What Were the Three Best Concerts You Ever Saw?

The Kinks 1983
Roger Waters 2007
The Beach Boys 2012

honourable mentions
Staple Singers 1995 (with Pops)
The Guess Who 2002 (with Bachmann & Cummings)
Yes 2002 (Anderson/Wakeman/Howe/Squire/White)

 

Paul McCartney, 2009 Halifax.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, 2012 Halifax.
Paul Simon, 1991 Halifax.

Honourable mentions:

Jeff Beck, 2011 Halifax.
Wilco, 2006 Dartmouth.
Alice Cooper, 1971 Ottawa.
Neil Young, 2008 Halifax.
Neil Young, 2009 Halifax.
Steppenwolf, 1970 Ottawa.

 

J. Geils Band - Peoria IL August 1982 - The ultimate party band absolutely tore the place up.
The Kinks - Champaign IL January 1984 - I blew off studying for an exam to see this show. I flunked the test, but it was worth it.
Paul McCartney - Lexington KY April 1990 - A twelve hour round-trip (and I worked the next day) to see an amazing show.

 

I go back awhile, so mine are oldies:

Velvet Underground, La Cave, Cleveland OH 1969
Neil Young & Crazy Horse, La Cave, Cleveland OH 1969
Fairport Convention, Fillmore East, NYC 1970

Just missed the Top 3:

Grateful Dead, Fox Theater, St. Louis MO 1970

 

Husker Du and Christmas - 1987
Bruce Springsteen - January 1985
Talking Heads - 1983

 

Kiss - 1976 Capital Centre Landover, Maryland
Allman Brothers 1977 - Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland
Blue Oyster Cult - 1980 - Cambria County War Memorial, Johnston, Pennsylvania

 

Bob Dylan - Town Hall 1962
Joan Biez - Bob Dylan Forest Hills 1962 & 1963
Bob Dylan & and Hawks Forest Hills 1964

 

Pavement - Crooked Rain tour, Montreal, 1994
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Orange tour, Montreal, 1994
My Bloody Valentine - reunion tour, Toronto, 2008

Honourable mention: Caspar Brotzmann Massaker, Koksofen tour, Montreal, 1993

 

- Yes at Roosevelt Stadium in 1976 (I could also easily choose the GFTO tour in 1977 and Yes in the Round in 1978, both at MSG, not to mention the last time they toured with Rick and Jon and received a lengthy standing ovation near the end of And You and I at MSG).
- Queen Jazz tour at MSG - the girls on the bicycles were tremendous, as was Queen
- Pink Floyd Animals tour at MSG (7.4.77) - nothing beats a big pig flying around the Garden
- Jimmie Dale Gilmore at a little club in the West Village. Great singing and an unbelievably great Norwegian lap steel player
- Ray Davies on his storyteller tour at a little club in the West Village (not the same club as the JDG club).
- U2 on two occasions. First was in 1982 or '83 at the Albany State Mayfest just as the were breaking on MTV (Squeeze was pretty good at another Mayfest as well). Second was 1987 at the Carrier Dome touring the Joshua Tree. Great live band.

 

Only 3? OK Yes, Ray Davies and Queen. The others are very close honorable mentions.

 

Three is impossible, but I'd like to go with five, even though I could go higher. In no particuler order:
Patti Smith/Television at Max's 9/74. Patti was the 3 piece, TV had Richard Hell and were doing sort, sharp punk. Changed my idea of what rock was or could be and where it could go. Life changing for me.
Husker Du at Maxwell's Summer 1984 (Zen Arcade Tour). Galvanizing, one of the most intense shows I've ever seen. The walls were sweating.
Mott The Hoople at Fillmore East early '71. Fire breathing, almost pre punk assault, they left the place flattened.
New York Dolls at The academy of Music, early '72(?) the St. valentines Day Massacre Show. Every bit of promise and joy in their music was on display in a nearly 2 hour show. Rock'n'roll as you pray it could/should be.
Bruce at The Bottom Line 1975. You very rarely get to be present at an event like this. The streets around the club were insane, you could tell that something very important was about to happen. And it did.

 

Hendrix 1967 in Philadelphia
Led Zep 1973
Cheap Trick 1977 in a small club in NJ

 

Pink Floyd - The Wall - Earl's Court 1981
Yes - Tormato tour - Wembley Oct 28th 1978 (evening show)
Steve Hackett - Summer's End - Lydney Oct 2009

 

Bob Dylan 1976
Rolling Stones 1978
KISS 2010

 

ELP, Detroit '73
Pink Floyd, Detroit '75
Wings Over America, Detroit '76

 

Roxy Music 1976 - Siren Tour
Yes 1977 - Going For The One Tour
Alice Cooper 1979 - From The Inside Tour

I could list many, many more, but those three stand out.

 

Every Sensational Alex Harvey Band Concert In the 70s.
Even when they were the B band for the Who at the Old Charlton Football ground. They stole the show imo.
Saw the great Led Zepp at Earls Court Twice and Alex at Hammersmith Odeon for the recording of the Live album over the same weekend in May 75.
Led Zepp were amazing but Alex was just breath taking.



I have seen a lot of the all time greats over the years.
The SAHB will always be the best live band in the world ever imo.
Stu.

 

Too many shows and years to pick from.
Thankfully not to many dudes......

 

The Who - Toronto 1980
The Rolling Stones - 1978 Buffalo
The Beach Boys - 1977? Rochester


I've seen the Kinks and Ramones a bunch in the 80's always a good show, Paul McCartney 1989 was too far away to really enjoy, Everly Brothers saw a couple times in the 80s, great shows.

 

David Bowie - 1978 "Stage" tour, Milwaukee Arena
Paul McCartney - 2002 at Bradley Center, Milwaukee - first live performance of "She's Leaving Home"
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - 2006 Marcus Amphitheater

Also in the running:
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - 2007 - Harley Davidson 105th Anniversary concert, Milwaukee Lakefront
Queen - Jazz Tour
David Bowie - 1976

 

I forgot Radiohead Santiago 2009

MIND-BLOWING experience, and the best sounding concert I've ever been

 

Led Zeppelin 1973, Neil Young 1973, CSN&Y 1974.

 

Genesis, 1977 - Wind and Wuthering tour in New York
Pink Floyd, 1977 - In the Flesh tour in New York
Supertramp, 1983 I think - last tour with Roger Hodgson

Honorable mentions to The Moody Blues, Gilmour Floyd and The Bee Gees.

 

Jeff Beck / 1999 / Paramount Theatre, Oakland
Miles Davis / 1970 / The Fillmore, SF
King Crimson / 2001 / Warfield Theatre, SF

Too many Honorable Mentions to, uhhh, mention.

 

dp 73, fresno
dp 85, san fran
dp 87, sacramento

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