The Gig List

Thinking about my favourite gigs tonight was what started this whole list business. No idea what started me on thinking about my favourite gigs.

What falls into the gig list? Basically, any day/night out where I have gone to a venue for the specific reason of seeing an artist, whether a DJ, band, solo artist, whatever.

Without further messing around, the list begins (numbered, but in no particular order)...

1. Patrick Lindsay versus Steve Douglas @ Revolution, The Palace, 2000 or 2001 (I think)

This was insane. It was a stinking hot summer night, and "Cliff" (I'll call him that for the moment, he'll love it) and I went to a this party. Can't remember much of who else was on the bill (Christian Smith maybe?, CJ Boland maybe?). It was about 5am in the morning, and we'd had a pretty great night already. My feet were aching, my sneakers were sticking to the floor, and I probably stank of sweat from all the dancing. We were definitely ready to leave. Before we walked out, we decided to check out the back room of The Palace one last time. I think we caught these guys at the start of their set, and already the crowd was jumping...the tunes were sounding decent, so we figured we'd listen for a few moments. I don't know what happened next, but suddenly I was going absolutely mad, crazy-dancing like I'd only just started my night... this was the single greatest set of party techno I had ever heard. Patrick Lindsay was out in front of the decks, beatboxing and dancing around himself, and then every track or so, he'd jump back behind the turntables, and mix a track or two while Steve Douglas took a breather. I've never seen so many people dancing that fast and happy, with that much energy, ever. Sure, some of them (most of them?) could have been under the influence (I was clean), but my god... no mosh pit or dance floor has ever felt like that again. Couldn't name a single track they played, but that doesn't matter.

2. Summersault @ Melbourne Showgrounds, Summer 1995/1996

This was my first festival experience, and my first ever gig with big name internationals; everything up until this show had been Australian bands in pubs. I remember how excited I was when I read the line-up... Pavement, Beck, Beastie Boys, Sonic Youth, Foo Fighters, Rancid and more. No side stage distractions, just one main stage and one smaller stage right next to it. I spent the entire day in the sun, sitting on the grass just in front of one of the mixing desks. Didn't go with anyone, didn't know anyone. Just me and some of my favourite bands. I didn't mind if I got sunburnt, I didn't mind that I looked friendless... just to be there to watch Stephen Malkmus and Spiral Stairs lead a Pavement-powered afternoon of beautifully awkward slacker rock, to see a sickly Beck fumble around trying to start and re-start one of his acoustic tunes, to see Dave Grohl in front of a mic instead of a drum kit. It all just worked.

3. Beck @ The Forum, sometime in later 1990's

4. Pavement @ The Forum, again sometime in the later 1990's

The Forum is such a beautiful venue, I fell in love with it the first time I saw a show there; which I think was Pavement. Just walking out through the booths to the stage area, marvelling at the Roman columns and being freaked by the ceiling when, just for a moment, I thought I was outside under a twilight sky, stars gentling sparkling.

I saw both Beck and Pavement there at separate times in the 90s. They were, and still are, two of my favourite artists. Both gigs were perfect... getting a full, non-festival set from Pavement at the height of their powers, and seeing Beck channel James Brown as he shimmied across the stage, wailing, dancing and doing the splits like a man possessed. Loved every second I was there, they were both gigs where almost every song you could hope for was played. The Beck gig was based off Odelay, while Pavement were at least up to Wowee Zowee. Wish I could remember more...

5. Luke Slater @ Halcyon Knights, Royal Exhibition Buildings NYE 1999/2000

This gets a nod for a single track. Luke Slater had the plum main stage post-midnight set, everyone had just gone through the obligatory NYE/Y2K craziness...the cheering died down and bang, he started with "Class Action". Probably my all time favourite techno track, certainly was back then. Just to hear that mad crunching sound, the booming bass drum. It was a spine-tingling moment.

6. Space DJz @ Chevron, sometime in the early 2000's (I think)

Two guys, four decks, cigarettes dangling from their mouths, beers between the turntables... a fantastic mix of attitude and party vibe. The great thing about this night was that it wasn't even a sell-out, there was heaps of room on the dance floor. It was a crazy mash-up set, great techno mixed with hip house, r'n'b and whatever the hell else. I danced like a stupid man, smiling the whole time. Still remember wandering down St Kilda Rd to my car in the early morning sun, finding it plastered in flyers and a layer of frost.

7. Nine Inch Nails @ Big Day Out and Rod Laver Arena, earlier in the 2000's and last year

Just because.
I missed their Alternative Nation gig in the early 90's, and was glad when they finally came back. And came back again. I got chills during practically every song. Both gigs were just fantastic, and each track was beautifully performed, true to the album versions, despite some of the studio wizardry on some tracks. I absolutely loved one track they played at their last gig, but had absolutely no idea what it was called, where it was from, anything... I spent months trying to figure it out. It was "Dead Souls", a Joy Division cover. I have a copy now. I just wish people would listen to their entire back catalogue, and learn more than just "Closer".

8. Soundgarden @ Big Day Out and Festival Hall, late 1990s

I was fortunate to catch Soundgarden twice in two days. I think it was their last ever tour... after finishing in Australia, I think they did some gigs in Hawaii and then split. When they first came on stage, nearing sunset, with smoke, fans and melodramatic orchestral music, it was definitely a memorable moment. Kim Thayil's hair streamed behind him as he looked like some sort of guitar god, and Chris Cornell stalked around the stage, belting out the songs with THAT voice. Nothing he has done since has quite sounded as awesome as on the best tracks of his Soundgarden days. Hearing "Black Hole Sun" as a solo performance was beautiful, but anything they played on those two nights just rocked the house down. Having that second night was a rare treat, a repeat performance of their greatest hits just before their downfall.

9. Any booty house gig @ Honkytonks

I have listened and danced to several mad, mad booty house sets over the years. Boogs and Spacey Space, DJ Godfather, DJ Assault, and more. Some of the cheesiest, stupidest tracks ever, and yet unbelievably hands-waving, ass-shakingly good. I particularly remember going to see Godfather just after I'd moved into an apartment in Fitzroy. ODB and I had a few people around... I hit the cans of V hard. I hit the vodka even harder... too much vodka, not enough not vodka. Apparently I was handful trying to shut me up and get us inside past the door biatches. I partied like a crazy man until about 3am, when I promptly decided it was time to fall asleep sitting next to the dancefloor... Godfather was still playing, girls were dancing around the pole, the bass must have been shaking the entire building... and I was trying to sleep.


That'll do for now. There's definitely more. If I can remember...

Looking back, I'm glad I did that... apart from the memories, it made me play a few old tracks I probably haven't heard for a while; rediscovering an old favourite is worth the price of admission.