Russian Circles
The Ottobar
Washington, D.C.
April 26, 2009 8:00 p.m.
The Ottobar
Washington, D.C.
April 26, 2009 8:00 p.m.
Heaviest Band You've Seen Live
- Thread starter wundergussy
- Start date
WBCN River Rave a few years ago. It was Slipknot , Mudvayne and Hatebreed. Holy smokes...
As far as loudness, 3 way tie:
-KISS 1976
-RUSH 1977
-AC/DC 1977
As far as heavy.....Black Sabbath and Megadeth. Having gone to concerts in the 70's till now there is a change that I don't understand. In the 70's the concerts were alot louder then groups that I see today. They were also good and rowdy and yes you could get hurt. The concerts today that I have gone to there is this thing called moshing and or mosh pits? Most kids probably aren't use to seeing someone close to 50 pressing themselves forward to try to get against the stage...but thats me. I hate this moshing crap, (hitting, and purposely running into each other). The last concert I was at they started doing it an hour and a half before the concert started. ***? Take up boxing, find a sport...have your lady friend give you some...relief. Love the music from yesterday and love todays music. Todays concerts IMO may be more violent but they also seem more...fake...forced may be a better word. No matter what the band sounds like or songs they play people are going to "mosh". Someone here I'm sure can enlighten me as to the pleasures and joys of moshing for the hell of it.
-KISS 1976
-RUSH 1977
-AC/DC 1977
As far as heavy.....Black Sabbath and Megadeth. Having gone to concerts in the 70's till now there is a change that I don't understand. In the 70's the concerts were alot louder then groups that I see today. They were also good and rowdy and yes you could get hurt. The concerts today that I have gone to there is this thing called moshing and or mosh pits? Most kids probably aren't use to seeing someone close to 50 pressing themselves forward to try to get against the stage...but thats me. I hate this moshing crap, (hitting, and purposely running into each other). The last concert I was at they started doing it an hour and a half before the concert started. ***? Take up boxing, find a sport...have your lady friend give you some...relief. Love the music from yesterday and love todays music. Todays concerts IMO may be more violent but they also seem more...fake...forced may be a better word. No matter what the band sounds like or songs they play people are going to "mosh". Someone here I'm sure can enlighten me as to the pleasures and joys of moshing for the hell of it.
Well, that probably beats the time I saw them at MSG in the summer of '73. On the train ride home, my friend (now a high powered attorney) accidently urinated on a police officer.
Ah, those were the days.
I saw all four performances of The Wall on the East coast, including three times in the front seven rows. On their 1977 tour, Roger wore my shirt on stage at MSG.
Getting old stinks.
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Korn - Oklahoma City Myriad
The Myriad was pretty small back then compared to other venues that Korn was playing on that Tour, yet they didn't tone down their sound system at all.
They had three story tall speaker stacks on each side of the stage and a ludicrous under-stage subwoofer setup.
I think it was just for visual effect, but man...
I remember at the start of [dead bodies everywhere], the bass was hitting so hard that I thought my chest would explode.
The Myriad was pretty small back then compared to other venues that Korn was playing on that Tour, yet they didn't tone down their sound system at all.
They had three story tall speaker stacks on each side of the stage and a ludicrous under-stage subwoofer setup.
I think it was just for visual effect, but man...
I remember at the start of [dead bodies everywhere], the bass was hitting so hard that I thought my chest would explode.
hmm... "accidentally" urinating on a police officer doesn't contribute to a long life!
and how did Roger come to wear your shirt...?
I have seen NIN 15 times or so, as well as Tool, Marilyn Manson, A Perfect Circle, and pretty much any 80's hair band you can think of. But the heaviest loudest of them all. Ministry and the Revolting Cocks. My ears felt like they were bleeding. Although NIN with a crowd of only 2000 people was insane!!
MOTORHEAD- 1984- small local club with Jet Black opening for them. I have been to plenty of concerts, but for me there is no one heavier or louder than Lemmy and the boys. 
I've seen a lot of the usual suspects, including a goodly sample of bands already mentioned; but easily, by an impossible to imagine (or for me to believe) margin, the loudest show I've ever seen was...
...wait for it....
...seriously...
...I can't believe I'm going to say this...
...I can't believe it's even true...
Depeche Mode about 20 years ago in Philadelphia. We were 10th row, fought to 4th, and my ears hurt--badly--for days. I would never, ever have imagined it. Heck, I'd never have imagined using the term "fight to 4th row" in the same paragraph as "Depeche Mode", much less rank them above a ton of these very worthy, very loud bands. Never have my ears hurt so much, for so long, as after that Depeche Mode show.
[Disclaimer: I took my girls to the Jonas Brothers last year--I must love my girls--and while they weren't loud per se, the four teen girls behind us, shrieking at octaves and decibels I'd have not expected achievable, shattered my right ear drum. Does that count?]
...wait for it....
...seriously...
...I can't believe I'm going to say this...
...I can't believe it's even true...
