What Is the best live show you've seen?

[Loner]

McCartney in '89
Floyd in '95ish
McCartney in '05

 

[KC23]

Stones first tour with Ronnie Wood is the best show I've ever seen (mid 70s). Although Led Zep on their Led Zep 4 tour is right there as well. Tuff call.

Worst concerts: Steve Miller Band ... short show, no oncours ... Deep Purple with Fleetwood Mac opening ... Deep Purple too stoned/drunk to really play and Fleetwood mac just plain have no talent I could detect.

 

[zipper]

Loverboy opened for Journey here in Seattle long ago & I agree........they were damn good. Also saw Sammy Hagar open for Boston back in the 70's...........he stole the show.

Best kick-*** concert? Judas Priest back in about 1977. Got free tickets..........ended up down on the floor 5-6 rows back from the stage.

Don't laugh, but one of the best "shows" I ever saw was Alice Cooper. Great theatricks but, unfortunately, a poor sound system.

Supertramp was outstanding.............

Have to give an HM to Pat Travers.........saw him back around 1980 when Thrall was playin lead............just a good rock concert.

Nazareth stunk................

 

[gmichael]

1977. A then unheard of band called AC/DC was a warm up band for Rush during their Farwell to King's tour. Yep, that was my fav. Others were good, and some even great, but that was the best I saw.

Great:

Rush: Fly by Night tour, 2112 tour, Hemispheres tour, Permanent waves tour, Moving pictures tour, Power windows tour, Roll the bones tour, Test for Echo tour. I know, I missed a few. I was so bummed those years. Very sorry to have missed the Caress of Steel tour.
Yes: One of the 3 or 4 times I saw them. Think it was 90210 in Ct.
Black & Blue: Black Sabath (Hevean & Hell) was touring with Blue Oyster Cult. Madison Round Garden.
Aerosmith: Reunion tour at the Middletown raceway.
Billy Squire warmed up for Pat Benitar in Saratoga Springs.
Genesis at Madison Round Garden. Don't remember the tour. Too many ...s that night.


Good:

Yes: The other times I saw them. All over the place.
Ted Nugent: All the many times: all over the place. (loved how the women used to take off their undies & throw them on stage. That was hot!)
Blue Oyster Cult touring local bars under their original name of Soft White Underbelly.


OK:

Cheap Trick:
The Honey Drippers.
Arms Tour.
Boston
Kizz (although I loved when they warmed up for Rush in 76)


Bad:

Too many to list.

 

[Johnd]

1999. Robert Cray Band at Summerfest. To an almost nonexistent crowd. He still played his heart out.

 

[Gov]

RUSH!!! Haven't miss a show since 1982!
Yes the 90125 tour was unreal!
Steely Dan shows
Diana Krall

 

[Sheep]

I'm going to see Queen in a couple of days, I'll report back with my findings..... and some graphs.

SheepStar

 

[Haywood Jablomi]

Two of the best concerts I've seen were in 1994 when I caught Pink Floyd at Foxborough Stadium (new Boston) for the Division Bell tour and saw Rush in Providence, RI on the Counterparts tour.

On an entirely different note, I've seen Sting twice (Seoul, Korea and Orlando, FL) and both concerts were excellent and very different from one another.

The funniest thing I ever saw was Great White opening for White Snake in 1987. The lights came on to the keyboardist playing a sustained note. The guitar player ran on stage from the right, jumped up to high-five the keyboard player and fell on his ***.

 

[BMO]

Humble Pie in 1973

 

[rolski]

Best live concert I've ever seen was Roger Waters during the "In the Flesh" tour at the Cologne Arena.
If you like Pink Floyd & Roger Waters, it's a great show with a really professional blend of old & new - as well as fabulous acoustics & terrific musicianship - and really well represented on the DVD of the same name. Which, by no coincidence, is my favourite music DVD....

Other performances that come a close second in my opinion are Underworld during any European summer festival you care to mention over the last 10 years - always top-drawer - and Peter Gabriel during his recent Growing-Up tour.
Again, both Underworld and Peter Gabriel are well represented on the Everything Everything / Growing Up Live DVDs.

