Fave/Best Concerts

[Jim Corrigan]

Dylan at the Rave in Milwaukee.1999?He played and sang like he meant every word.The band was with him every step of the way.I saw him about 6 months later and it was a train wreck.Go figure.

[AdamSmith]

Chuck Berry, 1982, The Agora Ballroom. http://theconcertdatabase.com/venues/agora-ballroom-4 A tiny (surely no more than 200 of us could have fit in there) venue in west New Haven, CT.

 

From when the curtain went up to reveal Chuck, then about 53, crouched low to begin his duck walk -- looking knowingly out at us as if we were the real spectacle -- til when he extended his act with calls to us of, "Set's supposed to be over. But do you want more?" Us: "YES!!!" Chuck: "I can't hear youuu..." We yelled even louder, he gave us encore after encore, then told us he was going to sing just one verse from every song in his repertoire we had not already had that night, then did just that.

 

Toward his last song, he pulled a great bunch of kids up onto the stage to dance in front of him and his band -- and, behind that crowd, in the middle of his last song, undetectably slipped off backstage, and had vanished from us by the time the song ended.

 

A scorching, and at the same time warmly humanly present, performance I've never seen the like of, before or since.

[+ quoththeraven]

Judy Garland at Boston Garden

Ella Fitzgerald (many times)

Joan Baez (many times)

Tony Bennett at Lincoln Center, NYC

Sarah Vaughn at the Kennedy Center

Thelonious Monk at Lincoln Center

Talking Heads at the Philadelphia Zoo

Janis Joplin at Forrest Hills

Paul Simon in Paris

Simon and Garfunkel in NYC

Ray Charles (many times)

Peggy Lee at Carnegie Hall

Bruce Spingsteen (many times)

The Who (many times)

Rolling Stones

Patti Smith (many times)

Judy Collins

Barbra Streisand

U2 at Madison Square Garden

Pearl Jam

Jefferson Airplane

Baden Powell (in Rio)

Joao Gilberto (in Rio)

Justin Timberlake

Alicia Keys

Prince

Keanu Reeves & his band (in Philly at TLA)

Bob Dylan (many times)

Mary Martin and John Raitt

Keith Jarrett

Chicago

Jethro Tull

Peter, Paul and Mary at the Kennedy Center

Madonna (many times)

Jackson Browne

Neil Young

Carole King

James Taylor at Madison Square Garden

Rosemary Clooney at Carnegie Hall

Blondie

The Pretenders

Creedence Clearwater Revival at Forrest Hills

Diana Krall

 

 

(I was born in 1943, so had many more opportunities over so many years, it's very hard to pick favorites.......Garland & Dylan: most talent)

 

You reminded me of one I left off: Keith Jarrett, Troy Music Hall, sometime in the 80s. The place has terrific acoustics. Jarrett was his usual fascinating self. Think his recording of the Koln concert.

[jawjateck]

You reminded me of one I left off: Keith Jarrett, Troy Music Hall, sometime in the 80s. The place has terrific acoustics. Jarrett was his usual fascinating self. Think his recording of the Koln concert.

 

My memory is starting to perk up too. How could I fail to mention Roy Orbison? He was peaking as a performance artist in his final days.

[+ pitman]

Janis Joplin and Big Brother and the Holding Company, Jefferson Airplane, Otis Redding, Laura Nyro, The Who, The Jimi Hendrix Experience (and many more) at The Monterey International Pop Festival June 1967.

The Ike and Tina Turner Review at The Cheetah 1968

Bette Midler (with Barry Manilow as pianist/music director) at The Troubador West Hollywood 1972

David Bowie (as Ziggy Stardust) at Santa Monica Civic 1973

The B-52s at The Hollywood Palladium 1980

Talking Heads at the Pantages Theater 1983

the Talking Heads concert was the basis of the best concert film ever made, Stop Making Sense. don't take my word for it; Pauline Kael named it best film of 1984 (The Big Suit!). i saw the same performance at greek theatre Berkeley

[AdamSmith]

They Might Be Giants, performing fairly early in their career, ca. 1987, at local legendary spot TT The Bear's Place in Central Square, Cambridge, MA. Geniuses.

