Bands I've Seen Live '83-'13: The Master List

Awhile back, maybe 3 years ago, there was a 'band's I've seen' trend on facebook. People would write a facebook note listing all of the bands that they had seen live in concert and tag 10 of their friends who were supposed to, in turn, make a list, tag 10 friends, and keep the ball rolling. It was kind of a cool chain letter, the comments and flashbacks that this exercise dredged up for everyone were entertaining.

After being tagged a few times, my attitude switched from 'I'm not gonna do that' to 'okay I'll play' and I began drafting a list of bands, often reaching into the deepest cob-webbed corners of my brain to pull out concert memories. I always felt that I was missing some key shows and as a result I never shared my list... and by the time I felt I had my list in a somewhat completed state, it was too late.
Because as with every fleeting facebook trend, momentum for the 'bands I've seen' idea fell by the wayside, not as a slow burn, it took a massive nosedive. Even the entire concept of the facebook 'Notes' feature seems to have been taken victim, apparently falling through the cracks of the past two facebook design updates. It's still there, but you have to really look for it. Too bad, the Notes app was a nice mini-blog tool and an asset for professional facebook Page administrators.

I came across my draft the other day and it was a kick to look at again. I completed the list with a few of the recent concerts I've been to... and seeing as 'Band's I've Seen' on facebook is dead, we find the list here instead.
This is not chronological at all and jumps all over the place, a completely freestyle list-making process... as bands popped in my head, I jotted them down. I've kept it as a hard list with minor notations (mainly +++ meaning I've seen this band too many times to keep track, in the mid-late 80's bands like O Mighty Isis, Fishbone, Red Hot Chili Peppers and Primus were playing locally every weekend, as were Big Sandy, St. Vitus Dance, Royal Crown Revue & The Broun Fellinis in the early 90's, and No Doubt and Green Day were everywhere every week in the glory days of the late 80's/early 90's California underground ska and punk scene... I was lucky to play with them both before they broke it big, sharing the stage at small Bay Area joints like Berkeley Square and Gillman Street, back when Gwen was a smoking bob-headed brunette and Billy Joe needed dental work something fierce. In the mid-90's I lived in Las Vegas for 5 years and our weekend ritual was going to see Sam Butera & Keely Smith perform at the Desert Inn casino, probably the performers I've seen the most)
There are so many incredible tales to tell here, funny and ridiculous memories of youth... perhaps at some point I will elaborate on some of these bands and the experiences of seeing them live...
Until then, without further ado, here is a list of 'band's I've seen'...
Consider yourself tagged. You're it.

