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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
tweakgeek
76 posts
 
For that matter, almost any Ramones show (especially Aragon Ballroom February, 1979), almost any concert by The Cramps (I was particularly fond of their support gig for The Talking Heads at the Aragon in 1979, any AC-DC show with Bon Scott in the line up (their 1977, or was it 1978?, show at the old Comiskey Park on a bill with Aerosmith and the lamentable Foreigner, or their appearance at Wembley Stadium in London on an improbable bill which included both The Stranglers and The Who), the Minutemen at Flynn's in Miami Beach (was it 1984?), the Meat Puppets at G.S. Vig's in Madison, Wisconsin (1984), The Butthole Surfers w/ Killdozer at the Univeristy of Wisconsin-Whitewater (1985 or was it 86?), any of G.G. Allin's legendary shows at The Exit, Tom Waits at the Chicago Theater on his most recent tour, and I should not fail to mention the Butthole Surfers at the Vic (May 2, 1991) where I met my lovely wife of ten years.

I'm sorry. Did I go over five?
artprinteaa0
21 posts
 
1. captain beefheart at bottom line--he blew out the microphone during electricity.
2. fugs. What a solid harmony group although lots of people were disgusted at some other things.
3. kraftwerk 75. For that time, simply amazing and they were 100% electronic w/ no conventional instruments.
4. tangerine dream 76 and in their prime.
5. beefheart again, albiet different band members--like zappa he went through a ton of guys and so much of their shows was dependant on which guys were in the mothers or the magic band as to the songs they could perform.
jetter
3,052 posts
 
1. Greatfull Dead, about 1968 at a small place called the Arc near Fenway Park in Boston. I was asked to stand on the stage about one foot from one of the drummers because it was standing room only since the about 300 people capacity was reached. At the time I was bummed because I wanted to be in the back where I could mingle. Cost of admission $3.50.

2. Cream, again about 1968. Cream played for two weeks for the Kenmore Square opening of a joint called the Psychedelic Supermarket. This place was a basement with a few posters and black lights and held maybe 100 people. Went last night, no one at door collecting money, and about 20 people inside standing and listening. Yep, Jack, Eric and Ginger boogied bigtime.

3. to more than 5. Spirit, Zappa, Joni Mitchell, Steve Winwood, Jefferson Airplane, Santana, Steve Miller, Ravi Shankar, Beach Boys, Country Joe and the Fish, Taj Mahal, Charles Lloyd, James Taylor (also got a ride hitchhiking on Martha's Vineyard with him), Ike and Tina Turner, Velvet Underground, Fuggs, Youngbloods, Electric Light Orchestra, Arlo Guthrie,Ray Charles, Lee Michaels and Mundo Gerry. Its good I can remember the name of these groups as its about all I can remember of this 1967-1970 time period except being 1A and feeling fortunate about not getting drafted.
dudeaudio
39 posts
 
1/Pink Floyd '87 CNE Toronto......easy.....I was a wide-eyed-high boy2/Platinum Blonde '85(I think) Canadas Wonderland (I know, but it was my first concert,I was only 15, the dancing energy was incredible, and all those preppy girls in spandex and mesh.....)3/Metallica around '90-91 Maple Leaf Gardens (I know.....far cry from Platinum Blonde, but now I was cool, and the headbangin energy was incredible)4/Roger Warters '90 cant remember the name of the grandstand in Toronto, Ontario Place?5/I'll reserve 5 for the future,maybe the Supertramp or the Trgically Hip concert I'm going to soon
joshk
6 posts
 
Like No Money, Tool (at Madison Square Garden & again the voodoo music festival in New Orleans) is on my top 5, they simply get into it more than any other new-comers to the rock scene. Probably the best rock concert ever was Nine Inch Nails, the Downward Spiral tour (first) at Universal Amphitheater (the best acoustics I have ever experienced, seen them 2 other times, lastest at MSG which was ok too but A Perfect Circle stole the show!) in Hollywood. Next up is 3 doors down at Irving Plaza in NYC, not because of the band per se but the crowd, the small intimate crowd that was totally into it = fun!! Deftones/Incubus at the Roseland Ballroom. Talk about energy! And last but not least I would have to say Factory 81/Nothinface/Amen/Mudvayne/Hatebreed/somebody else because this was a raw power metal extravaganza!

Another contender no quite grazing the list was Soulfly/Rammstein/Mindless Self Indulgence in a 500 person standing theater in Portland OR. Almost got squished to death in that show though!
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