"Strange" concerts that you enjoyed
Posted by Dazzling-Tiger-396@reddit | GenX | View on Reddit | 211 comments
Maybe strange is the wrong word. Walking through a store today and overheard The Proclaimers "500 Miles", which is basically a meme at this point. I had totally forgotten going to see them at the Commodore in Vancouver in '88 or '89. No idea what possessed me to go see them but they actually put on an enjoyable show. Any similar stories?
paintingdusk13@reddit
I see a lot of local shows and there's a local booker who for the same show will book a rap guy, a punk band made up of 20 somethings, a more traditional rock band of 40-60 somethings, topped off with a weird experimental band with one dude wearing nothing but a Speedo, another guy in a tux, a dude in a big blow up baby costume, a guy drumming who looks like who should have been in the 20 something punk band, and a bassist unintentionally dressed like Ronald McDonald.
A lot of the shows have the most eclectic mash up of local acts and it's weird and awesome.
They book a decent amount of psychobilly bands as well and they're always weird shows, it's June and the band are dressed up like they walked out of a Monster Squad movie with full make up singing about ghouls and zombies
MotherOf4Jedi1Sith@reddit
Well, my first concert was at a bar, which of course I was toomypung to go into. My parents wanted to see Three Dog Night, so I got to sit on the back steps of the bar, listening while my parents were inside watching the show (they did check on me every now and again). Ah, to be a GenX kid again.
FutureGeist@reddit
The best of times
small-gestures@reddit
Boy George. He came around a few years ago with the b52s and Thompson twins, we went as a throwback but he was really fun.
2PlasticLobsters@reddit
I was sitting around with a friend one evening, and some other friends of her dropped by. "We're going to see David Lyley at Hammerjacks! You should come too!" And so we did.
Neither of us had ever heard of this guy, but back then tickets were cheap & we were up for anything. It was an awesonely fun show.
I ended up buying one of his CDs a few days later. I probably would've become a bigger fan, but unfortunately he died not long after.So it was a good thing we'd grabbed that chance when we could.
BooterTooterBravo@reddit
Saw Train at a bar on Landsdowne Street in Boston after a Sox game. It was just before Drops of Jupiter got popular. Had a blast!
radioactivecat@reddit
I saw Jewel open for Peter Murphy. Weird pairing but I kinda enjoyed jewel’s set.
ljlkm@reddit
She's a talented musician. Folky.
jimmytwo57@reddit
Diamanda Galas at the Barbican centre in London . My partner’s favourite artist but he had an autistic meltdown and refused to go . So I took a friends teenage son . We had front row seats . We could smell her perfume . The teenage son is a dad now so it must have been a few years ago . Disbands is always strange
viewering@reddit
what kind of perfume ?
jimmytwo57@reddit
I wouldn’t know but she smelled lovely
jfrankparnell85@reddit
I know a couple of her pieces involved being covered with pig’s blood
I’m guessing every one of her shows is memorable
This cover is so visceral - and intense
https://youtu.be/91lgRi1tTrA?si=F8Q1oofweb9MDVu3
jimmytwo57@reddit
Thanks for that . Her voice makes my skin tingle and listening to her seems to make my deepest pain met , if that makes sense. I was told that her brother died of aids which fuelled her song writing and performance. She is beautiful and authentic and Greek . I’ve been to Greece many times and they can be very fiery , you don’t want to mess with them ! My partner is Greek ☺️.
jfrankparnell85@reddit
Jimmy - you’re absolutely right
Her brother died of AIDS in 1986 - and this trilogy of albums was dedicated to AIDS victims
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masque_of_the_Red_Death_(album)
jimmytwo57@reddit
Ahhh did he bless him how awful I remember the fear and stigma . I’ve got hiv too but was lucky enough to benefit from medicine. I am so grateful to big pharma . I will check that link out Thankyou
jfrankparnell85@reddit
This postdoc in our group was Greek - he’d play her stuff in his lab. Her vocal range is unreal
Same guy convinced me to go see Einsturtzende Neubauten - that was good but wild. Open flames, razor blades dropping on glass
A group of us also got to see Sun Ra and his Arkestra - really unique
Sea_Measurement_1654@reddit
The Violent Femmes toured New Zealand three times, I saw them. Not sure why they came here so much. Maybe they had family here or our student radio was a niche fan market? Good energy!
Coppertina@reddit
I saw them at my university in the mid-80s well before they became belatedly popular! A dormmate on my floor who’d gone to school with them introduced me to their first album and I was hooked.`
Necessary-Dig-4774@reddit
Just a few years ago I saw Mac Sabbath. It was super fun and the weirdest thing I think I’ve ever seen. The opening band can’t remember what their bands name was all dressed up like transformers. I don’t think anything can top that for strange
zoeybeattheraccoon@reddit
I went to see Echo and the Bunnymen in 1985 and while we were waiting to get in this English guy comes walking by with a backpack holding speakers while he played guitar and sang.
We got into the show and he was the opening act. Billy Bragg. Great show.
yabbo1138@reddit
I am so jealous- I adore Billy Bragg!
zoeybeattheraccoon@reddit
He was a really cool guy too. Just hanging and having fun with people. Bought one of his albums shortly after and always admired him from then on.
Didn't get to see him again until around 2018 and the show was great as well.
Sea_Measurement_1654@reddit
Echo and the Bunnyman was one of the first albums I bought. Loved The Waterboys too.
Sea_Measurement_1654@reddit
Billy Bragg song lyrics pop into my head often and I saw him tour in New Zealand not long ago. He had very mature lyrics for a young guy back in the day.
The way he held his accent was before his time, too (that takes effort in singing which is naturally "round".
Plane-Fan9006@reddit
I have two....and someone already stole a bit of my thunder.
Gin Blossoms, early 90s, small venue, right after Allison Road hit. Surprisingly good show.
