There are certainly more than a few geetar fanciers among us judging by all the threads on guitar bands and best guitarist. This thread is about the best rock shows you saw. Let's limit it to the rock shows. Not Blues or Jazz or solo performers. The concerts that raised the hairs on your neck or made you want to take up an instrument or raised your pulse through their sheer energy or just moved you through their performance on stage. The only ones that count are the ones you've seen. After making a list in my mind of the many rock concerts I attended, most from the late 1960's through early 80's, I have come up with mine. It was tough, I’ve seen well over 200 rock concerts over the years and it is really hard coming up with a top 5 but we have to limit this so here go mine. "Yes" - This group stands out as the 2nd best concert I ever saw with Steve Howe and Chris Wakeman. They opened for Emerson, Lake and Palmer and after their set I do feel that EL&P were disheartened and knew they couldn't match it; they didn't. Funny thing is like most, I was there to see EL&P. They were forced to have another concert the following night by popular demand. Virtuoso musicianship, “Poco” - This group could put on a show. I saw them 4 different times in the many various stages of their evolution. They never had the commercial recognition of some of the other great bands of their era but they sure made up for it in their live performances. No one stayed seated during a Poco concert. “Rod Stewart and Faces” - Ron Wood on guitar and Rod Stewart strutting all over the stage. Rod was probably the greatest natural Rock showman I ever saw, including Mick Jagger. His uninhibited manner and constant movement and soulful vocals brought the house down. The crowd wouldn't let him go after the 5th encore so he invited everyone ("especially the pretty young ladies") to his hotel to “party on”, and so they came; Led Zeppelin I had to include them because next to the Doors and of course Jimi Hendrix they were my favorites of that era and I never did get to see either of the other two. The acoustics were bad and they played so loud you couldn’t really hear the music. But they were great none the less and it was special to me. The best should be kept for last. "The Who" was acknowledged as the best concert band at the time. Getting tickets meant getting in line and waiting. I imagine at the time the only tougher ticket would be the “Beatles” and they weren’t even together then. They didn’t disappoint. The reaction of the audience was beyond anything I ever saw at a live concert before or since. The band was so cohesive and the energy they put out put them into a different realm. They just have to be on a very short list of the best live bands ever.
Peter Gabriel at Forest Hills Tennis Center; Talking Heads also at Forest Hills; Devo (yes Devo) at the Calderone in Hempstead, NY right before they hit it big with Whip It; Dave Matthews Band at Jones Beach, NY; Supertramp at Madison Square Garden. I am sure I am leaving many out and might even change my mind tomorrow.
Black Oak Arkansas, Ten Years After, Johnny Winter , ZZ Topp, Led Zep. I've also heard and seen more of the greatest, Jimi Hendrix, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Skynyrd, Rolling Stones etc. I've heard (depending on who was in the band at the time) Jim Dandy and Black Oak Arkansas along with Ten Years After, sound like they were in the recording studio LIVE. Not many can do that. Live you are there stereo systems? Just a lot of BS!
I saw U2 at the Pier in New York City, August 1980 (awesome show, WAR tour and I think first NY show-Bono stuck the mike down his pants and climbed a scaffold while security chased him up);
I saw Ozzy's Blizzard of Oz, their 1st album in Asbury Park - I'm a BIG Sabbath fan and it was awesome. Randy Rhodes was on guitar.
Rush Permanent Waves tour, NYC, Palladium, 3rd row center (got moved up because our seats had the mixing counsel mounted on them).
Judas Priest, Hell bent For Leather/Unleashed in The East~also at the Paladium, NYC, I think was their best show ever.
Blue Oyster Cult (or should I say, Soft White Underbelly) at LaMours, a small club in brooklyn. The Eric Bloom was about 5 feet from me-what a show!
1. Pink Floyd Chicago Amphitheater 1973/74 2. Yes At a race track outside Chicago 1974/75 3. Queen Aragon Ballroom Chicago 1973/74 4. Uriah Heep Auditorium Theater Chicago 1973 5. Pink Floyd Los Angeles Sports Arena around 1985
1. Hendrix,before he got famous, at Electric Circus nightclub in NYC, 1965. 2. Who at high school gym outside Frankfurt, Germany, Jan (?)1970. I was leaning on the stage - they were so loud that I lost 50% hearing in my right ear - it was worth it. 3. Pearl Jam at small baseball stadium in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla, 9/96. 4. Stepenwolf at small auditorium in Franfurt, Germany, winter 1970. 5. Kool & The Gang at Oakland Colesium Auditorium. May 1974 They opened for Richard Pryor.
