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Friday 6:11pm, November 6, 2009
November Boombox: Win a Gift Certificate! posted by Mo

Hiya. November already holds a special place in my heart (Thanksgiving, My Birthday, and White Fudge covered Oreos begin their supermarket circulation) but now it’s even more important because I get to update my Boombox! That’s right. Ten action-packed, fantastic new songs for your listening pleasure. Don’t thank me just yet! I haven’t gotten to the really good part! I went to a lot of great concerts this year (Including No Doubt, Get Up Kids, and R. Kelly… all on my boombox!) Take a listen, and tell me about a great concert you went to this year and you could win a $50 gift certificate! I’ll pick two at random, so what are you waiting for? Have a great weekend!

I went to warped Tour this summer at Nassau Coliseum. I got to go to a lot of concerts in one! I saw Less Than Jake, Big D and the Kids Table, Flogging Molly, NOFX, Bad Religion and Streetlight Manifesto. Definitely the best concert this year.
comment by Maggiemaemary — November 6, 2009

I went to a day of an amazing music festival in Ireland this summer when I was there working abroad. It was amazing. I saw a bunch of groups. The highlights were Kings of Leon-which was good but packed-and my favorite, Regina Spektor. She was otherworldly.
comment by Elizabeth — November 6, 2009

I went to a Coldplay concert the day after my 16th brithday. My best friend took me. We didn’t have great seats (off to the side and way, way in the back), so we tried to upgrade them. And of course, they wouldn’t let us. So we got a tip that they would be playing on the lawn. We sat right next to the gates where they were playing on the lawn. Sure enough, halfway through the concert, they came through the crowd and Chris Martin was less than five feet away. Best moment. EVER.
comment by Kaley — November 6, 2009

This past August, I saw the Yeah Yeah Yeahs! I was standing literally 4 feet from Karen O. It was my first “show” as apposed to a big concert. Amanda Blank opened for YYY also, but YYY just put on amazing show. Loved it. I went with my best friend before he went to college too, it was a great way to end the summer.
comment by katpat — November 6, 2009

I went to the Franz Ferdinand show, and there really aren’t enough words to describe how great that was, but the best part of it all was ‘discovering’ Born Ruffians who opened for them… By far the best show of the year.
comment by carla — November 6, 2009

Hooded Fang at the Cake Shop in NYC. Here’s the story: the website said it was all ages. We get there. It isn’t all ages. We sit and sulk at one of the tables near the entrance to the basement-stage area and eat cake to sooth our sadness (it was good cake). The band comes in and goes downstairs. I had emailed one of the band members about the details of the show a week or two before the show. She comes back upstairs, asks if I’m Emma, and after some sweet-talking (almost begging) the people working at the store, me and my friends got in

IT WAS AWESOME.
comment by Emma — November 6, 2009

I was fortunate enough to see my favorite band ever, Blink-182, perform during their Summer Tour in September. Being in the 7th row was amazing, because I got some really great pictures to use in my school’s newspaper! And obviously, for my own personal enjoyment. But what was really particularly special about this concert was that I got to meet the opening band, Chester French, at a record store in town that day. D.A. and Max were so awesome and down-to-earth, and played songs by request. They even took pictures with the fans and signed autographs! I wrote about them as well for the paper, and even got a reply from D.A. via Facebook, saying he loved it. It was definitely one of the best weekends ever.
comment by Molly — November 6, 2009

Back in March, I went to a Chiodos show. It was great, they sounded better live then they did on their CD! I went crowdsurfing and had a load of fun with my friends. The show got shut down a bit over half way through because they thought someone got stabbed. The police made us all sit down on the ground and while I sat down in a circle with my group of friends I couldn’t help thinking how great the night had turned out even if the cops broke it up. Turns out the guy they thought got stabbed just fell and cracked his head on the ground, he was alright in the end. All in all it was a great night and it gave me a great story to tell people! (:
comment by Natasha — November 6, 2009

By far the best show I went to this year was Flight of the Conchords at the Berkeley Community Theater. I’m not even sure if that constitutes as a show, but it was amazing anyway. It might have been the best experience of my life.
comment by shelbyyy — November 6, 2009

