One Thing I’d Tell My Niece and Nephew: Go See Live Music

In a world where everything is on-demand, live music is the one thing that still demands you to show up.

If there’s a piece of advice I could give to my younger self—or to my niece and nephew—it’s this: go to as many concerts as you can. Don’t let the ease of streaming fool you into thinking you’ve experienced music just because you’ve played it on Spotify, YouTube, or wherever.

Streaming is incredible, but live music is something else entirely. It’s energy. It’s community. It’s imperfect and raw and alive.

And here’s the thing: I can’t say I saw enough shows—but the ones I did? They were epic. The kind of nights that stick with you for decades. The lights. The sound that rattles your bones. That moment when everyone in the crowd knows the lyric, and you’re singing with strangers. That doesn’t happen on your phone.

When I look back, some of my most vivid memories aren’t about stuff I owned or things I scrolled past—they’re about being in those rooms, those fields, those nights. Here are some of the shows I’ve been lucky enough to experience, in the order they happened. Each one left a mark.

Phish — Dec 6, 1991 (Middlebury College, VT)

A college ballroom show, and the energy was electric. It felt like something special was happening in a small room—and it was.

Middlebury, VT

Soundcheck:

Memories (x2)
Dog Log
Blues Jam
Shaggy Dog
Makisupa Policeman

SET 1:

Memories
Foam
Reba
Uncle Pen
The Squirming Coil
Magilla
The Landlady
Guelah Papyrus
I Didn’t Know

SET 2: It’s Ice

Eliza
Sparkle, You Enjoy Myself
Horn
Divided Sky
Tela
Llama
Hold Your Head Up
Whipping Post
Hold Your Head Up
Possum
Wait Possum

ENCORE:

Wait
Lawn Boy
Rocky Top

Blues Traveler + Spin Doctors — Apr 23, 1992 (University of Vermont)

aka Spinning Traveler. This was pure early-’90s college rock magic. Two bands, harmonicas, and the kind of jam vibe that defined an era.

Find the Spin Doctors set, the segue into the Blues Traveler set, and the beginning of the Blues Traveler set here.

Set List

Big Fat Funky Booty
Hungry Hamed’s
Little Miss Can’t Be Wrong
Freeway Of The Plains / Two Princes
What Time Is It?
Forty Or Fifty
Jimmy Olsen’s Blues
Cleopatra’s Cat
Shinbone Alley
Crash Burn
Dropping Some NYC / Optimistic Thought

Ivory Tusk
Mulling It Over
Trina Magna
Fledgling
But Anyway
Manhattan Bridge
100 Years
Sweet Pain
Sweet Talking Hippie
NY Prophesie

U2 (with Pixies) — Mar 23, 1992 (Montreal Forum)

U2 (with Pixies) — Mar 23, 1992 (Montreal Forum) Montreal fans rock to U2

Zoo TV was larger than life. U2 at their most ambitious, and opening with Pixies? That’s the kind of lineup you only appreciate more as time goes on.

Montreal Fans Rock to High-Tech U2

Stephen O’Brien - Citizen Correspondent · Montreal Gazette

MONTREAL — With Adam speaking and Larry singing, U2’s Zoo TV Tour concert at the Forum on Monday was certainly different.

A new style maybe, but not a musical departure for the Irish rockers.

On tour live for the first time in five years, the foursome is first and foremost having fun. That’s not a bad place to start.

But three weeks into the group’s North American tour, Bono’s obvious hunger to perform was not always matched by his fellow band members.

The Dublin lead singer was hard to fault in front of 15,000 rock fans.

There was no need to melt the ice on rink before this gig. From the start of the two-hour performance, Bono was hot and the Montreal fans were breaking decibel records.

Opening with Zoo Station from Achtung Baby, he came on stage smoking, prancing, and singing on a ramp, silhouetted before giant video screens at the back of the stage.

