Many music enthusiasts spend money on their favorite artists to show their support, whether that be buying vinyl, CD, shirts, or concert tickets to actually say you’ve seen them in person. Seeing one of your favorite artists make an unforgettable show makes the experience all that much better, and you more likely to spend more money on concert tickets in the future. This week our music directors talk about what they think the coolest concert that they have attended is.

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ABEL: BASS CANYON

Not sure if festivals count, but I’ve been lucky enough to attend Bass Canyon the past 2 years, and I’m definitely planning on making it for a third this year. So many amazing artists, crazy visuals and the Gorge is the most beautiful venue in the world. Being in the pit for Marauda was awesome in 2021, but LSDREAM has quickly become my favorite live artist in the EDM scene. I would definitely recommend if it seems up your alley.

GARY: PAIN IN THE GRASS 2018

I overwhelmingly prefer small shows where the performance and the audience can become blended in perfect harmony, such as those hosted in local coffee shops and small, cozy pubs on cold fall and winter nights, or in neighborhood parks on warm summer evenings. However, if I am to pick one concert to be the COOLEST that I’ve ever attended, it would without a doubt be Pain in the Grass 2018. The three-day event is hosted annually in the summer at the White River Amphitheater in Auburn, WA. The particular seven-set lineup that I saw consistent of Bush, Stone Temple Pilots, The Cult, and more, and culminated with a two hour set by Alice in Chains. The gates opened in the morning at 11:00, and thus began an entire day of rock and roll, shenanigans, theatrics, and so much more. As the sun began to fade and the light grew low, the energy in the building (which had been dwindling over the past few sets) suddenly skyrocketed in anticipation of the final set. The lights abruptly cut out as Alice in Chains covertly took the stage, and excitement spread throughout the amphitheater like static electricity. Suddenly, the band exploded onto the stage in a flash of light and a wall of sound as they began to play the opening guitar hook to Check My Brain. The set concluded with the playing of Rooster, which made me feel as though I was being punched in the chest when the distorted guitars hit almost two minutes into the song. As I looked around me, 16,000 fans were standing on their feet, illuminated in the orange glow of the stage lights as beach balls and vape pens flew through the air, and I knew that all of us felt lucky to be there as Alice in Chains played their first show since releasing Rainier Fog, an album that pays tribute to the city of Seattle… the city and culture that made them and all of us alike.

CHLOE: TAME IMPALA

Everything about this concert was amazing. It was genuinely perfect in every way. I’m a huge Tame Impala fan, and it was a concert I was waiting over two years for due to COVID-19. The lights, the confetti, the crowd’s energy, HIM, everything was perfect. He played an incredible set, playing mostly songs from The Slow Rush, but also other fan favorites like Elephant, The Less I Know The Better, and Apocalypse Dreams. I vividly remember crying when he came on stage because I simply couldn’t believe I was able to see him perform live. Best day of my life, hands down.

ASHLYN: tyler, the creator during his igor tour

I have been to A LOT of concerts, and so many of them have been absolutely incredible to see live, such as Arctic Monkeys, Borns, Catfish and the Bottlemen, Iron Maiden, Slipknot, and a number of shows at festivals I’ve been to, but the first concert I ever went to with my brother was during Tyler, The Creators IGOR tour. The outfits, the set design, the music, it all culminated into one hell of a show I still think about today. Not to mention, Blood Orange and Goldlink opened, two artists who brought their all and set the tone for the rest of the show. I can really appreciate set design when doing a show, which made this decision really hard, but having my brother there ultimately made it that much better. This is also when Tyler started to introduce Yonkers back into his setlist which was SO exciting to hear live, especially knowing how much he tried pushing his past “alter-egos” away, namely his ego from Goblin.

A close second for me has to be Iron Maiden in Spokane, for a bunch of old dudes, they fucking rocked and brought their all. Flamethrowers, inflatable airplanes, outfit changes, all in a two hour set was just insanity. Their opener, Five Finger Death Punch was kinda shit though.