 

[+ quoththeraven]

They Might Be Giants, performing fairly early in their career, ca. 1987, at local legendary spot TT The Bear's Place in Central Square, Cambridge, MA. Geniuses.

 

 

I'm familiar with They Might Be Giants. There was an Ithaca-based group that mostly performed original songs, not covers, that I saw perform at a bar just outside the campus boundaries and maybe one other time that I loved, but I no longer remember the group's name. I can barely remember the name of the local bars anymore.

[Jim Corrigan]

Nina Simone at a country club in Chicago

Majestic.She put a spell on us,.

[amused1]

Cyndi Lauper, pregnant with her son Declan, opening for Tina Turner at the World Music Theater

 

Tina Turner, at the World Music Theater

 

Do-It-Yourself Messiah, Symphony Center Chicago

 

B-52s, Balboa Park, San Diego Pride

 

Joe Jackson, Chicago Theater

 

Cowboy Junkies, Humphrey's By The Bay San Diego *

 

Pretenders, Riviera Theater

 

*Highly recommended venue - very intimate and outdoors. Wish I snagged seats to Aretha Franklin

I saw the same Cyndi/Tina tour. Cyndi made a joke that if the front rows saw her child starting to come out they should tell her. I think it was Tina's Golden Eye tour.

[AdamSmith]

Chuck Berry, 1982, The Agora Ballroom. http://theconcertdatabase.com/venues/agora-ballroom-4 A tiny (surely no more than 200 of us could have fit in there) venue in west New Haven, CT.

 

From when the curtain went up to reveal Chuck, then about 53, crouched low to begin his duck walk -- looking knowingly out at us as if we were the real spectacle -- til when he extended his act with calls to us of, "Set's supposed to be over. But do you want more?" Us: "YES!!!" Chuck: "I can't hear youuu..." We yelled even louder, he gave us encore after encore, then told us he was going to sing just one verse from every song in his repertoire we had not already had that night, then did just that.

 

Toward his last song, he pulled a great bunch of kids up onto the stage to dance in front of him and his band -- and, behind that crowd, in the middle of his last song, undetectably slipped off backstage, and had vanished from us by the time the song ended.

 

A scorching, and at the same time warmly humanly present, performance I've never seen the like of, before or since.

Just recalled that a year after seeing Chuck, I was visiting a friend in DC who dragged me with him to a Billy Idol concert at Wolf Trap.

 

An ear-splitting, bloated, soulless, meaningless circus spectacle, as comparison of Idol's act with Berry's performance made blazingly evident.

[+ WilliamM]

Just recalled that a year after seeing Chuck, I was visiting a friend in DC who dragged me with him to a Billy Idol concert at Wolf Trap.

 

I saw Ella Fitzgerald perform at Wolf Trap in Virginia. It was so long ago, I remember seeing Jack Benny in the audience, perhaps 1973 or 1974.

[bigvalboy]

Judy Garland at Boston Garden

Ella Fitzgerald (many times)

Joan Baez (many times)

Tony Bennett at Lincoln Center, NYC

Sarah Vaughn at the Kennedy Center

Thelonious Monk at Lincoln Center

Talking Heads at the Philadelphia Zoo

Janis Joplin at Forrest Hills

Paul Simon in Paris

Simon and Garfunkel in NYC

Ray Charles (many times)

Peggy Lee at Carnegie Hall

Bruce Spingsteen (many times)

The Who (many times)

Rolling Stones

Patti Smith (many times)

Judy Collins

Barbra Streisand

U2 at Madison Square Garden

Pearl Jam

Jefferson Airplane

Baden Powell (in Rio)

Joao Gilberto (in Rio)

Justin Timberlake

Alicia Keys

Prince

Keanu Reeves & his band (in Philly at TLA)

Bob Dylan (many times)

Mary Martin & John Raitt (Philly Pops)

Keith Jarrett

Chicago

Jethro Tull

Peter, Paul and Mary at the Kennedy Center

Madonna (many times)

Jackson Browne

Neil Young

Carole King

James Taylor at Madison Square Garden

Rosemary Clooney at Carnegie Hall

Blondie

The Pretenders

Creedence Clearwater Revival at Forrest Hills

Diana Krall

Queen Latifah at the Beacon (NYC)

Marc Anthony

Duke Ellington

Green Day

 

(I was born in 1943, so had many more opportunities over so many years, it's very hard to pick favorites.......Garland & Dylan: most talent)

 

Be any measure, this is a very impressive list William. So many great ones....

