What are your top 5 concerts experiences.

[Bonobo]

Please add:

WHO, WHERE and WHY.

[Duer 157099]

1. I can remember who and approximately when

Elton John at Dodger Stadium in the 70s.

U2 at Dodger Stadium in the 90s

Stevie Wonder at the Forum in LA in the 70s.

The rest were just mediocre.

[Initech]

2. My top 5 (all recent):

1. Nine Inch Nails - Arco Arena 2008

2. Opeth and Porcupine Tree - House Of Blues Sunset Strip 2003

3. Tool - Nokia Theater - 2007

4. Iron Maiden - The Forum - 2008

5. The Rolling Stones - Angel Stadium - 2004

[LibDemAlways]

3. #1 Elton John Oct. 1975 Dodger Stadium- He took the stage mid-afternoon,

finished well after dark and put on one hell of a memorable show. I recall telling my tight-assed student teaching advisor (I was 22 at the time) I was going and her response was "Aren't you a little old to be going to a rock and roll concert?" LOL

#2 Bruce Springsteen - 1988 - LA Sports Arena - First time experiencing the incredible energy of Springsteen and the E-Streeters live.

#3 Green Day - Home Depot Center, Carson CA 2005 - Billie Joe Armstrong gives the audience its money's worth.

#4 Paul McCartney - Hollywood Bowl 3/31/10. For someone who missed seeing the Beatles at the Bowl in the 60's (I had no way to get there), this was the next best thing.

#5 Not really a "concert" but certainly a memorable experience - being in the audience when Michael Jackson was filming a Pepsi commercial in 1984 in a concert setting, and his hair caught on fire.

[Duer 157099]

7. I was at that concert too

The 1975 Rock of the Westies tour at Dodger Stadium. Can't remember if it was Saturday or Sunday, but yeah, it went on and on and on and it was awesome!

Now that I'm thinking about it, I also saw him in 1974 at The Forum and in 1979 at the Universal Amphitheater. How soon we forget, sigh...

[LibDemAlways]

9. I saved the ticket. Cost - $10.00. (What a bargain!)I'm sure that was considered

big bucks at the time. Today it wouldn't get you into the parking lot!

[Tikki]

4. The RAMONES..since 1978..every venue..always so exciting.

The Clash 1979 Santa Monica Civic...amazing.

Sir Douglas Quintet...Perkins Palace..early 80's...finally a chance to see Original lineup.

The Damned..mid 80's@ the Anson Ford...magical.

X...every venue since 1980...such an important band, such a grand sound.


Tikki

[Cant trust em]

10. -1000

I'm just jealous.

Good for you though. :thumbsup:

[abq e streeter]

12. I am insanely jealous of everyone who ever got tho see The Clash

still hoping to see X some day, although I've seen Auntie Christ with Exene and DJ, and saw John Doe sing Your Cheatin' Heart with Los Lobos and Dave Alvin...

[Patiod]

16. My SO is/was Clash-obsessed

A few years ago, Joe Strummer was touring the Northeast with the Mesqueleros, and (contrary to my usual concert-quashing ways) I urged Ralph to travel to Connecticut and Brooklyn to see him, even after he saw the Philadelphia show.

After one of the concerts, he managed to get backstage and meet his idol, and get him to sign some concert posters, using Ralph's back as a table ("stand still! I can't sign it if you're laughing"). Ralph said it was a peak experience of his life, meeting Joe and his wife, and having them joke that he "must be mad" to gone to all of the US gigs.

Joe died very shortly after that, and I'm really glad I encouraged my guy to drive to these shows. He treasures his signed posters!

[Tikki]

18. Seeing that concert in '79 was truly an event..

We can remember every bit of it from standing in line out in front
of the Civic...all the show, every number... and the stopping at 3:00am
at a coffee shop along the 101 on our way home and grabbing a bite
with our ears still ringing so hard all we could do was just smile.


The Tikkis

[abq e streeter]

20. Yeah, I remember- Springsteen fan w/Clash fan SO--perfect match at least musically

My # 1 and #2 favorite bands of all time. And I never got around to a PM I was going to send you months ago about reading in the Rolling Stone R&R Hall of Fame issue ( special issue???) where Bruce talks about going into little record shops in the late 70's looking for obscure Clash 45's and how they influenced Darkness on the Edge of Town. How cool, getting to meet Joe...Thanks for relating that story, from your DU E Streeter friend. And BTW my you tube "handle" is NMcityrocker ( named after, of course, Clash City Rockers). So , to both of you::yourock:

[DBoon]

38. I saw them at the Long Beach Arena

with Los Lobos as the warm up

[Arugula Latte]

23. Be jealous of meeeeee -- I saw 'em in '82, Oakland. (They opened for the Who.)

:P

[abq e streeter]

24. I am doubly jealous; never saw The Who either

And I did have one chance to see The Clash, which I've described before here....January of'79 in Chicago...with Bo Diddley ( who I actually have since played WITH once)... It was 24 below zero.Not the wind chill; the temperature. With the wind chill it was 50 or 60 something below, and I had no car, i.e. public transportation to and from, and I thought, no, not even for The Clash ( and Bo) on this night fit for neither man nor beast... I was back living in New Mexico by that summer and neither The Clash nor Strummer ever played here. I was extremely lucky to have been visiting Chicago when The Mescaleros were there in 2000 so at least I saw Joe.

