The Gigs Of My Years

As my regular readers will know *waves to you all* music is one of the biggest passions of my life, we have a newbie in the office this week and I was most restrained in waiting until today to grill her about her musical taste (she er started yesterday). We were comparing festivals that we've been to (V in her case and Reading & Download in mine!), favorite artists we've seen live and acts we've been really disappointed with, although we have different taste in artist the themes are the same. No matter what music you like you'll always be excited to see your favorites live, you'll discover new favorites after seeing them and unfortunately be disappointed if a band you really like absolutely suck live! Or of course the stress of watching the page slowly load as you try and book tickets to a band you've been dying to see.

I'm really lucky to have had the opportunities to experience the live music I have and although I have yet to achieve the dizzy heights of "Of course I have been to over 1000 live shows" like the idiot queing behind me at Church Of Mars earlier this year was boasting (Actually how do you see over 1000 live shows? The guy was probably in his 40s, let's say 45 for arguments sake that would make him approx 16,380 days old so let's assume he's been going to shows since he was 17 like me that's 28 years of gig worthy days, 10.192 days, I still fail to see how that's physically possible! but I digress) I do feel that I am in a position to share the highs and lows of my gig-going career thus far.

You see it's not just about the band/artist you see, it's about the things that go on during or around the show, hearing a new song for the first time, something funny that happens on the way to or from a show so many memories and emotions can be attached to a gig. These then become your own personal legends that you can bore people with at a later date (or through a blog :P).

Festivals are the best place for seeing a great variety of bands and in my opinion are a rite of passage for anyone even vaguely interested in music! Plus you get even more memories attached to them - mostly stumbling around in the dark and trying to get into the wrong tent but you know - happens to the best of us!

So these are the shows I've been to, the bands I've loved and stood through horrendous support acts for (I'm looking at you LostAlone, We Fell To Earth and Alphabeat), the bands I've discovered and the memories I have.

2004 -

Blur - The first 'grown up' gig I'd been to started off my college life well! Me and Alli pogoed so hard we nearly fell down the seated section of The Brighton Centre .. awkward ... It also introduced me to how cool you feel walking around in a souvenir t-shirt from the show. Being able to smugly say "Oh yes I've seen them live" is still one of my greatest pleasures when I'm asked about a band shirt I'm wearing.

Deep Purple - Dad rock rules!

Travis

Ash - My first proper 'all nighter' we missed the last train back to Eastbourne and had to be rescued from Brighton station at 3am by Alli's parents ... rock and erm roll ....

Keane

Manic Street Preachers

My Blur top

2005 -

The Hives - damn good fun!

REM - This was mine, Lydia & Hilary's first ever 'big' show. They played on a beautiful July evening in Hyde Park, whenever I hear Nightswimming it takes me right back to that beautiful sunset and Michael Stipe sat on the piano singing. It was also a noteable evening as Lydia & Hilary turned 18 on the way home - in Gatwick Airport car park in fact, it's amazing how well a raucous rendition of happy birthday echoes in an empty car park late at night!

Alice Cooper - Got to the front and then had to hide when he decided to bring a snake onstage #rockchickproblems

Feeder

Reading 05 - I LOVE festivals! This was my first and will always be my favourite, all the bands we loved through college were gathered in one place. It introduced us to mobile raves and I may possibly still be married to my ex after 'the messiah' officiated a brief ceremony for us. We saw -

The Pixies - Seeing Kurt Cobain's contemporaries blew my fangirl mind!

Razorlight

The Killers  - I will always associate leaning against an ice cream van and singing along at the top of my voice with the Hot Fuss album

Goldie lookin chain - Genius! And I say that with no irony!

The Coral

Queens Of The Stone Age

Kasabian

Fightstar - My first experience of dodging bottles of piss in an enclosed space ...

My Chemical Romance - "I'm not ooookaaayyy"

Biffy Clyro

Foo Fighters - My fangirl head exploded once more when Dave Grohl announced "I'm jumping on the drums here for the first time since 1992"

Iron Maiden

Marilyn Manson

In Hyde Park with Lydia & Hilary

Keeping my strength up with highly nutritious Chinese!

2006 -

James Blunt - Don't judge! I genuinely love the Back To Bedlam album!

Feeder

2007 -

My Chemical Romance - The Black Parade tour was amazing!

Deep Purple

Muse - My first ever stadium gig was at the 'new' Wembley Stadium, what a show! I've never seen so many pyrotechnics in one place! We also had Dirty Pretty Things & The Streets as support acts.

Metallica - Another Wembley show just awesome!

