The ones I've enjoyed the most and crucially been sober enough to remember, Pink Floyd 1994 Earls Court, and Sufjan Stevens about 2011 Age Of Adz at Royal Festival Hall.
The one concert that stands out in my mind is Three Dog Night at the Montreal Forum in the early seventies. They were absolutely spot-on and I've never heard harmonies sound better.
I love the singular answers but there's also something endearing about the mass helpless inability to comprehend the question by listing multiple "best concert." I get it — can't really choose between Rahsaan Roland Kirk and Bob Marley and R.E.M. and the Grateful Dead etc. But maybe Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Cow Palace, 1978 Rust tour.
The Graetful Dead in Buffalo May 1977 comes close, but nothing I've ever seen will top Bob Dylan & The Rolling Thunder Revue.. Niagara Falls, NY November 15, 1975...Picture from that night by Paul Cable..
Like others, hard to decide but probably one of these: Bruce Springsteen, Jadwin Gym, Princeton, NJ 11/1/1978 - Mid-song Bruce dove into the crowd to stop a fight. Placed rocked so hard and so long the urban myth was that we broke the floor. Boston Symphony Orchestra, Tanglewood, Lenox, MA 8/16/2008 - Andre Previn conducted a masterful performance of my favorite piece: Prokofiev's Symphony 5. Brought tears to my eyes.
Indeed. Sorry I misspelled his last name. Great kid and super talented. I want them to sell more music so I promote the, whenever possible to everyone.
Cream reunion shows at RAH (May 2005). I went Thursday and Friday. Brillant atmosphere both night but Friday probably had the edge. Others of note - Neil Young, Vicar Street, Dublin (May 2003). Solo gig in a small venue. Three shows but the final night had the edge. He played "Ambulance Blues" that night. Bob Dylan at Fleadh Mor, Tramore, Waterford (July 1993). I have been lucky enough to see Dylan many times over the course of the past 37 years but this still remains my favourite show. Emmylou Harris and The Hot Band, Dublin (1976). What an evening! My head exploded during James Burton's solo on "Shop Around". The Beach Boys 50th anniversary reunion tour at RAH (September 2012). Just a joy from start to finish and they only played 61 songs. The Gloaming, National Concert Hall, Dublin (January 2014). Lots of head exploding moments. Plus many more....
The Tallest Man on Earth played a show at tiny Gerard Hall at UNC Chapel Hill in 2010; it was very informal, with cheap metal chairs set up and you couldn't buy tickets in advance, so we ended up standing outside for an hour or two. Between the time the show was announced and actually happened The Wild Hunt picked up vastly more steam and hype than his previous record had ever enjoyed. My girlfriend had gotten hooked on Shallow Grave and we'd only heard the new one a few times but she was massively excited. We managed to get to the front row with no trouble. In that stark, church-like building, he came out with nothing but himself and his acoustic guitar and played virtually everything he'd released up to that point. He was so close you could sense the alcohol on his breath. It was absolutely magic. There was one moment when he broke away at the end of one of his songs and played a brief cover of Sade's "By Your Side." It was all so incredible. Never been to a show like that, and of course it's unlikely a similar experience with him will ever happen again. Runners-up would be Yo La Tengo, second night of their Cat's Cradle stay in 2011 when the wheel landed on "songs starting with S" and the show wound up into the most mindbending, relentless version of "The Story of Yo La Tango" I've witnessed in all the times I've seen them play that song; and tUnE-yArDs, just a few months ago at the same venue, the apex of emotional impact and professionalism.
AC/DC - Kiel 1980 (Opening act was Whitesnake with 3 ex-members of Deep Purple!) Genesis - Kiel 1981 Paul McCartney - Hamburg 1989 Peter Gabriel - Hamburg 1992 Brian Wilson - Frankfurt 2004
Metallica/Guns N Roses at Foxboro Stadium`92 may have been the most fun. U2 at the same place a few months earlier was memorable also.
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, April 24, 2012, HP Pavillion, San Jose. It was the first time I had seen him in many years despite remaining a big fan all that time, but unable to go to shows during the huge period I had missed him, it was the most emotional, spiritual experience I ever had at any concert in my entire life. The absolute greatest. Nothing will ever top that for me, nothing. He and the band may have given a better show 6 months later but nothing can touch that one night for me. A couple others of the best: The Replacements this past year was really amazing, another of my favorites; The Dictators in 1991 was another one of the most exhilarating ones ever. And the Beach Boys on this last reunion tour they did, in 2012, was a dream come true for me.
