Best concert you ever saw?

[USALiberal]

Mine might be Billy Joel and Elton John, Face to Face in Kansas City in 2010! Amazing night.

Also maybe Frank Sinatra in KC in 1990, a legend!

I saw James Taylor this week in KC. One of my bucket list events!

[Arkansas Granny]

1. Pink Floyd at New Orleans Superdome in 1994.

We were Comfortably Numb for sure.

[Ohiogal]

29. Awesome!

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

85. Saw Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon tour...holy shit!!

The music, of course, was incredible!! And the "show"... never seen anything like it... doubt I ever will again. The rocketship that flew through the arena and crashed on stage was especially mind blowing. It was said if you went in straight, you came out high... if you went in high, you came out trippin'... and if you went in trippin, you didn't come out at all... they discovered the guy in the row behind us was dead when the show was over.

[lark]

106. I went in to that show tripping and came out flying!

Best experience ever, even got there late but found 4 seats in row 6, so was upfront and center for the debut of one of the best albums of all time.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

110. Too funny!! I was in row 4, center... the rocketship came right over our heads

out of fuckin' nowhere... thought we were under attack!! Talk about freakin' out... best audience reaction ever!!! Did you have that at the concert you saw? Where you see it?

We talked about that concert for YEARS!! Still get goosebumps just thinkin bout it... hard to splain the whole experience. Literally one of those "you had to be there" moments. Even have the T-shirt from that Dark Side tour over 40 years later.

One of my buddies from HIGH School, his dad was an executive of the arena where we attended concerts, so we had primo seats for dozens and dozens of concerts - including backstage passes for some - even first row seats where we'd pass joints and booze to the likes of the Who, the Stones, Black Sabbath, ZZ Top, ELP, Jeff Beck, the Dead, Carlos Santana, and the best partier of all Johnny Winter.

Only wish I had been old enough to see Jimi Hendrix live - have almost 200 of his albums from all over the world - and, of course, attend Woodstock, which hands down would have had to best overall concert festival ever... missed it by thaaaat much!!

[WestIndianArchie]

2. Best concert

Parliment/Funkadelic Philadelphia 1979 The motor booty affair

[unblock]

3. Squeeze hooters

Ok maybe not the greatest music ever, but certainly the best marquee

[TexasBushwhacker]

70. I love Squeeze! N/t

[IADEMO2004]

4. I'm sure they were better in Omaha! LOL

but the crowd was so old. Lots of grandchildren aka drivers.

Peter Paul and Mary 1970. My first and still favorite.

[USALiberal]

5. Nice! nt

[IADEMO2004]

8. It was a great night.

traffic backed up onto the river bridge from Council Bluffs but were in on time.

Peter Paul and Mary so young then and powerful. Add Kent State and I was changed.

[Duppers]

75. I've kissed Peter

On the mouth. Not lying.

[IADEMO2004]

96. LOL Opportunity knocks....open that door. That is a memory!

[Bayard]

163. Ok, you have to explain that one....

[Duppers]

165. Aww, sucks, Bayard.

I've not told you that story? It wasn't at all salacious as my short post might have implied. I did that for comical effect.

My ex-friend and former neighbor Suzette, an attractive blonde, was/is a friend of Peter's. She had stories to tell too - vacation in Hawaii and visits to his NYC apartment. Anyway, she asked us if we'd like join her and her hubby in driving up to DC to see a PP&M concert at Wolf Trap. We did and joined them backstage. After some introductions with everyone and short conversations, we were invited out to eat by Peter. Btw, I made pics.

(Mary and Paul had their own groupies going out.)

It was a lovely dinner at a nice restaurant. Peter picked up the tab for all of us, naturally. And in parting, he gave us ALL a soft kiss on the lips! He was such a sweet sweet, unpretentious man. And he seemed genuinely interested in my hubs work.

I do remember his soft lips.

I've got another true story about my sister-in-law and Bruce Springsteen in Spain. I'll post that one some other time.

[Bayard]

173. Wow

I'm impressed!

[Siwsan]

6. David Bowie

Wow!

[Ohiogal]

34. Indeed! I'm envious.

[Siwsan]

90. Also saw Rod Stewart in concert.

He put on a VERY energetic show.

[MissMillie]

187. agreed

I didn't know how much I liked him until I saw him live.

[CincyDem]

7. Zeppelin Chicago 72 or 73. Whoa... n/t

[Va Lefty]

9. The Go-Gos opened for The Police '82

my best

[Mister Ed]

156. That was a great show.

I saw that tour too. The Go-Go's were so energetic that the Police seemed almost anticlimactic.

[Glorfindel]

10. Judy Garland, Tony Bennett, and Woody Allen in Baltimore, 1968

The Grass Roots, Kenny Rogers and the First Edition, Canned Heat, and Ray Stephens in Chattanooga, 1969. Full disclosure: Those were the only two concerts I ever attended.

[theCHARLOTTEan]

11. Joni Mitchell 1974

Spring of 1974, Joni Mitchell was the first non-country artist to play the new Grand Ole Opry House. Tom Scott and L. A. Express opened and accompanied her, a perfect mix of styles and energies.



[link:http://www.jonimitchell.com/chronology/detail.cfm?id=1377|

[applegrove]

12. Dixie Chicks

[Lochloosa]

19. The last tour? Saw them in Tampa. Great show.

[applegrove]

20. The tour in the 2000s. Right after Natalie got into it over George Bush II.

I can't remember the year exactly. My older brother who is a character started yelling "No more Mush!!". At least I though that is what he was yelling. My other brother and his friend were laughing historically at me as I physically tried to stop my fist brother from insulting the band. I could not hear because the audience was going wild for the Chicks. The other two were peeing their pants laughing. I kept hitting my older brother. Turns out my brother was yelling "No more Bush" and I was physically accosting him to make him stop. I was being laughed at. Was in 2004 or 5 or 6. My brother and his friend went to a political demonstration in Ottawa when Bush visited Ottawa. I got a call in Montreal from the demonstration in Ottawa with my second brother and the same friend yelling "No more Bush". They left a message on my phone to that effect. And nothing else except where they were. I'm glad I made them laugh. It was a great concert. A fun time.

[Lochloosa]

21. I had tickets for Orlando but they cancelled.

There are rumors of another tour. Don't miss them.

[applegrove]

22. Yes. Natalie has such a super voice. I would love to see them again sometime.

[USALiberal]

25. I have seen them twice! Love them! nt

[The King of Prussia]

13. 3 days ago

Sparks in Leeds

[GReedDiamond]

57. Sparks...as in the Mael Bros?...

...that musta been good!

[Tikki]

59. Such a great band...

and they've been around forever...


Tikki

[Sedona]

14. U2, Nov 23, 2001 Phoenix

Raw from Sept 11, minds blown from Game 7 World Series win (I was there too).

Walk On was epic with names of 911 Victims on giant screens.