He ran through The Fly — with French subtitles on the screen. A dancer in red silk and lace joined on a catwalk for Mysterious Ways and teased the crowd with Bono.

Bassist Adam Clayton made a rare address introducing a new song, Through Your Arms Around the World.

Drummer Larry Mullen sang the closing bars of Angel of Harlem, but then a taped backing track introduced Bad as The Edge ran back along a catwalk to join in.

If anything, Bono has grown in stage presence in the last five years, but U2’s instrumentalism has become sadly reined in by the studio-like backing tracks throughout the concert.

The support band, The Pixies, marched confidently on stage five minutes early with just one-fifth of the crowd in their seats.

The bass-driven, five-piece rock outfit delivered a tremendous hour-long set that deserved few, and those who came late missed a top-notch performance with echoes of 1977.

Few U2 fans left the Forum disappointed, but newcomers to the music of Euterpe’s most noted attraction deserved a little better for the $25 ticket.

The high-tech show is certainly impressive, but must leave room for organic rock ’n’ roll to grow from gig to gig.

Pixies Set List

Vamos
Where Is My Mind?
Mr. Grieves
Letter to Memphis
Palace of the Brine
Here Comes Your Man
Is She Weird

Gouge Away
Monkey Gone to Heaven
Velouria
Alec Eiffel
Motorway to Roswell
Bird Dream of the Olympus Mons
Planet of Sound

U2 Set List

Zoo Station
The Fly
Even Better Than the Real Thing
Mysterious Ways
One
Until the End of the World
Who’s Gonna Ride Your Wild Horses
Tryin’ to Throw Your Arms Around the World
Angel of Harlem
Slow Dancing

Satellite of Love
Bad
Bullet the Blue Sky
Running to Stand Still
Where the Streets Have No Name
Pride (In the Name of Love)
I Still Haven’t Found What I’m Looking For
Desire
Ultraviolet (Light My Way)
With or Without You
Love Is Blindness

Lollapalooza (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lush) — Aug 8, 1992 (Great Woods, MA)

It wasn’t just a concert—it was a cultural moment. Alternative music taking over the world, and we were right there for it.

Red Hot Chili Peppers
Pearl Jam
Soundgarden
Ministry
Ice Cube
Jesus & Mary Chain
Lush

B.B. King — Oct 25, 1993 (Cirkus, Stockholm)

B.B. King — Oct 25, 1993 (Cirkus, Stockholm) Ticket

Seeing a legend like B.B. King in an intimate venue overseas? That was a gift. You don’t forget the feeling of blues played by the man himself.

James Brown — Dec 4, 1993 (Ericsson Globe, Stockholm)

James Brown — Dec 4, 1993 (Ericsson Globe, Stockholm) Ticket

The Godfather of Soul. The energy, the moves, the sheer showmanship—this was a master class in performance.

The Chemical Brothers — May 14, 1997 (Métropolis, Montreal)

The Chemical Brothers — May 14, 1997 (Métropolis, Montreal) Advert

Electronic music as a full-body experience. Beats, lights, and the sense that the future had arrived on the dance floor.

Sneaker Pimps (with Luke Vibert; Aphex Twin) — Sep 7–8, 1997 (Avalon, Boston)

Sneaker Pimps — Sep 7–8, 1997 (Avalon, Boston) Headline

This one felt ahead of its time. Trip-hop colliding with experimental electronica, and Aphex Twin bending sound into shapes no one else dared.

