feel free to share your tales here…
Chief’s Domain - http://www.seas.ucla.edu/~ravi
King’s X (with a then-upstart Alice In Chains opening) at The Limelight in New York City in October of 1991.
The Limelight is a former church, and King’s X is a very spiritual band. Despite Doug Pinnick fighting off a cold, the band was simply ion another plane, one where they took the entire audience on a journey with it’s beautiful, lush harmonies.
I’ve been to several hundred shows in my time, and I’ve even seen King’s X about five or six times total. But nothing compared to that show. The planets were alligned.
In fact, when I told the band this several years after the fact, they mentioned that other people have told them this from that same show.
And since I’m the first person to post here, I’ll also give my fiurst show - The Ramones at The Bayuu in Washington, DC in 1987.
Yer pal,
Satan
Sammy Hagar in late '97. Two and a half hours, no opening act. It was a small venue too, only about 1500 people.
Any of the 49 Dead shows I’ve attended. But I’m biased on their account.
One stand that particularly stand out in my memory is one of those summer jams in 1981. Robert Hazard and the Heroes, The Hooters (two local bands), Joan Jett and the Blackharts, Journey and The Who on their (supposed) final concert tour. The venue was the old JFK stadium in South Philly. The first day The Who was embarrassed by Journey who were riding the high tide of their Escape album. But Pete & Co. regrouped and blew the joint apart Saturday night.
I also got laid on the grass field between the Jett and Journey sets on Saturday.
Ah, to be 17 again.
U2 at the Cow Palace in San Francisco, 1985 (the “Incredible Fire” tour). The Alarm opened. What a show.
“My hovercraft is full of eels.”
Pink Floyd in 1972 or 1973 in Boston – just after MEDDLE was released and before they became accessible. Nine songs, 2 1/2 hours. (Including “Echoes,” “Atom Heart Mother,” and “One of These Days.”)
Mine would have to be a toss-up between Mannheim Steamroller (with Chip Davis conducting, and backed by the Boise Philharmonic), and STOMP. I’ve always loved Mannheim’s Fresh Aire series, so it came as no surprise that I’d love their live performance as well; but STOMP simply amazed me from the very start, with their incredible sense of rhythm and the ability to find music in everyday sounds.
After the STOMP concert we went to a nearby diner for a late dessert. It became quickly apparent which of the other patrons there had also attended the show - they were the ones tapping silverware against every available surface…
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>-(o)-<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
Life is a tapestry.
Each new day brings with it the opportunity to sew by
word and deed within the heart of someone around us.
Let us choose our colors with care.
Rush’s Test For Echo Tour in '97.
It was in the Woodlands, which is a big outdoor theater. The weather was perfect.
The was no opening act (unusual for Rush), and they played a couple of their longer songs that they haven’t played in years; “2112”, and “Natural Science”.
It was a three hour set, with two encores.
I also really like seeing Don Henley several years back at the Woodlands. The best part was when he played the drums while singing “Hotel California”.
You say “cheesy” like that’s a BAD thing.
Dead Can Dance, Portland, OR, 1997. It was a seated crowd (general admission gives me the heebie-jeebies) and it was quiet enough between songs that you could hear someone say “Lisa you’re gorgeous” from several rows over.
Nothing I write about any person or group should be applied to a larger group.
- Boris Badenov
Talking Heads’ 1983 “Speaking in Tongues” tour at Denver’s Red Rocks amphitheater. The tour that was immortalized in the film Stop Making Sense. Everything just clicked exactly right. The energy was heavenly. I stopped going to concerts soon afterwards knowing that nothing could ever come up to that level again.
As w/previous posters, no way I can pick a “best”. But memorable works.
Last r’n’r concert I saw was Dave Mason at Houston’s free party on the plaza where he did his Hendrix version of All Along the Watchtower and the sound was wonderful!
Manny along the way, but I particularily remember Iron Butterfly when In-a-Gad-da-Vida was big (1968?) and a Zappa concert where, at the encore for the last number, Frank came out and said (paraphrased), “This is the last date of the tour and it’s my birthday and so were gonna play for two more hours and there’s no more contract security and then you have to go home.”
I’ve been to a lot of shows in my time as well.As far as experiences go the first 2 lollapalooza’s really kicked(I gave up after #4). And woodstock '94 was probably one of the greatest times of my life.
But as far as vocal talent and a stage show that just floored me I have to go with Tom Jones at the Limelight(Manhattan)I’m guessing Aug-Sept of '93. I didnt really know his stuff all that well and just happened in the Limelight the night he was there. He was incredible, I was an instant fan. I’ve since seen him at least 25 times and chose my nick from one of his songs. I took my boys to their first concert for their 8 & 12 b-days in March- Korn & Rob Zombie, they loved it.
so you found a girl who thinks really deep thoughts. what’s so amazing about really deep thoughts? Tori Amos
My first concert EVER was Def Leppard (with L.A. Guns opening) in October of 1988. I had to sneak out of the house to go, and it was VERY memorable for me… but then again, I was only 14, so it’s hard to say if it was that great or not.
A few years ago, I saw LIVE play - they were AMAZING! Loved it.
Oh, and the Judybats at the Whiskey in LA when I was 19, that’s another one I’ll never forget.
I saw Clapton when I was 20 or so… the show itself was good, unfortunately I was seated next to a couple of 15 year old girls that kept screaming how HOT he is through the ENTIRE show. My ears were bleeding by the end of it, from all the high-pitched shrieking. So that was memorable - but that might be for another thread.
