Memorable live happenings

I was at a concert in Atlanta and was taking videos and pictures for my friends who couldn't make it. I yelled for a Bruce song when he asked what people wanted him to play. He said Play a Bruce song? You've been playing with your phone all night." It was directed at me, and I thought it was funny, and it was just amazing.

GraveRobbers wrote:

I was at a concert in Atlanta and was taking videos and pictures for my friends who couldn't make it. I yelled for a Bruce song when he asked what people wanted him to play. He said Play a Bruce song? You've been playing with your phone all night." It was directed at me, and I thought it was funny, and it was just amazing.

Was that the one back in october? I was with the group with the big "No Retreats, No Regrets" poster! I think I remember that, I thought it was brilliant!

At the Atlanta show I'm talking about, while Ian was playing rhythm guitar, Brian jumped out into the audience and grabbed a guy's sunglasses, then did the next couple of songs with them on. I have a photo on my FB (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1562204969611&set=a.1562198089439.2075000.1069929967). THen after the show he basically told me, as a songwriter (after I told him my approach and some of my style), "Just let it out, let it out, let it out, you're doing alright." Though, he didn't actually quote "I'da Called You Woody, Joe." That would'a been cheesy.

loazis wrote:

Well, rather personal and probably partly fictional but during 'boys will be boys and girls have those eyes (...)' in Here's Looking At You Kid (one of my favourite lines ever) in Amsterdam, Brian looked at me while I was singing along and he smiled with this big grin. Nothing too special, but for for me it was insanely amazing, having eye contact and sharing that boys will be boys, such a universal truth ;-)

This.

It happens to me about 5-8 times per show (yes, I counted) when I am right in the front. It goes like this: I stare at Brian the ENTIRE time while I scream his words back at him. Slightly creepy, but not too far out on the realm of what is expected. The whole time I am smiling uncontrollably as I sing. Brian looks at me, maintains the eye contact for 2-4 seconds while my smile somehow grows bigger, his grin gets more and more ridiculous before reaching maximum absurdity which forces him to look away like a bashful loser <3

Several times per show. And I LOVE IT. It's such a clear moment of... "hey, what you're doing up there means the world to me" and him having what's probably some sort of realization that he's making kids incredibly happy and yet not knowing how to handle such a display of emotion. It's so awkward, but every time it happens, it's like it's our moment. My little moment with him. And for everyone else it happens to, when it happens, it's all yours. And I just love it so damn much.

Here's to hoping Brian never stops making eye contact with us, I suppose!

@fullcollapse: Brian has said in interviews (specifically regarding meeting fans, and not being a jerk even if he's really not in the mood) that even though he doesn't think he's more than just a guy, he understands that "that kid" will remember that moment forever. I actually had a brief conversation with him while he was on stage, he suddenly realized he'd forgotten his camera. I told him he could use my friend's, and we went into this tangent that led to him not having a facebook because (as opposed to not wanting to have loads of fanstalkers) he didn't want anyone from his high school tracking him down. Basically, "you didn't know I existed, but now i'm in a band that people like and you're my best friend? No." And he called our poster "fancy."

I've definitely noticed that about him--that he is extremely unaware of "what" he is to some people, but he senses the joy that just emanates from some kids when he spends time with them, so he keeps on keepin' on with it. Dude spent 15-20 minutes with a few of us, all sharing our experiences and thoughts about religion, even though he had some friends to meet somewhere that night. He didn't just shrug us off, either; I had to pick my chin up off the ground after some of the questions he'd ask, because it showed that he ACTUALLY cared about what was going on and genuinely wanted to learn about these few people who were in front of him.

I had to ask him if he has any idea of what his band means to some people, and he just said something along the lines of "well, no, I guess, because it's just what I do." I feel like I need to give him a simple thank you card for "what he does" next time I see him, in that case. ha.