[abq e streeter]

5. I assume you mean concerts vs. the whole experience that evening ...all these were in Chicago:

Bob Dylan with The Band ,January '74...Opening night of his 'comeback " tour . No one really knew what to expect, and the world's music ( and regular) press was there; a picture from that show was the cover of the next issue of Newsweek. The atmosphere was electric...The show actually started a little sluggish until about the 4th song when The Band did one of theirs ( can't remember which song) and started rockin'...Dylan I guess caught the energy and after that it was magical. He did an acoustic solo set in the middle including Lonesome Death of Hattie Carrol and It's All Right Ma and the 20,000 people in The Chicago Stadium went nuts. Greatest concert I ever saw..........until....a year and a half later, when I saw

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band , Sept. 75. at the Auditorium Theater shortly after Born To Run was released. I expected it to be great but was not prepared for how amazing they were. I can still remember the blood -red spotlight on Bruce , on his knees wailing at the end of Jungleland...Spellbinding...Also, he was really funny back then and some of his "shaggy dog" stories to introduce songs like the slow version of the E Street Shuffle, and Manfred Mann's Pretty Flamingo had people practically falling out of their seats from laughing so hard.
That was the greatest I'd ever seen until the NEXT time I saw them, Fall of '78 at the Uptown Theater. Over 4 hours, at least a half dozen encores, including Because The Night and when it was finally over, and the roadies were clearing the stage, no one had budged; everyone on their feet still screaming for more. Even by Springsteen standards, this one was incredible and remains the single greatest concert I've ever seen, even though I've seen Bruce a few more times over the years, and every one was great, but never better than those first two times.
Number 4 would have to be Joe Strummer at The Metro in 1999 or 2000...Why? because...it's Joe Strummer. I never saw The Clash, but at least I saw Joe and The Mescaleros. I was just visiting family in Chicago then, and luckily Strummer happened to be there. I only talked my friend Brian ,one of the few people I still knew besides my family , into going by offering to cover the price of his ticket if he didn't like it. When it was over, he thanked me for talking him into it, saying he'd "forgotten that there were still people with this much charisma playing rock and roll".
Probably a 20 way tie for # 5, but I think, off the top of my head, Mitch Ryder in both '78 and 79 and Terence Trent D'Arby ( this one was in Albuquerque, maybe about '88?) were both absolutely electric performers. Toots Hibbert and The Maytals in a legendary roadhouse in Golden, New Mexico was another that's right up there...( couldn't even guess the year, but The Golden Inn burned down in the early 80's so...)

[abq e streeter]

6. Last time I saw Rancid was right up there among the great shows ever too.

some great blues shows in bars too: Jr.Wells, Son Seals, Big Walter Horton,Koko Taylor, Sugar Blue ( greatest harp player I've ever seen),Tommy Castro...

Also among the great shows I've ever seen in no particular order: Neville brothers, SRV, Joe Jackson, Tom Tom Club, Spyro Gyra, Cris Isaak , Van Morrison,Dixie Chicks,Alice Cooper, Arthur Conley, Paul Butterfield with Geoff Muldaur, BB King, Mahavishnu Orchestra, The Alarm,The Stones, Sting, Stevie Wonder, Stray Cats,Los Lobos, Leon Russell,Sly and the Family Stone,Doc Watson, Bill Monroe, Santana,and The Cramps

[Tikki]

8. We also saw Koko Taylor...

She was so full of energy.
Alsos from your list...
Joe Jackson, Arthur Conley, Stray Cats, Los Lobos (we will see them until the end)
and the Cramps (at URGH!..A Music War)

FUN TIMES FOR ALL..

The Tikkis

[abq e streeter]

13. Wow--I wonder how many people here can say they saw Arthur Conley?

or even know who he is without reminding them of Sweet Soul Music. The gymnasium at Knox College in Galesburg, Ill. fall of '68 ( or spring '69 maybe?). He was phenomenal and finished the show with a version of Sweet Soul Music that seemed to just go on and on, like neither he nor the band wanted it to ever end, and neither did we.
Fortunate to have seen Koko many times, and Los Lobos at least a half dozen, Chicago, Albuquerque, and New Years Eve at The Pantages Theater on Hollywood Blvd. with The Blasters ( full contingent too--Gene Taylor on piano, and both Steve Berlin and the legendary lee Allen on saxes) around 1991 or so.

