Have you ever attended a "legendary" concert? Which one(s)?

[Beware the Beast Man]

This is inspired by the concert threads roaming around the Lounge. Have you been to a concert that is considered either legendary (Woodstock, Live Aid, etc) or maybe even notorious (Altamont, Woodstock '99)? Whether it be some artist's last concert ever or one known for bad pyro or a hideous riot, post them here!

For the record, I can't say I've ever been to a show considered "legendary." I'll just live vicariously through you. :P

[KitchenWitch]

1. I attended a Bonnie Raitt concert at the MN State Fair

the day after the plane crash that killed Stevie Ray Vaughan....there was not a dry eye in the house...(or the outdoor amphitheatre). It was very emotional.

[bushisanidiot]

2. Back in the early 90's I went to the Judds "farewell tour"

I think they were actually part of a fourth of july concert or somehting.. reba was there (she was great!) it was right after she lost her crew in a plane crash. Sawyer brown did a few songs, hank williams was drunk and forgot half the words to his songs.. the Judds "farewell tour" seemed to last 2 years. heh..

ahhhhh.. good times.

[hobbit709]

3. I used to work at

the Armadillo. They were all legendary there.

[Squeech]

4. Depends

what you call "legendary," but I saw Van der Graaf Generator's one and only American performance at the Beacon Theatre in NYC, 1976.

VDGG were lumped in with prog-rock (arguably because nobody else could stand them), but what they really were was David Bowie, except concerned with the inner life instead of sex and glamour. Songwriter Peter Hammill had this borderline-schizo persona, not unlike Bowie, and his songs were extended meditations on what there was about life on earth he could have faith in and take comfort from, and in the course of delivering this stuff, his emotional state got pretty scary. And the band was amazing-- drummer, organist, saxophonist, and Hammill himself playing some electric piano, a little guitar, often just singing (screaming)-- a lot of music from a surprisingly small number of people. In that they resembled the three-piece Traffic as of John Barleycorn Must Die, another even earlier (1970) concert memory I cherish.

[asthmaticeog]

9. That is Extremely. Fucking. Cool. n/t

[mr blur]

12. I saw their first reunion gig 2 months ago in London,

29 years after I last saw them. It was awesome, as ever.

[Squeech]

14. They got back together!?

Yow! Tell me all about it! Is there new music coming?

Even Hugh Banton? (Apparently one reason the band broke up was that Banton decided it was a good time to run off with Hammill's wife.)

If you're reading this, asthmaticeog, are you also a fan, or did you just find my description interesting?

[mr blur]

24. Yep, doing a few dates in Europe at the moment.

The original four members from the second 70s incarnation. Playing wonderfully, too. At the London gig in May there were people from all over the world. I talked to a couple who had flown in from New Orleans just for the gig. And some folks from LA, who were ecstatic.

Peter Hammill's website - http://www.sofasound.com/ - has the info. You can also order the new CD, "Present", (which is excellent, and also in stores). Virgin are currently remastering and releasing their albums.

Tell me, do you do BitTorrent at all? PM me and I'll point you at some recent shows.

[seemunkee]

5. My brother went to Watkins Glen in 1973 - WITHOUT ME

The bastard, he told my mom he was spending the weekend at a friends house and his friend said he was at our house. The hitched up and back and didn't even let me in on it.

[ProfessorGAC]

10. I Was There!

We got there, and then took a long hiatus while the Dead was playing. No thanks.

Then when back to see the Brothers.
The Professor

[seemunkee]

26. Well damn you too, why didn't you swing by and pick me up?

;-)

[LynneSin]

6. I attended the last concert ever held at JFK stadium and I was at Live8

which was the grateful dead. Not sure if that's 'legendary' but hell it's something I can add to this thread.

Not sure if Live 8 will be 'legendary' until maybe 10-20 years from now. Plus I was at the Philly show, which wasn't as legendary as it was from the Live Aid concerts of 1985. I swear Geldof and McCartney setup the concerts this time around so that Philly doesn't upstage the London concerts like they did in 1985

[mr blur]

7. Sometime in about 1977 or so

I was working on concerts in London and saw Black Sabbeth supported by Vaa Halen. It was the first time VH had been heard of in the UK (maybe anywhere?) and they blew BS off the stage. I have to say though that the whole thing was pretty tedious but I still meet people who won't believe I was here. Weird.

I did see Zeppelin live at Earls Court, London in 1975 - that's pretty legendary in some circles.

[asthmaticeog]

8. Many shows that became the stuff of local hipster legend, if that counts.

Pavement's first trip through town left the entire interior of the Euclid Tavern covered in a thin sheen of juice from watermelons the band purloined from the farmers market across the street and gave to the audience to smash. My Bloody Valentine's sole Cleveland show STILL gets talked about by those lucky enough to have seen it. I've been to some early White Stripes shows where I was one of only like 25 people in attendance. (WTF happened to them? They used to be SO GOOD!) And I was at the invitation-only Cramps show at the Grays' Armory.

