Sort of a hijack, but has anyone ever seen a legendary act or performer that they had to see before they die (as Paulbeserker mentioned) and been SO let down?
I had an opportunity to see Dylan a few years back and the show was TERRIBLE!
But still, if I have any hippie grandkids who mythologize the 60’s, I can say “I saw Dylan!”
Dylan is very hit-or-miss. He is certainly the worst major act I have ever seen live, as well as one of the best.
And Mr Beserker you are in for a treat if you see AC/DC - they’re as close to perfection as a rock band can get live.
There are certain periods when I would have liked to see these artists, because it was a time when they still had something to prove, and performed their collective asses off - rather than being wheeled out to do their greatest hits in a get-it-over-with-ASAP-mode, and some lame new material.
I wish I had been able to see Jimi Hendrix any year.
The Beatles in 1963, in some Odeon Theatre in England
Led Zeppelin in 1971
Chicago in 1972
The Guess Who before Kurt Winter got bored, esp. 1972-1973
Harry Chapin in 1973
Gordon Lightfoot in 1976
Kate Bush in 1978
Grand Funk Railroad in 1973
Frank Zappa in the early 1980s
Dave Edmunds in the mid-'70s
Little Richard & The Upsetters in 1958
Les Brown & His Band Of Renown with Doris Day, vocalist in the early '40s. Killer big band.
The Smothers Brothers in 1969
Cheech & Chong in 1972
I saw them play the Vet in Philly on the Division Bell tour. Eleven years later, it’s still the best concert I’ve ever seen. And at 3.5 hours, I’d say I got my money’s worth. I would have liked to have seen them on an earlier tour, but hey, at least I got to see something.
My vote would probably have to go to Queen’s first U.S. tour. I have dozens of gigs of bootlegs (audio and video) and unreleased professional footage from their various tours*, but there are very few audio recordings of that first tour and the quality of the ones that do exist is atrocious.
*Queen knows these shows are floating around on the net and are fine with people sharing non-commercially-available stuff.
The Verve had their homecoming gig literally about 1km from my house. It was the last time they ever played together as a band and I can kick myself for not going watching them.
The Stone Roses playing at Spike Island would have also been a great gig.
I wish I had been born early enough to see any of the shows at either the Fillmore East or West: Jefferson Airplane in their prime, the Grateful Dead with Pigpen, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, the Allman Brothers Band, Cream, the Doors, the list goes on.
About once a week I walk past the corner in the East Village where the Fillmore East was located. An Immigrants National Bank is in that space now. I look at it and can’t help wondering how such a big-looking (in pictures at any rate) auditorium fit into such a small-looking space.
Punk rock fans take note: the Bowery neighborhood where CBGB’s is located is slated by Satan’s lackeys (e.g. real estate developers) to be gentrified. The hallowed old dive is VERY rumored to be living on borrowed time, and will soon be a casualty of escalating Manhattan rents. Make a pilgrimage while you still can!
Just curious: why the early ‘80s in particular? Of the five times I saw Zappa live, the 1980 show was the weakest. The 1981 show, OTOH, was pretty smokin’. (1982 was Europe only, and Zappa didn’t tour in 1983.)
I would have liked to see him on the tour and with the band that resulted in the “Tinseltown Rebellion” album. It’s one of my all-time faves.
Oh no. I’ve always wanted to go to CBGB’s, but I didn’t know if they had an age restriction to enter.
I would like to have seen Frank Zappa in concert at the Kiel Opera House in St. Louis on December 4th, 1981.
I was there, in a sense: That’s when and where my pregnant mother saw him play.
Tiffany’s mall gigs in 1987/1988… 
DarkSidecheck your email…it’s not quite a gig where Gilmour played,but it’s the best I can do…