I love live music.
I love all music, really, but live music is especially fun for me. In the summer of 2012, I wrote a blog post about concerts and live music, and talked about how many of my trips to new places started with a concert in that place. In that post, I listed every band I had seen up until that point. Since then, I’ve moved it to this page and I’ve been regularly updating the list whenever I see a new band.
What follows is that list – every concert I’ve seen (that I can recall), including some well-known comedians. I’m not including musicals, broadway or otherwise, but that would add a few dozen more names to the list. An asterisk (*) means I’ve seen them more than once. And I’ve left off a great many hyperlocal bands and opening acts who were tremendously talented in their own right.
I’ve always thought you can tell a lot about a person by the music they listen to. Judging by this list, I either have really good taste or a deep and fulfilling psychosis.
Anyway, here’s the list.
- 100 Gecs
- A Flock of Seagulls
- a-ha
- The Aces
- ACTORS*
- Air Supply
- The Alan Parsons Live Project
- All Hail The Silence
- Jimmie Allen
- America
- Amy Allen
- Tori Amos*
- And One
- Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull
- Jax Anderson
- Animal Sun
- Apoptygma Berzerk
- Fiona Apple
- Arcade Fire
- Armors
- Astari Night
- Rick Astley
- Augustana
- Aurora*
- The B-52s
- Bad Company
- Kelsea Ballerini
- Julien Baker
- Sara Bareilles
- Barenaked Ladies
- Nessa Barrett
- Baskery
- Bastille
- Bauhaus
- Bazzi
- The Beaches*
- The Beat (a.k.a. The English Beat)
- Em Beihold*
- Bell Biv DeVoe
- Ben Folds Five
- Benee
- Donny Benet
- The Beths
- Betty Who
- Big Electric Cat
- Wallis Bird
- The Birthday Massacre
- Lewis Black*
- Black Rose Burning
- Blanks
- Bloc Party
- Blondie
- Blood Red Shoes
- Bishop Briggs
- Rebecca Black
- Black Eyed Peas
- Black Tape For A Blue Girl
- Bleachers
- The Blue Man Group*
- Rachel Bochner
- Book of Love*
- BOOTBLACKS
- Clare Bowen and Brandon Robert Young
- Boy Harsher
- Phoebe Bridgers
- Marc Broussard
- Bobby Brown
- Jimmy Buffett
- The Buggles
- Victoria Canal
- Lewis Capaldi
- Capitol Steps*
- Brandi Carlile
- George Carlin*
- Vanessa Carlton
- Carrot Top
- Nick Cave and Warren Ellis
- Peter Cetera
- The Chameleons
- Charli XCX
- Cheap Trick
- Eagle-Eye Cherry
- Chicago
- Christian Death
- CHVRCHES*
- Peter Cincotti
- Claud
- John Cleese and Eric Idle
- George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic/The P-Funk All-Stars*
- Cece Coakley
- Leonard Cohen and the Webb Sisters
- Marc Cohn
- Cold Cave
- Shawn Colvin
- Paula Cole
- Alice Cooper
- David Copperfield
- Jonathan Coulton
- Counting Crows
- Samantha Crain
- The Cranberries
- Sheryl Crow
- The Crüxshadows
- Alan Cumming
- The Cure*
- The Cybertronic Spree
- Noah Cyrus
- Lucy Dacus
- Dixie D’Amelio
- The Damned
- The Dandy Warhols
- Sarah Darling with Julie Lavery
- Das Ich
- Morris Day and the Time
- Deadstar Assembly
- El DeBarge
- Def Leppard
- Niki DeMar
- Blu DeTiger
- Depeche Mode*
- De/Vision*
- Dennis DeYoung (without Styx)*
- Neil Diamond
- Ani DiFranco
- Dodie
- Thomas Dolby
- The Dollyrots
- Dounia
- Dragonette
- Duran Duran
- Echo & The Bunnymen
- Eels
- Billie Eilish
- Electric Hellfire Club
- Emancipator
- En Vogue
- Enter The Haggis
- Erasure*
- Gloria Estefan
- EXTC (XTC’s Terry Chambers & Friends)
- Faith & The Muse*
- Fever Ray
- Tina Fey (with Amy Poehler)
- Samantha Fish
- Fitz and the Tantrums
- The Fixx
- The Flaming Lips*
- Flobots
- Florence + The Machine*
- Miya Folick
- David Foster
- Foo Fighters
- Franc Moody
- Freezepop
- Daði Freyr
- Front 242*
- Funker Vogt
- Peter Gabriel
- Garbage
- GAYLE
- Genesis
- Boy George & Culture Club
- Gin Blossoms
- Glasperlenspiel
- Glass Apple Bonzai
- Cherry Glazerr
- Mindy Gledhill
- The Gothsicles
- Dana Gould
- Ellie Goulding*
- Andy Grammer
- Green Day
- Greensky Bluegrass
- Griefcat
- Griff
- Guy
- Buddy Guy*
- Haim
- Half Waif
- Daryl Hall & John Oates
- Hallowed Hearts
- Herbie Hancock
- Glen Hansard and Markéta Irglová (The Swell Season)
- Juliana Hatfield
- Sophie B. Hawkins
- Colin Hay*
- Hayseed Dixie
- The Head and the Heart
- Amy Helm
- Joshua Henry
- H.E.R.
