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
1964, Beatles at Red Rocks, included I think five other groups. Great!!! concert on a warm August evening.
1970, Jehtro Tull/Mountain, Red Rocks.  Anything at Red Rocks turns out to be fantastic.
1971, Rolling Stones/Stevie Wonder, Denver Colloseum
1971 Moody Blues, Denver Colloseum
1971,EL&P/Mahavishnu(sic?) Orchastra. Showcased two of the best percussionists, EVER!  Denver Colloseum
1980, Bob Seger,Big Mac, Denver.  That guy can really rock the house.  
1. Jimi Hendrix Experience, New Haven, CT, Sunday 17 November 1968;
2. Cream, New Haven, CT, Wednesday 10 April 1968;
3. The Doors, New Haven, CT, Dec. 9, 1967 - Jim Morrison was arrested on stage;
4. Mahavishnu Orchestra, Sep 15, 1971. Wesleyan University. Middletown, CT - John McLaughlin was in residence at the college and taking music lessons there at the time;
5. The Greatful Dead, June 1873, Robert F. Kennedy Stadium in Washington, D.C.
I didn't know the Dead were around back then. But what a great thread! Goes back quite a ways, but not that far...
Best Live:

#1 Eagles about 12 years ago.  Vocals were so freaking tight and spot on... Joe Walsh was on FIRE that night with his playing.  A TRULY underrated guitar player.

#2 YES  I've seen them probably ~4or 5 times.  I saw them in Cincinnati with my younger brother.  Both Allan White AND Bill Bruford were paying drums.  Rick Wakeman on keys.

#3 This one is a unique pick but I saw Kansas on 32nd street Naval station when I was stationed there circa 1980.   What made this concert special was there were only ~ 1000 people.  At that time the base had an annual recreation weekend where they would bring in touring level acts that would agree to play for a GREATLY reduced booking fee as a part of supporting the Military.  It was such an intimate event and you could clearly tell that they were having a lot of fun playing for us.  Steve Morris on guitar (wickedly good player.)

#4  Again a special situation event.  I was in the Petty Officers club on a Friday evening in Vallejo California (just between Napa and Oakland ) when the feature act was Eddie Money.  His career was on the rocks and his Duet with Ronnie Specter had just hit the airwaves.  Of course, that revitalized his career for several years.   He was sensational in a club environment.

#5  Soft White Underbelly  (AKA Blue Oyster Cult)  They were famous for showing up at clubs in LA and pulling this deal.  So I Didn't think much of it but right away you could this band was EXCEPTIONAL playing other bands covers... Then, they broke into Don't Fear the Reaper and the second the vocals kicked in you just KNEW who they were... the place went absolutely APE.