Top Three Concert Experiences

[Cliffy777]

Hey, we had so much fun with the top 7 bands, I thought I would try to keep on this happy roll with your top 3 concert experiecences.

1. Genesis - with Peter G. Saw them do the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway. Junior year in school (1975). Blew my mind without any drugs. Excellent music, costume changes, wow - wow - wow. And I think we paid something like $8.50 a seat to see them. The radio station in town played the whole album ('member those days when they could do that?) I was painting a house for my dad and listened, then the DJ said they were playing in town that night. Called two of my buddies and we went last minute.

2. Roxy Music. Never thought I would get to see them. It was all the original members. Great outdoor venue (GTE Theater outside Detroit - formerly known as Pine Knob). Outstanding show - they played their hearts out. I was afraid it would be one of those suck-ass reunion deals that are over in 20 minutes. Oh No - it was wonderful.

3. Yes/Yes with an Orchastra/Los Lobos/Todd/Utopia/Frank Zappa/John Hiatt/Montrose/Boz Scaggs/
okay - so I cheated some.

Favorite Post Concert memory - got to by-pass all the traffic by virtue of the fact that I was driving a dark blue caddy and pulled in behind the limos hauling Joe Cocker and his band. What a hoot.
Oh, and we got let up on the Utopia stage after a show with the pyramid/sphinx head and the roadies let us look at where all the gear was stashed and stuff. (Big deal for a 19 year old Toddophile!)

[kbasa]

Well, mine are kinda wierd, but here goes:

GWAR - Without a doubt the strangest and most awesome show I've ever seen. When you start a rock show with an Elvis impersonator that blows the head off a nun and is then eaten by a bunch of gargoyles that are the band, you know you're in for something amazing. The show ended when a giant dinosaur came out and ate the lead singer. Too wild.

Devo - At the Channel (RIP) in Boston, just like GWAR. They came out and did an acoustic version of Jocko Homo and then proceeded to rip it up for a full two hours. Outstanding. If you think those guys were just "Whip It", you're sorely mistaken.

Big Audio Dynamite - Yeah, yeah, they're not the Clash, but I saw these guys at the Channel too. Anytime you can have a beer in each hand and rock out with parts of the Clash two feet away, you're doing pretty well in my book.

Other notables: The Circle Jerks at The Paradise in Boston. Digital Underground here in San Rafael. Steely Dan at Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. The Beach Boys in 1976 in Atlanta at the Omni. Jethro Tull in 1977, again at the Omni in Atlanta. Mike Doughty of Soul Coughing doing an acoustic set at the Great American Music Hall in SF a year ago. Wendy O. Williams and the Plasmatics at Mr. C's Rock Palace in Lowell, MA circa 1980. The Dead Milkmen and Mojo Nixon doing a double header at the Paradise in Boston in about 1993. A full day of rock and roll in 1977 in Atlanta at the Ga. Tech stadium featuring Cheap Trick (before they were famous), Foreigner, Foghat, Heart, Atlanta Rhythm Section and Bob Seger and the Sillver Bullet Band. Beausoliel and and BR-548 (or whatever they are) at the Lowell Folk Festival. Probably the best free show I'd ever seen until I saw Geno Delafose the next year. That guy and his band rock.

If you've noticed, I like club shows the best. Stadiums just don't do it for me anymore. The distance is difficult for me to overcome and what good is music if you can't shake your moneymaker?

[BradfordBenn]

A few years ago I counted and realized that I have seen over 500 concerts. A lot of which are a side benefit of work, previously worked in Radio, worked security at a venue, working for pro audio company, having toured... well you get the idea.

1) Springsteen
4 Hours. Seen him both before and after the fame hit. Best show with him was the Stone Pony in Asbury Park in the early 80's.

2) Peter Gabriel
Lots of theatrics and quality. Have seen every tour since 1980, except for Growing Up - fricking work.

3) Nine Inch Nails
Was expecting lots of playback and nothing good. Actually came out and played. Real Energy. Seen Trent four or five times.

The list could go on and on.

Oh yeah, The Clash kicked butt KBasa. Saw them at Convention Hall in Asbury Park.

[YB in IN]

U2-Elevation tour in Indianapolis. Very cool because it was also Bono's birthday, and the audience sang to him

1998 Tibetan Freedom Concert in Washington D.C. The lineup included Radiohead, the Beastie Boys, R.E.M., Pearl Jam, Red Hot Chili Peppers. A good day.

Ben Folds Five-I saw them as part of a station show. I didn't realize how good they were until I saw them live.

