Your Top Five Favorite Shows You Have Attended - - Lifetime

[nuggets]

GD-3/22/90
Bad Brains-10/15/83
GD-10/9/89
GD-3/20/86
Spear-7/7/93

ask me on another day and the list would be totally diff, but i'm a good custie , so i did my best.

[markcel]

MMJ - November 24, 2006 - Riviera Theater Chicago - Not sure why this one stands out but the children's symphony and setlist were great and it was the last time I saw them in smaller venue I think.

Wilco - May 19 & 20, 2004 - Otto's DeKalb, IL - Again, loved the setlists, small venue.  I think these were Jeff's first shows after getting out of treatment, debuted Nils on guitar and thought they were incredibly tight. 

Phish - Big Cypress - December 31, 1999-January 1, 2000 - I'll echo Colfax

The Replacements - July 1, 1991 - Summerfest Milwaukee - Their second to last show of the first band I ever loved and worshiped (until this summer)

Neil Young - Solo Tour - 5-17-1999 - Was always a casual Neil fan, but left in love with his music.  Although he is not my favorite artist, this remains my favorite concert.

[Tracy 2112]

only 5?

1979- Day of Rock n' Roll-Louisiana Superdome: Boston, Van Halen, heart, Blue Oyster Cult, Nazareth, Sammy Hagar. 1st concert ever.

1984- Van Halen- Reunion Arena in Dallas- last North American show with Diamond Dave (3 shows in Dallas). Friend of a friend's dad was an usher working a door and was going to let us in for free. He fucked with us and let us in after we sat outside listening to the opening song.

1984- Stevie Ray Vaughan, unannounced at the Delta Blues Festival in Greenville, Mississippi

2000- The Who, Shoreline Amphitheater. Honeymoon!

2005- MMJ at the 40 Watt in Athens, GA. Maybe the best ever for me.

[parkervb]

I have to pick one Jacket show:

1) Bonnaroo '06...I think. I don't know. I think that one because I went thinking I was getting a 2 hour show and then ended up with like a 4 hour one. But that setlist was top notch. But the 12/27 Cap show was like seeing a whole new band. Then there was the time I thought a cover band came out for the first few minutes of NYE 2011 because Jim was hairless and they opened with a cover. 

2) Ween - A parking lot in Asbury Park like 6 years ago. It was the School of Rock festival. They played Push Th' Lil Daisies with a 12 year old on vocals. They also just decided halfway through the set to stop playing their setlist and take audience commands. Deaner had some of the most intriguing Deaner faces. It was on the beach.

3) Ryan Adams - A few years ago at the Wellmont in Montclair NJ. I thought I was taking my then-girlfriend, now-wife to a standard concert we could both agree wouldn't be boring. Instead she found it boring, and I discovered they could Jam. Holy shit, could they Jam. And I didn't recognize half the songs (nor did she).

4) The Dirtbombs - Many years ago, at Maxwells (RIP) in Hoboken. TWO DRUMMERS. TWO FUCKING DRUMMERS.

5) Oysterhead - Roo, '06. 1) It's Oysterhead. 2) Antler Guitars and Masks. 3) OYSTERHEAD

The strange thing is that I've been to a metric asston of concerts and I had a hard time picking them or even remembering the ones that aren't Jacket. I might be sick. Numerous times seeing the Crowes, Reigning Sound, intimate shows at Maxwells and whatnot. Multiple Festivals...OH

My buddy just drive up from VA to see Reigning Sound play Maxwell's last week. Real shame that a great spot like that is closing.

[adlena]

intersting post

[APR]

 I also have been enjoying reading this thread.  More recent bands and more recent shows pop in my mind initially.  After much thought, I have to include some shows from long ago as I was beyond excited for them and so energized by them.

So limiting to 5 and not including festivals, here it goes (in chronological order)

Paul McCartney - Dec 1989 Madison Square Garden.  I was (and still am) a big Beatles fan and seeing Paul in person was something I didn't think would happen.  I still remember walking out of MSG with my friends in awe that we heard those Beatles songs played so well.

Tom Petty - Patriot Center, VA 1993 or 94 -  He was beyond popular then, and I played Full Moon Fever a million times.  The show was sold out,  but my friends and I drove there anyway and some nice person sold us three great seats for face (despite there being tons of buyers walking around the lot).  Lenny Kravitz opened and I still remember the place getting into Let Love Rule.  Petty played all the new hits and old ones of course.

Radiohead - Sept (or August) 2001 Liberty State Park, NJ- A huuuuge outdoor show where I was faaar from the stage.  It didn't matter.  The sound and songs were incredible.  The weather was too. 

