The best concert experience you've ever had?

[dogrocketp]

I know what you mean about the sound guy. There’s a club in Baltimore that has the word stage in their name. The sound system guys are so god awful that I’ll never go to another show there. Total waste of time and money.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

This one is EASY.

1978 when Van Halen was doing their 1st US tour.

They opened up for Black Sabbath, and totally blew them away with their sound and stage show.

I'd never seen anyone play guitar and jump around stage like Eddie did that night. It was mind boggling.

I even got a guitar pick from Eddie.

For nostalgia, I looked back on their tour dates, pretty much March-December’78. The number of shows must have been gruelling. US, Europe, Japan! They must have been fit as!

+1

Strictly speaking +3! But who am I to split hairs? After all they’re disappearing from where I want them to be and are growing elsewhere

I know what you mean about the sound guy. There’s a club in Baltimore that has the word stage in their name. The sound system guys are so god awful that I’ll never go to another show there. Total waste of time and money.

Sounds like Leeds/Reading Festival that I took my son to last summer. All you could hear was the bass and kick drum (near the front)!

What’s the point? OK you don’t have to breathe, you just open your mouth and the bass moves your lungs for you!

Most of the kids didn’t care. I couldn’t believe the amount of them that had no ear defence! They were giving them away free all over the site. I guess it’s not cool!

 

[Texsunburst59]

For nostalgia, I looked back on their tour dates, pretty much March-December’78. The number of shows must have been gruelling. US, Europe, Japan! They must have been fit as!

I'm sure when they performed, it's like they ran miles on stage.

I'd never ever seen that much crazy energy coming from any band performing up until that time.

I'm sure by the end of '78 they were "lean and mean' physically.

For them, it was the most fun way to exercise AND get paid for it.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

I'm sure when they performed, it's like they ran miles on stage.

I'd never ever seen that much crazy energy coming from any band performing up until that time.

I'm sure by the end of '78 they were "lean and mean' physically.

For them, it was the most fun way to exercise AND get paid for it.

Absolutely! When I played regularly, our other guitarist used to say quite often, at the beginning of a gig:

“Let’s play this like its our last!”

We always gave it plenty!

 

[Texsunburst59]

Absolutely! When I played regularly, our other guitarist used to say quite often, at the beginning of a gig:

“Let’s play this like its our last!”

We always gave it plenty!

Exactly!

That's pretty much how I looked at.

Put on a show, jump around, and get into the music.

Show the audience you love what you're doing, and they'll enjoy the show and want to come back to see the band again.

Seeing a band like Van Halen live really made and impression on me, and gave me a new perspective on performing.

 

[Rockmark]

As a kid , most of my income went to Shows...saw Queen with Freddie 6 times...Very jealous, Alan Manning, about Live Aid! Neat! HISTORY!
And Rockmark...huge Rush fan here. Over 40 shows... A friend of mine knows Alex, so I have been blessed (yep, blessed) to meet Alex n Geddy a few times. A few years ago, we were chatting with Alex and Scotty near his guitars and I was looking at his white 355 (again, HISTORY), when it happened. Then I was bending over looking at how they changed the tuners on his old black CE 24...when my girthy arse hit the classical on the Omega stand. I turned to see it rocking on the 3 legs. Immediately sweating profusely, I steadied the stand, stepped back, and threw up a little in my mouth. I almost removed one of my favorite songs from the set list that night.
Another time, during soundcheck, we were walking away as the guys started soundcheck, and Alex started the haunting guitar into from Fountain of Lamneth, on CoS, and I immediately stopped and turned around, and he noticed me, and I saw a smile come over his face. That smile was probably one of my favorite memories!

Bill, so great that you got to see the inner workings and how cool the folks all are. I think the 355 is the one w the broken headstock and Alex glued it in his hotel room after it broke. Scott and some of us were laughing about that story one nite. You probably got to meet Skully too, (Geddy's tech), super low key cool guy. Excellent, Bill.

 

[Wakester]

Years ago I saw Queen the first time they played on the west coast of the US right after the Sheer Heart Attack album. Or else when I saw Pink Floyd

I've seen Queen twice with Adam Labert. Amazing shows.

 

[Rockmark]

As long as I'm here there's another special show where I was treated so well by the band they made me feel like I worked with them. My high school buddy was the piano tech for Journey for many years. He had me at a show in San Bernardino and when I got there the band gave me all kinds of gifts. Sheet set of the nite signed by all, a drum head that Deen Castronovo supplied and all the band signed. Picks from everyone. And I had a guitar that they all signed while we all took great pics together. It's kinda funny since it's a Jackson that I got from Danny Spitz (Anthrax) 10 years earlier. Everything went in a huge frame together and still hangs in my hallway. Watched the show from the stage left wing with Peter Frampton standing beside me. He opened for Jouney that tour. Good times.

 

[bodia]

Ok, not particularly related to one concert, but talk about an experience. Join me as I relive my youth..........


