I was thinking of changing direction, and occasionally write about something other than the events of my day, week or everyday life. I love a large variety of music and have been lucky enough to see so many of my favourites in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Osaka and Singapore. But there’s a bunch I was never able to witness before they called it a day (or their members passed away, sadly).
Here’s six of my favourites that I wish I’d been able to see live.
Mac Miller
I discovered Mac Miller the same way I discovered Scandal – on Tumblr, back in 2011. I was following some dude who re-posted really nice photos and all, and he seemed to be a big fan of MM’s Best Day Ever mixtape. It was a fairly new release at the time, and I was able to source a copy easily enough. I was hooked. I didn’t get into Blue Slide Park, but BDE was my go to ’til around 2019. It was fresh, fun, catchy and different to everything else I listened to (I don’t listen to much rap, hiphop etc.).
A few months after Mac Miller’s passing in 2018 I started discovering more of his music. The later recordings were a lot more mellow, with less teenage fun times and parties, and more darkness, cries for help. But then there’s the interviews which are all happiness and joking and laughter.
I really wish I’d been able to see him live that time he did the Big Day Out festival in 2014.
Stone Temple Pilots
Another one that was so close but so far away. I’m talking the original STP with Scott Weiland, not the current version. I first got into them from Purple, and I have memories of listening to that CD on my Discman on a high school photography class excursion in 1995.
I was meant to see them in April 1995 at the Alternative Nation festival, but they pulled out. The only time they toured Australia with Scott Weiland was in 2011. Like Mac Miller, I didn’t know they’d even toured until years after. And it’s something I regret.
Shiggy Jr
You probably don’t know them, but they were a fun, pop-rock-funk band from Japan. I don’t believe they toured outside Japan, but their music came on one day on iTunes Radio. Remember that? It was really fun and catchy and I’ve enjoyed most of their albums, EPs and singles since. When we went to Japan in 2019, I think the day after we arrived (and flew out to Fukuoka) they played their last ever concert. Tomoko, the singer, had something medically wrong with her voice and couldn’t continue, so the band called it a day. If we’d arrived a week earlier, or spent more than one night in Tokyo (at the airport waiting area, no less) I’d most likely have gotten to see them. Another favourite missed.
Dieselhed
They were an alternate-punk-country band from San Francisco and didn’t tour outside USA, but boy were they good. I have all their CDs, and the solo CDs from singer, Virgil Shaw (well, one of their singers. They had three of their 5 members sing). I’ve only seen a few live clips here and there because they disbanded in 2000, maybe 2001.
Their drummer, Danny Heifetz, plays in some other well known bands, and now lives in Australia. His other bands are kinda what introduced me to Dieselhed. Back then I had more money to splurge on CDs (because streaming services hadn’t been invented yet, and I had dialup then, anyway) and if I didn’t like it I could put them at the bottom of the box.
Maybe one day I’ll be able to travel to USA and see a Virgil Shaw gig. That’ll be the closest thing to seeing Dieselhed (spesh if Danny and Atom are also playing in the band like they did his latest CD).
Seagull Screaming Kiss Her Kiss Her
Another Japanese rock band I found by chance, back in 1997/8 on The Christmas Album – a Christmas carols done differently. They were also on Smiling Pets, another released-only-in-Japanese album of Beach Boys covers. That kept me going for about ten years until I heard Angel, and it’s still one of my faves to this day. I have most of their albums, and solo albums of singer Aiha Higurashi.
They broke up early 2000s, long before I really got into them, and reformed a few years back, bringing out the rockin’ Eternal Adolescence album. If they still play live, I’m sure I could find them in Tokyo. They’d be my best chance of seeing anyone on this list playing live.
Queen
Last one is Queen. I’m not a big Queen fan, the only CD of theirs I’ve owned is the CD single they did with George Michael on vocals after Freddie had passed (see image above), but there’s no denying Freddie Mercury was the ultimate showman, with great stage presence. His voice is just wow. You know how good it is, I don’t need to explain.
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