[beemerron]

P-Funk All Stars@St. Andrews Hall +/- 1990
Talking Heads/TomTom Club Pine Knob +/- 1985
Dr. Teddy Harris in an afterhours jam @ Berts Market Place following the Montreux Detroit Jazz Festival 1998

also:
Heatwave Festival @ Mosport Speedway 1980. Talking Heads Elvis Costello, The Pretenders, B52's and a few other bands that I can't recall.

Iggy @ St. Andy's 1989

BR-549 @ The Ark

[RebeccaV]

Originally posted by KBasa
Devo - At the Channel (RIP) in Boston, just like GWAR. They came out and did an acoustic version of Jocko Homo and then proceeded to rip it up for a full two hours. Outstanding. If you think those guys were just "Whip It", you're sorely mistaken.

Wow. I'm totally jealous.
Originally posted by beemerron
Talking Heads/TomTom Club Pine Knob +/- 1985

I'm beyond jealous. *sigh*

I don't see much live music, but my sentimental fav would have to be a Ramones show I went to when I was about 17. Best concert ever would have to be Paul Simon during his Graceland tour - Ladysmith Black Mambazo (sp?) played with him and I'll never forget it. Most recent best would have to be Lyle Lovett. I LOVE Lyle.

[Rich]

Harry Chapin, 1979 or 1980, in Grand Forks, ND, during my college years, was definitely at the very top of my list. He performed solo, just sitting in a chair, on stage, with his guitar. One totally awesome performance, and he threw in lots of his wit to make it a night to remember. I think he died within a year or so of that concert.

Next favorite, Martina McBride, in Bismarck, ND. Now that lady has a voice!

Last up, but worthy of noting, I saw Kiss back in 1977 or so, and the gem I took to the concert with me is now my beautiful wife. I would have put this first on the list but Kiss wasn't exactly my style of music, but oh well. It was still worth seeing.

[kbasa]

Gabba Gabba Hey, BG.

I've seen the Ramones a few times and there is nothing like a Ramones show is there?

1,2,3,4!

[SCDorman]

1. The Boss - Hilton Coliseum, Ames, IA, 1984. Religious experience.

2. Richard Thompson - The Blue Note, Columbia, MO, 1999. Ditto.

3. Bloodshot Records Showcase, backyard of the Yard Dog Folk Art Gallery, Austin, TX, on an afternoon every March during SXSW. Free beer, free tacos, and The Waco Brothers. And Alejandro Escovedo. Too bad there's just that one small bathroom....

Steve

[SCDorman]

Originally posted by KBasa
The Dead Milkmen and Mojo Nixon doing a double header at the Paradise in Boston in about 1993.

Excellent! I haven't thought about the DM in years. I'll have to dig out my 'Eat Your Paisley' cassette from the basement.

Mojo hosts a pancake breakfast and all-day hootenanny at The Continental Club in Austin every March. It's a really good time unless you partake in too much Tennessee Sour Mash before noon (not me, my buddy). The last time I was there ('01), they had Ronnie Dawson, Wanda Jackson and The New Duncan Imperials. And of course Mojo. Plus a guy named Gordy from the US Olympic luge team. It was an interesting day.

The Continental Club is pretty close to the coolest place on earth. Easy to find too; just go south on Congress...it's right next to the place with the big sign that says 'Just Guns.'

Steve

[Rob Nye]

Before my reply I gotta little confession to make. I am a deadhead. No not one of those yuppy polo shirt trip on down to the garden for one night kinda dead head but a veteran of more than one complete tour and something in the neighborhood of 200 shows . Nothing better and I have no appitite for the revived "Dead". Without Jerry this is just another 70's rocker reunion tour for people who can't move forward with life's inevatible changes. :cry

I would have to say that New Year's at the Kaiser with the Neville brothers would be right up there and another 25 or so could easily be tied for first too. I especially enjoyed Bruce Hornsby's participation, he added a wonderful dimension.

After the Dead all time favorites would be as follows.

Talking Heads, Saratoga 1983/4

Big Audio Dynamite, Providence RI. Date unknown RPB was moshing long before people had a name for it. :eek

Violent Fems and a David Byrne show (both in Providence) would be tied for third.

I am with K Basa on a love for smaller venues.

- Rob Nye

[Ironhorsecowboy]

Well, these go way back:

Paul Revere and the Raiders--my very 1st concert. It was mid 60's in Chattanooga Tn. My cousin took me and I was probably 10 or 11 years old at the time.

Bachman Turner Overdrive--This was an outdoor concert in Seattle somewhere downtown (I don't remember the place) the year 1973

ZZ Top--in Atlanta. 1976

Lot's of others but these will all ways bring back memories.:bliss

[The_Veg]

Hmmm, March is just around the corner and I'm just three hours from Austin...!

