Thursday Thirteen: Music Edition

I'm really excited about a concert coming up next week - ever since I bought their CD last year, I've been WAITING for The Plain White T's to go on tour and come to Seattle. Well, next week they are FINALLY going to be here, and I'm super excited! A couple of days later, I'll be going to see OK Go for the 3rd time at another small venue in Seattle. My friend Violet is a huge music lover, and has introduced me to the joys of seeing bands in small clubs and venues. We've been to tons of concerts together, including a few arena shows. I went to my first concert when I was only a few years old with my Mom - Riley & Malone. When I was a teen, my first big concerts were Blues Traveler, then No Doubt/Goo Goo Dolls/Bush with my sister, Dad and Stepmom. It all got me thinking about bands I've seen live, and what my favorites were. So, my top 13 concerts (in no particular order) I've seen is my Thursday Thirteen for today!

1. Prince - Seriously, it was freaking PRINCE. It was awesome. It's true that he was obviously completely full of himself, but dude, I would be too. If I was Prince.
   
2. Sarah McLachlan - My absolute favorite artist, I finally got to see her in concert a couple of years ago when her last CD came out. I almost didn't go, and I'm SO glad I did. I was so enthralled during the whole thing. It was amazing.
   
3. Barenaked Ladies - I've seen BNL four times, and they are just amazing! They put on such a good show, they're really performers and not just musicians. I would see them any time they came to town, which is why I was so sad when Steven Page left the band recently.
   
4. Duran Duran - I saw Duran Duran a few years ago when they came out with their album "Astronaut". They were amazing, the new songs were so catchy and they did a perfect mixture of new and old material.
   
5. Glen Phillips - My best friend Violet's absolute favorite band of all time is Toad the Wet Sprocket. Glen Phillips was the lead singer for Toad, and I've seen him twice on tour doing his own stuff. He is an amazing musician, and interacts wonderfully with the crowd. It's the kind of concert that just makes you happy!
   
6. Lilith Fair: Natalie Merchant, Jewel, Emmylou Harris, Sarah McLachlan & The Indigo Girls - A women's music festival put together by my favorite artist? Absolutely! I went to Lilith Fair twice, once with my friend Sati, and once with my sister and Stepmom. It was just amazing seeing the talent they got together for them. Hearing Jewel, Sarah McLachlan, and the Indigo Girls sing "Water is Wide" together is still one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard.
   
7. Garbage & No Doubt - Went to this concert just before Gwen Stefani started her solo career. It was a great concert, Garbage had come out with beautifulgarbage, and they did a lot of music from that. Went with my husband, Violet, and her husband and had a great time.
   
8. Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Shawn Colvin & Bruce Hornsby - What can I say? This one was just amazing. I love Bruce Hornsby - I played the piano for a long time and I am somewhat drawn to music with a lot of piano. I have liked Bruce Hornsby for a long time, and I absolutely love Bonnie Raitt. We went to this one at The Gorge, my sister, my Mom, my Stepdad and I. It was late in the year, so it was cold, and we listened to the last part of the concert wrapped in sleeping bags.
   
9. Toad the Wet Sprocket - We got to see Toad at either the Paramount or the Moore in Seattle. We went with Violet and her husband, and it was just an amazing show. Toad is a great band, and knowing that they were Violet's favorite made it a really cool experience, I loved sharing it with her.
   
10. Green Day - Okay, so I mostly HEARD this concert. I was pregnant at the time, and just couldn't bear standing on my feet for long. We had actual seats, but since everyone around us was standing, we had to stand to see too. This concert was part of the tour for American Idiot.
    
11. OK Go - I've seen OK Go a couple of times in small places in Seattle. One of the times we saw them, we were literally standing right in front of the keyboard, maybe two feet between us. It was really surreal, but amazing. They put on a great show and their music is just fun to listen to live.
    
12. Tom Petty - Tom Petty is another one I went to with my Mom and sister. It's one of the musicians I sort of "inherited liking" from my Mom - she listened to it and I got to like it too. One of the best things about this concert is that there was no new album - it was almost like a "best of" tour. I wish more bands would do that, it was so fun to hear all of our favorites!
    
13. Rhett Miller - Rhett Miller. Sigh... I've seen him once or twice, and saw him as frontman of The Old 97's once. His music is just awesome, he's one of those artists where I liked every single song on the CD. Also he's really cute.
    

What's your favorite concert experience?

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