Live Bucket List

Everyone has their bands who seem to produce music that have the ability to evoke every feeling we want to experience seemingly simultaneously. Recently I was thinking about who would be on my list to see live and after numerous video views and narrowing down I have found my three finalists: Miike Snow,City and Colour, and Bon Iver. Although, of course, I want to see so many others live I really feel like these 3 would make me feel things that other bands wouldn’t.

1. Miike Snow has been one of my favorite bands since their album dropped and has continued to not disappoint. I have heard (and seen) that their live performances are some of the best whether it just be in a studio or at a huge venue in a dance tent. The overall experience looks like it would be some of the most fun (and best music) that you would hear/see live. Although all of their songs have some sort of meaning to me, I still consider the fact that the live performance is seemingly incomparable to any other dance/electronic experience I have seen. This video was taken for Myspace Studios within the “Transmissions” tapings and was recorded at what looks to be a house that overlooks downtown LA. The sound quality is crazy good and after viewing their live shows via Youtube it is easy to see that the combination of quality and experience would absolutely be one of the best.

Miike Snow – Silvia

http://www.myspace.com/video/vid/100618031 (Sorry about the link, this video isn’t on Youtube yet)

2. City and Colour is a Canadian native who actually has a history with the “emo” band Alexisonfire but has created quite a different name for himself with his solo project, City and Colour. Dallas Green has in fact won a Juno award for the Best Canadian Singer-Songwriter as well his album going platinum in Canada finishing in the number 3 spot. When City and Colour comes on to my iTunes it is easy for me to stop whatever I am doing in the moment and just enjoy this dude who is much more talented than I (and many) could ever dream of being. The cadence within his vocals simply draws you in and the folk-y strumming keeps you listening for what is coming next. The emotional topics that Green covers within his 2008 Bring Me Your Love record are nothing short of heart-wrenching emotional experiences that leave you pondering and wanting more. This guy definitely knows that he is doing and it would be quite an experience to see all of these factors coming together on one stage.

City and Colour – Body in a Box

3. Anyone who knows me personally knows that I have quite an affinity for Bon Iver and their For Emma, Forever Ago album that released two years ago. Simply, this is the most REAL album I have ever experienced. I say experienced because this album was much more that a “listen” to me, this album was everything I was going through, emotionally, at the time. It was everything I wanted to say rolled into one 9 track album. I have easily experienced this album over 55 times and I cannot think of another record that evokes real pain, sorrow, triumph, and excavation more so than For Emma, Forever Ago does for me. Every time I listen it takes me back and shows me things that I had forgotten, taken for granted, enjoyed, hated, loved, and lost. I can easily say that I want to see Bon Iver more than any other band I have ever mentioned on this blog and I can guarantee  it will stay that way until I am lucky enough to experience them live. I think this video says a lot about the emotion that goes into shows for Bon Iver, even if it is only a studio show, it still means something to them and I still get chills watching it- Maybe you will too.

Bon Iver – Flume

Honorable Mentions:

Kanye West

Sublime W/ Rome

Chromeo

John Mayer

J. Cole

Gang Starr (r.i.p. GURU)

The XX

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