Thelonious Monster at the 7th St Entry in Minneapolis 1993. Maybe 20 people in attendance. Bob was drunk and laying out his soul like he was in a confessional. The band was playing as if thier lives depended on it. I have see ALOT of shows, this was by far, the best ever.

My best show ever was Radiohead at the Rosemont Theater in Chicago around November 1997. It was indescribable, absolutely brilliant and breathtaking in every moment.

My most significant show would be the Flaming Lips at the Metro on the true millenium New Year’s Eve, 2000. They had a great Illinois band, Hum, open playing what was supposed to be their last show, then the Lips put on the greatest show I’ve seen them do. Ringing in the new millenium with “Race for the Prize” was astounding.

There’s a few, here’s the first:
The Beatles @ SF Cow Palace, 1964.
I went with my twin sister, we were 10, and an older sister who drove us. Tickets were $5ea and we got them via lottery through SF Examiner(danced in front of the mailbox when they came!). Counted the girls being carried away by security, remember the deep bows after every song. Total adrenaline, excitement, joy, and the opening to a new world!

The Doors @ Santa Clara Folk Rock Festival, 1967. Jim Morrison had been drinking at the cemetery next to the fairgrounds during the earlier bands (Electric Flag, Youngbloods, Country Joe…)and took the stage very wasted. It rained off and on during their set-Morrison falling down, and at one point, off the stage, screaming the poem “Horse Latitudes” into Moonlight Drive. After a messy version of “Light My Fire”, the band left the stage. As people exited through the back of the grass field’s gates, Morrison ran back to the mic, and yelled for people to come back, and then launched into a torrid “Unknown Soldier” through the downpour. Through the stampede of people coming back, the rain, the lyrics, it felt like anything could happen. It felt dangerous, chaotic, and incredibly exciting!

Social D and The Screeming Trees at the Newport Music Hall ‘91.Ohio State. Hot, Loud, Rockin. 9 dollars. Lanegan Floored Me!

Allman Brothers Band (Original lineup), Oct. 8, 1971, Winterland, SF.
Borrowed a vw hatchback which broke down on Lombard St., pushed it to the curb, and hitched to Winterland, waited in line about 6 hours (made friends, passed joints, walked over to a soul food restaurant for some chicken), and finally ran through the front door and straight for the stage where I locked myself in place with my elbows on the front of the stage in front of Duane Allman. The band came out, and Duane had his SG with that Coricidin pill bottle slide on. He warmed up with these snakey, buttery, slide runs that just brought goose bumps, shit-eating grins, and anticipation of what was to come. The band played for about 2 1/2 hours (before taking a break-”We’re gonna take a piss and come back”)of Southern blues, gospelly Coltrane instrumental jams, and trips through Willie McTell, Elmore James, with nods to King Curtis, Ray Charles, and somewhere entirely their own. The music built and then transported you through sheer joy. Duane was the spiritual centerpiece and addressed the crowd in his drawl in a way that made you feel like you were along for a long beautiful trip, so sit back and enjoy. The second set ended with a long, exhilarating Mountain Jam w/Elvin Bishop joining the fray, and then lead-vocalling “Drunken-Hearted Boy” in his Oklahoma twang.
At the end of the show, my friends and I stood outside until Dickey Betts came out, waved hello, and we drove home with our ears ringing, blown away by the musical hospitality that had been served up, filled up with “the good stuff”
A couple weeks later, as I was having dinner, my mother casually mentioned that “Duane ALMOND or something” had died in a motorcycle accident. I sat at the dinner table and couldn’t keep the tears from filling my eyes.

Chili peppers of course.
&
Less than Jake, not that they’re my favorite band, but they sure no how to make live show rock.

Most memorable show ever for me would have to be Radiohead at Bonnaroo just last year (2006). I’ve seen many concerts before and after this show but the euphoric atmosphere of bonnaroo combined with the electric perforamce of Radiohead created a lasting impression on everyone there, especially big rh fans. They played their longest set ever (28 songs) and the stage aura was amazing. BEST CONCERT EVER

Radiohead blew me away, but for me it’s Queens of the Stone Age in Cardiff. Hands up who’s decided based on the girl they were there with? [Raises hand]

phish 12/31/99

midnight to sunrise on an india reservation with no break to bring in the year 2000.