I'm seeing them again Monday night




No Doubt opened and killed

[Ohiogal]

30. I wish I'd been there!

[fierywoman]

15. Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Disney Hall, LA, 2004, on a Saturday afternoon

Me the jaded cynical classical musician was weeping during a Haydn Symphony and La Mer because it was so amazing.

[First Speaker]

16. The Thad Jones-Mel Lewis Big Band at Wolf Trap in 1971...

...Betty Carter, Lou Donaldson, and Jaki Byard were also there...and were amazing. But the Jones-Lewis band! At its then-peak, only Ellington, in all history, could match it.

[MuseRider]

31. I have a friend who played with them

a little later than that. He was scooped out of North Texas State around 1973 or 74 and hit the road with them. Moved on the Toshiko Akiyoshi/Lew Tabackin. (I might have that out of order now that I think about it, not sure now) I got to meet Thad Jones at a session one night after a Jazz Festival. That band was a force!

[genxlib]

17. It's a Tie

Sting - Dream of the Blue Turtles Tour in a medium size theater

U2 - The Joshua Tree Tour in the Orange Bowl

[Lochloosa]

18. 32 Dead shows. I'll have to get back to you.

[GReedDiamond]

23. Hmmm, maybe Stevie Wonder opening for the Rolling Stones on the...

...1972 "Exile on Main Street" tour, which was filmed for the ill-fated documentary movie "Cocksucker Blues."

Or it may have been The Band's "Last Waltz" warm-up show at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles, right before they did their Thanksgiving Day 1976 performance in Northern California which was filmed by Scorcese.

Also, on October 30, 1983, my band shared the stage at a Rock Against Racism show outside the Federal Building on Wilshire Blvd in L.A. with The Minutemen, so I was able to be up on the stage as they performed. As usual they were fuckin great. My band wasn't too bad, either.

But the BEST may have been Captain Beefheart and His Magic Band at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, 1982-ish or so. I recorded the entire show on a stereo cassette tape deck that was inside a box of Wheaties. The guy at the door said, "why do you have a box of Wheaties?" I told him "in case I get hungry" and he said, "alright, get inside, keep the line moving."

[USALiberal]

27. Nice! Still have your band? nt

[GReedDiamond]

35. Actually, that particular band, which was called...

...The Hundredth Monkey, ceased to exist before 1990.

But I have just learned that the bass player and singer/lead guitarist want to work with me on recording some new tunes in the very near future. Bass player is in Oregon, singer/guitarist in Humboldt County northern CA, I'm in L.A. area, so we'll be recording in our home studios by exchanging wav files over the internet.

[USALiberal]

42. So cool! nt

[GReedDiamond]

44. Yeah, we'll see what happens. I haven't...

...recorded with these guys in over 30 years!

The last record we released (in 1987) is on ebay:

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Hundredth-Monkey-Mute-Lament-vinyl-LP-1986-Veracious-Records-VG-IN-Shrink/391188918815?hash=item5b14ad321f:g:eGoAAOSwPcVVlDx3

Edited for spelling typo.

[USALiberal]

45. Wow, that is neat.Good luck, I hope you enjoy the reunion! nt

[GReedDiamond]

47. Thanks, I appreciate that!...nt

[BluesRunTheGame]

24. Springsteen - Born to Run tour.

Runner ups:
-Gil Scott Herron
-Muddy Waters on the final week of his last tour.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

86. Used to follow Muddy everywhere, mostly small venues, to catch his soulful blues... that voice!!

[BluesRunTheGame]

93. He had an amazing voice!

I got to see him twice. First time was an arena show where he opened for Clapton. Second time was at The Vogue in Indianapolis.

[MissMillie]

189. The Boss is probably the most energetic performer I've ever seen (n/t)

[MuseRider]

26. Very early Steely Dan fronting

Frank Zappa. I have seen a LOT of very good concerts, James Brown was incredible but Zappa and Steely Dan were outstanding. 1971 or 72, I cannot remember. Cowtown Ballroom, Kansas City sitting on the floor (no seats then) about 6 feet from the very low stage. Nobody stood up during concerts then thank god or I would never have seen anything as short as I am.

I saw Flo and Eddie with the Turtles in Lawrence, Kansas when they were doing shows with Steppenwolf and Flo and Eddie were with Zappa when I saw them.

[USALiberal]

28. I wish I could go back to 1975 in High school! I would see a lot more concerts! nt

[MuseRider]

33. Those early 70's were great years for music.

I graduated in 71 and cut loose. My parents would not let me go anywhere before that. I snuck into that Turtles concert, I was not old enough. Damn it was a fun time.

[A HERETIC I AM]

143. I saw Steely Dan at the first concert they did after 19 years of not touring.....

When they played the Palace of Auburn Hills (Where the Detroit Pistons play) in the early 90's, probably 92 if memory serves.

20,000 45 year olds singing "My Old School" together!

I've seen them several times since. Fagen is currently touring with Michael McDonald and The Doobie Brothers;


https://steelydanofficial.com/#/

R.I.P. Walter.

[MuseRider]

150. Awesome!

Michael McDonald is coming here to a very nice venue in Lawrence. I thought about going. The Doobie Brothers I saw, the Eagles were the front band as they had just had their first big hit. Never a fan of the DB's. Not really sure why but I loved the Eagles and Steely Dan. I will have to check and see if he will be with McDonald. Since we don't get to vacation we spend out money on musicals, concerts of all kinds and plays. Waiting for Jethro Tull in September, got really good seats for that one. Thanks for the heads up on that one!

[Ohiogal]

32. Yes, Moody Blues, the Eagles,

Jackson Browne, Joe Walsh, Hall and Oates, Trans Siberian Orchestra

[MissMillie]

188. I've seen Yes and MB several times

Moody Blues have great music, but they don't really put on much of a show.

I wish I had seen Yes in their earlier days.

[RockRaven]

36. Metallica and the San Francisco Symphony

at the Berkeley Community Theater. They only did 2 nights, I went to the 1st. It was the spring of '99 I think.

They recorded/filmed it for a double album and DVD they called "S&M"

It was a totally unique musical experience.

[pnwest]

37. Dead-even tie between Allman Bros / Susan Tedeschi and

Santana / Rusted Root.

[Hoyt]

38. Byrds 1972, Gillian Welch 2007, Steve Earle 2004, Bob Dylan 1974.

[argyl]

178. I also saw The Byrd's in 1972 and Steve Earle in 2004.

With Clarence in the band and McGuinn playing with him they really smoked.

I'm kinda curious about where you saw Steve. He had the Bluegrass Dukes together and they only played nine gigs.

I saw them at the Woodland Hills Zoo Amphitheater in Seattle and they were amazing. Played about three hours and the day was as beautiful as a summer day in Seattle can be.