Jethro Tull Aqualung Tour Edinburgh Empire 71 The Who Glasgow Apollo 75 CSN&Y Wembley September 74 SAHB Edinburgh Uni 73 first time I saw them.......they were incredible had the crowd in the palm of their hands from the first note. Ronnie Lane Edinburgh Uni 75.......great show , great band.
Definitely - Bob Marley & The Wailers Live At Roskilde, Denmark 1978 - 2 and a half hour of pure delight. 30.000 people screaming for more after the encore ..lol Babylon by bus Tour.. And know what tonight I will see the leading german Bob Marley Tribute Band Marley's Ghost from Cologne. With horns and background singers and a dreadlock singing Bob's songs.. Free concert in my hometown era : LINK http://www.rathausplatz-festival.de/ Other remarkable Live concerts amo Yes - Dortmund Westfalenhallle 1977 /W Rick Wakeman - fantastic interplay with lots of improvisations. Weather Report - Düsseldorf Phillipshalle 1978 Burning Spear- Amsterdam Paradiso 1981 Third World - Vienna 1982 ARENA Live Festival and Live at Reggae Jam - 2013 AC/DC - Nuremberg 1979 Peter Hammill - Solo w/ Band 1977 Dortmund Westfalenhalle 3 Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Live TARKUS Philipshalle, Düsseldorf 1972 or 73 ? King Crimson- Rheingold-Halle Düsseldorf same year Frank Zappa - Mothers - Essen Grugahalle - February 1974
Bruce Springsteen at the Bottom Line early 70's. Never experienced anything like it before or since. Unforgettable.
I've been to a few amazing gigs. Saw REM on their Works Tour at Michigan State University. 10,000 Maniacs opened and it was a great concert. Saw Lou Reed in 2002 in Edinburgh and was amazed. Got to hear Nic Jones in a small club last year - I never thought I'd get to hear him like ve, so that was amazing too.
ARMS show at MSG in 1983 Eric Clapton played the first set then was joined by Joe Cocker for a set. Jeff Beck then did a set followed by Jimmy Page with vocals by Paul Rodgers. Eric and Jeff then join Jimmy at the end of Stairway To Heaven. All play Layla then Cocker sings With A Little Help From My Friends. Ronnie Lane is brought out to sing Goodnight Irene. What a night. PS Ronnie Wood played Cocaine with EC and joined in on Goodnight Irene.
It's impossible for me to single-out just one night, and I don't know how to compare something like Pink Floyd performing Eclipse: a Piece for Assorted Lunatics at Chicago's Auditorium Theater (a year before Dark Side was released) to seeing R.E.M. at The Rat in Boston with Husker Du as the opening act. What's "better" - a cerebral musical experience or a cathartic one? Keeping cool or working up a sweat? In the end, if I had to chose experiences in one venue it would be the 1000+ nights I spent at Maxwell's. I got to see the Rolling Stones in an arena back in the day, but they weren't sh1t compared to The Lyres firing on all cylinders in a packed club. Really, there's no comparison; The Lyres were cutting rock 'n roll diamonds, the Stones were going through the motions.
Pink Floyd Division Bell tour 1994.Outside in Tampa stadium.The old sombrero where the Bucs used to play.When it was over my friend and I sat in the car for about 20 minutes completley stunned at what we had just witnessed!
I've often wondered about that. Seeing David Bowie live was a dream come true, but was it really the best concert? I've seen him four times on stage. I've seen Kiss twice and I'm a big fan. Paul McCartney in my home town was an unforgettable experience. Peter Frampton in 1982 was in excellent shape with Mark Goldenberg and John Regan. Maybe I've become rather blasé, but major concerts don't overwhelm me anymore. I sort of know what to expect. I enjoy them, but I'm not at all surprised by what I see or hear, having watched all the DVDs and stuff. So I guess the best concert I've been to must be one that took me by surprise and exceeded my expectations. Two come to mind. The first time I saw the Argentinean rock star Charly Garcia live, which was in 1986. And the second won't be familiar to any of you: a group from my home town called Inconsciente Coletivo in 1976.
Very hard to narrow this down since I've been to so many outstanding shows but these are some that would be in contention: The Who at Electric Factory 1969 The Searchers at Chestnut Cabaret 1983 Richard Thompson at Chestnut Cabaret 1985 The Zombies/Love at Scottish Rite Auditorium 2004 Raspberries at House of Blues Atlantic City 2005 Lou Reed at Capitol Theater Passaic,NJ 1984 Jack Jones/Edison Symphony Orchestra State Theater New Brunswick,NJ 2005 Television TLA 1993 Blake Babies TLA 2001 Patti Smith Group/John Cale Band/Television Palladium 1976