Late 80s, in their heyday, saw Kenny G and Michael Bolton at a concert my parents dragged me to. Not my type of music at all, but Mikey can sing and Kenny playing a note while walking from the back of the concert hall, through the crowd, and up on stage, was impressive as hell
Ischmetch@reddit
Burl Ives in the 80’s. No kidding.
jaypl99@reddit
I saw The Flaming Lips at Riot Fest and while I thought they were very strange, they were actually quite good.
RouxMaux@reddit
I saw Michael Bolton in the early ‘00s, playing a charity event.
He rocked the roof off the place. Say what you want about Michael, the man has chops.
I celebrate his entire catalog.
EasilyLuredWithCandy@reddit
My in-laws wanted to see Garth Brooks and asked if we wanted to go, even though we aren't country fans. My grandmother loved him before she passed, so we went. We were blown away by his energy! It was a fantastic show.
LondonVic@reddit
I'm seeing him in Hyde Park London on 27 June, 4 weeks today! Saw him 30 years ago in the States when I lived there (American but live in England now). I'm so excited
No-Committee7986@reddit
I went to see Spinal Tap in 1992 and ran into our math teacher at the show!
ColeBlueSeesYou@reddit
First concert - The Missing Persons opening up for Wall of Voodoo.
Due-Introduction7826@reddit
I saw Wall of Voodoo open for Adam Ant at Radio City Music Hall in 1985. Good times!
what_the_fuckin_fuck@reddit
Stanard Ridgeway!
hippiestitcher@reddit
I saw Wall of Voodoo alone in a small club, but I LOVED Missing Persons, I bet that was a great show.
ColeBlueSeesYou@reddit
From what I remember. It was my first concert (no parents or adults) and I was in 9th grade. I feel so old now.
JosephBlowsephThe3rd@reddit
Went to see Psychostick last year. They're a comedy metal band. The opening act was a duo doing metal covers of 80s nostalgia like "No Easy Way Out" from Rocky 4 & "Friends through Eternity" from the cult martial arts movie Miami Connection. Next was an Irish folk rock band. Then was a group that was formed out of the core band of Dog Fashion Disco (a very odd, Mr. Bungle influenced group). Then there was Psychostick, whose set included a portion where they handed out a couple of sombreros and then encouraged the crowd to "GET THE SOMBRERO!". Imagine women at a wedding fighting over the bride's bouquet, but instead of wine-drunk, desperate, single women you get male & female metalheads of all ages tearing a couple sombreros to shreds in a PvE tug of war and laughing the entire time.
Then there's GWAR.
peterw71@reddit
GBH/UK Subs/Exploited all dayer at a rundown club in Stratford, East London in April 1989. Arrived midday for the opening acts and found people already snorting speed openly on the dance floor. The crowd got progressively wasted and violent through the afternoon before the security disappeared and the venue was invaded by skinheads looking for a fight. The night finished with a mass stage invasion. For a shy 18 year old, it was an eye opener...
yabbo1138@reddit
Last week we saw Nerd Halen - a Van Halen tribute band dressed up like nerds. With Hal Sparks singing!! They were incredible! Definitely see them if you have the chance!
Also saw Creed Bratton (from The Office) - saw venue, strangely! His show is a mixture of stories and music. Crowd was all over the place and PACKED. I've been to a bunch of shows at this venue, and I've never seen so many people there!
When I was in London, i saw The Hu, who are great, but the crowd was insane. There were young people, old people, different races - i saw a woman of at LEAST 75, drunk as hell, walking with her crowd, stumbling but having the best time.
And lastly, seeing Heilung was a highlight. Their show is like a spiritual service that makes you want to go and pillage a town.
liddybuckfan@reddit
I've always wanted to see Nerd Halen! They never come to the southeast. I'm a big Hal Sparks fan. He is a surprisingly great singer.
sporkachoon@reddit
Aquabats in the 90's. They made pancakes onstage and tossed them into the crowd.
liddybuckfan@reddit
The Aquabats played on the Yo Gabba Gabba tour when I took my kids in the late 2000s and they were SO good! That was my favorite of all the kids live shows I ever went to. Biz Markie was also there to do Biz's beat of the day.
yabbo1138@reddit
We went to two Yo Gabba Gabba shows around that time too and we had the greatest time. Saw Biz, Bootsie Collins (in Cincinnati), when it came to Pittsburgh, some Steelers were there with their kids and they did the Dancy Dance- so much fun!
liddybuckfan@reddit
That was my favorite of all the shows my kids were into. It was so fun. It was like a Gen X dream or something.
Winter-eyed@reddit
Cherry Poppin Daddies at the Pine in Portland. It was an odd mix of people dressed in 50s clothes jitterbugging and moshpit craziness but it was fun
Intelligent_Till_433@reddit
I saw LeAnn Rimes at our local fair long before she was huge. She was very young, maybe 15.
lovemesomezombie@reddit
I swear I saw Oasis play in a parking lot in Palm Springs in the early 90's. I won't swear on my life or anything though.
Intelligent_Till_433@reddit
I saw Oasis in Detroit in 1999. Bush, Blink 182 and Breaking Benjamin also played at the event.
sly-3@reddit
Saw them in 1996. The previous nights show was cancelled, but our tickets were still valid for the next night, so double the crowd. they moved them to a larger space in the same venue and had them play earlier because that space was also booked for a tejano band's concert. So when the Oasis show let out with all these sweaty college kids, the lobby was also packed with a ton of shell-shocked couples, dressed to the nines in their best western wear, ready to dance. I remember nearly getting squished to death while trying to navigate down a stairwell and locking eyes with somebody's mustachioed, potbellied tio on the way up the other side, wearing a purple sequined cowboy suit as he was trying to keep his lady in a frilly hoop skirt from dying while on their big night out.