[Hoyt]

182. Earle was in Atlanta a few months after John Kerry got beat. It was the "rocking" Dukes.

They played a lot off the Revolution Starts Now album. It really helped me get over the depression/funk I was in after Kerry lost. Everyone -- but one loud-mouthed white winger -- in the audience were pumping their fists and yelling as Earle talked about the election and played pertinent songs.

Come to think of it, it might have been early 2005 for that concert. But it was really good.

I've always been a big fan of the Byrds, the originals and lineup with C White.

[lisa58]

39. John Fogerty

Have always been a CCR fan but when Willie Nelson/John Fogerty came to town everyone went for Willie and stayed for Fogerty.

Carole King - first concert ever
George Harrison
James Taylor
Crosby Stills Nash
Dave Mason
Rolling Stones

[Tikki]

40. February 9, 1979 Santa Monica Civic Auditorium...The Clash..

We were like in shock after the show. The whole performance went to our brains
and we can remember every last bit of it, what now..nearly 40 years later.

We, also, saw the Urgh! a Music War concert, the Los Angeles taping, the following Summer.
Lots of really great bands doing a couple numbers each for the movie.

...attention, attention, by entering these premises you are allowing your likeness to be used in a major motion picture...

The Tikkis

[mikeysnot]

176. Miss Joe

I can just imagine the music he would still be making today. 50 was way too young to go. I would already be long dead.

And then I have to see that dIck cheney is still alive.

[Upthevibe]

41. Prince.....

He was at the Forum in L.A. but I can't remember the exact year. It was sometime between 2011-2014. I've been to A LOT of concerts that were very good but Prince was EXCEPTIONAL!

[USALiberal]

46. Prince and Tom Petty are 2 I wish I had seen! nt

[yonder]

43. Steeleye Span at the Regis Fieldhouse in Denver, 73 or 74

Maybe I would've found Irish music otherwise, but they got me pointed in the right direction. I was so blown away by those modal, celtic-ey sounds my ear always wanted to hear, we didn't stay for the headlining Beach Boys. Shortly after that, I was learning fiddle tunes, never looking back and my rock and roll friends thought I was nuts. I was a goner.

Second: Richard Thompson, Egyptian Theatre, Boise +/- 2005. Fantastic guitarist, songwriter AND performer. As someone else on this board recently said, he's criminally overlooked.

[DFW]

79. My Dutch-American group once played a folk festival with Steeleye Span

In one number with a long instrumental break, Maddy left the stage and went out onto the lawn (it was outside) and looked for a place to sit down. Having a big blanket, I didn't hesitate and called over to her that I had some dry space to sit on. She came over and chatted with me for the rest of the song, and after their set, my group and Steeleye Span mingled for a while before they had to get to their next gig somewhere else in Germany. My fiddle player and theirs compared notes on how to do "Lark In The Morning," a number we both used to do.

This was 34 years ago! I remember it as if it were yesterday.

[yonder]

114. you know, I'm very envious

Did your Dutch-American band play traditional or a folk-rock style? Steeleye's fiddle player of that time, Peter Knight, is a classically trained violinist who also has an Irish session background. As a result, he plays traditional music far better than most classical folks. Lark in the Morning really showcases his classical skills, IMO. Tim Hart's (rip) takeoff for that song on his electric dulcimer, comes to mind with ease. Somewhere around here, I've a mountain dulcimer that I want to put a pickup on, just for fun.

Maddy's unmistakable voice and wealth of ballads really makes the sound of Steeleye. To have had that chance to chat with her is a rare opportunity, DFW. I think accurately or not, there is a greater compass of English balladry than Scots/Irish, while the latter have the advantage with the tunes.

Anyway, I've been playing reels, jigs, airs, etc. in many different bands ever since, all as a result of hearing Steeleye Span that unforgettable, serendipitous night and as you said, "I remember it as if it were yesterday".

[DFW]

162. Very much traditional, but often with subtle twists

All three of us were from very different musical backgrounds. Our fiddle player was also classically trained, considered one of the best fiddle players in the Netherlands at the time before his illness (I'll get back to that). The banjo player was good at both Scruggs 3 finger and frailing/clawhammer. I had been a rock bassist and keyboardist, but being from the South, always with an ear for good Bluegrass, and also from Eastern European background, and a 5 year veteran of the University of Pennsylvania Balalaika Orchestra. So when we got around to recording two albums, while they lean heavily to Celtic and Appalachian, we also slip in a few ringers. We have fiddle solos from Norway and a VERY different Drunken Hiccups from the Tommy Jarrell version, but still recognizable. We also have a Balkan medley, played on Croatian Tambouritsi of various sizes, A Hungarian dance in something like 9/16 time, and a rousing medley of Russian songs (I borrowed a balalaika) to close out the second album. We mixed a strict adherence to the roots with some irreverent nods to our various backgrounds. Our albums were described as what one imagines would happen if a jam were spontaneously spring up in the artists' parking lot of a folk festival. Not wrong, I guess.

When my position with my work got to be more important, the top brass gave me an ultimatum, and I had to cut out the fun gigs. Besides, soon after that, the fiddle player came down with a rare symptom that magnifies sound to the point where the drop of a pin sounds like a bomb going off. So that was the end of us. We had planned to record one more album, but he just couldn't do it any more. I have on occasion even seen copies of our albums in the rare vinyl sections of ads and eBay, so someone out there remembers us.

Maddy, for all her fame, was as natural and friendly as could be. Steeleye Span played two sets, each in the early afternoon. The first day, I happened to have the free space on the blanket. The second day, I made SURE that space was still free. I waved to Maddy as soon as she left the stage, and I had the pleasure of Maddy's company for a second day in a row. After their set on the second day, my fiddle player and theirs got into such a long dialog that they had to tear him away.

Memories, memories..........

[FuzzyRabbit]

48. Cream, May 1968 in Seattle

I saw them at the old Eagles Auditorium. Everyone sat an the floor. Black light posters decorated the walls. It was also the first time I ever smelled cannabis. I didn't partake. Didn't have to.

[samnsara]

109. that would have been GREAT!

[SeattleVet]

49. Friday, October 15, 1971 at Madison Square Garden in NYC

The performers on the bill were Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley, Bobby Rydell, The Coasters, The Shirelles, Gary "U.S." Bonds, Bobby Comstock and his All-Star band, and (billed as 'special added attraction') Rick Nelson and the Stone Canyon Band.

Yep - it was the infamous 'Garden Party' concert.

Tickets were $5, $6, and $7. I had the cheap seats in the upper level. Good view of the stage, though.

Everything started out OK, and everyone was having a good time listening to this concert, which was Volume VII in a series of 'Rock 'n' Roll Revival' shows. Things went rapidly downhill when Nelson and his new band took the stage.

