Weirdest/Strangest Concert/Show You've Ever Attended

[mattcira]

I was surfing around on YouTube the other day and I found 3 clips from a show I went to in 1994 at the ol' Oak Threatre in Chicago just before it was knocked down.

Seeing these old clips got me thinking - what is the strangest concert you've been to?

For me the show was Carcass, on their Heartwork tour, sans Michael Ammott. A local band opened, while Carcass labelmates Pitchshifter palyed second that night. Granted, Carcass delivered their signature setlist, performed perfectly - but the oddities were what directly preceded Carcass.

I'd be surprised if there weren't a lot of people on UM who familiar with Pitchshifter, but some may only know of the band's work after their transformation into a commerically accessible techno/industrial band with their horrible (and unfortunate "hit") song Genius. But, before Pitchshifter was ever popular in the US, they were, as I can best describe them, an experimental electronic/industrial band heavily influenced by Godflesh.

Mind you, Pitchshifter was opening for Carcass, in their prime - who were arguably the most important death/grind metal band, ever. But this night unquestionably belonged to Pitchshifter.

About the show... Not only was Pitchshifter's musical performance flat out scary (seriously), the aura and setting created on stage was unlike anything I've seen or experienced at a live show. Imagine a drummer playing tribal rhythms on an analog kit over thumping DAT drum-n-bass beats, a tall lanky bass player with gnarly dread locks rumbling the mega distorted bassline, weird voice-over samples while a crazy baldheaded dude ran around on stage shirtless in dirty cut-off sweatpants screaming into the microphone about the ills of society...

All of this going on in front of 3 gigantic projection screens - one on each side of the stage flashing random words and quotes such as "don't buy what you are being sold" etc... while in the center over the drum kit, short black and white 9mm films were being shown. Specifically during the song "Diable" a video of a man skinning himself while shaving in front of a vanity mirror, or a farmer implanting a cow with a cathader...

The best part of the whole experience was the stage MC walking onto the stage after Pitchshifter concluded their set to introduce Carcass. His introduction went something like: "Give it up for Pitchshifter, you guys like Pitchshifter??" He then turned to the guy standing next to him, not realizing his mic was still on and mumbled "...scared the shit out of me..." The following year, Pitchshifter released "Infotainment" and included on the album was a sample of the MC's little mumbling.

Anyway, If anyone is interested, there are a few short clips from when this show was televised on MTV's Headbangers Ball from 1994 - on YouTube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TG5eegA8jJg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ip_rILaGYoU
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e133MIcGlr0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=321YPGUQVwQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hA3vA-JrJPI

Pitchshifter was so outrageous and original, complex and minimalistic at the same time. The sad thing is, they would go on to alienate their entire fanbase by pulling a complete 180 - doing whatever they thought would get them $$$ and signed with Geffen. They had their 15 minutes of fame and are now just a story told on a message board.

The music business ****ing sucks.

 

[Naglfar]

I will win this.

When I was... 17?... the non-Danzig Misfits were playing a concert in the amphitheatre in San Juan, Puerto Rico, which is where I'm from. Now, the last major punk / metal concert had been Slayer in 1994, although those wonderful chaps from Hammerfall would stop by a year later.

At any rate... opening for the Misfits were two different sets of entertainment. First they started out with professional wrestling. Imagine Mexican pro-wrestlers, a la Nacho Libre. Now imagine that with Puerto Rican instead of Mexican accents, with a crowd of drunk and high underage punk rockers screaming on right before a Danzig-less Misfits concert. I can't even remember what the fighting was like, but some random concert organizer was up on the stage trying to be the fight announcer while these middle-aged / out of shape wrestlers in speedos grappled each other on the ring, with people in the crowd throwing ice and paper cups full of beer and coke at them. (I can't believe they didn't resort to bottles, it was the one civilized moment of the concert)

Once that was over, 3 local bands opened for the Misfits. Let me tell you, what passed for a local punk band in San Juan in 1998 would do justice to punk's English roots. The first two bands were a group of extremely sketchy and drunk people who couldn't even play their instruments. I do remember that one girl, who was one of the singers, had ripped off my brother (who had a band that actually played music) by claiming half of the 500 or so tapes he recorded in her studio on top of the studio time he paid.

The 3rd band was the best. I can't remember the name, it was something like Distorcion Rebelde (Rebel Distortion) or something that had rebel, distortion, or delinquent. The singer was a heroin addict who later on would be begging for cash on the bridge next to my house, and in time would become a born-again Christian. He was a pretty nice guy, though. Knocked up one of my cousin's friends, too. Anyway, his band played and it was like listening to jackhammers at a construction site. The sound was muddy, painful, shrill and there was no pretense of song distinction. Basically we all listened to clanging and screaming sounds for about half an hour. It was alright, though, because plenty of heineken was being served up!