- Herman’s Hermits with Peter Noone
- Hotel Fiction
- Jennifer Hudson
- Sarah Hubbard (with Flobots)
- Holly Humberstone
- Ichor
- Icon of Coil
- Imagine Dragons
- Imperative Reaction
- Indigo Girls*
- Information Society*
- Christone “Kingfish” Ingram
- Inhouse*
- The Iris Bell
- Eddie Izzard*
- Hugh Jackman
- Jamaram
- Japanese Breakfast
- Sarah Jarosz
- Jars Of Clay
- Jax
- Carly Rae Jepsen*
- Jesus and Mary Chain
- Joan Jett and the Blackhearts
- Eilen Jewell
- Jimmy Eat World
- Billy Joel
- John 5
- Sir Elton John
- Eric Johnson
- Jonas Brothers*
- Howard Jones*
- Tom Jones*
- Journey*
- Kælan Mikla
- Kanga
- Kansas
- Kelsy Karter
- Zoë Keating
- Kesha
- K.Flay
- Khalid
- Amythyst Kiah*
- The Killers
- B.B. King
- Elle King
- Emily King
- King Princess*
- Kite
- Gladys Knight
- Kool & The Gang*
- Korine
- Marielle Kraft
- Kraftwerk*
- Chantal Kreviaczuk
- Lauv
- Lady Antebellum
- Lady Gaga
- Larkin Poe
- Latto
- Avril Lavigne
- Cyndi Lauper*
- Leathers
- Fran Lebowitz
- Legendary Pink Dots*
- The Lemonheads
- Let’s Eat Grandma
- Toby Lightman
- Lightning Bug*
- Lights
- Lil Nas X
- Dua Lipa
- Lissie
- Lizzo
- Lisa Loeb*
- Rebecca Loebe*
- Lonestar
- The Long Losts
- Lorde
- Demi Lovato
- Lucky Chops
- Yo Yo Ma
- Mac Sabbath
- Ashley MacIsaac
- Machine Gun Kelly
- Bill Maher
- Malign
- MALINDA*
- Måneskin
- Manic Street Preachers
- The Manhattan Transfer
- Barry Manilow
- Aimee Mann
- Mannheim Steamroller
- Marian Hill
- Marilyn Manson
- Marina
- Johnny Marr
- Charlotte Martin
- Steve Martin (with Martin Short)
- Martyr Complex
- Richard Marx
- Crys Matthews and Heather Mae
- Ava Max
- Lizzy McAlpine*
- Erin McKeown
- Sarah McLachlan
- Andrew McMahon
- Katharine McPhee (with David Foster)
- Tate McRae*
- The Main Squeeze
- Meat Loaf
- Megan Thee Stallion
- Melotron
- Men Without Hats
- Idina Menzel
- Alice Merton
- Mesh
- The Midnight
- Midnight Oil
- The Mighty, Mighty Bosstones
- Mika
- Donna Missal
- The Mission UK
- Anaïs Mitchell
- Mø
- Monsta X
- Kailee Morgue
- Alanis Morissette*
- Muse
- Kacey Musgraves
- My Chemical Romance
- My Life with the Thrill Kill Kult
- My Morning Jacket
- Meg Myers
- Nation of Language*
- The National*
- New Edition*
- New Kids on the Block
- New Order
- Wayne Newton
- Night Club*
- Night Ranger
- Nine Inch Nails
- Ninja Sex Party
- Nisa
- Lizzie No*
- Tig Notaro
- Gary Numan*
- Nuovo Testamento
- The Nylons
- Winona Oak
- Paul Oakenfold
- Billy Ocean*
- Oh Wonder
- The O’Jays
- Joy Oladokun
- John Oliver
- Angel Olsen
- The Orchestra (feat. former members of ELO)
- Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
- Jeffrey Osborne
- Patton Oswalt
- Owl City*
- Panic! at the Disco*
- Paramore
- The Paranoyds
- Mandy Patinkin
- Luciano Pavarotti
- Orville Peck
- Katy Perry
- Pet Shop Boys*
- Bernadette Peters
- Maisie Peters
- Kim Petras (with Sam Smith)
- Emo Phillips*
- Pinback
