My Top 5 Gigs That Made Me Feel like I Was Watching Pro Wrestling.

Written By Patrick O'malley.

Intro.

If you guys have been reading my work for quite some time, then you'll know that i'm a massive Alternative music fan. This has been a huge part of my life for as long as I can remember, and has got me through some difficult times over the years, so this is a look at the bands, and gigs that have made me feel like i'm watching Pro Wrestling. I have a love for both, and as time has gone on fans have felt the same.

5. Reading Festival 2010.

As a metal fan growing up in the 1990's, and 2000's I dreamed about going to this festival, and i've managed to do this for a number of years, but 2010 hit differant. The bands that were on the line up featured Weezer. Paramore. Cypress Hill, and was headlined by Blink 182, but then there's Limp Bizkit. Ok I'm not the biggest fan of Fred Durst these days, but back then I was going down the route of Nostalgia, and this got me talking to my friends, and reminiscing about WrestleMania 17. Limp Bizkit soundtracked the event with the song My Way. I remember watching them, whilst fearing for my life, because my God they've got a lot of fans. This was one of those moments when I had to take a look at myself, because in that moment I felt bullet proof, just like Stone Cold Steve Austin

4. Parkway Drive 4.10.2025.

This was one of the best gigs that I've ever been to at Wembley Arena. I love Metal Music, and it's for this reason. You never know what you're going to get. On this night the band played what sounded like a greatest riffs set, whilst giving all the pagentry of a Pro Wrestling show. The one show that this took me back to was the first time I saw AEW live at Wembley Stadium. From the opening of Wishing Wells sounding like a solumn reminder of what this band is capable of, to Prey sounding like a call to arms, whilst Bottom Feeder felt like a slug to the canvas, as the 1 2 3 comes in. I love this band of Aussies.

3. GreenDay Wembley Stadium 29.6.2024.

This was a late birthday pressent to myself. ( well kind of ) GreenDay are one of those bands that you need to see live, so they can be believed, because there energy is so infectious. If you attend any Pro Wrestling show, then you can feel the energy from any participant. This was the experience that I got when I attended this show. This was the first time that they would be playing Dookie, and. American Idiot in full back to back. Hearing them rip through songs like When I Come Around, and She was an experience, whilst  hearing the empowering roar of American Idiot is always a treat. This is one of the best gigs that i've ever been to, and as the emotional climax of Good Riddance Time Of Your Life you could feel the sense of occassion becoming overpowering. This band has played a large part in my life, and there music has helped me become the person that I am today.

2. The Prodigy 24.4.2026.

Last Friday I went to see The Prodigy at Wembley Arena, and oh my they were awesome. When these tickets came and Carl Cox was announced as the support act. I wasn't sold on this, but I've never been so happy to be wrong. From the first opening bodyslam of Omen feeling like a gut punch, to the menacing closer of Commanche, you could tell that they were at the peak of there powers. This was like the time when I saw Sting on a TNA taping at Wembley Arena, yes the band are getting older, but they've still got it, and last week they proved just that. Sting did the same when I saw him back in 2012. The chants of you still got it are a real thing.

1. Metallica Reading Festival 2008.

This is one of those times in life, that you've got to be there to be seen. 2008 was seen as a good time for the Bay Area thrashers, as they were on the comeback trail, after releasing one of their worst Albums St Anger in 2003. Comeback trails are all part of the Pro Wrestling game, and if you follow them all the way through to the end, then you can find the reward waiting for you. This was what we got when Metallica released Death Magnetic in the September of that year. Just weeks before the release the band returned to the Reading Festival, and this was unto this very day, the best time that i've ever seen them. They were back, and they've never looked so happy to on the stage. I've been a massive Metallica fan since I was 14 years old, and from listening to there music I've learnt a lot about myself.

Overview Of This Piece.

Some people say that music is the soundtrack to life, and to those people I say this. You're right. Music can see us through the happy times, and the sad times. This piece was a great writing experience, because I got to go back in time, and think about these times. This is how you can describe Pro Wrestling, because it's a form of fighting, it's in our DNA, and as fans, we love it.