 

[rschleicher]

This thread has been around so long, I can't remember if I already went!

In case I didn't, or in case my view of best has changed, here's my list:

1. Led Zeppelin - probably 1972? (they were starting to play some songs from the Houses of the Holy album, but it hadn't been released yet) - at the old Chicago Stadium.

2. Luther Allison (blues guy) at a little club in Champaign, IL, probably 1976 or so). Kept playing for an hour past closing. When he broke two strings on his guitar, he switched to harmonica. Had his bass player carry him on his shoulders around the club, and then started jumping from table-top to table-top.

3. Cheap Trick, also at a small bar in Champaign, after hours.

4. The Who - one of their first "last tours". OK, this was after Moon died, but I never saw them live before. It was at Alpine Valley, in Wisc., an outdooor venue normally suited to 20k people or less. But there were 40k people there, and the grassy hill was a sea of mud from heavy rains. Plus, the rest-rooms overloaded, and were ankle-deep in whatever. But the Who led off with about 45 straight minutes of Tommy, and never let up. The atmosphere was highlighted by the presence of lots of Dead-heads who had stayed over from a Dead concert a few days earlier. I had never seen people twirl in place for so long!

5. ELO, just before they became known. This was prior to the release of their "Roll Over Beethoven" single, so probably around 1971? It was out the Dupage County Fairgrounds in Wheaton, IL - not even at the main fairground stands, but in the little building where they usually put some of the 4H exhibits. The stage was like a typical high-school or church "fellowship hall" stage - i.e., about 3 feet above the floor level. No seats, just sit on the floor or stand. I had no idea who ELO was, only that it was only $2 to get in. They started out with "In the Hall of the Mountain King", and everyone just stood there with their mouths open while the violinist and cello player jumped around in their black suits, capes, hoods, etc.

As you can tell, a lot of my favorite concerts were from seeing bands in small venues, either before they got famous, or "after hours".

 

[JLBNYC]

best concert

In no particular order (i know there is a lot of them, but ive seen around 200 since '77)

Rolling Stones Cleve Stadium 78, Richfield 81, Louisville 89
The Who/Clash - Pontiac Silverdome 82
The Who - Richfield - 79, MSG '00
Page/Plant - LA Forum '95, MSG '98
Bowie - Richfield - 78, MSG '95 (birthday show with Sonic Youth, Lou Reed, Foo Fighters, Frank Black) - MSG '03, Beacon Theater '02
Radiohead - OK COmputer tour -Radio City '98, MSG '03, MSG theater '06
Black Sabbath/Van Halen - MSG '78
Roger Waters - Richfield - Pros + Cons tour; Columbus - Radio Kaos, MSG- In the FLesh
Rush - Columbus - '78 Farewell to Kings, '79 Hemispheres
Yes - Dayton '79 in the round; Cinci -'83 - 90125
Springsteen - Columbus - Vets -- '78 Darkness; Cinci - The River '80
Ramones- Pier 84, NYC- 1981
Pearl Jam - NJ - '06
Smashing Pumpkins - Academy -NYC - '96
David Gilmour and friends - Cleve Stadium - '87 (they called it Pink Floyd but i dont recognize it without Waters)
Queen - Cinci '82 (last US tour with original lineup)
AC/DC - Cheap Trick -- Vets Columbus - '78
Dylan backed by Tom Petty & heartbreakers/Grateful Dead - Akron '86
Grateful Dead-- Vets Columbus - 78 (4 hours- 3500 seat hall)
Kinks - Vets COlumbus '78
ELO - ST Johns Columbus '77; ELO/Journey/Foreigner - Cleve stadium '78 (giant spaceship, lasers -- great 70s show, even if Journey ended up being a really lame band, they were good at the beginning)
Blue Oyster Cult - '78 Columbus - Fairgrounds
Neil Young/Sonic Youth/Social Distortion - Atlanta - Smell the Horse tour 92?
u2 - Cleveland Stadium- Joshua Tree tour; MSG - Vertigo

World Series of Rock 1979 Cleve Stadium - Aerosmith, Ted Nugent, Journey, Thin Lizzy, Ac/DC, Scorpions