I’m going to see Ricky Martin in San Jose this Thanksgiving break. I can’t say I really care for him or his music, but I can sit through it without retching. The key factor in going though, is that even if it may be Ricky, and I may have nosebleed seats, they’re nosebleed seats at Ricky’s concert 350 miles away from Humboldt County, and my parents. A few hundred screaming girls, $60 and a couple hours of his music… Small price to pay for a week of freedom.
This will be my first concert. By default, it will be the best. If anyone would like to expose me to some culture or whatnot though, feel free to buy me tickets, and pay airfare if needed. I wouldn’t mind at all.
Oh, I also shelled out 10 bucks for a New Kids on the Block tape today, along with $40 for my ticket to Ricky. I’m turning into a teenybopper. Shoot me. Please.
To pick the best is nearly impossible. So I’ll better make it a few then, in no particular order:
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Queensryche, Promised Land Tour, 1996, Rotterdam AHOY’ Stadium. They played the roof off that joint, and apart from 2 songs played the ENTIRE Operation: Mindrcime album, which is the second best album ever made (right after Rush’s Moving Pictures).
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Tool, Aenima tour, 1997, Amsterdam Paradiso Club. They looked like smurfs, all painted blue. Hardly ever seen such an aggresive show. It kicked ass BIGTIME.
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Dream Theater, Images & Words tour, 1993, Utrecht Vredenburg concert hall. The VERY first European concert ever for this band. The crowd went absolutely APESHIT, and in return, so did the band. VERY energetic show, great atmosphere.
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Dream Theater, Awake tour, 1995, Utrecht Vredenburg concert hall. DT were disappointing, full-of-them-selves, we-are-the-definiton-of-music assholes by then. But the show was still quite good. What REALLY knocked my socks off though, was the smashing opening act of that evening. Two words: Fates Warning. They fuckin’ ROCK !!
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Savatage, Dead Winter Dead tour, 1997, Tilburg Noorderligt conert hall. Fantastically enthousiastic show, the first European show Savatage played since the untimely death of lead guitarist Chris OLiva. John Oliva, now playing keyboards and partially lead singer, had gained 50 kilos and was lighting one cigaret with the other. When they played “Chris’s Song” (all you Sava fans know what I mean) everyone in the audience went TOTALLY silent. John barely managed to make it through the last lines. Some fan climbed up the stage afterwards, hugged John. Meanwhile, the crowd was somewhere between tears and excitement. Very touching.
That’s it for now. Oh, and Sealemon: I’m jealous of you mate. When I got into Rush, it was just a few months after the ending of the European Roll the Bones tour. They’ve never visited our continent since, and I doubt if I will ever see them live, the way things have gone for Peart these last few years… fingers crossed. If they’re ever gonna tour again in the States or Canada, I’m flying THE FUCK over ! Gotta see that before I die.
God, this is nice to talk about. Great thread !!
Coldfire
“You know how complex women are”
- Neil Peart, Rush (1993)
The Ramones at the Agora in winter 1995(?)
In no particular order:
[ul][li]Billy Joel - “The Bridge” tour, Capital Center, Lanham, MD. He played pianos all over the stage. He didn’t have a background to his stage, so he could face the fans to the rear of the stage.[/li][li]Huey Lewis c. 1988, also at Cap Center - I had behind-the-stage seats for his concert, but he climbed through the backstage equipment to sing at us.[/li]Also, he played 5-6 encores until he was about to pass out.
[li]Melissa Etheridge, wherever she plays.[/li][li]The Beach Boys, 7/4/1984, Washington Monument grounds. Their first concert there after James Watt’s embarrassing snub of them the year before.[/li][li]Yitzak (sp?) Perman, Wolf Trap - This guy looked as though he was going to play himself to death! Very powerful performance.[/li][/ul]
Jane’s Addiction at Akasrben (Omaha), ~May 1991 was a transcendent experience.
fIREHOSE at the Ranch Bowl, their last Omaha show, spring 1995.
Trenchmouth in a basement somewhere around 24th and E in Lincoln, sometime in 1993 or 94 (I drank a lot more then). Whatever happened to basement tours?
Sideshow (opening for Pavement), the Hurricane, early 1994. It felt like they’d pulled out all the stops.
I also implore any- and every-one to go see the Reverend Horton Heat if he is within a 100-mile radius of yourself.
Yes…send the eye.
I’ve only been to one…a Hall & Oates concert sponsored by a local radio station (WPLJ) in the Nassau Coliseum. The opening act was the Bacon brothers (yes, the actors…they do some singing too, and not too badly). It was plenty of fun. The best thing about it was that there was this obnoxious guy behind us who was constantly yelling for “Private Eyes,” and, despite doing two encores, they didn’t play the darned song for him.
After that, WPLJ sent me tickets to a Survivor/Chicago concert that I would have loved to attend…alas, it was on Rosh Hashana, and G-d comes first.
Chaim Mattis Keller
ckeller@schicktech.com
“Sherlock Holmes once said that once you have eliminated the
impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be
the answer. I, however, do not like to eliminate the impossible.
The impossible often has a kind of integrity to it that the merely improbable lacks.”
– Douglas Adams’s Dirk Gently, Holistic Detective
[ul][li]Moody Blues, July 4, 1981(?) at Pine Knob Amphitheatre.[/li][li]ZZTop, 1980 at a local club.[/li][li]Jethro Tull, 1992 at a local venue.[/li][li]Dylan, Grateful Dead & Tom Petty, 1989(?) at the Akron Rubber Bowl.[/ul][/li]In no particular order, of course.
“The problem with the world is that everyone is a few drinks behind.” - Humphrey Bogart