Tift Merritt. The last show of her "Traveling Alone" tour in her home town. Chris Stamey opened for her. It was an outdoor show. The rain stopped right before Tift started to play. It was recorded by PBS for one of their future fund raisers.
PS. I saw it with my daughter.Ponchos & Umbrellas my friends.
@tubegroover, we’re the same age, and I (Eric) had just turned 14 when I saw The Beach Boys live for the first time. All Summer Long was their latest album, and I spent the Summer of ’64 listening to it every day as my girlfriend and I made out on her couch for hours. Hi Mary Lou ;-) . She somehow knew the date of the show was close to the birthday of one of the boys, so she and two of her friends brought along a cake to The SJ Civic Auditorium to present to birthday boy. We went to the back stage door and knocked, and a security guard answered. He ushered in the three girls, but not I! I could not wait to start playing shows myself, and get some of that action ;-) . Less than a year later, I was.
I next saw The Beach Boys in the early 70’s at The Fillmore (with Chicago opening); Dennis had a broken arm, and was playing electric piano, Ricky Fataar was on drums. They were very strong; Chicago paled in comparison.
I met Dennis in 1982 at a small club in Venice, CA named Blackies. I was on stage that night, and he was sitting alone at a table, drinking. As I sat down to tell him how much I liked his solo album, I noticed how puffy his pretty face had gotten, presumably from drink. If you have a chance to see Brian live now, my advice is to not. Seeing and hearing him live (in the very early 00’s, with The Wondermints in his large band) was (apart from the death of my Mother when I was 15) the saddest, most depressing thing I have ever experienced. My heart hurts to this day.
@slaw, I too have seen Tift live, at The Troubadour in 2008, I believe it was. She was swell, but I sure wish I had seen Lucinda on her West tour. I’m now absolutely in love with that album.
@boxer12 I had exact same experience with the Dead in 1978 in Cleveland. Studying for my first grad school finals so completely unaltered and it was incredible, Most recently, saw Kishi Bashi this past June at the Old Town School of Folk Music. He was performing with a Kodo drum ensemble. While I am a big fan, I can see a number of folks being not interested. But this show was such an unexpected experience - just amaizing. There is no way anyone attending but unfamiliar with his music would not have left as a lifelong fan from that point on. Someone posted on You Tube the performance of ‘Atticus in the Desert’ from that show for anyone interested. A once in a lifetime performance and concert experience.
And finally, George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra in 1965 at Severence Hall. I was 10 and it was my first live symphony. Dvorak’s 9th. Cemented my love of classical music!
I've seen almost 500 concerts; so, here's the top 3%:
PINK FLOYD, summer of 1973 in Detroit. My 4th concert. This was the "Dark Side of The Moon" tour. Talk about "a hard act to follow!"
MOTT THE HOOPLE & NEW YORK DOLLS, fall of 1973 in Atlanta. I can describe the audience is 3 words: "Halloween on acid."
ERIC CLAPTON, summer of 1974 in Atlanta. Pete Townshend opened the show with a solo version of "Pinball Wizard" and he didn't come back until the final encore to play on "Layla." Keith Moon tried to play drums on the first 3 songs, but he passed out and fell off the drum stool and had to be carried off the stage by Clapton's roadies.
ERIC CLAPTON & SANTANA, summer of 75 in Detroit. They took turns headlining or opening; so, it was great watching them try to outdo each other. But, the final encore was a 20 minute jam with every member of both bands playing together.
JEFF BECK, fall of 1980 in Atlanta. When they opened the curtain to reveal Simon Phillips massive drum kit, the "oohs and aahs" that reverberated thru the building was hilarious.
AL DiMEOLA - PACO DeLUCIA - JOHN McLAUGHLIN, spring of 1981 in Detroit. The original "acoustic summit" was awe inspiring!
THE CLASH, fall of 1982 @ Kent State University. To say that those boys were inspired to be playing at Kent State is an understatement of epic proportions.
TALKING HEADS, summer of 1983 in Detroit. This is from the "Stop Making Sense" tour. What incredible energy! It's a shame that the concert film doesn't begin to capture that energy.