Pearl Jam -  Sept 29, 1996 Randalls Island, NY and Sept 11, 1998 Madison Square Garden-  There are a few others I can think of that are in contention for favorites.  I didn't think they were ever going to stop playing that Randalls Island night two show.  They debuted several No Code songs and Eddie was into it.  The crowd was nuts.  MSG night 2 in '98 the Save It For Later tag plus the rocking Alive at the end was just perfection.

MMJ - MPP 2012 and PC3 2012 -  My first MMJ show was in '06 opening for PJ so I missed the early days.  Still, the most recent shows have been stellar!  Dare I saw best ever..... I think so.

[Jaimoe]

I started to go to concerts in the early '80s, although I wasn't allowed to attend The Who's first "Last Concert" in 1982 at Maple Leaf Gardens (I'm not from Toronto). Anyway, I've never felt the urge to go on the road with my fav bands, even though I love the Dead and Allmans. I've seen great concerts in other countries, but the Toronto-based ones seem to stick out the most. BTW, I'm seeing Phish tonight, which I doubt will make my Top 5, or 30.


Here's 5 that come to mind (I'm sure I missed a few gems too):

The White Stripes @ The Molson Amphitheatre, Toronto, July 5, 2007
– I've seen the Stripes five times, but this show was extra special because of its historical importance. The Canadian leg of the Icky Thump tour ended up being the Whites' last; it also saw them make history as the first rock band to perform in every Canadian province and territory. More importantly, the duo were in incredible form throughout the hard-hitting two hour show (the stage set-up was bare bones: drums and guitar, a stack of amps draped with a Canadian flag, plus one piano and a simple white screen used for reflecting shadows). Rock at its most powerful.

Television @ The Phoenix Concert Hall, Toronto, June 9, 2006
– One of the last shows featuring the intact classic lineup (Richard Lloyd quit soon after this gig). The CBGB icons were on fire, jamming out new songs and rearranging old favourites, all the while remaining fresh and relevant. They were headliners at the NXNE (North By Northeast) Festival, their first Canadian appearance in 14 years. Fucking "1800 or So" was even better than "Marquee Moon" and "Little Johnny Jewel"!

Pete Townshend @ Massey Hall, Toronto, July 10, 1993
– This was the second-last stop on Pete's Psychoderelict Tour. I know that this was his failed attempt at a play-within-a-rock-album, but Pete on the famous Massey Hall stage showed no signs of middle age as he ripped through classic Who and solo material, which bookened the decent Psychoderelict theatrics.

Neil Young with Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Blues Traveler @ The Canadian National Exhibition Stadium, Toronto, August 18, 1993
– Neil was back in his hometown, backed by Booker T. & The MGs, but the outfit resembled the garage rock heaviness of Crazy Horse. Pearl Jam were the hottest young band in the world, coming off the success of Ten and the soon-to-be-released Vs.. Soundgarden were almost as big as PJ at the time and Blues Traveler were on the cusp of stardom (this was the era when John Popper was recovering from a highly publicized motorcycle accident, which first put him in a wheelchair and perform with the use of a cane; he had a cane for this show). Anyway, Neil won the Best Band completion, but it was close because PJ had the 50,000 fans riled up into a frenzy. 

Radiohead with The Beta Band @ Molson Park, Barrie, Ontario, August 3, 2001 – 30,000 strong turned up in the small city 90 minutes north of Toronto to witness Radiohead's Kid A/Amnesiac Tour. The Beta Band were a revelation and a perfect warm-up act, putting on a terrific groove-heavy 45-minute set (their breakthrough The Three EPs compilation was HUGE at the time). Radiohead were magnetic as always, but they seemed to play with some extra force on the night which elicited three unrehearsed encores. Holy moly did "Airbag", "Paranoid Android" and "The Bends" kick major ass!

Other great shows worth a mention: Arcade Fire @ Massey Hall for the Neon Bible tour (this show could easily dethrone all five of my aforementioned favs), MMJ and The Soundtrack Of Our Lives in 2003, The Who in 1988, Buddy Guy in 1999, The Allman Brothers in 1995 and Alligator Records 20th Anniversary Tour and The Swell Season.

[Shug]

1.   Stevie Ray Vaughan - Pueblo Colorado 1986
Out of all 9 times I was lucky to see SRV live, this was the best: a little rodeo grounds in an out of the way Colorado town, Gregg Allman Band opening on his I'm No Angel tour.  Standing in the dirt of the infield, we watched with our mouths hanging open in amazement as SRV came out and immediately ripped into several of his instrumentals at an absolutely blistering pace. Later he blew us away with Mary Had A Little Lamb, Texas Flood, Couldn't Stand the Weather and Voodoo Child.  Not rare songs, but the intensity, mastery and inspiration with which they were played was jaw-dropping.  Still the greatest rock guitarist I've ever seen in person.

2.   Georgia Satellites – The Channel Club, Boston 1987
A hot summer night in this sweatbox of a dark dive, the Satellites brought a true and sincere 1980s version of turbo-charged Chuck Berry via the Stones and Faces three-chord rock 'n roll: simple no frills barroom music without pretense for a packed crowd.  I'm not much into mosh pits and punk rock, but I left this show soaked to the skin in sweat and spilled beer (both mine and other people's on both accounts) after beind smashed in with a bunch of hooligan rock fans all night and I totally loved it.  Rock 'n' Roll nirvana for me.

3.   Page and Plant  San Jose 1998   
The closest I ever got to seeing Led Zeppelin.  The way the entire arena was rocking out to Hey Hey What Can I Do was one of those galvanizing ecstatic group-mind moments that are so powerful.

4.   Grateful Dead and Bob Dylan - Anaheim 1987
My first Grateful Dead show was one of the most overwhelming for me.  I was already a hardcore fan of Dylan whom I'd not even consider missing at any Southern California show AND I'd always wondered what those bumper stickers meant that said "There Is Nothing Like A Grateful Dead concert".  Their records certainly hadn't impressed me at that point, but I loved that they covered Dylan a lot in their shows.  I went with a couple of veteran Deadheads who seemed to be able to pull out of their bag anything that my stoned little head and heart desired at the exact moment I wanted it. Let's just say I was in a "receptive" mood and time and place in my life for the Grateful Dead trip and I took it hook, line and sinker, thinking this experience had been waiting for me my entire life.  It felt like arriving back home to a place I didn't even know I had originated at or had ever left, a shining golden palace with a bunch of friendly strangers welcoming the prodigal son.  And that was before my Deadhead hosts passed out the vitamin B12 pills for extra stamina right before Dylan took the stage for the third set to play a bunch of songs I'd never dreamed I'd get to hear live backed by The Dead.  The way the entire stadium was rocking out at the end of the night to a massive triumphant celebratory Touch Of Grey was a mind-blowing capper.  "Where's the next show?!"

5.    Hard to pick #5.  Wilco in Aspen 2010, my first time seeing the Nels Cline lineup after discovering the Ashes Of American Flags concert film?  MMJ at the Wiltern 2012 night #1 (just like Rincon picked)?  MMJ Red Rocks 2012? One of the great Allman Brothers Band shows with Dickey Betts and Warren Haynes in the early 90s where I thought the band was actually levitating the entire amphitheater in Blue Sky? Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers becoming legitimate contenders for the World's Greatest Rock 'n Roll Band during their 1997 20-night Fillmore run?  The Black Crowes doing a mid-week show at the Fillmore in 2008 opening the night with the incredible and incredibly rare Exit?  All contenders for me.

Oh, yeah, U2 on the Joshua Tree tour, two nights at the Cow Palace in San Francisco and then again in the Boston Garden the night the power went out and they had to play acoustic for awhile with just the house lights on.  ZOO TV tour when Achtung Baby first came out was pretty damn excellent, too.  I saw it indoors in Sacramento and then outdoors in Oakland.

[dmooney99]

1. Pearl Jam- 10-31-09@ The Spectrum.  Last show of the Spectrum, 40 some odd songs.

2. Pearl Jam- 5-21-10 MSG.  Missed Band of Horses and got there right before PJ hit the stage for the last leg of the US tour.  Hearing Hunger Strike w/ Ben helped

3. The White Stripes- 6-27-07@ Grand Opera House in Wilmington.  First and only time i saw them play and it was in Delaware.  I was right up front also!  Magical night.

4. My Morning Jacket- 8-29-10@ Penn's Landing (festival pier).   Ok I was more of a casual fan of MMJ before seeing them live, that changed. 

5.  Ozzfest '99.  Had pit tix and got to see System Of A Down, Rob Zombie, Black Sabbath and others

Honorable mentions:
-The Dirtbombs- 4/10/08@ Johnny Brenda's  These guys are awesome live.  I saw them open up for The Datsuns in '04.  This show was just great!.  One of the drummers put the drum over his head and started playing 

- Kings Of Leon- 2/25/05@ TLA in philly.  Third time seeing them. Me and my buddy got there an hour before the show cuz he thought it started earlier. Got right up front against the guardrail. Scored the set list and a few guitar picks.

Tool- 5/17/06@ Tower Theater in philly.  Had balcony seats and it was still awesome to see tool play in a not so big arena and they rocked the f*ck out of it.

Jim James- 4/28/13@ Union Transfer.  So far my fav concert this year.  Met a lot of cool people and was right up front to witness his magic.

[Shug]

tbear, that Merriweather 1985 Dead show was before my time, but I listen to that show a lot, especially the fantastic Shakedown Street.  Summer tour 1985 is smoking, to my ears.  I can easily imagine how great it must've been to be there like you described. Dead shows were tons of fun!

APR, I saw McCartney in 1989 and 1993.  I really loved that 1993 show in Boulder, CO, the band was really tight, better than the 1989 show I saw in Berkeley, and I was over the top to hear all those great songs. 

Whippy, I didn't make that Palms Playhouse Richard Thompson show in 1991 (can't remember where I saw the Rumor and Sigh band tour), but I did see the Mirror Blue electric band tour (Dave Mattacks on drums!) at the Warfield in San Fran in 1994 and I finally got an electric Calvary Cross.   It was easily the best RT show I saw.  Nobody plays guitar quite like RT, a true master for sure.  What made the Palms show you saw so good?  I know he often played good shows at that venue.

Tracy, I think I already told you how envious I am of you and that 1979 Day of Rock show, so many great bands I love near their prime.  Lucky lucky you.  Who took you to that show? Prob. some good stories there, right?  Give us a taste, please!

I'm not that into Pearl Jam, but I did go see their show in San Jose in 1995 (I missed the show in Golden Gate Park earlier that year in which Neil Young filled in for Vedder).  At the San Jose show, they opened with Release, far away my favorite Pearl Jam song.  It was a pretty great show.  I wish I had seen the 1991 Cow Palace New Year's Eve show with Nirvana, Pearl Jam and Red Hot Chili Peppers, or any Pearl Jam show in 1991.  I missed out.

[MrWhippy]

Whippy, I didn't make that Palms Playhouse Richard Thompson show in 1991 (can't remember where I saw the Rumor and Sigh band tour), but I did see the Mirror Blue electric band tour (Dave Mattacks on drums!) at the Warfield in San Fran in 1994 and I finally got an electric Calvary Cross.   It was easily the best RT show I saw.  Nobody plays guitar quite like RT, a true master for sure.  What made the Palms show you saw so good?  I know he often played good shows at that venue.

OK, this is devolving into a bit of Thompson talk that probably won't mean much to anyone besides the two of us, but you asked, so...

The Palms Playhouse is a really cool old venue and it was a very intimate two-set solo acoustic show.  You talk about how cool it was to hear Calvary Cross at the Warfield show in 1994 (which I was also at, and I agree!), well Palms show in 1991 had an acoustic Calvary Cross, so a real surprise and my first time hearing pretty much my favorite Thompson song.  The inspiration for him playing Calvary Cross at both of these shows (Palms 1991 and Warfield 1994) was Henry Kaiser, who was a special guest on both of them.  Another big highlight of the 1991 show for me was Beat the Retreat, which was the only time I've ever heard him play it.

[ericm]

Whippy, I didn't make that Palms Playhouse Richard Thompson show in 1991 (can't remember where I saw the Rumor and Sigh band tour), but I did see the Mirror Blue electric band tour (Dave Mattacks on drums!) at the Warfield in San Fran in 1994 and I finally got an electric Calvary Cross.   It was easily the best RT show I saw.  Nobody plays guitar quite like RT, a true master for sure.  What made the Palms show you saw so good?  I know he often played good shows at that venue.

OK, this is devolving into a bit of Thompson talk that probably won't mean much to anyone besides the two of us, but you asked, so...

The Palms Playhouse is a really cool old venue and it was a very intimate two-set solo acoustic show.  You talk about how cool it was to hear Calvary Cross at the Warfield show in 1994 (which I was also at, and I agree!), well Palms show in 1991 had an acoustic Calvary Cross, so a real surprise and my first time hearing pretty much my favorite Thompson song.  The inspiration for him playing Calvary Cross at both of these shows (Palms 1991 and Warfield 1994) was Henry Kaiser, who was a special guest on both of them.  Another big highlight of the 1991 show for me was Beat the Retreat, which was the only time I've ever heard him play it.

Sounds like some fantastic shows!

A bit off topic but I missed out on seeing Bobby open,and all this great talk about RT has got me bummed he's not opening any of the shows I'm going to. Ryan Bingham had better be pretty damn good. 

[Shug]

A bit off topic but I missed out on seeing Bobby open,and all this great talk about RT has got me bummed he's not opening any of the shows I'm going to. Ryan Bingham had better be pretty damn good. 

