Most of my picks are currently alive and active but my top choice would be Syd-era Pink Floyd, on one of Syd’s on days. Or, since this is a fantasy, a possibility that’s even more remote than time travel would be Syd and Roger and Floyd back together, on stage, today.
My other choices, in order:
– Echo and the Bunnymen, especially if the Psych Furs open
– Emiliana Torrini
– Bjork (they’d make a good tour together)
– Schascle Twinkle (even tho I’ve seen her the most of any act, 4 times, she never ceases to blow me away. The most amazing soul/blues/jazz/rock act I’ve ever seen. Picture contemporary pop divas, you know the ones that grandstand their singing virtuosity like the remake of I Will Always Love You. Picture that type of singing, but done in such as way that it isn’t grandstanding, because she makes it look freakin’ easy like it was nothing at all. She does BETTER versions of classic blues and soul than the originals.
– The Promise Ring. Only saw them once, and they were an opening act for Bad Religion. Would have liked to see them play a full set before they broke up.
The 101er’s-Would have loved to see Strummer perfoming manic rockabilly.
The Clash-preferably around '77-'18
Televison
Iggy and the Stooges-during the later years with James Williamson. When I saw them a few summers ago during the Detroit reunion show I was very dissapointed to hear that they would not be performing any Williamson era material such as Search and Destroy or Gimme Danger.
Another vote for Charlie Parker
You probably aren’t much older than me, if at all. I was well aware of GWAR 10-12 years ago, I just didn’t really have an opinion of them (except their movie Phallus in Wonderland - I thought that was the bee’s knees.) A lot of the bands that I feel are really just coming into their own have been touring since the mid to late '80s.
I’d LOOOOOOOVE to see Meat Beat Manifesto and/or Jack Dangers (Old Skool industrial electronica, for the uninformed). But their/his chance of coming to Canada anytime soon I think is pretty much nil.
Queen with Freddie for me, too. That’d be number one.
I did see Stevie Ray a couple times, including his last concert at Alpine Valley. He was great. I know, that’s not news to you.
I’ve been to a lot of good concerts, and I love live music of almost any kind. My biggest regret besides Queen is some of the older blues and jazz legends that are no longer with us. I’ve only recently gotten interested in that type of music, so I’m feeling the loss. Ray Charles would have been amazing to see.
Dammit…if we could get all these people and groups together into a Woodstock type setting (albeit a very eclectic gathering but still) I could attend and die happily. So many great people have been mentioned and that makes my list even longer.
ALMOST saw Led Zeppelin. Had tickets and back stage passes for the “In Through The Outdoor” Tour…
My list:
Queen
Van Halen - with Dave (probably Diver Down or earlier)
Beatles at the Cavern Club
Jimi Hendrix
Cream (I don’t think I’ll make it to the shows in London this March)
Frank Zappa
I’d like to go to a world where The Beatles decided to resume touring after they gained a more serious fanbase. I can’t even imagine how wonderful a 1968 Beatles show, with them playing stuff from Revolver, Sgt. Pepper and the white album would be.
Big second (or third, or whatever) on seeing Queen with Freddie, as well on a London Calling era Clash show. I also would have loved to have been a kid in Detroit around when the MC5 were playing. My mom went to a lot of those shows and said they were a blast.
I could also see the Pixies any day of the week. Their show at the Coachella Festival in 2004 was the best concert I’ve ever been to.
Me, it would have to be The Beatles. Don’t know where or when, though. And REM before Document. I saw them on the Monster tour and said, “Meh.”
Actually saw Van Halen touring for Diver Down, but the album hadn’t been released yet. So technically it was following FW.
IIRC, it wasn’t a bad show. But not one I’ve remembered for the ages.
I’d love to go see Frank Zappa. I actually did go to one of his concerts in utero; Mom was about eight or nine months pregnant with me when she saw him.
Here’s my short list:
Devo (do they still tour?)
Rammstein
GWAR
Kraftwerk
Primus
Oingo Boingo
Marilyn Manson
Cypress Hill
Dir en Grey
Queen
The Black Mages (Nobuo Uematsu’s rock group)
Shonen Knife (they’re still pretty hot)
Skinny Puppy circa Last Rights (w/D. Goettel)
The Cure Kiss Me or Disintegration tours (got to see Wish tour, but you always want what you haven’t got!)
Nine Inch Nails PHM, Broken, or Downward Spiral tours (saw Fragility, see above)
Marilyn Manson Antichrist tour
Depeche Mode any tour up through Violator
Nirvana with Kurt, of course
Sisters of Mercy
Concrete Blonde
Pink Floyd
Primus
REM
They Might Be Giants
Violent Femmes again!