Steeleye Span (the Rick Kemp/Tim Harries/Gay Woods/Peter Knight/Dave Mattacks lineup. Yeah, I know nobody liked them. I did.)
Richard and Linda Thompson
Bob Pegg supporting The Albion Band
Show of Hands
Radiohead - August 17, 2001 - Liberty State Park, NJ
I’d seen them a few times, and you may not believe this, but my friends and I knew that a concert that perfect could never be repeated. We kept on saying, “This could never happen again.” And we were right…
Suberb music. They were having a great time, as was the crowd. We saw the Statue of Liberty behind one side of the stage and the World Trade Center behind the other. Of course, the towers came down about 3 weeks later and I still get chills thinking about it.
Too many bands just skip Florida entirely :mad:. Now I’m crossing my fingers because Maritime has announced their West and Northeast tour dates, but not their southeast yet: I hope they don’t skip out on Florida like everyone else does. I wish they’d announce tours ahead of time enough for me to fly up to the Northeast to see them if they should cancel their tour (I seriously would: never seen them live but the Promise Ring was great [and coincidentally at the time contained a current member of Dashboard Confessional: Scott Schoenbeck, making him tied with Chris Carrabba for the top major musicians that I’ve seen live in concert, at 4, even though they weren’t with the same bands when I saw them!))
Echo and the Bunnymen, for instance, did about 3 American tours in the past 8 yrs but only this year came to Orlando.
Flogging Molly puts on some of the best shows I’ve ever seen. One of their openers, whose name eludes me right now, put on a hell of a good show as well–for a bunch of guys nobody knew and nobody came to see, they got the crowd worked up.
It’s been a long while, but I recall the KMFDM show I went to back in da 'burgh being pretty damn good as well, and Raymond Watts/PIG being equally good–he seemed to enjoy hamming it up for the crowd.
Assorted Jethro Tull concerts throughout the '70s, particularly the epic, elaborately staged presentations of the Thick as a Brick and A Passion Play tours of 1972-73. Filmed interludes, disembodied voices interrupting the band, people running around the stage in rabbit costumes, ringing telephones (“It’s for you!”), Pythonesque news and weather reports, Ian Anderson leaping about, huffing and puffing into his flute…and the most unbelieveable music happening all the while.
The stadium shows in 1976 were, AFAIK, the first-ever use of a large screen (surrounded by a mock TV frame and dubbed Tull-a-vision) projecting the onstage action so the folks in the cheap seats could see what was going on.
Jimmy Buffett at Buckeye Lake OH (east of Columbus) in August 1993. A giant inflatable shark “attacked” the stage early in the show, causing Jimmy to alter the set list and play “Fins” earlier in the show then he had planned to. He played it at the end of the show too. That, plus Buffett’s giant volcano burned down accidentally, judging by the number of firemen who responded to the scene. It may have been a planned accident, but it sure looked real!
Huey Lewis & the News at South Bend in winter 1987. John Fogerty came up out of the crowd and jammed with them for severel songs.
The one that really stands out was The Flaming Lips, circa 1992/3, made even more spectacular by the fact that they followed The Butthole Surfers. The combination was like being on mushrooms without worrying about who was driving home. Both featured lots of video projections, ear-bleeding volume, and other craziness. My jaw was on the floor the whole time. Who knew concerts could be such multimedia feasts for the senses - in Omaha, no less?! (it’s not worth mentioning headlining set by Stone Temple Pilots. I kind of felt sorry for them, they seemed such amateurs by comparison)
I’m so happy I’ll get to see FL again next month. My new best friend in the whole world got me a ticket for my birthday!!
Some others that left me mind-blown:
Sonic Youth
Bobby Conn
Metallica
Faith No More
Madonna
David Bowie (just because he’s friggin’ David Bowie!)
…and Hanson, because I’m a big nerd.
Saw Crosby, Stills & Nash just 3 years ago locally (well, 135 miles west of here) in a small university venue, no warm-up band, just 3 1/2 hours of the best harmony/guitar licks/acoustical arrangements known to mankind. I was sitting close enough to David Crosby to touch him nearly, and it was like being in the presence of a god. I’d never had the opportunity to see them before, of course, hence my fascination. It was so intimate a venue and such a great long time to listen to them play & sing that I walked around in a daze for a week or so afterwards. Memorable!
