first hand music (#15)

growing up, i never thought i'd enjoy going to a live concert. i've always loved music, but at a safe distance from large crowds of people ready to mosh. after all, who wants to get punched in the head while you're listening to music that you love? kinda ruins it. at least that's the picture i had in my head. but i was such a fool. i'll take the punch to the head along with sore feet & ringing ears any day of the week! this playlist is dedicated to my friend nicole who took me to my very first concert as a birthday present.

Listen to Danny's first hand Playlist!!
---


1. Screaming Infidelities by Dashboard Confessional - that's right. dashboard used to be my favorite band back in high school. chris carrabba is (as my brother puts it) "the pioneer of emo music". my humble beginnings as a concert-goer.


2. Revenge by Jon Foreman - i actually saw switchfoot at the state fair & it was pretty incredible. not long after that i got to see jon foreman perform solo in chicago when his ep's were coming out.


3. Doomsday And The Echo by Lovedrug - they opened for copeland and in my opinion out-performed them in every way. don't you love it when the opener that you've never heard of just blows your mind?!


4. You Have My Attention by Copeland - another emo band that i was really into right out of high school. i know i was kinda talking crap about their live performance, but they're actually really great :)


5. Modern Mystery by Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin - one of the best band names i've ever heard. these guys opened up for mutemath the first time i saw them. they were really fun to watch. at one point the drummer lead a song... he wasn't an amazing singer, but i liked that they were willing to take a risk like that.


6. Valium by MuteMath - i've seen them 3 times & for me each time gets better. that's just one man's opinion though. they do things on stage that are insane.


7. The Temporary Blues by The Features - another super fun opener that i'd never heard of till i was listening to them live.


8. Wolves At Night by Manchester Orchestra - wow. these guys were incredible live! andy hull knows how to lose his mind on the mic & also have really sweet tender moments.


9. Circles by As Tall As Lions - super bummed these guys aren't together anymore. they opened for mutemath and they had an epic intro including what seemed to be an electric trumpet with pedals & all! the bass player was oozing sexuality which was kind of scary, but other than that... wow.

10. Wolves At The Door by David Bazan - i love how honest david bazan is. he's really easy to connect to in that way and his voice is truly unique.


11. Sparrow And The Wolf by James Vincent McMorrow - i honestly wasn't aiming for a wolf theme... but hey, sometimes things just come together. this was one of the funnest shows i've ever been too. they were so excited to be playing their music for us and we were so excited to be listening. it felt mutual.


12. Bury The Floors by Scattered Trees - aside from the lead singer hitting on my girlfriend, i really enjoyed seeing them in person. these guys need to blow up... they are SO GOOD.


13. Amongster by POLICA - you're gonna think i'm crazy... but they opened for foster the people and i wasn't the least bit interested in hearing them. in fact, almost the whole time they were playing i was wishing they would be done so that foster could do their thing. i had no clue who they were until they played their hit, wandering star. i wish i could go back & thoroughly enjoy what i was experiencing.


14. Broken Jaw by Foster The People - they did their thing. ha... it was the last show of their tour & they gave their all. so much fun to watch people do what they absolutely love!


15. For 12 by Other Lives - they played much too short of a set. i could have listened to them play for hours... but they were opening for radiohead so it is what it is. hope i get to see them again sometime soon.


16. There There by Radiohead - WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! there aren't words fit enough to describe the amazingness of this show. the production was ridiculous. vocals were perfect. i was in the nose bleeds and i felt like i was just as engaged as i would be in the front row. so so so so good. two encore performances. i cried a bit. it was beautiful.


there are a couple shows coming up that i'm really excited for including Gotye & William Fitzsimmons... maybe even Dry The River? we shall see... but hey, get out there & see some shows! it will definitely enhance the music that you love.


what bands have you seen live that you'd highly recommend to others?