Aphex Twin Set List

Listen to the Aphex Twin set here:

Pulsewidth
(Live remix)
Bucephalus Bouncing Ball
To Cure a Weakling Child
5 Heliosphan live
Come To Daddy (Little Lord Faulteroy Mix)
Lichen
Inkey$
Girl/Boy Song
23 Lush Acid pt1
Digeridoo

Metric system

Matt Ashare · Boston Phoenix

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The Aphex Twin The tone for this year’s CMJ Musicfest — and, in a sense, for the big trend of late ‘97 — was set by the opening-night party last week at Roseland in New York City, where a handful of techno dudes (Crystal Method, Daft Punk, Fluke, Death in Vegas, and the Aphex Twin) were joined by the higher-profile, femme-fatale-fronted British outfit the Sneaker Pimps. It was a stiff shot of the new electronica served with a fizzy rock chaser from a band who shrewdly filter their fluid techno-pop through layered sheets of overdriven guitar. Or, as I began to think, it was electronica’s sleek new metric system of finely calibrated BPMs inching toward the stubborn American mainstream (if such a thing still exists) in steps still measured by the, um, familiar yardstick of modern rock. A pared-down version of the same show, featuring headliners the Sneaker Pimps and the Aphex Twin, with jungle DJ Luke Vibert and the edgy Brit-rock band Linoleum, arrived in Boston, at Avalon, last Sunday. Actually, Linoleum, whose Geffen debut was produced by local Fort Apache dudes Sean Slade and Paul Kolderie, arrived too late for the early 5 p.m. show, cutting the bill’s rock quotient in half. But there was still plenty of guitar-bass-and-drums from the Sneaker Pimps to balance the drum ‘n’ bass Vibert spun between sets.

It might have been interesting to see how many people would have shown up just for the Aphex Twin, an eccentric and normally reclusive Cornish-born DJ whose given name, Richard D. James, is also the title of his most recent Elektra CD. (He also records under the names AFX, Polygon Window, Metapharstic, Caustic Window, Dice Man, Joyrex, etc.) James doesn’t make songs so much as create intriguing, generally wordless, not necessarily danceable, and often hookless sonic constructions, none of which has been suitable for commercial radio in the US. Yet press coverage coupled with word-of-mouth and an American major-label deal has made him one of the better known sonic auteurs to emerge from Britain’s rave culture over the past few years.

As it was, even the Sneaker Pimps, whose trip-hoppy single “6 Underground” (from Becoming X — released last year in England on Clean Up and this year in the US by Virgin) hit big on radio and MTV, didn’t manage to draw a full house for their 6:30 p.m. show, which set dense, computer-enhanced rock against a techno backdrop of ethereal synth tones, ghostly samples, and the screened images of computer data and circuitry diagrams. At their best, the Pimps offer a sleazier, spiritually debased version of Portishead’s sensual slow dances, with frontwoman Kelli Dayton’s cooing voice seductively grinding against rocky guitars and echoey grooves. The result brings to mind the “dance remixes” of the ’80s, whereby technologically savvy rock bands like U2 and Simple Minds would turn their hits over to a producer who would recast the tune as a dance-club number by emphasizing the bass and drum tracks, slapping on a whole lotta reverb, and fading the guitars and vocals in and out of the mix. It also recalls mid-’80s Siouxsie and the Banshees with deeper beats, though I swear the vocal line from “6 Underground” is a permutation of a Tears for Fears hook.

Unfortunately, the Sneaker Pimps weren’t even as visually compelling or engaging on stage as the Banshees, who themselves were never known to be a particularly exciting band. And with Dayton’s crucial vocal melodies buried in the mix, it was hard to tell the mid-tempo thump of “Becoming X” (the set opener) from the mid-tempo thud of “Walking Zero.” Indeed, the Aphex Twin, who hit the stage at 8 p.m., was more entertaining — and he spent his entire set lying down on a sofa with his head hidden behind an array of mixing consoles.

James began his set by deconstructing a Kraftwerkian synth motif until all that was left was a barrage of rapid-fire beats. He went on to tweak an undulating jungle rhythm until it sounded like a swarm of malfunctioning helicopters, and he layered squiggles on top of blips until they resembled a chorus of Nintendos. Comic relief was provided by a pair of dancing (and humping) stagehands in giant teddy-bear costumes (one pink, one orange), but it was even more amusing to watch a gradually thinning crowd of people watch a guy lie on a sofa for an hour.

