Best gig you've been to?

[williemeikle]

Mine was Led Zeppelin at Knebworth in the late '70s, with Elvis Costello/The Pogues/The Men They Couldn't Hang at the Hammersmith Palais in '88 a close second.

Anybody want to play?

[darrtwish]

It will be the Great Big Sea concert when they come to town, if my dad takes me to go see them for my birthday.

But to date, the best show I've seen was the annual jazz fest several years back ('03 I believe). Because of that show, I really began to fall in love with the whole genre of music.

[rugcat]

A tie

Chick Corea, at a small club in Salt Lake City in the nineties, The Zepher Club. Unbelievable.

When I was underage, at the old Matrix Club in San Francisco, late sixties, a club that held maybe 100 people, a group from LA that was just beginning to get some buzz -- The Doors.

I was ten feet from the bandstand.

[MsK]

Seeing Frank Sinatra perform in a small intimate ballroom in Las Vegas when Vegas was still... well... Vegas. ;)

I was pretty young, and I didn't realize what an honor it was at the time, sitting just two tables from the stage, mingling with many of Frank's personal friends.
Frank was right there, singing right to us. And he was really singing- there was no sound man off to the side making him sound like he could sing- he really could sing.

[scarletpeaches]

I've only ever been to one - 50 Cent at the Nottingham Ice Arena.

[cletus]

I just blogged (http://rockblog.today.com/2009/01/02/rockblog-2008-concert-of-the-year/) about my favorite concert of 2008 this afternoon, and it happens to be my all-time favorite as well - The Dictators in Barcelona on October 1st 2008.

Other notable favorites include Metallica, W.A.S.P., and Armored Saint at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie in early 85. W.A.S.P. was advertised as the headliner, but went on second. I know people who went home before Metallica ever took the stage since they never heard of them and it was a school night. They must have kicked themselves a couple of years later.

Too many good memories of seeing the Grateful Dead throughout the late 80s and early 90s to even try and narrow it down to one or two.

Seeing Black Sabbath perfrom an intimate pre-tour warmup gig in 2005 in front of a couple hundred people was cool as well.

I'm sure I'll think of more once I hit "post".

[Siddow]

Pink Floyd, sometime in the late 80's at the Omni in Atlanta, but that runs close to Jimmy Buffet in the early 90's at Lakewood Amphitheater, and Joe Cocker at the Fox, also early 90's.

But if you asked me when I was 14, I'd say Duran Duran. *swoons* Or Big Country! Or PRINCE! *dies*

[SirBiatch]

DJ Premier and Pete Rock at the same time!

[C.bronco]

Mine was Led Zeppelin at Knebworth in the late '70s, with Elvis Costello/The Pogues/The Men They Couldn't Hang at the Hammersmith Palais in '88 a close second.

Anybody want to play?
I am very jealous. Wish I had seen Zeppelin.

The Rolling Stones in '06 were fantastic, Judas Priest was great both times because Rob Halford is amazing, Robert Plant on the Honeydrippers tour was a major highlight for me, as was Jimmy Page with The Firm both times thatI saw him. Metallica was good on the Black Album tour. I'm hard pressed to pick a favorite. If I ever could see Page and Plant together, that would be it!

[C.bronco]

Other notable favorites include Metallica, W.A.S.P., and Armored Saint at the Mid-Hudson Civic Center in Poughkeepsie in early 85. W.A.S.P. was advertised as the headliner, but went on second. ".


I saw W.A.S.P. with Anthrax in New Haven, 1986. Great show!

[waylander]

The Dio/Blackmore lineup of Rainbow at the Rainbow, Finsbury Park on the 'Long Live Rock'n'Roll' tour

[Severian]

Rodrigo Y Gabriela, Dublin. Front row, centre table.

[williemeikle]

The Dio/Blackmore lineup of Rainbow at the Rainbow, Finsbury Park on the 'Long Live Rock'n'Roll' tour


I might well have been at that same gig :)

[2old2pb]

Aerosmith and Cheap Trick was pretty good.
I liked one John Mayer concert where he mostly played guitar tributes, he is a really good mimic. I can't stand his comercial stuff though.
I always get a good laugh out of Brad Paisley.

[She_wulf]

well...

I shouldn't play, because most of the concerts I went to, I worked. Like Chris Brown at the AMAs (Funny story there, involving Kid Rock), or Korn at the Rosemont, or KC and the Sunshine band for some corporate gig, or Sean Paul for a BarMitzvah, or The Spice Girls in Vegas...or the Aussie Floyd show in Montreal (GREAT SHOW...another funny story!)

Those guys and gals running around in black shirts that say "CREW" on the back, that was me until this year.

Amy

[CACTUSWENDY]

YANNI!

[Chumplet]

A couple of New Year gigs. The first was Rush and Max Webster (our own Kim Mitchell) at Maple Leaf Gardens in the 70's.

The other was three years ago at the Fireside Inn in Lancaster NY. My brother's band was doing an unplugged gig and he sang three songs just for his big sister.

[alleycat]

Mine would probably be something at a venue in Nashville named the Exit / In, near Vanderbilt University. It a small place, but back in the seventies and early eighties many big names played there. And you never knew who might show up unannounced. For example, Linda Ronstadt played there a lot; she might be playing and then Jackson Browne would show up and do a few songs with her.

Supposedly, Steve Martin has said that the Exit / In was where he honed his comedy act. I never went to one of his show; but he used to get the whole audience to go outside into the street and cause a scene.