[tigereye]

29. saw the Cramps at a really weird venue here

some kind of African -American semi-masonic lodge, can't remember the name. It's gone now, of course. It wasn't invitation only, though. When was that, Asth? Legendary to us might be less so to others, though.

hmmm.

I seem to have missed the legendary shows here... like the last time The Minutemen were here before D. Boon died. Could have kicked myself.

I did see Muddy Waters in a college gym here, though. And even if it wasn't legendary, Albert Collins in a renowned rock club here was pretty damn good. And the drunken Replacements. And The Screaming Trees at the same venue. And 10,000 Maniacs on a small stage before they were famous.

[ProfessorGAC]

11. Yeah, Two

Maybe three. I went to Watkins Glen when i was 16. Then i went to the California Jam.

We went to SoCal for the summer to live with my dad's aunt and uncle. We got jobs carrying papers to the bus stations and paperboys house for the Times. So, about 9am everyday, we were done working!

My cousins (my dad's cousin's kids) got tickets to go to Ontario for the show and we went.

I also saw the first Lollapalooza tour here in the Chicago area. Not sure that's legendary though. What i remember most was Ferrel's band was very good, and that Pearl Jam was out of tune the whole set.
The Professor

[GalleryGod]

15. Remember the "California Jam" Huge Hot Air Balloon!

And a VERY YOUNG Don Imus wandering aound interviewing people!?

[ProfessorGAC]

19. Yes and No

Don't remember Imus. Remember the balloon though.

We got there a little into it. I was most interested in everything from Earth Wind & Fire on. I think it was EWF, then Black Sabbath. I forget who was next but that's when it got to dusk and the bands i REALLY wanted to see were coming on. Deep Purple (exploding Marshalls anyone?) and ELP (spinning grand piano!).

The Professor

[GalleryGod]

23. ELP & the Spinning Pianos ! I had forgotten!

Whoa! Flash-back, Prof!

There was NOTHING out there back then...I bet it'a ALL overdeveloped by now!B-) :smoke:

[swag]

25. "Welcome back my enemies

to the show that has no remedies
we'll cut off your lower extremities,
step inside, step inside."

I saw ELP on the overwrought "Works" tour (after they had wisely jettisoned the orchestra). Of course I adored them. I was 15.

Keith Emerson "smashed" a second-string Hammond Organ and played a ribbon controller held at his crotch until it ejaculated fireballs.

Now that's showmanship.

[tigereye]

31. glad to hear I wasn't the only ELP junkie

my hs best friend was obsessed with them, so of course I was too!

[myrna minx]

13. Amnesty International show in Chicago in 1986.

U2, the Police reunited, Lou Reed, Joan Baez, Peter Gabriel, Neville Brothers oh sweet Jesus, too many performers to mention.

I also went to the first Lollapalooza in St. Paul Minnesota.

PiL, New Order and the Sugar Cubes in CHicago 1989.

On edit-I saw Tom Waits perform in Minneapolis in 1999. He rarely tours and when he does we Minnesotans are usually given the benefit of a tour date. :-)

[sniffa]

16. green day concert - boston hatch sheLL in (96?)

i think over 100k peopLe showed up, and poLice onLy expected 30k.

the pLace was out of controL Long before green day took the stage, and when they finaLLy did, the grass was torn up and thrown everywhere (remember they used to do that at green day shows?).
after maybe 5 songs the poLice yanked the power. the drummer (tre cooL?) kept pLaying, but biLLy joe was pissed - he jumped down and began ripping out the pLanters and throwing them into the crowd.

then the crowd went reaLLy nuts, and fuLL fLedged riot broke out. the poLice couLdn't handLe it, and caLLed in the staties and such.

i actuaLLy thought i was going to die. :wow:

[JimmyJazz]

17. I was at the Who's first Farewell tour -

in Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York and Massachusetts. But, since they went on to have six or seven more farewell tours, that's probably not so significant.

[bridgit]

18. blind faith ~ the one & only

:thumbsup: others here & there ~

[swag]

20. A few that have been fawned over in books.

Minor Threat, Anti-Nowhere League, and the Damned, June 1983 at the Ontario Theater in Washington, DC.

Minor Threat, the Big Boys, and Troublefunk at the Landsburgh Arts Center later that year.

Black Flag with Nig Heist at that Church at 16th & Irving, NW DC (I think this was 1984).

A few others that I consider legendary, but they may be legends only in my own mythos, so won't include them.

on edit: one more - Dead Kennedys, MDC, Crucifucks, et al., at the two-day Rock Against Reagan festival, Lincoln Memorial, Washington, DC, July 3-4, 1983.

[GalleryGod]

21. Concert for Bangladesh @ Madison Sq. Garden also- Haight Ashbury '67

My Aunt & Uncle lived in a 1960's Condo on the edge of Golden Gate Park...I would be left to "my own devices" to "see the city" all day while they were working (both executives) and I WAS 17.:headbang:

Well...some of the "spontaneous concerts" I saw in the park are so vivid seems like yesterday....