pat travers @ the old san jose convention center when tommy aldridge just got in the band…aldridge and mars played so tightly together that it was amazing and the bass amp thumped my gut…it was my first concert other than randy hansen so it was extra cool…

me and my friend kip bautista smoked hawaiian gold that was so good all you needed was a tiny mouse hit and you were totally zoned…

my old neighbor who once lived across the street snorted a whole plastic baggy full of amphetamines and was acting like a madman stading on folding chairs at the front of the stage…very memorable…

you know; i was thinking; why doesn’t RS do a RNR daily segment based on misunderstood lyrics like; scuze me while i kiss this guy (jimi hendrix); she’s got electric boobs, a mohair suit & someone saved my life tonight – sugarbear (elton john); hey! it will come back to you (peg by steely dan); the won ton song (led zeppelin) etc

either that or ‘Just Plain Stupid Lyrics’ like; “is there gas in the car? – yes there’s gas in the car” etc…

Indianapolis 1993. It was a night that could not have been more perfect. My two favorite bands at the time joined forces to put on a tour and if that was not enough they were joined by a 3rd great band. The opener was Faith no More, the headliner was Guns n’ Roses and sandwiched inbetween there was Metallica. Fath no more ripped through a quick set that got the crowd roaring. Metallica follwed with a set heavy on songs from their new Black album. Metallica was amazing, the sound was great and my adrenalline was at a level that has never been matched, after all I was 16 and had dedicated the last several years of my life growing my hair and wearing out every black T-shirt I could get my hands on, finally the time was right, the terrible looking long hair and natty black T-shirt had found their perfect setting. There was a lot of unhappy folks in the crownd since there was over an hour between Metallica and GNR, most likely due to Axl’s diva character. The hour + passed by quickly for me. Some cameraman with a heart of gold was going through the crowd, and on the Jumbotron appeared the bared breasts of women with big hair. At 16 what could be better, naked ladies, Metallica still ringing in my ears, and the promise of my favorite band rocking out the rest of the night. GNR did rock! The show was great, although Axl dissed Indiana within 5 minutes of being on stage and really had to win the crowd over, he did. I have actually seen better individual bands since then, ie Pearl Jam, Beastie Boys, and a great Dead show, but this was a trifecta or a quadfecta if you include the breasts!

and i’ve also got a million other stories to tell, but no time right now…maybe later…

pearl jam

u2 at anaheim, 4/2/05. they started of with love and peace or else, and they all switched instruments (bono:drums;edge:bass,adam:lea d guitar;larry:rythm guitar). after a few songs from the newest album, bono helped a 7 year old onto the stage as they performed city of blinding lights. after quietly transitioning into a ten minute version of one,every one took out their phones. all of the lights dimmed until it was pitch black, but the stadium was lit by the lights of the thousands of phones(beautiful). then the human rights document began to roll on the screen, and bono went off on his aids speech. then streets of no name suddenly thundered throughout, and every single person began to yell the lyrics at a deafening pitch. singing a new song was the last, and one by one left the stage, larry being last. amazing.

The Strokes in Cleveland at the Agora Ballroom, April 15, 2006. They blasted through almost all of ‘First Impressions Of Earth’ and then basically played all of ‘Is This It.’ I had sweat down to my ankles from all the dancing and jumping..Beautiful stage set up/lights, amazing crowd, and most importantly one of my all time favorite bands going fucking nuts on stage.

Also, Beck at Vet’s Memorial auditorium in ‘99 in support of ‘Midnite Vultures.’ Disco balls everywhere, crazy lights filling the entire room, and a space themed stage set up. I smoked my first joint and I was only in 6th grade, hahaha

Hands down Paul Mccartney. October of 2002. My dad took me to see him at the Schottenstien’s center at Ohio State. I loved it!!! From the opening moments for the pre-concerrt to the final guitar jam on The End between Sir Paul and his bandmates. BEST Concert EVER!!!! Been to a lot of good ones, that was the best

Page and Plant: Unledded tour, 1995. Although it wasn’t a Zep reunion, this show rocked. It wasn’t just the music. The crowd was the major factor. The buzz started about 20 minutes before the lights went down. The crowd wnet nuts and DID NOT LET UP

Oasis live, September 14, 2005 at Coors Amphitheater, San Diego, CA. Greatest live band I have ever seen. The music was loud and the emotion was great. Easily the greatest live show I have ever seen.

Bad Brains, mid ’80s, Milestone in Charlotte. Pure energy, rage, and love in a club the size of a typical living room. None better.

radiohead june 1st at the tower theater in philly… it was the most amazing show i’ve ever seen..
and coming in a close second was the chili peppers..