At the CMJ Musicfest, the presence of guys like Vibert and James had the effect of making the grungy, Mudhoney-style garage punk of the Murder City Devils (who played a modestly attended Sub Pop showcase) and the country-flavored pop of Amy Rigby (who played on two of the festival’s four nights) seem suddenly quaint. But it’s not yet clear how or even whether an artist like the Aphex Twin will ever be able to navigate America’s sturdy rock infrastructure. The speed limit here is still posted miles per hour, not kilometers and not BPMs.

Tortoise (with Oval) — May 6, 1998 (The Middle East, Cambridge)

Minimalist, experimental, and hypnotic. Music that made you listen differently—layered, intricate, and deeply alive.

From the “Road Tripping” columns of the Arts section on page 4 of the May 1, 1998 edition of the The Boston Phoenix

Post-rock instrumental visionaries Tortoise return with another big-production experimental jazz/dub/electronic thingamabob, and tagging along is Berliner Marcus Popp, who records as Oval, which is also the name he’s given to the software he’s created to deconstruct and reassemble digital sound files. He’ll be on stage accompanied only by his laptop, and the screen will be projected behind him so you can see how he does it. That’s at Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel (401-272-5876) in Providence on May 5, and at the Middle East on May 6.

Phillip Glass — January 15, 1999 (Wang Center, Boston, MA)

Phillip Glass — January 15, 1999 (Wang Center, Boston, MA) Advert

Tone Poet - Philip Glass returns to Koyaanisqatsi

Tristram Lozaw · The Boston Phoenix

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Philip Glass In the late 1970s, composer Philip Glass and cinematographer Ron Fricke set out to help Godfrey Reggio complete what was supposed to be his first and last film, Koyaanisqatsi. By contrasting images of natural beauty with those of urban decay, Reggio sought to show how modern society had become distanced from the former and overwhelmed by the spectacle of the latter. With a little help from various benefactors, including Francis Ford Coppola, Koyaanisqatsi (the title is a Hopi Indian word meaning “life out of balance”) was released in 1983. The 87-minute audio-visual tone poem — call it music for the eyes and images for the ears — has since become something of a modern classic. Reggio’s time-lapse stream of images pulses, billows, and glides across the American landscape, from the breathtaking scenery of Monument Valley to abandoned tenements in the South Bronx.

Central to the film’s success is Glass’s score — a gently shifting flow of music that underscores the on-screen images with Gregorian chant, softly floating melodies, and spare tonal figures sung and played on keyboards. Glass won several honors for his work on the film, including a Golden Globe for Best Score back when it was first released.

Now, a more comprehensive recorded score has surfaced, featuring a full 30 minutes of music that was absent from the original vinyl album. It’s available on a digitally remastered Nonesuch CD. To mark its release, Glass and his ensemble have reconvened to perform the music live at screenings of Koyaanisqatsi, one of which will take place next Friday at Boston’s Wang Center. Speaking from his home in New York City, the noted modern minimalist took time to reflect on his role in helping to mold the film’s “extraordinary view of the ordinary.” Glass had re-recorded the Koyaanisqatsi score around 1998 (new Nonesuch / Orange Mountain releases), and the new release was followed by live screenings with the Philip Glass Ensemble.

Philip Glass and the Philip Glass Ensemble will accompany a screening of Koyaanisqatsi next Friday, January 15, at 8 p.m. at the Wang Center. Tickets are $21, $26, and $38. Call (800) 447-7400.

The Breeders — Jun 5, 2008 (Paradise Rock Club, Boston)

A small club, a beloved band, and songs that still sound as vital as the first time you heard them.

The Breeders - Raw Deals - June 5, 2008 (Paradise Rock Club, Boston)

Megan V. Bell · The Boston Phoenix

Disclaimer: “Cannonball” was released when I was, like, nine, and I had no idea. I heard the song for the first time on the radio shortly after starting high school, and everything I thought I knew about music crumbled around me. (Take that, Smash Mouth.) It was unpredictable, catchy, anarchic, playful, explosive, and unbelievably cool all at once, with just enough distortion and feedback to sound melodic and give me chills. All I could think was, “If it sounds like this coming from a studio, what must it sound like live?” Now I can say with some authority: it rules.