[Tikki]

15. Our saddest is we had tickets to see Roy Brown...

and that fine gentleman passed before the show. :cry:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFU6-vN4Dk4
"Good Rockin' Tonight"...Roy Brown


The Tikkis

[Cant trust em]

11. #1 Flaming Lips, Bimbo's 365 Club, San Francisco

15 feet from Wayne Coyne with balloons and confetti flying through the air

[kwolf68]

14. Who, Where, and Why

1-Slayer, 1991, Richmond Va (best live show ive ever seen period) -Testament opened and were amazing

2-Rush, early/mid 80s, Hampton Va (masterful musicians and performed accordingly) -Y&T opened, only remember a huge robot

3-The Who, 1979, New Jersey (even without Keith Moon, they absolutely owned the stage. I weep I never saw Keith live)-no idea who opened

4-BB King, early 1990s, Washington DC (few individual musicians put as much heart/passion/soul into their playing. Hell, I didn't know some of his songs at the time, but I was mesmerized anyway)

5-Voivod/Violence/Testament, late 1980s, Washington DC. What an insane experience this show was. All bands raged...Voivod being more progressive as a band executed their weird time signature music brilliant and Violence came out and it felt like they were just going to blow the place up. Testament was just the brilliant band they always were.

[Forkboy]

51. I saw the same tour with Voivod, Vio-lence and Testament.

I was a regular long hair back in those days. Thrash shows were always a blast. :)

And yes, Vio-lence ripped big time. I still listen to their first two CDs often (along with all of Voivod's stuff), and would put Eternal Nightmare in the top 3 thrash albums of all time. :headbang:

We had gotten Eternal Nightmare something like a week before and we learned all the lyrics by the time of the show. After the show we were talking to Sean Killian and he said, "You fuckers knew all the words!"

[Patiod]

17. My first big experience was Born to Run tour

Sort of ruined concerts for me after that - tough for anyone to compete with 3 1/2 hours of Bruce -- even Bruce.

2. Another peak was seeing him reunite with the E-Street band about 8 years ago, and do songs from early albums that he never does - like "For You" and "Grownin Up". All with the same passion as back in the day

3. Elvis Costello's "Tear Off Your Own Head" tour - many great new songs - totally unexpected level of energy and creativity - not what anyone would expect from and Old Guy.

4. Hearing Joe Jackson do a slow version of "Hometown" for the first time - so beautiful without being maudlin.

5. Although I know how much everyone hates Jimmy Buffett, I believe his concerts are true examples of Dionysian Orgies - the kind of "collective joy" that barbara ehrenreich says doesn't really exist any more. I don't go for the music - I go for the ritual -- it's as close as I get to religious ecstasy. Years ago I was at an outdoor venue, and he did a very long (12 minute?) version of "One Particular Harbor", and I remember singing and swaying with the crowd on a hot summer night, under a full moon. We were all in a trance, in a good way. Completely out of our heads, which is the goal. I'm thinking fans of the Dead probably experienced the same thing....

[Kat45]

19. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band, Boston Garden, around 1980

I forget the exact year, but it was The River tour. I wasn't even a fan, but whenever I asked people why he was considered such a big deal, they'd say you had to see him live. So I did. He totally blew me away. Going for 3-4 hours, he was--and still is--the best performer I've ever seen.

Jeff Beck at the Hampton Beach Casino (in New Hampshire), a couple of years ago. The place was set up with long tables and chairs, which made for a nice atmosphere. Jeff was on fire, and definitely enjoying himself.

Muddy Waters, Freddie King, and Roomful of Blues at the Music Inn in Lenox, MA in 1975 or '76. Outdoor show, beautiful day, sharing wine and herb with the people sitting next to us on the grass.

Elton John at the Worcester Centrum, 1986 or '87. He put on a terrific show but what made this special is that I went to the show with somebody whose sister was in Elton's band so we got to hang out backstage, watching the show from there (with Steven Tyler standing right next to us), and meeting Elton John before he went onstage.

Others I need to mention: U2 at the Worcester Centrum sometime in the '80s was magical. Eric Clapton at the Providence Civic Center in 1978/79 proved to me that even though he was releasing crap on record, he still had it live. Clapton's blues tour in the '90s was a great show and a lesson in the blues. The Cramps at the Channel in Boston in the '80s was a great, fun show that showed me that Lux Interior was the second best performer I've ever seen. Bruce at Fenway Park, which I have to mention because it was at Fenway Park. I've also seen Buddy Guy numerous times. In his shows with Junior Wells at Jonathan Swift's in Cambridge, MA he totally blew me away. And later tonight, I'll probably think of another concert and say, "oh, shit, how could I have forgotten to mention that!"

