Eventually it happens to everybody. At some point in life, the average American is likely to see the play, concert, game or spectacle that leaves an impact on them forever. In honor of this sometimes life-changing phenomenon, the Argonaut writers for Arts and Culture have shared their personal favorites.  

Rilo Kiley
Best live performance ever: Rilo Kiley, June 15, 2005 at the Showbox, 1st and Pike, Seattle. I was there with three good friends of mine. The Brunettes, an amazing, adorable band from New Zealand, opened (playing songs including “If You Were Alien” and “Mary-Kate and Ashley”), as did Feist of Broken Social Scene. Feist was terrible, but Jenny Lewis was hot. The live version of “Ripchord” was just Blake with a ukulele and a horn player — superlative — and the encore brought everyone out (including Lewis’ then-boyfriend, Death Cab for Cutie’s Ben Gibbard) to play a tremendous, life-affirming version of “Let My Love Open the Door.” I’ve seen them since, but that first time was the best.
— Marcus Kellis

WWE Smackdown
The best live performance I ever witnessed was a WWE Smackdown live event when I was in high school. At the time, I was obsessed with professional wrestling, so standing there with my sign and screaming for my favorite fighters was the best. Afterward, we got some top-secret info on where all the wrestlers were headed and we followed them there for our own personal meet-and-greet. These big burly guys were incredibly sweet and they posed for pictures and gave us autographs. I was euphoric, especially after meeting Edge. He was so freaking hot, I almost passed out right there.
— Meagan Robertson

Harry Connick, Jr.
My neighbor gave us free tickets to go see Harry Connick, Jr. Not only did we have awesome seats with a full view of the stage the performance itself was wonderful. Connick cracked jokes between songs, including a story about how someone didn’t recognize him at the local gym and he felt his minor celebrity ego was bruised. Given that and his smooth New Orleans style, his show ranks as one of my all-time favorites.
— Jordan Gray

The Blow
At the ‘07 Sasquatch Festival, there were many big-name bands performing over the Memorial Day weekend. However, my favorite performance of the festival — really, of my entire life — was a small duo from Portland (since disbanded and faded mostly into obscurity) called The Blow. The vocalist, Khaela Maricich, was so calm and so collected. She explained the back-stories behind each of her songs, giving them all a personality that one is never introduced to by most artists. The rest of the crowd was just as receptive to this up-and-comer, and the concert hidden far away from the main stage was one that slipped into a realm this writer can’t even find words for.
— Andrew Priest
 

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