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
In order,all pre 1975, Jethro Tull at MSG,, Alice Cooper at Roosevelt stadium n.j. ,,David Bowie at Radio City,, Frank Zappa at felt forum,,, the Tubes at beacon theatre
73 Rolling Stones in Memphis, 72 Pink Floyd DSOM in Chicago, 2009 Doobie Brothers in Jacksonville FL, 2009 Eagles in JAX, and 2008 ZZ Top in St. Augustine, FL.

The RS were great stage men/craftsmen. The PF lights and sound was nearly spell bounding at times. The Doobies sounded very fresh and dynamic. The Eagles sounded like old American masters. ZZ Top was outdoors like the Stones, and played a unique variety of their rockin’ ZZ tunes.

I’ll add Neil Diamond in JAX FL may have had the best sound mix I ever heard in concert. although they’re not a hard rocking sound.
The Who in 1976 was easily the best followed by Yes (1974 to 1977), a concert billed as Heavy Metal Sunday in Baltimore in October 1974 with PFM, Aerosmith, Blue Oyster Cult and Steppenwolf, Wings over America in 1976 and Cat Stevens, also in '76.
Has anyone heard WINGS OVER AMERICA on LP. Just curious how the recording is. It doesn't get talked about much....
As a child of the 70's I'm afraid that I may be a little predictable here, however, I have seen some pretty decent bands.

Starting at 5th best....

5. Wishbone Ash - Not the hardest of rockers in the world but the guitar work was just magical

4. Black Sabbath - seen at least 8/9 times. Coming from Birmingham I had a mate at school who's brother used to hang out with some pretty cool local bands in the early seventies. Whilst at his house I met Roy Wood and Wizard, Nazareth, Blackfoot Sue, The Moody Blues, and of course Sabbath.

3. Budgie - The best three piece I've ever heard. Wailing guitars and screeching lyrics that would put any new born baby to shame. Also just happen to have played THE best rendition of "baby please don't go" this side of the universe.

2. Pink Floyd - Went to see the last ever (Original last ever!)playing of The Wall at Earls Court. When the Stuka dive bomber came over the heads of the audience and crashed into the wall I was convinced the world was ending.

1. Deep Purple - Let me just clarify, I think this was the mark 3 version as the line up was Paice, Lord, Gillian Blackmore and Glover. 1973 at Birmingham Odeon. It was a Time of the three day week, the bin men were on strike, power cuts, skin heads and really bad race problems........life was pretty shitty then these guys came to town. For two and a half hours nothing else mattered except Gillian's unbelievable vocal interplay with Blackmore, Paice pounding out the rhythm to everything and a 35 minute version of Highway star.

When this line up changed things were never quite the same again. To quote Don MacClean's American Pie, the music died.

The best bit is I can still remember it AND it provides some brilliant answers on prime time TV quiz shows.

Keep on Rocking