What is the best concert you have ever attended?
Asked by
YoBob (
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)
January 23rd, 2012
Ok, I know this question has already been asked , but that was a couple of years back and I believe warrants revisiting.
For me, it depends on what you mean by “best”.
I saw Dan Fogleberg in the late 1970’s at reunion arena in Dallas. There was no opening act, there was no pyrotechnic display, there was no stage trickery. The show started and a man walks out and says: “Ladies and gentleman, Mr. Dan Fobleberg.”. The lights then cam up with a barstool surrounded by a simi-circle of around 6 guitars and a grand piano to the side. Mr. Fogleberg walked out, sat on the stool, and proceeded to completely enrapture the full arena for a couple of hours. AWESOME!
Then there is just plain raw rock and roll show finesse. I have to give this one to Emerson, Lake and Palmer. It was an experience that is really hard to describe in text. Definitely the best drum solo/light show combo I have ever seen.
Then there is the whole overall showmanship, light show, and production value aspect. To me this is a tie between (believe it or not) DEVO and (much as I hate to admit it) Kiss.
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41 Answers
Was it the Monster Mayhem? I don’t remember the name but I remember Slipknot and Disturb being there. It was pretty awesome.
To many to even list.
Pink Floyd The Wall
Led Zepplin
Eagles Hotel California
U2 several times (Sun Devil Stadium & Orpheum Theatre in Boston)
Lollapalooza 1992
Allman Brothers – NYC BeaconTheatre
Went to Woodstock 1994, but can’t put it at the top of the list.
Prince, Lovesexy Tour in 1989, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.
Grand.
Gifted.
I’ve been to a lot of em, Van Halen opening for Ted Nugent, Ozzy Osbourne and Def Leppard, AC/DC many times, but the best pure music show I got was CSN a few years ago.
Paul Simon
King Sunny Ade
Grateful Dead
and I love CSN too
Pink Floyd was pretty memorable. Rolling Stones was great. I have been to two CSNY ones -also two Clapton’s. I used to go to a lot of Ramones concerts. I have been to a lot of other concerts over the years, great groups, but would not say those were totally incredible, memorable concerts. I have concert stubs from the 80’s when they were like $10 and $12 each. Now a concert around here is around $150 each. That’s a chunk of change.
@jca I have a Rainbow and Blue Oyster Cult ticket stub: $7.50. lol
Mahler’s Symphony No. 8 in Eb “Symphony of a Thousand” was so good that I went and saw it again the next year.
Without a doubt, my first Grateful Dead show.
Or what I can remember of it.
The lights, audience and music. Sad that Jerry’s decline was coming on so rapidly, and two years later, he died. Still, I saw them between 30–40 times, and it’s an entire experience I’ll never trade.
Even though I’m still in a stupor.
Fugazi, Shellac and Blonde Redhead at the Detroit State Theater for $5, afternoon show. Later that evening I saw Rocket From the Crypt and The Gories play at a private party in Detroit.
Pretty much the best day ever.
Totally agree with those lamenting the prices of tickets these days. Who the hell can afford to plunk down $200 a pop for tickets to a show on a regular basis these days!
I can’t help but wonder how the economics would work out if a band suddenly hit the scene with a business model of touring with a high production value show with reasonable ticket prices in mid-sized venues. Do you think such a band could pack a venue without the whole cross marketing entertainment industry machinery behind them?
Iron Butterfly! The drum solo in “In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida” was absolutely breathtaking. (1970) The drummer took off his shirt and was pounding away, sweat flying, while the other musicians moved around the stage. Raw talent.
All the senses were stimulated.
@blueiiznh I can still remember the feel of the drums in my chest. And I clearly remember the girl I was with.
No other concert has ever been as memorable for me.
Rainbow with Dio would have been awesome. Dio on his own would have been awesome. Blondie from the CBGB days would have been something to see.
I used to be into new wave and it would have been great to see the B-52’s, Talking Heads, etc.
@jca That was the loudest concert I ever attended. Rainbow opened, BOC closed and my ears rang for two days. It was one helluva show.
Wow. I would have liked to see Van Halen, back in their heyday. I see you saw them, too.
@jca It was quite a show. Van Halen was just getting established and they put on a great show. Ted was at his peak too.
@rebbel ooooh my god it is my life dream to see Prince I am SO JEALOUS, WAS HE AMAZING? Well obviously cause thats your answer but….man!!!!!!
My favorite concert would have to be one of Straight No Chaser’s or a John Michael Montgomery.
The Darkness. It was the campest, cheesiest, most over-the-top thing I’ve ever seen but it was absolutely brilliant. Best show ever.
I was at this Kiss concert in 2000. I only knew one of their songs but it was a good time.
Abney Park puts on a great show. Their lead, “Captain” Robert Brown has a great voice and likes to mingle. They have aerialists perform between sets. The venders have interesting wares, and the costumes in the audience are interesting (as to be expected; it is Steampunk). I have to say that the best concert I’ve been to was their show at Studio 7 last year.
Oh my, flashback to the 70’s. :-P
Lots of Grateful Dead shows on the west coast, with The Who, Santana, The Stones.
Lynard Skynnard, Marshall Tucker Band, The Band, Moody Blues, Jefferson Starship, on & on.
Led Zeppelin Oakland Colloseum 1977 was quite memorable, Judas Priest was their header, they were virtually unknown at the time.
Great show, I was 18, hot little blonde on my boyfriends shoulders with weeds, whites and wine! lol
Oooh baby, what a day on the green! :-)
@everephebe Would love to see Sigur Ros. I’m tres envious.
My favourite concert was a Leonard Cohen one. Amazing.
Green Day! Lively and fun to watch. :)
Seeing Barbra Streisand was a dream come true for me. I’ve seen some amazing concerts but that one was stunning.
Iggy Pop’s 60th birthday shows in San Francisco.
@Neizvestnaya – That sounds like a great show.
I saw him at Club Foot in Austin in the early 80’s. Can’t help but wonder if there are as many slam dancers in the mosh pit these days as there was back then.
@YoBob: I don’t think so, we’ve all got pinched nerves and bulging discs these days.~
LOL! (probably from all the slam dancing during our misspent youth…)
The last show ever at Winterland in San Francisco was New Year’s Eve 1978/79. It opened with New Riders of the Purple Sage, then Blues Brothers got the crowd completely wound up. The Grateful Dead took the stage just before midnight then played for over six hours. When they stopped breakfast was served to the whole audience.
My housemate was working security with the Bill Graham production company in those days and they were short-handed that night. So I got a temp job doing something easy to train, keeping people off stage left. Grateful Dead audiences are the easiest in the world so there was little for me to do but enjoy the show from onstage twenty feet from the performers.
It was impressive to see how hard the performers physically work when rocking tune after tune for hours. ...That and seeing Jim Belushi dance a few feet away.
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