My favourite concerts??? I refuse to limit it to three or to put them in favourite-order. Here are some of the tops on my list:

Heart/Kansas in '83. it was an oddball because neither band was technically the opener (although Kansas played first). They had both booked the arena for the same night and nobody caught the error until too late, so they gave their openers the night off and did a doubleheader. My brother and I got in without tickets by way of a guy our mom worked with who was a psychologist by day and music promoter by night. He said he had heard through the vine that one of the guys in Heart wanted a U of Alabama sweatshirt, a certain size and design, and if we showed up at the back door with the shirt and asked for a certain guy we were in. It was less easy in practise but we still got in and got to be escorted through the backstage and told to just pick a seat. It was one of our first major concerts too it was all an amazing world to peek into.

Howard Jones, Dream Into Action tour '85. WOW. It was a small show, held in the old basketball auditorium on the Alabama campus (Foster Auditorium for you history buffs, the scene of George Wallace's stand in the schoolhouse door, which they did a nice job recreating in Forrest Gump). Anyway, it was really really amazing and Jones was at the top of his game. It was also his brother/bassist martin's birthday and Mrs. Jones brought a big cake out onstage. My brother and I caught Jones trying to sneak out of the building afterward and started an autograph mob that I still kinda regret- the guy was tired and I would later learn about coming offstage covered in sweat and just wanting to lie down.

Kool And The Gang, In The Heart Of America tour '84. These guys just plain played happy and played with gusto. Everybody went home smiling!

Motley Crue, Theatre Of Pain tour '85. I wasn't a fan, but the tickets were free and it was still a show and a BIG SHOW! Just lots and lots of sensory assault on a grand scale.

Ozzy Ozbourne, No Rest For The Wicked tour '89. Went to this one in Stuttgart Germany and it was great because Oz didn't do any of that wild theatrical stuff he's known for here. It was just a blank white stage (I **** you not) and he had a big grin on his face the whole night. Fun for all! He had Geezer Butler in the band, and it was also his first tour with Zakk Wilde. Oz got me point-blank with a five-gallon bucketload of water at one point- damn refreshing as it was HOT in that smallish gymansium the show was in!

The Who, 1989 and 2000. Need I say more?

Ringo Starr and his All-Starr Band, 1995(?). Ringo, His son Zak Starkey, Mark Varner, Felix Cavilieri, Randy Bachman, Billy Preston, and John Entwistle. Major fun!

Dread Zeppelin, two nightclub shows in the early '90s. Along lines of GWAR. For those who are unfamiliar, these guys played Led Zeppelin music inna Reggae style, with an Elvis impersonator on vocals. The campus paper said "It's not a band, it's a PERFORMANCE!" They were right. DZ's version of Heartbreaker is AMAZING- the tune of the Zep song but with the Heartbreak Hotel lyrics and that groovin' Reggae beat! Each member was a character and the show was a comedy!

Follow For Now, countless bar and festival shows, 1990-94 or so. These guys from Atlanta were part of the wave of black funkmetal bands that was going around in those days. ALWAYS kicked ass!

Man Or Astroman?, countless bar shows approx. 1994-96. They are heroes of the true underground scene these days, but I loved them when they were just little guys from Auburn who did a killer show of instrumental surf based on low-budget sci-fi movies.

The Penetrators, countless bar shows, 1993-97. Personal friends of mine, my band did a few shows with them, another flavour of instrumental surf based on spy movies.

Robert Plant, Fate Of Nations tour, 1993. He was in the finest form of his solo career.

Dick Dale, The Chukker (R.I.P.), 1993. The inventor and grand master of instrumental surf! Met him and got to talk surf-philosophy with him. True originator of the pipeline.

Bonnie Raitt, with Keb Mo', Bronco Bowl (R.I.P.), 1998. DAMN FINE show! More heart and soul than humanly possible on that stage!

R.E.M., 2003. Really great tour because of all the obscure and forgotten old stuff that got played.

Bonus points:
WORST concert ever:
James Brown at City Stages, 1995 or so. He just plain SUCKED, pissed off a lot people, and probably won't ever be able to safely set foot in Birmingham ever again.

[snoone]

All of the shows below come behind all of my experiences with Grateful Dead starting in 1970 and continuing till today. To Rob Nye: I saw the Dead this summer and like you I was very skeptical about what was going to go on . They werent The Grateful Dead , but the music was enjoyable and the scene was familiar. It didnt hurt that they played with Steve Winwood and that was outstanding.