-X-  New World Tour 1983, my first concert - I was 12 years old

  -X-
  The Sonics
  Dead Kennedys
  Ramones (x 3)
  Sonic Youth (+++)
  Nirvana
  The Cramps (x 5)
  Gerald Wilson
  Roy Hargrove
  Harold Land
  Steve Turee
  George Benson
  Christian McBride
  Milt Hinton
  Tom Waits
  Ornette Coleman
  The Dickies
  George Duke
  The Damned (x 4)
  The Mummies (+++)
  Verbal Abuse
  Fang
  Corrosion of Conformity
  Phantom Surfers
  Blowfly
  Stefon Harris
  P.I.L.
  Redd Kross
  Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
  DJ Spooky
  Bad Brains
  The Who (x 2 - '89 & '13)
  Dave Grusin
  Winton Marsalis
  Branford Marsalis
  Dorothy Donegan
  Dee Dee Bridgewater
  Koko Taylor
  Thomas Dolby
  Art Blakey
  O Mighty Isis (+++)
  Dot 3
  Tad
  DRI
  The Accused
  Drunk Injuns
  Herbie Hancock
  Ron Carter
  Tower of Power
  Clark Terry
  Ruben Blades
  David Sanborn
  Chick Corea
  Joshua Redman
  Charlie Hunter Trio
  Nick Rossi Set
  Sonny Rollins
  Big Sandy & The Fly-Rite Boys (+++)
  Beastie Boys (x 3)
  The Chesterfield Kings
  The Broun Fellinis (+++)
  New Order
  The SugarCubes
  Laughing Hyenas
  Toy Dolls
  Poison Idea
  Love and Rockets
  The English Beat
  Red Hot Chili Peppers (+++)
  Ride
  Lush
  My Bloody Valentine
  Primal Scream
  Slowdive
  Faith No More
  Psychefunkapus
  The Pixies
  Nick Lowe
  Arrested Development
  Mazzy Star
  Marti Brom & her Jet-Tone Boys
  Enrique
  The Jazz Crusaders
  Lucky Thompson
  Donald Byrd
  Sister Double Happiness
  Oasis
  RKL
  Circle Jerks
  Robert Seidler
  The Tennessee Rhythm Riders
  Thompson Twins
  Cherry Poppin' Daddies
  Kim Lenz & The Jaguars
  Fishbone (+++)
  Cro-Mags
  Fugazi (x 3)
  Front 242
  Luke Vibert
  Smashing Pumpkins
  Butthole Surfers
  Hole
  Plaid
  Jimmy Smith
  Si Zentner 
  L7
  Grady Tate
  Reggae Philharmonic Orchestra
  Missing Persons
  B-52's
  Cypress Hill
  Primus (+++)
  Air
  The Soup Dragons
  Kraftwerk
  Charlatans UK
  Echo & The Bunnymen
  Dave Brubeck
  Max Roach
  Lee Ritenour
  Fantastic Plastic Machine
  DJ Shadow
  The Makers
  Bantam Rooster
  The Aquabats
  Dinosaur Jr.
  Mudhoney
  Ralph Carney (+++)
  Paula West
  Lavay Smith
  Medeski Martin & Wood
  Nation of Ulysses
  Guitar Wolf
  Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66
  Saint Vitus Dance (+++)
  Frank Sinatra Jr.
  Joe Williams
  Grateful Dead (x 3)
  Les McCann
  Clark Terry
  Cornelius
  Neurosis
  Cheater Slicks
  Clown Alley
  Diana Krall
  The Dwarves
  The Swingin' Utters (+++)
  Tito Puente
  Black Star - Mos Def/Taleb Kweli
  Bad Manners (x 3)
  Rancid
  Citizen Fish
  The Residents (x 3)
  The Residents w/ Snakefinger
  No Doubt (+++)
  April March
  Untamed Youth
  Ice-T
  MDC
  Green Day (+++)
  NOFX (+++)
  Ministry
  Jane's Addiction (+++)
  Steel Pulse
  Bertrand Burgalat
  Madonna
  The Upsetters
  Nat Adderly
  Stanley Turrentine
  Richard 'Groove' Holmes
  Gene Harris
  Reverend Horton Heat
  Depeche Mode
  Siouxsie & The Banshees
  Third World
  Herbie Mann
  Book Of Love
  The Descendents
  ALL
  Bauhaus
  The Jesus Lizard
  Howard Jones
  Bernard Purdie
  Grant Green
  Kenny Burrell
  The Bomboras
  Manual Scan
  Untouchables
  Simple Minds
  Adam Ant
  The Loved Ones
  The Toasters
  Mighty Mighty Bosstones
  Royal Crown Revue (+++)
  Hepcat
  Sam Butera & Keely Smith (+++)
  Dance Hall Crashers (+++)
  The Liquidators (+++)
  Skankin' Pickle (+++)
  Animotion
  Shriekback
  Kiss
  Buckcherry
  Christ On Parade
  The Cult
  Devo
  -M- aka Matthieu Chedid
  Vampire Weekend
  Madness
  The Specials (x 2 Paris 2011 & SF 2013)
  Black Moth Super Rainbow
  Vintage Trouble
  Lumerians
  Honeycut
  Pigeon John
  Tears For Fears
  Carina Round
  Joe Jackson
  The Skatalites
  The Omens
  The Saturn V
  The Chuckleberries
  Cellar Doors
  The Ogres
  The Barbary Coasters
  French Boutik (+++)
  Orchestral Maneuovres In The Dark
  The Selecter
  Lee Perry
  The Three O'Clock

The most recent show I've seen - The Specials live at The Warfield SF - March 23rd 2013.
 Such a great show filled with fully-fledged members of the Nite Club that I hadn't seen in years.
Now I'm 41 years old.  The more things change....