I’m all the way on the West Coast. I would have loved to gone to a concert when I visited NY this summer. Any way, I went to an awesome OP Tour Concert with Boys Like Girls, The Maine, Cobra Starship, A Rocket To The Moon, and Versa Emerge. I had a blast; it reminded me how much fun concerts are!!! I can’t wait until I get to experience the concert scene in NY.
comment by Jessica — November 6, 2009

One of the best shows I went to this year was by Franz Ferdinand. They had me dancing through their whole set. Hearing Alex pronounce Los Angeles in a scottish accent had all the girls melting.
comment by Jasmine — November 6, 2009

I attended my first warped tour this year! I saw The Maine, We the Kings, All Time Low, Silverstein and Breathe Carolina play. They were all AMAZING! It is a fact that most bands are better live. I also witnessed the second-to-last show Chiodos will ever play with Craig Owens. Harsh. I had so much adrenaline pumping that whole day that I had trouble sleeping for the next two days

comment by Ruisi — November 6, 2009

It was amazing and I was so fortunate to see Brand New play in a small venue in San Francisco this summer. Brand New is one of my absolute favorite bands and to hear Jesse sing songs from Your Favorite Weapon and to hear 70 x 7 was epic. I can’t describe to you the excitement i felt after that show and how I’ll never forget it.
comment by Jerz — November 6, 2009

i saw paramore in detroit last month. it was right after hayley had gotten over laryngitis and she was back in action and sounding uh-MAZZZ-ing! serious pipes on that girl. great show!
comment by karen — November 6, 2009

In August, on a Monday after work, I went with my little sister, some of our softball team mates and my hippie mom and dad to see Blink182 in Saratoga. When we were almost there we learned that Blink 182 had canceled because of DJ AM’s funeral. So my sister’s friends yelled the news to passing cars in traffic. A lot of drunken frat guys were pissed. On the bright side, Weezer played a full show and it was awesome PLUS they did a Mash up cover of Lady Gaga’ Poker Face with MGMT’s Kids.
comment by ashley — November 6, 2009

My sister and I were lucky enough to win tickets to Cake this year ! The concert was fantastic, it was in Lowell MA, in a cute little theater. They had a sweet disco ball and a space-age background going on, it was way cool. The guys were absolutely amazing, and they preformed some of their bigger hits as well as their great older stuff. They even gave away a tangerine tree at the show as well! not exactly sure why, but it was neat

p.s. loving the playlist, keep up the fab work guys !
comment by Gwendolyn — November 6, 2009

haha. i love flight of conchords. its like my favorite show ever and their music is actually good even though its like joking. lol i like the “i told you i was freaky” song the best though. haha. well over the summer i got to go to japan to visit my friend and it just so happens she has an extra ticket for me to go to summer sonic with her. it was the best day of my life! i got to see paramore, nevershoutnever, boys like girls, nine inch nails, and my chemical romance. Then i got to meet paramore!!!

i was so never to get to talk to them, I loved everything about summer sonic! except that it was really really hot! and everyone was rubbing their sweat all over me. lol i love fredflare!!!!!

comment by erika — November 6, 2009

Out of the 10 concerts I’ve been to this year (mostly pink-pop alternarock bands with a little switch up with Ida Maria and Ezra Furman and the Harpoons), I must say that the best concert I’ve been to this year was St. Vincent and Andrew Bird. It wwas an indie-folk concert in one of the best theaters in Columvbus, and it totally blew my mind. The lighting was absolutely seizuretastic but artistically done, while the beautiful instrumentation and vocals were breathtaking. I barely even knew who either of them were before the concert, but by the end, they’d not only changed my perspective on what a good concert actually is, but it also changed how I thought about the world and my own life. Absolutely amazing.
comment by Shelby — November 6, 2009

eek! i love the avett brothers! unfortunately i haven’t been to any concerts this year. i was hoping to see fleet foxes but the timing just wasn’t right. hopefully next year will be better!
comment by lauren — November 6, 2009