My roommate at the time met some girl in the way out and kindly offered to drive her and her friend to another friend they were staying at, but they didn't know how to get there, just the address (in the days before smart phones, natch). We drove around for an extra two hours lost, then had to haul back another 2 hours to our podunk town.
As for Oasis, the concert was a sonic disaster. Liam was pissy all night. They ended up cancelling the rest of the tour a few months later.
fyukhyu@reddit
The Flaming Lips covering the entire album of Dark Side of the Moon by Pink Floyd at a festival before their studio cover came out was both awesome and weird. Once the album came out it made more sense, but at the show I was like "why the fuck are they not playing any of their own songs?" and also "I should have eaten fewer mushrooms".
Intelligent_Till_433@reddit
I saw them with Eve 6
magpie_on_a_wire@reddit
Sounds fantastic. Saw them 2 or 3 yrs ago when they did the whole Yoshimi album.
OldManThumbs@reddit
Strange like a giant inflatable pig floating over the audience?
SamHandwich0@reddit
Superdome in NOLA 1993-4? Giant pigs with searchlights for eyes that burnt up at one point and a tractor trailer in the middle of the area that a giant mushroom diso ball came out of.
And they built the wall and knocked it down- they pulled out all the stops on that show.
bonfirecollapse@reddit
I saw Wesley Willis back in the late 90s. That was pretty strange.
erilaz7@reddit
I saw him at Bottom of the Hill in San Francisco back in '99. It was pretty amazing. Jello Biafra was in the audience, talking about how he'd accompanied Wesley on the plane from Chicago and how his forehead was sore from all of Wesley's head-butts.
bonfirecollapse@reddit
Omg yes. I met him afterward and got a headbutt.
yabbo1138@reddit
Saw him sometime in the late 90s and was so excited to get a headbutt from him too!
sly-3@reddit
I was working at Kinkos 3rd shift through college and just after, solo most nights, just me and the hum of the machines. My friend was working on his zone there that night, and in strolls WW with his "handler" to use the computers to print out some lyrics. My buddy had to tell me who he was, since I had no idea he was a legend. Very smelly, but polite.
He was there for about an hour, printed out about a hundred pages and threw a bunch away -- stuff like "Hitler sucked a Doberman dick" and "I saw PJ Harvey, it was excellent", then jetted. I wish I wouldve saved some of those rejected pages to this day.
kittybigs@reddit
I saw him at Twisters in Richmond, Va around that time.
AdWide3730@reddit
Im jealous 😪. Would give anything to have been able to see him perform "I whooped Batman's ass" or "they threw me out of church."
fluffy-duck-apple@reddit
Butthole Surfers riot show at City Gardens in Trenton, NJ. It was not only a Butthole Surfers show, but it was a riot. The photocopied roaches were in my things for a decade.
zoeybeattheraccoon@reddit
I saw them 4 times before they quit touring. Always great.
UneducatedDonkey@reddit
Los Lobos in 1997 in a 300 capacity ballroom. It was like your cool uncles jamming in the garage.Those gentlemen can play.
Naasade@reddit
Not strange, but serendipitous.
The local college was hosting a series of international concerts. There was one my wife particularly wanted to see featuring a womens acapella group (sorry, don’t remember the name) from Africa. I wasn’t too interested myself, but happy to go and support spouse’s interests.
But then the opening act really caught my attention - Fiamma Fumana, a folk electronica group from Italy. Their version of La Mondina was haunting. Bought their CD during the break, and they were easily the highlight of the event for me.
Sorry-Government920@reddit
Dread Zeppelin at Summerfest in Milwaukee in the middle o the day
PJBleakney@reddit
Summer fest! I miss that. Had family from west allis
Kindly-Might-1879@reddit
In college friends had extra tickets to see Erasure, so my roommate and I went, found the show hysterically weird (I don’t think understood the concept of a drag show but lived it).
And in the parking lot was a concert t-shirt hawker. One of our guy friends took a shirt, held it up to see the design, then suddenly the seller looked up and took off running. Turns out a cop had been spotted and these shirts were not official merch.
Our friend got a free illegal shirt!
SarahJaneB17@reddit
The college radio station in Tampa used to put on an annual benefit show called Tropical Heatwave. Multiple bands, and It was usually at The Cuban Club in Ybor City. It's a great multi floor venue with a ballroom upstairs. I saw The Reverend Billy C. Wirtz there. Songs like Stairway to Freebird, and Mennonite Surf Party. During the latter he had us pounding the wooden floor with the Wipeout drum beat. It was so much fun, and he's a helluva blues piano player.
orthographerer@reddit
You missed two classics: Will There Be A Shopping Mall In Heaven (self explanatory) and Teenie Weenie Meanie (sp? About his relationship with a female midget wrestler.).
Great pianist, and a great human being. I'm happy to see him mentioned.
SarahJaneB17@reddit
I do like both of those, and Roberta.
orthographerer@reddit
I'd almost forgotten Roberta!
Lalamedic@reddit
This may be weird for some because I am well aware of the popularity of AC/DC.
After SARS, Toronto put on a show with some great acts and headliners The Rolling Stones (referred to as SARSTOCK). As a medic, I worked a 16hr shift on the grounds of Downsview Park where it was held. There were almost 1/2 million people there but the crowd was so well behaved.
I wasn’t an AC/DC fan at all then, but they, by far, put on the best show I’ve ever been to. Sure, I was familiar with their big hits, but would never have paid money to fry in the sun on an airplane tarmac, even to see The Guess Who (also a fabulous show) or the Stones. However, working it was so much fun. I gained a new respect for AC/DC and their ability to entertain the dehydrated, sunburnt hordes across multiple generations.
moopet@reddit
The first thing that springs to mind is seeing Doro in a pub in London. There was space for what felt like 80 people if we were all very friendly and she played it like it was an arena show.