Deep Purple -- Richfield - 1986 (first tour with the classic lineup since '73)

 

[birdonthebeach]

Impossible to pick a favorite, but a few noteable ones would be:

Pink Floyd - Division Bell tour (Nashville, Indy, London)
Police - Synchronicity (Greensboro, NC)
Tift Merritt @ the Music Farm (Charleston, SC)
U2 - Vertigo Tour (Vegas & Charlotte)
Train - House of Blues (Myrtle Beach, 2004)
RUSH - 30th Anniversary Tour - Radio City Music Hall
Crowded House - club in Nashville
John Hiatt - Club in Nashville

man - okay, I can't do this. Too many!!!

 

[Resident Loser]

Late summer...

...August '68 I think...

At NYCs Singer Bowl in Flushing, Queens...

The Soft Machine, the Chambers Brothers, Big Brother & The Holding Company featuring Janis Joplin and...the Jimi Hendrix Experience...One helluva show...

Hard to believe it's nearly forty years ago...

jimHJJ(...Cost: maybe like $8 for the best seats...)

 

[Kai]

Edgar Winters: The They Only Come out at Night tour I believe. Played in a small auditorium called the Orpheum in Boston. When he played Frankenstein his hands were coated in glow in the dark green and all you saw for the entire song was his hands. The auditorium was completely black. Next was another song, can't remember darn it, he sat at a grand piano and during the song the piano was lifted above the stage via a shaft through the center, and started slowly spinning end over end while Edgar continued playing while strapped to the seat. Amazing concet.
Edgar and Johnny playing Tobacco Road was awesome. I will never forget that song and how they performed together.

Kiss during their first album/tour at the Providence Civic Center. The show was over the top and quite different from all the others I had scene. Gene Simmons, during a solo, stood on a small platform that extended out from the stage at around 45 degrees and for around 20 feet or more out and above the crowd. The place went wild.

Jethro Tull: Went to most of his album tours so not sure which one this was but the bass player was wearing a black and white diagonally stripped suit and playing a similarly painted bass fiddle. Two people dressed in a Zebra costume came out onto stage and started pooping ping pong balls out its' arse into Ian's hands. He then threw them at the audience to wild acclaim. He also had some hot chick dressed in a French maids outfit come onto stage during a flute solo. She was prancing around him and dusting off his crotch with her leetle feather duster...lol great laughs.

Leslie West/Mountain: The concert had just started and they went right into Nantucket Sleigh Ride. Well some ******* throws a sparkler onto the stage hitting Leslie in the head and his hair starts to burn. Some fast thinking stage hand rushes up and throws a towel over his head smothering the fire and quickly wisks him off stage. He comes back several minutes later says "**** you" and gives the audience the finger and walks off stage. The concert is over before it started...real bummer.

Back in the 70's I went to so many concerts, somewhere around 100 by last reckoning, I have a hard time remembering them. Also so long ago makes it hard as well. I was very lucky to have 3 venues so close to home and easy driving: The Providence Civic Center/15 mile drive, The Boston Garden and the Orpheum Theatre both around an hour drive. Tickets were around 10 to 15 dollars. Often got floor seats or no seats just standing on the floor sometimes within 15 feet or less to the stage. Always went with my group of friends usually around 10 of us. Amazing times never to be repeated by any generation.


Best Concert ever missed, two actually: First was Woodstock, the first of course. Many of my older friends went but I was only 14ish and parents said NO resoundingly. Could have/should have just went and suffered their wrath afterwards but I didn't to my everlasting regret. Next was Led Zeppelin. They were finally coming to Boston. Friend went to the Garden with all our money to get us tickets. LOL a freakin' riot breaks out, don't remember why, the Garden gets trashed in a major way...someone even threw a piano over a railing uplevel and onto the ice, Bruins game that night hehehe...We got our money back and my friend has great stories of the destruction but no concert...awwww.