- Pink Martini featuring China Forbes and special guest the von Trapps
- Pitbull
- Pixies
- Placebo
- Amy Poehler (with Tina Fey)
- Poguetry (Spider Stacy and Cait O’Riordan of the Pogues) with the Lost Bayou Ramblers
- Poison
- Caroline Polachek
- Ana Popovic
- Portion Control
- Post Malone
- Postmodern Jukebox
- Sarah Potenza with Katie Kadan
- Cat Power
- Mary Prankster
- Primitive Radio Gods
- Prince (as “The Artist”)
- Princess Goes To The Butterfly Museum*
- Project Pitchfork*
- The Psychedelic Furs*
- Puscifer
- PVRIS
- Queen + Adam Lambert*
- Queensrÿche
- Randy Rainbow
- Rasputina
- Rebirth Brass Band
- Reed & Caroline
- Rein
- REO Speedwagon
- Revolting Cocks
- Riki
- Smokey Robinson
- Roddy Ricch
- Nile Rodgers & Chic
- Olivia Rodrigo
- Jake Wesley Rogers
- Maggie Rogers
- Maggie Rose
- Claire Rosincranz
- Roxy Music
- Royal & the Serpent*
- Rubblebucket
- Allison Russell
- Phoebe Ryan
- Bob Saget
- Salt ‘N Pepa
- Lauren Sanderson
- Rina Sawayama
- Saweetie
- Sawyer
- JP Saxe
- Boz Scaggs
- Seabound
- Anson Seabra
- Seal
- Jerry Seinfeld
- Seraphim Shock
- Paul Shaffer
- She Wants Revenge
- Vonda Shepard
- Ships in the Night
- Martin Short (with Steve Martin)
- Sia
- Sigrid*
- Sigur Ros
- Sarah Silverman
- Silversun Pickups
- Ashlee Simpson
- Sisters Of Mercy
- Slip and the Spinouts
- Sasha Alex Sloan
- The Smile
- Sam Smith
- Soccer Mommy
- The Soft Moon
- Solar Fake
- Soul Survivors
- Sparks
- Regina Spektor
- Spoon
- Rick Springfield
- Squeeze
- Squirrel Flower
- St. Lucia
- St. Paul and the Broken Bones
- St. Vincent*
- Mavis Staples
- Starship featuring Mickey Thomas
- Skylar Stecker
- The Steep Canyon Rangers (with Steve Martin)
- Sting
- Lindsey Stirling*
- Stomp*
- Joss Stone
- Straight No Chaser
- Strutman Lane
- The Struts
- Tove Styrke
- Styx* (both with and without Dennis DeYoung)
- Sub-Radio
- Sub Urban
- Suede (a.k.a. The London Suede)
- Joe Sumner
- Sunshine Blind
- Keith Sweat
- Taylor Swift
- Switchblade Symphony*
- Sylvan Esso
- Tag Team
- TALK
- Tchotchke
- Tegan & Sara
- Vienna Teng
- Then Comes Silence
- They Might Be Giants*
- Thievery Corporation
- Richard Thompson
- Tiffany
- tiLLie
- Pia Toscano (with David Foster)
- Toto*
- Tenille Townes
- Meghan Trainor
- Trans-Siberian Orchestra
- Transviolet*
- Justin Trawick
- KT Tunstall
- Turnover
- Shania Twain
- U2
- Umphrey’s McGee
- Carrie Underwood
- Upsahl
- Midge Ure*
- U.S. Girls
- Sharon Van Etten
- Suzanne Vega
- Jackie Venson
- Tai Verdes
- VÉRITÉ
- Adia Victoria
- Video Age
- The Village People*
- Violent Femmes
- VNV Nation*
- Aurelio Voltaire*
- The Wailers
- Walk The Moon
- Wallflowers
- Wang Chung
- The War and Treaty
- Waterparks
- John Waters
- Roger Waters
- Weezer
- Welle:Erdball
- The Who
- Mark Wills
- Charlie Wilson
- Winger
- WINGTIPS
- Xeno & Oaklander
- Yam Haus
- Weird Al Yankovic*
- Yeah Yeah Yeahs
- Yes
- Brett Young
- Nicky Youre
- Maddie Zahm