Greetings, reader!
Welcome to the latest post of Music Month. Like many fans of music, I have a list of the still active bands/artists I'd most like to see live (excluding ones I've already seen, I reckon Rise Against, Sir Paul McCartney, Less Than Jake and Green Day would top my list). But in addition to this classic list topic, I've also compiled a top 10 of the bands I'd like to see live the most - if I had a time machine at my disposal. Given the ability to travel anywhere in time and space, like Doctor freaking Who, which bands would I be most keen on seeing and what year would I choose to see them? Read the list below to find out.
Here are my honorable mentions: Green Day 1994, Iron Maiden 1983, Pink Floyd 1975, Ramones 1978, The Who 1971.
10. The Rolling Stones, 1969
POV: it's December, 1969, and rock giants The Rolling Stones have just dropped their game-changing album Let It Bleed. The band is still young, energetic and in their prime, but they have enough material on their resumé that classic songs such as (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction, As Tears Go By and Sympathy for the Devil already exist and figure their way into the setlist. Not to mention the new album's offerings, like the excellent title track Let It Bleed, the anthemic closing track You Can't Always Get What You Want, and of course my 2nd favorite rock song of all time, Gimme Shelter. I would've payed good money to see these legends live, especially in that particular time.
9. Sex Pistols, 1977
I'm a huge fan of punk rock, and you can't talk about punk without talking about Sex Pistols. I've seen clips of their absolutely unmatched chaotic energy when performing live, and it must've been a thing to behold. I can just picture myself getting out of my time machine and walking into a dirty club in downtown London in 1977, and going berzerk with the rest of the crowd for a band going even more berzerk on stage. Johnny Rotten's signature snotty and growly vocals, matched with the not-very-technically-skilled but extremely raw-and-real instrumental work of the band's other members, would've been a sight for the ages.
8. Metallica, 1986
Three words: Cliff f**king Burton.
I've already seen Metallica live, and despite their rather old age, they still did a remarkable job - Lars Ulrich's drumming was zany as ever, Kirk Hammett wailed on his guitar with a great energy, and James Hetfield's thundering stage presence was felt by all. In many ways, the difference between this band in the 1980's and this band in the modern age isn't as large as it is with most bands who had their prime back then. But the main reason that Metallica still makes this list of bands I'd specifically like to see in the past, if I just got my damn time machine to work, is legendary bass player Cliff Burton, who tragically passed away late in the year 1986.
It's not like the bass player I got to see with the band was anyhow disappointing - Robert Trujillo has done an amazing job filling the shoes of those before him, and has been an integral part of the band's dynamic for almost two decades. But when watching live footage of the band's early days, one can't help but think that Burton was a giant among men, an icon of metal music and bass playing, and a larger-than-life figure who was taken from us too soon. It would've been so amazing to see the band live in early 1986, with Burton capturing the full attention of everyone in the packed stadium audience as he launches into the intro of For Whom The Bell Tolls. Chills.
7. Nirvana, 1993
On one hand, it's a whole thing that Nirvana was considered not to have a "conventionally charismatic stage presence". On the other hand, it's a young Dave Grohl, a prime Krist Novoselic and a still-alive Kurt Cobain, so who cares?? Upon arriving in 1993 Seattle with my time machine, I'd most definitely pay good money to see the iconic grunge trio doing their own thing, and it would be a special thing to witness - the Nirvana phenomenon was so huge and revolutionary, but lasted such a tragically short time. Conventionally charismatic this and stage presence that, I'll take a live performance of Lithium or About A Girl any day of the week.
6. Rush, 1981
Rush continued playing together to a very old age, and I always thought of them as one of the bands I'd love to see live upon getting the chance - until drummer Neil Peart passed away. Now, I'd give anything for the ability to go back in time and see the prog rock giants live when it was possible to do so. 1981 would be the optimal year for such a concert, as the band had just released their best album Moving Pictures and were still going strong in their prime.
The set list would be filled to the brim with new releases of the time, like Tom Sawyer and YYZ, as well as classics from the 70's, like 2112 and Fly By Night. Footage of Rush concerts from that time are a joy to watch, as the band's live energy and the passion of the fans in the crowd just looks like something else. I can just imagine how my eyes would be glued to the magical movements of my all-time favorite drummer for the entire duration of such a concert, and I wouldn't have it any other way.