I have to agree with Zenblaster, just saw Dave in Cleveland, I've been a fan from the beginning. Leroi Moore is out due to an ATV accident, his replacement on sax stole the show. I didn't catch the guy's name, but he really put on a performance. #41 went a half hour long and the Peter Gabriel "Sledgehammer" pretty cool to hear as well.
In no order; Best I could remember... Jimi Hendrix at the Electric Factory Philly "Mind Blowing Adventure, lost 10lbs." Doors at the late Arena in Philly "Could not believe my eyes, Jim jumps 15 feet into the air, Music was perfect" Yes w/ ELP at the Spectrum in Phiily "I didn't see Yes coming" Cream at the Electric Factory in Philly "He looked stoned but the greatest guitar work ever" The Specials at the Washington Hotel in NYC. "Super special, best drumming & party ever" One More Please; John Maclaughlin at the Gaselight NYC with the M. Orch. "New and improved direction" The Best Blues concerts trump the above of course.
Waaaay too many to list, however: -Genesis, (all US tours) Selling England by the Pound the best. -Bowie, Ziggy Stardust -Jethro Tull, Passion Play -Roxy Music -Beatles and later McCartney
Over the last few years, Dave Mathews is one of the better shows for good music. Very tight band, good musicians- violinist Boyd Tinsley was incredible last week in Hartford . & Tim Reynolds is with Dave this summer. It's a good show -if you get a chance to go you won't be disappointed.
For almost 18 years (1979-1997) I was out nearly every night at a show...the price you pay for being in the music business. Deafness and burnout. Now, I can't believe what passes for a good live show.
Off the top of my head...
In order:
Clash - Bonds Internatinal Casino NYC - went 4 nights as much for the Clash as for the opening acts
Pink Floyd - The Wall - Nassau Colisseum Long Island - A once in a lifetime spectacle.
Swans - Ritz - NYC around the Cop album - UNBELIEVABLE raw power and emotion and volume!
Talking Heads - Forest Hills Stadium Stop Making Sense - A cool concept and a great show. Tom Tom Club as the intermission act - a big plus!
Everything But The Girl - Park West Chicago - Acoustic Tour - so amazing it brought many to tears. 2 singers + 1 guitar = Magic.
1. Grateful Dead Madison Sq. garden 1977 2. Fred Frith in an apartment near Thompkins Sq park 1981 3. Akron/family at Tonic NYC 2006 (with me on stage) 4. Pink Floyd nassau 1980 (I hate the wall, but there were...achem....other elements in play) 5. The Dead at Radio City 1980 or 81
hd74man- I remember the Alice Cooper concert- I was working a roller rink in Medford Ma and Alice Cooper rented it for a party about 1a.m. about him and 100 people all messed up skating around to "I'm 18". Also- saw Deep Purple at the Boston Common, I think it was 71' or around there. Those were some great cheap shows
I've seen 'em all. Saw Zeppelin's first US tour. Saw The Who on their first "Tommy" tour, back when no one had ever heard "Tommy", and they launched into the entire opera and played it beginning to end without pausing and we all just stood there, mouths agape, thinking, "what the freak was THAT"...so loud it was, and so perfectly unbelievable. Heard Neil and Crazy Horse at The Garden, highest volume ever, couldn't hear for two weeks; seriously. Saw Janis three weeks before she died, so drunk she couldn't stand on the San Jose Fairground stage.
But for sheer amazement at his professionalism and just the best show I could imagine (which I couldn't), my number one all-time favorite concert award goes to none other than the Polish Prince, Mr. Bobby Vinton.
I saw him perform at the the Fountainbleau Hotel on Miami Beach -my parents threatened me with loss of my car if I didn't go - and he was phenominal. He sang, he danced, he played the trumpet and the drums and every other instrument in his back-up band. And it was at that exact moment I learned the true meaning of life: roses ARE red, violets ARE blue, sugar IS sweet, but NOT as sweet you.
Hey Rhyno! No, DRI Rules!!! :) I was thinking that maybe noone on this board would even know DRI - not exactly 'audiophile' tunes, although crossover (the tour i saw) was quite well recorded compared to earlier stuff... In any case, that was easily the best show i ever attended! Kurt Brecht was amazing, at one point running through the entire audience, slamming and having a great time. it was about 38 celcius (100 fahrenheit!!!) in the venue and their equipment kept over-heating. the roadie took a big piece of plywood to waft air over the soundboard...the drummer was totally hammered but somehow managed to hold it together - he got virtually everyone in the place slamming, it was insane...Truly one of the best punk gigs ever! When I was thinking about it yesterday, I forgot to put metallica in there...I also saw them in '88, in Saskatoon. There were about 500 people there and it was really good...much better than their later shows when they got a bigger taste of commercial success :)
1) Dirty Rotten Imbeciles (Summer '84) 2) Peter Gabriel (summer '93) 3) SNFU (various mid-80's - I probably saw them at least 10 times in a couple years there) 4) Midnight Oil (Summer '93 - part of "Another roadside attraction") 5) DOA (winter '93) - awesome!!!
