Peter, Paul & Mary–It was about twenty years ago, but I’ll never forget Mary’s entrance after intermission. The concert was held at an outdoor amphitheater in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by open fields. Mary had seen a horse wandering around and decided to ride it onto the stage for the second set. The horse was more than willing to grab its fifteen minutes of fame. It was great.
Oh, and the music was good as well.
My Long Ago favorite - The Who with the then unknown opening act called Lynard Skynard
My who are these guys? list: Styx playing at a drive in theater for a local St. Louis radio promo and early 70’s at a kite flying contest the radio sponsor paraded out some very weird looking guys and announce them as an up-and-coming Rock band - called themselves - KISS
**Favorite recent ** concert - I went to see a blues concert at a small club. It was scheduled with less than two weeks notice and not many people attended. It was like having a rock band party with you in your basement. The performer Mark Selby was not well known other than he had written hit songs for Kenny Wayne Sheperd and the Dixie Chicks. He played like he had an audiance of a thousand and pretty much made the rounds of the place shaking hands and thanking people. Fantastic Evening!
Can’t say just one, so here’s a top 5 in no particular order…
Motorhead and Ozzy Osbourne at the Kerrisdale Areana in 1980. Amazing and crazy show. Lots of bikers fighting greaseballs, I was 15 and about 5’ tall… I was actually afraid for my life. Also the loudest show I’ve ever heard, plus Ozzy still had Randy Rhoads in the band (I think he died later in that same tour).
Black Flag, The Meat Puppets and The Nig Heist in Pasadena,1983.
Once again… pure chaos. All the bands were great. Jello Biafra and John Doe were standing right behind me, and saved me from a broken neck when the Black Flag slam crowd just exploded outwards, knocking over the first several rows of onlookers. Being on a totally cool teenaged roadtrip might have something to do with it too.
The Dik Van Dykes and Chris Houston at the Railway Club around 1990. The Dik Van Dykes travelled all the way across Canada to play a show to about 6 people (max). They performed like they were playing to 600. They stood on the tables, played guitar behind their backs, go-go danced… the full meal deal.
The Fleshtones at the Picadilly Pub in 2001. I went for old time’s sake, expecting a pack of geezers. After about a song, I thought… “these guys are rocking out pretty good for geezers.” Pretty soon after that I realized that they were rocking out pretty good for anyone, any age. The played on the tables, they stood on the bar… they even (with the help of their wireless guitars and mike) went out the front door and played in the street.
Carolyn Mark & Her Roommates at the Brickyard in 2000. You may not have heard of her… or you may just know her as the lady who sings with Neko Case in the Corn Sisters, but Carolyn puts on the most consistently excellent live show you can hope to see. Great songs, great playing, fun to dance to, and incredibly funny to boot.
The Jesus Lizard during their “Down” tour. Saw them at the (sadly gone) Boardwalk in Manchester (England) - totally intense, razor sharp, menacing, disturbing, awesome, stunning. Nu Metal? Pah!!! And they do not need to cake themselves in make up and wear pantomime “scary” costumes like others who set out to “shock”. For them it would be superfluous. Just no nonsense kickass violent music.
Maria McKie - with and without Lone Justice. The recording process for me has never done her voice “justice”. Live, she is incendiary. And please do not judge her on “Show Me Heaven”… yuk.
Saw 3 times - with Lone Justice on the Shelter Tour, (at the International club in Manchester) on the tour of her first solo record (again at the Manchester Boardwalk), and on the You Gotta Sin to Get Saved tour - at Manchester Uni (or Academy? 
), where she opened with a storming East of Eden - i was “down the front” for that one 
She has just returned to Manchester this week touring her latest record - and i missed it
The Chameleons (UK) - one of the best bands ever in my opinion - they split in 87, and i never got to see them until after they reformed in 2000 - and did so at The Witchwood in Ashton Under Lyne (near… Manchester) in 2002. Like Maria McKee their records never really did them justice judging by what I heard they were capable of live (but thankfully the songs are that good, that they still kick ass on CD and Vinyl. But live… omygodohmygod. They just set their music to STUN and nail you to the wall with a roller coaster of shimmering chimerical incandescent electrifying emotional sonic bliss which mainlines you heart and soul. Listen up, i am as cynical and jaded as the next grump, but when i heard them perform Second Skin, i came THAT close to blubbing like a baby. And very nearly began to seriously reconsider my reductionist opinions on the non existence of the soul. Truly life affirming bliss. Shame they split again in acrimony.
Forgot to mention - no 60’s, long time ago ones fer me - i am a sprightly 36 yrs old 
But- i also forgot to mention the group i thought would be bobbins who blew me away. I went to the Festival of the Tenth Summer at Manchester’s Gmex arena in… um, mid eighties ish. Playing were New Order, The Smiths, steve Shelly (ex-Buzzcocks), John Cooper Clark, etc.
Now, Orchestral Manoeuvres in the Dark were also playing,. I loved their first LP, really awesome stuff, but their later stuff - locomotion etc is soooooo lame. So i was not expecting much… and judging by the response of the crowd when they came on, neither was anyone else. After their first song, just about everyone was gobsmacked - they were superb. The singer (uh, forget his name) said “and you all thought we’d be sh*t didn’t you!” Heh heh - yup, we sure did… but i was more than happy to be proven wrong, which they did admirably.
There is one other group who I have seen so many times as to not be able to pin em down to one gig is The Fall – live they really are up there with the best. No words to describe em or I will be here all night!
And i went to see a gig by Mark Burgess last night, ex-Chameleons lead singer, and he performed The Fall’s Frightened! Fantastic.