The Phoenix picks the shows that have defined the scene
By PHOENIX STAFF | October 30, 2006
.jpg "061027_greenday_concert_main")
Billie Joe Armstrong at the Hatch Shell |
Forty years ago, the very idea that rock and roll was worth serious consideration was novel at best. Jazz, blues, classical? Sure. But rock and roll was just dirty kids’ stuff. Fodder for the gossip pages, perhaps. but soon, the fissure between pop singer and rock band widened until it became difficult if not impossible to ignore this new cultural force. And, beyond Rolling Stone and few other emerging national publications, it was in places like the Phoenix— the alternative weeklies — that the rock critic found his or her platform.
Music coverage is now integral to our mission. And we’re fortunate to live in a city that supports a thriving music scene of its own, a destination for any serious touring act. And yet Boston is not LA or New York. It’s not an industry center. So there are things that happen on stages here that just don’t happen anywhere else. For some artists, it’s almost like a second home, which has made for 40 years of great music, unforgettable shows, and legendary performances. Here’s our list of the 40 greatest.
We thought of many more shows that didn’t make the list; every entry sparked memories of half a dozen other great ones. Did anybody we know see Sonic Youth’s first show and was it really at Mass Art? What about that notorious Police show at the Rat — the one that purportedly drew only three paying customers? And what about all those all-ages hardcore matinees, especially since every now and again the Del Fuegos or Echo and the Bunnymen played that circuit?
We wouldn’t have pulled this together if we weren’t expecting — no, hoping — that anyone reading it will feel compelled to remind us of all the shows we missed. So add your own Boston rock experiences in the comments sections. Click here to get the list started.
|
Written by Matt Ashare, Ted Drozdowski, Jon Garelick, Brett Milano, Will Spitz, and Jim Sullivan.
Related:
Indie springs forward, Fall out boys and girls, Mistakes were made, More 
- Indie springs forward
For years we waited. And then we started making jokes about it. And then the jokes got old. So we waited some more. Clap Your Hands Say Yeah, "Love Song No. 7" (mp3)
- Fall out boys and girls
Everything about that sounds worldly and intellectually satisfying, something you could say for much of what’s happening this fall on the local music front.
- Mistakes were made
The Portland music scene has a case of the single white males.
- Feelin’ groovy
Maybe it’s the spring sun. Maybe it’s my new chainsaw.
- Elitism is dead
There is nothing more elitist than suggesting a genre is over average people’s heads.
- Desert People
At the decks, Clouds was owning the room and the dancing crowd, dropping ridiculously hot dancehall reggae.
- Eats and beats
I’m having some serious food cravings lately, so let me start with the stomach. And my stomach is going south of the border.
- Esther’s Mixtape Collective
Congress Street was empty of people, and the White Heart had but a half-dozen patrons at 8:30 on Sunday. Perhaps these few were pondering the same question: who is Esther, and what’s up with this mixtape business?
- Future classic
No problem — your crib was on the way to the racetrack anyway. We’ll be able to meet Erik at the Hot Dog Safari in 20 minutes if the traffic holds up.
- Portland scene report: July 4, 2008
Modern Syndrome have changed their name to Turn Down Day, and are designing artwork for their debut full-length album, due out in the next few months.
- Hybrid rhythmic engine
Fusions are the lifeblood of music, but too often they come with a whiff of high-concept gimmickry.
- Less
Topics:
Live Reviews
, Entertainment, Music, Pop and Rock Music, More
, Entertainment, Music, Pop and Rock Music, Sonic Youth, Echo & The Bunnymen, Billie Joe Armstrong, Less