 

[jimski]

So many concerts

I have been very fortunate and have seen some of the best bands of the greatest musical era. My list of artist and I probably will forget a few:

My first concert (11 yrs old)
Jimi Hendrix; at Harvard stadium
Blood, sweat & tears; at Harvard stadium
Rod Stewart & Faces, Doobie Bros, & J J Gunn; at Boston Garden
Led Zepplin; at Boston garden
Jethro Tull; 3 times various locations
ELP;5 times various locations, once saw them twice in two nights at different venues, I followed their trailor trucks from one location to the next, there were three driving down the highway marked Emerson Lake & Palmer.
Chicago; 2 times
Blue Oyster Cult & ZZtop: at Boston garden
Yes: 4 times, various locations
Pink Floyd; At Boston garden, the Animals tour
3 Dog night & T-Rex; at Boston garden, quite a contrast
Elton John; 2 times
Aerosmith; at least 10 times, saw them at local clubs before they made it, most recently last year with my youngest son with Lenny kravitz at the Garden.
Allman Bros.; 6 or 7 times various locations.
Santana & Jeff Beck; Great woods
Santana & Al DiMeola; Cape cod colliseum
Beach boys, flo & eddy, cars & others; Yale bowl
Cars; at Boston garden, first date with my wife
For one summer I worked as an usher at the Orphium theatre in Boston and saw a ton of obscure bands which included a lot of off shoots and solo artist from bigger bands, such as:
Dicky Betts solo
Rick Wakeman solo, actually w/orchestra.
The Tubes, who were band from Boston after show, pretty raunchy.
I don't remember a lot of them.
Bob Seger; at Boston garden recordings from concert on the live bullet album.
Eric Clapton; at Boston garden
Supertramp; at Music hall
Styx; 2 times
Moody Blues; at Psongas arena
Frank Sinatra; at Worchester Centrum
Neil Diamond; at Worchester centrum
Queen; at Boston garden
Bonnie Rait; small club
Bo Didley; after a soccer game at the Gator bowl
BB King; 2 times
Billy Joel; at Boston garden
Rod Stewart again; at Boston garden
Had ticket to The Who, but they cancelled the show because people trashed the Boston garden trying to get tickets.
Heart; at Boston garden
Little River band; Disney world house of Blues
Journey, Styx & REO speedwagon; Psongas arena
Foreigner; Cape cod coliseum
Robin Trower; Cape cod coliseum
Dave Mason; small club
James Taylor; Tanglewood


There were others, but my memory is little weak. I wish I was one of the people who saved ticket stubbs, but all I have are memories and that's getting bad. How could I possibly pick a favorite. I could tell you which ones were most anticipated and disappointing.

 

[jimski]

Sounds like we've seen some of the same concerts

I was at the Jethro Tull concert and it was the Bass player who was pooping out the balls. He had the matching striped outfit and Bass. It was the concert where they ended it with the phone ringing on the stage and somebody answered it and held it out to the audience and said its for you.

When I was at the Blue Oyster cult concert somebody threw a beer bottle at the drummer just as he was going into a solo. He threw his sticks down and said FU Boston and walked off. It ended up okay because ZZ top played longer.

In my concert post I forgot the CSN & Y at the Boston garden and N. Young is such a jerk. He got angry at the audience for clapping to one of the songs and cut the concert short.

Edgar Winters: The They Only Come out at Night tour I believe. Played in a small auditorium called the Orpheum in Boston. When he played Frankenstein his hands were coated in glow in the dark green and all you saw for the entire song was his hands. The auditorium was completely black. Next was another song, can't remember darn it, he sat at a grand piano and during the song the piano was lifted above the stage via a shaft through the center, and started slowly spinning end over end while Edgar continued playing while strapped to the seat. Amazing concet.
Edgar and Johnny playing Tobacco Road was awesome. I will never forget that song and how they performed together.

Kiss during their first album/tour at the Providence Civic Center. The show was over the top and quite different from all the others I had scene. Gene Simmons, during a solo, stood on a small platform that extended out from the stage at around 45 degrees and for around 20 feet or more out and above the crowd. The place went wild.