Large Venue Shows

1. The Rolling Stones-Madison Square Garden Nov 27, 1970 or 71. Listen to the album Get Your Ya Yas Out. That was the show . Mick Taylor was still with the band

2. Led Zepplen-1972 tour also at Madison Square Garden. The originators of hard rock . All Blues oriented hard rock bands came from them. See the movie The Song Remains the Same.

3. The Concert for Bangla Desh- In 1971 even sitting in the nosebleed seats at the garden I knew that this was an historic event. Bob Dylan, George Harrision , Eric Clapton, Leon Russell etc etc.

Small venue Shows

1.Bob Dylan Rolling Thunder Review The Felt Forum 1975. You can hear it all on the album that just came out called Bob Dylan 1975 Rolling Thunder Review

2. Bruce- at the old Rutgers Gymnasium on College Ave. This place held maybe 3,000. 1st tour with the original E-street band. Unbelievable energy.

3. Grateful Dead- Capitol Theater Passaic NJ 6/19/76. Front Row seats right in front of Jerry.

Coming from the NY Metro area I've probably forgotten the very best shows I've been to. The above are the ones I remember right now. Ask me tomorrow and I could have a totally new list.

[The_Veg]

Heheheh just like Snoone I awoke this morning with a couple I'd forgotten yesterday.

One year at City Stages (a megahuge outdoor music festival held in Birmingham) I saw both Leo Kottke and Arlo Guthrie. Same stage, different night I think.
Leo was Leo- modest to a fault and full of heart, his down-to-Earth warmth and simplicity able to restore one's faith in the goodness of small-town America or something like that. He's a truly amazing guy.
Arlo was Arlo- funny, goofy, happy to be there, bubbly yet very deep. He looked the spitting image of Buffalo Bill Cody with his long white hair and matching, flat-tipped long goatee, and he joked about how his son was so much like himself in his younger days that it prevented said son from being there to back him up on stage. He recited a poem he'd written about mangy mooses migrating through his yard, and when he said that the illustrations for it in a book were done by "Alice, of other fame," the applause went ****nuts for three minutes. But he only had a 45-minute timeslot so he didn't do that song (or the Motorcycle Song for that matter). He did do City Of New Orleans though, and we all sang along, but I found it really difficult to do so through all the tears. I always knew it was a sad song but it was at that moment that I first really GOT it. I know a little bit about the history of the American railroad and Arlo really sent that home in the song. We won't ever see those days again. Good night America...

[R75_7]

for small venues;
The Dickies & The Ramones in a basketball gym @ Cal State University Northridge, CA 1987
X,The Dickies, & Janes Addiction @ CSUN 1987
Doggystyl,The Red Hot Chili Peppers(opener), & TSOL Fenders Ballroom Longbeach,CA 1987
Johnny Cash @ The House Of Blues 1997
Large venues;
I've gone to NOLA JazzFest for the last 7 years and have seen some great shows.
otherwise;
George Thorogood and The Destroyers @ The Greek 1988
Stone Temple Pilots Houston,TX 2000
Blind Melon,Dinosaur Jr.,Neil Young @
Woodlands Pavillon,TX 1993

[ericblume]

deleted. :wave

[dlearl476]

Wow-3! No way!

I'd need some kind of qualifier.

Formative years:

1st Led Zeppelin North American Tour (opening for Vanilla Fudge!) in the Terrace Ballroom. 25' from the Stage.

A few years later saw Fleetwood Mac there BEFORE the rest of the world caught on. This was the second time I'd seen the Mac and the first tour with Buckingham/Nicks (who used to do an accoustic set at "Gepetto's Pizza" when I was in college, btw).

And any Yes concert. Saw all the NA tours through "Relayer" with the Richard (?) Deans sets.

Payin' my "soundman" dues:
Any Michael Martin Murhpy "WestFest" where I got to work with Vince Gill, Dixie Chicks, Red Stegall, BR549, Sons 'o Pioneers, Asleep at the Wheel, Patty Lovelace, and a hundred other up and comers I can't remember.

Camper Von Beethoven in a 150 seat theater, then Kracker 3 months later in a slightly larger alt. club.

Martina MacBride in a BANDSHELL in the city park in Cripple Creek, CO. on her first trip west of the Mississippi.

Overall Lifetimers:
Said Zep.
New Barbarians (Stones - Mick + Nicky Hopkins and more),
Paul Simon "Rythym of the Saints" (the best SOUNDING concert I've EVER heard)
And Clapton, "Nothing but the Blues"
(I know that's 4, but I already mention Led Zeppelin!)