SavoirFaire2Middling@reddit
David Gray ("Babylon" was his big hit). I worked with a guy who asked if I wanted to go to see Gray with him, and I thought Why not? We were both way more impressed than we expected to be by him music and showmanship (I recall him climbing up on the piano and standing on it singing at one point).
moopet@reddit
I saw him at a festival. Wasn't a fan, didn't know any songs. Didn't particularly intend to, just ended up at the right stage at the right time. I was super impressed with how good he sounded. Completely forgot about it and saw him at another festival the next year and he was just as good.
peteofaustralia@reddit
Rammstein at the Big Day Out in Sydney.
They have a gimp. The lead singer pulls out a gigantic 12" cock and starts pissing everywhere while performing a whole song. On the gimp, on the stage, in his own face while jacking it furiously, everywhere.Once I realised nobody can piss that long, it's all fake, etc etc I realised just how funny and awesome it was and laughed my arse off.
Same gig:
Keyboard and keyboardist on fire (deliberately, pyro), song ends as the flame gets up to the keyboard. Well timed.
I always thought a red smoke grenade was thrown into the moshpit by some psycho, I didn't think it was part of the show. Now that I've found the original video I can see it was part of the show. I had the good fortune of being up in VIP seats thanks to a client so I wasn't close enough to realise.
More fire and fireworks including fireworks on the gimp's ankles and a Klingon bat'leth while he tumbled and danced.
foxybostonian@reddit
Just as a point of fact it's not fake piss. It's fake cum 😁.
BunnySueWho@reddit
Dread Zepplin in Savannah, GA.
Minimum_Painter_3687@reddit
Saw those guys a couple of times in the early nineties. They were great.
Historical_Monk_6118@reddit
Not so much weird as unheard of at the time. Went to see Ocean Colour Scene in Manchester in the 90s. Small arena. My friend and I had the debate about whether to get to the front early and defend our space, or just hang back until the concert started, bar closed and then see where we could go. We sat at the bar and waited. Then the gig started and the bar just stayed open! It was like sitting in your favorite pub with Ocean Colour Scene playing. View was good, no crushing, no tall c#nt pushing in front at the last minute, beer was flowing, vibe was chilled and thrilled... great night ❤️
No-Onion8029@reddit
Yngwie Malmsteen makes poor choices, but is/was a helluva musician. He opened for ACDC for the "Fly on the Wall" tour around 1985. Opening for ACDC is a rough assignment, and I had the conspicuous feeling of being the only fan of his in... 15k people?
He was doing this thing where he'd throw his guitar up really high and catch it. Which was - a choice. Except he dropped it once and the sound was... well horrible. it didn't win over the audience.
Bummed me out. Not the sort of vibes you want going into an ACDC concert.
SaebraK@reddit
I saw Gwar in 97, hell of a show. If you planned on standing in the pit, you'd wear a plain white shirt, so you'd leave the show with a custom gore splattered souvenir.
OutOfEffs@reddit
I saw them the same year! My friend that I was with left with two back eyes and woke up the next morning to discover his eyebrow ring had ripped out overnight.
Thayes1413@reddit
I saw the Proclaimers on purpose at the height of it all back in the 90’s. I’ve seen hundreds of concerts over the years and I still remember this show as one of the best I’ve ever seen.
peteofaustralia@reddit
What made it so good for you?
CollectsTooMuch@reddit
I saw Milli Vanilli “live” at Six Flags when I was in high school. They had to cut the show short because it started raining while they sang Blame it on the Rain. Shit really happened.
peteofaustralia@reddit
That's absolutely hilarious.
Tralfaz1138@reddit
The strangest concert I've seen is the world premiere of Lauri Anderson's Song's and Stories from Moby Dick. I don't know if you would entirely call it a concert, but it wasn't a play or really a musical so.... Given it was the first performance there weren't really reviews and I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but I really enjoyed it. It was definitely different, though.
viewering@reddit
i only saw her film at a film festival
i LOVE a video of her talking about a duet
with an OWL
PrettyBoyBob13@reddit
Till Lindemann, about 18 months ago. I still don’t know what I saw, but it was abso-fucking-lutely amazing!!! Fish and all!!
mediawoman@reddit
In the early 90s, I went to a pro-choice fundraiser during a massive rain storm in NYC. The rain was bad. The venue was empty. And all the bands had crazy names like The Lovemongers.
But it was the Ramones, Joan Jett, Heart and so many others.
And only about 40 people in the entire venue. Amazing show. No idea what I was going to see.
Western-Calendar-352@reddit
The Lovemongers was a side project for Anne and Nancy from Heart. They were on the Singles soundtrack.
FriendRaven1@reddit
Cooool
toodledootootootoo@reddit
Sunshine on Leith is a great album!!! I wish k got to see them live!
Dimension__X__@reddit
I saw Bruce Hornsby and the Range (opening for Huey Lewis and the News) in December of 1988 at the Seattle Center Coliseum. They were dressed like 5 guys playing in their living room on a random Thursday night, which was a strange but enjoyable vibe. I had no idea who they were at the time.
m_b_hawkins@reddit
Ain’t that just the way it is.
platypusandpibble@reddit
Dio’s “Sacred Heart” tour 1985. I wasn’t terribly interested in going but one of my friends was asked to go with a guy she really liked. She was super nervous and talked the guy into buying 3 tickets. Great, expensive seats too.
The show was fcking amazing!! I loved every second of it. And the really hilarious thing was there was a kid there who looked to be about 13 (if that) who I guess had convinced his parents to take him to the show. I remember the opening of the show looked and sounded like something from a Satanic Mass. Those parents freaked out and dragged kiddo out of the arena. It appeared they were screaming at him.
earinsound@reddit
i’ve seen a lot of weird, underground type stuff over the years. but i did see Juice Newton at the county fair when i was 10/11 years old and Stryper a couple years later. seems strange in retrospect.