They played a couple of his older songs, and people liked it, but then he put down the guitar and moved to the piano and they started a very country-like version of Honky Tonk Woman from their new album. People started booing...not because it was bad or anything, but because it wasn't what everyone was there to hear, and it was way out of the realm of what that whole series of concerts had been about. All the other performers were doing what they had been famous for - it was a sort of concert of their hits, and nothing but their hits.

Something may or may not have been thrown at the stage. If it was it was super minor. Nelson finished that song, then got up and got his guitar and the booing got a lot louder and the audience was beginning to get a little rowdy. He and the band walked off the stage at that point (with police escort). He watched the rest of the show from the wings and did not return to the stage, even when ALL of the other musicians that had performed that night gathered for a concert-ending major jam-session finale that brought down the house.

(He later said that he didn't want to be 'a nostalgia act', which was all well and good, but this whole series of concerts was nothing but a huge nostalgia act, and he people felt that he should have either played what we had all come to hear or declined to take part in it to begin with.)

I definitely got my money's worth that night!

[USALiberal]

50. Wow, what a lineup! What a great memory for you! nt

[SeattleVet]

54. It was a part of a series of concerts, and I had been to a few already.

I got to see the above acts, plus the Platters, Ronettes, Dixie Cups, Freddy 'BoomBoom' Cannon, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis, Little Richard, The Five Satins, and a lot more. It was an amazing time.

The first one I went to they got Bill Haley and his Comets together to perform for their first time in 15 or more years, and the band stayed together after that one, performing at several additional concerts for many years after.

[USALiberal]

98. Wish I could go back in time!! :-)

[GReedDiamond]

56. Weren't John & Yoko in attendance at that show?...nt

[SeattleVet]

64. Yes - and also George Harrison.

Harrison was nelson's next-door neighbor, and they were good friends.

[GReedDiamond]

65. Thanks, I did not know that George was there...

...had things gone better for Rick and the Stone Canyon Band, I wonder if Rick would have invited George to the stage, with John to follow?

Tough crowd - wouldn't let it happen!

[sprinkleeninow]

51. Three: Jefferson Airplane, Dave Brubeck, Paul Winter Consort.

[FM123]

52. Tom Petty 1980 @ the Hollywood Sportatorium!

[mitch96]

53. 1969 Filmore East

Went to see the Iron Butterfly (innagatta da vita). The opening group was LED ZEPPELIN... needless to say who blew the doors off the venue... Plant was amazing..
The Grateful Dead at the Filmore was pretty outrageous too. When the concert was over it was daylight outside.. good times...
m

[Soxfan58]

84. You win

My green with envy award.

[Mr.Bill]

138. The Dead were known

for playing until the acid wore off. That's why they had two drummers. One could take a break while the band kept playing.

[slumcamper]

55. July 4, 1979 (outdoors after a massive Thunderstorm)

Rockford, IL
Cheap Trick, Molly Hatchet, and AC/DC!!

MUDFEST!

[saidsimplesimon]

58. Joan Biaz

live at the University of Michigan.

[Jake Stern]

60. Willie Nelson in Joplin, MO in '07

Amazing show plus Willie's sister Bobbie and some of the other band members stayed behind afterward to meet fans.

[Snackshack]

61. Best Shows I've seen.

Van Halen. 1984 Tour. 1984-5

Journey. Frontiers Tour 1984

Van Halen w/ Hagar. 5150 Tour. 1984-85.

Scorpions. World Wide Live Tour. 1987

Iron Maiden. Powerslave Tour. 1986-87

Garth Brooks. Friends in Low Places Tour. 97

Rush. Snakes and Arrows Tour. 2010

Foo Fighters. Wasting Light Tour. 2011

[hibbing]

62. U2 Zoo TV Tour 1992 n/t

[Crutchez_CuiBono]

63. Hmm.

Rolling Stones w Santana and Iggy Pop. 1981 Jovan Musk Tour.

[Chipper Chat]

66. Kiss. Evansville indiana 1975.

A spotlight fell and just missed Gene. Peter played a 40 minute drum solo while stage hands cleaned up.

[PaulX2]

134. When i saw the word kiss a chill went up my spine

I remember the first 30 seconds like it was yesterday

[Chipper Chat]

144. me too.

I remember everyone shouting kiss kiss...the stage was bare then a spotlight lit on gene's face and everyone gasped. It was great.

[Texasgal]

67. Book Of Love

1983 Boathouse Austin.

[bottomofthehill]

68. U2, St Patrick's Day, Boston Garden

Amazing concert amazing venue for the concert, my odd take away was, I don’t remember them playing Bloody Sunday

[mbusby]

69. Leo Kottke...

...back in the 70's.

[DFW]

78. He gets my vote, too

He just sat there and played his 12 string with that little sly smile of his, and the room sounded like there were four virtuosi playing in perfect synch instead of one virtuoso who was four times as good as anyone else alive.

[radical noodle]

71. Paul McCartney Back in the U.S. Tour

Amazing! Indianapolis, October, 2002. My daughter bought tickets for my birthday. Loved every moment.

[jmowreader]

72. Iron Maiden and Ghost, Barclays Center, 7-22-17

It was the last night on the tour, and Bruce seemed almost heartbroken that it was over. They played all the songs one would expect Maiden to play on a Book of Souls tour (you know if they're supporting their new album they're probably not going to play Ancient Mariner) but since it was the last night of the tour, it might also have been good to slip Heaven Can Wait (the song where the entire backstage crew runs out and dances around behind Steve Harris) into the set. Still, a very nice set.

And then there was Ghost...after the band played seven songs, Papa asked the crowd, "would you like to hear a song?" Of course, the crowd did want to hear a song; after all, that's what we were there for. "We're going to play a mean m-f-ing song..." and then they proceeded to do exactly that:

I was also REAL impressed with Barclays Center's screening procedure. I've been to quite a few shows and screening usually takes half of forever to get through. This arena? Just a couple of minutes. They had a LOT of metal detectors for the crowd to go through, and well-trained staff.

[MontanaMama]

73. Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers

Memorial Day last year at Red Rocks. Absolutely incredible show. I miss Tom so much.

[Rhiannon12866]

82. I saw Tom Petty when I was in college, he played there!

At one point I was only a couple of feet from him, I was one seat away from the aisle when he left before the audience. It was a pretty small venue, Hamilton College, Clinton, NY, back in the '70s.

[SwissTony]

74. Mary O'Hara, Irish singer and harpist.

In Adelaide, early 70s (???) I actually wanted her to stop after her first song. It was gloriously perfect and I thought it could could only go downhill from there. But it didn't.

Jethro Tull. Thick as a Brick. Martin was on fire. Great music.

[MuseRider]

92. They are doing their 50 year reunion tour this year!

I was lucky enough to see them 3 times, loved that band just loved every second of them. I hope this is a good concert. Nice outdoor venue with great sound, smaller place so you can see well.

