Your 5 Fav Rock Concerts


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.
tubegroover
This post brings back lots of memories. Hard to put in a "order" I guess Allman Brothers Band in 90 New London, CT was 5. Took my daughter as she prompted and cajoled me into seeing them. Thinking to myself, yeah right, They will probably have to wheel Greg in and prop him up. Stand Corrected. They sounded fantastic, Greg was in great voice and mood. Betts was great. 4. Jethro Tull, Frankfurt, Germany 73 - Loved the music and adored the hopping around on one leg "madman flute" player. 3. Tragically Hip - Providence RI - 1989 - One of my very favorite bands that is current. Saw them in a club in front of maybe 150 people and have never been the same. Have seen them twice since in Mass and Kamloops BC. Absolutely one of the best bands touring today. 2. Rolling Stones - No Security Tour - Sacramento, CA 98 - Saw the Bridges to Babylon tour and enjoyed the big show, but thought the stripped down Stones, just some lights and Rolling Stones showed why they are the "Greatest Little Rock N Roll Band" in the world. Fantastic Show - Mick was Rockin!!! 1. Led Zeppelin - Madison Square Garden - 1977 - Scored Front Row tickets. Was like 12th row back. Lived up to the reputation. Best Hard Rock Band that ever played. period.
Queen 1977 Maple Leaf Gardens,U2 1984 MLG,Rod Stewart 1982 MLG,Mott The Hopple Okeffe Center,Rush/Max Webster Exibition Stadium.
The Rolling Stones. I'm 48 yrs.old . I've seen most of the ones listed. They have the most energy,innovation,stage presence,excitement. But the last time people were singing the last song as they were leaving the arena. This was San Jose April, 1999.
Here follows a list of fav rock concerts of more modern times...don't know if it makes for a 'top five' list, but it's what comes to mind. Yo La Tengo are certainly contenders for "the greatest living rock and roll band"...music lovers at heart and inspired musicians as well. A perfect synergy of 3 musicians and when they're 'on' they can amaze and transcend...any one of several great shows could make the list. A Japanese band Ghost completely surprised with one the heaviest & wickedly 'sonic' shows I've yet to see...Detroit '98 I don't know if you'd call them 'rock' but Ivo Papasov's Bulgarian Wedding Band definitely rocked their butts off with an incredible blend of jazz-rock and traditional Bulgarian idioms. He's a national treasure in his homeland and I honestly felt priviledged to witness such a sizzling and sublime set of music on this side of the ocean...San Francisco '91 The Flaming Lips in their earliest days as a 3-piece did something real special with their brand of sonic mayhem...their shows at the Foolery in Mt. Pleasant ''86-'87 are legendary The experimental art-rock combo Cul De Sac perform a pretty amazing blend of John Fahey devotion, abstract electronics, rhythmic drone and feedback mayhem. A show in Detroit in ('98?) or so was pretty amazing. ...and to the gentleman who witnessed a live Funkadelic show; my hat's off to a priviledged soul such as yourself.
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...