So during this holiday weekend, I really didn’t feel like doing "real" work, especially with everything going on, so I decided to work on a little project I’ve been meaning to do for a while.   I was thinking about it for at least a few months now, but then when I got my concert ticket albums in a few weeks ago, and completely re-organized my ticket collection, I figured I really should do it.

So I wrote out EVERY concert I’ve been to (ok, well, not every… there’s a lot of club shows I did not include in there), put them in chronological order, wrote down who I went with, and then racked my brain for EVERY OPENING BAND as well.   

Here’s what I ended up with: an Excel sheet with 236 lines in it.   I was able to now confidently say that I have seen at least 182 bands give 236 performances.  But with all the missing club shows, that is easily over 200 bands giving over 250 performances.  Pretty impressive stuff, if I do say so myself. 

For those interested, here is a list of the bands and artists that I have seen over the years (going back to 1989):

"Monster" Mike Welch
4 Non-Blondes
AC/DC
Aerosmith
Alanis Morrisette
Allman Brothers Band
Anthrax
Anti-Flag
B.B. King
B-52’s
Bad Company
Beach Boys
Bellwether
Billy Joel
Black Crowes
Black Sabbath
Blind Melon
Bob Dylan
Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band
Bon Jovi
Bruce Springsteen
Buckcherry
Buddy Guy
Bush
Candlebox
Cher
Cheryl Crow
Chicago
Chieftans
Chris Duarte
Cinderella
Collective Soul
Corrosion of Conformity
Dana Stewart & The Old Howards
Dave Brubeck
David Bowie
David Lee Roth
Deep Purple
Diane Farris
Dick Dale
Dimmur Borgir
Dio
Disney’s Symphonic Fantasy
Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprosy
DMX
Duran Duran
Eagles
Elton John
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Enuff z’Nuff
Eric Johnson
Everclear
Faster Pussycat
Fireball Ministry
Firehouse
Fuel
Gang Starr
Geoge Clinton
Godsmack
Goo Goo Dolls
Grand Funk Railroad
Great White
Guns n’ Roses
Guster
Ian Gillan
Iron Maiden
J. Geils Band
J. Geils Blues Band
Jackyl
James Brown
James Taylor
Jayhawks
Jeff Beck
Jethro Tull
Jimmy Buffett
Jimmy Page with the Black Crowes
Joe Satriani
John Mayall
John Petrucci
John Zorn
Jonny Lang
Joshua Redmond Quartet
Judas Priest
Kenny Wayne Sheppard
Kid Rock
KISS
Korn
LA Guns
Laidlaw
Larry Coryell
Lennon
Lenny Kravitz
Limp Bizkit
Lit
Little Richard
Lorrie Morgan
Luscious Jackson
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Macy Gray
Marcus Roberts Trio
Megdeth
Melissa Etheridge
Me’Shell NdegéOcello
Metallica
Mighty Sam McClain
Mike Ness
Misson of Burma
Monster Magnet
Motley Crue
Motorhead
Mr. Big
Muck and the Mires
Mudvayne
Neil Diamond
Neil Young
Nine Inch Nails
Oasis
Oleander
Our Lady Peace
Ozzy Osbourne
Paul Rodgers
Pearl Jam
Peter, Paul & Mary
Pink Floyd
Poison
Primus
Procol Harum
Quiet Riot
R.E.M.
Rage Against the Machine
Rainbow
Ratt
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Ringo Star and His All-Star Band
Rob Zombie
Rochester Philaharmonic Orchestra
Rod Stewart
Rolling Stones
Run DMC
Rush
Rusted Root
Santana
Sarah McLachlan
Scorpions
Sevendust
Sister Hazel
Slash’s Snakepit
Slayer
Sonic Youth
Soundgarden
Staind
Steely Dan
Steve Vai
String Cheese Incident
Tesla
The Amazing Royal Crowns
The Bruce Hornsby Group
The Cult
The Jeff Healy Band
The Moody Blues
The Offspring
The Pretenders
The Scorpions
The Squirrel Nut Zippers
The Steve Miller Band
The Tragically Hip
Tiamat
Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers
Tomahawk
Tool
Trans Siberian Orchestra
U2
V2001
Van Halen
Van Morrison
Warrant
Whitesnake
Wilco
Willie Nelson
Winger
Zeke
ZZ Top