Of course, then the Misfits came on. Being desperate for any punk rock, the Misfits probably got their only ovation in the last 15 years. The crowd was literally going wild. So surprising it was, that Jerry Only walked out the dressing room, which is to the side of the amphitheatre, and he immediately got a huge roar and people lunging at him. He just stood there, shocked. The then-singer (it wasn't the guy who later became a Republican hack, it was the small skinny one who was actually half-decent) came out right after to check if Jerry was bluffing about the crowd, and he walks out and same thing happens. Roaring crowd, guy just standing there with this "what the fuck?" face.

The Misfits come on, and there's this huge mosh pit. There's also like every deadbeat I know on the stage, dancing on the side. One of the concert organizers was even allowed to sing on one of the songs (don't ask me which, all misfits songs sound the same except Die my darling and Last Caress). I see this dude, who for like a month was the "dude on the couch" in my brother's room, dancing up next to Jerry Only. I'm like, what the fuck is going on?

They played for almost an hour and a half, which is saying a lot because their songs are like 2 minutes on average. They were playing more encore songs when... dun dun dun... a huge fight breaks out in the mosh pit. Between this random preppy guy and one of my BROTHER'S friends. There's shit flying everywhere, bottles, paper cups, shirts, bras (true, I swear to god)... you name it, it was flying. After the last song ends, the Misfits don't even say goodbye. They just wave and run off stage. I just tell my buddies "let's get the fuck out of here," and like that, we fled the melee.

I still have the ticket stub to this day. Right here with me, in fact.

Anfiteatro Luis Muñoz Marín
30 julio 1998
Sickentyred Productions
$20

 

[Dan Swanö]

The weirdest show I have seen this far was My Bloody Valentine live at Christiania in Denmark (A safe-haven for druggies) They played for 45 minutes as headliners. Loud as fuck. Didn´t say a word. No lightshow, only super 8 footage..that looked like the machine burnt the film while playing it and no encore. I travelled like 6 hours for that show...but for some reason I respected their total anti-rock concert vibe and lived happily ever after.

 

[Naglfar]

Oh yeah, Matt, this one is for you.

I got called a "gangsta-ass mothafucka" by a scalper in front of the House of Blues in Chicago. He ended up having to sell me a scalped ticket for the Anthrax / Motorhead concert for the actual ticket price. =)

 

[mattcira]

Oh yeah, Matt, this one is for you.

I got called a "gangsta-ass mothafucka" by a scalper in front of the House of Blues in Chicago. He ended up having to sell me a scalped ticket for the Anthrax / Motorhead concert for the actual ticket price. =)

I hate going to House of Blues for that very reason... even for being in the "nice" part of downtown Chicago, there always seems to be some drugged out asshole starting trouble out in front. I always park in the garage by Harry Carry's. Just about every single time I've been to a show, I've nearly been in a fight walking to the entrance, fending off beggers, druggies and assholes. It's strange, because it is in one of the nicer parts of Chicago.

And on a side note, if you are up for an adventure, walk through the alley behind HoB to get to the load-in dock (if you ever need to do that!). Went back there for a photo pass at a Dark Funeral show and there were bums and homeless guys living in the sewers. Man, did it fucking stink.

 

[mattcira]

...a show I went to in 1994 at the ol' Oak Threatre in Chicago just before it was knocked down...

Forgot to add that the morning after the show, my Dad wakes me up (I was still in high school) to show me a headline in the newspaper... that there was a "drug related" murder in the parking lot directly nextdoor to the Oak Theatre right after the show ended, so I guess I missed another "taste" of Chicago that night!

 

[Naglfar]

And on a side note, if you are up for an adventure, walk through the alley behind HoB to get to the load-in dock (if you ever need to do that!). Went back there for a photo pass at a Dark Funeral show and there were bums and homeless guys living in the sewers. Man, did it fucking stink.

Haha I know what you're talking about. But the HoB is a damn nice venue; air conditioned, good sound, ample water, beer if you feel like... and not too far from the Billy Goat tavern (mmmm cheezeborgers).

I don't usually have a problem with people in Chicago, I went to school in the South Side and was used to the homeless people (some of them are quite affable and interesting, athough others can be extremely annoying). It annoys me more to see assholes waving around confederate flags in concerts, since they're probably the type of people who also don't know that Abe Lincoln was from Illinois. I make a point to knock those assholes down when I can. =)

 

[madu]

I have two 'weird' concert experiences, both concerning someone in the crowd.

First one was when I was watching Swallow the Sun, there was this some guy next to me, and he was doing this really strange dance. Everyone else was headbanging around him, but he was doing this weird, very artsy performance kinda dance with his eyes closed. I don't know if he was on drugs or just a unique individual, but it was strange.

The other one was when I was watching Wintersun, and there's was this kid behind me who was yelling "PERKELE SAATANA KUNNON METALLIA" (FUCK YEAH REAL METAL) every fucking 30 seconds. Every. Fucking. 30. Seconds. After 3 or so songs someone told him to shut up, and he did for a moment, but then he started again. Then around halfway the gig he luckily disappeared somewhere. Weird kid.

 

[Nefilim]

empty paper cups full of beer

 

[Naglfar]

Edited! Concert wasn't so crazy to have empty full cups! =)

 

[Therionized]

**plays Enie Meanie Miney Moe with the 11 GWAR shows he's attended**