[Rhiannon12866]

76. One of the first I was allowed to go to with friends: Arlo Guthrie and Judy Collins, double bill

My two friends and I saw them at Saratoga Performing Arts Center, Saratoga Springs, NY. We were enthralled.

[DFW]

80. I just missed meeting Arlo 10 years ago, but finally saw him last year.

He did a solo gig at Payomet in Truro, Massachusetts. He'll be there again in 2 months, and I already have my tickets reserved!

[Rhiannon12866]

81. That is incredibly cool!

As a 14-year-old, I was thrilled just to be there! Even back then it seemed rather historic to me - and, looking back, to see the two of them at once was pretty amazing! I've often looked for pix online, but of course I never found any. Be sure to share your experience with us!

[DFW]

87. Judy Collins came last year, too, but we had people visiting, and couldn't bring them all

So we had to pass on seeing her.

[Rhiannon12866]

88. She really was quite incredible from my young perspective

I still remember the dress she wore - she gave a wonderful performance and I thought she was beautiful. No concerts I've seen since have had quite that impact.

[highmindedhavi]

77. Metallica 1988 LA Coliseum

Rushed the stage with 100,000 others, unreal.

[DFW]

83. We were supposed to see the Billy Joel and Elton John tour

Billy Joel was having serious alcohol problems and had to cancel. Elton John did the gig by himself, closing with "Piano Man" as a tribute to the absent Billy Joel, but the two of them together is one I will always regret having missed.

Otherwise, SO many memorable concerts!!
The Youngbloods (we opened for them! Ambassador Theater in D.C., 1967)
Canned Heat (we opened for them, too! Original line-up, including Bob Hite, Al Wilson and Larry Taylor)
The Hollies
Leo Kottke
Bonnie Raitt (in 1970 when NOBODY knew who she was)
Doobie Brothers
Paul Simon (1986 Graceland tour)
Steely Dan
Bruce Hornsby and the Range (1988 line-up)
Mark Knopfler (just UNBELIEVABLE)
The Eagles (late reunion tour, but WOW nonetheless)
Liederjan (don't ask)
Ravi Shankar at Constitution Hall in D.C. (late sixties)
Grateful Dead and Country Joe and the Fish (Fillmore East, ca. 1970)

But it was Leo Kottke's 12 string guitar that never ceased to leave me spellbound (as did Bonnie Raitt's voice in the Spring of 1970):
He's just teasing everyone until 2:20 on this one:

And this just rips:

And yet he could lullaby a tiger to sleep when he wants to:

[Lifelong Protester]

155. He's still good.

Saw him this Jan. in Red Wing, MN.


Saw him in Mpls. at Orchestra Hall (with Emmy Lou Harris opening.)

[Freddie]

89. Paul McCartney, July 1990

Toured in support of the wonderful album "Flowers In the Dirt", his 1st American tour since Wings Over America in 1976 (saw that one too). Was going to tour with Wings in 1980 but after the infamous Japanese pot arrest he nixed the tour and broke up Wings.
Anyway it was July 13, 1990 at Veterans Stadium in Philly. What made this one of the most memorable nights of my life was that I had just given birth to my beloved son just 11 days before (by c-section!) and seeing Paul was the 1st time I got out of the house since leaving the hospital. I was NOT missing seeing my favorite artist touring for the 1st time in 14 years no matter what! Fantastic concert - I knew every word to every song - the whole evening was surreal, like I had emerged from a tunnel to the joy of seeing Paul in concert.

[Ohiya]

91. Jefferson Airplane - Akron Rubber Bowl - 1972

Complete with rioting, tear gas, and Paul Kantner being arrested for inciting a riot! Woo Hoo! A night to remember!

[zanana1]

94. Jethro Tull

1975, Western MA. Exceptional.

[femmocrat]

95. Elvis, 1973.

I still love him.

[AJT]

97. The Eagles with Steve Miller as opening act.

[USALiberal]

103. Wow, great!! nt

[elehhhhna]

99. 7/30/18 foo fighters at Wrigley.

It will be the ultimate concert. My old home, my band, my two 20something daughters.


The Best Is Yet To Come

[mitch96]

100. oops, I forgot a few..

Richie Havens at Tanglewood in the late '60's or early '70's.. It was kinda sorta a bowl shaped outdoor venue with people sitting on the ground with blankets just smokin' away and a big stage up front. The cops were around but did not mess with anybody. They were on the fringe.
Havens comes out and starts the guitar riff. It's drizzling with high clouds.. When he starts singing George Harrison's "Here comes the sun" a shaft of sunlight comes out and everybody, I mean EVERYBODY started freaking out.. That was amazing.. and that's all I remember of the show, oh and him not having any front teeth.

Also saw Leon Russel in a little tiny venue in either Pawling or Dover plains NY around the same time. The place was just on the border of NY and Conn.. It was a converted hardware store with a small stage and a few tables... Still had hardware store items on the shelf.
Very cool. Good times
m

[Thomas Hurt]

101. The Chieftains at the Denver Botanical Gardens...

brought a picnic, sat on the grass, ate and listened to them play.

[asiliveandbreathe]

102. Years ago with Mom - Tom Jones at the Montecello - Framingham, Ma...

Steel Wheels, Rolling Stones Foxboro, Ma in the nineties - Bridge to Babylon Rolling Stones Tempe AZ early 2000s - Face to Face..Billy Joel and Kenny Metcalf as Elton John - this past Dec. Laughlin V - I had seen Kenny as Elton at Fort McDowell July 4th 2015 - he was awesome...

And, wait for it - the gift from my son - 2 tickets - I will see THE Sir Elton John at Glendale Arena Jan. 2019 - I can't wait...

Retired to AZ in 98 - still a kid at heart......

[benld74]

104. Too many not enough space not enough time

[lark]

105. Easy, no contest - debut of Pink Floyds Dark Side of the Moon at the Filmore.

It hadn't come out, I knew nothing about this but loved Pink Floyd and OMG, what a show, from the first minute opening with "Money, then Dark Side of the Moon until they stopped 2 hours later, I was totally enthralled. I immediately went out and bought the album, still one of my all time favorites.

[The Polack MSgt]

107. Best outdoor/arena show? Probably this 1 - Orange Arena San Bernadino 1986

Charlie Daniels Band, Allman Brothers and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

But maybe the most fun I ever had at a show was Wilko Johnson at the Shibuya Live Inn Tokyo 1984.


New years eve 2016 was The Royal Southern Brotherhood (Allman and Zito on guitars) was an amazing show as well.

If you ask in acouple days, I may have a different list. Still go to a lot of shows

[samnsara]

108. Pink Floyd Division bell in BC...

....however for the best total overall experience it was America playing at the Columbia Gorge Amphitheater...sitting above the Columbia River on a basalt cliff watching the sun set into the water, listening to and watching America play A Horse With No Name.

[PaulX2]

135. I Was There In The Front Row

I won tickets on KISW.

