1. “Weird Al” Yankovic - Mandatory World Tour: Jan 2nd 2016 @ Enmore Theatre Sydney

It’s crazy to me to think that this show happened a whopping nine years ago. This was the second time I had seen “Weird” Al, with the first time happening in 2011. My memory of that first show lives largely through photos, but with this one, I still vividly remember the show starting with a live/pre-recorded video of Al coming in via the back of the theatre. Watching “Weird” Al and his band effortlessly cycle through costume changes and songs left a pretty major mark on me, serving as one of my first real reminders of showmanship and the hard-work that goes into entertaining an audience.

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2. Melbourne Ska Orchestra - Sierra-Kilo-Alpha Tour: May 14th 2016 @ The Grand Arch, Jenolan Caves

• To this day, I reckon that this show had the craziest environment I’ve ever had the privilege of being in for a live gig. As a 12-year-old boy, I remember absolutely hating the 4-5 hour drive to get there, but upon arrival, it was a pretty different story. It sounds like a pretty tough sell to get someone to want to go to a gig in a cave, but for me, it was pretty unreal. Getting to look up at the cave walls and the different rock formations during the show was pretty crazy, and I really hope they plan on doing gigs there again after the caves reopen.

3. Queens of The Stone Age - Villains World Tour: August 30th 2018 @ Newcastle Entertainment Centre

I feel like I don’t really need to say much about Queens of The Stone Age. In my opinion, they are one of, if not, THE greatest band of all time. Ridiculously tight, oozing showmanship and swagger, and boasting one of the largest sets of hits ever. I remember all of this stuff was on show here, and it completely blew me away. I didn’t really know much about the band coming into this show, but I remember I was a massive fan of opening band The Chats at the time. They opened up the night with a killer set (of which, I still somehow have videos of), followed by another great set from Aussie blues artist C.W. Stoneking. The final set from QOTSA was crazy, and it blew my tiny, little 14-year-old, year 8 brain. Something I didn’t shut-up about at school for ages.

4. Groovin’ The Moo 2022 - 23rd April 2022 @ Maitland Showground

This was my second music festival ever, first going with friends, and it was one of the best experiences ever. I had gone previously to GTM in 2019 with my Dad and one of his mates, simply because his mate lived right next door and had free tickets, as a result. I remember absolutely hating it, because I was so nervous about everything going on around me. At that time, music festivals were a pretty foreign concept to me and the hustle-and-bustle around me freaked me out a bit. When GTM came around in 2022, however, all my friends and I were fresh out of a COVID-19 lockdown and ready to boogie. Being around so many people I loved, while listening to so many of the best Australian acts at the time was an insane experience I’ll cherish forever.

5. Tyler, The Creator - Call Me If You Get Lost World Tour: July 30th 2022 @ Qudos Bank Arena

The reasons why this gig was so impactful to me are pretty similar to that of the event mentioned just above. This was the first show I went to that was out of Newcastle with friends. This gig fell during the week of our trial HSC exams and it was pretty hectic. Earlier in the week I had gone to Qudos with my Dad for Gorillaz (another insane show), and I backed it up two days later with a train trip back to Sydney with a strong majority of all my high-school friends. Even though I couldn’t fully move the exam stress to the back of my mind, I enjoyed this gig heaps. I love everything that Tyler does and this gig made me appreciate him as an artist 100x more after seeing first-hand, just how much effort he puts into his performances. The stage design 10/10. The set pieces 10/10. The visuals 10/10. The energy 10/10. This gig will forever live in my head.