The Best Concerts I’ve Ever Been To

One thing many of us have missed most in recent months has been going to hear live music. Since I’m not yet comfortable rejoining the mostly-vaccinated masses, I will instead reminisce about my favourite concerts from over the years.

RY X (at St. James Hall)

This concert was a spiritual experience. Maybe that was because it was in a small church in Vancouver. Seats were first-come, first-serve, so me and my roommate were lucky enough to get peak sinner spots in the front row. This remains the most intimate concert I’ve been to, and while it was only 40-45 mins long, it was magical seeing RY X piece together his ambient sound on a small stage.

Pete Yorn (at Biltmore Cabaret)

I was a little down in the dumps when I went to this concert at Biltmore. And, I had been when I was 17 and first listening to “Ice Age.” So, in advance of the show, I tweeted out that I hoped he played it. His second song in, he said “Someone here requested I play this, and I haven’t done so for years.” Naturally, I was 2nd row in the audience, so I was able to say “That was me!” and interact. He thanked me for asking him to play it. Apparently, it made him nostalgic and realize that he was in a different (better) place than when he wrote it. “Thanks for requesting that song – I needed to play it tonight.”  It was really special, and I got to meet him on the stage after the show.

Bon Iver (at The Orpheum)

Bon Iver is a man of few words. And, even when he’s singing words, I mostly don’t understand them. But, he lets his work speak for itself, with minimal audience engagement throughout the show. He came equipped with a large ensemble of backing musicians, including renowned saxophonist Colin Stetson who performed an incredible piece where he emulated a vocal recording of a woman telling a story on his sax. Afterwards, you felt transformed.

Pablo Sáinz Villegas (at The Orphuem)

I both play and love Spanish guitar. So, seeing one of the world’s best Pablo Sáinz Villegas play Rodrigo’s Guitar Concerto with the Vancouver Symphony was an amazing experience. It also doesn’t hurt that he looks like…well…this. One of the coolest things he did was cross two strings over each other and strum to get a marching band drum sound – a sound I’d never heard or even considered a guitar to be capable of making.

Adele (at The Orpheum)

This was perhaps the most fun concert I’ve been to. I was lucky enough to be at Adele’s first concert back after her first set of concert cancellations due to vocal injuries. And, then extra lucky to be one of the few concerts she performed before going back on vocal rest for about a year. She was dialed all the way up having not performed for a while, and stood barefoot on the Orpheum stage. She talked liked your best friend, swearing in her East London accent, and saying things like “This song is about this <xyz> twat!” before bursting out into a powerful ballad. She is one of those few performers whose live vocal is just as good, if not better, than the recording. I feel fortunate to have seen her on a small-ish stage, before she transitioned to arena tours for the forseeable future.

Coldplay (at Rogers Arena)

Okay, don’t drag me, but I love Coldplay. I also love a light show, and feeling connected to thousands of people in a unified, shared experience. So, when my glow-up, LED bracelet came on (which probably cost $10 of the $150 concert ticket), and all of Rogers Arena lit up like “A Sky Full of Stars”, my heart lit up alongside them. Plus, nearing the end of the concert, Coldplay disappeared for the encore, and popped up in the stands right where me and my twin brother were. So, I also got a front-row seat for some of my favourite acoustic versions of their songs.

The Corrs (at GM Place)

Finally, I must call out my FIRST CONCERT EVER, which was at then GM Place, now Rogers Arena. The Corrs were my favourite band at the time, and I couldn’t believe they actually had a Vancouver tour date. Sadly, my favourite Corr (Caroline Corr), who played drums, was unable to attend due to being 8 months pregnant. They played for over 2 hours, and it was incredibly special to see such awesome musicianship in person. They haven’t been back since, and I doubt they ever will, so I’m grateful to have seen them when I had the chance, at their only Vancouver concert ever.

Who would you recommend seeing live in concert?