- My all-time favorite songs, #100 down to 51 (published September 2026)
- The 50 best shows I have attended in 50 years of life (this)
- My top 50 albums of all time (Coming October)
- My all-time favorite songs, #50 down to #1 (Coming on my birthday in November)
- My top 50 Christmas songs (Coming in December)
- Apple Music (created using this platform and includes 50 songs, all performed at the shows mentioned)
- Tidal (49 songs, Transferred from Apple Music using Soundiiz)
- Amazon Music (48 songs, Transferred from Apple Music using Soundiiz)
- Sp*tify (50 songs, Transferred from Apple Music using Soundiiz)
1995
January 21, 1995*Fleming & John, Hoi Polloi
Vanderbilt University Baptist Student Union Basement
Nashville, Tennessee
For the purpose of the playlist, I really wanted to include a song from Hoi Polloi's best album,"Happy Ever After", as this show was insanely loud, full of feedback, and was right around that LP was released. Alas, that album is not on streaming (which I actually like as it takes more effort to listen). So I picked an older song they perhaps played.
March 27, 1995
Dakoda Motor Co., Hoi Polloi, Johnny Q Public
Rocketown
Franklin, Tennessee (before it moved to Nashville)
July 22, 1995
Blenderhead, MxPx
The Metro
Chattanooga, Tennessee
September 12, 1995
R.E.M., Radiohead
Civic Center
Birmingham, Alabama
September 20, 1995
The Prayer Chain, The Throes
Crush Warehouse
Birmingham, Alabama
November 2, 1995
Starflyer 59, Morella's Forest, Joe Christmas, Luxury
The Pterodactyl (The Strand Productions)
Marietta, Georgia
1996
March 6, 1996
Stavesacre, MxPx
Crush Warehouse
Birmingham, Alabama
1997
February 1, 1997
Sixpence None the Richer (2 sets)
Jammin Java
Franklin, Tennessee
February 7, 1997
The Connells
5 Points Music Hall
Birmingham, Alabama
July 2, 1997
Over the Rhine, Adam Again, The Electrics
Cornerstone Festival, Bushnell, Illinois
(I only included festival sets when they are back-to-back in the same location, for example here in the Encore 1 tent on one evening)
July 11, 1997
Havalina Rail Co., Bathtub Mary
Crush Warehouse
Birmingham, Alabama
September 16, 1997
Mineral, Jejune, The Get Up Kids
Unity 1605
Birmingham, Alabama
1998
April 11, 1998
Pedro the Lion, Velour 100, Joy Electric
Homewood Park (Crush Productions)
Birmingham, Alabama
September 28, 1998*
Appleseed Cast, Brandtson
Slacker 66
Birmingham, Alabama
November 11, 1998
Sunny Day Real Estate, 764-HERO, Heroic Doses
The Masquerade
Atlanta, Georgia
1999
February 27, 1999
Stretch Arm Strong, Zao, Stavesacre
8th Day
Nashville, Tennessee
September 18, 1999*
Luxury, Annie
The EARL
Atlanta, Georgia
2000
February 14, 2000
Smashing Pumpkins
5 Points Music Hall
Birmingham, Alabama
March 2, 2000
Elliott, Hot Water Music, Crucible, Bodrees
Brick City Music Hall
Gainesville, Florida
July 23, 2000
Blindside, Squad Five-0, Tenderfoot
DIY Records
Winter Park, Orlando, Florida
My strongest memory of this Blindside show was when they played "King of the Closet." However, my favorite Blindside album, "A Thought Crushed My Mind", is not on streaming. I actually love that it isn't, but for the purpose of the playlist I went with an older song, "Invert", that they might have played, rather than a song from "Silence", which would not have been written yet.
I decided to only include shows in this list if I knew or could confirm the exact date and location. I am using this show as an example as my memory was fuzzy--I knew I saw Blindside in a tiny, sweaty, club in Orlando, but wasn't exactly sure which year and had no idea the name of the venue. To confirm dates, I used Setlist.fm, ConcertArchives.org (those two sites really need to merge themselves), my own blog, my own physical collection of flyers and magazine clippings, and then finally, recently, Newspapers.com. That is where I found this! Full page from the Orlando Sentinel at the end of this post.
2001
February 13, 2001
Brandtson, Liars Academy
The Muse
Nashville, Tennessee
June 13, 2001
Thursday
Barnstormers Pizza
Montevallo, Alabama
July 3, 2001
Poor Old Lu
Cornerstone Festival
Bushnell, Illinois
October 24, 2001
The Anniversary, Superdrag, The Mars Volta
40 Watt
Athens, Georgia
October 31, 2001
Death Cab for Cutie
The Echo Lounge
Atlanta, Georgia
2002
February 3, 2002
The Gloria Record, Her Space Holiday
The End
Nashville, Tennessee
2003
August 13, 2003
Mates of State
House of Live
Paris, France
August 15, 2003
Brown Feather Sparrow
Flevo Festival
Liempde, Netherlands
2004
July 25, 2004
Fountains of Wayne
Hartwood Acres
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
2005
July 1, 2005
Eisley, Lovedrug, Pilotdrift
Smith's Olde Bar
Atlanta, Georgia
July 21, 2005
Tegan and Sara, Cake
Dancin' in the District
Riverfront Park
Nashville, Tennessee
2006
August 2, 2006
Fiona Apple, Damien Rice
Chastain Park Amphitheater
Atlanta, Georgia
September 20, 2006
Sufjan Stevens, My Brightest Diamond
Fox Theater
Atlanta, Georgia
2007
May 2, 2007
Thrice, Norma Jean, The Receiving End of Sirens
The Masquerade
Atlanta, Georgia
2008
April 13, 2008
Explosions in the Sky
Variety Playhouse
Atlanta, Georgia
2011
February 7, 2011
Jimmy Eat World, David Bazan
40 Watt
Athens, Georgia
2012
November 15, 2012
Pinback
Terminal West
Atlanta, Georgia
2015
January 31, 2015
Mineral, Solemn Sun
Bloom
Mezzago, Italy
2016
January 29, 2016
mewithoutYou, The World is a Beautiful Place and I Am No Longer Afraid to Die, Them Fleurs
Treibhaus
Luzern, Switzerland
2018
February 8, 2018
Nada Surf
La Laiterie, Strasbourg, France
April 20, 2018
Waxahatchee, Hurray for the Riff Raff, Bedouine
Saint Andrews Hall
Detroit, Michigan
2021
September 14, 2021
Hop Along, Tenci
El Club
Detroit, Michigan
September 24, 2021
Luxury, Stavesacre
Furnace Fest
Sloss Furnaces
Pond Stage
Birmingham, Alabama
September 25, 2021
Beloved
Furnace Fest
Sloss Furnaces
The Shed
Birmingham, Alabama
2023
Sept. 17, 2023
Bully
The Loving Touch
Ferndale, Michigan
2024
June 24, 2024
Middle Kids, Gordi
A&R Music Bar
Columbus, Ohio
August 28, 2024
The Beths, Princess Chelsea
Saint Andrews Hall, Detroit, Michigan
2025
June 11, 2025 Sleigh Bells El Club, Detroit, Michigan
September 6, 2025
Poor Old Lu, Rose Blossom Punch, The Prayer Chain
The Showbox
Seattle, Washington
2026
July 28, 2026
Rolo Tomassi
Preserving Underground
New Kensington, Pennsylvania
Full page from the Orlando Sentinel, July 2000:
