What Were the Three Best Concerts You Ever Saw?

I know i've already posted on this but here are 3 more I couldn't leave out.

The Rolling Stones-February 1966-Commemorative Pavilion-Sydney Showground-my first concert-front row seat & something i'll never forget.
Elton john-1973-Randwick racecourse-The goodbye Yellow Brick Road tour-superb.
Fleetwood Mac-1980-Wembley Arena in London-songbird in particular was sublime.

 

3.) Roger Waters - Scotia Bank Place, formerly the Ottawa Paladium, 2007. What a thrill it was seeing Sheep played live and the light show throughout was one of the very best I've seen. Just in general, I think this is a great venue with good acoustics. The Who and Queens of the Stone Age shows I saw here were also quite good.

2.) The Who - Montreal Forum, 1997. It's one thing to see video of Entwistle's 5:15 bass solo, it's quite another to see it live up close surrounded by Who psychofans.

1.) The Stooges - free show at Dundas Square, Toronto 2010. This was their only North American show that year and they played all the Raw Power album as well as many of the related songs from the Raw Power period.

Honorable mentions: The four times I've seen Yes, especially the second time in '97 at Massey Hall as that show had an incredibly varied set-list. There was something for every stripe of Yes fan that night, pretty much. Also, various acts I've seen at the Ottawa Blues Fest back when it was a better and better run festival. Standouts for me were James Brown, Wilson Pickett, Tony Levin and the California Guitar Trio, ZZ Top and the Allman Brothers. I also have to give AC/DC kudos for giving such a great experience even up in the nosebleeds of a megadome (Toronto Skydome in this case.)

 

Paul McCartney — November 2012 at Scottrade Center, St. Louis.
Bruce Springsteen — August 2008 at Scottrade Center, St. Louis.
U2 — July 2011 at Busch Stadium, St. Louis.

 

My first ever gig - The Beatles, Plymouth, England - November 1963
After that, very hard to call - so many gigs and can't remember dates but Blur at Hyde Park (early noughties?) and Mothers of Invention, Bath Festival (1969 or 1970) spring to mind. Honourable mentions for Floyd, Moodies, Del Amitri and Derek and the Dominoes, as well as numerous Eric gigs and too many more to mention.

 

Beatles at Shea
Led Zep-Flushing Meadows Queens Pavilion 1968/9?
DC5 1965

 

If I stick to 3 and don't include any Grateful Dead shows...

Rage Against The Machine at The Phoenix in Toronto
Stevie Ray Vaughan at the Masonic Temple in Toronto
Live Aid at RFK - a great trip from here to there and back again on the big coach

 

I was at that show! My first concert, I was only 11 and had just moved to Edmonton.

As for my top three:

1. Fleetwood Mac, Toronto, March 2009 - second time I've seen them, but this was the first with Lindsey who was absolutely on fire!
2. Rush, Edmonton, October 2012 - third row floor, perfect setlist, and tight performance.
3. Metallica, Toronto, October 2009 - wild, wild, wild!

Honourable mention:

Paul McCartney, Toronto, August 2010 - a lifelong dream to see him.

 

1. Paul McCartney, London O2, December 2010 - likewise a lifelong dream fulfilled, ever since Helen Wheels was my first 7" purchase in late 1973
2. Rush, Wembley Arena, R30, 2004
3. Yes, Royal Albert Hall, February 2000 - not a classic lineup, or even a classic album (The Ladder) but the atmosphere was amazing - all the yes-family kids on stage for the encore, and I was just off the stage in the stall, sitting next to Jon's wife, and and only about 5 yards from Steve Howe.

Honorable mentions
- Queen -Birmingham NEC, The Works Tour - my first 'big' concert
- Yes 2003, Hammersmith Apollo, with Rick again
- Steve Howe Trio - Pizza on the Park, London, March 2010
- Tull - 20 Years of...Wembley Arena, 1988

 

Oh, and of course the Tribute to Freddie Mercury... Wembley Stadium before they ruined it
Queen, Bowie, Liza Minelli, Metallica, Annie Lennox, Mick Ronson, Ian Hunter, Roger Daltrey, Elton, G'n'R....and Spinal Tap, finished off with Elizabeth Taylor - all on the same bill?

 

1. Prefab Sprout, Shepherd's Bush Empire, London, 2000 - Never dreamed I'd see the Sprouts live, so when I heard that Paddy and band would be touring again, I planned a London vacation. I ended up seeing them two other nights (once in Manchester), but the second London gig was the best. I missed Wendy Smith's presence a little, but it was great to see Neil Conti drumming with the band again after being absent from "Andromeda Heights" (his playing made that album's songs so much better). And Paddy was in good voice and great humor.

2. The Clash, Austin City Coliseum, Austin, TX, 1982 - My very first concert. The band had just released "Combat Rock," and they put on a jammin' show. A couple of peripheral events made the day even more memorable: 1) My best friend caught Joe Strummer's sunglasses when he flung them into the audience. 2) The crowd outside the venue doors was filmed, and the footage was used in the "Rock the Casbah" video (our feet can be seen in it). 3) Joe Ely (introduced as "Taco Burrito") came up to to perform "Fingernails" with the band.

3. Pat Metheny Group, Sunken Gardens Theater, San Antonio, TX, 1989 - I've seen Pat three times, and this was my favorite. The band opened with "Phase Dance" as the sun was setting. Also, Pat did a wild and long unaccompanied solo on the Roland GR-300 guitar synth.

Honorable mention - Shonen Knife, Sam's Burger Joint in San Antonio, 2009. I'd missed opportunities to see this band in the past, so it was awesome to see the girls up close in a tiny venue. Atsuko (drums) & Michie (bass) were no longer in the band, but their replacements Etsuko & Ritsuko covered for them well. (Atsuko did come up to sing "Fruits & Vegetables.")

 

Cream, Psychedelic Supermarket, Boston, Sept., 1967
Led Zeppelin, Oakdale Theatre, Wallingford, CT, August 1969
Steve Winwood, Hartford Civic Center, 1994

 

It's tempting to list Bruce Springsteen, Bruce Springsteen and Bruce Springsteen, but that's a little dull, so I'll mention him only once.

Bruce Springsteen and guests; December 2001; Asbury Park Convention Center; Asbury Park, N.J. -- One of the famous Holiday Shows Bruce played that year in his adopted hometown. Only a couple of days after George Harrison died and just a couple of months after 9/11. Asbury Park Convention Center is a gracefully aged dump that holds barely a handful of people. Southside Johnny and the Asbury Jukes plus various E Streeters backed him up, and there were truly amazing moments during underplayed classics like Thundercrack and Kitty's Back. Nils played Here Comes the Sun in memory of George, and there wasn't a dry eye in the place. Bruce and Bruce Hornsby covered You Sexy Thing (I Believe in Miracles) (yes, the original Hot Chocolate hit), which Springsteen introduced as the "sexiest accordion song ever!" We danced and sang and laughed our asses off. And then he played My City of Ruins with an absolutely gorgeous horn accompaniment, and we all cried like hell all over again.

R.E.M.; November 1996; Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke University, Durham, NC -- I had been blown away by them on the tours for Reckoning (Greensboro, 1984) and Fables of the Reconstruction (a high school auditorium in Winston-Salem, 1985), but Lifes Rich Pageant and the accompanying show, for me, were their absolute peak. I swear, if Michael Stipe had asked us to stay, everyone at that show would still be there. It was that good.

Guided By Voices; September 2010; Cats Cradle; Carrboro, NC -- I was very late to GBV, and the first show I saw was actually part of their farewell tour (September 2004; 930 Club, D.C.). It was like saying hello and goodbye at the same time. The reunion of the original lineup plus the tour and albums that have followed really opened my head to how great this band is. The Cats Cradle show drew almost exclusively from the "canon" of Propeller through Under the Bushes Under the Stars. A tremendous night that made me believe in the power of rock and roll all over again.

Jeff

 

The Who 1980 LA Sports Arena - 9th Row on Townshend's side
Bruce Springsteen 1981 LA Sports Arena
Queen 1978 LA Forum

 

What a great thread...multigenerational...lotsa overeager cheaters!

Grateful Dead, Winterland, October 1974
Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Cow Palace, 1978
The Clash, Bond's Times Square, 1981

Honorable mention: Bob Marley and the Wailers in Berkeley, Talking Heads at Sproul Plaza, Rahssaan Roland Kirk, REM, Jerry Lee Lewis, Chris Isaak & Silvertone at the Bottom Line, Bob Dylan and Patti Smith T the Beacon Theater, My Morning Jacket at MSG New Year's Eve 2008, Neil Young & Crazy Horse in Albuquerque August 2012

 

Looking back on this I've come to the conclusion that the most "feeling" you will get from a concert will be when you are young and not having seen many concerts. So I broke it up into a couple of sections:

3 Young:

Lenny Kravitz - Metro Chicago 1990 - Lenny's first album and proper tour. He knows how to perform and had all the rock moves down. I was 18.

The Who - Alpine Valley July 1989 Second Row - Yes the live album from the tour was not so good, but being in front of the PA SPEAKERS at a WHO show (lame or not) really rocked! Feeling the bass from Join Together was live changing...it detroyed my hearing.

Frank Sinatra - World Music Theater - Tinley Park 1991 - It's Sinatra. You couldn't help but watch the man.

3 Later Cream Of The Crop:

Rolling Stones - Double Door Chicago 1997 - First time seeing the Stones was a club show. It made all the other performances anti-climactic. After seeing them maybe 8 more shows (bits and pieces for some). They really kinda sucked that night (for them) with the exception of Route 66 and Honky Tonk Women, which were pretty incredible. It made the show. But being 10 feet from the tiny stage sorta turned it into a "I can't believe I'm listening to the ultimate bar song (Honkey Tonk Women) being performed by The Rolling Stones...IN A BAR! I'd still say I witnessed them at their best for 1/2 a show in January 2006 at the United Center. THAT night was THE STONES!

Tom Waits - Chicago Theater 1999 - Tom Waits on tour? It was like Christmas morning as a kid!

John Fogerty - House Of Blues 1997 - Guitar Porn anyone? 10 feet from John playing all his hits and bringing out about 12 vintage guitars in the process. He was 53 at the time, but sang like his younger self with the exception of ONE NOTE on Grapevine.

3 Great Club Shows:

The Kaisers - Fitzgeralds 1998 - Scotish chap George Miller forms a 1960s "beat group" that could have performed at the Cavern. Like prophets they have zero success at home, but are a word of mouth sensation in the USA...going on 2 "we'll take some time off work to go tour the USA & make peanuts" in 1996 & 1998. They were egged on for 4 encores that night! I'm sure the crowd knew deep down they would never be back again...and they never did come back again.

Sharon Jones And The Dap Kings - Double Door 2004/5 - Ah yes. All Dap Kings shows are great...kinda like Springsteen...can't go wrong with a great performer like Sharon. Better to see the Dap Kings up close and in a club rather than any other place.

The Funk Brothers - House Of Blues 2004 - Motown Studio Musicians. I saw them at a full show at an Opera House in Detroit after the movie with special guest vocalists, which was great, but sort of a little "cold". They were working off written charts and it was a bit clinical. On this night they had already split with Dr. Licks and just sort of became the ultimate Motown Cover Band which just grooved along (loose but tight!) and were having FUN!

 

I saw The Darkness/Foxy Shazam on the same tour. Sort of the "ultimate rock god of the 1970s show" or "can we outdo Queen". Great show!

 

It seems that you mean in person, so for me there are 2 shows that really stick out in my memory as amazing:

The Dregs -- Kent State University Auditorium 1980
Leo Kottke with Michael Hedges -- Kent State University Auditorium (late 80's or early 90's)

There were really good shows like McCartney at Cleveland Municipal Stadium, Ringo & his 4th All-Starr Band at the Akron Rubber Bowl, Yes at Blossom Music Center, etc., Those first two concerts listed were exceptional performances that really took me by surprise and left a lasting impression above all others. My wife used to write concert reviews for a local newspaper, so I've been to more shows than I can even remember now. Nothing lasting for the vast majority, and they were big name people and bands.

Concert for George is the best concert I've ever seen on video.

 

9/2/95 The Concert for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame - Cleveland Municipal Statuim - Cleveland, OH

6/23/76 Paul McCarthey and Wings/Wings Across America - The Forum - Ingelwood, CA

9/21/88 Amnesty International Human Rights Now Tour - The Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - Los Angeles CA

Honorable mention
4/27/88 Bruce Springsteen&the E Street Band - Tunnel of Love Express Tour - LA Sports Arena - Los Angeles CA

5/5/90 Roy Orbison Tribute Concert - Benefit for the Homeless - Universal Amphitheatre - Universal City CA

5/23/08 Stevie Wonder and Wonderland - American Express Special - House of Blues - Hollywood CA

 

Funny, being in a more "alternative/indie" mood this morning, and seeing this thread, I thought: how could I NOT have had these two shows on this list:

Big Star's Third (second night), Carrboro, NC 2011
Spiritualized, Carrboro, NC 2012

 

Sorry, I had to pick 30 or so.

Roger McGuinn & Gene Clark - 1977 - McMaster University, Hamilton
Simply Saucer - 1978-1980 - southern Ontario
Ramones - 1978-1980 - Toronto & Burlington (especially the El Mocambo shows)
Johnny Thunders, Heartbreakers, and Gang War - 1979-1985 (esp. the Heartbreakers 1979 Hamilton shows)
My Bloody Valentine - 1992 - Toronto
Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - 1993-1997 - Toronto (especially The Phoenix, 1977)

 

1. March 16, 1990 Grateful Dead in Landover, MD - no explanation necessary
2. Southern Culture on the Skids - Chapel Hill, NC La Terraza 1990. Tiny restaurant and the first of 15 or 20 times seeing them. this was a sound that I had always been searching for but never found. A mix of rockabilly, country, and surf in a place that holds about 40 people. in those days, the band would throw out pots and pans to the crowd to play drums with on a couple tunes.
3. Tie: Dave Alvin and Los Lobos at Bowery Ballroom in NYC. My favorite venue in the City. Have seen each of these guys do some great shows there.

 

could no way pick three, but last night's Dinosaur Jr. show at Terminal 5 in NYC was essential. Guests included Lee Ranaldo, Kim Gordon, Frank Black, Tommy Stinson, Johnny Marr, Fred Armisen (playing drums), Dale Crover (Melvins/Nirvana), Al Cisneros, and more Amazing!

 

Bruce Springsteen November 1978 Maple Leaf Gardens Toronto
Bruce Springsteen January 1996 Massey Hall Toronto
Genesis March 1976 London Arena (here in town) (first post-Gabriel concert)
Allman Brothers Band July 1996 Molson Ampitheatre Toronto (I've been
attending concerts since 1969 and this was the first and only time that I
thought I was going to lose control of my bodily functions - the `True
Gravity/Mountain Jam' that evening was 46-minutes long and otherworldly)

 

I totally agree with yo re JT. I saw both TAAB and Passion Play at MLG. I just picked up the 40th ann TAAB DVD Set awesome

Mark

 

The first Led Zeppelin tour in 69. I saw it in Edmonton summer of 69.
Mark