Elvis Costello – maybe 3 years ago. He was fantastic; he played for 2.5 hours, including the encores, and I was so, so happy because he played “I Want You” (my very favorite EC song).
Firewater / Girls Against Boys – about 8 years ago, at the Pontiac in Philly (tiny club). I and everyone else danced our asses off.
Sixteen Horsepower – I’ve seen them three times, and I was blown away thrice. David Eugene Edwards channels a crazed hellfire-and-brimstone preacher up there. Just fantastic. Probably my favorite band to see live.
The Folk Implosion – twice, once on their own and once opening for the Melvins (for reals!) Actually, the first time, it was just Lou Barlow and a sound machine, but it was amazing. His voice is beautiful in person. He played (I kid you not) a truly lovely cover of Foreigner’s “Cold as Ice” – I mean, it made you want to cry, it was so pretty. The second time they had to contend with the Melvins’ audience, so it was less impressive. The Melvins were pretty good, too (Dale Crover = drum king of the inner planets).
Sonic Youth – about 4 years ago, at the Trocadero in Philly, which is a great venue. They played tons of old songs (I remember “Tom Violence,” “Schizophrenia,” and “100%,” off the top of my head). Their encore was like 30 minutes of feedback, which wasn’t so hot, but it was an otherwise great performance.
The Klezmatics – totally rocked out. If I hadn’t been recovering from a caffeine overdose, I would have danced around the theatre with the others.
One of the absolute best shows I’ve ever seen (and I’ve been to a few) was David Byrne, from the Talking Heads, when he played in Nashville a couple years ago. The show was terriffic, but the energy from the crowd was just overwhelming. I saw him at Bonnaroo that same summer (I guess it must have been 2004), and he was great, but it was nothing like the show in Nashville. At the time he kpet an online diary of his experiences during the tour, and I checked to see if it had made an impression on him as well. It did! I can’t remember exactly how he put it, but he said he’d rarely done a show where the crowd was so intense, and that he’d really enjoyed it. I was so pleased to have been there. If I EVER see him anywhere nearby, I’d go again for sure. It was just an incredible concert.
Back in their heyday, I really enjoyed the *Black Crowes * concert I attended.
I also liked George Clinton and Parliament Funkadelic, but that may have been more for the spectacle of it all.
Depeche Mode - 101 Tour, Rose Bowl, Pasadena, CA (1988)
Opening Acts: Thomas Dolby, OMD, Wire
Erasure - Phantasmagorical Tour, Orpheum Theatre, San Francisco, CA (1992)
U2 - ZOO TV Tour, Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum (1992)
Opening Acts: Public Enemy, Sugar Cubes
Pet Shop Boys - Nightlife on Tour, Tokyo International Forum, Tokyo, Japan (2000)
Zamboniracer, Jimmy talked about that show during his Millenium concert in L.A. (you know, when we were all worried about Y2K). Before playing “Volcano,” he said that one of the crew members “who’s not with the organization anymore” suggested putting some explosives inside the volcano “and it’ll be cool, man (imitates sucking a joint).”
Jimmy’s response: “Sure, what the hell. We haven’t planned anything in 20 years, why start now?”
The song included footage of the volcano burning down, too.
Anyway, I saw Buffett at Carowinds in Charlotte, N.C. about '81, '82, when you could see him for an extra five bucks over park admission. Those were the days.
Other great concerts:
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They Might Be Giants, Harrisburg, 2003. A fun show made more enjoyable because I took my son with me. Great, loose set.
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Eric Vogel, Washington D.C., about 1986. A friend took me to this small club where he played for about 50 people in the afternoon. (He’s an Australian singer, known best for “The Band Played Waltzing Matilda.”)
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Root Boy Slim, Cat’s Cradle, Chapel Hill, N.C. Small club, hot band and a wild man for a leader. The audience was totally into him, with some sticking their heads near the sax player’s horn for that added blast of deafness. Slim sometimes would grab the ceiling joists and haul himself up, threatening to literally bring the hosue down.
