I think it’s interesting to see what bands I have seen live and what I thought of it [even though I might update in my blog about it] so I’m going to highlight my personal favourites:
A Fire Inside
Fan since: 2003 I think.
Seen live: 4 times
I saw AFI for the first time in October of 2006 in Cologne and I absolutely loved it. It was a dream come true. Then I saw them in May 2007 and again in August 2009 and April 2010. Sing the Sorrow is one of my absolute Best Albums Ever Of All Times, and whatever CD came before or after that is also very much appreciated by me. This band can just do no wrong. I LOVE AFI!
Alexisonfire
Fan since: 2005
Seen live: I have no idea how many times
I consider AOF a ‘special’ band for me and Muffin, because we’ve been to their shows together a LOT. Though I missed their first shows in the Netherlands, which I still regret. We saw them 4 times in 2006, a few times in 2009 and once in 2010. Alexisonfire is a truly amazing band, with awesome albums and very energetic live shows. Shows nowadays are different than what "used to be" – they used to not really have a stage and walk into the crowd all the time, which was awesome. But having grown is not a bad thing, their shows are still fantastic, every single time. There is always a memorable moment, I look forward to coming shows for months! It’s fun to catch up with people you meet during and after the shows, especially fellow fans or merch guys ;D
Anti-Flag
Fan since: 2006
Seen live: 11 times
Aaahh, Anti-Flag. In 2006 I saw Anti-Flag four times. The first was in my hometown in the venue Waterfront. It was amazing. I totally fell in love with the band that night. The second time was Groezrock [in Belgium]. The best thing about this performance was that at one point the sound stopped working, but the band kept on playing and turned their monitors to the audience. I’ll never forget. The third time was shortly after that, at the last Wasted festival, in Amsterdam. They were supposed to be the last band, the so-called headliners, but the "true punx" made them stop sooner. I loved it anyway. Then I saw them October 31st 2007, that’s right, Halloween! – with the Taste Of Chaos Europe tour. In 2008, there was only Pukkelpop. But then 2009 was a very-Anti-Flag-filled year, with five shows that I’ve been to. 2 in May, 1 at Pukkelpop, and then twice again during the Eastpak Antidote tour. In 2010 I had to miss the one performance of A-F that was nearby, which made me very very very sad. Going to an A-F show is always one of the highlights of my year. I get a special feeling when I’m there: the music, the atmosphere… it’s like completely losing track of time, and over too soon at the same time!
Avenged Sevenfold
Fan since: 2005
Seen live: 3 minutes.
I have a funny story about A7X [the abbrieviation, if you didn't figure that one out] since I never really saw them. I only saw three minutes of their show under the pretense that I was "looking for someone inside" when my friend Joyce and I showed up at the venue when the doors were closed and the show was almost over. But this night, June 1st 2005, was the first night I saw Muffin in the flesh and I will never forget about the trip to Amsterdam, the sneaking in, the pictures with bandmembers later and the train ride home. A lot of good memories thanks to Avenged! Now if only I could get to see a real show of them, heh.
Blink-182
Fan since: 2001
Seen live: 1 time
I saw Blink at one of their last pre-hiatus concerts, in Paris at Bercy in 2005. I got the tickets for my birthday and I’m so glad I went! It was amazing seeing one of my heroes play live, with the band that I have listened a lot to. But the bummer side was that it was an arena show and we were miles away from the stage. The quality of the concert wasn’t all that great either, they rushed through all the songs with a tempo of at least three times at fast and they never talked to the audience. Though it was a fantastic experience, meeting with UVR [another band] beforehand and having to hide our jackets under some stairs because the arena had no vestiaire. All in all, I’m very happy I got to see them even if it wasn’t perfect.
Cancer Bats
Fan since: 2005
Seen live: seven bazillion times
The first time I saw Cancer Bats was at an Alexisonfire show. I was immediately sold by the Bats, though. Since that first night, we’ve had at least one show a year. I’ve seen them in Amsterdam, Rotterdam, middle-of-nowhere-places in Belgium, even London… It doesn’t matter where they play. Their live shows are phenomenal. The dudes also immediately got a place in my heart because they are really, really nice. They’re always friendly enough for a chat before or after the show. The show itself is so lively, the whole band is into it and so is the crowd. People at Bats shows are really great. I always want to stand at the front [and sing as loud as I can!] and no matter how hard everyone pushes, or how many bruises I get, it’s always the best time. I’ve made some friends as well, having people sleep over after a show and whatnot. Any friend of the Bats is a friend of mine!
Deas Vail
Fan since: 2005
Seen live: never
I have never seen Deas Vail live because they haven’t toured outside of the United States yet, and I don’t even think they’ve done any headlining tours yet. But it’s safe to say that Deas Vail is one of my favourite bands, I’m really in love with all their songs. I kept playing All The Houses Look The Same over and over again, and their more recents Birds & Cages is amazing as well. I really hope I can see them live once, it would be a dream come true.
Staind
Fan since: 2003
Seen live: 3 times
I was a very big fan of Staind for a long while, and now they’ve gone into sort of “nostalgia” position for me. Breaking The Cycle is a very strong album from beginning to end, and while I love all their songs, there are only a few that are on that same level for me. It doesn’t matter if it’s older or newer material, even though they have progressed – I just seem to have some sort of standard and while some songs meet it, others stay a bit lower. And while I love listening to Staind and it was great to see them live, I think I’ve had it with bands that are under the influence when they play. So now I just rather listen to them on my own than wish to see them live desperately.
Sum 41
Fan since: 2001
Seen live: 4 times
I don’t care how old they get, or how old I get; Sum 41 is one of my favourite bands. And they will be for a long time. I first saw them live [one of my first live shows!] in Amsterdam, in january 2003. Then I saw them FOUR YEARS later, at a festival in Paris. 2010 was a bit more fruitful, with Groezrock and their ‘own’ headlining festival [Eastpak Antidote] in Brussels. Their live show is really fun, I just wish they would tour here more often, because even if they tour 300 days out of a year, in over ten years I’ve only seen them 4 times!
Ultra Violet Radiation
Fan since: 2003
Seen live: 2 times
UVR gets a honorable mention because I don’t think they exist anymore. But I came upon this band once during a summer in France, turned into a huge fangirl [I was 15...] and managed to see them perform twice in Belgium, even if they were only a local band in the States. I also saw the guys before the Blink-182 show, and went on some adventures [Amsterdam, Schiedam, Brussels, sleeping in a car] in 2005 together with my friend Tessa. So good riddance UVR, your music is fun and makes me happy, and thank you for the memories!
