Best and Worst Rock Concert Moments


I will start this off. 1975 Jethro Tull concert at the Seattle Center Coliseum. About midway through the show an M-80 goes off in the crowd in the middle of a song and Ian Anderson holds his hand up in the air and counts to three with his fingers and the band stops playing in mid measure all at once as though some one had flipped a switch. The whole place goes dead quiet for about 15 seconds or so. Anderson says something like "Well, that was bloody ******* RUDE! If you want us to keep playing then you better cut that crap right out and have a little more respect for your NEIGHbor. Do you really want us to play some more?". The crowd slowly starts to applaud and then it builds to a crescendo. As the applause starts to die down, Anderson holds his hand up in the air, counts out loud to three and the band cuts back in full force absolutely mid-measure where they left off.

When the song ended I have never heard such intense applause in any arena or hall for any song at any show. I was completely dumb struck by how Anderson handled the situation and by the musicianship of the whole outfit. Maybe it was a staged event, but I doubt it. Either way, it was really something else...
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One of the best moments - Eddaytona reminded me of the first time I got to see INXS. Men at Work were popular and touring. Went to their packed show at Bogarts in Cinti. and had a great time with my wife to be, and her husband at the time.

Couple of weeks/months later, Men at Work played the Timberwolf Amphitheater at a local amusement park. A friend of my brother's called that day with an extra ticket, so I went.

INXS opened the show. Had never heard of them. Shabooh Shoobah (spelling ?) had just come out. It was really hypnotic. Big clear sound and a new strain of melody. A little rock / a little dance. Just really enjoyed the opening set.

Men at Work was fun again, but a week or so after, I couldn't get an INXS song out of my head. Went through the trouble to find out who the opening act was (I couldn’t remember the weird name) and bought the album. I think I have bought every INSX album after that, but only the one Men at Work.

Jim S.
Best was Pink Floyd at OSU stadium in Columbus. Me and the ex had terrible seats, way to the side, behind a column. As the show started, we walked around the ground level looking for empties a little closer to the stage to jump into. I saw a roped off section about 3 rows deep, damn near middle stage. I asked a security guard what they were blocked off for and he told me "vip's". I told him the people we were sitting by were real high and kept f'n with my wife so we were looking for somewhere else to sit. He looked around for a second, lifted the rope and we sat with our feet up and watched the whole show from about 15 feet away. Not 1 "vip" showed to sit there.

The worst was a Stone Temple Pilots show at a small venue in Columbus, The L.C. it's now called, at a general admission seating show. Some pretty-boy on the second level decided to try to impress his girl by pouring some of his beer on people. The guy next to me just looked up and flipped him off. The jackass did it again a little later, and this time on me. I looked up and he and his girl were laughing histerically. I took my i.d. out of my wallet and handed my wallet to my buddy. I went upstairs, made my way to the front and tapped the guy on his shoulder and asked what his problem was. He turned around, shrugged, and turned back around. I ended up with a broked pinkie, and a night in the tank along with a fat fine for disorderly conduct. Nancy boy will NEVER pour beer on someone again though.
Tom Waits in New York, then in Columbus. Amazing performer, amazing set and lights,great songs.

Leonard Cohen in Paris. Incredible voice, increadible crowd. He played that song, oh what is it, "the partisan", the whole audience sang along in french. It's an old french song about the resistance, written in the 40s. He read some of his songs, spoke some, played like 3 hours.

Patti smith, bower ballroom. One show tom verlaine sat in, michael stipe served champagne and sang later, and sonic youth played later. another, she just sounded beautiful, could get as close to the stage as you wanted.
2nd best: COLOSSEUM at Keitele Jazz Festival, Finland 2010. They were heading for seventy but played and sang like young men, and Barbara Thompson was absolutely brilliant, with her style of her very own that fitted the music nicely and just perfectly. Of course, we got an excellent drum solo from the maestro himself, Jon Hiseman. As always. Not a single boring moment from these veteran master musicians. Stunning experience.

The best: GENESIS LIVE REVISITED EXTENDED LIVE, Spring 2014 in a small venue in Finland. Faultless classic Gabriel era GENESIS music performed LIVE by the best professional musicians available conducted by the maestro Steve Hackett himself, for three hours with just a short ten minute break. Sound balance & quality practically perfect as well. No drinks, no wives, no girlfriends/chicks messing around, just a perfect illusion of being in a GENESIS concert in the 70´s. Me and my buddy found ourselves shouting "The Knife" ! Nad Sylvan was/is the perfect interpreter for the classic GENESIS stuff. They made the illusion of the music alive in today for those who missed the band in their glory days forty years ago. There will never again be another concert that caliper... unless they do it again. But that´s unlikely. Me and my buddy were blessed. Stunning faultless performance. End of an Era.
Period.