1) Cream 1969 Madison Square Garden NYC. Never before or since (until the Police) had 3 people made so much awesome music on stage. But the highlight had to be wondering if Ginger Baker would make it through his famous drum solo Toad, or die trying, so wasted was he at the time. 2-5 Any Dead concert, anywhere, anytime
These were all during the first few years of the 70's. 1.)The Allman Bros., around the time of the Fillmore and Eat a Peach releases. 2.)The Grateful Dead, twice. 3.)Spirit. The band that warmed up the crowd before Spirit came onstage was a little known band called Bachman Turner Overdrive. 4.)John Mayall, around the time of the releases of his Moving On, and Jazz/Blues Fusion Lp's. 5.)Canned Heat.
BTW- Best of recent vintage...how could I forget.. I don't really like their music but.... U-2 Madison Square Garden right after 9-11.. very emotional...just what the City needed..they delivered
I wish I could remember the dates- but from the late 60's Muddy Waters/Chicago. Aerosmith Cape cod Coliseum. Rush, of course. Chuck Berry has to be there and Paul Mc Cartney rocked Foxboro Mass in the early 90'sSo many but those were all some of my favs
Return To Forever - 1974, Evergreen State College library (OK, its half-jazz, but it was LOUD and FAST and CLOSE) Fleetwood Mac - 1976, Seattle Center Coliseum (Buckingham and Nicks rock much harder in person than you would have thought) Rolling Stones - 1981, Seattle Kingdome (and I thought they were old then!) The Clash - 1982, The Warehouse, New Orleans (Boom!) The Talking Heads - 1982, The Warehouse, New Orleans (Bang!)
Have seen a lot of good shows, but nothing has been better than these.
Scorpions...anytime anyplace..great live band Anthrax - doesnt get your head bobbin..check for a pulse Megadeth - metal musicians at their finest Van Halen - before say 2000 April Wine - kick ass live
TOOL.TOOL.Perfect circle TOOL Alice in chains. I have seen hundreds of concerts in my life. From Madonna to Joe Sample. Of all of the shows I have seen TOOL is by far the most entertaining and sonicly impressive band Ive seen. TOOL is to rock what Miles Davis is to Jazz. If you dont own any Tool go grab lateralus and sit back and be blown away. If you do go to a show pay extra for a good seat. (just saw Rush and they were awesome)
1) any of a handful of Blonde Redhead concerts I attended in the mid-90s in NYC, starting with when I saw them at CBGB's on my first visit there. The only time in my life that I felt like I was witnessing something truly historic and great, like (as I imagined) how some must have felt seeing Hendrix in London early on, or Pink Floyd early on... you get the idea.
2) Gang of Four at The Limelight, around 1993. Entire set from "Entertainment" and "Solid Gold." Unbelievable.
3) dEUS at Brownie's NYC. The "In a Bar, Under the Sea" tour. Amazing.
Those are the three that immediately jump to mind... more would require too much thought to sort out!
- Velvet Underground, Williamstown, MA; Nov. 1966 - Rolling Stones, Amherst MA; early 1970 - The Band, S. Hadley MA; early 1970 - Youngbloods/Jefferson Airplane, New Paltz NY; May 1970 - Springsteen+ E Street Band, NY, NY; Oct. 2003
Bruce Springsteen, LA Sports Arena, 1981 U2, LA Sports Arena, 1987 The Clash, Hollywood Palladium, 1979 Paul Kelly, Hotel Cafe, Hollywood, 2005 The Who, LA Forum, 1973 or Anaheim, 1976
Metallica when they played with the orchestra. I saw them at The Garden in NY.
The Who- right after Entwistle died. Daltry's voice was incredible and they played the songs like the way they recorded them, no boring extended jams like when I saw them years earlier.
Talking Heads in 1977, small bar in Eugene, OR. Bruce, mid 70s,Portland, OR The Nighthawks, fronted by Curtis Salgado (some quiet guy named Robert Cray in the background). First and only time people in a frenzy, dancing on the tables! Max's, Eugene, OR. Los Lobos, Portland, OR Billy Preston, on his birthday, weeks before he passed away, 2005. Bumbershoot, Seattle, WA.
