn't allowed in.  Faced with this ultimatum, the security staff let everybody in.
Showoff started off the show playing a powerful live set that was followed by an incredible Goldfinger show.  The crowd was full of positive energy and GF definitely knows how to play off this.  Their set was chock-full of their usual off the wall humour including Darrin dressed up as Britney Spears to do covers of Baby One More Time, Nookie, and his solo track, Chicken McNuggets.  They ended the soiree with a cover of Operation Ivy's Knowledge.  During this song I was graced with the honour of going up on stage to sing along with my idols.  It was truly the greatest concert moment of my life.  I love to gloat about this story, and I'm sure my friends will all say that they've heard it a hundred times.

Fall 1999 - The Trasheteria, Guelph
Mustard Plug - Jersey - Two Face
-Mustard Plug's triumphant return (well, triumphant in my mind, the last time I saw them here was the second best show of my life) to Guelph was everything you could ask for.  I noticed that the crowd had noticeably grown since last year, but the more the merrier.  Mustard Plug did an awesome set with mostly new songs but some classics off Evildoers Beware as well.  Dave turned into his staple Mr. Smiley persona, and hacked at the audience with a fake knife.  As an added bonus, their encore included vintage songs 'Skank By Numbers', and 'Brain On Ska'.   Jersey played a great show too.  I was impressed with Two-Face as well, I see only good things from this band.  I'd like to personally thank these guys for playing in Canada so often.  They flat out rule.

August 9, 1999 - The Blue Tile Lounge Skate Park, Aurora
The Planet Smashers - Spinecracker
-ONE OF MY FAVOURITE BANDS PLAYING IN MY HOMETOWN!!??  RIGHT ON!!!  The Smashers put on a unbelievable show proving that they're the best ska band in Canada.  Even the most skeptical people in the crowd who stood with their arms crossed at the beginning were skankin' by the end.  Rarely have I ever seen this happen.  They even played Pee in the Elevator and Pierce Me. Spinecracker was great too, and I really don't understand why these guys don't have an album out yet.

July 24, 1999 - The Docks, Toronto
Warped Tour ‘99 : Less Than Jake - Pennywise - Blink 182 - Royal Crown Revue - Ice T - Suicidal Tendencies - Sevendust - Bouncing Souls - Frenzal Rhomb - The Lunachicks - H2O - Black Eyed Peas - Molotov - 7 Seconds - Skarhead - Dropkick Murphy’s - Eminem(?) - Atomic Fireballs - The Living End - Jersey
-I was a little unimpressed at the lineup this year compared to last year's, but it turned out to be a great show nonetheless.  Again, Less Than Jake stole the show, playing mostly new material and in a gusting windstorm coming off the lake.  Anyone who was there probably got at least some sand in their eyes from that.  Sevendust was pretty cool too, even if they're stealing a little bit of Korn's sound nowadays.  The lead singer even started crowd surfing with a fucking joint in his mouth!?  How hard core is THAT?  Pennywise was awesome,  H2O was incredible, Dropkick Murphy's kicked ass, and The Living End rocked.  I was impressed with how well Blink 182 played, they're definitely a band you have to see live.  Eminem even dropped by for an appearance!  What the HELL is up with that?  This was the same time that his My Name Is , single was starting out.  So, yeah, all you white boyeeeees out there can all suck it because I saw him before any of you knew who the hell he was.  And you know what?  Who the fuck cares.  You know what I was doing while he was prancing around stage?  Playing pots and pans.  That's right, a percussionist guy had all these old pots and pans laying around and he was playing rhythms so I joined in.  It was a hell of a lot more fun than watching that candy ass.

July 22, 1999 - Outside HMV, Toronto
Red Hot Chili Peppers
-I've been a fan of these guys since Mother's Milk came out, but I had never got the chance to check them out live.  Along with the thousands of other people sweltering on 333 Yonge, I was blown away.  They played a large majority of new material, but mixed in a few songs from the Hillel days.  I was pleasantly surprised that they played Sir Psycho Sexy , Higher Ground and an astounding version of Me and My Friends .  I even got to see myself in the crowd on MuchMusic.  My life is now complete.

July 12, 1999 - The Blue Tile Lounge Skate Park, Aurora
Flashlight - Spinecracker
-The second awesome show I got the priviledge of seeing in my hometown.  Spinecracker played a great set, but it was Flashlight who stole the show.  Aside from my brother and I, there were about 3 other people that had heard of them in the entire crowd.  Taking advantage of this, they hit on the girls in the front row, and made fun of the people sitting down.  They're a class act.  An amazing show.

