UPDATE – Top Ten Halloween 2014 Concerts, videos and more, here.
Apparently costumes, sugar highs and uninhibited silliness make for fun times. How else can we explain that some of the most memorable concerts every year occur on Halloween?
Last year that meant Phish live debuting an entire new album in Atlantic City, Arcade Fire’s tricks and treats at the Hollywood Palladium, Gov’t Mule (with Robby Krieger) tribute The Doors, and The Polyphonic Spree’s Rocky Horror Picture Show. There was also the bloodbath of the century: White Denim, a very manly looking Spice Girls (aka Tame Impala), and The Flaming Lips. The latter were fronted by Wayne Coyne dressed as Stephen King’s “Carrie” and drenched with a bucket of pig’s blood poured by a woman who may or may not have been Miley Ray Cyrus (“when the legend becomes fact… print the legend“). A full recap of that with videos and picture galore is here (and a recap of The Flaming Lips 30 preceding Halloweens is here; watch Freak Night, a concert film from the Lips’ 2012 Halloween freak out here).
So what can we expect for this year?
Steven Drozd and Wayne Coyne’s Lips spin-off The Electric Würms will play their third ever show on Halloween night at The Womb, the band’s psychedelic art gallery in Oklahoma City. Fellow Lips bandmate Jake Ingalls’ Spaceface will open the show. This will be the venue’s first ever ticketed event (252 tickets will be available on October 24th at midnight through TicketStorm). Also on Halloween night, IFC’s “Comedy Bang! Bang!” will premier a new episode at 11 PM called “Wayne Coyne Wears a Halloween Costume” (pictured above; yep, Carrie again) and The Flaming Lips will appear on ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live. The latter will be taped at a FREE outdoor mini-concert/ costume party on October 27th (more details here).
Phish will kick-off a three night run at Las Vegas’ MGM Grand Garden Arena on Halloween. Phish is bringing back their (semi-) annual costume contest this year with a sweet grand prize: “two tickets to each night of Phish’s Miami New Year’s Run, including the sold out New Year’s Eve show.” Full details on the contest are here. moe. is hosting a Big Lebowski themed costume-party concert at near-by Brooklyn Bowl directly after Phish’s show. Special guests for the latter include Jennifer Hartswick and Natalie Cressman (of the Trey Anastasio Band) and Bill Payne (of Little Feat). “All sorts of treats” are promised.
Other artists hosting costume contests include Andrew WK (details for the contest here, and for his “Halloween Party” here) and Sunbears! The latter will kick off a tour on Halloween that leads up to the release of their new album, Future Sounds, out November 11th.
Luckily Halloween falls on a Friday this year. Several festivals will take place that weekend: Voodoo Music and Arts Experience with OutKast, Slayer and tons more; Chicago’s Phantom Phest with Halloween headliner Marnie Stern; and Suwannee Hulaween featuring The String Cheese Incident among them. Meanwhile New Yorkers can see Phil Lesh & Friends return to The Capitol Theatre, Primus go all Willy Wonka at the Beacon Theatre and Cass McCombs with the Meat Puppets at Rough Trade. Pond at LA’s The Echo, Circulatory System and Elf Power returning to Athens’ 40 Watt Club, Widespread Panic keeping their Halloween tradition alive in New Orleans and Queens Of The Stone Age at The Forum stand out among the many other Halloween shows. The Future Heart’s top picks are below:
Electric Würms & Spaceface
…3rd ever gig by new Flaming Lips side project!
The Womb
Oklahoma City, OK
Ticket Price: $20 (available soon through TicketStorm)
Phish
MGM Grand Garden Arena
Las Vegas, NV
Ticket Price: $60
moe.’s Big Lebowski Halloween with Jennifer Hartswick, Natalie Cressman and Bill Payne (of Little Feat)
….a costume party and concert themed around the 1998 movie to follow Phish’s nearby show
Brooklyn Bowl
Las Vegas, NV
Sold Out
Circulatory System & Elf Power
40 Watt Club
Athens, GA
Ticket Price: $5
Pond
The Echo
Los Angeles, CA
Ticket Price: $13
Queens Of The Stone Age with The Kills, JD McPherson, and Nick Oliveri
The Forum
Inglewood, CA
Ticket Price: $30
Marilyn Manson
The Roxy Theatre
West Hollywood, CA
Ticket Price: $50
Phil Lesh & Friends
The Capitol Theatre
Port Chester, NY
Ticket Price: $59.50
Primus
Beacon Theatre
New York, NY
Ticket Price: $40
Cass McCombs & Meat Puppets
Rough Trade NYC
Brooklyn, NY
Ticket Price: $20
Mastodon
The Paramount
Huntington, NY
Ticket Price: $40
Tedeschi Trucks Band
Balboa Theatre
San Diego, CA
Ticket Price: $39.50
Moonalice Grateful Dead Tribute Halloween Costume Ball
Golden Sails Hotel – PCH Club
Long Beach, CA
Ticket Price: $18
Suwannee Hulaween featuring The String Cheese Incident and more
Live Oak, FL
Ticket Price: $209 (weekend tickets; includes camping)
Sunbears!
Underbelly
Jacksonville, FL
Ticket Price: TBA
The Heavy Pets & The Main Squeeze Halloween Costume Ball
The Funky Biscuit
Boca Raton, FL
Ticket Price: $15
Avi Buffalo
Old Rock House
St. Louis, MO
Ticket Price: $10
Low and Slowdive
Fine Line Music Cafe
Minneapolis, MN
Ticket Price: $37
Marnie Stern
Subterranean
Chicago, IL
Ticket Price: $15
Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy
Thalia Hall
Chicago, IL
The Wytches
Schubas
Chicago, IL
Ticket Price: $12
Bassnectar
Peoria Civic Center
Peoria, IL
Ticket Price: $30
Voodoo Music and Arts Experience featuring OutKast, Slayer and many more
New Orleans, LA
Ticket Price: $73
Reverend Horton Heat
Howlin’ Wolf
New Orleans, LA
Ticket Price: $25
Galactic
Tipitina’s Uptown
New Orleans, LA
Ticket Price: $31
Oteil Burbridge
The Maple Leaf Bar
New Orleans, LA
Fishbone
The Joy Theater
New Orleans, LA
Ticket Price: $30
Andrew W.K.
AG Building at Evraz Place
Regina, SK, Canada
Ticket Price: $34
The Avett Brothers
ExploreAsheville.com Arena (formerly U.S. Cellular Center)
Asheville, NC
Ticket Price: $33
Widespread Panic
1stBank Center
Broomfield, CO
Ticket Price: $59.75
GWAR
The Summit Music Hall
Denver, CO
Ticket Price: $20
Method Man & Redman
Gothic Theatre
Englewood, CO
Ticket Price: $30
Los Lobos
Infinity Hall Hartford
Hartford, CT
Ticket Price: starting at $59
Speedy Ortiz & Ex Hex (feat. Mary Timony from Helium / Wild Flag)
The Space
Hamden, CT
Ticket Price: $12
Stone Temple Pilots & Chester Bennington
The Grand Theater at Foxwoods
Mashantucket, CT
Ticket Price: $40
Ziggy Marley
Wild Horse Pass Hotel Casino
Chandler, AZ
Ticket Price: $36
Fleetwood Mac
Verizon Center
Washington, DC
Ticket Price: $50
Blue Oyster Cult
Inn of the Mountain Gods
Mescalero, NM
Ticket Price: $20
The Future Heart 
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