Honorable Mentions:
Doing Monitors for Steve Earle because the monitor engineer didn't show up and having Steve say to me: "Of all the shows you've done, this is another one, eh?" And being able to reply "Of all the shows I've done, this is the FIRST one I've ever done!!!"

Talking Heads at the Utah State University Student Union Building. Sitting on the floor 10' in front of David Byrne.

Hanging with "The Plimsoles" back stage at the Whiskey a GO GO.

Wall of Shame:

I lived in Long Beach for a while in the early seventies and it was a rock and roll paradise. Zep would be in town for A WEEK. Every decent band made a couple of stops on every tour. 15 blocks away from where I lived was the Fox theater who had someone playing nearly every weekend. Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash, Rory Gallager, Humble Pie, etc, etc......
So many great concerts you had to pick and choose. One weekend the choice was between Peter Frampton, who had just left Humble Pie, and someone who I wasn't too familiar with at the time, David Bowie. Yes, you guessed it, I missed Ziggy Stardust for "Baby I love your way". (I've only admitted that publicly TWICE in my LIFE! But I have to say, even today, Peter is still a phenomenal guitar player, smaltzy AOR aside)

[guitarian]

1. My all time favourite was Yes opening for Ten Years After at Duke in 1971. They had not yet released Fragile but they were playing songs from it. They came on stage to the last part of Firebird Suite and went into "Roundabout" (which I had never heard, of course). There was a guy playing keyboards I didn't recognize. I had a great seat on the 11th row and it was just a perfect concert. I went backstage after their show and ended up driving the New Guy (Wakeman) and Bill Bruford back to their hotel. Became friends with Rick and eventually Jon and some of the crew. (-10 pts. for namedropping?) I've seen them 32 times since and I'm going again in April here in Atlanta.
Oh, I didn't stick around for TYA.

2. Led Zeppelin in Charlotte in 1970. They were touring for LZII and "Whole Lotta Love" was their only single so far. The Coliseum was only half full but they played for over 3 hours and it was unbelieveable.

3. Went to see the Monkees in 1967 and these 3 guys with "electric hair" came out. We had no idea who they were but soon learned it was The Jimi Hendrix Experience. They played "Foxy Lady", "Purple Haze", and ended with what Jimi called "the English/American National Anthem" I knew it as "Wild Thing". They were booed off the stage after those 3 songs. Jimi announced that he would never play Greensboro again and he never did.

Bonus Extras: My older sister took me to my first concerts which were amazing to me. We saw Dave Clark Five, Herman's Hermits, Animals, Paul Revere and the Raiders, The Rolling Stones (with Brian Jones), and the Yardbirds.

I also got to see the last performance of the Mothers of Invention in July of 1969. I read later in a Rolling Stone interview with Zappa that he decided to break up the band after that show.

[eljeffe]

Hmmm... That's gonna be a very hard one if I can only tell 3 stories. ;)

#1: Santana at Palo Soleri in Santa Fe, NM back in the 80's (I forgot what year). For those of you who have never seen a concert at the Palo Soleri Amphitheater, it is a very cozy, intimate, and acoustically wonderful venue for a concert. Carlos Santana, and the entire entourage on stage (including Tito Puente) playing for THREE HOURS. Just Awesome. To top it all off, we were out partying at Club West (famous Santa Fe nightspot that no longer exists), and in comes Carlos Santana. After some coaxing by the crowd, Carlos "asks" the band if he could jam with them for a while. It was an incredible day!!!

#2: Tower of Power at the Telluride Jazz Festival in Telluride, CO (again, back in the 80's). Being a Huey Lewis fan, I always knew the "back up band" was Tower of Power on their studio albums and on tour. This was the first time I had seen them doing their stuff on stage. It was awesome. The crowd really got into it, and after an hour and a half of jazz funk, they decided to come on for a second set later that evening. Years later, I had the pleasure of watching ToP at a corporate event, and they hadn't missed a beat or lost any energy over the years. If you have an opportunity to ever see ToP play, it is a must see band.

#3: Stevie Nicks at Red Rocks State Park near Denver, CO. Stevie Nicks, a beautiful evening in one of the best outdoor venues, and thousands of gorgeous SINGLE women attending the concert. Need I say more?

Just to complete the Top 10, I'd also have to include some other great concerts:

Rush, Blue Oyster Cult, Yes, Van Halen (David Lee Roth Years), Rod Stewart (corporate event), Dire Straits, and Fleetwood Mac (reunion tour).

[legion]

Originally posted by KBasa
The Dead Milkmen and Mojo Nixon doing a double header at the Paradise in Boston in about 1993.

