Best and Worst Rock Concert Moments


I will start this off. 1975 Jethro Tull concert at the Seattle Center Coliseum. About midway through the show an M-80 goes off in the crowd in the middle of a song and Ian Anderson holds his hand up in the air and counts to three with his fingers and the band stops playing in mid measure all at once as though some one had flipped a switch. The whole place goes dead quiet for about 15 seconds or so. Anderson says something like "Well, that was bloody ******* RUDE! If you want us to keep playing then you better cut that crap right out and have a little more respect for your NEIGHbor. Do you really want us to play some more?". The crowd slowly starts to applaud and then it builds to a crescendo. As the applause starts to die down, Anderson holds his hand up in the air, counts out loud to three and the band cuts back in full force absolutely mid-measure where they left off.

When the song ended I have never heard such intense applause in any arena or hall for any song at any show. I was completely dumb struck by how Anderson handled the situation and by the musicianship of the whole outfit. Maybe it was a staged event, but I doubt it. Either way, it was really something else...
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Showing 1 response by janewyman

Don't know what it is with Jethro Tull, but things happen when he performs.  Mid '70's at Red Rocks somedumbfuc had to throw a beer bottle at a cop and smack him in the face.  It really hit the fan when the cops turned their dogs loose on the crowd and a stampede to the exits started and the cops on horseback just started hitting anyone within range with nightclubs.  That mess made its way to the parking lot and people were crawling under cars to get away from the seemingly insane cops running people down with the horses and smacking anyone standing.  A really bad show.  No more rock concerts there for a number of years.