GardenBunnyBaseball@reddit
I saw Stryper at a Disney Night of Joy 🕊️
DifferentWindow1436@reddit
Queen of Hearts! OMG, I have to listen to it now. Followed by The Devil Went Down to Georgia.
boondoggler@reddit
John Zorn's Torture Garden in NYC 1990. Weird shit but I dug it.
Colonel_Autumn_@reddit
Genetorturers. Name says it all. Industrial metal band. Super sexy leather-clad lead singer, and a stage act including simulated acts as well as not so simulated ones. They rocked and the show was ok.
GardenBunnyBaseball@reddit
I worked at a club where they played & my boss forbade me to work/attend/be anywhere in the vicinity that night lol. I was 19, also babysat for his kids, & glad he kinda looked out for me like family. 😊
sysaphiswaits@reddit
Flaming Lips is an unusual show. Amazing crowd.
Apprehensive_Put4319@reddit
Saw Crash Test Dummies at The Bottom Line in winter ‘93. God Shuffled His Feet Tour. Weird band, great show. Went with a new gf and had the night of my life afterwards. I still listen to some of the songs sometimes and it takes me back.
AdWide3730@reddit
Guttermouth in Ft Worth way after their prime in like 2012 or 13. They played only their 90s songs and Mark was bleeding for some reason and rubbing blood all over himself. This was right after the Ebola scare at Parkland hospital in Dallas.
GardenBunnyBaseball@reddit
Ugh. That was a terrifying time.
Daxos157@reddit
I saw Mister Mister open for Tina Turner back in ‘85.
Immaloner@reddit
I had been doing stage security at the Coveted Wagon Saloon in SF for a while when GG Allin came though. That was...an experience for sure. Smelly as fuck. It was the only time I heard a man "sing" while the microphone was stuck up his butt.
TheTrollys@reddit
Seeing G.G. Allin is beyond strange. If you’ve seen that show you definitely have more stories.
Immaloner@reddit
The show was later released on VHS/DVD. Here's a snippet that has me in it. It's the end of the show and we're trying to get everyone out. I'm the one in the black jacket with the blonde/brown mohawk. The clip culminates with GG wrapping his shit covered arm over my shoulder and telling "ya done good." My gf at the time made me throw that jacket away because you could still smell the poop stench from across the room a week later.
https://youtu.be/uQv1FE36cGE
I didn't know it at the time but watching the full video shows Fat Mike from NOFX in the crowd. I mentioned it to him in 94 and we had a great time laughing about it. We are lifelong GG Buddies.
AlfaNovember@reddit
The Go-Nuts are your favorite band!
freerangeXkid@reddit
I bought tickets for what I thought was going to be a killer small town intimate show with only 200 seats, featuring RHCP. I had just moved to the small town and was shocked they agreed to this out of the way venue.
When I showed up for the show and saw a bunch of dudes with bagpipes I was confused. It was the Red Hot Chilli Pipers. A great (but weird) show
vincentvangobot@reddit
Did they do any RHCP covers?
TheTrollys@reddit
I would imagine they would have to
Regular_or_BQ@reddit
Anyone else from the DC area attend the weekend festivals at Wilmers Park? Saw moe. there with a bunch of other jam bands. Shared a campsite with a guy who sat in his tent and said, "if I get weird don't worry, I just took a ton of drugs" 😂
Rusted Root was great at the 930 club. Another GWAR show here, too.
kittybigs@reddit
Saw GWAR at a skate ramp at some country club in Fairfax in 89 or 90. It was nuts.
Erok2112@reddit
Bumbershoot in the '96ish, I saw Tiny Tim, then The Crash Test Dummies right after. Same weekend I saw the The Sex Pistols reunion with MXPX opening. I thought MXPX was better honestly.
erilaz7@reddit
I saw Tiny Tim as part of the lineup at Dr. Demento's 20th Anniversary Celebration in 1991, along with Loose Bruce Kerr, Bill Frenzer of Ogden Edsl, Bobby "Boris" Pickett, Little Roger and the Goosebumps, Sheb Wooley, Eddie Lawrence (The Old Philosopher), and Weird Al Yankovic.
Erok2112@reddit
Tiny Tim was honestly great. I'd seen him on TV so I knew what to expect but it was still a great show.
catnapspirit@reddit
Saw Frente! at some little hole in the wall in Columbus, Ohio, somewhere in the mid-90s. Might have been a brew pub, or a coffee shop? I can't remember and I was only visiting in town.
At any rate, super intimate and they were kind of amazing. I didn't have huge expectations, they were kind of a quirky little band that I liked a few songs of. But ended up being one of my favorite concerts ever..
egret_society@reddit
Insomnia? They had a few bands there every now and then. I saw Moon Seven Times there.
erilaz7@reddit
They did an in-store performance at the record store where I work back in '96.
crumblingruin@reddit
Nice! I saw them at the 40 Watt Club in Athens, Georgia some time in the late 90s. There was a bed in the auditorium - yes, a normal bed - so I got on it and fell asleep for a while. (I wasn't bored. The band were good, I was just exhausted.)
Which_Strawberry_676@reddit
Greetings from the most Classic of Cities!
Legitimate_Ocelot491@reddit
I saw Frente open for The Counting Crows in '94.
Aside from Urban Dance Squad opening for Living Colour in '91, I've never seen a band have so much fun onstage. They really enjoyed their brief time in the limelight.
Street-Bill7346@reddit
I remember seeing The Go Go's with the Flock Of Seagulls. Tickets were given to me and it was pretty good.
erilaz7@reddit
One of the times I saw the Go-Go's (in 1994), the opening act was Bikini Kill. The mainstream pop fans in the audience were totally bewildered by Bikini Kill, but I thought they were great, and Kathleen was hilarious!
Due-Introduction7826@reddit
The Proclaimers was actually one of the best shows I've ever seen - general admission in NYC early 90s smallish venue (think it was The Ritz or the Palladium). Amazing show!