Roger Waters in Ottawa 1988.
Pink Floyd “Dark Side Of The Moon”
tour in Montreal…..man that was great

Not by favorite band but U2 in Jacksonville 1997. My friends and I had just seen them 2 days earlier in Tampa. My friend (a die hard U2 fan) was wearing a self made Bono muscle shirt and the ‘Fly’ glasses. He was on top of another friends shoulders who is 6′ 4″. They were very close to the part of the stage that extended out into the crowd and he swore bono made a reference towards him.
Well at the Jacksonvill show, we were second row from the main stage and Bono recognized my friend (wearing the same get-up) and invited him on stage. He shook everyones hands and Bono stuck his ass out for my friend to ‘kiss it’. We were all so going crazy none of us took pictures. Also it began to rain so U2 enede the show with an impromtu ‘Rain’ by The Beatles.

I have asked the old Gator Bowl (and now Alltel stadium) and no one has a film of this. I’ve tried and tried so if anyone has teh 1997 Jacksonville show please let me know!!

kevinmelli s@hot mail. com

metallica seattle 89. The best show ive ever been to. better yet, it was captured on the live dvd so i can relive it anytime i want

For me the vote for change tour in philly with Bruce REM and Bright Eyes. Seeing all three of them on stage at once singing Whats so funny about peace love and understanding was something i will never forget. Or when Bruce came out durning the REM set to sing man on the moon with them.

Antibalas at the Horseshoe in Toronto. Brooklyn’s finest 12+ piece afrobeat band playing their asses off in one of Toronto’s most historic (and packed) venues. The energy present onstaga was practically tangible.

The Smashing Pumpkins at Lollapalooza in Montreal in 1994.

Billy Corgan destroyed the crowd with his guitar and Jimmy Chamberlin pulverized everyone’s ears wth his jack-hammer drums. It was the sound of one history’s greatest rock bands taking flight in front of 35,000 people. Pure rock’n'roll bliss.

Rod Stewart and the Faces with Heart as the opening act, Montreal Forum.

David Gilmour live at the Royal Albert Hall May 31, 2006.

Outstanding show! “Echoes” worth price of admission ticket alone.

Oasis in Toronto, June 2005. The show was completely sold out (cool, considereing Oasis doesn’t like touring here due to lacking album sales), and they fucking ripped through almost all their new album. The Gallagher brothers are god’s gift to earth!

Dave Matthews Band – RFK Stadium 2001

rem and 3o’clock at dar constitution hall in aug. 1985 was very nice.

Oasis in Toronto, June 2005. Drove all the way from Columbus to see the show that was completely sold out (very cool, considereing Oasis doesn’t like touring here due to lacking album sales), and they fucking ripped through almost all their new album. The Gallagher brothers are god’s gift to earth!

Pearl Jam, Bonner Springs, KS (2003)

I had just lost my grandpa a week before leaving for a week long trip following Pearl Jam. The first show was in Bonner Springs, KS and during Idlewilds opening set, the skies opened up it POURED on the all open venue like crazy. Pearl Jam was delayed probably 1/2 hour, but when they finally came out it was still pouring and they opened with “Release”. During the second verse a bolt of lightning shot across the sky. As the crowd gasped, Eddie looked up and said “Hi, Dad”, which is exactly what I was thinking at that very moment. Just one final hello from my grandpa that he was allright. That week following Pearl Jam was the most soul searching, honest, and open week of my life, and really figured this life out while driving for a week. It all started with the “wettest show on Earth” in Bonner Springs and “Release”.

Its between two:

Ben Harper/Jack Johnson/Kid Koala, Mann Center for the Performing Arts, Philadelphia, Summer ‘03 – The best outdoor midsize venue anyone could possibly imagine. Jack and Ben are perhaps the best double bill that have toured together in the past 10 years. Jack was warm and his music set a beautiful mood while the sun set in Fairmount Park and the BHIC simply ripped the roof off.