The place is still there and occasionally a big-name act will play there, but now generally the acts are of lesser knowns.

[Cath]

Front row at Counting Crows in the Haymarket during the Edinburgh festival late 90's (if memory serves). Supported by a pre-famous Damien Rice (horrible live, but easy to see the potential in the songs). Adam Duritz was relaxed and joking with the smallish crowd - and dang the man can sing.

[rxvenomqueen]

Oooh...hands down, best gig in my book goes to Korn! All 9 of their shows that I've been to, too! I keep going to see this band because they never fail to put on a killer show.

[Samantha's_Song]

Pink Floyd's A momentary lapse of reason tour, Wembley, August 1988. The best night of my life!

[williemeikle]

Pink Floyd's A momentary lapse of reason tour, Wembley, August 1988. The best night of my life!

And I was at that one too :)

[Vito]

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in 1981.

[Samantha's_Song]

Sat Aug 6th? Great! What a fantastic Summer's night... the sun was just going down behind the stage and casting the most wonderful orange glow as they began playing; it makes me all goose-pimply just thinking about it :)

And I was at that one too :)

[aka eraser]

Springsteen in Toronto in '79 (I think) and '81.

[williemeikle]

Sat Aug 6th? Great! What a fantastic Summer's night... the sun was just going down behind the stage and casting the most wonderful orange glow as they began playing; it makes me all goose-pimply just thinking about it :)

I was there on the Friday night IIRC... same effect though. Shine on You Crazy Diamond belting out as the sun went down. What a show.

Willie

[HeronW]

Heart & Pat Benatar, dif times at Lake Compounce

[Samantha's_Song]

I'm not sure which date this was taken, but I've got a video of the concert that was recorded off of Sky TV a week or so later.

P.S. I saw the Rolling Stones at Wembley in 1990, their Urban Jungle tour, and they weren't even half as good as Pink Floyd.

I was there on the Friday night IIRC... same effect though. Shine on You Crazy Diamond belting out as the sun went down. What a show.

Willie

[III]

1) Tommy Emmanuel at a small Unitarian church in San Antonio '06
2) The first G3 tour with Vai, Satch, and Eric Johnson in SF
3) Several King's X shows at small clubs

[Shadow_Ferret]

I haven't been to many concerts in my life. Only a few have been to see someone in their prime. Everyone else has been on a reunion old fart tour (The Who, The Stones, Kansas, Styx, Journey [although Journey did kick ass, even with Steve Augeri], Foreigner, Jan and Dean, Blue Oyster Cult [stood right in front of the band, I could have reached out and touched Buck Dharma and Eric Bloom -- no relation to Orlando], and Foghat to name a few.

In their prime I saw Nektar, Leslie West (shortly after he left Mountain), and the Fabulous Thunderbirds.

Of all the bands I've seen, I'd say Nektar was just fantastic. The light show was mesmerizing. And even as an old fart tour, BOC is worth seeing.

[SirOtter]

Mine would probably be something at a venue in Nashville named the Exit / In, near Vanderbilt University. It a small place, but back in the seventies and early eighties many big names played there. And you never knew who might show up unannounced. For example, Linda Ronstadt played there a lot; she might be playing and then Jackson Browne would show up and do a few songs with her.

Supposedly, Steve Martin has said that the Exit / In was where he honed his comedy act. I never went to one of his show; but he used to get the whole audience to go outside into the street and cause a scene.

The place is still there and occasionally a big-name act will play there, but now generally the acts are of lesser knowns.

I grew up in Nashville. I think the only gig I caught at the Exit/In was John Prine, with Riders in the Sky opening, in 80 or 81.

[rosiecotton]

Jane's Addiction at the Hummingbird, Birmingham (UK) in 1991.

Tiny, dark, stinky venue. I remember them playing 'Three Days' so I guess Ritual was already out. Ended with Summertime Rolls - still speechless from that. Perry Farrell had just shaved off his dreads, prompting 'You Bald Bastard' chants from the crowds, which HE led from the stage! Wildest, most amazing show EVER. More religious experience than concert. I'm starting to freak out just thinking about it again! Oh, and Primus opened. Does it get any better?

[rtilryarms]

I caught Led Zeppelin a few weeks after my birthday in Aug of 1969 at Pirate's World - Dania, FL.
I got tickets for my b'day. Never heard of them before and I never like loud noises. Plus I am an acoustic player. Zeppelin subsequently started to play a lot more acoustic after that so I paid attention in the 70's. Plus I aced Stairway to Heaven before anyone else in my high school.

After that concert, I was fortunate enough to be able to work as security staff at Pirate's world since I was a ride operator and later became a ride supervisor for almost half the park. So I was getting up on the chain of command.

So I saw, Deep Purple, Grand Funk Railroad, Grateful Dead, Three Dog Night, Alice cooper just to name a few.

Sometimes, as with Alice Cooper, I was backstage and met him and his band and others like Ian Anderson (Tull)

interestingly, nobody bothered to tell me what my role was at the concert so I just was watching the concerts with the exception of being told to go under the steel bleachers with a trash bag and catch or collect all the drugs being thrown down when the cops did a bleacher sweep.
I would give the bag(s) to my boss and it quickly disappeared to be destroyed, I assume, in one fashion or another.

My favorite back then was Jethro Tull. I think it was the Aqualung debut or the debut tour. I forget. That was some show and Tull is as crazy as am I.

I still do Locomotive Breath and Bungle in the Jungle.

[semilargeintestine]

The Police at Boardwalk Hall. Best. Show. Ever.