Music is my radar - Best zeros concerts

The tribute Take me out to the zeros and the collective favorites lists by Music is my radar continue and today we will refer to the most significant concerts  we have attended from 2000 to 2009.

The fact that at some point I was going to see my beloved Black Francis, Kim Deal, Joe Santiago, David Lovering, several years after their last studio recording, was beyond my imagination in the beginning of the decade. That was perhaps the concert I was mostly looking forward to, like no other before, and my beloved Pixies showed up at Terra Vibe on June 21st 2004 to fulfil my expectations, even if it was years later. Last summer we watched them again at Ejekt festival, but the first time experience is beyond compare!

For the live performance by Radiohead in the crowded Lycabettus theatre on June 26th 2000, you can read the comments by gbal here. All I have to say is that was one of the rare times that a very significant band indeed comes to our country at the best point of their carreer, just before Kid A release.

There was quite some emotion within the attendants at Ellinikon Olympic Complex on June 3rd 2006 at the opening of the New Order concert when Bernard Sumner said: “We are New Order, but this is a song from Joy Division…” and immediately after we listened to Love will Tear us apart live, 25 plus years after its initial release. That  evening we also listened to Blue Monday, Transmission, True Faith, Perfect kiss etc.

Morrissey performed live in Greece for the third time on November 25 th 2006 and that was probably his best live concert, even though we really enjoyed his previous two gigs at Rodon and at Gagarin. But that time, among others, we listened to Everyday is like Sunday and How soon is now? See here his entrance on stage and Panic at the opening.

The leading figure of Wayne Coyne and the four other members of the Flaming Lips dressed in furs as a rhinoceros, an elephant, a zebra and a penguin set up their own delightful party on March 16th 2003 at Gagarin. The glorious 90-minute show and the balloons in the air that night prove it. 

Brett Anderson proved at the second live performance of the Suede at Vrahon Theatre on June 25th 2003, 8 years after thier first one at the same place, that he is an amazing performer with an enormous glow. 

Probably the most satisfactory performance by Nick and the Bad Seeds in Greece, at least during the zeros, was the one that took place at Ellinikon on December  4th 2004. The exceptional Abattoir blues/The lyre of Orpheus had been released just before that performance and most of the set was covered by  it, along with older glorious moments, as Mercy Seat at the end of the evening.  

Belle and Sebastian performed at the Horse-riding Association at Goudi on September 13th 2002 and the joy of their numerous fans, including myself, for that encounter with the 10-member band on stage, was indescribable.

The concert by James on July 18th 2007 at ΟΑΚΑ has been an important occasion to me, since I had missed their first show in 2001 at Lycabettus,  due to my military duties. The smile on our faces was huge, even days after the concert. I had not seen such a great responce of the audience at a concert finale, as in Getting away with it, since that 1997 evening with Pulp and Common People.

Franz Ferdinand are among the most significant figures of the zeros and we were very lucky to see them on November 20th 2004 at Rodon at a very powerful live. It was also one of the few times we have seen a band with just one album accomplishing a sold out  in Athens, several days before the concert. That was my last concert at the historical Rodon, before it was shut down.

The list of the  30 most significant concerts I have attended between 2000 and 2009 follows:

1. PIXIES 21/6/04 TERRA VIBE 
2. RADIOHEAD 26/6/2000 LYCABETTUS
3. NEW ORDER 3/6/06 ELLINIKON OLYMPIC COMPLEX
4. MORRISSEY 25/11/06 ELLINIKON OLYMPIC COMPLEX
5. FLAMING LIPS 16/3/2003 GAGARIN
6. SUEDE 25/6/2003 VRAHON THEATRE
7. NICK CAVE 4/12/2004 ELLINIKON OLYMPIC COMPLEX
8. JAMES 18/6/07 Ο.Α.Κ.Α
9. BELLE AND SEBASTIAN 13/9/02 HORSE-RIDING ASSOCIATION
10. FRANZ FERDINAND 20/11/04 RODON
11. KAISER CHIEFS 1/12/06 GAGARIN
12. STOOGES 6/6/04 PETRA THEATRE
13. DURAN DURAN 23/6/05 TERRA VIBE
14. LAST DRIVE 11/5/07 GAGARIN
15. PRIMAL SCREAM 23/4/04 RODON
16. MANIC STREET PREACHERS 6/10/07 TERRA VIBE
17. SUPERGRASS 13/7/2000 ECOLOGICAL PARK
18. MORRISSEY 9/11/02 GAGARIN
19. R.E.M.5/10/08 KALLIMARMARON STADIUM
20. PAUL WELLER 14/7/09 VRAHON THEATRE
21. JARVIS 19/6//09 ELLINIKON OLYMPIC COMPLEX
22. BLOC PARTY 1/7/09 ELLINIKON OLYMPIC COMPLEX
23. SEX PISTOLS 16/7/08 KARAISKAKI STADIUM
24. ORBITAL 9/9/2000 ELLINIKON AIRPORT
25. DEATH IN VEGAS 4/2/2000 RODON
26. CALEXICO 16/9/2000 TECHNOPOLIS
27. INSPIRAL CARPETS 4/5/07 FUZZ
28. MADONNA 27/9/08 ΟΑΚΑ
29. PAINS OF BEING PURE AT HEART 15/6/09 GAGARIN
30. P.J. HARVEY 3/7//01 ΟΑΚΑ