This summer I attended All Points West Music Festival. It was muddy and crazy, yet oh so amazing! My best friend and I traipsed around and saw P.T. Walkley, Silversun Pickups, We Are Scientists, and Coldplay! It was one of the most fun days of my life. Best friends, music, and dancing in the mud! Who could ask for more?
comment by Alaina — November 6, 2009

Unfortunately I am not of age to go to a concert by myself so I’m going to have to say my best concert experience was the CAKE concert I went to with my ma and pa. Itw as at the Britt concert hall which is all open and under the stars in the beautiful Jacksonville Oregon. It was really the one and only kick ass band I have seen. I suppose the best is yet to come. Oh and my moms name is Carol Brown, so we cracked up when we heard FOC sing it!
comment by Maddie — November 6, 2009

I can’t decide between Britney and Girls Aloud as my favorite concert of this year. Girls Aloud were amazing and I was in Newcastle which is Cheryl’s hometown so the energy there was so amazing and I love Girls Aloud, but Britney is Britney! The only other concert I went to this year was a free Maximo Park show.
comment by sarah rose — November 6, 2009

hmmm. i’d have to say bonaroo with passion pit and the yeahyeahyeahs (:
comment by maya — November 6, 2009

I don’t usually go to a lot of concerts but I did get to go see Death Cab for Cutie at a sold out Hollywood Bowl in July. They were there with the LA philharmonic as the special guest and the best firework display I’ve ever seen during the finale, Transatlanticism. I never thought much of the song Transatlanticism (it made me roll my eyes!) before but now it has a direct line to my emotions and I feel so happy now - the way the crowd gasped when the fireworks started, the fireworks themselves, amazing! Personally, I loved that concert (there were people who thought it wasn’t a great concert but whatever..). Not to mention, the whole day was just a blast too - it was a bit of a road trip!

comment by LilyT — November 7, 2009

I’d definitely say the best concert I’ve been to is Tegan and Sara. I have been a fan of them for quite a long time but FINALLY saw them in concert in October. They are so amazing live! They played a 2 hour set including their entire new album, before it was released! A crazy fan even ran on stage and had to get escorted off by security. They are such amazing artists and it truly says something when a band is better live than in the studio. Such an amazing concert! Definitely hope to see them again some day soon. Also, you should check out their new album Sainthood! It’s fantastic

Second in line for best bands to see live is Cold War Kids, but we’ll save that for another day haha
comment by Monica Gu — November 7, 2009

Kings of Leon in SF this past May… it was surreal. However, my next one that I am reallly excited for is seeing Julian Casablancas perform his solo album at the Palace in a week!
comment by Jen — November 7, 2009

Great playlist, perfect to feel a little brighter on the dark fall days. A great concert I went to was to see The Islands. It was so fun because I was there with my sweet boyfriend and the band was so awesome. They obviously all love playing music and they are actually better live!
comment by Rebecca — November 7, 2009

I went to a Franz Ferdianand show with openning act Born Ruffians in May. It was truly awesome. At one point between songs I screamed the name of my favorite Franz song and the lead singer said “I just heard someone scream for our Gwen cover of What You Waiting For. I say let’s do it!” and then they started playing it and I felt super cool

and then after the show me and my friend got our picture taken with the lead singer of Born RUffians and THEN Born Ruffians were on an episode of Skins so that made the picture a million times cooler!!
comment by cver — November 7, 2009

OH AAAAAND I SAW BRITNEY!!! http://www1.fredflare.com/blog/?p=3577 but i think you already knew that lol
comment by cver — November 7, 2009

I’ve only been to two concerts this year - Billy Joel and OAR - and both were awesome. For someone who spends 75% of the concert sitting at a piano Billy Joel puts on a heck of a show. As for OAR, I won those tickets from a local radio station. I took my little sister and we got to meet the band, thus making me the coolest big sister ever.
comment by Laur — November 7, 2009

I haven’t been to any big concerts this year, but the night before Halloween my friends played in a Lady Gaga cover band! Three guys and one girl, all dressed up like her. They looked and sounded awesome!
comment by andreajean — November 7, 2009

ahh i can’t believe you included fun. on there! i love them soooo much. in fact, the best concert i’ve been to this year was them and manchester orchestra. it was at my favorite venue ever, with three of my besties, and 2 of my top 10 favorite bands ever! there’s no better way to listen to music than that.
comment by gracie — November 7, 2009