Inwardly-Outgoing@reddit
Saw them in Atlanta around then. They were one of my fave bands at the time. It was a lot of fun
ApprehensivePush7871@reddit
Saw the Butthole Surfers at the Vic in Chicago in the early 90s.
creepyoldlurker@reddit
I saw Meatloaf play at a tiny club in upstate NY in 1989. It was well after “Bat Out of Hell” and before his mid-90s comeback. He was fat and sweaty and looked miserable, but man could he belt out a tune!
joemamah77@reddit
Dangerous Toys, Bonham, and The Cult, 1990 Newport News, VA
Intrepid_Practice956@reddit
Not strange really, but I still can barely believe I was there. I was an intern at a radio station in 1986 and got free tickets to see Curtis Mayfield at a tiny club. This was a few years before his accident.
Supernaut_419@reddit
I saw The Melvins with Babes in Toyland at a tiny club in Amarillo Texas within walking distance of where I lived at the time. They were supposed to open for White Zombie at a much larger venue but that show was cancelled. It was something that popped up with like 2 days notice. Drinks were inexpensive and it was a great time.
razorhack@reddit
Jean Michel Jarre at London Docklands. Rained like all hell. Cold. I was just waiting for someone to get electrocuted on stage. Wild pyrotechnics! Possibly the best concert I have ever seen.
North-Country-5204@reddit
Saw him in Beijing in 1981. Forgot my glasses in the car so the laser light show was a big blur. Also the first cold front had arrived that evening so underdressed in the unheated auditorium.
Font_Snob@reddit
His concerts were legendary. I had both the China and Houston/Lyon albums.
Boxfullabatz@reddit
Early 80s the Tubes did some wacky shit
what_the_fuckin_fuck@reddit
Love me some Fee Waybill.
Boxfullabatz@reddit
The smell of burning leather! I saw them at the Portland Theater. Great show! I still have a tee-shirt that one of their go-go dancers tossed into the crowd.
liddybuckfan@reddit
Ice T's metal band, Body Count. They played a local club. They were amazing but it was a weird audience that included a lot of hip hop fans who didn't really understand mosh etiquette.
Erok2112@reddit
That brings back memories. The were on the PNW leg of first Lollapalooza tour. Great show, especially standing next to a security guy and Body Count is singing "Fuck the police"
what_the_fuckin_fuck@reddit
Biggest surprise I ever got was Men At Work. Colin Hay can sing like a little birdie. Just blew me away.
NegScenePts@reddit
I saw Art Bergmann in 93-ish and when he came onstage he was blitzed out of his mind. He had no band and kept rambling about how they left him, and then asked the crowd for song suggestions. He'd then play a few bars of each song, alone on his guitar, and then stop to rant about something. It was a wildly unique experience for me at the time and I thought it was awesome. He's much more sober now, and still putting out great music.
MarquesTreasures@reddit
Gwar. Dragon Con 1999.
Pippi-ki-yay@reddit
I've seen a lot of shows. A. Lot. But the ones stands out to me as "weird" are Les Claypool in a gorilla suit at Bonnaroo, Bjork dressed like a dandelion, and seeing Foxy Shazaam. Dude ate a lit cigarette.
Legitimate_Ocelot491@reddit
OMG, The Red Elvises! I saw them on a random Monday night at a hole in the wall bar. Loved every minute of it and bought all their CDs at the end of the show.
"I Wanna See You Bellydance"
AdWide3730@reddit
Red Elvises are sick. Saw them at the supposedly haunted Son's of Hermans Hall in Dallas in 2002. They switched instruments halfway through the show.
ggibby@reddit
I was walking on South Street in Philadelphia one Saturday in 199x and saw Negativland on the TLA marquee.
Convinced a couple open-minded housemates to join me for a very weird night.
The poster has hung on my wall ever since.
vegas_wasteland_2077@reddit
They Might Be Giants opened for the B-52’s, absolutely wild. Also saw TMBG at Bumbershoot in Seattle.
4theloveofsquirrels@reddit
I saw the B-52's at Vanderbilt (a frat house maybe?) in the 80's. Cool, small show!
I saw Keith Jarrett play at the Kennedy Center, also in the 80's. I had no idea going in that he moaned loudly while he played. Excellent show. I think I still have the cassettes that I bought that night.
I saw Glen Campbell with my dad in the 70's. I remember telling him that something was burning and we should leave. He laughed and told me that the smell was the person behind us smoking a joint. I turned around and thought it was really funny that it was an old lady (to my 9yo eyes). Ahem, I am her now.
SaucyFingers@reddit
I saw Slash open for Matchbox 20 on the side of a mountain at a ski resort in New Hampshire back in 1997.
SamHandwich0@reddit
Not strange but unexpected line up- Austin City Limits music festival 02- im not gonna list it all but everything from Glove and special sauce to Cross Canadian Ragweed to Karl Denson to Gary Clarke to Pat Green and EmmyLou Harris and the String Cheese Incident for good measure.
I went the first few years like it was a pilgramage, i'd walk from Dwight Yeokum to Big Head Todd and the Monsters, but stop and watch Keller Williams looping music on the way at a side stage- it was wild as far as genre defying festivals.
Johoski@reddit
The ACL Fest early years were amazing. We lived in south Barton Hills and took the bus down Lamar, it was so easy.
Sufficient_Stop8381@reddit
Richmond native, so GWAR.
Also saw the Kentucky Headhunters back in the day. That was interesting.
sbvtguy34567@reddit
I think gwar take the cake, but l7 was wild back in the day throwing tampons in the audience
Johnny2076@reddit
Thomas Dolby at the Gothic Theater in Denver (early 2010s?).
