Live performances (recommendations/warnings)

[Tomas]

This is sort of the "Movie" thread, but for any live performances - theater plays, concerts, stand-up performances...
I tend to travel quite a lot, so I'd enjoy to read opinions on what's out there.

I'll start:
Highly recommended (saw it last Friday):
"Brief Encounter" - theater play on a program of Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis (British actors/directors/production from Kneehigh Theatre). Based on famous British Oscar winning movie by Noel Coward about an affair between a housewife and a doctor. The Guthrie play involves some clever gimmicks such as combining live action with movies, and has some surprisingly good comedic side stories built into the main dramatic story. Minneapolis is the last of three-city (New York, San Francisco) stops, so you can see it only there. It will be on the Guthrie program until the beginning of April (http://www.guthrietheater.org/whats_hap ... _encounter ).

Would not touch with 11 ft pole:
Joel McHale stand up. Had the bad idea to see it a few months ago (again in Minneapolis). I like the guy on The Soup, but that stand up (including the warm up act: a mildly drunk slightly overweight former child sitcom star - Topenga(?) ) was simply dreadful.

[Letang Is The Truth]

i thought joel mchale was okay. i did have free tickets tho so that may have changed my perception.

[Kicksave]

I think Joel McHale is hilarious on Community and he's decent on the Soup when I watch it w/ the girlfriend. Kinda disappointed to hear he is bad in stand up.

I have a list of people I want to see live...

Bob Saget
Dave Attell
Daniel Tosh
Tom Wilson

[Letang Is The Truth]

i saw 3 6 mafia at miami (another free one) worst concert ive ever been to

[Kicksave]

Never see a concert on the Gateway Clipper.

[Letang Is The Truth]

went to the cirque du soleil performance at the pete and that was pretty remarkable. blue man group in vegas was very enjoyable as well

[doublem]

Kevin Smith was good.

[Sarcastic]

theater plays

[TheHammer24]

If you like Country music at all, You have to see Eric Church. I was at this show on Thursday:

http://blog.cmt.com/2010-02-19/ive-never-seen-anything-like-eric-churchs-show/

I went to one last night (Feb. 18) at Joe's Bar in Chicago and I've never seen anything like it. I go to country concerts for a living, so that's saying a lot. You know how there are always those people at a concert that make you think, "Wow. She's really getting into it. She must love him. She knows all the words. And, oh my God, is she weeping?" Well, imagine a capacity crowd (and then some) of fans exactly like that.

[Sarcastic]

I think you should spend a lot of time watching concerts on YouTube. I am fascinated by the things people upload. Rarities. Full concerts. Full CDs. Like this 1974 footage from one of my favs. This is magnificent music. Such purity and brilliance. We don't get much of that these days. Bands like DP or Sabbath or Led Zeppelin with epic songs and top musicianship. I am really grateful for YouTube, as it allows people to get a glimpse of things they couldn't get anywhere else. Certainly not on mainstream TV or radio.

[Froggy]

I miss the days when GWAR would tour with the Misfits around halloween. always a fun show.

[Sarcastic]

I miss the days when GWAR would tour with the Misfits around halloween. always a fun show.

GWAR were always fun, true.

Misfits... if I had to pick top 3 bands to listen to for the rest of my life, Misfits would certainly be one of those. Timeless music.

[Puffymuffin]

Speaking about the Misfits, I went to an acoustic set of Michale Graves a few years ago, he was absolutely amazing. He also got good reviews when he played a few songs with Chud and Doyle in december, hope to see him on his tour in Europe with Marky Ramone (if he's joining that is) later this year.

[Sarcastic]

Speaking about the Misfits, I went to an acoustic set of Michale Graves a few years ago, he was absolutely amazing. He also got good reviews when he played a few songs with Chud and Doyle in december, hope to see him on his tour in Europe with Marky Ramone (if he's joining that is) later this year.

MG is a very cool singer. People are always divided over the original Misfits and the new band, but I really like him. He's good, has a great voice, cool stage presence.