JIM CARROLL, fall of 1983. The show was at the Detroit Institute of Arts, and it was a combination poetry ready and concert. Thus, totally unique.
HUNTERS & COLLECTORS, spring of 1987 in Atlanta. The most "primal" show that I've ever seen. Every audience member danced their butt off and walked out drenched in sweat and totally ecstatic. I wish I could bottle the feelings from this show.
THE BLUE NILE & WENDY MaHARRY, summer of 1990 in Atlanta. The most magical and spiritual concert experience ever for me. There were cameras that were filming this show; but, it's never been released.
PJ HARVEY, SUMMER OF 1993 in Atlanta. The raw sensuality of this show has never been duplicated. It was almost as primal as H&C show.
SADE, fall of 1993 in Atlanta. The audience was emitting so many hormones that you could cut the air with a knife.
PINK FLOYD, spring of 1994 in Atlanta. This was the "Pulse" tour.
KAKI KING, spring of 2018 in Chapel Hill. This is from her "The Neck is a Bridge To the Body" tour. Her video presentation is totally unique and has got to have made the Pink Floyd crew jealous. Lots of good videos from this tour on YouTube.
Hands down, my first concert Queen ~1977 at the Chicago International Ampitheatre for 4 reasons:
1) Anybody remember the YMCA Indian Guides? Older kids group was Trailblazers. Our group had some older High School guys, who were pretty cool & had amazing musical taste. So, one of my 8th Grade (?) or Freshman yr (?) outings was a Queen concert.
2) Indian Guides was Father & Son. My Dad thought the BeeGees were too wild for his taste. But, he sat thru that concert & had fun because he was there with his son & other Father’s & Sons.
3) I hadn’t been exposed to much more than top 40’s. It exposed me to a whole new world & my musical interests exploded.
4) It was the most amazing, “kick ass rock tour de force”. Freddie’s vocals “lifted you to heaven & then slammed you in the face & melted your spine”. Those were a couple of the descriptions of Queen that I remember. Then, Brian May’s guitar playing alternated between searing, melodic, soft and raw. But for an 8th Grader... indescribable.
So, 2 reasons were the story, 1 was how if effected my musical world & 1 reason was power & grace of that music. Actually, I do have to say that Freddie put on an amazing show with only a microphone stand & tights. Who needs explosions, lasers & flying stages when you have Freddie.
#1: Lowen & Navarro, at the Fine Line Music Café in Minneapolis Minnesota around 1990. Small intimate setting, they even unplugged for an encore and played acoustic guitars, and cello with no amplification. Just a magical night my wife and I will always remember.
#2: Dire Straits, Love Over Gold tour. St. Paul, Roy E Wilkins auditorium. The best D.S. album IMO and a great venue for excellent sound. With one of my best friends from high school. The couple sitting behind us was willing to share some of the best marijuana I had ever had! Mark Knopfler and company never sounded better.
I can tell you that Queen did not disappoint two years later (Jazz tour) as I had mentioned earlier in the thread. It was kick in your gut energy but beyond good. They did have lots of lights, though. Cover of the Queen Live Killers lights (that was from that tour).
I took my wife to see Elton John last night. It was a complete surprise to her. She thought we were driving to Columbus, Ohio to pick up something I bought on Craigslist. She didn't know where we were going until the second we turned into the venue and I told her where going to see Elton John. Her reaction was priceless. Complete emotional breakdown! She's a big fan and has been wanting to see Elton John for the 25 years I've known her.
Anyway, we had PERFECT seats. I bought unsold VIP seats 2 days before the show when they were turned back to the venue (and at about 30% of the original VIP Price!). 10th row, dead center, completely unobstructed view of Sir Elton about 25 feet directly in front of us.
I can't saw it was the best concert I've ever seen (I've seen a lot!), but it was very, very good. But the experience was one of my best ever. My wife was in heaven, completely beside herself with joy. Wow! What a moment. Memorable, to say the least.
@shkong78 - Sound was pretty good, for a 19,000 seat arena. All of the speakers were hung up high, so no obstruction of the view. The subs, were on either side of the stage, down at floor level. We were dead center and up very close. So, the sound was good, but very loud. Wish I had taken my earplugs, but I forgot them.
