Your 5 Fav Rock Concerts

Kiss/Cheap Trick in 75,Peter Frampton/J. Geils Band in 76, ELO in 75, Elton John in 82, Blue Oyster Cult in 76, Bon Jovi in 95 (took my 13 year old son for his birthday - band sounded good but couldn't keep my eyes off the women in the audience...

1) Stones: '69 Sympathy for the Devil tour @ Madison Sq. Garden (4 hour show inclding Ike & Tina Turner, Terry Reid, Paul Butterfiled Blues Band) 2) Who, '68 tour at Schaefer Festival, Wolmann Rink, NY, 3) Lou Reed/Velvet Underground, '68 @ Max's Kansas City, NY 4) Pink Floyd, The Wall Tour, NY, 5)Cream, '68 at Hunter COllege, NY

Here is the top 5 I have attended: 1. John Fogerty at the State Theater; Minneapolis, MN; September, 1997 -- Incredible show and audience. I went expecting to enjoy some old CCR memories and wound up attended a giant dance party. No kidding. I have NEVER EVER in my life seen an audience boogie so hard at a concert. I ended up drenched with sweat by the time it ended. 2. The Who at Target Center, Minneapolis, MN in the winter of 1997. The Who has always been one of my favorite bands, and I jumped at the chance to see their Quadrophina Tour. A friend and his wife got special invitation to sit in a suite owned by the (local) Old Dutch potato chip company. I walked into the suite and looked at the leather couches, full bar, and indirect lighting and thought "Man, this is the way to attend a concert." We sat and schmoozed while the opening band played, but when The Who got ready to take the stage, I opened the sliding soundproof glass door and took a seat in one of the leather "cooshies" that perched out over the crowd. I was always a fan of the Quad album and was amazed that the band played it all the way through note-for-note. Of course, Moonie, was long dead, but Zak Starkey was a fantastic replacement (way way better than Kenny Jones was) and Pete's son Simon did a great job playing the leads on guitar while pop sang and played rhythm. As soon as Entwhistle hit the opening bass riff to "The Real Me" the show moved like a stampede of crazed cattle. This concert is one of maybe two that ever made me actually cry tears. I'm talking hard weeping. Songs like "Bell Boy," "Sea and Sand," and "Love Reign Over Me" struck deep feelings inside my soul; it was like all of the past inner turmoils and tortured thoughts drained out of my body as I wept. This was not a concert--it was therapy! When "5:15" rang out, I almost fell off of the balchony as I jumped up and down in elation. The Who was MY band, and I felt indestructable!!!!! A great time (and excellent seats.) 3. Rod Stewart and Faces at the Minneapolis Auditorium; Fall, 1972 -- Rod the Mod was touring his "Every Picture Tells a Story" album, smack in the middle of his prime music and performance period. This was the first real rock concert I attended at 16 years old. I had just gotten my license and was driving my first car: a volkswagon microbus (kilo anybody). Did lots a partying on the way to the Twin Cities and ended up lost. I asked my buddy to check the map, as it was about 25 minutes until the concert. He mumbled something; I looked over and saw he had the map UPSIDE DOWN!! Anyway, we all made it and saw a fantastic show and sang "Maggie May" all the way home. 4. Loggins and Messina, Fleetwood Mac, The Eagles at the "new" Tampa Stadium; July 3rd, 1976 (the Bicentennial)-- I remember driving to Tampa early in the day and was looking forward to seeing The Eagles. Got there and settled on the field about 4PM. It was a beautiful HOT day out. People were roudy and drinking beer and pop. Every once in a while, there would be a huge WAR of crushed wax cups between the people on the field and the people in the lower deck. Sometimes so many cups would be flying, it looked blue-grey towards the sky. Loggins and Messina were very mellow and got everyone in a great mood. Then Fleetwood Mac came out. I had only heard their older records at the time (Bare Trees, Kiln House, etc.). Stevie Nicks did Rhiannon and totally mesmerized the entire crowd of 70,000 people. Their entire set was unbelievable, and I knew that day (pre-Rumours) that FM would sell millions of records. The Eagles sounded so tight that you might has well have had a recording playing. But their sweet harmonies drifted across the stadium as the sun set and the orange-blue sky darkened and a warm Gulf breeze cooled the sunburned stadium crowd. 5. Mason Prophet, Canned Heat, Jo Jo Gunne, J. Giles Band at the St. Paul Civic Center, sometime in 1973 -- This was another LONG concert and one of the first in the Civic Center. We got there VERY early and staked out a spot about 1/3 back from the stage on the floor. It was sort of odd because of the mix of bands, but after about 5 hours of music, the J. Giles Band came on stage and rocked the entire center silly. Fresh from the success of their "Bloodshot" LP. They played cut after cut of harmonica-laden blues rock with 20,000+ people writhing and boogieing like animals throughout their set. Magic Dick, anyone? And I just gotta add ONE more... 6. Andrew Gold, Hall and Oats, Jimmy Buffet, The Eagles at the Tangerine Bowl stadium Orlando, FL; Summer 1977--this was The Eagles "Hotel California" tour and another hot one. Andrew Gold was passable and did a cute rendition of "Oh What a Lonely Boy." Then a gentle rain started to fall as Hall and Oats took the stage to play an hour of blue-eyed philly soul while everyone swayed to the music (Sara Smile...). Then there was a long break and the sun popped out. Just in time for Jimmy Buffet! I am not a native of Florida, and I only lived there about 4 years, but the people there were totally crazy over Jimmy. It was like partying in someone's back yard--but with 50,000 other people there with you! Buffet had the audience in the palm of his hand and the crowd loved it. He must have played for about two hours as the sun started to sink. Then, The Eagles took the stage as huge "black silouetted palm trees on orange" netting was back illuminated on each side (covering the band's PA speakers). I couldn't believe it, but The Eagles were even tighter than they were the year before. Joe Walsh was a madman on guitar, and the band really ripped up the place. Every note was clear and every harmony was perfect and sweet. A great concert, indeed. ------------------------- This space is reserved for the concerts I never got to see, but that would probably have made my list: Led Zepplin, circa 1973 to 1975 Pink Floyd, circa 1971 to 1977

I have no all time favorite concerts but here are 5 I remember the best 1) Rich Stadium in Buffalo 1975 CSNY with Santana 2) Same place,same year Stones and The Outlaws 3) The Dome arena Roch.NY 1976? Kiss,I thought the place was going to burn down.4) same place,same year? Urhia Heep and Black Oak, both great stage acts! 5) Roch.War Memorial 1973? Black Sabbath in their prime!

- Milton Keynes UK - 1982 i think....one night only....never to be forgotten (the concert not the date!!)