It was during a snow storm and not much of a crowd showed up. Thomas Dolby was ill. It was more of a meet and greet than a concert. He instructed the audience on how he programmed the music, how the equipment worked, sang a set and then kind of mingled with the small audience afterwards.
Many-Click9690@reddit
I, too, saw an intimate Thomas Dolby show maybe 8 years ago. He is a fascinating guy, and it was just him and his equipment/computers. Had a deck of cards and had people pick one. That card had a song, which he told the genesis of and other fun facts, then played it. What a treat!
Spickernell@reddit
this is like the elvis costello roullette wheel of songs, which i saw him do in the late 80s. another time, i saw him and costello chose a random seat number and called the person sitting there up to the stage. this young woman comes up, and elvis tells her he will play any of his songs she picks. she says, "my boyfriend dragged me here tonight, i never heard of you until yesterday." crowd went nuts, elvis laughed his ass off. i think he played pump it up after that, but my memory is hazy
Many-Click9690@reddit
Great story 🤩
Wellby@reddit
In late 1983 I was delivering pizza when car broke down. It took me about 20 minutes to fine phone booth to Called my boss. He was really pissed and he fired me. Of course it’s Friday night and no one was home to give me a ride. So on my way home I walked by bar that was just rocking. It was By lack Flag. I had a blast.
I am so proud of the 5 stitches I got on my eye brow and fat lip from Henry Rollins’ elbow. He was trying to get back on the stage, slipped, and I was pushed into him. He fell and I got his elbow in my face.
Texy@reddit
I saw the Butthole Surfers and that was pretty strange
Contranovae@reddit
I had the idiocy of throwing them a pound or two when they were still busking.
Considering it might have encouraged them Zi apologize to everyone for the annoying music.
hillside@reddit
U2 was my sister's band, but the Lemon video was weird enough to get my attention. I got to see their Popmart tour at our stadium, the set looked like it was designed by McDonalds. Friend who saw it too said they totally sold out. I said dude, they were being ironic. Look at the name of the tour! Great show. Been a fan since.
borgeron@reddit
It was this year! David Byrne
hillside@reddit
I saw St.Vincent just before they collaborated. She was amazing.
Spickernell@reddit
asylum street spankers. so glad i got to see them. i had never heard them at all, but my brother called me to tell me they were playing in seattle, so i went. fucking awesome.
MooPig48@reddit
Psychostick!
They have a bit where they bring a sombrero onstage then ask the audience which lucky person will get it. People volunteer. They choose someone, then launch into their song
“EVERYBODY GET THE SOMBRERO!” Well then it becomes a mosh pit with people trying to take the sombrero away. About 30 seconds of guitar riffs, they stop and ask who’s got the sombrero? 4-5 people hold up pieces of it they’ve managed to steal from the original guy. They repeat the whole thing and by the end, there’s like 30 people with tiny sombrero pieces
Oh and check out their song “Because Boobs”
obnock@reddit
Neither was "strange," but both on the same night made for a strange evening.
Pete Seeger in Madison WI, then as we were walking from his concert found a club where the Buzzcocks were playing.
JsonR@reddit
The Monkeys in Anaheim late 80’s at the Celebrity Theatre in Anaheim. Someone a seat in front of us got busted trying to bootleg a recording in a hallowed out book.
BillyBalowski@reddit
Buckethead was a bit strange. Lots of guitar wankery, including one song where nobody seemed to be on stage. Oh yeah, he's wearing a KFC bucket on his head. Dude can play, though.
automator3000@reddit
I was working at the local alt weekly when the “Les Claypool’s Bucket of Bernie Brains” thing toured through, so of course I made sure I had guest list. It was Les Claypool, Bernie Worell, and Buckethead.
For all the talent, it was just too weird and disjointed for me to get into it. I watched Les do his finger slappy bass thing. I watched Bernie fucking show the world how a keyboard works. And I watched Buckethead shred a guitar.
And then I walked down the street to the bar.
Redman_Goldblend@reddit
Fugazi on the piers in San Francisco. I had a few doses and loads of beer and weed in me. It was fucking awesome and those wharf rats freaked the shit out of me.
nygrl811@reddit
Saw They Might Be Giants at an ancient theater in Providence. Amazing show!!
KingRo48@reddit
GWAR… totally not my kind of music but the show and the audience were fantastic!
Entiox@reddit
I've been to so many Gwar shows. I probably saw them 4+ times a year through the 90s and early 00s, but I also knew Dave, AKA Oderous, the original lead singer. We went to the same high school, and he dated a friend's older sister for several years.
heynow941@reddit
Knew a guy who would laugh with tears in his eyes over “Have You Seen Me?”
Due-Introduction7826@reddit
I've seen Paul Anka at least 20 times. My husband is a fan. For an 80-something man, (Paul, not husband) he still sounds great and is very active on stage. Lots of kitsch value.
Signal_Glittering@reddit
Leif Garrett 1979
Five_String_Serenade@reddit
I don’t know if this would count as strange but I saw Ozric Tentacles in the early ‘90s and it definitely blew me away. Probably because I don’t think any of it was digital (at least I believed that at the time, kinda still do). It was phenomenal!
One of the many times I’ve seen Big Head Todd & the Monsters was at Cabo Wabo club. Felt iconic to see them in that venue.
earinsound@reddit
OT are great! so cool you saw them.
0811_devildog@reddit
October 1995, spent $8 to go see this band I heard a couple songs on the radio I enjoyed well enough and thought why not. Turns out Tripping Daisy and Spacehog with maybe 100 people at most was $8 very well spent.
silkroadbrian@reddit
I did not go but I got a girl in the meantime. 😁
nothingman38@reddit
I did this in Shreveport LA, it was my first time stage diving. I was hooked on 🪨 music!
