Sabbath’s Final Tour, bands we’ve seen and the one’s that got away.

Black Sabbath’s final tour arrives in Dublin in January 2017. This I did not know until last weekend. I’ve never seen them, indeed I’ve never seen any of the groups of that period – or not as such.

I don’t think Robert Plant solo in the mid-2000s – great gig by the way, and his dance tendencies were admirable – I kid you not, count? Or Page and Plant in the 1990s?, Kiss six or so years back (don’t ask) or Rush four or so years ago. Other than that I’ve avoided very large scale gigs. If you were to ask me who I’d like to see of those groups, well, someone mentioned AC/DC (by the way, I’m still amazed at the critical rehabilitation of them as a group. In the 80s their name was mud. Unfairly so, a great group in their own way, but to see the needle swing 180 degrees has been strange) but the era I’d have wanted was Bon Scott. Deep Purple I’d like to see – they released a pretty great album two years ago.

After that. Ah, not too pushed. I’m not a completist in these matters, and never been hugely fond of live music, it’s uncomfortable, too loud (by the way, on the Ticketmaster.ie website they now have the option of selling noise reducing earplugs – which is oddly impressive). Seen Hawkwind, and would again. Nik Turner, now there’s a man I’d like to see. Girlschool are still giging and that would be good fun. Motorhead I saw ten or so years ago.

The next wave of metal – sadly I’ve only seen Metallica. But again, liked them but never much of a fan. Megadeth, Monster Magnet I’ve not had the pleasure.

Once we get to punk and new wave – perhaps predictably, been at a lot more gigs. The Damned, Buzzcocks, New Order (by the way, doesn’t Paranoid, above, sound oddly like Joy Division at this remove?), Killing Joke and on the list goes. Same with indie, JAMC, etc, etc. Next to no electronic, bar Ulrich Schnauss and Orbital, which is odd given how much I like that genre.

When Springsteen was here there were many complaints about his not playing the ‘hits’, similarly with Neil Young. I’ve no particular interest in the former, would quite like to see the latter though would make no great effort to do so, but I have to somewhat admire their stance. Too often music seems to be about nostalgia and little else. But for artists who keep making music as Young and Springsteen do it seems almost perverse to demand they simply offer a ‘greatest hits’ package. And when they have such longevity which greatest hits? Perhaps after all it’s the whole thing of being glad they’re still going.

So what are the groups people would like to see? Or the one’s that people wanted to see but were either too young or weren’t able to get to?