[peacefreak]

36. The Music Inn was a great venue for music.

I saw Emmylou Harris & the Hot Band there in 1975. A slip of a girl with a peach in one hand & a bottle of Jack Daniels in the other. Tracy Nelson was watching from backstage. I bet she was looking at the future & it wasn't her.
Other faves...
Grateful Dead Palace Theater, Waterbury, Ct. It was a brokedown palace. The balcony was shaking that night.
Rolling Thunder Revue, Providence, RI
Bonnie Raitt, Shaboo Inn, Mansfield, Ct.
Lucinda Williams Portland, Me 2001

[racaulk]

21. Here are some of my favorites

Listed chronologically...

Tina Turner, Greensboro, NC 2000
Garbage, Atlanta, GA 2005
Lenny Kravitz, Atlanta, GA 2005
Prince, Atlanta, GA 2005
Scissor Sisters, Atlanta, GA 2006

[geardaddy]

22. My five (in no particular order):

The English Beat (with Bow Wow Wow as the opening act) - Met Center - 1983
The Chieftains - Orchestra Hall - 1982 and 2002
Super Furry Animals - The Fine Line Music Cafe - 2005
Dave Brubek - Orchestra Hall - 2004
Lady Sovereign - The Varsity - 2006

[Amerigo Vespucci]

25. OK, I'll play.

1). Bob Marley & The Wailers, Paramount Theater, Oakland. Riveting, intense, almost hypnotic, Bob at his absolute peak.

2). The Tubes, Paramount Theater, Oakland. Original lineup of the band, Boz Scaggs came out and performed "White Punks On Dope" with the band.

3). Frank Zappa, Berkeley Community Theater, the "Bongo Fury" tour, Captain Beefheart was the opening act, Frank was heavily into playing his guitar that night.

4). Little Richard, Circle Star Theater, San Carlos. Chuck Berry opened the show and had a fucking chip on his shoulder that night, playing a 20-minute set that included "School Days," an out of tune and generally flubbed "Roll Over Beethoven" and 12 minutes of screwing around with "My Ding A Ling." Little Richard, on the other hand, SMOKED (He wore his "mirrors" suit) and played EVERY ONE of his major hits and interacted wonderfully with the audience.

5). Allman Brothers Band, Shoreline, Mountain View, the "Where It All Begins" tour. Warren Haynes, Dickey Betts was still in the band, and you haven;t lived until you've heard Warren eulogize Duane in concert with a ten-minute "Dreams."

:patriot:

[Bonobo]

34. This is closest to me of all the responses. So here goes mine...

BTW, I am INSANELY jealous that you saw the Bongo Furt tour!!!! GRRRR!!!


David Byrne -Saw them in my own town, Northampton. I went with my wife and daughter. Great show, very special.

Frank Zappa/Jerry Garcia Band - 1982, I think. In Chicago. The only time I got to see Frank :(. You are What you Is tour.

Grateful Dead -1985 Chicago

Buddy Guy/Junior Wells -first time I saw them was in Iowa City, IA. I snuck bakstage and drank mad dog and talked with them! After that, I saw Buddy about 50 times at Legends in Chicago many years later when he opened it. Like the time David Bowie and Adrian Belew stopped in!

The Firm - the ultimate supergroup. Saw both tours.

Peter Gabriel - Every show he does is a mystical/religious experience. Mushrooms help too.

Jethro Tull (about 15 times) -first tim was in 1981 at U. of Wisconsin, Madison.

Simon and Garfunkel -1983, Chicago

[Bennyboy]

26. The Grateful Dead...

Every time I saw them. (About 500 times).

Bob Marley in 78. I knew then it was something far more than a band.

Spearhead. Calaveras. The only artist I ever saw that affected me in the way that Bob Marley did.

String Cheese Incident 7-04-98 at High Sierra. With David Grisman, Joe Craven and others. During Lonesome Fiddle Blues>So What>Lonesome Fiddle Blues, I realized that this was the music I was looking for since Jerry died.

Phish last year on halloween. the Exile set. Exile on main Street. Incredible. Mind blowing.

[flvegan]

27. 1. The Cult at the Sun Dome in Tampa.

Why? Followed the tour bus to Orlando, hung out with the band, got tix and backstage passes to the next show.

2. Beastie Boys at Jannus Landing, Check Your Head tour. Tiny venue, was no more than 3 feet from the front of the stage.

3. AC/DC, forget which place, Thunderstruck tour. Fifth row, dead center seats. I could almost SMELL Angus!

4. Faith No More, Sun Dome in Tampa, The Real Thing tour. Because there were exactly three of us in the whole place that actually understood the story behind him wearing the Domino's pizza guy's delivery shirt.

5. Kiss, Worcester Coloseum, the Crazy Nights tour. My first date. First of a LOT of things *snicker*

[RagAss]

28. #1. Neil Young 1978 - MSG, New York

#2. Clapton 1977 - LI coliseum
#3. Jefferson Starship 1978 New Haven
#4. Dave Mason 1979 Hartford
#5. Steely Dan - 1993 - Jones Beach

[dana_b]

29. in no partiular order

The Who - April 18, 1980 oakland Coliseum - My first REAL concert and after that I had a ringing in my ears for two weeks. Awesome!

