Filter, Melkweg Oude Zaal, 29 August 2013

So I am not going to lie to you, I am not sure I would have ended up at the Melkweg watching these guys if I was left to my own volition. It took a mate to convince me to go, and when I say convince me, I mean he bought me a ticket and told me I was going.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Paradiso Amsterdam, 17 July 2013

I was excited to see this band, but to be honest this came out of no where. I was not sure at which point that the excitement switch turned on for me but it was certainly not when I did the obligatory Youtube the band moment, in fact as time after purchasing the tickets passed my interest and excitement began to wane and I found myself getting less interested in seeing them.  Then, the night before the show I found myself talking to two different people about what they liked about the YYYs. One (JP) the lover of the old albums and Angus the lover of the new, and then me, the lover of none. But the debate started to re-spark my enthusiasm and the day of the show JP came over to my place pre show and played me a few more songs and these were pretty good, and I was back on board.

Ed Kowalczyk, The Concertgebouw, 16 September 2013

I guess what I need to remember is that sometimes a gig is not all about me.

When I thought of what may be install for the EK gig at the Concertgebouw I had higher hopes and expectations than what would eventuate with the actual performance. But what I did love about the evening is that it highlighted what one “mans” disappointment, may also be another “women’s” enjoyment, we are all different and I am far from the gospel according to music. That being said here is what the show meant to me……

Bruce Springsteen & the E-Street Band, Nijmegen, 22 June 2013

It’s not every day that you get to see a master at work. A legend of the game. A rock god, doing his thing for 60,000 adoring fans. So it goes without saying that I feel pretty privileged to have seen The Boss live not once but twice over the past couple of months.

The Kaiser Chiefs – Melkweg, 8 May 2013

Every tour we love you less and less

Back in 2011 the Kaiser Chiefs snuck into my Top 5 shows of the year and at the time I commented that I thought I may have missed the boat with this band. The previous tour they had played to a sold out crowd at the Heineken Music Hall, by the time I saw them in 2011 the HMH was looking half empty and come 2013 they had been downgraded to the Melkweg. And on the day of the show, it still hadn’t sold out.

Kurt Vile & the Violators – Paradiso, 27 May 2013

A Night of Lo-Fi Energy and a Dutch Giant.

It is not very often I need to talk Jason Vaughan into seeing a live band.

The conversation usually goes like this: 'Such and such a band are playing, I've heard they're pretty good'

JV: 'Sounds good, I'm in'.

Tonight however, there was some resistance for Kurt Vile & the Violators. The variables for attending any show are of course always Availability, Venue and Price - in that order. And tonight JV's live show matrix worked in my favor. He had nothing else on in a slow week of shows, it was at his favorite venue and the price was low.

Counting Crows - Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam, April 16 2013

Was August and Everything After the greatest album of all time?

This may be deemed a slightly controversial or ridiculous question, and already I hear nearly all of you yelling out a loud "NO", but to someone out there maybe it was? I mean for me, I managed to play this album every day for over a year. So you tell me about an album you have done that with?