[bdtrppr6]

111. Mississippi Nights St Louis 1992

Babes in Toyland, My Bloody Valentine, Dinosaur JR

Babes were an awesome hard rocking girl band that destroys all other GRRLL bands.

MBV did the Holocaust they became famous for-nearly 1/2 hour of drones and feedback with a beat. One girl in front of us got disoriented and sick from the heat and the swirling noise. Awesome.

Dinosaur Jr just fucking rocked.

Loud as fuck. "WHAT?"

[The Polack MSgt]

185. That was a great venue

Still bummed out it closed.

I see a bunch of shows at the Old Rock House .(formerly the Old Schoolhouse)
But Mississippi Nights was a special kind of venue.

[Loge23]

112. The first one.

I have been fortunate to see many, many great shows over the last half century or so.
The first show I ever saw was right up there with the best overall - Johnny Cash headlined at Carnegie Hall. I went with my big sister - it was '66 or '67. The Statler Brothers, Carter Family, the great Carl Perkins, and June and Johnny.
My sister brought an album for Johnny to sign and we waited outside the back stage door for the artists to exit. June and Johnny - looking a bit glassy eyed as I recall, were swept out by handlers quickly into a waiting limo. One of the last to exit was Carl, carrying his guitar in its' case. He was gracious, stopping to chat with us (I was 13) and signing my sister's album (hope she still has it!)
He then ambled down 56th street on foot carrying his guitar - can you imagine!
We were big JC fans back then and I would spend many an evening in my sister's room listening to records.

In later years, I would take the subway to the Fillmore East - a few stops from the High School I went to in Brooklyn and buy tickets for some shows. I saw the Airplane there, the Youngbloods, Jimi Hendrix's Band of Gypsy show on NYE, Blood, Sweat, and Tears & the Allman Brothers on the same bill, Humble Pie, and many more I just don't remember.

But one very memorable show there was Jethro Tull in the Spring of either '70 or '71. I remember it well because I had a big test the next morning and it was already morning when we left the Fillmore. Tull was introducing their new record, Aqualung - which hadn't yet been released - on that tour. Ian Anderson came out on a darkened bare stage save for a stool. He sat down and began to strum the opening chords of My God. He explained as he played that he and the "lads" had a "bit of a row" backstage and they left so he would carry on alone. The place gasped! He went into the tune - new to us, on an acoustic guitar- and when it got to the part of the band coming in the curtains flew open and there was the band in full fury! The place went nuts and stayed that way through the entire show, encompassing most of the first three albums and all of Aqualung. What an unforgettable night that was!

Nowadays, I no longer attend the arena shows - too nuts for me. But I'll take in a small theater show anytime for the right act.

[Initech]

113. Nine Inch Nails Lights In The Sky tour 2008

I wound up going to like 5 shows on that tour, still ranks as one of the single best I have ever seen. A few others that I would put way up there:

- Green Day at the Rose Bowl
- Opeth and Porcupine Tree at the LA House Of Blues
- Rage Against The Machine
- Arcade Fire
- Iron Maiden and Dream Theater at Madison Square Garden
- Flogging Molly and Gogol Bordello
- System Of A Down at the Hollywood Bowl
- Depeche Mode at the Hollywood Bowl

[Iggo]

117. Hey! We were actually at the same place at the same time once!

- System Of A Down at the Hollywood Bowl

(Or as I like to call it, The Great Outdoor Singalong of 2013)

[Initech]

118. Cool!

I've seen SOAD multiple times, three times at the Forum and twice at the Bowl. And I'm going to see them again in October at Glen Helen.

[Iggo]

119. I'll be there, too!

We gotta get together for a few minutes, at least.

I'm totally free during Incubus.

[Initech]

120. Yeah for sure!

I got lawn seats so I will be doing a lot of roaming around.

I'm thinking of heading to CalJam as well.

[Cracklin Charlie]

115. I will share about the LOUDEST concert I ever saw:

Stray Cats
Municipal Hall Kansas City maybe 1984

Three guys on stage, SO loud, room full of folding metal chairs.

I looked up at one point, and everyone was dancing on their chairs. Show over, lights go on. We left the building, walking past a mountain of broken metal chairs fifteen feet tall!

Good show.

[Codeine]

122. I saw a old power metal band at an

auditorium in Ventura, CA that has really shitty acoustics. They try to compensate for this by cranking the sound WAY UP, to a deafening level. It was so bad that even with earplugs I felt physically ill afterward. We had to find a hotel for the night because the two hour drive home was just not in the cards after such an assault.

Unwisely I went to see The Cult at the same venue a few years later, with largely the same result.

[USALiberal]

127. That is a cool story! Maybe this was the one you saw......

http://www.straycatscollectors.com/stray-cats-tour-archive-1983/

[Iggo]

116. Us Festival, 1983. (Thirty-five years ago this weekend. OMG.)

I've seen about a million shows, but this lineup cannot be beat.

From opening band to headliner:

Quiet Riot
(Metal Health era)

Motley Crue
(Too Fast For Love era)

Ozzy
(right after Speak Of The Devil, right before Bark At The Moon)

Judas Priest
(Screaming For Vengeance era)

Triumph
(Never Surrender era)

Scorpions
(Blackout era)

Van Halen
(Diver Down era, right before 1984)

[Codeine]

121. KROQ Inland Invasion 2004

at Glen Helen Pavilion in Devore, CA

It was an all-day show with a lineup that included

Muse (just before they broke huge)
X
Stone Roses (kinda, I think basically the lead singer plus a backup band)
The Killers
Tears for Fears
Franz Ferdinand
Devo
Siouxsie
Billy Idol, who played an extra-long set to make up for Morrissey, who (as per usual) cancelled due to illness.

Even the cancellation was okay because Moz played a makeup show on Halloween and most of the ticket-holders didn’t show up, so our lawn/festival tickets became really good close seats near the stage and he played an absolutely killer set.

[ailsagirl]

123. Any of those I attended with the Kinks as headliners!!!

[Henry Krinkle]

124. AC/DC with Bon Scott, Paradise Theater Boston 1978

Angus (as always), was running on high octane the entire show.

[USALiberal]

125. I always regret not seeing Boston when Delp was still alive. nt

[wryter2000]

126. Next weekend

June 2, 2018

Tower of Power’s 50th anniversary concert at the Fox Theatre in Oakland.

[OilemFirchen]

140. Jealous as shit.

[Laffy Kat]

128. Bette Milder's "Divine Miss M" tour in Memphis.

Can't remember the exact year but Barry Manilow was still with her, early 70s?. I was a teen. We are all dressed pretty wild and we actually got invited to the after part but one of my group had to be home so we didn't get to go. I remember the person who invited us to the party took Polaroid photos of us, maybe for party entrance ID? Not sure. It was a great show, though. Also David Bowie, same venue, also early 70s.

[MuseRider]

151. I would give just about anything

to have seen her perform. Very jealous of this one.