The Clash - 1982 in L.A. - it's the Clash - need say more?

Queen - 1979 Oakland Ooliseum - Freddie was on fire and it was just an amazing show

Rage Against the Machine - Lollapalooza 2008 - This was a hard one. I saw Rage 5 times within a year and a half and every show was fantastic. I think the thing that made it so special was being able to share it with my best friend in Chicago too. SHe had never seen Rage before and after the show I got to introduce her to the band.

Audioslave - March 20, 2003 - San Francisco - look at the date. The Iraq war had just started and the city was crazy. The show's atmosphere was fueled with protest, anger and a fire. Crazy good show!

[Coyote_Bandit]

30. Those would be

(1) Johnny Cash (twice)
(2) The original Carter Family with Mother Maybelle
(3) B B King
(4) John Denver
(5) Willie Nelson and Bob Dylan


In no particular order of course

[Brickbat]

31. Best one, and I've said this before, was House of Pain and L7 opening for the Beastie Boys in the

Peony Park Ballroom in Omaha in 1992. It was cramped, hot, and it fucking rocked.

2. Jayhawks, Soul Asylum and some other band at a college show in 1992. Drunk, outside, end of the school year.

3. DDT in St. Petersburg, Russia, in 1996. I don't remember this one much, but it was in an outdoor stadium.

4. Joshua Bell, Omaha, 1988 or '89. I was a good violin player and it was fun to see a virtuoso in real life.

5. Uncle Tupelo, St. Peter (Minn.), 1994. I had graduated from college and went to this show at a different college. It was fun to go as a nonstudent. I think it's the only time I ever saw Uncle Tupelo. God, that band kicked ASS.

[SoxFan]

32. Hmmm

U2
Worcester Centrum
Worcester, MA
April 1985
Support: Lone Justice

The Alarm
Capital Centre
Landover, MD
March, 1986
Supporting: Pat Benatar

The Kinks
Worcester Centrum
Worcester, MA
May, 1986

REM
Walter Brown Arena
Boston, MA
August, 1985
Support: The Three O'Clock

And of course, my first:

Rush
Worcester Centrum
Worcester, MA
December, 1982
Support: Rory Gallagher

Some others I've seen:

Waterboys
Concrete Blonde
Steve Wynne
Sidewinders
Echo & the Bunnymen
Drivin' 'n' Cryin'
Kevin Kinney & Peter Buck, acoustic
Steve Earle & the Dukes
The Neighborhoods
Scruffy the Cat
Rubyhorse
Better Than Ezra
Chaka Khan
Greg Allman Band
Smash Palace
Offspring
Violent Femmes
Winter Hours
dBs
Sharon Shannon
Tommy Makem
Smithereens
Lemonheads
The Reducers
Cowboy Mouth
Joe Perry Project
Twisted Sister
Ratt (worst concert ever)
Cheap Trick
Reba McIntyre (aah, married life)

[Rhythm]

47. OMG! A "Neighborhoods" mention!!!

I know they're 'locals' for y'all, but my friends and i would go see them any time they played anywhere near Charlotte.

Always a good time, especially when Dave would start taking audience requests!

[SoxFan]

53. Funny part is that I didnt see them up here

Caught them at the original 9:30 when I was living in DC back in '86.

[Kat45]

56. I think that might be the U2 show that I was at.

:hi:

[NNadir]

33. John Abercrombie at 7th Avenue South. Abercrombie and Ralph Towner at the Bottom Line,

Dave Van Ronk at some dive in the Village that I don't remember, when he played until 4 in the morning, outlasting most of the audience, except me and my pal. At some point he was playing, just to play, a little drunk maybe, but clean, and that voice...that voice...

David Bromberg in an electric incarnation played at My Father's Place on Long Island, made his guitar talk, literally. I must have seen David Bromberg play 100 times in all incarnations, blue grass, blues, folk, rock with some jazz stuff thrown in for good measure. he was never anything but great.

I saw Oregon play one night on the same bill with Keith Jarrett somewhere in Los Angeles, and I saw Oregon at the Bottom Line not long before Colin Wolincott died. I didn't dream it was the last time I'd hear him play alive.

I saw McCoy Tyner at the Village Vanguard, all those ghosts and then him live.

I saw Arthur Blythe play there too, and also some place up in Haarlem.

For my money, John Abercrombie is kind of like a God. He has these little twitches on his face when he plays. He's pure genius. The nice thing about that kind of music, is that it's always intimate. You can really hear the music.

I'm past 5, but these were all great concert experiences. No one leads a life good enough to deserve what I have seen.

