Most Epic Concert Moments

For the second entry in the Concert Series, I make possibly the most ambitious choice I could have made:  a post discussing the most epic moments at concerts I have been to.  The reason this is so difficult is because I know there is no way that I can replicate these through writing, but I have thrown caution to the wind and decided to go for it.

To set some guidelines, epic in terms of entertainment is something that is usually large-scale or over the top, and an epic song is generally considered one that is either a massive large-scale song or a long song (often both).  I did not thing that this was fair to smaller artists, who generally cannot make a large-scale production, or artists of genres where long songs are not common.  As such, I also included moments that resulted in the same kind of feeling I get from these to account for artists who wouldn’t be considered otherwise.  I also considered unique or insane events for my rankings.

 

Honorable Mentions

I limited my list to 10 moments, but these 5 (listed in alphabetical order by artist) deserve a mention.

 

·         Bring Me the Horizon:  “Mantra”

·         Immortal Technique:  Setting off the smoke alarms from the amps and trying to rap through it

·         I Prevail:  “Bow Down”

·         Mark Wood:  cover of “Stairway to Heaven”

·         Tom Morello:  “Killing in the Name”

10:  Muse, “Hysteria”

I seriously considered Mark Wood’s cover of “Stairway to Heaven” here, but seriously, you think I could go against “Hysteria” here?  That bassline intro is amazing on the studio recording, and it live is about as magical as you would expect.  The song was probably the highlight of the concert due to this riff, though the remainder of the song was incredible and kept the energy from the intro going.

 

9:  August Burns Red, “White Washed”

As much as I want to say, “enough said”, it wouldn’t be fair to do that to those who aren’t fans of August Burns Red.  Basically, all the energy that has built up in the show up until that point unloads here since this is typically their last song.  The first time I saw them resulted in a wall of death forming and the second resulted in everyone jumping around and screaming.  Basically everyone leaves all the energy they have on the floor by the end of this song.

 

8:  Black Label Society, Playing while they were supposed to evacuate for a tornado

When I saw Black Label Society on Saturday at Epicenter 2019 (aka the day where the tornado went through), the festival began to evacuate about halfway during their set.  While messages appeared on the screen asking people to evacuate peacefully, lead guitarist and vocalist Zakk Wylde kept playing since he was in the middle of the riff.  He finally stopped after they practically were unplugging his amp after they finished the song, which every fan thought was wild to see.

 

7:  MGMT, “Kids”

If you told me before this show that MGMT, a band with a more psychedelic and chill sound than any other concert I’ve been to, would be on this list, I would have said you were crazy.  Enter the live version of “Kids”, which featured what I believe was an 8–9-minute version of the song with an extended instrumental jam which totally changed the song.  This version totally reinvented the song for everyone and brought a different meaning than the single or album version of the track.

 

6:  Foo Fighters, “The Pretender”

Disclaimer:  I might be biased because part of the reason this has become my favorite Foo Fighters song is because two middle-aged women almost fought during this song when I saw them.  Still, they extended this song so it was at least 6 minutes, at most 8 minutes.  It was weird since I’ve always been neutral about this song, but the extended instrumentals and additional verse/chorus was just what the song needed, making it the standout song from their performance.

 

5:  A Day to Remember, “The Plot to Bomb the Panhandle”

I quickly discovered that ADTR concerts are utter chaos, so the big question was how they could finish off with a bang.  First off, this song has become a fan favorite since it was released and is a staple in their shows.  Since that wasn’t enough, they dropped confetti from the ceiling close to the end of the track.  And since that wasn’t enough either, they had small fireworks go off…in an indoor venue.  At that point in the show, it felt like the only way it could have ended.

 

4:  Chance the Rapper, “Blessings”

There were several choices I could have gone with, but the final song of the show and of Coloring Book makes the most sense here.  This concert was the first (and only) time I ever left a concert both energized and inspired (admittedly not a common one after metal shows but beside the point).  The live album was a beautiful rendition that suggested the show could not have ended any other way.

 

3:  Black Keys, “I Got Mine”

As we entered the encore, I expressed doubts to my sister about “I Got Mine” as the final song since I didn’t think it was the right track.  Wow, I was very wrong.  As I should have expected, the live version of this track was incredible and displayed the duo’s musicianship.  What I never would have expected was their ability to simultaneously perform a guitar and drum solo at the same time that felt largely improved but sounded perfect.  I concede; this is the only song they should end with.

 

2:  Imagine Dragons, “Radioactive”

When I saw Imagine Dragons, they were touring following the release of their debut album, Night Visions, so it was expected they would jam, extend songs, or perform cover songs.  While they did each, the highlight of the show was their smash hit at that point.  During the song, they had each members playing individual drums for an extended instrumental part.  While many bands have done this (and several have appeared to be a gimmick), this was perfect for this track and made so much sense.

 

1:  Coheed and Cambria, “Welcome Home”

If you thought I learned my lesson of doubting bands’ final song selections after Black Keys, think again; I was surprised and confused when Coheed and Cambria opted to perform “The Wishing Well IV:  The Final Cut” prior to the encore.  Then lead vocalist/rhythm guitarist Claudio Sanchez pulled out a double-necked guitar.  Once they performed the song, it was a performance that felt like it took me to a different planet with how surreal it felt.  Not sure how I did it again, but I concede again; perfect finish.

 

 

What are some of your favorite moments from concerts you’ve been to?  Let me know in the comments!