The date is April 1, 1985, and I am 17 years old (about to be 18 in three months). It's late afternoon, and I have just finished my afternoon paper route. I walk into my buddies house, as is normal. One of those don't knock, just walk in buddies. I trot down the steps to the basement, into one of those smoke filled scenes right out of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, to see 3 or 4 of my friends playing pool and getting high. Gary (his house) looks up as I walk in and yells, "dude, bodia, you gotta call the X (97X - local rock station). You just won some kinda contest." I call BS because, you know, it is April 1. They insist they heard my name called on the radio. I blow them off. After the next song finishes playing I hear, "We're still looking to hear from Jim ----. He's the lucky winner of the Griggs Music/97X ticket giveaway." HOLY SH!T!!!!!!! I call the radio station, tell them who I am, and they inform me that yes, I have indeed won the Griggs/97X ticket contest.

So, what's the big deal. Well, I'm 17, about to graduate from high school, and turn 18....great age to be going to concerts. It's the middle of the 80s, and metal is ruling. Tons of cool bands are out and about. I filled out ONE entry form at Griggs Music, probably the best music store in the Quad Cities, at the time, and dropped it in the contest box.

I can hear all of you, "Yeah, so you won some tickets to a show.....big deal"....no gang, I won tickets to ALL OF THE SHOWS! That's right, two tickets to EVERY concert within a 75 mile radius of Davenport, Iowa for an entire YEAR! Man, I saw some great concerts, and had tons of fun. We're talking 3 or 4 shows a week, sometimes. I made a respectable deal of cash selling tickets for shows I didn't want to see. Of those I did see, I never drove to one. It was always "free ticket, if you drive" to one of my buddies. At the end of the year I got to go into the radio station and record a commercial for the following year's contest. What a cool way to spend your 18th year!

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Bill, so great that you got to see the inner workings and how cool the folks all are. I think the 355 is the one w the broken headstock and Alex glued it in his hotel room after it broke. Scott and some of us were laughing about that story one nite. You probably got to meet Skully too, (Geddy's tech), super low key cool guy. Excellent, Bill.

Yup, and ate with Howard U. and the crew . Way awesome experience! All great folks. (Better be, We named my 25 year old son Alex...my wife wouldn't allow Geddy )

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Years ago I saw Queen the first time they played on the west coast of the US right after the Sheer Heart Attack album. Or else when I saw Pink Floyd

&$@$#@$%@#%&#!!!!, Pink Floyd and Kansas are the big 2 on my list I never saw...dang it!

 

[Tosca]

March 23rd, 1985...Boston Opera House....SRV on the Couldn’t Stand the Weather Tour. He started with an 8 minute version of “Scuttle Buttin’”, then and extended 4 min instrumental intro of “Couldn’t Stand the Weather” (SRV and DT were just so tight on the long pauses)...finally goes up to mic to sing...and it didn’t work. Went back to playing solos...as three roadies ran around getting him a new vocal mic setup...now steps up to sing after maybe 15 minutes of just ripping on guitar at this point...AND THE WHOLE CROWD BOOS LOUDLY. SRV says “Ok then...you want some more?”...stops singing, and goes back to soloing for another 5 minutes, but this time...HE GOES ALL OUT!!! Playing with his teeth, behind his back, behind his head...just crazy. 20 plus minutes of just smoking guitar solos to open a show...didn’t repeat himself once. We all could have listened to him solo another two hours easily. Miss that guy...he was unreal.

 

[Rockmark]

Yup, and ate with Howard U. and the crew . Way awesome experience! All great folks. (Better be, We named my 25 year old son Alex...my wife wouldn't allow Geddy )

Yeah, Howard's great. Has a million stories. Filling the lounge on the bus w cheeses etc for after the shows. Always furnishing a big box of in and out burgers in Ca. for sure. You must have met Jack Secret then. He's been my good buddy since high school. Howard, Skully and Scott's busmate.

 

[bodia]

March 23rd, 1985...Boston Opera House....SRV on the Couldn’t Stand the Weather Tour. He started with an 8 minute version of “Scuttle Buttin’”, then and extended 4 min instrumental intro of “Couldn’t Stand the Weather” (SRV and DT were just so tight on the long pauses)...finally goes up to mic to sing...and it didn’t work. Went back to playing solos...as three roadies ran around getting him a new vocal mic setup...now steps up to sing after maybe 15 minutes of just ripping on guitar at this point...AND THE WHOLE CROWD BOOS LOUDLY. SRV says “Ok then...you want some more?”...stops singing, and goes back to soloing for another 5 minutes, but this time...HE GOES ALL OUT!!! Playing with his teeth, behind his back, behind his head...just crazy. 20 plus minutes of just smoking guitar solos to open a show...didn’t repeat himself once. We all could have listened to him solo another two hours easily. Miss that guy...he was unreal.

Lots more SRV in this thread than I thought there would be. Glad to see it.

 

[tbp0701]

Overall I'll have to go with a jazz concert, Joe Henderson. My main instrument in music school was saxophone, and Henderson was one of my idols. The show was spectacular. A close second was seeing Sonny Rollins, another of my idols.