Depeche Mode about 20 years ago in Philadelphia. We were 10th row, fought to 4th, and my ears hurt--badly--for days. I would never, ever have imagined it. Heck, I'd never have imagined using the term "fight to 4th row" in the same paragraph as "Depeche Mode", much less rank them above a ton of these very worthy, very loud bands. Never have my ears hurt so much, for so long, as after that Depeche Mode show.
[Disclaimer: I took my girls to the Jonas Brothers last year--I must love my girls--and while they weren't loud per se, the four teen girls behind us, shrieking at octaves and decibels I'd have not expected achievable, shattered my right ear drum. Does that count?]
Man, I saw Pelican, Red Sparowes, and Big Business a few years back at place called Modified in Phoenix. It's basically an 800 square foot house that serves as a music venue/art space and it was ridiculous. Wicked, stupid, heavy. It was sublime. A sweaty mess.
I thought the question was hardest, not loudest, because the loudest I have seen are not the three listed above.
Loudest by far was the finale of the AC/DC For Those About to Rock Tour (MSG 1981) when they fired a barrage of cannons from atop the stage over and over and over. After that Black and Blue (MSG too, 1980) was insanely loud. Van Halen II tour 1979 (MSG) was damn loud. Scorpions, Buffalo 1982 was sick loud and I think was with Iron Maiden (Ive seen both bands too many times to remember).
After the AC/DC show, and this is another cringe moment admission, the next loudest show I have seen was one I took my wife too a few years ago...Coldplay at Nassau Coliseum. It was so loud I came close to leaving...and it wasn't the music itself that was doing it.
Loudest by far was the finale of the AC/DC For Those About to Rock Tour (MSG 1981) when they fired a barrage of cannons from atop the stage over and over and over. After that Black and Blue (MSG too, 1980) was insanely loud. Van Halen II tour 1979 (MSG) was damn loud. Scorpions, Buffalo 1982 was sick loud and I think was with Iron Maiden (Ive seen both bands too many times to remember).
After the AC/DC show, and this is another cringe moment admission, the next loudest show I have seen was one I took my wife too a few years ago...Coldplay at Nassau Coliseum. It was so loud I came close to leaving...and it wasn't the music itself that was doing it.
Shoot....all that old concert recollection brought to mind a recent observation I made.
In the 80s many bands would promote their shows with the "million dollar laser light stage show." I recall Triumph, ZZ Top and Dio specifically marketing that way.
So in 07' the wife and I go see the Flaming Lips at the Bowery Ball Room, a small NYC venue and they hand every single person that walks in a laser!
Now if you have never seen a Flaming Lips show you do not know what you are missing, but with the whole audience with lasers a boat load of giant balloons and a big video screen the band put on the single best concert I have ever seen.
Boy, technology has come far, no?
In the 80s many bands would promote their shows with the "million dollar laser light stage show." I recall Triumph, ZZ Top and Dio specifically marketing that way.
So in 07' the wife and I go see the Flaming Lips at the Bowery Ball Room, a small NYC venue and they hand every single person that walks in a laser!
Now if you have never seen a Flaming Lips show you do not know what you are missing, but with the whole audience with lasers a boat load of giant balloons and a big video screen the band put on the single best concert I have ever seen.
Boy, technology has come far, no?
I was going to say Depeche Mode as well. Saw them too and it was surprisingly loud... no kidding. Might see them again this August 
As for "Heaviest"... dunno, maybe Fugazi back in '95 or '96
Nothing too heavy. Just Godsmack back in '06.
Youngstown gets the weirdest shows sometimes.. are you from that area?
I have a friend in Letonia that I haven't seen in years. Used to be in this noize band called Red Bliss.
Though I never saw Red Bliss, his subsequent band Toolmaster was definately one of the heaviest bands on the planet (at the time).
These guys are pretty heavy...
Say it loud, say it proud!
It was a good show...
Loudest, for me easily has to be Big Sugar.
I have permanent hearing damage from the 40+ times I saw them, finally grew up & started wearing ear plugs to their shows.
I remember a time where they opened for the Allman Brothers Band at the amphitheater in Toronto in 1996.
Big Sugar ambled onto the stage on the stroke of 7pm (way too early for an ABB crowd), the 1st guitar note is strummed & the volume was so loud that I thought my innards were going to liquify...
Another time I went to see them with a chest cold, which was gone by the time the show was done.
The bass was so loud it rattled everything loose...
I saw Metallica & Guns & Roses in about '92(?) and Metallica were heavy & awesome!
I have permanent hearing damage from the 40+ times I saw them, finally grew up & started wearing ear plugs to their shows.
I remember a time where they opened for the Allman Brothers Band at the amphitheater in Toronto in 1996.
Big Sugar ambled onto the stage on the stroke of 7pm (way too early for an ABB crowd), the 1st guitar note is strummed & the volume was so loud that I thought my innards were going to liquify...
Another time I went to see them with a chest cold, which was gone by the time the show was done.
The bass was so loud it rattled everything loose...
I saw Metallica & Guns & Roses in about '92(?) and Metallica were heavy & awesome!
Almost forgot my latest , The Jonas Bros. with Demi Lovato as opening act, great show.....for my kids