DoookieMaxx@reddit
Mr Bungle, French Quarter, Louisiana 1992
zionzednem@reddit
Saw them at SF Warfield in 91. Patton played Alan Parsons, Time song repeatedly until someone would stage dive. They concluded the show with a band member backflipping into the drum set, knocking it all over and each member tapping on a remaining drum part. You can find this on YouTube. A masterpiece.
Nervous-Till4096@reddit
Saw Mr Bungle in Oakland also '92! My first LSD trip... Mike Patton took off his shoe (Converse hi-tops maybe?), whipped it out, pissed in the shoe, took a big mouthful & spit it out over the audience. Extra gross on acid!! Great show anyway...
DoookieMaxx@reddit
That’s awesome …and gross …and totally not unexpected, lol
fuckyoulahey@reddit
That would be amazing!
DoookieMaxx@reddit
Saw Patton a little later in the year with Faith No More when they opened for the Guns/Metallica tour.
lht79@reddit
I haven’t heard this name since high school - thanks! 😁
Shell-Fire@reddit
I saw the Silver Platters in Vegas. Then I saw Ladysmith Black Mombazo.
nixtarx@reddit
It comes back around.
DifferentWindow1436@reddit
Blur. I was wrapping up college around 1994. There was a chance to win tickets to some band playing in Philly and I knew the answer to the trivia question. I didn't care but my gf called in and I gave her the answer, so we got tickets. It was at some club -can't recall the name- and it was ok. I remembered one song about boys and girls.
Flash forward 8 years or so and I get a transfer to Japan. My BiL rips a bunch of CDs for me of various alternative/indie groups. I ended up liking Parklife and then I hit that track and I'm like...holy crap, I've seen this band!
handsomeape95@reddit
Super Diamond. A Neil Diamond tribute band. Never knew I liked Neil Diamond until that night.
Hot_Pilot3167@reddit
Same! And literally saw women tossing undies on the stage. It was surreal, but they were so so good!
ReachRemarkable7386@reddit
I saw NIN in Virginia Beach at the Hampton in 1995. No one in our group had heard of the opening act called Marilyn Manson. But the weirdest thing was that first opening act was the Jim Rose Circus sideshow. It was wild to see people doing sword swallowing, spark dancing and contortion at a concert.
iwastherefordisco@reddit
Not strange, maybe novel or unique is a better description. I saw Beatlemania decades ago. They performed their own music and changed costumes/ hair styles over the course of the show.
I remember thinking they kinda, sorta looked like The Beatles and I put too much weight into their almost-looks. They were four incredibly talented musicians and performers.
Guy playing McCartney sat at the edge of the stage with an acoustic 6 string and sang Yesterday. There were women in our audience screaming and crying.
jenorama_CA@reddit
So, not really a strange concert, but a strange coincidence. Me and my bestie are Beatles fans since HS and senior year, like, winter of 1991 or so we learned of a Beatles tribute band playing at a tiny local place out in the sticks, so we went. The place was pretty empty, but they were really good and we had a great time and took some pics with the guys after.
Okay, so it’s like 2014 and we’re down in LA for another show—I think Jake Bugg or something and we were having traditional post show pancakes at the Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank. I’d picked up one of the free locals and was looking through the What To Do section and saw a blurb about a Beatles tribute show at a small theater the next night. Sweet, we’ll do that.
IT WAS THE SAME GUYS. Like even the same guy subbing in for Ringo, which he swears up and down he’d done only once before at that previous show, but I have my doubts. My friend had posted the pics from 1991 on her FB and we showed them to the band and they were as cooped as we were. Crazy.
Speaking of Ringo, bestie and I went to see him at a local Indian casino several years ago. We had really good seats and a little ways down to the right of us was a group of ladies that were having a really good time. When Ringo started singing Yellow Submarine, they came unglued and one of them started jumping up and down, revealing to the band, the crowd that could see her and the barely legal young man security guard at the front of the stage that she was completely nude under her dress. She was escorted out shortly after.
earinsound@reddit
I saw Juice Newton at the county fair in 1981. A couple years later I saw Stryper with people from my youth group. I liked JN as a 10-11 year old, Stryper not so much.
Equivalent_Gap_805@reddit
When I in early teens went and seen The Statler Brothers in concert 3 years in a row when they came through.
escargotini@reddit
Aside from bunch of "strange" non-mainstream bands...
Went to see VAST opening up for Eve6 back in the day. Eve6 was surprisingly good.
Similarly, went to see Incubus opening for 311. Still not my type of music, but 311 was fantastic live.
Flababulous@reddit
GWAR. Made KISS look like a pre-school production.
Taco_El_Paco@reddit
The Dean Ween Group, supporting Primus. Spectacular, but just odd
rabbittdoggy@reddit
Twisted sister when they were supporting their Christmas album. I was working but such an awesome show from Dee in a Santa suit to the guys referencing the fact that they wear wigs on stage. Just fucking incredible
ForgottenGenX47@reddit
I saw Tanya Tagaaq (Canadian artist of Inuit descent, she does throat singing alongside other more traditional singing) perform with the old silent movie Nanook of the North playing behind her; she was essentially providing a soundtrack. It was unique and often kind of thrilling - I found myself on the edge of my seat a few times.
fuckyoulahey@reddit
Bloodhound Gang in '99 was a wild time...
JitteryTurtle@reddit
Thanksgiving weekend at a friend’s. The younger sister had four tickets for a band playing at a small venue. I’d never heard of them. We went. All ages show, so the bar was closed. :-(. It was Dave Matthews Band. Place was half empty. They killed it. I was a huge fan for a while.
Tonto_HdG@reddit
Similar situation I think.
It was a music festival. One of the after hours sets from like 1-2AM was Thievery Corporation. I was slightly familiar with their music on records and figured "cool, these guys will wind us down and chill us out so we can all wander off to our tents and go to sleep". It was the exact opposite, they had like a 10 piece band that was so high energy that they totally wiped the audience out and we all crawled back to our tents and collapsed. Total awesomeness.