June 9, 1999 - El Mocambo, Toronto
Mustard Plug - Flashlight - Outspan
-Despite numerous hecklers in the crowd, I was really impressed by Outspan's performance, which included a cover of 'Jaded' by Operation Ivy .  Once again, Flashlight put on a great show.  As Mustard Plug hit the stage and started doing their thing, a group of riotous drunks of suspect age rushed the stage and started singing with the band.  Their intoxicated uncoordination caused some of the 'Plug's equipment to bust up and brought the show to a disappointing halt for what seemed like 10 minutes.  After some quick fixin's, they were back.  Dave put on his Mr. Smiley guise and hacked at the crowd with a plastic knife like he always does, and I was impressed with their spectacular live version of The Freshman.   For their encore, they played their vintage song Thigh High Nylons, highlighted by Brendan bustin' out the sick rhymes.  Word, byatch!

April 1999 - Aurora Bowl, Aurora
Marilyn’s Vitamins
- This show was more of an all out party than a punk rock show.  It seemed that every teen in the region came out for the night.  It was this night that saw the Aurora Bowl lose it's license to sell alcohol.  I think they were even charged with serving minors.  You could smell the evidence on pretty much every kid in attendance.  This made for quite the atmosphere.  The show was pretty much a steady stream of local bands leading up to the Vitamins rocking performance.  They played an awesome set even though the stage was smaller than a ping-pong table.  This was sadly the only time I saw the band before they broke up.

March 21, 1999 - The Opera House, Toronto
SNO JAM 5 : Planet Smashers - Chixdiggit - A.F.I. - Satanic Surfers - Projekt - Ensign
- I think Matt Collyer of the Planet Smashers said it best, "Welcome to our ska show!  4 hardcore bands and us!".  I had been to the Sno Jam the previous year and it was a blast, so why the hell not go to this one too?  Ensign and Projekt led off the night with some hard music that got the crowd going right into the Chixdiggit set which stopped them all.  I don't think anyone was moving for their set.  Still, they played great, and they were quite funny in their banter with the crowd.  They played almost all of the songs on their albums, quite an accomplishment for a 45 minute set.  The Planet Smashers were up next and they got the crowd back into it.  Most of the floor was dancing, except for a few people.  A.F.I and the Satanic Surfers did a great job of finishing off what turned out to be a great time.
 

February 9, 1999 - SkyDome, Toronto
Black Sabbath - Pantera - Deftones
Two of the best metal bands of all time teamed up for this show and with spectacular results.  Even though Sabbath was following the trend of old school bands doing reunion tours, I'm glad they did.  It's great that the younger generation (like me!) can get a chance to see the bands they could only get to know on a recorded format before.  Deftones played first and their sound definitely went off poorly in the Dome.  Pantera came up next and played loud and heavy.  Their set included some of their greats off of Vulgar Display of Power (my personal favourite album of theirs).  Black Sabbath came out to creepy organs and it looked as if Ozzy rose out of a thick layer of mist that covered the stage.  Of course the show was a retrospective of their dark musical career which rocked from start to finish.  Although Ozzy's vocals may have deteriorated some in the 25+ years he's been singing, there's no doubt that he can still belt it out.  Bill Ward looks like wrestler George "The Animal" Steel now, which only adds to the band's shock value.  From where me and my friends were sitting, we could see the security guards tackling and laying the beats on people that tried to get up on stage.  Very entertaining.

November 11, 1998 - The Opera House, Toronto
Reel Big Fish - Flashlight - Pluto

October 21, 1998 - The Opera House, Toronto
Less Than Jake - ALL - Snuff - Jersey
Without a doubt, this was the best show that I've ever been to in my life.   It started out alright with local band Jersey warming up the crowd before ALL came on.  It's a shame that when I saw this show, I wasn't the ALL fan that I am now.  I'm sure it would have made it all the better (no pun intended).  Still, I thought they were pretty good even without hearing any of their stuff before.  Next was Snuff, and they were pretty cool too.  The t-bone player would go off stage until he was needed and then he'd walk out, play his part, and then leave again.  I wonder what had him so interested backstage.  I'm guessing from his strung out drunk appearance that it was something to alleviate the pressures of playing in front of a crowd of people. He was wearing a really cool Freddy-esque red and black sweater too.  The band that made this night so incredible was of course Less Than Jake.  Not only did they choose a sweet set of songs, but they took a lot of audience requests too.  Chris was dressed up as an 80's glam rocker with black lipstick, a fishnet shirt and a permed wig.  Felix Potvin, when he was still playing for the Leafs, was in attendance for the show too.  I was a little disappointed with the absence of the firebreathing, but Mysterio made up for it by downing a beer and using the empty bottle as a cowbell.  I can't wait to see these guys again.
 

