r/u_IHBMSU

With the Ed Sullivan Theater closing its doors as soon as The Late Show with Stephen Colbert goes off the air for the final time, here's a #TBT to the only time I got to step foot in the famed theater... it was for "Live on Letterman" - the webcast series where they would livestream an artist performing a full concert from the Ed Sullivan Theater shortly after they appeared on The Late Show with David Letterman. And I was super lucky to get to attend St. Vincent's webcast concert in July 2014 - right as she was experiencing widespread acclaim for her self-titled album. Seeing St. Vincent perform during this period was incredible enough, but seeing her in such a unique setting made it even more special.

Fun Fact: not only can you still watch the entire concert on YouTube, but you can actually spot me (for like half a second) as St. Vincent makes her entrance and goes down the aisle toward the stage! Included the best screenshot I could get in this clip 😆

Where was the most unique place you've seen one of your favorite bands live? Share in the comments below, and stay tuned for more things to come from this space (including stories from concerts like this)!

In honor of Avenged Sevenfold becoming "fully independent" after buying masters to all of theit recordings, here's a few pictures from 15 years ago when I saw them at the Tsongas Center in Lowell, Mass. It would be the last time I saw a full A7X show (technically the last time I saw them live was at Mayhem Fest in 2014... but that's a story for another time 😉), and the band was on 🔥... and no, not just because of all the insane pyro they used - this was Jan 22, 2011, right in the midst of their successful run in support of "Nightmare." Stone Sour and Hollywood Undead were opening the tour... but M Shadows and A7X proved that night why THEY were the headliners.

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What's the coolest stage setup you've ever seen at a concert? I know arenas and stadiums can be annoying places to see concerts, but one perk to seeing shows there are the insane stage setups you could never bring to life in more intimate settings. Some bands get really creative and find ways to make the stage itself a unique part of the live experience. One band I'd say typically does that is Metallica - case in point, take a look at these clips from their show at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia on Oct. 25, 2018 (always love seeing Metallica in the round, but they really went above and beyond with the interactive ceiling screens). Then again, I'm really critical with the stage setup they've been using on the M72 World Tour... but that's a conversation for another time 😉

Share your picks for the coolest stage setups you've seen firsthand in the comments below. And stay tuned for more things to come from this space (including stories from concerts like the one seen in these clips)!

18 years ago, I saw Stone Temple Pilots headline the WMMR-BQ at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ - which also served as the famed radio station's 40th birthday bash. I had seen Scott Weiland play with Velvet Revolver four times, but this was my first (and only) time seeing him play with STP. And he looked and sounded great - which I know how lucky I am to say that (as it was well reported how fans who attended some dates on that very same reunion tour sadly couldn't say the same). Even though that radio station festival's bill also featured the like of Staind, the Hooters and Everclear, it was instantly clear why STP were the headliners - playing hit after hit during a high-energy rock show.

Here's a clip of them playing "Lady Picture Show" (a fna favorite off "Tiny Music... Songs from the Vatican Gift Shop" - which celebrated its 30th anniversary this past March).

What's your favorite set from a radio station festival? Share in the comments below, and stay tuned for more things to come (including stories from concerts like this)!

21 years ago, System Of A Down released "Mezmerize". That album still remains one of my all time favorites. I can still visualize the time I bought that album, and I can still listen to it from start to finish over and over again even after all these years. That's why hearing SOAD tear through songs like "B.Y.O.B" and "Radio/Video" during their massive show at MetLife Stadium back in August 27, 2025, was such a thrill.

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I'm ashamed to admit that I took Chris Cornell's talent for granted prior to his death on May 17, 2017... part of me always assumed I'd have plenty of chances to see the singer live, so as a result I only got to see him and Soundgarden live once. But I'm so glad I did - it was Soundgarden's co-headlining tour with Nine Inch Nails at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ (Aug. 2, 2014), and needless to say, they sounded fantastic. Will always be grateful I got to hear Cornell sing songs like "Black Hole Sun", "Outshine", "Spoonman" and "Rusty Cage" at least once.

Stay tuned for more things to come from this space, including stories from concerts like this.

20 years ago, Guns N' Roses concluded their four night stint at the Hammerstein Ballroom in NYC. The fact I got to see Axl Rose and his new GN'R lineup in such an intimate venue was mind blowing enough (and remember - Axl Rose in 2006 was on fire), but what makes this show an all-time incredible moment was the fact Izzy Stradlin joined them onstage to play a handful of songs - marking the first time since 1991 Axl and Izzy shared a stage together. Seeing them tear through "Think About You" is still a "pinch me" moment that I still ask "Did I seriously see that?!"

What's your favorite "pinch me" moment from a concert you've experienced? Share in the comments below, and stay tuned for more things to come from this space (including stories from concerts like this)!

May marks 25 years since Tool released "Lateralus" AND 20 years since they released "10,000 Days". Rather fitting since Sept. 28, 2006 marks 20 years since I first witnessed the incredible live experience of Tool. Haven't seen Maynard James Keenan and co. live since Nov. 16, 2019, at the Prudential Center in Newark, NJ - and anyone who's seen a Tool show before knows I need to fix that ASAP 😉

Which band have you not seen in a very long time live (and hope to again soon)? Share your answers in the comments below, and stay tuned for more things to come from this space (including stories from concerts like these)!