I just came back from seeing Asia... They played Sunday night the 17th, at Hard Rock Live in Orlando, and were absolutely fantastic. The four original members have reunited last year to do a 25 year reunion tour. The group also performed old songs from each members other band from the 70's. John Wetton played bass and sang all of the tunes including Roundabout...If you could just imagine playing Chris Squire's bass lines and then singing Roundabout on top of that in the original key.... and to be honest I prefer the way Wetton sang the song over Jon Anderson. JA is just not my favorite vocalist, even though I do like Yes. Wetton also covered In The Court Of The Crimson King (which Greg Lake sang originally), Fanfare For The Common Man by ELP, and Video Killed The Raidio Star - if you can imagin that with the JW voice. It was a wonderful evening.
The other 4 favorite rock concert were: Chicago, when Terry Kath was still with us, with Steely Dan opening that Show in Tampa Stadium.
Yes, they always did put on a great show...saw them when Bill Buford and Tony Kay were in the band, and saw them again with Alan White and Rick Wakeman. That was in Orlando and then Tampa
My last is Dan Folgelberg. I saw them in 04, here on Hilton Head. What I noticed about that show was how well the drummer played. Later that evening I found out his name was Mike Botts, who played with Bread, who I ironically always thought was a great drummer. The sad part is I later read in Modern Drummer that he had been battling cancer, even during that show in 04.... He passed away about a year later.
When I first came upon this thread a couple of years ago, I hadn't been to a Rock concert in around 15 yrs. They're just too loud for me now and that and the fact that my favorites were all a long time ago made me feel too old to want to post a response.
But over the last couple of yrs. I made an exception for two performers I really wanted to hear and who joined my favorites, so here goes. From earliest to latest.
Commack Arena (a roller rink), Commack NY - 1968. Savoy Brown Blues Band was the headliner - and the only one of the three groups to have released a record to that point - and they were really good. But they were eclipsed by the two opening acts. The first was Mountain, and Leslie West's guitar playing was incredible. And then surpassed by Jeff Beck's. The Jeff Beck Group with Rod Stewart blew us away and I still love the "Truth" album they performed that night.
Fillmore East - Late show, 1969. A five hour show that opened with Keith Emerson and The Nice, followed by The Byrds and ended with the Jefferson Airplane. All great music and performances.
Various venues, Late Sixties to Mid Seventies. The Incredible String Band. The "founders" of World Music always put on fantastic shows unlike anything anyone else was doing at the time.
Stony Brook U. Gymnasium, 1972?. The Holy Modal Rounders. An amazingly inventive band, their live show far surpassed any of their albums. Doubly memorable for the fact that three of the group crashed the night before the concert at the house I was living in at the time.
Madison Square Garden, 2006. Bruce Springsteen and the Seeger Sessions Band. What more can I add to what's been said?
And not A Concert, of course, but I can't leave out Woodstock.
1) Peter Gabriel - 1993 in the Calgary Sattledome, with Adrian Belew, Tony Levin, etc...5th row, and it was truly awesome! 2) DRI (Dirty rotten Imbeciles) - 1985(?) - Regina, SK, Canada - awesome punk bank and the BEST show for energy i have ever seen! 3) Metallica - 1985 - Saskatoon, SK - small crowd ~ 500 people..insane mosh pit! 4)The Weakerthans - 2006 - Lee's Palace, Toronto 5) D.O.A. - 1982 - the Beat Club, Regina, SK...excellent hardcore punk gig in a small room with great dynamics! a little 'sweaty' though :)
1. The Replacements - Don't Tell a Soul tour @ the Robert Orpheum Theater in St. Louis (1990'ish). 2. Paul Westerberg - 14 Songs tour @ Mississippi Nights in St. Louis (1994). 3. Sting & Lyle Lovett @ Riverport in St. Louis (1996)... this probably does not qualify as a "rock" concert, but it was memorable and turned me and my eventual wife onto Lyle Lovett. 4. The Romantics at a music club in Springfield MO in 1986... slam dancing, stoned, drunk and stupid... but I had a blast with my college pals! 5. Paul Westerberg - Eventually tour @ Mississippi Nights in St. Louis (1997'ish)
Six years since my first response to this question and I feel I must list an addition. Last year at the Tabernacle Atlanta and last night at the House of Blues North Myrtle Beach I saw what has to be the band who puts on the strangest show and the best fun you can have at a concert- The Flaming Lips. If you like their music at all, and if you don't mind a young crowd, this show is big big fun! I for one love the music and don't mind the kids (I could do without the high % of smokers). The Tabernacle has a bigger stage for the weirdness to take place, better acoustics and is smoke free, so that show edged out last night's. My wife has warmed up to the Lips over the last few years and to my surprise she really loves them now and had a blast at the show. Any Flaming Lips fan who has seen them will tell you their show have a very high fun factor!
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