Rock/guitar-wise I'll have to go with Frank Zappa. The musicianship and precision of Zappa and the full band was astounding. Oddly, one of the things I most remember was, before the show started, I stood up to let a guy get to his seat. As he got to me, he looked at me, eyes glazed, then they rolled back as he passed out. His friends took him out. I've occasionally wondered what happened to him, if he was okay, and if he has any idea the brilliance of the show he missed, as it was one of Zappa's last.

The Zappa concert just edges out Rush during the Presto tour. It's the only arena concert I've attended. I remember a lot of lasers. (For a random association, a live recording of YYZ played during my Lasik surgery. The surgeon was also a Rush fan).

 

[Tosca]

1st Place (Maybe) Kenny Wayne Shepherd on the Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea Cruise.
2nd Place Every other concert that we've seen on the Keeping the Blues Alive at Sea Cruise.

Always wanted to take one of these cruises...maybe someday...

 

[Fro]

My top concert experiences had to be.
1. Talking my way backstage to meet George Lynch on my 17th birthday.
2. I saw Gilby Clark touring in support of his solo album at a Holiday Inn conference room in Ft. Smith Arkansas and it was the most fun I've ever had at a concert.
3. Clapton with Derik Trucks in his band. I looked over at my wife, who's a die hard country music fan, when Clapton and Trucks were trading licks and she was having a "WOW" moment.
4. Sneaking a bottle of Jack into the Motley Crue concert the year Whitesnake opened up for them. My best friend and I had nosebleed seats and made our way all the way up to the second row center. I think I was still 16 but may have been 17 at this time. I thought the spinning drum set was the coolest thing ever.
5. I saw Alter Bridge on their first tour at a small theater in OKC. It was the first concert I went to with my wife when we were still dating. For a die hard country fan, she was really loving AB. We saw Kenny Wayne Shepard there a few weeks later.
6. My very first concert was Night Ranger with Van Zant opening. I'll never forget it. It was general admission and I was right up against the rail dead center.

 

[Fro]

Ok, not particularly related to one concert, but talk about an experience. Join me as I relive my youth..........


The date is April 1, 1985, and I am 17 years old (about to be 18 in three months). It's late afternoon, and I have just finished my afternoon paper route. I walk into my buddies house, as is normal. One of those don't knock, just walk in buddies. I trot down the steps to the basement, into one of those smoke filled scenes right out of Fast Times at Ridgemont High, to see 3 or 4 of my friends playing pool and getting high. Gary (his house) looks up as I walk in and yells, "dude, bodia, you gotta call the X (97X - local rock station). You just won some kinda contest." I call BS because, you know, it is April 1. They insist they heard my name called on the radio. I blow them off. After the next song finishes playing I hear, "We're still looking to hear from Jim ----. He's the lucky winner of the Griggs Music/97X ticket giveaway." HOLY SH!T!!!!!!! I call the radio station, tell them who I am, and they inform me that yes, I have indeed won the Griggs/97X ticket contest.

So, what's the big deal. Well, I'm 17, about to graduate from high school, and turn 18....great age to be going to concerts. It's the middle of the 80s, and metal is ruling. Tons of cool bands are out and about. I filled out ONE entry form at Griggs Music, probably the best music store in the Quad Cities, at the time, and dropped it in the contest box.

I can hear all of you, "Yeah, so you won some tickets to a show.....big deal"....no gang, I won tickets to ALL OF THE SHOWS! That's right, two tickets to EVERY concert within a 75 mile radius of Davenport, Iowa for an entire YEAR! Man, I saw some great concerts, and had tons of fun. We're talking 3 or 4 shows a week, sometimes. I made a respectable deal of cash selling tickets for shows I didn't want to see. Of those I did see, I never drove to one. It was always "free ticket, if you drive" to one of my buddies. At the end of the year I got to go into the radio station and record a commercial for the following year's contest. What a cool way to spend your 18th year!

I won tickets to see REO Speedwagon probably '85 or '86. I gave them to my sister and here friend.

 

[Fro]

*her

 

[goat-n-gitter]

My top few:
1. Genesis, Abacab tour, Dallas Texas, second row in front of Tony Banks. A week or so before going away to my freshman year of college.
2. Eric Johnson, 1982, Christmas break from my first year of college, little bar in Dallas, I had barely heard of him and was just looking for something to do. Totally blown away, as you can imagine.
3. My first Rush concert, Moving pictures tour.
4. Texas Jam 1979: Nazareth, Sammy Hagar, Van Halen, Boston, Heart, Blue Oyster Cult.
5. Pink Floyd, Momentary Lapse of Reason tour.
6. Peter Gabriel, Us tour.
7. Neal Morse Band (Mike Portnoy on drums) both Similitude of a dream and The Great Adventure tours from about 5 feet from the stage at City Winery Atlanta.
8. Any of the 5 or so times I saw the late, great Michael Hedges.