[Dinger]

35. Great Question!

1. Willie Nelson, Appleton, March 20, 2010

2. U2 Rosemont Horizon (Oct. '87)

3. U2 in Camp Randall (Madison, Wi) Early 90's

4. Van Cliburn playing the Tschaikovsky Piano Concerto #1 with the Moscow Philharmonic in Milwaukee (1994), WOW! Met him backstage too!

5. Vladimir Ashkenazy playing the complete set of Chopin Etudes (Milwaukee, late '70s)

[av8rdave]

37. Hard to pick just 5, but OK...

U2. Zoo TV tour, Texas Stadium, Irving, Texas, 1992. Still edgy and innovative. The sound and the visuals were stunning.

Stevie Ray Vaughan, Veterans Memorial Coliseum, Phoenix, Arizona, 1984. Stevie. Ray. Vaughan. Enough said.

Maynard Ferguson and Stan Kenton trading sets, Idora Park Ballroom, Ohio, 1974. Two legends with intertwining careers. Virtuosos with amazing orchestras. Got to meet them both.

BB King and Bobby "Blue" Bland, Billy Bob's, Fort Worth, Texas. Two members of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame who proved why. They still had it despite their ages.

Harry Chapin, U.S. Air Force Academy Field House, 1979. I ended up sitting with his wife for the show. An ex-cadet, Chapin always had a place in his heart for the Academy. A musical storyteller with a social conscience. Nobody could know that he had so little time left.

There have been so many other memorable ones over the years.

Edited for wrong year on one of them.

[DBoon]

39. Patti Smith 1976, Santa Monica Civic, Radio Ethiopia Tour

Just amazing different music and scene from the Prog Rock I had been listening to

Other shows that are memorable:

- David Bowie, Diamond Dogs Tour, Universal Amphitheater
- David Bowie, Station to Station Tour, Inglewood Forum. No warm up band, just a showing of The Andalusian Dog
- Seeing X at Club 88 in 1979
- Black Flag and The Vandals in 1983. Memorable because some 13 yr old skater punk called me an old fart. I was like 26 at the time

[BuddhaGirl]

40. Genesis, around 1981, 1982??

Wasn't a huge fan, but my best friend had the tickets...they played in Los Angeles.

Beyond the music, there was an AWESOME light show, and we were stoned silly!! :smoke:

Good times...good times!

[Goblinmonger]

41. My #1--The Dead Milkmen at 1st Ave in Minneapolis

in 1992. Why? Because my wife knew I loved the Milkmen and bought me tickets for my birthday. She hated the music and sat through Billy Goat, Mighty Mighty Bosstones (who put on a GREAT show), and the Milkmen just because she knew I would like it.

[Hayabusa]

42. My Top Five

5: Reba in 1988 or 9. I don't remember a thing about this concert, only that my mom tells me that it was my first. As my first, I had to add it in.

4: Red Hot Chili Peppers/Foo Fighters: 2000 at Hearnes Center. My first rock concert. I arrived a little late due to school to get very good seats at the general admission show, but I still enjoyed it.

3: Meat Puppets 2007 at The Blue Note: Seeing my second favorite band and true alt-rock legends for the first time. Good setlist and great energy from the band. Funnily enough, my grandma (in her 80s) went with my mom and I to see them. She enjoyed Curt's acoustic solo album and loved it when they opened up with an electric version of one of the songs.

2: Pearl Jam 6/12/03 in Bonner Springs, KS. This was my first time seeing my favorite band live, and the atmosphere conspired to make it memorable. It was a month after my high school graduation and the concert was likely part of my gift from my mom. The day of the concert a huge storm front moved into the area and by the time the opening band finished up their set, the rain had started pouring down. The pouring down rain and lightning crisscrossing the sky of the outdoor ampitheater made it even more memorable.

1: Pearl Jam 5/3/2010 in Kansas City, MO. My birthday gift to my mom. Won the fan club lottery and got second row right in front of the lead guitarist. Nabbed her a pick thrown from said guitarist. Good show with a good set.

[tabbycat31]

43. I've had many but I'll list my favorite.

Nine Days, Trenton NJ April 4 2001

I had just turned 21 (4 days earlier) and this was a show that I wasn't supposed to be at (as only students of a college could buy tickets). So I paid a random college student $20 to get me a $15 ticket (as did a friend). I had followed the band around already so I knew what kind of show I was expecting, and at first I thought it would suck as they made us sit down and they were not headlining (therefore shorter set).

In the middle of their set, they played the song "257 Weeks" which they always did a random dedication of. They read their online fan forum and from reading that they knew that I had just turned 21. I was in the 1st row and they saw me and dedicated the song to "Caroline who is finally 21 and now drunk 24 hours a day." I was in disbelief the whole time.