Mojo has serious feelings about McDonald's food. Angst. He needs counciling.

[dlearl476]

>I've seen them 32 times since and I'm going again in April here in Atlanta.


Wow, that's impressive. I think I ended up seeing them about 6 or 7. They're playing either HOB or the Hard Rock on this tour and I'm seriously trying to get some time off to see the show.

My schedule just changed to include Friday nights off, so that's going to really be great for catching some of the good shows we have here.

[crvalley]

Dick Dale at Slim's...

Great show(s)...I've seen him 3 or 4 times there...The last time I saw him, he gave me two guitar picks (said it was a guy thing to the girl who was begging for one in front of me). I ended up giving her one of the picks just to be nice. He then signed his greatest hits CD for me and actually reminisced about the photo shoot of him at Hungington Beach some 40 years ago. Great guy and stayed until everyone received their autograph...

Van Halen at the St. Paul Civic Center, St. Paul, MN...

This is up there with one of the most rowdy shows I've ever seen. Not really the best, though...I was 14 (1979) and one of my buddies got thrown out by security for igniting a can of WD-40. We all had had our turn at igniting it, but he got caught. He got back in with the riot that had occurred outside...broke through a window or something. David Lee Roth threatened to beat up the braless teenagers who kept throwing their underwear at him. I guess some people never change...

Albert King at Whiskey Junction in Minneapolis, MN...

This may have been one of his last shows, and I'll admit, at the time I didn't realize I was watching a legend. But, I own damn near all of his music now, and I was very fortunate to see this blues great perform...

There are many more shows...

Tom Petty at the Fillmore...

Stevie Ray Vaughan at the Met Center, Bloomington, MN (Now home of the Mall of America). Greg Allman was opening act. Great double billing, but I don't think I've ever witnessed more fistfights at a show since...

[ScottM]

Harry Chapin - Seattle Opera House about 6 months before his death. Very small crowd and only an acoustic set. Him with his guitar, a mandolin, Cello, various drums. Very very good.

ZZ Top - San Bernadino. Had to be the LOUDEST concert I ever saw. How can those three guys make so much noise. Ears rang for three days after. Did we ever rock out. To top it off KISS was the warm up band. :)

Yes - in the round at the LA Sports area. Wakeman was unbelievable. Saw Pink Floyd there as well do Dark Side of the Moon. They had more speakers in each corner than most bands had on stage!

Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Spokane Arena. Great show but the most memorable moment was when they picked up Keith and his Grand piano and spun it around in mid air.

[RevWillie]

Originally posted by guitarian
1. My all time favourite was Yes opening for Ten Years After at Duke in 1971. They had not yet released Fragile but they were playing songs from it. They came on stage to the last part of Firebird Suite and went into "Roundabout" (which I had never heard, of course). There was a guy playing keyboards I didn't recognize. I had a great seat on the 11th row and it was just a perfect concert. I went backstage after their show and ended up driving the New Guy (Wakeman) and Bill Bruford back to their hotel. Became friends with Rick and eventually Jon and some of the crew. (-10 pts. for namedropping?) I've seen them 32 times since and I'm going again in April here in Atlanta.
Oh, I didn't stick around for TYA.


3. Went to see the Monkees in 1967 and these 3 guys with "electric hair" came out. We had no idea who they were but soon learned it was The Jimi Hendrix Experience. They played "Foxy Lady", "Purple Haze", and ended with what Jimi called "the English/American National Anthem" I knew it as "Wild Thing". They were booed off the stage after those 3 songs. Jimi announced that he would never play Greensboro again and he never did.

.

WOW! somebody else was at some of my "memorables"! Actually, Hendrix played warm-up for the Monkees in Raleigh in the same tour for me. The whole stadium rocked when he played. Who cared about the Monkees after his set?
- The Yes set before Ten Years After at Duke still rings in my head, so many years later....one of the best performances ever. You know, Yes always remembered the Duke gig---years later when they did their live album, they recorded a lot of it at Duke. I was there for that one too, but it wasn't as good as the first one.
- Another memorable one was at UNC-CH at their last "Jubilee" outdoor music festival. A new, young band called The Allman Brothers Band played as a warm-up for Poco. It was like the Yes/Ten Years After gig @ Duke: the new guys blew the headliners out of town. Duane Allman was a amazing!
Other memorables:
-Bruce Springsteen @ Notre Dame: the biggest concert he had done so far-9000 folks. This was just after the Newsweek/Time magazine covers and he was a Jersey Catholic kid playing ND. I was the concert reviewer for the campus newspaper..wow......
-Dixie Dregs in Chapel Hill, NC. A Monday night gig for a $1.07 gate fee-only musicians showed up and they played all night. The Allmans original road mgr. came up and played with one of Duane's guitars for one of the encores. Everybody jammed for hours and hours and hours.
-REM in Carrboro,NC It was their first gig out of their home town of Athens,GA. A wierd band that showed some promise with some neat songs.
-"Cool John"Furguson in Hillsborough,NC. I swear, I heard Jimi Hendrix playing to about 200 folks in a little blues club in a little town, and the wierd part was that it happened in 2004!
- the Who, on their first "final concert tour" in Philidelphia--it was in the football stadium and I could hear the echo of the band coming off of the buildings in the city, miles away! The loudest and strongest performance of my rock career.