Jeff Tweedy/Nels Cline, Mandel Hall University of Chicago, 2.25.06 – Another instance where the venue suited the artist perfectly. Wilco as a band is perhaps greater, but Tweedy simply gave the most personal performance that night that had a very gather ’round the campfire type feel to it. It also yielded one of the strangest things I’ve ever heard an artist say on stage “Buttstache? My mustache thanks you, but my buttstache is none of your business”

Pink Floyd 1994 London. Best stage atmosphere of any act in the history of music. That whole night melted my face off

Radiohead at Bonnaroo 2006 ( I waited all day to get close to the stage but it was worth it)

The Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Mars Volta.
August 21, 2006 Glendale,AZ

I remember Blink 182 playing in the nude at Pointfest, an annual radio festival show in St. Louis, when they were touring in between “Dude Ranch” and “Enema of the State.” At least Tom and Mark were. It was funny. I think they might of had tube socks on their members or something, so they wouldn’t get arrested. Then, I saw Green Day play Pointfest the year they were touring the album “Nimrod,” and throughout pretty much the entire set, people in the lawn were chucking their giant souvenir cups into the seats. I was in the seats, and got hit several times in the head with full cups of anonymous liquid. It was annoying, but also fun, in it’s own right.

Rage Against the Machine Live at the Grand Auditorium. Amazing!

All the shows I’ve seen have been here in San Juan, Puerto Rico. That said, the best shows I’ve ever seen are Madonna’s The Girlie Show (I know it’s not rock, but what the hell) and Kiss’ Psycho Circus. Best ones ever in terms of the overall concept of a show. However, my most personally significant one was Joan Jett and Billy Idol back in 1983. I was 17 at the time and a huge Joan Jett fan. It was my second concert ever, so that made a great impact on me, and they rocked!!!! Although I went to see Joan Jett, Billy Idol’s performance also blew me away (the “Rebel Yell” album was just starting to take flight). That was the beginning of the rock show experience for me.

the best night of my life: seeing The Who at Virgin Fest. in Baltimore, MD. Quite simply, the greatest live act of all time, and Pete’s songwriting has enriched my life beyond words.

a very close second: seeing the Rolling Stones on Oct. 3, 2005, Washington DC. First of all, it was on my birthday (best B-Day party of my life), and seeing those guys tear through their miraculous songbook reaffirmed everything that I hold sacred in my life.

Living Colour, Paramount, Seattle, 1991
Depeche Mode, 1990, GM Arena, Vancouver, BC
U2, 1993, BC Place, Vancouver, BC
Springsteen
Supergrass, Showbox, Seattle, 2002

Guns ‘n Roses – Forum in LA – 1991 – 4 hour show. ‘If you want to get beer, you better leave now. We’re gonna be here awhile’.

Seen quite a few incredible shows but a few standouts:
Chili Peppers/Pearl Jam/ Smashing Pumpkins @City Coliseum- Austin ‘91; Fishbone/Primus Austin ‘91(same weekend);Tool Austin ‘95 and New Orleans ‘03 But the best has to be Radiohead @ Lakefront in New Orleans ‘03. That was transcendant.

radiohead, bonnaroo 2006, classic

KISS in Pittsburgh on their ‘96 Reunion Tour! Enough said.

1975- Led Zeppelin in concert at the Sports Arena in San Diego. I went with 2 girlfriends- we skipped school and nearly got arrested for being at the junior high (we were buying 2 tix from a girl that got grounded), and we hitchhiked from Chula Vista to get there. I was totally in love with Robert Pllant at the time, and we still had “festival seating” in those days….we made it all the way with 10 feet of the stagge and I was mesmerized by Mr. Plants- um, pants. My virgin sensibilities were never the same after that!

For me, hands down, The Adrian Belew Power Trio at Slim’s in San Francisco in November of 2006. Adrian is without a doubt one of the finest living guitar legends and he has a 19 year old drummer named Eric Slick and his 20 year old sister, Julie Slick on bass. They blew the roof off of Slim’s and it’s the first time that Boz Scaggs, who owns the place, stuck around for a whole show. Keep your eye out on Eric Slick. That kid is gonna be a monster.

Oh yeah- Morphine @ Liberty Lunch in Austin in ‘94 or ‘95.

Either English Beat opening for the Clash in 1983 at a small venue in Sacramento. OR Queen at Madison Square Garden in 1980.

Rage Against the Machine at Old Idaho State Penitentary. RATM played in cortyard of old prison. Very intense. Amazing.

Mine has to be Tom Petty And The Heartbreakers’ 30th aniversary show at Six Flags Darien Lake in New York. The music sounded amazing and during Free Falling, the lighters were goin’ the whole time. The Rolling Stones’ A Bigger Band tour in Ottowa wasn’t a bad show either. That gets second.