60 years ago, the Beach Boys released "Pet Sounds" - one of the most influential albums in music. While I never got to see Brian Wilson live, I did get to see Mike Love's version of the band (with none other than John Stamos himself) play all the hits at Sea Hear Now on Sept. 17, 2023, including "Pet Sounds" staple "Wouldn't It Be Nice"... yup, I got to see the Beach Boys on an ACTUAL beach in Asbury Park!

Stay tuned for more things to come from this space, including stories from concerts like this!

21 years ago, I saw U2 bring their massive Vertgio tour to Philadelphia. My friend and I were seated in the very last row in the Wachovia Center toward stage left. And it's one of those shows where I was actually so glad to be as far back as we were - otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to appreciate the incredible stage set up U2 utilized on the tour. The stage was literally performing a light show along with the songs - I can still visualize the stage changing colors and textures every time The Edge played a different note during his guitar solo. It was a visual experience unlike anything I've ever seen.

Sadly I have no video or photos from that incredible evening - glad I still at least have this "How to Dismantle An Atomic Bomb" tour shirt 😀

What show you've been to would you say had the most incredible visuals and lighting? Share in the comments below, and stay tuned for more things to come from this space (including stories from concerts like this)!

Hard to believe it's been 16 years since Ronnie James Dio passed away. While I never got to see him play his solo hits, so grateful I got to see him twice with the Dio-Era Black Sabbath reunion project Heaven & Hell - first time being 19 years ago (May 19, 2007) at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ (with openers Megadeth and Machine Head), then the following year (Aug. 6, 2008) at the Susquehanna Bank Center in Camden, NJ, as part of the Metal Masters tour with Judas Priest, Motorhead, and Testament... could never have imagined that two years after that show, he would lose such an influential voice in metal.

Share your favorite memories of seeing Dio live in the comments below. And stay tuned for more things to come from this space, including stories from concerts like these!

PS, as seen in the beginning of this clip - during that PNC Bank Arts Center show, I got a metal guitar pick necklace that had each band member's signatures engraved on one side... still a cherished concert purchase of mine 😀

11 years ago, I finally got to see Faith No More live. It was quite a sight to see the band tear through fan-favorites while donned in all-white playing on a stage covered in flowers. Though an even funnier sight - a few short hours after seeing them play a sold out Webster Hall in NYC, I arrived home in time to see Mike Patton and gang play The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon (wearing the same white outfits admist a sea of flowers)... What a sight indeed...

Stay tuned for more things to come from this space, including stories from concerts like this!

I still cannot believe I got to see Bruce Springsteen play Madison Square Garden... granted, you're guaranteed an incredible show from the Boss wherever he plays, but clearly Bruce and the E Street Band brought their A+ game to the World's Most Famous Arena (plus special guest Tom Morello). Seeing the entire band tear through a 3 hour set at full speed was astonishing... though honestly, what made the night really special for me was getting to share it with my dad. I'm so grateful that my parents brought me to so many concerts (including to my first Bruce show at the Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia back im 2003). But it's been a while since I went to a show with them. And while my mom couldn't join us, dad and I took plenty of video of us screaming our heads off to many songs to share with her/make her feel like she was there with us.

I'll spare you video of us doing live Bruce karaoke - instead, here are clips of the band tearing through "Dancing In the Dark" and "Born to Run". I absolutely loved that they turned the house lights on - a truly awe-inspiring sight to see an entire sold out Madison Square Garden dancing and singing along!

Holy crap, I just saw Bruce Springsteen rock the crap out of Madison Square Garden tonight! I'll be sharing more thoughts (and video 😉) from the evening with Bruce and the E Street Band (with special guest Tom Morello) over time. But for now - here's a taste of them playing "Born in the U.S.A." at

9 years ago, I saw Opeth, Gojira AND the Devin Townsend Project play Starland Ballroom - all on the same night and stage. It's another one of those "holy crap, I saw THAT show in THAT venue?!" While Opeth and Gojira's popularity has arguably only grown bigger since (and Devin Townsend has been performing less and retired the DTP brand shortly after this tour), 2017 saw all three bands in high demand - each playing big tours and venues on their own. So to see them play the unbelievably intimate Sayreville venue, let alone on the same bill that year, still blows my mind even nine years later...

Check out footage from each band's set in this clip. And share what touring lineup are you still in disbelief that you actually got to witness in the comments below. Also stay tuned for more things to come from this space (including stories from concerts like this)!

32 years ago, G. Love and Special Sauce released their self-titled debut I've seen G. Love live many, many times since, but getting to see him join his frequent collaborator Jack Johnson (whose celebrating a birthday May 18) for a few songs during the latter's headlining set of the inaugural Sea Hear Now festival back in 2018 was truly something special. Here's a snippet of them playing "Good People" on the Asbury Park Beach that night.

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20 years ago, Red Hot Chili Peppers released "Stadium Arcadium".... wait, what?! How has it been 20 years since this album that I've obsessed with since high school came out? And how has it been 4 years since I saw RHCP perform classics off this album like "Snow (Hey Oh)" and "Dani California" at MetLife Stadium (Aug. 17, 2022)?! Though truth be told - nothing will be seeing RHCP at the actual Stadium Arcadium Tour's Oct. 23 stop at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia ... even 20 years later, it's still one of the best concerts I've ever seen!

Stay tuned for more things to come from this space (including stories from concerts like these)!