At this point, Kim and Kelley Deal must hate that song more than life itself, but they didn’t show it. Kim spat into the mic with ferocious intensity, and the entire song was sped up to a point beyond what I thought physics would allow. The Breeders — in a lineup that now includes the sisters Deal, bassist Jose Medeles, drummer Mando Lopez, and jack-of-all-trades “Cheryl from Florida,” who was, according to Kim, found on Craigslist — are, of course, anything but one-hit wonders.

The crowd — bedecked in relics of yore: baggy pants, oversized sweatshirts, ripped T’s, and, yes, flannel, as if emerging from some cryogenic grunge chamber — was almost as equally enthused about the rest of the set.

They resurrected Pod’s heavenly cover of “Happiness Is a Warm Gun” to uproarious excitement and a full-room singalong (as is wont to happen whenever you bust out the Beatles live). They also tapped songs from the epic Last Splash and April’s already underrated Mountain Battles (4AD): we got idiosyncratic opener “Overglazed” (which they claimed had crashed and burned live many times yet nailed here), and the foreign musical fracas of “German Studies,” and the jaunty minimalism of “Bang On.”

They even played an Amps number. I was a bit nervous about this show, what with the pressure of waiting one decade to hear one particular song, but all fears soon subsided. How could I ever think that Kim and Kelley would let me down?

— Megan V. Bell

Photo caption: BANG ON! Kim and Kelley will never let you down.

David Byrne — Oct 7, 2008 (Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco)

Byrne performing Byrne/Eno material with theatrical brilliance. It was art, music, and storytelling all at once.

Set List

Strange Overtones
I Zimbra
One Fine Day
Help Me Somebody
Houses in Motion
My Big Nurse
My Big Hands (Fall Through the Cracks)
Heaven

Never Thought
The River
Crosseyed and Painless
Take Me to the River
Life Is Long
Once in a Lifetime
I Feel My Stuff

The Breeders — Nov 15, 2008 (Slim’s, San Francisco)

Note: This is from their 1997 show at Slim’s.

Seeing them twice in one year wasn’t a plan—it was a necessity. Different city, same thrill.

Sonic Youth — Jan 10, 2010 (The Fillmore, San Francisco)

Sonic Youth — Jan 10, 2010 (The Fillmore, San Francisco) Poster

01-10-10 with Sonic Youth. Dissonant guitars ringing in the next decade—chaotic, beautiful, unforgettable.

Set List

No Way
Sacred Trickster
Calming the Snake
Hey Joni
Anti-Orgasm
Poison Arrow
Walkin Blue
Stereo Sanctity
Malibu Gas Station
Antenna
Leaky Lifeboat
What We Know
Massage the History
The Sprawl
Cross the Breeze
Shadow of a Doubt
Death Valley ‘69

Cults — Jan 21, 2012 (Paradise Rock Club, Boston)

A band on the rise, in a small venue, before they blew up. Those are the nights you later realize were rare.

Why It Matters

Looking back, I don’t regret a single ticket. Every one of these nights is a story. A place. A feeling that can’t be compressed into a stream.

So here’s what I’d tell you: make time for live music. Even if you don’t know every song. Even if you go alone. Even if it means leaving the house when it’s easier not to. Because these are the nights you’ll remember—and they don’t happen on shuffle.

The future will always have playlists. Algorithms will always be ready with “songs you might like.” But what we won’t always have are nights like these—moments when the lights go down, the first note hits, and you’re part of something unrepeatable.

And me? Writing this reminded me of something: it’s been too long since my last show. That needs to change. Because live music isn’t just entertainment—it’s life happening in real time, and I want to be in the room when it does.