Krissy’s picks:

10. Lollapalooza 1997 - Nissan Pavilion / Bristow, VA
This show was just fun. I got to see James, Tricky, Orbital, Snoop Dogg, Korn and Tool all in one day. Despite being surrounded by ton of stinky, sweaty kids wearing striped Adidas pants, it was a good show. Oh yeah, and the Korn kids shouting “Korn, Korn, Korn…” while James was playing almost made Tim Booth cry. They didn’t finish their set.

9. Rolling Stones – World Tour 2002 – FedEx Field / Landover, MD
I had more fun at this concert than any other that I’ve attended. It started with tailgating in the parking lot with some dude named “Johnny” who claimed to be a representative from Budweiser. In reality, he was just wearing a Budweiser NASCAR jacket and had drunk a lot of beer. He was nice though. He literally gave me the shirt off of his back. I went to the show with just enough money to park, and ended up drinking, eating, and getting a ’78 tour shirt – sweet deal! The show itself was really good, even though Keith Richards missed all of his leads. Thank god for them that Ronnie Wood was on his game that day!

8. Buckcherry – Time Bomb Tour 2001 – Recher Theatre / Towson, MD
This was the first time I had the chance to see Buckcherry live. After their amazing show, my friends and I got the opportunity to hang out with the band since we knew their label rep. Josh Todd walked over to me, pulled up my shirt a little and jokingly said “wow, you’re skinny too” and rubbed my stomach. It was funny after the fact, but it scared the shit out of me while it was happening. Everyone in the band was incredibly nice and friendly, not scary at all.

7. Coldplay – World Tour 2002 – Pier 6 Pavilion / Baltimore, MD
One of the biggest perks of working for a music store was definitely free tickets and backstage passes. My friends and I got to see a wonderful performance and then hang out with the band. Sitting in the pavilion, drinking Heineken, chitchatting, and signing autographs – the guys from Coldplay are the nicest band people I’ve ever met!

6. Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers – Summer Tour 2001 - Nissan Pavilion / Bristow, VA
I’ve always known that Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers are under appreciated as musicians. I just didn’t realize how much they were underrated until I saw them live. I had really bad comp. seats for the show, but the music made it worth the ride to Virginia. I can say hands down that Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers are the most talented live act I’ve ever seen in person.

5. Oasis – World Tour 2005 – Merriweather Post Pavilion / Columbia, MD
I thought I missed the chance to see Oasis (and the Black Crows!) when I failed to get tickets for 2001’s Tour of Brotherly Love since they broke up after the tour. Thankfully for me, they reunited, released and toured for “Don’t Believe the Truth”. Liam Gallagher was incredibly rude to the audience and to the band – it was exactly what I had expected and it was awesome.

4. Aerosmith – Just Push Play Tour 2001 – Nissan Pavilion / Bristow, VA
I’ve loved Aerosmith ever since I was a child, but never got the opportunity to see them in their “hay day”. Seeing them live from a few rows from the stage was amazing.

3. Paul McCartney – US Tour 2005 – MCI Center / Washington DC
Ok, I was so excited about this one, I have almost no recollection of the experience – and I wasn’t drinking! My friend Kitty and I managed to score 10th row center tickets. At first, I thought that I was crazy for paying $250+ for the each ticket… But after hearing “Maybe I’m Amazed” and “Hey Jude”, I knew it was worth it - it was a once in a lifetime experience! I’m still very happy that I got a chance to see a Beatle!

2. U2 - Elevation Tour 2001 – Baltimore Arena / Baltimore, MD
This was my first U2 concert, ever. It was amazing! The air in the arena was electric that night. I was positioned at the tip of the heart shaped runway where I got a ton of great pictures. I also got a feel of Bono’s leg…

1. U2 - Vertigo Tour 2005 - Washington DC / MCI Center
Probably the coolest concert experience of my life! It started with Bono waving to me from the window of his Escalade. After the wave, I ran inside the building to get as close to the runway as possible since I had general admission tickets. When my ticket was scanned, the usher informed me that my friend and I had been randomly selected to stand inside the runway! We were up against the stage for the entire show. Bono even said hi to me, and at some point, he splashed me with water – it was pretty awesome. I still have the tank top I was wearing. It’s hanging in my office, unwashed since the event : ]