Concerts that surprised you !!

[thisisasurvivor]

Just back from Kings of Leon at BST Hyde park

What a lovely venue

Have been dying to see Paulo Nutini for a long time and he just seemed so spaced out

Kings of Leon were super as always

To the side of the large stage was a warm up act and my god they were the greatest i have ever seen

Dublin on Saturday. Saw Paolo at Electric Picnic last year. I love his music but he’s not great live really. We were at Greenday last week. Unbelievable!

One of my DC saw Paramore last year so were really looking to seeing them again at Taylor Swift!

This was him at a tube station. Imagine him with a band, sound crew lights and a couple of thousand women.

I didn't know the Script were playing at Pink! Saw them live in Belfast a number of years ago with my two elder children and they were brilliant!

Have seen The Stone Roses twice in Dublin. I know the vocals aren’t great but still my best concert ever. The first one in The Phoenix park. I’m a huge fan so will forgive them anything!

The Darkness are very much still going! Saw them at Hyde Park last June with Guns n Roses and The Pretenders. All of them were bloody awesome; it was an amazing gig.

I went to see Loyle Carner in Dublin tonight. Standing only. I took my 2 teens. I was expecting to get them in place then loiter at the back but he was so good I stayed at the front for the whole concert.

Agreed about Erasure. I loved them and went to see them 4 times when I was younger. I think Deacon Blue was the best I ever went to with low expectations. The energy was amazing!

@wonderstuff Paramore are amazing!

I didn’t love Taylor. To be honest got a bit bored. It was all too ‘perfect’, like it had been done by AI. Much preferred Pink. She was much more genuine.

I think one of the very best concerts I have ever been to was Eric Clapton in the Royal Albert Hall in 1989/90. He brought Phil Collins onstage with him too! Was hoping for Mark Knopfler too but he didn't appear!

Jon Bon Jovi was amazing around the same time, and we were so close to the stage - unfortunately I sneezed throughout! Stevie Nicks was also great, and we missed all public transport to stay for the end of Tears for Fears, they were so so good!!

We've been reliving our youth over the last year - been to see Tom Jones, Lionel Richie/Human League, Sting/Blondie, Showaddywaddy (only one original band member but they were so good!) - all of them were so good for their ages! Lionel Richie/HL were excellent. Sting hasn't aged a day literally - Debbie Harry's voice isn't what it was but still enjoyable - and they had Glenn Matlock in the band!!

Pity it's getting so hard on the old back to have to stand...!

I agree with TS, the joy for me was being with my teen and her friends who had a brilliant time. Felt privileged to get to dance and sing with my 16yo, probably for the last time in a while!

The Darkness are awesome. Off to see them this week. Seen them many many times and they're consistently fabulous!

Van Morrison however was rude surly and not worth the money!

My DDs weren't buzzing the way I expected when they got home last night from TS. They're back again tonight, just on the way home. Stevie Nicks was there (hoped they would duet but sadly not) and Julia Roberts. Travis Kelce made an appearance!

I took them to see TS first in I think 2012/2013? Probably the only gig she will ever do in Belfast! We were 6 rows from the front, with a space between us and the seats in front. Partway through the concert, a security guy started to put up a thick rope, and I thought, "oh something's happening!" and shoved the girls up to the rope! Taytay came into the crowd, held one DD's hand an touched the other's. OMG they thought they had died and gone to heaven! Doubt we will ever see her like that again! She also had a moving stage which brought her right over the audience.

Oh lucky you! I was lukewarm because I didn't know a lot of their music, but it didn't matter! Kids had bought the tickets as a present for DH. Have always heard that about Van, not keen to see him particularly.

Tracy Chapman wasn't surly but had zero rapport with the audience. Just sang, barely spoke otherwise - might as well have listened to the album!

Just remembered another couple of excellent live concerts more recently - U2 and OMD. OMD were so good! Well U2 must have been 10+ years ago I suppose - but they have always been DH's favourite band and I was so chuffed to get tickets!

Machine Gun Kelly was fantastic
The crowd were great , his support acts Iain Dior and phantom 44 were brilliant and the whole vibe was just awesome
I remember being super young and going to the mk bowl to watch Michael Jackson and that was just so exciting and I loved seeing Kim Wilde too

Been a Manics fan since I was 16 (I'm now 43... 😅😳🤣) and seen them countless times. The best gig they did was at the Shepherd's Bush Empire, brilliant acoustics and atmosphere. The songs they played weren't their best but the sound engineer was on fire as every single note sounded superb - my hairs were standing on end.

On the other end of the music spectrum, Take That at Wembley Arena around 2009 or something were amazing. I didn't realise how close I was to the stage as it came out into the middle of the audience - I was about 3 rows away from Gary singing Rule the World and I nearly passed out with the excitement 😳 😅 😬

Adding to the love for Paramore. Hayley Williams is such a talented singer.
Ones that surprised me:
Kim Wilde on one of those 80s revival tours. Eclipsed some bigger names on the same bill.
Weezer. I knew I’d enjoy the songs but they were a lot more ‘rock’ than I’d expected and don’t take themselves seriously at all. Ridiculously entertaining.

Agree with Deacon Blue I used to work on the phone sales side of Sony years back and a colleague won tickets to see them at Brixton academy and knew I was a huge fan so gave them both to me , they were fantastic

We saw Robbie on the Friday at Knebworth. The whole day felt incredible, the atmosphere, especially the anticipation of him coming on stage as it went dusk is hard to explain - it’s like there was electricity in the air - it crackled! As well as darkness I remember a Kelly Osborne set where Ozzy was at the side of the stage taking photos of her, and Moby, whose music just set the tone at dusk. Also Robbie’s helicopter over head and the crowd going wild.

Went to many Robbie concerts, even a week after Knebworth wasn’t the same, and many where there were drunk people pushing and shoving and drama. That night at Knebworth felt really special. Think everything colliding to come together to be magic.

Was Bon Jovi Milton Keynes Bowl, with Europe in support? That was my 2nd concert, going as a friend liked them, an they were awesome. Remember it being a lovely day and fireworks at the end.

And I’ll sail her up the West Coast, through villages and towns…

We were also there and yes Paolo was on another planet

No they were at Wembley, and it wasn't Europe supporting them - I would remember that! - but I don't remember who the support was. Absolutely amazing.

I came on to say the same thing about the Stereo mcs supporting Happy Mondays. They were amazing.

Tom Jones live was bloody brilliant - I went with a friend who has been let down and has a spare ticket.

Foo Fighters secret morning gig at the V Festival was fantastic. Have seen them a few times and that was special.

Oasis were shit live when I saw them. Didn't want be there.

Other amazing lives: Amy Winehouse, Crowded House, Counting Crows, The Vaccines