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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Wow I really enjoyed reading every one of these posts! Brings back old memories. 

Where to begin? At an AC/DC concert, Pat Travers opening in Norfolk VA, a tiny hall, between bands the bathrooms where up on the second floor messanine, and people were trying to get down to get a close place for AC/DC (with Bon Scott) and people were trying to get up to the bathrooms! The stairs got jammed and people were walking on top of people's heads! We had to pee under the bleachers! Awesome show though. 

ZZ Top, Richmond VA, about '81? Someone threw what sounded like a quarter stick of dynamite on stage! Almost stopped the show, but they came back and started again. A later ZZ Top show they threw the sticks into the crowd, my friend caught them! And I wound up in a huge fist fight! With some guy a foot taller than me! He got a good hook on my right ear, but I busted his lip, call it a draw? 

And at an all weekend concert in '80 at Slades Park in Surry VA, like 10 or 12 bands over two whole days! Last band to play, Greg Alman, about the second song, someone threw a full beer and hit him square on the forehead! Show over. 

Hootie and the Blowfish in Richmond VA, at the fairgrounds, a nice outdoor amphitheater there. It clouded up, and a huge lightning bolt hit the building! I mean a bolt 30 feet in diameter! Shut the place down, then it rained so hard it flooded the stadium, water 3 foot deep was rushing through the first 20 rows! Everyone ran to the shelter of a nearby building, after about an hour and a half they got the show going, and finished up.  But then everyone was stuck in the mud in the parking lot! Took me 4 hours to get out of there. 

Wow I could go on and on! I've been to a lot of shows. They just don't throw shows like they used to. I saw a few alt bands a few years back, and with assigned seats, they wouldn't let anyone approach the stage, too much security, no smoking or drinking, I.e., no fun at all. Last rock concert I'll ever go to. I'd rather see a local band in a pub where I can enjoy myself and not spend $150 on a ticket. 

The Beach Boys at The San Jose Civic, Summer of ’64 (my first show).

The Beatles at The Cow Palace in San Francisco, Summer of ’65 (my second).

All the San Jose Garage Bands that were playing from ’65-8---The Chocolate Watchband, The Syndicate of Sound, Stained Glass, People, The Otherside, literally hundreds of others.

The Who at The Carousel Ballroom, Summer of ’68.

The Band at The Berkeley Community Theater in 1970 (the best band I’ve ever seen and heard, by far).

Rockpile at The Country Club in Reseda CA, 1980. One of only two "Supergroups" worthy of the title imo.

Dave Edmunds at The Ritz in NYC, 1982---the best night of pure Chuck berry-style Rock ’n’ Roll I’ve ever witnessed.

Marshall Crenshaw with his "big" band at The Ritz in ’82. The best I ever saw him.

Big Joe Turner backed by The Blasters at Club Lingerie in Hollywood, mid-80’s, with Lee Allen (Little Richards band) on sax.

The Lyres at Club Lingerie in the late 80’s---my all-time favorite Garage Band.

Little Village on a soundstage in Burbank, 1990’s. The other Supergroup worthy of the title imo. Ry Cooder’s solo that night on John Hiatt’s "Lipstick Sunset" was the best minute of music I’ve ever experienced.

Iris Dement at The Troubadour, 1990’s. My favorite living artist, by far.

Leonard Cohen at The Universal Amphitheater, late 90’s. High drama!

Bob Dylan at The Pantages Theater in Hollywood (small capacity---less than a thousand---Art Deco venue), 2001. God was he great!

Best:
Cream at Woolsey Hall, Yale, 1967;
The Doors, New Haven Arena (Jim Morrison arrested onstage), 1967;
Jimi Hendrix Experience, Woolsey Hall, Yale, 1969;
Mahavisnu Orchestra, Wesleyan College, Middletown, CT, 1971.
Best-Pink Floyd 94 Oakland Col.  It was unforgettable and the experience of a lifetime. I didn't know I could get that high, or as frightened. 


Worst, and I was really surprised by this, Esperanza Spaulding touring behind her alter ego rock record. Maybe it went over my head but I thought it was really pretty lame. 

My band in 1969 Honolulu had great management and we were in the orchestra pit right in front of the band for a Hendrix show on a Friday night (Waikiki Shell venue…sort of a Hawaii Hollywood Bowl)…he did part of a set and left the stage until they could fix a hum or something, and we had to leave then for a club gig anyway. Oh well...He never came back on! Oops. Stoned hippies wandered the town…he did his scheduled Saturday night show and we couldn’t make it due to our gig, but because he had bailed on his Friday show he made it up on Sunday so HUZZAH…back in the orchestra pit we went, and enjoyed Jimi from 10 feet away for the entire thing. I hung out with him a little at some point as he was around for a week vacationing, and Mitch Mitchell sat in with us at our club gig one night. Whew…those were the days…We also opened for Led Zeppelin one night on their first tour…they were real good live at that time…real good…I wonder what happened to those guys...