5. Queen, 1985
This is the only case from today's list where I have a specific individual concert in mind - for all of the others, it's just any concert from the year I've chosen. But for Queen, I'd specifically take my time machine to London on July 13th, 1985, park it outside Wembley Stadium, and walk in to witness Queen's legendary Live Aid performance firsthand.
Sure, it's just a twenty-one minute performance as a part of a larger festival. But who cares? It's possibly the most iconic twenty-one minutes that the world of live music has ever seen. It was literally voted as the greatest live performance in the history of rock in a famous 2005 poll. What I wouldn't give to be in that crowd, witnessing Freddie Mercury as he grab's the audience's (and world's) attention with his uniquely brilliant stage charisma.
4. Rage Against the Machine, 1992
Rage Against the Machine swept the world's attention with a storm in the early 90's, with their socially relevant message delivered in a unique and explosive mixture of heavy metal sounds, punk rock attitudes, high-pitched rapping and a sick groove. And boy, it would've been great to be alive back then, to be in the eye of that particular storm and cheering the band on in a massive stadium concert.
I can only imagine the amount of moshing and screaming, as the band launches into Killing In The Name with RATM's trademark raw fury echoing between the band and the audience. Oh, to be there to experience the phenomenon firsthand...
3. AC/DC, 1978
I've actually gotten to see AC/DC live - twice. But they still make my top 3 of bands I'd like to see live in the past. There are two main reasons for this: number one, they're just so good. And number two, Bon Scott.
While the band's replacement singer Brian Johnson has become an icon in his own right, there's no getting around the fact that Bon Scott is a chapter of his own. It would've been such a treat to see the band live back in the 70's, before Scott tragically died of alcohol poisoning at a young age. Also, AC/DC's setlists back then included some top tier gems that haven't been played live in the post-Scott era, such as slow rocker Ride On and my all-time favorite It's a Long Way to the Top (If You Wanna Rock N' Roll). I specifically chose the year 1978, right before the band really broke through to a wide audience, because it would've been special in its own way to see the band playing a small-scale Australian venue, before being among the world's biggest rock stars.
2. Guns N' Roses, 1987
Once again, it's a band that I have gotten to see live, and while the concert was amazing, it would've been a whole other thing to see them in their very prime, with the legendary Adler-McKagan-Stradlin-Slash-Rose lineup still intact. Live footage from this time, just after the release of rock history's greatest debut album Appetite for Destruction, indicates that the Guns N' Roses of 1987 was dangerous, energetic, electric and simply not messing around as much as any band can be.
Their live chemistry before the dramatic series of fallings-out that would ensue in the following years, their sharp live playing before the drug use of certain band members would start to affect their instrumental performances throughout the 90's, and the youthful energy that they brought to the Los Angeles rock scene of the time are things I'd surely be watching in total awe, had I that damn time machine. Oh, won't you please take me home...
1. The Beatles, 1965
I mean, this was quite the no-brainer. Arguably the greatest rock band of all time, in their prime, while they still played live concerts - shut up and take my money! Even if it turned out to be one of the many infamous concerts where the band's sound was somewhat drowned out by the insane volume of screaming fans, it would still be a historical sight to witness Beatlemania at its height, and just the visual of the Fab Four on the same stage is something one can only dream of getting to see. Of course, it would be preferred that the concert my time machine would take me to would be one where the band is as audible as possible, and I chose '65 and not an earlier year because that's when the magnificent album Help! came out, so the setlist could include diamonds like the evergreen Yesterday, the masterful title track Help! and all-time great love song I've Just Seen a Face.
One thing that the career of the Beatles, the era where the Beatles performed live, and the lives of John Lennon and George Harrison have in common is that they were all tragically short-lived, and that is why my first stop upon getting a time machine on my hands would likely be to see the Liverpool-based quartet live in such a time when it was possible. The mental image of being in the audience in a Beatles concert just feels larger than life.
Thank you for reading! Tune in next week for the final post of Music Month, as I rank the songs from Finnish rock band Säätövara's debut album, Säätövara ja Kammotusten Kanootti. When is that album released, you ask? Why, it's already tomorrow! And it'll be available on Spotify and other streaming services, as well as physical CD's. Yes, I'm also very excited!
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