And my all-time favorite:
- U2 in Columbia, S.C., during their ZooTV tour. Fantastic multi-media spectacle. I got in on a press pass for the first three songs and discovered my @#$!@! camera was broken, but I wasn’t about to tell them, right? They led us out to the stage apron for the first three songs before the show and I faked taking pictures. Want to get girls’ attentions? Carry a camera at a rock concert. The sonic impact of that first song about knocked me off my feet. At times, Bono was only a few feet away from me, and at one point, took the camera from the guy next to me as part of his act and took a picture of himself.
Led Zeppelin/Uriah Heep at the Woodinville Dome. First concert I ever attended.
Thin Lizzy, opened for a pre Steve Perry Journey.
Van Halen at a small theatre weeks before the release of their first album.
The New Barbarians, last show of their US tour.
Supertramp. Took a Led Zeppelin/Black Sabbath junkie with me. He was never the same again.
AC-DC. One of the first US concerts after the release of Back in Black. The crowd really wanted to hate Brian Johnson, he recieved a 10 minute ovation at the end of the show.
The Cars. Expected a techno pop show similar to their music, it was a great rock concert.
Bruce Sprinsteen. Snagged a couple front row tickets.
Judas Priest. Can you say back stage pass? You don’t realize how much work the roadies do during a show.
Collective Soul. Half empty theatre, great show.
First let me say to silenus- Dayumm!
I’ve seen an loved:
Queen (with Freddie)
Kiss where the guitarist got electrocuted and was carried off stage. Thin Lizzy opened that show.
Aerosmith three times (last one was the one filmed on A&E)
Blue Oyster Cult (kind of a let down)
Steppenwolf twice. The last time was just a few years ago in a poorly advertised small venue and we were easily within ten feet of John Kay. The first time they were in Orlando and had Foghat open, followed by The Outlaws. That was a helluva show!
Bob Seger.
ZZ Top and was opened by Ted “The Sledge” Nuggent. He truely rocked the house.
Molly Hatchett when they were brand new and opened for Joe Cocker. I love them both but it was a bad match-up for a concert.
Cheap Trick
AC/DC put on a killer show
Gary Wright, the Dream Weaver
There were many more but many were seen through a dazed and confussed mind.
I saw the Flaming Lips at a free concert at the Del Mar racetrack just two weeks ago. It was understandably packed, as it was free, and I was stuck way in the back. When the band came on, I could only see the top of the head of the lead singer, and assorted body parts of other band members. It was still one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to.
Umphrey’s Mcgee, who I’ve seen twice, are also really great live, as is Porcupine Tree.
King Crimson, on the “Discipline” tour. I can’t say I’ll ever witness musicianship to rival it.
Tied with Robert Fripp & The League Of Crafty Guitarists.
Pat Metheny.
The Tubes, on the “What Do You Want From Live” album tour.
Paul McCartney, on the “Flowers In The Dirt” tour, and again on the “Off The Ground” tour, when he had finally embraced The Beatles catalogue and hadn’t played “Hey Jude” a hundred times yet.
Burton Cummings.
Burton Cummings & Randy Bachman.
The Guess Who reunion.
Little Richard.
Fats Domino.
Jerry Lee Lewis.
Chuck Berry.
Max Webster, on their last NYE gig at Maple Leaf Gardens, Toronto. Geddy Lee came out to play “Battle Scar” with them. Unfuckingbelievable.
Stevie Ray Vaughan, at the El Mocambo, Toronto. There’s an album of it now.
Bob Dylan
Segovia
Chuck Berry
The Greatful Dead
Miles Davis
Frank Zappa
Pat Metheny
Preservation Hall Jazz Band
The Black Crowes
Jonathon Richman
Great Big Sea. Though their albums are great, they truly shine in concert.
I’d echo Burton Cummings/Randy Bachman/The Guess Who. I still recall one CBC radio review of Burton Cummings, “He’s nearly as good as he thinks he is.” The perfect summation of both his personality and his talent in my mind.
Oh, should I add Dan Hill in the “Sometimes When We Touch” era? 
Hey, I was an impressionable pre-teen.
J. Geils Band
Sha Na Na
(Both roughly 30 years ago.)
Los Lobos
Trout Fishing in America
(Both roughly 20 years ago.)
The last 10 years? I got nothing.