EXACTLY what I've been thinking, Eric!  So bummed to be missing the Sloth or Calvary Cross with Wilco 

[MrWhippy]

I know, Shug.  We should form a support group. 

[APR]

I saw that 1993 tour as well, but it was at a huge baseball stadium which isn't the greatest setting in my opinion.

tbear, that Merriweather 1985 Dead show was before my time, but I listen to that show a lot, especially the fantastic Shakedown Street.  Summer tour 1985 is smoking, to my ears.  I can easily imagine how great it must've been to be there like you described. Dead shows were tons of fun!

APR, I saw McCartney in 1989 and 1993.  I really loved that 1993 show in Boulder, CO, the band was really tight, better than the 1989 show I saw in Berkeley, and I was over the top to hear all those great songs. 

[Shug]

Both of the McCartney shows I saw in 1989 and 1993 were in huge outdoor football stadiums.  I had bad seats for the first one, that surely had something to do with not prefering that show. For the second one I forked over the outrageous sum of $90 to a ticket broker to get a good seat long after the on-sale.  That was, at the time, the most I'd ever paid for a concert ticket and about double face value, if I remember correctly.  But I had a good seat and had a great time.  I also liked the Off The Ground album better than Flowers In The Dirt.  C'mon People was epic live, a powerful experience.

Too bad he didn't tour for Flaming Pie, that record is, I think, his best since the 70s.  I'd have loved to have heard Beautiful Night and Souvenir live.

[Seeker]

Chronologically-

1. The Who- December 4, 1971 Denver Coliseum- the night that changed my life

2. Jethro Tull- June, 1972 Denver Coliseum- opened the show with 1 1/2 hours of Thick as a Brick, then some classics, followed by their great encore of My God> Locomotive Breath. Tull outplayed Led Zep and the Stones that month IMO.

3. The Who November, 1975 Kansas City and 1976 Denver- At the top of their game, the greatest live act in Rock history, I was in the first row both nights right in front of Pete. He handed me the tambourine he hit during Baba, and I got to hang with them backstage.

4. Bridge Benefit  1999- Neil Young, The Who, Pearl Jam, Sheryl Crowe, Tom Waits, Green Day, fragments of Smashing Pumpkins, Brian Wilson and great San Francisco ambiance for two nights

5. The Who- 2000 Camden- Pete returns to the electric guitar, Zak channels Keith, John play stupendous solos, and Roger still looked and sounded great---this was the best of several shows I saw on that tour.

Honorable mentions: MMJ's 2011 Red Rocks; Elton John in the mid-70's; Bruce and U2 in the mid 80's; Pearl Jam 1995 Red Rocks, Neil Young many times; and about 30 other Who shows.

[FiddleCastro]

Chronologically-

1. The Who- December 4, 1971 Denver Coliseum- the night that changed my life

2. Jethro Tull- June, 1972 Denver Coliseum- opened the show with 1 1/2 hours of Thick as a Brick, then some classics, followed by their great encore of My God> Locomotive Breath. Tull outplayed Led Zep and the Stones that month IMO.

3. The Who November, 1975 Kansas City and 1976 Denver- At the top of their game, the greatest live act in Rock history, I was in the first row both nights right in front of Pete. He handed me the tambourine he hit during Baba, and I got to hang with them backstage.

4. Bridge Benefit  1999- Neil Young, The Who, Pearl Jam, Sheryl Crowe, Tom Waits, Green Day, fragments of Smashing Pumpkins, Brian Wilson and great San Francisco ambiance for two nights

5. The Who- 2000 Camden- Pete returns to the electric guitar, Zak channels Keith, John play stupendous solos, and Roger still looked and sounded great---this was the best of several shows I saw on that tour.

Honorable mentions: MMJ's 2011 Red Rocks; Elton John in the mid-70's; Bruce and U2 in the mid 80's; Pearl Jam 1995 Red Rocks, Neil Young many times; and about 30 other Who shows.

Jealous of all those  The Who in 71 my god.

[Tired Eyes]

4. Bridge Benefit  1999- Neil Young, The Who, Pearl Jam, Sheryl Crowe, Tom Waits, Green Day, fragments of Smashing Pumpkins, Brian Wilson and great San Francisco ambiance for two nights

And don't forget Emmylou Harris (one day) and Lucinda Williams (both days).
I've attended BSB 15 of the last 16 years.  1999 remains my favorite as far as the shows themselves.  The Sunday show was on Halloween!  That's the only time I've seen Neil on Halloween and the first of 2 Pearl Jam Halloween shows for me (the other being Philly 2009).