David Bowie I never saw either but I walked very quickly around a corner of a hotel in KC when he was in he Ziggy Stardust phase and ran smack into him, he was very nice about it. I mean, I really careened into the man. This was way back before everyone needed armed guards around them.

[Laffy Kat]

159. It was a really great show.

I remember being amazed by the costumes and we had incredible seats. They moved us up from where we were sitting to closer to the stage, I think due to how we were dressed.

Anyway, the Bowie tour I saw was the Ziggy Stardust and I wish I could remember more about it. I had just discovered pot, LOL. I don't remember the Lou Reed concert at all. Ahhh, the 70s.

[MuseRider]

160. That same reason and a lot of beer

is probably why I never saw him standing there when I ran right into him.

[Laffy Kat]

161. Hahahaha.

[sdfernando]

129. I have a tie

Ella Fitzgerald with Joe Williams and the Count Basie orchestra.

Benny Goodman and his quartet.

[USALiberal]

131. Nice, I saw Film Night at the Boston Pops with Williams, amazing night. nt

[sdfernando]

133. Great!

I’ve been to the Boston Pops 4th of July on the Esplanade a few times with Williams conducting. Always a great concert.

[cyclonefence]

130. The Chambers Brothers, Philly, 1971

The Kinks and Spirit were also in the show, but the Chambers Brothers had me out of my seat and dancing!

Joe Cocker was around the same time, and memorable for the number of non-musicians and non-adults who wandered on and off the stage during the concert.

[PaulX2]

132. Roger Waters Last Tour

I still have blood on my shoes from peoples heads exploding with the lazer pyramid.

[Mr.Bill]

136. I was a rock concert animal all through the 70s and 80s.

It would be easier for me to list who I haven't seen than who I have seen.

But the best musical show I have ever seen might surprise you, and it's an easy choice. It was in the early 80s at Caesar's Palace at Lake Tahoe. The Count Basie Orchestra with a vocalist you may have heard of - Sammy Davis Jr.

[OilemFirchen]

137. Bruce Springsteen, April 1, 1976, Athens, Ohio.

Held in the school's Memorial Auditorium. There was non-reserved seating for this show, which caused mayhem leading up to the venue opening its doors. The partial setlist above is from the confident recollection of Brucebase reader Daniel, who further comments, "The concert was scheduled for around 7:00pm...folks started lining up outside at about 4:30pm. By 7:00pm I'd estimate there were over a thousand people outside and the doors were still shut. At about 7:10 there was commotion up front and I remember seeing one of the doors get literally torn from the hinges - and these were big, heavy wood doors! The next minutes were a blur, seeing one girl getting pushed into the glass marque-poster cases, seeing another girl who fainted getting passed overhead…the mad rush to get a good seat”. Brucebase reader Bob, who also attended comments “Suddenly the doors opened and we were pushed in so I raced to the front and got two seats. I remember the show was a little too loud in the front row, but it was amazing. The night before the show Springsteen went to my favourite bar (Swanky's) and hung out. I didn't go that night. I saw his picture in the paper the next morning standing where I usually went to drink”.

https://brucebase.wikispaces.com/1976

I remember it slightly differently because, as I've mentioned elsewhere on DU, I'm the one responsible for booking the show.

[OilemFirchen]

139. Sadly, I was at a different college when this happened (1973):

[walkingman]

141. Beatles - 1965 Sam Houston Coliseum - I was 15

[USALiberal]

142. Wow, so jealous! nt

[JenniferJuniper]

145. Springsteen a few nights after Lennon was killed

[The Blue Flower]

146. Paul Simon and Bob Dylan at the Hollywood Bowl

1998. It was an awesome concert and such fun to watch the celebrities.

[Totally Tunsie]

147. Joan Baez and Indigo Girls / Double Bill

Last edited Wed May 30, 2018, 01:52 AM - Edit history (1)

Joan has been my #1 forever, and she graciously signed my copy of her autobiography and posed for a pic. Sadly, she is now in process of her farewell tour currently in Europe and coming back to U.S. in September. Tickets ordered, but it will be a bittersweet night - thrilled to see her once again, but sorry to see her retire.

Indigo Girls were the perfect accompanying act, and filled out a fabulous evening "under the stars".

[Rustynaerduwell]

148. Springsteen 1975

"Bishop Danced" opened with only him and Danny Federici on accordion. About a thousand people in attendance. He was unknown by half the people there. I think he knew that and he played for 3 1/2 hours.

[DBoon]

149. Patti Smith, 1976, Santa Monica Civic

Or David Bowie in the Station To Station tour st the LA Forum, featuring the file "The Andalusian Dog" as the wrms up

[GP6971]

152. My college roomate would

say by far it was Woodstock even though he admits to not remembering much.

For me it was Elton John at the Tacoma Dome in the 90s.

[SouthernIrish]

153. Stewart/Colbert rally in DC 2010

Lineup
John Legend
Ozzy Osborne
The Roots
Cheryl Crow
Mavis Staples
Kid Rock
The O'Jays
Cat Stephens
Stevie Wonder
Tony Bennett

All great entertainers (except Kid Rock). Kept the crowd on their feet at a huge lovefest of humanity and compassion. One of the best experiences of my life.

[dawg day]

154. The Boss

With the E-street Band.

And... Black Sabbath, very early -- 1972!

[Mister Ed]

157. Three-way tie:

The Who, August 1971, on the Who's Next tour
Any of the half-dozen Springsteen shows I've seen
Green Day, summer 2009, on the 21st Century Breakdown tour


P.S. Tickets for The Who were $4.50 and $5.50. My buddy and I bought the $4.50 tickets because we couldn't afford the extra buck.

[DownFromTheMountain]

158. A night at the Pack and Hounds, Green Bay Wisc. in the late 70's

Cheap Trick trying to prove something; did, and created a lasting memory of "Cold Turkey" , Rick Nielsen dressed as Pete Townsend, we had already seen them on the circuit for , lots. Then they changed lead singer, (Xeno Banana to Robin...Xander), and became big stars.
Listened to Dream Police last month.

[Bayard]

164. Heart, Springsteen, and Don Henley were the 3 best

Disappointed in a whole bunch of others. The biggest was Sting in Cincinnati, outdoors. He was just phoning it in.

[Duppers]

166. OhMyGoodness Yes!

I would loved to have seen those! The best.

Btw, my sister-in-law is Bruce Springsteen's #1 fan. She has had front row seats to over 20 of his concerts over a period of years. She likes to spend her money on concerts and traveling to Europe. (Her husband is worth a few million.)

So once she was in Barcelona and was going to have dinner at a nice restaurant when on her way to be seated, who did she pass? Yes indeedy, The Boss!

They chatted and he hugged her as she made selfies of them together. I don't remember if she said he recognized her or not but if you showed up in the front row at 20+ of his concerts, he just might have.