[rvwnsd]

I saw the same Cyndi/Tina tour. Cyndi made a joke that if the front rows saw her child starting to come out they should tell her. I think it was Tina's Golden Eye tour.

 

Two things (OK, three) stand out for me about that show. 1) Cyndi sang her songs slooooow. Totally different experience. 2) At one point, Tina turned to one of the young dancers and motioned for her to keep up. 3) Out of the blue, one of the many women (and men ) dressed up to look like Tina was calling after me. Turned out to be a colleague at a state agency with which I worked very closely. Good times.

[+ Eric Hassan]

Midlake - 2007 - they were touring for The Trials of Van Occupanther and I was close to the stage - made eye contact with Tim Smith and he sang to me

 

Midlake - 2010 - they were touring for The Courage of Others, the last album Tim did with them - they had 5 guitars on stage at the same time and they played long, richly layered jams before breaking into album tracks

 

The Polyphonic Spree - 6 times - always uplifting and quite a spectacle - they had between 22 and 29 musicians on stage when I saw them and I got pulled on stage at the end of one of their shows - I was dancing and trying not to step on anyone's pedals

 

Beck - 2008(?) - I saw him at Across the Narrows and it was such a good show - in the middle of the show, a table lowered onto the stage and the band sat down for dinner while Beck continued to perform by himself - slowly, they started banging on plates and cups over the next few songs until they had fully joined in

 

Sonic Youth - 2006 - they were touring for Rather Ripped and I saw them in the McCarren Park Pool in Brooklyn back when it wasn't a pool and concerts happened there - the audience was in the empty pool and the band was on the edge - Kim asked where the water was

 

Yeasayer - 2016 - I've been a fan since All Hour Cymbals in 2007 and finally got to see them at Irving Place - probably one of my favorite shows of all time - they were just brilliant

 

Dolly Parton - 2016 - on her Pure and Simple tour - she's incredibly amazing and shares SO MUCH LOVE!

 

of Montreal - 2 times - not nearly enough - the show is like a fun circus, much like the music - Kevin Barnes is truly a show-man and I love that he manages to incorporate melancholy, longing, heartache in his lyrics with a bouncy beat

 

Xiu Xiu - 2010 - another band I have been a fan of for a long time that took me a long time to see - they were touring for Dear God, I Hate Myself - I have never been a to a louder concert, and I've been to some pretty loud shows - this was my birthday present to myself

 

Pansy Division - 4 times - I saw them over several summers at Pride festivals in the NE US - I always had them sign my underwear after the show

 

Live - 1995 - I saw them at Great Woods when GW was GW - PJ Harvey opened (she was great) - this was when they were touring for Throwing Copper (the last time they didn't suck) - in the middle of the show, they set up a living room complete with couch, rug, lamps, coffee table and then they played acoustic covers of Guided by Voices songs

 

Metallica - 1993 - another show at GW and the first time I ever got stoned - back when they still made songs that clocked in over 8 minutes and with my favorite line-up

 

There are tons more that I loved, but these are the ones that stand out at this moment.

[Rudynate]

In the 70s, I went to a 3-day Woodstock-style rock festival in Germany. There were a lot of big names there - Fleetwood Mac, Rod Stewart, Steely Dan, except, then, they weren't big names yet. It was a three-day debauch. After that, never really had an interest in rock concerts or pop concerts.

[+ quoththeraven]

The Tubes (early 80s twice; 2009)

 

Famous (to me, at least) for "Don't Touch Me There," which I know because of a college friend/ex-lover. Same guy who used to light his farts. Fortunately (or not), I was never looking in the right direction when he did that, although I probably muttered "serves you right" the one time he singed nearby hair while doing it.

[+ quoththeraven]

At one point, Tina turned to one of the young dancers and motioned for her to keep up.