So much music,so many memories, so little hearing left.......
:eek

[MarkF]

1. In 1979, I think, I saw Heart, The Little River Band and The Eagles in the Yale Bowl. It was great!

2. In the 80's I saw Chuck Mangione in the round under a tent. Very memorable.

3. I think it was around 1996 that I saw The Who for the first and last time. I was shocked when they took the stage and I learned that they were gonna play Quadrophenia from beginning to end. That was one of my favorite movies and it was great!

MarkF

[1969 R90/2 US]

Not really in any order, but:

* Rolling Stones - Capital Center, Landover, MD 1981 (or 82?) Notable as the Stones "1st Ever" Farewell Tour. The Rolling Stones have kinda become characatures of themselves, but nobody works a crowd like Mick.

* Steely Dan - Merriweather Post, Columbia, MD about 1991. Always been one of my favorite groups. Never, ever thought that I would see them live because they never toured. Rotating studio musicians and all that you know. Great show and worth the wait.

* Bruce Hornsby - Mayflower Hotel, Washington, DC about 1990. This one is kinda weird and is not technically a concert. I attended a wedding held at the hotel that, coincidently, was held on Earth Day. Plenty of celebrities in town. Only about 6-8 of us wedding party leftovers hanging out late in the bar when Bruce Hornsby walks in, orders a drink, sits down at the piano, and actually asks us if we mind if he plays for awhile. Turns out he is a really cool guy and we wound up (fueled by liquid courage) hanging out at the piano singing with him.

* Ok - I'm baring my soul on this one...Donna Summer, Valley Forge, PA about 1994. Note the date. Waaay past her prime. At the time I was traveling a ton on business. I was out of town at a trade show and just refused to spend one more night in a hotel room. Bored with bars, I heard an ad for tickets for the show that night. I walked up to the ticket booth, quietly mumbled "one please" and they tell me that the show is sold out! As I turn to walk away in shame, the ticket taker calls me back and says they can squeeze me in. She gives me a handwritten ticket, which I am to present to a specific usher. The usher takes me all the way down front, says "wait here", and comes back with a folding chair that is placed in front of the front row. Really was a pretty good show. Donna Summer was hilarious and nobody really took the thing too seriously. I guess I'll always remember this one because it was done on a lark.

[Kenn45]

What a golden opportunity to show my age.

Joan Baez, Masonic Auditorium, Detroit, probably 1963
Pete Seeger, same place, probably 1964
Judy Collins, Red Rocks Amphitheater, Denver, 1971

[Cliffy777]

Kenn - Age is good!

[Rad]

Janis Joplin at the Filmore West in 68'
Some nobody named Carlos Santana opened for her
Was about 15 foot from the stage and the air was solid smoke from... from, what's the statue of limitations on ....? Never mind

Crosby Stills Nash and Young

Doc and Merle Watson

Daymn, I'm old:cry

[BradfordBenn]

I've said it before and I'll probably say it again. Aging and getting old is better than the alternative.

[Scootertrash]

All time faves (dates are....errr a bit fuzzy):

1) Elton John - Yellow Brick Tour - "The Pit" Albuquerque, NM

2) Leon Russell/ The Gap Band - Willow The Wisp Tour - "The Pit" Albuquerque, NM

3) Brother Stevie Ray Vaughan/Greg Allman Band - Alive Tour - Compton Terrance - Phoenix, AZ. He left us too soon...

[trmptrmrk]

I love hearing live music!

1) Hey Merecedes. I've seen them on several occassions and they are always tight, but still "raw" sounding. One of the few rock bands I really like because they are great musicians but they don't sound like slick/polished/packaged rock. In fact, I'm excited to be going to a Hey Mercedes show tonight! :bliss

2) G-Love and Special Sauce... just after their first release... in an intimate second tier club. You just can't beat smaller clubs for a great concert experience. They also have a great "rawness" to their sound. They invited a bunch of folks up on stage to dance for the last song and just jammed out. I haven't seen them since, but I'll bet they still lay down a great groove.