Janis & Big Brother
Quicksilver Messenger Service
Strawberry Alarm Clock
Grace,Marty & Airplane (Hendrix sat-in once, but, only once)
and of, course, the "House Band" with the ONLY great sound system....
The Dead

I wept on the plane ride home in September...:hippie: :hippie:

[livetohike]

22. T. Bone Walker's last concert

three weeks before he died. Packed house, standing room only at the Fulton (I think) in Pgh. and the other bands were: Bobby Blue Bland and John Lee Hooker. T. Bone had to be escorted on stage - he couldn't play the guitar for Stormy Monday and did it a'capello.

I've never seen a concert like that before or since :-).

[Dukkha]

27. don't know if this counts but

Nine Inch Nail's surprise performance at a CD release party for the Downward Spiral at a small club in San Francisco 1994

Here's a heartbreaking story. A guy I worked with at a recording studio said his girfriend once dragged him off to a Peter Paul & Mary show forcing him to miss another performance he was going to...Jimi Hendrix with the Band of Gypsys New Year's Eve @ Filmore East 1969! An all time classic perfornace!

http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/_/id/245798/jimihendrix?pageid=rs.ArtistDiscography&pageregion=triple1

[XNASA]

28. Several, I'd say. Any Clash concert qualifies, right?

08/13/82 - Chicago, Illinois, USA
Venue: Aragon Ballroom
Set list: London Calling / White Man In Hammersmith Palais / This Is Radio Clash / Spanish Bombs / Know Your Rights / The Guns Of Brixton / Train In Vain / The Magnificent Seven / Wrong 'Em Boyo / Rock the Casbah / Police On My Back / Pressure Drop / Charlie Don't Surf / Police and Thieves / Somebody Got Murdered / Brand New Cadillac / I Fought the Law / Armagideon Time / Should I Stay Or Should I Go? / English Civil War / Straight to Hell / Janie Jones / I'm So Bored With the USA

I've seen XTC twice. Which is a rare feat.

Saw the last North American concert of Genesis with Peter Gabriel. They did "The Lamb" in it's entirity.

I've seen Bauhaus on Halloween in an old warehouse.

Also, and this may have been the best show ever.....The Pogues with Shane McGowan blasted out of his mind, in Chicago, on St. Patrick's Day. Elvis Costello came out with the band during the encore and sang...."Oh, Danny Boy". I get chills just thinking about it.

[tigereye]

32. damn

Pogues show with Shane... that's very enviable! Wish I had seen one of those.


but, Bauhaus, didn't everyone see them on Halloween in an old warehouse, or was that Samhain.... ;)


I saw the Clash too ( but not early stuff) - Sandinista tour, I think. Do those count as legendary? Cool.

[XNASA]

34. I stand corrected.

The Pogues shows was not on St. Patrick's Day. It was in July.

I remember the circumstances of the show. The Pogues were playing in town. At the time, Pogues bassist Cate O'Riordan was either dating or was already married to Costello.

Costello was in town to attend a play that Tom Waits was in and that Costello had written a song or two for. According to the report I saw, not only was Costello on stage for the encore, but so was Waits. Though I don't remember that. I do remember a lot of people wearing green "Southside Irish" shirts sitting near us. They were up on the tables and dancing the whole show.

Is it still possible to have fun like that?

[tigereye]

36. dunno

it should be! WOW. Costello, Waits, the Pogues. That is really upthere on a list of not to miss shows.


One of the best shows I ever saw was Queen Ida ( zydeco) and everyone danced til they dropped. It was great!

OTOH, The Clash show I saw was characterized by bouncers wearing camo who wouldn't let anyone out of their seats. I assumed it was a comment on fascism, as it was a very small venue and they were waving the Sandinista flag throughout the show. I don't remember much about the songs, though.

[Felix Mala]

30. David Bowie's 1983 tour -- his triumph after years of criticism/

cynicism. I saw him in Chicago and he played for 2 1/2 hours like a conquering general.

I had some friends at Riverfront in '79 to see the Who... They didn't know what had happened until they got home.

[davsand]

33. I saw SRV the night he died.

I was at Alpine Valley the night Stevie Ray Vaughn's helicopter crashed.

It was a great show. Robert Cray, Eric Clapton, and Stevie Ray Vaughn. Buddy Guy was there as well--just sitting in.

I miss Stevie Ray a lot.



Laura

On edit:

I was also at the first Farm Aid. That was the one where they escorted Sammy Hagar OFF the stage.

:)

[teach1st]

35. Is the Atlanta Pop Festival legendary?

I thought it was, but I may have had my judegement chemically impaired.

I was almost at the Door's Dinner Key concert, the "whip it out" one. I was in the parking lot, unable to sneak in.