She sent us pics. But that was over 15yrs ago when we were still speaking. She and her hubs are rethugians! I don't think she truly understands Bruce's politics at all.

[Duppers]

167. Btw, you know we have the same taste in music.

Plus our love for critters.

[Denis 11]

168. Springsteen

When he opened the Brendan Byrne Arena.

[ArnoldLayne]

169. Emerson Lake and Palmer in the Summer of 1974.

It was my first Rock Concert. In Pittsburgh Pa I was 17 years old and going into my Senior of High School.

[pressbox69]

170. My first live concert was 1975,

Roy Buchannan at CCNY. Never heard of him but my friends were big fans. They had no more seats so we went down to the front and squatted right below the stage. He was awesome. B.B. King at The Bottom Line in NYC, 1978. B.B.started the show almost an hour late and the crowd was getting antsy. We found out why when there was a commotion at the entrance and Jackie Onassis Kennedy strutted in to her table. He told the story about his guitar, Lucile, and how it saved his life. Soon after that he called attention to a great lady in the audience and Onassis received polite applause. I shouted "HOW ABOUT LUCILLE?" and B.B. replied okay you can applaud Lucile and the crowd erupted! Next would be Johnny Winter who played 2 hrs in Wildwood NJ, 1979. After that he came out with just his guitar and performed a 1 hr. encore all by himself. Elton John in Central Park NY, 1980 dressed as Donald Duck. Elvis Costello at pier 84 in NYC, 1982. Ending the show with "Shipbuilding" and noticing the U.S.S. Intrepid just off to his right.

[MariaCSR]

171. Prince, Paisley Park, June 2002

He did a week-long festival called "Xenophobia" He performed every night for 7 nights straight. It was amazing.

[onethatcares]

172. Philadelphia Convention Hall, I think it was 1970 or 71

In no significant order: Blood Sweat & Tears, Joe Cocker, Janis Joplin, Chicago, Santana, Al Cooper, and a few others that I can't remember due to short term memory loss items ingested at that time.

It was 2 days of great music and the cost: $7.00 per day. I lost my ticket for the second day and after explaining it to some hippie at the door,, he gave me a stack of handbills to give out and said, "Pick your seat". I chose a balcony box above the stage and I swear Janis Joplin sang "Ball and Chain" to me.

I'm not sure but I think Three Dog Night and Jesse Collin Young were also playing.

Saw Santana in Anchorage Alaska in 1974 at the Sports Arena. Watched the notes come off his guitar in shades of blue, gold, red.
WOW. I would do that again.

[PasadenaTrudy]

174. Talking Heads

I saw them at Jonathan Demme's filming of Stop Making Sense out in Hollywood.

[Duppers]

175. Clapton

He had so many other blues artists on with him. Loved it.

My very first concert was Dylan.


Regret not seeing the Eagles or Heart in concert.

[democratisphere]

177. Fleetwood Mac with ALL the band members present.

[Ernesto]

179. Zeppelin @ the "Rose palace" in Pasadena in early '69

I think it was their 1st tour in the US.
The "Rose Palace" was hanger-like building used to assemble floats for the "Rose Parade".
We sat on the floor for $3 a piece. And, oh yeah, there was a little-known warm-up group called the "Carlos Santana Blues Band"!

[iamateacher]

180. James Taylor Carol King...he wasn't famous yet, 1971

Tapestry had just come out. James Taylor's parents were walking around under the bleachers (Dorton Arena, Raleigh, N. C.) telling everyone, "That's our son!"

[USALiberal]

181. Finally saw James Taylor last Tuesday night! Loved it!! nt

[kairos12]

183. Queen Madison Square Garden 1981

[ProfessorGAC]

184. Three Answers

1. For sheer energy and history, saw Clapton when he was over his hermit thing in 1975. He opened with Layla, which was the first time his band(s) played the song in over 5 years. The opening act was this band called SANTANA! Yep, Carlos and his guys did an hour 15 opening set. Then Clapton's band for nearly an hour 45. Then BOTH bands came out and did 45 minutes. The latin percussion version of Eyesight to the Blind was awesome.

2. King Crimson (on the Beat tour) at the Park West. The precision playing was awesome to behold. And, we were sitting about 20 feet from the stage.

3. The Fixx at the Vic. Went alone because i didn't even know they were playing until about 2 hours before the show. When i get there there is a table dead center of the dais with only 2 guys. They said it was cool i sat there. Now, i'm only about 20 feet from the stage again, but i'm 2 feet above the dance floor crowd, so i'm watching the entire show from up close and personal but never had to stand up!

I should mention i saw Bowie 4 times, Zeppelin twice, and Van Halen twice. Those were all terrific, but the three above were because the unique nature.

[MissMillie]

186. Musically: Carlos Santana

He and his band were so tight that you would have sworn there was someone conducting

Visually: Peter Gabriel. He puts on a great show

[kmla]

190. David Bowie - Sound + Vision Tour (1990)

The best show I've ever seen.

A close second is Tom Petty (numerous times) - was a great showman, and you could tell he enjoyed his work.

[OldEurope]

191. 1974, Munich

The very first »Rock meets Classic« produced by Eberhard Schoener,
starring Jon Lord, Glenn Hughes, David Coverdale, Ray Fenwick, Pete York, Tony Ashton, and the orchestra of the Munich Chamber Opera.

I was only 15 years old and knew nothing. This concert opend up a completely new world to me. And, also very important, convinced me that good music is NOT about loudness but quality. Which seperated me from most of my peers who are all deaf now, I presume.

[RobinA]

192. Deep Purple

Pittsburgh Civic Arena, January 1976. A dark and snowy night. Cold as the Arctic with a howling wind. The beginning of a concert career during which I have pretty much seen everybody I wanted to see, most during their prime years except the Beatles, who split before I started going to concerts.

Oh, oops. I read this as the FIRST concert I ever saw. Best??? That's tough.

Billy Joel in Philadelphia in 2016 was damn good. Have seen Springsteen 10 times. Born in the USA Meadowlands was excellent (my first Bruce). OK. Went to see Springsteen The Rising in Philadelphia at Lincoln Financial Field. Had good seats that were actually horrible. Drunks in front of us, no lids on the drinks, you do the math. Plus, friend I was with just found out on the way to the concert that a friend had died. Also, the pot police were disruptive, went after anybody who fired anything up like stormtroopers. We decided it was basically a good concert under bad circumstances so a do over was in order. Got nosebleed seats at Landover a couple months later long after they went on sail. Was raining that day, so things did not look good. It stopped raining about the time we got there. We rappelled to our seats in a fairly empty far top section, which hit the spot after being squashed in with a bunch of beer-sloshing drunks the first time around. Bruce was a speck, but the sound was good, we could spread out, move around, and the few other people up there were there to sit back and enjoy the music without a lot of distraction like we were. It was a GREAT experience.