I actually went to the National concert- absolutely loved it! (If you are not familiar with them, listen to Fake Empire and Mistaken for Strangers) and might I add that I had to go through rather a difficult process of entering into the concert, since I was younger than 18? (it was an 18+ concert) I believe, that is the definition of dedication

comment by jen — November 7, 2009

I went to see Manic Street Preachers in NYC after my 15 year waiting. I took me less than one second to decide to go their show, even though none of them was close to my town. Anyhow, nothing can stop me flying to NYC just for seeing MANIC STREET PREACHERS. I bought the ticket/booked the flight/made another awesome t-shirt just for their show. That sounds silly and crazy, but it was certainly worth thing I’ve done so far. The band was beyond awesome. Most of the crowd were die hard Manics fans who knew lyric and practically sang along every single songs. I thoroughly enjoyed the energy of James, Nicky and Sean including the crazy crowd at Webster Hall. Also, it was a real plus plus plus to meet and get to talk to the MANICS after the show. They were pretty friendly and talked to all their fans personally. It is one of my best concert I’ve this year
comment by nanote — November 7, 2009

I was at Sonar in Baltimore with my friend. We got a chance to see Amanda Blank,Spank Rock and MSTRKRFT. It blow my mind the whole energy and vibes.Amanda Blank has to be one of the best female rapppers.
comment by Pam — November 7, 2009

hey mo! yeah this year I went to the jonas brothers world tour! Awesome right? It was so fun! ♥♥♥ff♥♥♥
comment by Izzy — November 7, 2009

I love that you included fun. <3 They’re the best thing (musically) that’s happened to me all year!
comment by Jade — November 7, 2009

I got to see the yeah yeah yeahs in montreal when they were touring their Show Your Bones album. It was packed! they were amazing

so many bands have good CDs but bad live performances. well let me tell ya, YYYs is not one of those bands. Karen O is a stage beast, it’s like she goes in a trance. and oh the fashion! on that particular night she was wearing a shredded skeleton jumpsuit she even had a disco ball helmet that made the ceiling of the venue look like it had stars. ;__; it was beautiful rock.
comment by julie — November 7, 2009

Roger Daltrey in Seattle at the start of his use it or lose it tour.You could almost see the charisma dripping off him.I was kind of strange.The man is great to see with the Who or solo.
comment by RJ — November 7, 2009

I went to a blink182/weezer concert in early september. It was totally last minute decision so we had lawn seats lol! but it was totally fun. it even started to rain so at the end of it i was completely soaked! and my shoes were caked in mud and at its ugly state its ever been in. i still wear ‘em to this day. hahahah
comment by Amy — November 7, 2009

I went to my friend Jeff’s local punk band show. it was tiny but it had such much intensity, soooo much fun. i love local shows!

comment by Kasey Best!! — November 7, 2009

I went to a Jonas Brothers concert, and even though we didn’t have amazing seats, it was so much fun.

I was hoping to go to a Rooney concert this year, but things didn’t work out, so I’m looking forward to going to one next year.
comment by Kathleen — November 7, 2009

On Halloween I went to a Halloween concert with Boys Like Girls, All TIme Low, Cobra Starship, We the Kings, The Maine and A Rocket to the Moon. It was so cool because we got two tours combined for one date. It was awesome to see all of the bands dressed up. My favorite costumes were those of A Rocket to the Moon; they were the Village People

comment by Chandler — November 8, 2009

Back in the spring I went to the Motion City Soundtrack concert. It was AMAZING. We were in the front and jamming and screaming and singing obnoxiously. It was totally worth the “WHAT DID YOU SAY I CAN’T HEAR YOU” and the sore throat the next day. :] Lol. Next week.. Maroon 5 <3
comment by cristy — November 8, 2009

i went to so many good concerts this year… seeing coldplay was 5 years in the making, i’m now in love with conor oberst, but i’ve got to say my favorite was green day. the special effects were amazing, they played such a tight and LONG set!, and it was so much fun i forgot i was all by myself =)
comment by ang — November 8, 2009

