I've tried to make a list of all the bands/artistes I've ever seen live.
By my calculations I've seen 90.
I'm only including bands that had at least one hit record, so nights spent in sweaty Camden bars generally haven't contributed.
The list includes proper concerts I paid good money to see, events I got a freebie for and festivals where anyone could walk in off the street. It includes billtoppers and support acts, plus bands who only appeared on stage to perform one song as part of a larger event.
The list's not as hip as I'd like, mainly because Stephen once dragged me along to Party In The Park and the lineup for that read like a Heart FM playlist. It sounds more impressive than it should because I once blagged a seat at a charity event Charles and Camilla attended. But it also contains some absolute monsters of pop and rock and I am well pleased with it.
ABC, Adeva, Alison Moyet, Arab Strap, Art of Noise, Ash, Audio Bullys
Pretty good start, that.
Backstreet Boys, Bananarama, Belle & Sebastian, Bellestars, The Beloved, Beverley Knight, Bjorn Again, Bon Jovi, Bow Wow Wow, Boy George, Buggles
If you're not impressed by at least one of those, you know nothing.
Ce Ce Peniston, Chaka Khan, Coldplay, The Corrs, Craig David
Little did I know when I bought tickets for the Paralympic Closing Ceremony that it would essentially be a Coldplay concert.
Dannii Minogue, Daphne & Celeste, The Darkness, Dead or Alive, Depeche Mode, Deuce, Dizzee Rascal, Dollar, D-Ream, Dub Syndicate
The Ds aren't anywhere near as hard-hitting as the Bs, with one godlike exception.
East 17, Elton John, Erasure
Pop royalty, basically.
5ive, Frankie Goes To Hollywood
I am only proud of one of those.
Gina G, Grace Jones
Eurofroth and archcamp.
Heather Small
She came on stage in Trafalgar Square minutes after London won its Olympic bid. You can guess what she sang.
Jam & Spoon, Jay-Z, Jimmy Somerville, Jocelyn Brown, JX
I had to look two of those up to remind me who they were.
Kelly Osbourne, Kula Shaker, Kylie Minogue, Kym Mazelle
I think it would have been remiss of me not to have seen Kylie at some point in the last 34 years.
With one glaring exception, the Ms are quite a cool list.
North & South
I'm hoping you don't even remember who they were.
Orbital
Hell yes.
Pet Shop Boys, Polyphonic Spree, Propaganda
You're probably nodding at the first of those, but the really impressive band to have seen is the last one.
Rachel Stevens, Rihanna, Robbie Williams
It doesn't get much more mainstream than that.
Saint Etienne, Seal, The Shamen, Shirley Bassey, Sisters of Mercy, Sister Sledge, Sparks, The Spinners, Spiritualized, Stiltskin, The Streets, Sybil
Now that's more like it. I am happy for you to judge me on my 'S' line-up.
t.a.T.u., Thompson Twins, Travis, Tom Jones, Toyah
One of those is the first concert I ever went to and another is the last concert I went to.
Ultra Nate
The 90s were a different planet.
Viola Wills
Took me ages to remember her, sorry.
Westlife
Please believe me when I say I went to the beer tent while they were on.
Years and Years, Yes, Yoko Ono
Bang up to date plus a pair of total throwbacks to finish off the list.
That's my 90.
I was only able to compile this list because I've kept a diary for over 40 years. It took a while to make sure it was a fully comprehensive list because I had to track down all the gigs I'd ever been to somewhere within its thousands of pages. I was occasionally amazed to see who'd been in the line-up at certain concerts because one's musical memory can be very fickle (hence the importance of doing proper research). I don't think I'd have guessed it would be as many as 90 different acts before I started looking.
If you think you know how many bands/artists you've seen, here's a comments box for that. comments
If all you can do is list some bands you've seen or tell us about a concert you once went to, don't bother because that's not what today's post is about.
If you feel the need to tell us you've never seen any bands, nobody cares.
I've made a list of all the bands/artistes I've ever seen live.
By my calculations I've seen 90.
