Saw his concert at the Santa Cruz Civic Auditorium in 1986, about 10 rows back. I missed his half of the show when he toured with Jeff Beck – I had to leave early for work. (a decision I regretted later when I heard that both Jeff and Carlos Santana joined Stevie for the encore.)
Never saw KISS, but I did see Mini-KISS, a little person KISS cover band. Similarly, never saw Led Zeppelin but have seen Lez Zeppelin, a lesbian tribute band.
Stevie Ray Vaughan was the opening act for a Moody Blues concert I attended in the early 80s in Ann Arbor, MI. I was far from a fan of blues rock and, while it might have been spectacular, I’m afraid did not enjoy a single minute of his performance.
Also never saw Kiss, but a German Kiss tribute band (don’t remember the name) in my local music pub. The music was ok, but the outfits and make-up made the show, authentic Kiss style.
That would have been a great encore to see. SRV was incredible live. I’m glad I got to see him that one time.
I don’t know why I capitalized “downtown” in my above post.
Soldier Field.
Never saw Merle, but saw Doc. He didn’t see me.
Someone mentioned Maynard Ferguson. Another Chicagofest show for me.
Might as well toss in a couple of fun ones I’m sure plenty of you have seen:
Southern Culture on the Skids
The Red Elvises
Big Sandy and His Fly Right Boys
No one else has seen jason?
Did anyone see one of the shows where Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan played a duet on a double-necked guitar? I saw the Fabulous Thunderbirds open for SRV & Double Trouble in 1988. At one point the brothers performed this little number:
Stevie Ray and Jimmie Vaughan duet
This was not recorded at the show I saw but they played the same medley.
I saw KISS twice in the late 70s, the Destroyer tour and the one after that. IIRC the second time I saw them, the opening act was John Cougar! (I still have a Gene Simmons guitar pick from that show - he flicked it out into the crowd and it landed right at my feet.)
I saw them open for Elvis Costello in 1982. Sadly, unlike your story, there was no interaction between the bands.
Also, Los Lobos used to play the student union at the University of Texas, and while I can’t claim to have “seen” them, I listened to their set while studying in an adjacent area.
Yep I saw them on that tour. I saw them on The Pier in NYC next to the USS Intrepid. I saw Stevie Ray 7 different times and once bumped into him right before a show. Got his autograph.
Very cool!
I’m really envious of all these groups that you all have seen. My ex didn’t like rock music, and I was out of the country a lot, so I missed seeing most everyone of note. My wife of now likes all kinds of music, but any concert that involves standing up just isn’t going to work for us at this age. Also, most of the groups that I used to like are getting pretty long in the tooth.
I met him last year !
The only candidate I have that nobody else here may have seen is the Germs. I am certain (45 years on, certainty ain’t what it used to be) they opened for the Cramps at the Cuckoo’s Nest in Orange County, but no evidence of The Germs ever playing there seems to exist online. I couldn’t have seen them in LA or Hollywood because I had only seen a handful of shows (X, the Blasters, the Go-Go’s, The Crowd, and the Dickies) there by the time Darby died.
David Allan Coe, glad I saw him but he was in bad shape
Seen Hank III a couple of times
also have seen S.C.O.T.S several times and the Cramps once
I saw the Weirdos in the late 80’s and even got to do an interview with the for a friend’s music zine
No mention of King Crimson so far. I saw both the Larks’ Tongues and Discipline line-ups.
November, 1981 - Discipline tour.
I didn’t mention Rush, because I KNEW that lots of other Dopers have seen them too. I did, 4 times, and each in a different state:
1982, Des Moines, IA
1990, Omaha, NE
1994, within the same week (long story about that): Kansas City, MO and Moline, IL
I don’t remember who opened the first show, Mr. Big (“Addicted To That Rush”) opened the second show, and Primus opened the two 1994 shows. Primus did not play the same sets both nights, but Rush did.
Sometime in the early 1970s I saw Richie Havens at Meriweather Post Pavillion in Columbia Maryland. He was still riding high from his 1969 performance at Woodstock, after years of being a self-contained itinerant folkie playing small clubs and coffee houses. Unfortunately, his management must have convinced him that Richie, his guitar and a small combo wasn’t enough. He came out with a stage full of backup singers and side men. It was just too much and it was quite disappointing.
Even more weird was the opening act: 50s doowop tribute group Sha Na Na. Who thought that was a good combination? They were excellent and fun, as I recall, but they certainly didn’t fit the vibe we were expecting.
Jeff Healey had a couple of American hits, but IIRC he didn’t like touring, so he opened a music venue in his hometown area and did a lot of local and regional shows, until the cancer that blinded him as a baby came back, about FORTY YEARS LATER, and killed him.
p.s. I’ve heard that “Road House”, the Patrick Swayze dud, is a bit of a camp classic, and that’s why AMC plays it so frequently.