Jethro Tull: Went to most of his album tours so not sure which one this was but the bass player was wearing a black and white diagonally stripped suit and playing a similarly painted bass fiddle. Two people dressed in a Zebra costume came out onto stage and started pooping ping pong balls out its' arse into Ian's hands. He then threw them at the audience to wild acclaim. He also had some hot chick dressed in a French maids outfit come onto stage during a flute solo. She was prancing around him and dusting off his crotch with her leetle feather duster...lol great laughs.

Leslie West/Mountain: The concert had just started and they went right into Nantucket Sleigh Ride. Well some ******* throws a sparkler onto the stage hitting Leslie in the head and his hair starts to burn. Some fast thinking stage hand rushes up and throws a towel over his head smothering the fire and quickly wisks him off stage. He comes back several minutes later says "**** you" and gives the audience the finger and walks off stage. The concert is over before it started...real bummer.

Back in the 70's I went to so many concerts, somewhere around 100 by last reckoning, I have a hard time remembering them. Also so long ago makes it hard as well. I was very lucky to have 3 venues so close to home and easy driving: The Providence Civic Center/15 mile drive, The Boston Garden and the Orpheum Theatre both around an hour drive. Tickets were around 10 to 15 dollars. Often got floor seats or no seats just standing on the floor sometimes within 15 feet or less to the stage. Always went with my group of friends usually around 10 of us. Amazing times never to be repeated by any generation.


Best Concert ever missed, two actually: First was Woodstock, the first of course. Many of my older friends went but I was only 14ish and parents said NO resoundingly. Could have/should have just went and suffered their wrath afterwards but I didn't to my everlasting regret. Next was Led Zeppelin. They were finally coming to Boston. Friend went to the Garden with all our money to get us tickets. LOL a freakin' riot breaks out, don't remember why, the Garden gets trashed in a major way...someone even threw a piano over a railing uplevel and onto the ice, Bruins game that night hehehe...We got our money back and my friend has great stories of the destruction but no concert...awwww.

 

[Buzzard]

-- Stevie Ray Vaughn: Kalamazoo Michigan 8-24-1990 (two days before his death)
-- The Who/Clash: Pontiac Silverdome (Detroit) , September 1982.
-- Police/Ramones : Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio, 1979 (My frat got to help on the load-in/load-out for The Police and got front row seats.
-- Doobie Brothers: Blossom Music Center, Cleveland 1977.
-- Jethro Tull: Richfield Colleseum, Cleveland, 1980.
-- Ted Nugent, J. Geils, Blackfoot, Def Leopard at some big field near Zanesville, Ohio in the summer of 1980.

 

[Buzzard]

-- Stevie Ray Vaughn: Kalamazoo Michigan 8-24-1990 (two days before his death). Jack Daniels with some bikers on the infield of the Kalamazoo County Fairgrounds.
-- The Who/Clash/Eddie Money: Pontiac Silverdome (Detroit) , September 1982. Money got booed off the stage - he stunk - and the Clash were at a big disadvantage since this was Who crowd most definitely.
-- Police/Ramones : Marietta College, Marietta, Ohio, 1979 (My frat got to help on the load-in/load-out for The Police and got front row seats). One of the Ramones - cant remember which one passed out straight to the floor like a rock during their set. Stewart Copeland had a disagreement with his high hat during the Cops set and heaved it off stage during their set.
-- Doobie Brothers: Blossom Music Center, Cleveland 1977.
-- Jethro Tull: Richfield Colleseum, Cleveland, 1980.
-- Ted Nugent, J. Geils, Blackfoot, Def Leopard at some big field near Zanesville, Ohio in the summer of 1980.
-- Jimmy Buffett several times, several venues in several cities.
-- James Brown, State Theater, Kalamazoo 1987 I think.
-- George Thorogood, Kalamazoo, 1991.
I grew up in the Cleveland/Akron area and I saw a lot of shows there. I'll always treasure those memories.

 

[badbird94]

I saw Stevie Ray before he had a recording contract in a small club(200 people)in 1980 or 81.He got on top of our table-no more than 1 foot away from me. Iwill never forget that moment.It is a shame he is gone-I have never seen anyone play with that much passion,soul,from the heart,etc.Someone once said that SRV played the same-whether it be for 100 people or 10,000 people-when he had that Strat amped up he was in his world.