But reading about his attitude towards interaction via what he's said in interviews is what makes me comfortable going up to him. I'm just blown away every time I realize that he definitely wasn't lying in those interviews. It's like, as long as you're okay with him being totally normal and actually kind of awkward, he's okay with letting his guard down for you. I'd almost say he's not normal, because he's nice, takes interest, and listens... those aren't normal traits anymore, sadly.

I love his attitude about facebook. Mine is sort of opposite... many, many people did not like me after about... halfway through fifth grade. It was hell from there on out, save for about 5 people. Now I have over 300 FB "friends" because a.) I LOVE seeing what awful things some people have done to themselves, and b.) after as bad as things got in high school, I like showing people that despite their efforts, I am more or less okay now. Plus, I've found that several of them who were awful back then have actually managed to grow up and be decent now.

Well the only time I saw them was Bonnaroo, but what I'll remember about that is hearing a lot of American Slang songs the first time they were ever played live.

MyFirstSin wrote:

GraveRobbers wrote:

I was at a concert in Atlanta and was taking videos and pictures for my friends who couldn't make it. I yelled for a Bruce song when he asked what people wanted him to play. He said Play a Bruce song? You've been playing with your phone all night." It was directed at me, and I thought it was funny, and it was just amazing.

Was that the one back in october? I was with the group with the big "No Retreats, No Regrets" poster! I think I remember that, I thought it was brilliant!

At the Atlanta show I'm talking about, while Ian was playing rhythm guitar, Brian jumped out into the audience and grabbed a guy's sunglasses, then did the next couple of songs with them on. I have a photo on my FB (https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1562204969611&set=a.1562198089439.2075000.1069929967). THen after the show he basically told me, as a songwriter (after I told him my approach and some of my style), "Just let it out, let it out, let it out, you're doing alright." Though, he didn't actually quote "I'da Called You Woody, Joe." That would'a been cheesy.

Yep that's the one. I remember your sign. Best concert of my life. I got a fist pound when he jumped down. I think it was the opening for old white lincoln when he jumped down in the crowd. Like I said, epic night.

@fullcollapse: I think a hellish high school experience is a common thing for punk rockers. Benny even said, in an interview where he and little alex were talking about how hard it is to define punk rock, "Punk is the place that anyone who got picked on in their high school is supposed to be able to go." And it's like, i kinda had my whole recovery deal sophomore year, so i can't exactly say high school sucked, but from sixth grade to halfway through tenth grade, school was the worst place in the world. That's the thing: most punk is aggressive, but TGA punk is aggression with hope always a part of it, especially on Sink or Swim. No matter how angry that album got, it was never JUST anger.

But, this wasn't about live happenings. Sorry, guys, but i felt it was still relevent. Proceed with your awesomeness.

And, GraveRobbers, did you stay after?

Nope, that was the concert I was at.

Your synopsis of punk is dead on to me btw. I felt alone in high school, it was pretty bad until my senior year. I think punk is also more then that. About wanting to be different then anything out there and wanting to change things, change your hair, your clothes, your chords, your words, and just rock out with what comes out.

Exactly! And I think it's very relevant: all of these themes you mentioned come through SO strongly in their live shows. I leave their shows with such an intense desire to just survive, which is in stark contrast to how I have found myself feeling in the past and still feel sometimes. Everything about this band screams "you are not alone, you never have been, and you never will be," and seeing them play just magnifies that.

The biggest thing I remember about the live show was that, because of the small venue and excited crowd, there would be a wave every few song that caused some people to get shoved aorund pretty badly. Everyone was jumping so hard the floor was shaking like a trampoline, and I think a couple people actually got hurt. I'm super claustrophobic, so in any other situation I would've just left, completely freaking out, and regretted it later, but for some reason every time I got crushed into the crowd it was like a family group hug. I feel so much more in tune with this fan base than that of any other band I like, because (with few exceptions) it's a group that reflects the morality of the music and the band so well. I met people there (unfortunately, I didn't get any contact info) that I will remember for the rest of my life as the people that showed me, sometimes it's no big deal to be best friends with four hundred total strangers for a night.

