God Awful Things

Alright, this is a list of 50 or so bands I have seen in my travels, I was recently informed that some people found it amusing, so I have revised it here with hot links and spelling errors fixed!

The Iowa / Missouri / Minnesota Years
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1. Wilco – Saw these guys in Ames, IA when I was 17. This is what I pretty much consider my first real concert/show, oh sure, I’d seen Rafi before this, but all I remember about that show was how brown the walls were and how desperately I wanted to die. This is before their first album was out, I think, no one really knew them, and the only reason we’d heard of them was because my friend in high school tracked down Jeff Tweedy’s phone number by calling Jeff’s mom. Would later go on to see them in Chicago for one of their Thanksgiving Day shows.. The band would go on to become huge(ish).

2. Nine Inch Nails – I was 17 in Iowa City, IA. This was the Downward Spiral tour, a little known act by the name of Marilyn Manson would open, they were not my cup of tea, despite the singer wearing a green sequin suit.. I proclaimed “that guy’s gonna be naked by the end of their set”, and he was. Nine Inch Nails rocked my teenage soul.. this is around the time when The Crow came out so there were a lot of people with Crow style face paint on.

3./4. Son Volt / Sparklehorse – Iowa City, IA, first time I saw them was at Gabe’s Oasis, and I was sick with a fever, I remember nothing about the show aside from sitting on the steps behind the venue after the show while my friend tried to chat up the band. I would later see them at the Union in another generic show, this time I remember the guitarist having an inappropriately wide leg stance and the drummer doing unnecessary drum tricks, like pointing at the crowd with a stick, standing up to hit the cymbals and what not. Sparklehorse, meanwhile, blew me away, I went to the record store the very next day and bought Vivadixiesubmarinetransmissionplot. I would later see them in Chicago for an amazing show (though afterwards I would see my ex making out with her friend in the backseat and lose my shit). Later I would see them in Los Angeles with Chris Reynolds, man.

5. The Reverend Horton Heat – Iowa City, IA.. about what you’d expect, I enjoyed the flaming painted bass and Jimbo standing on it whilst playing, but as I recall, the most memorable thing about that show was that I later deduced I was being cheated on that night.. Good Times!

6./7. Low / The Dirty Three – Iowa City, IA… This would be the first of many times seeing Low, nowhere near a favorite band of mine (especially after Albini ruined them), but they had come recommended to be, and this was in the early part of their career while I still really liked their music. My brother fell asleep repeatedly only to wake and have it still be the same song (“Do You Know How to Waltz?”).. But the Dirty Three, whom I’d not heard of before, really stole the show, Warren leaning into his violin, spitting, playing so hard strings broke, standing on the bass drum in his red and black spandex pants (hey, they’re australian), I’d later go on to see them in Chicago, where everyone sat except one girl who had a tear on her cheek and the spotlight behind her, and also in Los Angeles.. great great stuff.


8. Hum – Iowa City, IA.. Now Hum is mostly known for their one hit wonder of the 90′s “Stars”, but these guys did great american space rock and that album has withstood the test of time.. Amazing show, loudest show I’d ever been to at the time.

9. Whiskeytown – Iowa City, IA.. I didn’t know any of their songs, but my friend was gonna be there, and more importantly his sister.. So yeh, Whiskeytown.. Later that night his sister and myself would make out in a used car parking lot and I would try to get down her pants in his trailer. Ryan Adams would disband Whiskeytown and go forth to a successful solo career but end up marrying Mandy Moore… I would later see Cryan Adams in Chicago a few months before my move to Los Angeles, I was once again sick (this will become a running theme).

10. Alex Chilton – Iowa City, IA.. I went to this show cos Seth said I should and he really liked it when he sang Volare.. I would later go on to discover Big Star and curse myself for not paying more attention.

11. Paw – Columbia, MO.. Steve and I had taken a road trip down to see the Sis in Columbia, since we were there we had to go see a show at the world famous Blue Note, well.. the show of the night was a band called Hoarse (or maybe Horse), they were terrible, and the headlines were Lawrence, KS own grunge rockers with midwestern sensibilities PAW I still sing this song to Bubs! with slight lyrical adjustments… aww but bubby, it’s cold outside.. and I’m not comin’ home.

12. Golden Smog – Minneapolis, MN… I was living in Iowa City at the time but Steve drove over and picked me up before driving up to Minneapolis to the Basilica Block Party.. I was very sick, but we stood at the front of 250,000 people whilst Golden Smog rocked the crowd, Jeff Tweedy would, famously, climb off the stage and over the barricade to put his arms around Steve (whom he recognized from that first Wilco show) and alter the lyrics to “how many times have you come home at night, wearing that Uncle Tupelo T-Shirt, and been caught sneakin’ in”. Steve was wearing an Uncle Tupelo T-Shirt, but the crowd went wild. After the show we had the security guy ask Jeff if we could come back, we didn’t but he came up to the fence and chatted us up.. Asked about Steve’s mom (who had gotten us into that first Wilco show).

The Toronto Trip
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13. Radiohead / Teenage Fanclub.. It’s a complicated story as to how and why I was in Toronto, it involved internet love and various other things.. anyway, saw them on the OK Computer tour, lots of strobes.. good show.. never need to see them again.. I remember really enjoying Teenage Fanclubs set too, never saw them again though.

Stay tuned for our next installment, “The Chicago Years”