2011’s Most Unforgettable Musical Adventures

2011: the year of weird. I went to NAMM, had my second year at GRAMMY week, tackled SXSW, and conquered Austin Psych Fest. I talked my way into Ex-Helvete in Oslo, got my nose pierced while visiting Evile in the UK, and got a tattoo from one of the drummers in Combichrist. I saw shows in a hallway called Happy Mart, a strip club, a junkyard, a house, and a former bordello. I survived front row in the line of fire at Rammstein, saw a knife get thrown on stage at Dillinger Escape Plan, thought I might die at the Gorge for Soundgarden, nearly got knocked out by A Place to Bury Strangers, went crowdsurfing at Amon Amarth, and almost lost my shirt in an unexpected pit at a Horrors show. And I won a signed guitar from Trent Reznor. I saw some of the biggest shows and some of the smallest shows I’ve ever seen, watched live music across half the globe, and somewhat lived to tell the tale. It wasn’t the highest quality year of shows for me, but they were definitely the most bizarre…and will probably live on in my memory longer because of that.

SXSW DAY 3: RED FANG, HAVOK, KVELERTAK @ HEADHUNTER’S, 3/18/11

SXSW DAY 4: RIVAL SONS @ JACKALOPE, 3/19/11

DEN SISTE: BLACK METAL NORWAY

FREAK OUT: AUSTIN PSYCH FEST, DAY 3 @ SEAHOLM POWER PLANT, 5/1/11

PERSONAL JESUS: 7TH ANNUAL MUSICARES MAP FUND CONCERT HONORING DAVE GAHAN AND KEVIN LYMAN @ CLUB NOKIA, 5/6/11

RAPTURE: RAMMSTEIN AND COMBICHRIST @ THOMAS & MACK, LAS VEGAS, 5/21/11

43% BURNT: THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, CEREMONY @ BEAUTY BAR AUSTIN, 6/4/11

MOVING PICTURES: RUSH @ GIBSON AMPHITHEATER, 6/23/11

SHADOW’S KEEPER: BLACK REBEL MOTORCYCLE CLUB @ THE DOLL FACTORY, 7/9/11

THIRTEENTH STEP: A PERFECT CIRCLE @ THE GIBSON AMPHITHEATER

THE DAY I TRIED TO LIVE: SOUNDGARDEN, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, MASTODON, MEAT PUPPETS @ THE GORGE, 7/30/11

PERSONAL EXILE: THE FUNERAL PYRE, OAKHELM @ HAPPY MART, 8/4/11

I AM BEYOND: POWER OF THE RIFF WITH PENTAGRAM, EYEHATEGOD, WINTER, BLACK BREATH, PELICAN, TRAP THEM, ALL PIGS MUST DIE, BLACK COBRA, ACEPHALIX, AND EARLY GRAVES @ ECHO AND ECHOPLEX, 8/13/11

THE PURSUIT OF VIKINGS: AMON AMARTH @ HOUSE OF BLUES ANAHEIM, 8/31/11

TIRED CLIMB: KYLESA AND INTRONAUT @ THE TROUBADOUR, 9/2/11

LOVE BITES: DEF LEPPARD AND HEART @ GIBSON AMPHITHEATER, 9/7/11

STILL LIFE: THE HORRORS, THE STEPKIDS @ DETROIT BAR, COSTA MESA 9/13/11

BAD GIRL: RAPEWHISTLE, GIMME UM @ CHEETAH’S, 9/25/11

GROUND: ENSLAVED, ALCEST, JUNIUS @ THE TROUBADOUR, 10/14/11

THE HUNTER: MASTODON, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, RED FANG @ THE WILTERN, 11/1/11