I wend to the restrooms and bar back at the back end of the floor and there was much less volume of sound and the SQ was pretty good.
Can't complain at all, considering it was a big arena.
I have to say it was The Beatles, on my 12th birthday, in Baltimore, my dear dad took me. There have, and continue to be, countless concerts to follow, but that one stands out for a number of reasons. I wish I had the opportunity to see Nathan Milstein, as the OP started with.
Over the decades, I've attended *thousands* of live performances, ranging from the New Lost City Ramblers, to the N. Y. Pro Musica, to Michala Petri, the Heifetz of the recorder, to Kathryn Tickell, OBE, the Heifetz of the Northumbrian smallpipes, to Felix Hell on the pipe organ, to bands like Chicago and the Eurythmics, to Bill Monroe & the Bluegrass Boys, to Natalie MacMaster, Cape Breton fiddler extraordinaire. Many were spectacular and very memorable.
None, however, have ever exceeded The Bothy Band, who I *produced* in concert at a small community college in far western New York State in September of the year of '76. They were on a short, and mostly disastrous, tour, the only time they ever performed in the U. S. Nevertheless, their performance was like no other. It was Promethean—they brought fire to Earth. The Bothys had just recorded their second album, "Old Hag You Have Killed Me," two months earlier, and Kevin Burke was playing the fiddle. I'd turned out an audience of over 200 people in that small town, and no one, not even myself, had ever heard the like. After an opening set by Lew London, the Bothys played for 2 1/4 hours *without a break*, until 11:30 pm, and no one left. Half way through, they put down their instruments and sang their now famous a cappella piece "Fionnghuala" https://youtu.be/3aFAQvhA9kY When they were done, the audience sat in stunned silence for at least 10-15 seconds before the first person clapped, then they went nuts. I've never seen that happen in all of the years and all of the concerts I've attended since. And so it went. As I said, Promethean.
October 31, 1990, Wembly Arena, London England. Grateful Dead. They played Werewolves of London.
The Who, Atlanta Omni, November, 24, 1975
Grateful Dead, Atlanta Omni, December 12, 1974
Talking Heads, Pretenders, Dire Straits, Alex Cooleys Electric Ballroom (aka The Agora Ballroom), Atlanta GA, various dates 1976-1979
Fleetwood Mac, Fox Theater, Atlanta GA, November 14, 1975
Bruce Springsteen, Atlanta Civic Center, March 2, 1977
This is just what I remember. We saw a lot of music in the 1970s. Can’t remember all the Grateful Dead shows I attended around the country over three decades.
Saw Jimi Hendrix at Merriweather Post outdoors in MD circa 1969. A monster thunderstorm came out of nowhere and Hendrix’ guitar picked up Purple Haze a local radio station was playing since he was in town. Hendrix held his guitar up to the microphone so the audience could hear Purple Haze and said, thank you, thank you.
reubent, as I mentioned my two favorite concerts were R.E.M in the mid 80s when they hadn't yet gotten huge and then The Struts about a month ago. One common denominator: my wife was with me at both. She was my girlfriend for the first and wife of 30 years at the second. She is not into music as I am (though she is a musician)....well, not the type of music I am into anyway....but she had a blast at both of these concerts, especially The Struts since she likes to sing and dance. So maybe that is a big part of why those two shows stand out for me.
@n80 -
My wife does not enjoy music the way I do either. But, she's wanted to see Elton John for all of her life since she was an early teen. It was a joyful experience. I enjoyed the show quite a bit. But it was a joy and a blessing experiencing her reaction to seeing her lifelong idol. Priceless.
Can I get a partial credit, at least, for flying my daughter to a Leonard Cohen concert and then one more ("fans and media only", no kidding, that was the title of it at Beacon Theatre in New York)?
She made it through both, even singing most of the time. Later she made me buy her a Judy Collins singing Leonard Cohen CD and take her to her concert, too.
She was 4 (years) at that first concert and full mature 5 at the second.
"I wish I had been to live concert of Bruce Springsteen. I want to know why he is called boss."