September 25, 1998 - The Warehouse, Toronto
Blink 182 - Unwritten Law - The Vandals - Assorted Jellybeans - River Fenix

August 23, 1998 - Molson Park, Barrie
SUMMERSAULT 98 : I Mother Earth - The Johnny Favourite Swing Orchestra - Crystal Method - Garbage - Our Lady Peace - Hayden - Eve 6 - Harvey Danger - Bionic - BTK - Fuel - The Gandharvas
-After the Warped Tour of the same summer, I was turned onto all day festivals.  That might explain why I went to see this concert. While me and my friends were waiting to get into Molson Park, it started raining.  Not pouring, but just enough to make a lot of people miserable.  Fortunately, it cleared within an hour or so.  As the main acts weren't slated to come on until late afternoon, our group decided to check out the secondary stage.  Ironically, I had a better time here than at the main stage...  The first band was Bionic, and the crowd got really into it.  It's a shame that they didn't play longer.  Then Fuel and Eve 6 were up next and despite never hearing their stuff before (this was prior to Eve 6's quasi-popularity with their, "Put my tender heart in a blender..." song.  Shut up guys.  Thanks.) but they were alright.  After this it seemed time to check out some of the booths and stuff.  As I really didn't care to see how much Esthero and Hayden sucked.  Bands were starting to play on the main stage and the first band I saw were The Ganharvas.  These guys just suck all over the place.  Johnny Favourite came out next and proceeded to put the crowd to sleep.  I thought this was a shame because musically, they're alright.  I Mother Earth were next, and they were the best band on the main stage.  I think it was Garbage that came out next but I was less than interested, so I checked out BTK.  I thought they were good at the Warped Tour, and things hadn't changed.  I thank these guys for giving me something to do while Garbage was on stage playing bad music.  I took in the freak show that was on after BTK too.  Our Lady Peace was playing when I went back to the main stage and once again I was not interested.  As the last act, The Crystal Method came on when it was pitch black outside.  They came on with their pounding electrobeats and trippy light show as lightning was lighting up the sky from behind the stage.  Seeing the spectacular union of The Crystal Method's and Mother Nature's light shows was a unique experience, but along with the thunderbolts came the rain.  Did it ever rain that night.  I've never been in such a torrential rain/hail storm before.  I got to walk about a kilometer in it too.  Yay.

August 19, 1998 - El Mocambo, Toronto
Suicide Machines - Buck-O-Nine
-This show marked the first visit to the Elmo, one of the best places to see shows in Toronto.  I figured that most people that were in attendance had come for The Suicide Machines, but when Buck-O-Nine came out and started into Round Kid, the whole place errupted into a full on skank pit.  Their set included great performances of Water in My Head, and Pass the Dutchie.  Royce Nunley from TSM even came out to play bass on My Town (My personal favourite ska song).  I didn't think that anything could top the set that $1.09 had just played, but I was in for the second surprise of the night.  Not only did The Suicide Machines come out with ear splitting volume, but they were playing their songs at a blistering speed.  The crowd was going nuts!  They must have played 7 songs in a span of 10 minutes!  Playing songs off both of their amazing albums, they wrapped up the night with an incredible extended version of Break the Glass.  The Suicide Machines can really crank it out live.

July 24, 1998 - The Docks, Toronto
WARPED TOUR ‘98 : Less Than Jake - Bad Religion - Rancid - NOFX - Cherry
 Poppin’ Daddies - The Specials - Save Ferris - Dropkick Murphy’s -
 No Use For A Name - CIV - Deftones - Voodoo Glow Skulls - Unwritten Law -
 ALL - Swingin’ Utters - The Reverend Horton Heat - MxPx - BTK -
 The Aquabats - Frenzal Rhomb - Mad Caddies - The Sinisters - Gob