Yeah the crowd was insane, but I love situations like that. The magnetism, the excitement, it was palpable. If I could pick anywhere to see TGA again it would be in that venue. I loved how it was all GA.

I think that's a quote for the week.

What's a quote for the week?

"I will remember for the rest of my life as the people that showed me, sometimes it's no big deal to be best friends with four hundred total strangers for a night." That

A lot of times I'll end up saying that I'm hanging out with 500 of my closest friends for an evening, number adjusted for venue size. That's exactly what it feels like with many shows. TGA shows are home to me, though. Their fans are my family. Best thing ever was seeing them in a 400 capacity venue in the summer of 2009. We were all crowded around this tiny stage in a glorified bar and there was a lot of hugging involved. It was at least 90 degrees in this place... that's a conservative estimate, because it was in the 80's outside. Nobody cared. Best (and sweatiest) show I have ever been to.

Since I've only been to 3 TGA shows so far my obvious choice is when Brian played Red At Night in Vienna. And that I had the chance to watch the soundcheck and talk to Brian 1 to 1. But as I was too concerned to bother him too long / keep him from something more important the conversation was quite short. But I keep playing it again and again in my head, wondering in which direction it could have gone if we had more time. There's soooo much I want to tell him.

But the actual highlight was this one little moment that I willl always remember. When I asked Brian if he could play Red At Night he asked me for a different option and I came up with Say I Won't. And during the encore when he launched into the song he looked at me, checked my reaction and smiled. Never gonna forget these few seconds.

And I met the nicest people through TGA. Love this forum!

I saw Gaslight for the first time in Amsterdam 2008. There were probably only 120 in the small venue and only played SoS/SaTQ songs.
They finished their set and had to stop because of the time schedule, but we demanded more songs.
Brian grabbed Alex's Fender Jazzmaster and played Blue Jeans and White T-shirts with incredible shouting soul vocals. The crowd was singing along and shouting like crazy and Brian cracked up during his singing because of our enthusiasm.
An awesome way to end a show.

There is a video of it. Not the best quality though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0JeffZofh8

Their show at Leeds O2 Academy on their last UK tour, when they played a 9 song encore, which included Red at Night it was so magical

At the final date of the European tour in Belfast they played Thin Lizzy's Dancin' in the Moonlight during the intro for Diamond Church Street Choir.

Also they entered the stage to Left of the Dial and played along to it for a while!

Philo wrote:

At the final date of the European tour in Belfast they played Thin Lizzy's Dancin' in the Moonlight during the intro for Diamond Church Street Choir.

Also they entered the stage to Left of the Dial and played along to it for a while!

They played Lizzy in Atlanta, too. "The Boys are Back In Town" led into "Bring It On." It was fantastic!

Philo wrote:

At the final date of the European tour in Belfast they played Thin Lizzy's Dancin' in the Moonlight during the intro for Diamond Church Street Choir.

Also they entered the stage to Left of the Dial and played along to it for a while!

It was actually boys are back in town they introd with.

hynesie wrote:

Philo wrote:

At the final date of the European tour in Belfast they played Thin Lizzy's Dancin' in the Moonlight during the intro for Diamond Church Street Choir.

Also they entered the stage to Left of the Dial and played along to it for a while!

It was actually boys are back in town they introd with.

That was in Dublin.second last night of the tour

Philo wrote:

hynesie wrote:

Philo wrote:

At the final date of the European tour in Belfast they played Thin Lizzy's Dancin' in the Moonlight during the intro for Diamond Church Street Choir.

Also they entered the stage to Left of the Dial and played along to it for a while!

It was actually boys are back in town they introd with.

That was in Dublin.second last night of the tour

I meant they used boys are back as the intro to diamond in belfast, Dublin they came on to boys and introd diamond with brown eyed girl.

Did they not intro to Spirit of Jazz in Dublin?

Daire wrote:

Did they not intro to Spirit of Jazz in Dublin?

Yeah, think so