3) A Balinese Gamelan. Fascinating and complex music, dance, and attire. I played on some of the pieces and it took lots of practice and concentration to lock everything in. Plus, the musicians and dancers were highly captivating to watch.

[Cliffy777]

assuming from your screen name that you play the trumpet?

[trmptrmrk]

Originally posted by Cliffy777
assuming from your screen name that you play the trumpet?

yes, but I played an instrument that was basically a xylophone with metal bars... struck with a hammer by the right hand and dampened with the left (in the gamelan).

I'm mediocre at playing a few other instruments, too! :D

Mark

[Colt03]

The Boss- Born in the USA tour, 4 hours of nothing but the best.
Saw two shows this summer, he still has what it takes.

Garth Brooks, Martina Mcbride opened for him, Incredible energy. Great music.

John Mellencamp. Small town and all those other great songs.

This summer I saw Ian Anderson (jethro tull) with the Boston Symphony orchestra at tanglewood. Road the K bike up for that great show.

Crosby Stills and Nash, I saw them this last fall and they still have what it takes, What Harmony !

No Nukes concert back in 78 or so. Lot of good bands, cant seem to remember them all, I 've got the shirt someplace.

Clint Black and Wynona Judd, wife surprised me with limo tickets, the Limo man came to the front door I told him he had the wrong house !

Billy Joel, another great entertainer, I ve seen three different shows all good.

Allman Bros band back in the early 70's about the time of eat a peach.

I need to get an Ipod to have all that great music with me.

[jgr451]

The Ike and Tina Turner Revue.University of Manitoba.1970 something!!!What a bunch!!They were so cool.Did Rollin on the River.

The Animals-Sky Pilot.Winnipeg Arena probably.Stoned.

Led Zeppelin,Iron Butterfly,one very stoned night at the Winnipeg Arena.

Dave Matthews Band,Vancouver GM Place,last year, arena venue...I love the band but the big venue nahhhh....

Randy Bachman Vancouver East Cultural Centre,very small venue,the tv show...What a performer!

[lorazepam]

1) Parliment. the energy and costumes and stage were fantastic.

2) Mellencamp and Tom Petty in Bloomington IN at a local bar. They just showed up and wanted to play some songs together. The house band was freaked but did a great job with them.

3) Earth Wind and Fire. Another High energy show with one of the finest horn sections anywhere, period.

3a) Steely Dan. those guys are as tight in concert as they are when recording, and they rock for older guys :D .

there are so many others, Eagles, Jimmy Buffett/ John Hyatt, NRBQ, Yes back in '72, Knebworth midsummers night dream in '79(genesis, jefferson starship, atlanta rythm section, doobie bros, and others for 3 days) I don't remember a lot of that show though, had a major altering of senses goin' on.

[CanadaDan]

Dizzy Gillespie 1982? at the Pantages Theatre in Winnipeg when you could still smoke in a theater... what an atmosphere. I was 14 and it was my first concert on my own.

Bobby McFerrin 1999? conducting the WSO. The best song was him having the musicians put their instruments down and use their voices to imitate their instruments' sound and 'sing' their score for the William Tell Overture. Great stuff!

Many after-show jam sessions at the Blue Note Cafe here in Winnipeg. It wa sthe place for bands to go and jam after their concerts. Saw some greats there.

[oldcarkook]

Iron Butterfly/Led Zepplin - Baltimore Civic Center - 1969 (LZ was the OPENER for the Iron Butterfly)

Alman Brothers - Philadelphia Spectrum - 1971

Dire Straights - multiple times in multiple locations (my friend Jack became the rhythm guitar player after Knopfler fired his brother prior to the Brothers in Arms tour)

[SinNH]

1. John Mayall --1974-Studio in the Rockies

2. Eagles --------1973-Red Rocks

3. Tough choice--

a. Beatles ---1964-Suffock Downs
b. The Dead-1976--Red Rocks
c. Linda Ronstat--1973---------Red Rocks
d. The Amazing Rythem Aces---1975--Sudio in the Rockies



S

[Gnome]

Lynard Skynard-Filmore East

Led Zeplin- Long Beach Arena

Country Joe McDonald-Woodstock

The Dillards (buegrass) Jew Jersey Folk Festival.

Grateful Dead -anywhere,and all over


Did I go to those performances? Heck no I was only 7 years old,but damn don't they sound good on CD!:D