Summer 1998 - The Trasheteria, Guelph
Mustard Plug - Flashlight
-This marked the second time I was to see Michigan's premier ska act and I was unaware that I, along with about 75 unsuspecting Guelphinians, were going to see one hell of a show for $6.  I had not heard of Flashlight prior to this show, but I would become a fan of them that night.  Despite a small stage, they still managed to do some funny stage antics.  They hit on the teenaged girls in the front row, and complained of a red stage light burning their eyes.  They played what was to become my favourite song for a long time, 'Crash Baby', and much of their first album.  Flashlight's performance would have been enough to make it a memorable night, but when Mustard Plug took the stage, skanking madness ensued.  They played almost all of Evildoers Beware with classics off of Big Daddy Multitude as well.  The lead singer jumped into the crowd with a plastic knife during 'Mr. Smiley' and proceeded to hack and slash at the audience.  There's no doubt in my mind that this was one of the best shows of my life.

July 4, 1998 - The Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto
Jimmy Page & Robert Plant
-A reunion that definitely would have had to happen sooner or later.  Unfortunately, the legendary ex Zeppelin members chose a really mellow set list that lacked in energy.  Show highlights were Whole Lotta Love and their encore performance of Rock and Roll that left everyone leaving in a good mood.  Hippies suck.  Thank you.

June 28, 1998 - The Warehouse, Toronto
Drain - Sevendust - Megadeth
-Drain was terrible, droning, and painful to listen to.  They just plain suck.  Sevendust was really cool I thought, with heavy guitars, cool riffs and a singer that definitely looks insane on stage.  Megadeth played a good set too that included songs from their entire career.  The encore was a great version of Anarchy In The U.K.

May 5, 1998 - The Phoenix Club, Toronto
Goldfinger - Show Off
-Goldfinger played a great show like they always do, which included Chumbawumba, Op Ivy, and Social Distortion covers.  No horn section, but still a great show.  Show Off was cool too, and they dropped out of school just to go on tour with Goldfinger.  Much respect!

March 27, 1998 - The Opera House, Toronto
SNO JAM 4 : Jughead’s Revenge - Wizo - Guy Smiley - Mustard Plug - Ignite
-This annual multi band tour kicked off with Canada's own Guy Smiley.  The guys in this band are really funny on stage, and put on a good show.  Jughead's Revenge came on next and I was less than impressed.  They were really boring to watch and just stood there playing.  Not moving around or jumping or anything.  A real let down I thought.  Next was Mustard Plug who have since become one of my favourite ska bands.  Take my advice and never miss one of their shows in your area.  They're a great live act, and they definitely won over the mainly punk crowd that night.  One of the highlights was the lead singer jumping into the crowd with a fake knife and hacking at the audience during the song Mr. Smiley .  The German punk band Wizo came on next and after a little technical trouble, put on a good show.  Ignite came on to wrap up the show, and sent the audience into one of the hardest mosh pits I've seen.

February 8, 1998 - The Warehouse, Toronto
Goldfinger - Sugar Ray - Save Ferris
-This story begins a long, long time ago before Sugar Ray started prancing around stage and writing suck-ass pop songs.  Having only heard one of their songs at the time, I was mainly going for Save Ferris and Goldfinger.  Although I missed a big chunk of Save Ferris' set, I did see a handful of songs, and they're a really cool live ska band.  Goldfinger, as always, totally rocked the place.  As an added bonus, they had a horn section with them for the show, which they usually don't have.  One of the best punk/ska bands touring today.  And as for Sugar Ray, with the exception of the song Fly, which sent them spiraling down the toilet bowl, they put on a great show, showcasing fine thrash edged rock tunes.  With their music now, I wouldn't see them again.  Back then, they were cool.  My, don't things change...

Summer 1997 - C.N.E., Toronto
Ziggy Marley
-One of the umpteen children of the great reggae legend Bob Marley put on a pretty solid show at the Ex.  He's allright, but he definitely ain't anywhere close to dear old dad.

March 27, 1997 - SkyDome, Toronto
AC/DC - The Poor
-Yes, I saw the world's greatest rock band on their Ballbreaker tour.  I was in the front row for this show, I just thought I'd gloat about it.  It was my first true great concert experience.  AC/DC was in top form for this show and they totally rocked out.

Summer 1996 - C.N.E., Toronto
Moist
-At the time, I thought that this show was cool, but that's because I'd never seen a band live.  Still Moist was the first band I saw live, so I have to give them some credit.  Well, I saw Kideo when I was like 10, but that doesn't count.