DAYTON: NO SOAP, RADIO AND YOUNG HUNKS AT WAZZU RECORD ROOM

This concert stood out for several reasons. It was the last concert hosted by Cable 8’s Wazzu Record Room this semester which made it a little extra special. Mason, the show’s director, killed it on bass in Young Hunks which was a blast to see! The next band No Soap, Radio is comprised of 5 saxophones, a couple guitars and a drums, so already off the bat this was so cool and unique. To put the cherry on the top for this concert however was the jazz band’s opening song which took the audience, myself included, by surprise when the saxophones began playing BEHIND the crowd. Everyone looked to eachother, confused about how the speakers were playing music, with no one was on stage. Epically, the band circled and weaved through the audience in unison whilst performing their own music. Lastly, after the band reconvened onstage, each solo was performed while also parading through the crowd yet again. It was one of the coolest and most immersive concert experiences I’ve ever had.

PETAR: SOCCER MOMMY AT THE MUSIC BOX SD

Literally, everything about this concert was perfect. The Music Box SD is my favorite San Diego venue. It’s a small narrow 1.5-floor venue with the most insane sound system. The kick drum and bass could be felt through the floor, at some parts of the show the room was noticeably shaking. I bought two tickets to this show half a year before the date but couldn’t find another Soccer Mommy fan. Luckily two weeks prior, I was at a JPEGMAFIA show and started talking to the person next to me in line for a couple of hours while waiting. I invited him to go with me and he said yes. Two weeks later, we met up and got spots in the pit front and center. The original opener Emily Reo, canceled and was replaced by one of my favorite shoegaze bands, alexalone. alexalone’s set was breathtaking on its own with its angsty vocals and walls of noise that put the listener in a trance. The band describes their music as “soft songs played loud” which I think is perfectly fitting. Soccer Mommy’s set was everything I wanted it to be. I appreciate that the band played a plethora of songs from each album, rather than just sticking to their most popular songs. There was a good balance of the band’s dream-pop-like songs, heavier rock-sounding work, and upbeat folky tunes. The band played an extended version of one of my favorite songs of theirs, yellow is the color of her eyes with one of the sickest guitar solos I’ve ever heard. Additionally, frontwoman Sophia Regina Allison did an acoustic solo cover of one of my favorite songs, Dagger by Slowdive. As the cherry on top, the band also played their song Your Dog which is a song I consider to be perfect. After that, I walked around San Diego for 40 minutes looking for my car because I forgot where I parked. Once I found it, I drove to the nearest gas station and got a large can of Monster.

DAVIS: SPIDER GANG AT EL CORAZON

It was my first ever REAL rap concert. I had been listening to Lil Darkie, Teenage Disaster, and Afourteen for a little over a year before I got a notification that the whole group was coming up to Seattle. Arriving at the dimly lit venue, I had the opportunity to meet a handful of the group at the bar, where we bought each other drinks and chatted before the show.

The show itself was hectic, grimy, and loud. I hopped into the mosh pit and threw myself around while Spider Gang danced on stage, screaming into the mic. It was so fun, even though I went alone.

ZEKE: DEADMAU5 CUBE V3 TOUR

In 2019, electronic music icon Deadmau5 went on the “Cube v3 Tour,” a series of shows promoting singles from his upcoming album (which never happened). I went to the show at WaMu Theater in Seattle, and was lucky enough to be standing right at the front. The openers were MSTRKRFT, a pure-techno musical duo, and QRION, a dreamy progressive house artist. Both were good, but I was really just excited to see the main act.

When Deadmau5 started his show, all focus was on the device he was mounted to: a massive cube made up of screens displaying a variety of visuals. As the show went on, more lights were added and the cube started spinning. It was amazing to see it respond to the music, especially since he programmed and created many of its systems himself. My favorite part of the show, however, was the appearance of the Canadian singer LIGHTS. She sounded absolutely amazing over EDM, which was slightly unexpected given her singer-songwriter roots. I haven’t been to many concerts, but this was definitely an amazing one.