The closest you sat to a performer at a concert?

And a few more...

In 1971 I was front row at Montezuma Hall for Larry Coryell. He was amazing and did something I've still never seen done. He had his Super 400 and a Sun combo amp with no effect pedals, and he played an acsending screaming Jimi Hendrix type run and followed it up with a beautiful decending soft jazz run. It was mind blowing.

After the show I complimented him on his guitar. He actually let me play it, but I was way too intimidated to do more than strum a few chords. It sure had great action, but also had a repaired broken neck. I've seen him through the years at NAMM shows, and I often mention that guitar with the broken neck to him. It always gets him to smile.

One more small club jazz show was Johnny Smith in Denver around Christmas 1972. I was first row for this one as well and he was unbelievable. He looked like such a square, almost like Mr. Rogers , but boy could he play.

 

I love threads like this. It gives me a chance to tell everyone about my closest seat at a concert. On November 8, 1969 I sat in the first row center for the Simon & Garfunkel concert at Carbondale, IL. Truly the best concert experience I have ever had. It was at this concert tour that Bridge Over Troubled Waters was introduced.

It is also the tour that has been immortalized in the recent Simon & Garfunkel: Live 1969 CD. Five of the songs on this CD were from performances at the Carbondale, IL concert I attended.

 

Sir Paul, Cavern Club Dec. 99--about 6 feet.

 

Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe at a warm-up gig at Whitley Bay Ice Rink in 1989. Front of stage just right of the middle. Wow!

 

First row to the left for Keb Mo - September, 1998 - Ryman Auditorium, Nashville

The best: First row to the right side (in front of Linda) - Emmylou Harris/Linda Rodstandt (special guest: Gillian Welch) with Buddy Miller on guitar and harmony - October, 1999 - Ryman Auditorium, Nashville. Sweet!

Before those two, I saw Red Skelton from the second row - I just don't remember when or what city.

 

Not sure you'd call it a concert, but an acoustic show in Nashville at The Bluebird Cafe. I sat between Rusty Young of Poco and Craig Fuller of Pure Prairie League. Four performers, sit in a circle.

 

Diana Krall - 5 feet away - fab

 

Elbows on stage for the Jam, Perkins Palace 1982
Elbows on stage for Crowded House 1985, Santa Barbara Arlington Theater.
Elbows on stage for Pete Townshend, House of Blues LA 1986. I shouted to Pete to "smash the Piano!!!" whilst he was playing "Cut my Hair", he playfully complied by taking apart the fallboard that covers the keys...then struggled to get it back on, with the help of Bobby Pridden ::

 

I helped out with loading and setting up when The Amazing Rhythm Aces played a concert at Arkansas Tech. As a result, I was able to mill around backstage during the show, and when "Third Rate Romance" was playing, I was actually on the stage, seating behind a row of amps (hidden from the crowd), and was about 10 feet from the keyboardist.

Other than that, the best seats I've bought were 2nd row for Willie Nelson and 8th for Don Henley, I guess.

JcS

 

Front row centre, Joni Mitchell "Wild Things Run Fast" tour, Festival Hall, Brisbane Australia - must have been '75 or so. Basking in the glow.

Front row centre - sitting on the floor, Mahavishnu Orchestra "Apocalypse" tour, Festival Hall, Brisbane. '74 I think. A life-changing experience.

Not sitting - but standing 5 feet away. Ed Kuepper, University of New England, 1987. Fantastic.

 

I've had more nosebleed seats than closeups, but a few great closeups.

In '75 or-so, I sat in the front row at the Jazz Workshop in Boston for George Benson. When he turned up the volume for solos, his amp, about 18 inches from me, wriggled my pants leg. I talked to him between sets for quite a while, and he was a great guy.

I got last minute seats for an orchestral performance at the Sydney Opera House, sitting directly behind the orchestra, like I was in the middle. Great perspective (but I couldn't hear the brass, even though they were right next to me).

 

cool! I was at that show, my favorite was when he did Don't Think Twice It's Alright with the Dead, that was the first time they ever played together (7-2-86)

 

Nice. We had front row seats at Joni Mitchell's Berkeley Jazz Festival (Greek Theater) concert in 1979.

She performed with Jaco Pastorius, Don Alias, Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams! That was visually and musically stunning to be that close to so much musical Genius.