 

One of the many reasons I have mad respect for Tina Turner.

[Rudynate]

Same guy who used to light his farts.

 

I wonder if that's an urban myth. Everybody seems to have known (of) someone who ignited their own farts, but, as far as I know, nobody's ever seen anybody actually do it.

[+ WmClarke]

Famous (to me, at least) for "Don't Touch Me There," which I know because of a college friend/ex-lover.

That was their first song that I remember hearing on the radio in the 70s

[+ Truereview]

I'm very mainstream in my concert taste. I also really enjoy Divas. Some of my favorite tours:

• Celine - Taking Chances Tour, Macau, March 2008
  
• Adele - An Evening with Adele, Paris, June 2008
   
  
• Lady Gaga - The Monster Ball Tour, Montreal, November 2009
  
• Lady Gaga (again!) - The Monster Ball (again!), Sydney, March 2010
  
• U2 - 360 Tour, São Paulo, April 2011
  
• Madonna - MDNA Tour, Abu Dhabi, June 2012.
  
• Beyoncé - Mrs Carter Tour, Lisbon, March 2014
  
• Jennifer Lopez - All I Have, Las Vegas, January 2016
  
• Daddy's Forum Weekend, Palm Springs 2017??? :D:D
  

[Rudynate]

I saw Sylvester perform in the show room at the Cabaret After Dark on New Montgomery Street in San Francisco. It was quite a show. He had backup singers, a band, and he came on stage dressed in a white sequined sheath, white boa, white feathered headdress and two or three white afghans on leashes. I think that was 1974.

 

I saw the Weather Girls perform at the Castro Street Fair in about 1978 and again at Alfie's in Denver sometime in the 80's. In Denver, they sang their hit song "It's Raining Men."

[Racketjock]

To bring some diversity to this stream:

- George Strait ( 1987, 1989, 1994)

- Garth Brooks (1992)

- Barbra Streisand (2016)

[+ quoththeraven]

I wonder if that's an urban myth. Everybody seems to have known (of) someone who ignited their own farts, but, as far as I know, nobody's ever seen anybody actually do it.

 

Even though I didn't actually see it, and he and his band of friends could be described as slackers and gamblers who played backgammon for $1 a point (most of them were also competition-level chess players), I have faith in their truthfulness. Not so much in their judgment.

[Jbdesc]

Just to add some more diversity to this list, this weekend I just saw:

 

As Lions

Sixx AM

Shinedown

Five Finger Death Punch

 

Shinedown was phenomenal as they usually are - FFDP however, huge disappointment. Curtain dropped on opening, band was killing it until it came time for Ivan Moody to sing... Literally he gave a couple words then walked off stage. The rest of the band held it together and tried to keep up but it was so disappointing. He tried saying his mother was on her deathbed and he needed to fly back home. Made some remarks about Kanye West and got the crowd riled up and chanting f**k Kanye. Cut the entire set short after waiting an hour between sets. His sister confirmed with media the next day that their mother is fine.

 

They've had some of the best live performances I've ever seen. Assuming you can handle that kind of performance, not everyone can. Ivan Moody is definitely a hard pill to swallow. Not sure if I will see them again.

 

If you've never seen Shinedown perform, I highly recommend it.

[+ WmClarke]

I'm very mainstream in my concert taste. I also really enjoy Divas. Some of my favorite tours:

• Celine - Taking Chances Tour, Macau, March 2008
  
• Adele - An Evening with Adele, Paris, June 2008
   
  
• Lady Gaga - The Monster Ball Tour, Montreal, November 2009
  
• Lady Gaga (again!) - The Monster Ball (again!), Sydney, March 2010
  
• U2 - 360 Tour, São Paulo, April 2011
  
• Madonna - MDNA Tour, Abu Dhabi, June 2012.
  
• Beyoncé - Mrs Carter Tour, Lisbon, March 2014
  
• Jennifer Lopez - All I Have, Las Vegas, January 2016
  
• Daddy's Forum Weekend, Palm Springs 2017??? :D:D
  

Was thinking about what Divas I have seen. I think only two.

 

Diana Ross which I mentioned above.

 

And Whitney Houston--the worst concert I ever saw.