My rule of live music used to be “Never miss an opportunity to see your favourite band, because you never know when they will split up, or die.” But despite 2016 being quite brutal in terms of big name musicians signing off, I’m going to be more discerning from now. 2016 was peak gig for me. Seeing 19 concerts at 12 different venues in such a short span of time (yeah, a year is short) has taught me a lot about what I like and what I don’t like in a concert.
And that’s okay. Going out to see live music should just be fun.
- 5 February 2016: Imagine Dragons at Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam
- 11 February 2016: Wolf Alice at Paradiso, Amsterdam
- 26 February 2016: Halsey at Melkweg, Amsterdam
- 2 May 2016: Melanie Martinez at Melkweg, Amsterdam
- 9 May 2016: The Joy Formidable at The Liquid Room, Edinburgh
- 20 May 2016: Bleached at Bitterzoet, Amsterdam
- 21 May 2016: The Heavy at Melkweg, Amsterdam
- 30 May 2016: Garbage at Paradiso, Amsterdam
- 20 July 2016: Area 11 at The Mash House, Edinburgh
- 9 August 2016: Indigo Girls at Mountain Winery, Saratoga
- 12 August 2016: Lindsey Stirling at Mountain Winery, Saratoga
11 October 2016: Marianas Trench at Tolhuistuin, AmsterdamCancelled (postponed?)- 26 October 2016: Passenger at Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam
- 7 November 2016: The Lumineers at Heineken Music Hall, Amsterdam
- 11 November 2016: 65daysofstatic at Poppodium Q-Factory, Amsterdam
- 16 November 2016: Bastille at Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam
- 28 November 2016: Frightened Rabbit at Tolhuistuin, Amsterdam
- 3 December 2016: Deacon Blue at AECC, Aberdeen
- 15 December 2016: The Cool Quest at Melkweg, Amsterdam
- 18 December 2016: Talib Kweli at Bitterzoet, Amsterdam
My favourites: Area 11, The Cool Quest, 65daysofstatic. Would go and see them again any time.
Wolf Alice, The Heavy, Garbage, Frightened Rabbit, The Joy Formidable: would go and see them again if the venue was right.
Venues: Paradiso is still the best. Ziggo Dome: avoid when possible. AECC in Aberdeen: not even once.