30 Seconds To Mars - The first time I ever saw them live at Brixton Academy (altogether now ahhhhh). I loved them from the first time I heard Attack & The Kill and seeing them live sealed it for me. I'd never seen so much love between a band and audience and I haven't since. A really special band.

Alice Cooper - We had Motorhead and Joan Jett as the support acts, Joan Jett is officially my first ever girl crush.

Reading 07 - My second Reading outing with Alli and Lydia. Naturally I hadn't planned for the weather being warm and spent the whole weekend complaining that I was too hot. I blame this entirely for me falling in a comatose sleep during Funeral For A Friend! The acts I saw were -

Smashing Pumpkins

Razorlight

The Gossip

Red Hot Chilli Peppers - I have never, ever been so disappointed in a band. They spent 60% of the set noodling around jamming and when they did deign to play a song they were out of tune and just terrible! I still struggle to listen to them now.

Audio Bullys

Me & Chris off to see My Chemical Romance

Lunch in Camden with Gem pre-Metallica

Chris at Metallica

Me at Metallica

Guarding the luggage on the way to Reading

Alli & Lydia - Happy campers!

At Alice Cooper

2008 -

30 Seconds To Mars - There was no way I'd ever not see my now favorite band again! This was at the Hammersmith Apollo and I managed to amuse the group of people I was with by falling backwards off of a bollard outside the entrance (long story)

Iron Maiden - I took Chris to see them at Twickenham (Avenged Sevenfold were the support) home of the world's most expensive cups of tea! Immense show though!

Give It A Name 08- It's bizarre going to an indoor festival, the benefit being that there was a Ben & Jerry's stall (what better mix than ice cream & music?). It's a shame Earls Court has closed now as it was a great venue.  I saw -

The Blackout

Plain White Tees

Billy Talent

30 Seconds To Mars

Me & Chris at Iron Maiden (my expression is one of disbelief at the aforementioned tea prices!)

2009 -

Fallout Boy - The good thing about going to gigs at the Brighton Centre is that you can spend the day in The Lanes drinking milkshakes as me and Kayleigh did prior to the show!

The Prodigy - One of the best live bands I've ever seen

Oasis - We had Kasabian as the support act, I will one day see them at one of their own shows! We were lucky to go to this Wembley show as they split the following week (not sure if I'm inadvertently responsible?)

Muse - Chris's 18th birthday present was a ticket to their O2 show and the pleasure of spending the evening with me - I'm such a good sister no?

Greenday - I FINALLY got to see the band I'd loved since I was at college and it was well worth the wait!

30 Seconds To Mars - I was so pleased that they announced a show at KoKo as Camden is my favorite place in the world. This was a small show prior to the release of the This Is War album (still my favorite of their releases) and I'd had to pay a ridiculous amount on a tout site for the ticket (touts are scum of the earth!). The price was worth it, this show fights with the more recent 'Church Of Mars' show for the title of my favorite show ever. I heard my favorite ever song Kings & Queens live for the first time and at the end of the show they announced that they'd do a signing. They were as good as their word when they promised not to leave until everyone who wanted something signed had their signature. I believe they were there until 3 the following morning, that's why I love this band. And yes I do still giggle like a girl every time anyone says "nice shirt".

Marilyn Manson - Tip don't go to rock shows when you have a migraine

Alice Cooper

Kayleigh & Me at Fallout Boy

Pete Wentz of Fallout Boy

Me & Chris at Muse

Muse at the O2

Glyphed Up with my KoKo ticket

Jared chatting to us pre-signing

Waiting to meet Mars!

2010-

30 Seconds To Mars - Wembley Arena

Lady GaGa - Just wow! Me and Luke went and it was absolutely amazing, it was a visual feast with all the costumes, props and dancing. Oh and by the way she sings LIVE! One of the best nights of my life.

30 Seconds To Mars - They played a tiny venue at Lincoln University's Engine Shed as part of Radio 1's university tour. There were only about 500 people and my then boyfriend was delighted that Tomo popped up outside to say hello to us! 

30 Seconds To Mars - They very kindly came and played Brighton which is only half an hour away from me, most importantly it was the first show that me and Helen went to together. She also refers to it as the 'memory full' show due to the small incident when I failed to capture a photo of Jared right in front of us as my SD card was chock a block *doh*

30 Seconds To Mars - The second time they played Brighton in a week. They came out and signed for us after the show, although I'm not sure that it wasn't standing in the snow that gave me epic man-flu a week later! Most people get festival flu, I get Mars flu!

30 Seconds To Mars - They sold out the O2 Flippin Arena! I was so proud!

This was actually supposed to be a photo of Shannon but Jared lept in front of the drums as I hit the shutter!

At Wembley Arena

Me and Luke at the O2 waiting for Lady GaGa!

I love you GaGa!

Outside the venue at Lincoln

Shannon & Jared talking to Zane Lowe

Tomo outside the Engine Shed

Me and Helen outside our first show together

The moment prior to the 'Memory Full' incident

Getting ready for the second Brighton show!

Shannon signing for us

Jared at about the moment I caught man flu!

My signed ticket

2011 -

So 2011 was the year that me & Helen literally traveled round the world going to 30 Seconds To Mars shows. Combining holidays around tour dates for your favorite band is definitely the way to go! You can read about our trip to America to see them in Niagara Falls here, we also saw them in Rome (v hot) and Lille (very pretty!)

Reading 11 - Me, Lydia & Hilary took advantage of our favourite bands playing on the same day (30 Seconds To Mars & My Chemical Romance respectively) at Reading and also inducted their brother Richard into the festival tradition. There was classic festival weather and lots of mud (trust me you do not want to try jumping in wellies!). We saw -

The Blackout

Rise Against - I'm sure they were great, unfortunately I managed to fall asleep standing up whilst they were on .......... What can I say? I was in standby energy conservation mode .............

Deftones

Bring Me The Horizon - I never liked them until I saw them live, they were fantastic and I became a convert who now owns most of their albums!

The Offspring - I was so disappointed, they were one of the first rock bands I got into and they frankly looked bored as if they had better things to do. Another band I now struggle to listen to. 

New Found Glory

30 Seconds To Mars - I'd steeled myself to watch them being pelted with mud but they totally won the crowd over!

My Chemical Romance - I love MCR and they were really fantastic. I can't believe they're not around any more. 

At the front in Niagara Falls

Still the best photo I've ever taken!

Me & Mars in Niagara Falls

In Rome

And in Lille

Me & Helen at the front in Lille!

Shannon in Lille

Jared in Lille

Richard, Lydia, Hilary and me heading to Reading

It's raining ................

It's not a festival if there's not a stupid hat involved (RIP Mrs Nesbit hat)

Disheveled post gig chic

2013 -

30 Seconds To Mars - They got it into their heads to play a free 'flash show' in Soho Square London ... Did I mention I love this band?

Download 13 - Gem kindly guided me through my first Download experience,  such a good day and a first for me in getting sunburnt at a festival of all places! We saw -

Sacred Mother Tongue

Hellyeah - Best hair of the entire festival!

The Ghost Inside

Five Finger Death Punch 

30 Seconds To Mars

30 Seconds To Mars - They sold out the O2 again! Me and Helen went wild and bought side of stage tickets, I'd totally recommend them, you get a really cool view and get some super cool camera angles!

Soho Sq flash show (I scaled a bench for this shot)

Me & Gem at Download

Best hair of the festival!

Gem backstage

Mars at Download

Me and Mars (and my cool shorts)

At the O2

Tomo at the O2

Shannon at the O2

Jared at the O2

2014 -

The Pretty Reckless - I was pleased to finally see these guys as I loved Light Me Up & Going To Hell. Taylor is a fantastic singer. 

2015 -

The Who - Sometimes the oldies just show the young 'uns how to do it, any singer who does their encore with a cup of tea in their hand is a legend - Roger Daltrey I salute you sir!

30 Seconds To Mars - I woke up one April morning to a tweet announcing an intimate London show and genuinely thought I was still dreaming! What a show! It was at St John At Hackney church so was really tiny. It was such a special show and I genuinely felt privileged to be there. I love the more relaxed, tiny shows where the band can interact with the audience more, chatting and joking with us between songs. A perfect evening .......... well up until my sprint across Victoria station for the 5 past midnight train (I couldn't breathe for about 15 minutes!)

The Who - Mum and I enjoyed the O2 show so much that the following morning we booked to see them in Hyde Park! It was a beautiful summers day and we had some great support acts in Johnny Marr (my 18 year old Smiths-loving self was over the moon) and the Kaiser Chiefs, I'd been wanting to see them for 10 years and my were they worth the wait! Paul Weller was the other support act and he started really well with some Jam songs and his own stuff but completely lost the audience halfway through, even the finale of A Town Called Malice didn't particularly help. The Who of course were fantastic, if I get the chance to see them again before they retire I shall be a very happy Jenni!

Dad, Mum and Me at the O2 for The Who

Church Of Mars

Mum in Hyde Park

Hyde Park

Still to come -

I'm going to see The Prodigy with Luke & Barry in December (Seriously hoping they're as good as they were last time) and Muse with Mum and Dad next year. I'm obviously also tapping my foot (not so) patiently for Mars to finish their album and get their butts back on tour!

Love Jen

XxxX