Your 5 Fav Rock Concerts


There are certainly more than a few geetar fanciers among us judging by all the threads on guitar bands and best guitarist. This thread is about the best rock shows you saw. Let's limit it to the rock shows. Not Blues or Jazz or solo performers. The concerts that raised the hairs on your neck or made you want to take up an instrument or raised your pulse through their sheer energy or just moved you through their performance on stage. The only ones that count are the ones you've seen. After making a list in my mind of the many rock concerts I attended, most from the late 1960's through early 80's, I have come up with mine. It was tough, I’ve seen well over 200 rock concerts over the years and it is really hard coming up with a top 5 but we have to limit this so here go mine. "Yes" - This group stands out as the 2nd best concert I ever saw with Steve Howe and Chris Wakeman. They opened for Emerson, Lake and Palmer and after their set I do feel that EL&P were disheartened and knew they couldn't match it; they didn't. Funny thing is like most, I was there to see EL&P. They were forced to have another concert the following night by popular demand. Virtuoso musicianship, “Poco” - This group could put on a show. I saw them 4 different times in the many various stages of their evolution. They never had the commercial recognition of some of the other great bands of their era but they sure made up for it in their live performances. No one stayed seated during a Poco concert. “Rod Stewart and Faces” - Ron Wood on guitar and Rod Stewart strutting all over the stage. Rod was probably the greatest natural Rock showman I ever saw, including Mick Jagger. His uninhibited manner and constant movement and soulful vocals brought the house down. The crowd wouldn't let him go after the 5th encore so he invited everyone ("especially the pretty young ladies") to his hotel to “party on”, and so they came; Led Zeppelin I had to include them because next to the Doors and of course Jimi Hendrix they were my favorites of that era and I never did get to see either of the other two. The acoustics were bad and they played so loud you couldn’t really hear the music. But they were great none the less and it was special to me. The best should be kept for last. "The Who" was acknowledged as the best concert band at the time. Getting tickets meant getting in line and waiting. I imagine at the time the only tougher ticket would be the “Beatles” and they weren’t even together then. They didn’t disappoint. The reaction of the audience was beyond anything I ever saw at a live concert before or since. The band was so cohesive and the energy they put out put them into a different realm. They just have to be on a very short list of the best live bands ever.
tubegroover
This is a tough one to pick only five since I am in my 50s and have seen countless shows since the late 60s. I am only going to list one though. I experienced a concert at Yale New Haven in the neat little old theatre there in '71? The bill was Tower of Power and Graham Central Station opened. Both groups were truly on fire that night and they really got the place jumpin'and way funked up.
Pink Floyd - 6/26/73 Ivor Wynn Stadium. Hamilton, Ontario

Grateful Dead - May ?, 1977 Boston Garden (if you can remember it, you weren't there)

Phish - 12/14/95 Broome County Arena. Binghamton, NY

String Cheese Incident - 10/31/99 Electric Factory. Philadelphia

Grateful Dead - 10/5/94 Spectrum. Philadelphia

Honorable mention:
Bonnie Raitt, Jackson Browne, Shawn Colvin, Bruce Hornsby w/David Lindley on guitars - Blockbuster Entertainment Center. Camden, NJ July or August 2001 (can't remember the date) Stunning show!
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Paul McCartney doing the 91 92 Anahiem stadium never will forget the opener Drive my car never had a concert like that again. Wrong 10 years latter the man strikes back and kicks ass again and still single handeley kickin the stones ass. Only 5 songs not so good but 36 songs you need to go to the mens room sonmetime.

Despite towshend shit. The Who raised goose bump I was there on opener only concert I say that was so clear. Pete whales on guitar and is the best guitar player.

First stones concert goose bumps 2nd same
3rd some
bu they still kick ass but they need a better setlist to much new shit anything above the 80s is new shit. Sherrel Crow and is always screwing up Honky tonk woman.

The only concert that I want to see and will say I seen my favorites is Pink Floyd or David gilmour or Roger watters. Anybody think they will do another tour these boys
I posted on this thread earlier and only listed one. I thought I would list a few others as well. A Miles Davis, Santana concert in '68 at CW Post on LI I think and Miles opened as he often did for rock bands in the 60s and 70s(and he hated it). Great show, Miles had most of the "Bitches Brew" group and Santana were lean and hungry.Neil Young and Crazy Horse at The Boston Tea Party, Boston in '69 I believe. We sat on their equipment boxes right on the stage about 20 feet from Danny Whitten. During the acoustic set Neil played "Helpless" for the first time ever live. During the second electric set after the long guitar solo in 'Down By The River" the house became hysterical(definate goose bumps).Another show that really impressed me in my youth was Led Zep in Flushing Meadow Park, LI.They were lean and mean and I believe it was the first concert date in the US on the tour in support of their second album.Boy, those were the days!!!!!
Buddy Guy and Junior Wells in 1969 played a gig at my college. Dave Barry's band was the warmup act. It was in the old dining hall so we continued to dance; it started at 11 and didn't end until the wee hours. There was beer, bombers and moose punch. Half the faculty showed up. What a night.