After the show they met us at their signing and the first thing they did was hug me and wish me happy birthday. Hung out with them for hours and ended up bringing pizza home from that show (they had pizzas delivered afterwards and let us have some...,there was 1/2 a pizza left and they insisted I bring it home---I put it in the fridge and someone in my family ate the leftover pizza).

[LearnedHand]

44. Great question, but it's really hard to settle on five

So here goes (no particualr order):

Alanis Morisette, touring "Jagged Little Pill"

REM touring "Around the Sun"

The Cure truing several ne efforts in 2008 -- AWESOME 3-hr concert at Denver's Red Rocks. They never seemed to tire, and their voices were truly ethereal.

Richard Thompson, little music festival in Santa Fe NM in 2009 (or maybe 2008)

Emmy Lou Harris sometime in 2000 or 2001

=========================

I;ve seen some phenomenal big-name bands, but the never moved me quite like these folks did. I saw The Who when they toured "Tommy." The music was spectacular, but they didn't click with the audience very well, I thought. Ditto the Stones and "Sticky Finger." I lovec the music, but it was spoiled by their arrogant attitudes about their own greatness. And then i saw some wonderful performers such as Burning Spear (raggae), Zap Mama (performance music), John Williams (Classical guitarist playing arrangements of African traditional melodies), Mickey Hart and Planet Drum :-), Vassar Clemmins and his red-hot fiddle, and more. They've all enriched my life a little bit with each concert.

[Forkboy]

45. Any show by the following bands were/are a total blast....

Alice Donut, Didjits, Ed Hall, Cows, Melt Banana....and about 8 dozen more.

I've seen hundreds of shows and very few would qualify as bad. I haven't seen a bad show in over 2 decades. The last halfway bad show I saw was Fudgetunnel and Pain Teens, and that was probably around '91 or so. Pain Teens were outstanding, but Fudgetunnel's sound was fucked up and there was no bass coming through. Their sound guy was a maroon. Too bad because they were a groovin' band.

[Rhythm]

46. You mean i have to narrow it down to just five?! Geez...

Danzig / White Zombie - Irvine Meadows ampitheatre, CA - Halloween 1992
Under a Halloween full moon with 20k crazy people... the barricade in front of the stage collapsed about 30 seconds into Danzig's set, making me ever-so-glad that i wasn't in my usual no-man's land locale (between the barricade rails and the stage), and was instead hanging out with my sound-engineer buddy in the booth that night.

Black Flag - The Milestone Club, Charlotte NC - May 1985
Amazing energy in the club that night... wall-to-wall packed with people, and an immense and snarling pit. One of my forays into the swirl landed me with a face full of blood and a broken nose.

Lollapalooza II - Blockbuster Pavillion, Charlotte NC - August 1992
Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Ministry, and the Chili Peppers... all in one day! I was sunburned, hoarse, and damn-near dead on my feet by the time we headed home that night.

Marilyn Manson / Monster Voodoo Machine - Cat's Cradle, Carrboro NC - March 1995
The infamous night when Manson set the drum kit--and the drummer--on fire! Good opening band, tight-but-maniacal sat by Manson. Only downside of the night for me was having my leather vest get up and walk away when i lost hold of it up in the front of the stage area. Hope someone else enjoyed it from there on.

Rollins Band - 9:30 Club, Washington DC - October 1993
Last minute ticket score courtesy of my favorite old roadtrip buddy. This was a show where Henry and company were trying out the material on the yet-to-be-released "Weight", so every song was something nobody had heard before, and the crowd was totally into it.

[MrScorpio]

48. Here we go

War - 1983 - Keesler AFB, Biloxi MS
They came to do a free concert for us troops while I was in Tech School.

Needless to say, it was a fun time had by all.



Steel Pulse - 1980 - Detroit

Huge concert, True Democracy tour... It was dynamite



Flora Purim - 1990 - Blues Alley, Washington DC

My favorite jazz singer of all time. I even got to meet her!



Sly & Robbie with Freddie McGregor and Maxi Priest - 1988 - Washington DC

Except for all the dope smoking college students, one of the best concerts I've ever been to in my life.



P-Funk - 1981 - Detroit

'Nuff said.

[lazarus]

62. Dude

You were at Keesler in '83? I was at Keesler in '84! Small freaking world.

I don't go to many concerts. Best were:

Billy Idol in 83 in Birmingham
Black Flag and Fear in north Alabama in 83 or 84, can't remember
Leon Redbone just a few weeks ago here in San Diego

[KamaAina]

49. You mean besides my first 5 Dead shows?

Okay, there was the Re-Birth Brass Band at the Maple Leaf in New Orleans, the Dirty Dozen Brass Band (with Paul Cebar and the Milwaukeeans!!) at Fitzgerald's in Berwyn, Il, the Loose Marbles at the corner of Royal and St. Louis in NOLA, Jethro Tull at the old New Haven Coliseum (my first), and...

my friends Tara and Dana at the old Stuyvesant High School in NYC. :loveya: Did I mention they have a single out there?

http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/DanaFialco

[smoochpooch]

50. This is a tough question.

1. Pearl Jam, 1998 Rapid City S.D.

2. Rancid, 2006, Mississippi Nights St. Louis

3. Bob Dylan, 2001 Denver Arena

4. Chuck Berry, 2004 Blueberry Hill, St. Louis

5. 311, 1994 Fox Theater, Boulder CO

[mikeSchmuckabee]

52. BOC @ Barnhill Arena in Fayetteville AR

Even in our small town, they pulled out all the gags: lasers, flashpots, Godzilla, guitars! Helluva show.