Aaaah! Last month I saw Lady Gaga in Richmond and she blew my mind! Everything from her crazy costumes to the creepy background videos to the BUBBLE-FILLED PIANO was just so spectactular. It was a rescheduled show from a few months ago, but well worth the wait! She put on the show she did on her European tour, “a show nobody else in the U.S. has or ever will see!” And I discovered she has a genuine singing voice, kind of like Christina Aguilera. And no, she did not wear pants!
comment by Annam — November 8, 2009

(: I am so jealous of anyone who’s ever seen Gagalive … she’s magic! Seriously though… Chaunte… I think you are my music twin! M83? Evident Utensil?? <3 I also heart Heads Will Roll in Chris’! The Yeah Yeah Yeahs are genius, pretty much. Right now I’m listening to lotsa Gossip (<3 Love Long Distance, for example) but I have a broad music taste to say the least. I’m super excited for a concert that I’m going to super soon tho! It’s like a huge thing hosted by the radio station here with lotsa cool people (tho kinda random together??) like Shakira and The Fray… and more but they keep changing the list. But I swear if they replace the Fray with someone like Lil’ Wayne or something I’ll be pizzed. Oh yeahh. I’m so edgy with my anti-top 40 taste… People should listen to cool things on the radio instead of like, Justin Biver?? How you spell his name idk. But that’s off topic. I am EXCITED FOR SHAKIRA PEOPLE! And done with this novel/comment/rant. xoxooo and awesome boombox as always!
comment by Cami — November 8, 2009

P.S. I hate my where I live. No one cool (LIKE MOTION CITY SOUNDTRACK OMG) ever comes here. We only get like, ancient viola players or something.
comment by Cami — November 8, 2009

I crossed the border to go see the Tragically Hip this year! They have great music, but the sound quality wasn’t too great at the Thunderbird Stadium in B.C. Also a great local show I went to a couple weeks ago was the Trutones, and I danced the night away with my sister!
comment by Jessica — November 9, 2009

Oh and I gotta include the Niel Young show in Everett! He’s amazing, such a true musician. He’s been going for decades and hasn’t stopped yet. Still as good as ever. And Death Cab for Cutie opened for him.
comment by Jessica — November 9, 2009

I have never been to a concert, but I <3 music. Pretty much stuff thats popular and I like some stuff from the 80’s….. it’s kinda awesome music. I’m really excited cause I’m going to my first concert in like a month.It’s called the Jingle Ball. I kinda have bad seats, but thats ok cause Shakira is gonna be there. Also 30h3 and the Fray!!!!
comment by Jessica — November 9, 2009

Sadly, I only went to one concert this year. It was on April 25th at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. It was called the Believers Never Die Tour Part Deux. It was Fall Out Boy, All Time Low, Hey Monday, Cobra Starship, and 50 Cent (it originally had Metro Station but for some reason they couldn’t make it so it was 50 Cent). It was so much fun! I’ve seen Fall Out Boy and Cobra Starship several times and every time they make it more and more fun. Definitely Fall Out Boy since they are my favorite band. 50 Cent wasn’t as good as I thought he would had been though. It kinda upset me. He did a few songs and that was it. He never stopped between songs and he never spoke or say anything. And that’s what I like about concerts. I like hearing their thoughts and feelings they have on each song. Without them, it makes it dull. But it didn’t too much for me because I was able to watch 30 year old drunk men stand up in their seats and rap to his songs.
comment by Cassie — November 9, 2009

On Halloween I went and saw the Get Up Kids at (what I still call) Irving Plaza. It was one of the best times I’ve seen them live. They played everything you would want to hear from “Something To Write Home About” and “Four Minute Mile.” It was definitely worth the four year wait since they had their farewell tour in 2005. If there is a next time, I’m still waiting to hear “Forgive and Forget!”
comment by Dana — November 9, 2009

I went to see Green Day in July. They played for 3 hours and every minute of it was uh-may-zing. They’re such great performers and they really know how to keep the crowd pumped!
comment by Kristin — November 16, 2009

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