He is simply good, and I am not much of his true fan. That is all I can say about that one time I saw him.
However, those who have been to his Broadway performances, claim it is a different and unexpected experience which cements him as a Boss more than regular concerts. I have not seen it, but quite a reliable crowd told me that. Supposedly, audience cried. I am not even sure how much music is there. Be it what it is, there will be a record (yes, a record) and some other music carrier from those performances coming out soon. Probably before Christmas. Check it out. http://brucespringsteen.net/
If you think about attending one of those shows, good luck with tickets.
Maybe we'll start a new thread, but let's add another dimension to this.... WHAT CONCERT(S) do you WISH you could've/would've been able to see, while the artist was still alive, still touring, or before they broke up (but is/are no longer)??
For me, it's some of the rock classics who died or broke up just a couple years too soon for me to have been able to see them live:
@shkong78 - I was always aware of Bruce Springsteen and had "Nebraska" on CD for years. However, I was never a Bruce Springsteen fan until I saw him live on the "High Hopes" tour in 2014. I was amazed at how good the show was overall and also how good Springsteen was as the front man. When he closed with the solo performance of "Dream Baby Dream", I was hooked forever. I've been to see him a couple of times since, and he never disappoints.
The Greats for the most part were just that and expected. Yet the best overall "Concert" for me was when on the spur of the moment, in mid 70's, Halloween night and someone said there was concert at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium: Golden Erring, Robin Trower and Spooky Tooth. So we went to the box office paid our $4.50 each and sat down as the lights dimmed. GE and RT owned the night but ST w/Gary Wright (yeah the Dreamweaver guy) did pretty darn good.
I think around 1990 Deep Purple decided to play a little unscheduled warm up show at Hammerjacks in Baltimore, MD. Pretty small venue and it was like being a fly on the wall in an intimate rehearsal with Ian Gillan sitting on a bar stool wearing shorts, Ritchie Blackmore still using his Echoplex, Roger Glover on bass and Ian Paice on drums. It felt like I got a living room seat with some rock legends and no one knew this was going to happen until around 4pm that day when a local radio station made the announcement and we immediately hustled to get in line. I was barely old enough to get in.
Vividly Memorable-a little eclectic and in no order:
Adrian Belew - small club in Milwaukee Steely Dan - “Aja” start to finish in Milwaukee in 2014? Daniel Lanois- at the Ark in Ann Arbor in 1991? Steve Reich- at the Michigan Theater in Ann Arbor in 1990? St.Vincent- “Masseduction” 2018 in Milwaukee Peter Gabriel- at SPAC in 1994? Paul Simon- milwaukee 2017 Royal Crescent Mob- Apollo’s in Columbus in 1985
It would have to be Elton John, by himself, playing in Lakeland Florida several years ago. It was spectacular, just him and his piano, in a relatively small venue. We were close enough we could see his fingers playing the keys!
An honorable mention goes for Harry Chapin, also solo, playing at Cornell College in Mt. Vernon Iowa. One of the students got up on stage with Harry and sang too, they both were great together. I can’t imagine it wasn’t rehearsed at some point. This one too was in a very small venue. Harry did these concerts somewhat to get to talk politics for a bit after, and it was embarrassing as some of the people were getting up and leaving. Extremely rude.
I’m not a huge fan of Bob Denver, but I saw him too, and it was just so much fun to listen and enjoy. My college girlfriend had wanted to go, so we went, and I got to hear somebody I wouldn’t have chosen on my own.
I’ve seen Debbie Harry, Blondie, several times back in the ’80s, truly spectacular.
I can remember The Moody Blues, but memorable in a different way, as every song was about twice as fast as it should have been. They must have had a plane to catch.
Two of my children are also music lovers. My oldest saw the following concerts with me: Grateful Dead Bob Dylan Dark Star Orchestra (A couple times) My youngest: Wilco My Morning Jacket Bob Dylan moe. And next week we'll see LOW together! I've tried to talk my daughter into going to a few concerts with me but she really isn't into it. She did earn her Doctorate today though!!!! I'm done bragging (for now)
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