[viva la ben]

I'm a big fan of Alkaline Trio, and was psyched they are coming to Pittsburgh, but bummed they are playing Club Zoo.

[tjand72]

I saw Daniel Tosh about 3 years ago, and he was lights out.

[shafnutz05]

Elton John is awesome

[pittsoccer33]

The Producers on Broadway was hilarious, probably the funniest thing I ever saw in my life. The movie musical was nowhere near as funny, but maybe it was because I already knew what happened, remembered some jokes etc.

[PensFanInDC]

MetallicA live is amazing

[Malkamaniac]

i saw 3 6 mafia at miami (another free one) worst concert ive ever been to

Well yea, you saw 3 6 Mafia.

[Letang Is The Truth]

i saw 3 6 mafia at miami (another free one) worst concert ive ever been to

Well yea, you saw 3 6 Mafia.

but it was free!!

[Pipes Hochuli]

I think Joel McHale is hilarious on Community and he's decent on the Soup when I watch it w/ the girlfriend. Kinda disappointed to hear he is bad in stand up.

I have a list of people I want to see live...

Bob Saget
Dave Attell
Daniel Tosh
Tom Wilson

Saw Dave Attell at CMU during the tech fair when I was in high school, right about when he was starting with his show insomniac, it was hilarious at first, and then the vulgarity just wears you down. Saget came to VT when I was there, and wrote a letter to the board of directors apologizing for his performance. I guess they didn't know what they were getting themselves in to. Nonetheless, he's downright funny, but his vulgarity spiel doesn't get old like Attell's did/

Speaking of colleges.....Pitt's student union sucks, they never have any good speakers/performers/concerts. Ever.

[pittsoccer33]

Speaking of colleges.....Pitt's student union sucks, they never have any good speakers/performers/concerts. Ever.

I somewhat disagree. They had The Starting Line, Relient K, Hawthorne Heights, Ben Folds, American Hi Fi, Queens of the Stone Age all while I was there. Not huge bands or appealing to everyone, but they were all pretty much in their prime popularity when they played.

Dan Patrick and Nancy Cartwright came in to speak. Cartwrights presentation was awesome and I actually got to have her sign some stuff for me back stage.

[FreeCandy44]

Ive seen alot of live music in my 29 years on this planet. I can say hands down the bands whom have really showed me something, Slayer (anytime) U2 Pop Mart tour live at 3 Rivers back in the day, Marilyn Manson used to be good live back in the day but wow...I saw him last year and he was awful. Idk if it was the fact Twiggy was playing lead guitar, Manson didnt care at the time, sound was off, but wow...just bad. System of a down was great on the 2 Ozzfests ive seen them on. Metallica are always good live. Pearl Jam both times ive seen them at Mellon Arena were beyond great. And Deftones...well there the Deftones so they slay live. But my favs have always been seeing QOTSA anytime they roll through. Heres hoping Them Crooked Vultures roll through. And im also shocked to see people talking about GWAR. Ive seen them to many times and met them out of costume a few times. Always a good show and it was fun coming home red and stuff. Eagles of death metal were fun. And as far comedians ive seen Patton Oswalt and Brian Posehn and Dave Attell and all were great.

[Tomas]

Has anybody ever seen Maria Bamford live? I liked her Comedy Central 30-minute special, and I saw her on a few Comedians of Comedy programs on Comedy Central. I simply want to know if she has enough funny material to be entertaining as a stand-up headliner.

Speaking of stand up, I think I can recommend Kyle Cease (the "slow clapper" from Not Another Teen Movie). I saw him a few months ago performing at UofA. Naturally, he is not one of the A-listers mentioned above in this thread, but he is funny, and he seems to be a genuinely nice guy touring campuses in his beat-up car.

And for jazz fans - Bruce Henry (http://www.bruceahenry.com/) is quite a good singer. He performs not only the jazz classics, but also jazz versions of popular songs like Moon River, Mighty mighty (Earth Wind and Fire), etc. I think he performs mostly throughout Midwest (I saw him last week in Dakota Jazz Club in Minneapolis).