 

Norah Jones at (Old) Massey Hall, Toronto, a few years ago (between her first and second albums) - right in front of the stage, within arm's length. I could have reached out and touched her.

 

A sat about two feet away from the Emerson String Quartet (playing some late Beethoven quartet movements) at a Borders lunch time show in S.F. back in 1994. Obviously, they were amazing, but even better, was how great they sounded up close. I remember thinking, why couldn't their recordings sound like this.

 

About 10ft from Brian Wilson on the recent TLOS tour - almost too close!

Tom

 

It wasn't a seat, per se, but I was on the rail in front of Mick Jagger at the B-Stage at the Globen Arena in Stockholm, Sweden in July '03, and at the B-Stage rail again at the Fleet Center in Boston directly behind Charlie Watts.

 

I was at a Musical Box show a few years back 3rd row on the keyboardist's side of the stage.

Before the show I got talking to a bunch of other people and a couple (early 20's) came in and sat at their front row center seats. The bunch of us who were talking asked them how they managed to get such great seats. They said they won a radio contest. The skill testing question was something ridiculously simple that didnt have anything to do with the early era of Genesis - something like "Who is the lead singer for Genesis?" - Phil Collins.

The bunch of us collectively rolled our eyes and made guesses as to how long they'd stay before walking out.

Sure enough at the end of the show when I was talking with the same people I was talking to beforehand one of them, who was sitting close to this couple said they actually walked out during the second song and the seats remained empty for the duration.

I wish I had seen them leave. Their seats would not have been empty for long.

 

Leaning against the stage directly in front of Frank Zappa in Mobile Alabama, summer '74. Different girlfriend this time, we also let her 14 year old little brother tag along. He was a freaky kid, very hot day, he decides to wear nothing but a trench coat, flip flops and an awesome green magicians top hat. Anyway, I was so close to Frank that I could reach out and touch his mic stand. He kept looking at us like he would love to have Ronnie's green top hat. Well I grabbed the hat off Ronnie's head and motioned to Frank, and he reached out grabbed it, put it on his head and posed around modeling it to the crowd.
Frank must have loved the hat because he wouldnt give it back. At the end of the show Frank was bowing and tipping the hat to us as he was backing away off the stage. Ronnie was screaming at Frank wanting the hat back, but Zappa didnt come back.

 

Serves him right for tagging along on the date.

 

Actually, a lot!

I had a front row seat for Eric Clapton, 2nd row seats for Santana, Jefferson Starship, Bob Dylan, and a few others. At one festival seating show, I walked up to the front of the stage for Marshal Crenshaw, and also several Blues shows, same thing. Once, I even talked with now dead blues harpest William Clake as he was setting up his amp.

Tim

 

About 1 yard away from Jamie Cullum's piano keyboard on his first showcase in Spain.

Onstage (on one side) in one of Spanish rocker Miguel Rios' concerts at the end of the eighties or beginning of the 90s. Here's him and his band doing a famous ballad from the 80s called "Santa Lucia" (Saint Lucia): http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SbbXQR28Fc0 (The song was composed by an Argentinean singer/songwriter, but Miguel Rios was the first one to launch it and make it a hit).

How do you call the space between the public and the stage in a concert in English? In Spanish they call it the trench. I ask this because I've been there in a bunch of concerts.

 

I sat close enough to Knopfler at a DS show to catch the sweaty towel he tossed as they walked offstage. I still have it (I know, I know )

I stood in front of the stage at a SRV show in Palo Alto-- he was standing right over me. He was sweating like crazy, and he had a rotating fan behind him that, when it was pointed in my direction, sprayed me quite a bit. I think I lost some hearing at that one, too.

I saw Van Morrison at the old Circle Star Theater long ago, and was lucky enough to sit in the second row. Toward the end of the show he invited those in the first couple rows up onstage, and we sat at his feet while he finished the show. No sweat this time

 

I've been front row for Bob Dylan twice (both times at the O'Keefe Centre in 1990)
He smiled at me!

(In 1997 I was mere feet away from Bono and The Edge during their acoustic performance of Staring At The Sun on the small centre round stage located on the floor for the Popmart show at the Skydome)

 

Standing in about the second row for B.B. King. That was a good show.

I saw Mother Love Bone before their singer died, went with a couple friends who were into them, stood up by the front of the stage. It was loud, I was bored. I think the singer was laughing at me, because I wasn't getting into it.