The Who in Dallas, 1982. 3 acts (Steel Breeze, Billy Squier, The Who). Pete Townsend smashed a guitar in my presence.

Yes @ Riverfront Amphitheatre in Little Rock AR. Original members

Grateful Dead in Memphis 3/31/95 The Wheel

Allman Brothers @ Swiss Villa Amphitheatre Lampe, MO.

[elocs]

54. I don't have 5, but I did see Paul McCartney and Wings in 1976 in Minneapolis.

Because it was Paul McCartney and he played for over 2 hours, just him and Wings, no other band.

Ironically I have also seen the Backstreet Boys and NSYNC, but that's when I took my daughter and even she wouldn't own up to it now. I did start her out at a Counting Crows' concert and the last one was one I had to endure, an all day heavy metal fest in Tinley Park.

[CabalPowered]

55. This was hard

Other than The Grateful Dead and in chronological order:

--Bruce Hornsby: EMU Ballroom, Eugene. 4/10/96
This was my 2nd Hornsby show, the first being at a festival. This was much more intimate with Bruce taking requests from the audience all night.

--Ben Harper: Wow Hall, Eugene. 4/20/96
Wow.

--Widespread Panic: Red Rocks, Morrison. 5/31/96
A last minute road trip that turned into a month long camping excursion .

--Wilco: McDonald Theatre, Eugene. 09/04/03
My first Wilco show, historic theatre, great crowd, great setlist.

--Widespread Panic: House of Blues, Orlando. 4/13/09
I've caught a lot of Panic shows over the years, indoor, outdoor, festivals, side projects.. but this show will always be my favorite. The first night of three night run. The band was coming off an extended break and had been practicing for a month. Jimmy Herring and John Bell had spent the previous month fishing the Gulf together and supposedly became close friends during the trip. These guys were ready to play and the House of Blues was perfectly suited for the event. It is now the longest Panic show in the books, clocking in at 4 1/2 hours. And to close the show, they deliver a new song for a 2nd encore, aptly named Up All Night.

[Kat45]

57. A couple of more good ones I thought of...

Rory Gallagher at the Paradise in Boston, where he played for around 3 hours.

Also the Operation Rock and Roll Tour at Great Woods in Mansfield, MA. The bill was Judas Priest, Alice Cooper, Motorhead, Dangerous Toys, and Metal Church. Outdoor show, real hot day. I had just done articles on Motorhead and Dangerous Toys, so I had backstage passes--and that's when I met Lemmy!

[JTG of the PRB]

58. Only been to one real concert - Flight of the Conchords at Red Rocks Ampitheatre

And it was awesome! The weather was perfect, they played a bunch of my favorite songs, and I was there with a couple good friends.

[applegrove]

59. I love dance so I absolutely loved Madonna. She was excellent in that regard.

Dixie Chicks were great for music. Natalie Maines has such an amazing voice.

[dembotoz]

60. hendrix not long before he died--in milwaukee

the who '76 in kansas city

bowie twice-glass spider and then again later

boomtown rats 80?

[MrSlayer]

61. #1 Slayer - Venom - Exodus, Studio 54, April 3,1985.

The Ultimate Revenge for Disco.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dHBHzmpMVGY&playnext_from=TL&videos=mspFd99DRjw


All my top five would be Slayer concerts, probably my top 47, so let me go to other bands.



#2 The Rolling Stones, JFK Stadium in Philadelphia 1981, Still Life (Tattoo You) tour.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3qxFs6HSso

#3 Live Aid, July 15, 1985. JFK Stadium Philadelphia.

Black Sabbath, Judas Priest, Led Zeppelin, others.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XT2DktNBRfo

#4 Stormtroopers of Death, Trocadero in Philadelphia, January 1992.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgIQbaNcCqg

#5 Jane's Addiction, Tower Theater, Philadelphia. November 19, 1990.

Mainly because of the riot that ensued after the band walked off the stage early. Great show despite the inferior sound and a riot is always interesting to be a part of. You just have to know how to avoid the nightsticks and thrown bottles.

No riot footage so here's "Whores" from 1991 in Ohio.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lBwgyXxScoM

[smoochpooch]

63. That is a cool-ass S.O.D. video. n/t