Fugazi, April 1996, First Baptist Church Rec Center basement, Washington DC

Sweat condensation was literally dripping off the ceiling halfway through the show. The back wall of rec center basement displayed children’s Sunday school fingerpaintings….bizarre.

Weather Report, Earth, Wind, & Fire, Gil Scott-Heron, Oakland Arena, 1977.
2 very stoned white boys sitting in the 3rd row during Oakland high schools’ prom night. Gil doing “The Revolution will not be Televised”, EWF choreographed and hitting on all funk cylinders, and then Weather Report…Jaco walks out while the roadies are setting up, and sprinkles sand on the stage where he would be standing. Didn’t understand it until they kicked into “Black Market” and Jaco spun and glided through the sand like a crazed bopping James Brown disciple mad genius he was!

WOW, where do I begin.

Pink Floyd – San Antonio 94 Division Bell Tour – Great great show!

Pearl Jam/Ramones – Southpark Meadows, Austin, TX 1995. Probably one of my favorite shows ever. Eddie V paid tribute to the Ramones by saying that they (PJ) should be opening for the Ramones. Crowd was very into both bands despite 1000 degree heat.

Bryan Adams – 1992 – Houston, TX. This one is special to me only for how cool BA and The Storm were to the fans that braved the heavy rains and flooding to get to the Summit that night. My girlfriend at the time and I were in nosebleed and since only about 1000 people showed up, they called everyone down to around the stage and played a couple of great sets trying out new songs and acoustic versions of old ones. Great show!

1) Tori Amos, 1998, at a small theater at Indiana University of PA. Saw her the night before in an arena and this show, which was probably 1/10th the capacity, still had the same stage show. So intense from 6 rows back.

2) Jesus Lizard/Jon Spencer Blues Explosion/Southern Culture on the Skids – New Years at the 9:30 Club. JSBX took the stage at exactly midnight and rocked the house. The Jesus Lizard came on around 2AM, drunk, and David Yow was jumping from the balcony by 2:05, naked by 2:15.

3) Bjork on the Vespertine tour. Definately one of the truly great performers. Backed by Matmos, Zeena Parkins, a full orchestra, and an Inuit choir.

4) Melvins w/ Big Business – As if the Melvins weren’t heavy enought to begin with. Loud as hell.

5) Sonic Youth, anywhere and everywhere. Always a great show no matter where it is. The free show at the Three Rivers Arts Festival in Pittsburgh was pretty cool. Nice spring day, outside, free. What more could you ask for.

Bob Dylan 21/11/2005

Amazing Dylan concert. Bob was in rare form and surprised us all by playing 3 songs for the first time ever…Waiting For You, Million Dollar Bash and London Calling by the Clash in the encore. Sufficed to say, it was something I will never forget. And he also fitted in Visions of Johanna and Boots of Spanish Leather as well.

1.-Emerson Lake + Palmer,with Journey as opening act,1977 Toronto,Ont.
2.The Rolling Stones,SARS 2003 Concert ,Toronto,Ont….blew me away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Regina Spector, who opened for the Kings of Leon, who opened for the Strokes around 02. No one knew the Kings of Leon or Regina, and both blew the crowd away. KOL came out dressed like a bunch of mental looking truckers and opened with Red Morning Light. You could hear the crowd gasp.

Korn – November 1995 – Tuxedo Junction – Danbury, CT.

This was one of Korn’s first headlining shows ever on the East Coast.

Once they walked onto that stage I swear my brother and I knew we were watching the very beginning of a massive career. They sounded amazing, and moreso, looked amazing. For a kid of the 80s, and early 90s, witnessing the birth of metal-as-we-know-it, and rap, and loving both. Watching this unholy mess of metal and rap colliding at its birth. It was absolutely inspiring and the show kicked our asses. They only had their first record to play, and any old Korn fan, remembers the glory of that album. It was the darkest, sickest, and suprisingly most emotional display of music I had ever seen up unto that moment. It was cathartic.

And then the scene blew up, literally.

But for that one glorious moment, we saw something dynamite. And absolutely industry changing. Korn rocked. (past tense, until they take a long rest)

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Vancouver, October 15, 1984

Best night of my life. I was 17 and had been rabidly obsessed with Springsteen for a couple of years. The high from that 4-hour show lasted for months. I’ve seen hundreds of shows, including Bruce on subsequent occasions, but nothing could ever touch that evening. The man I grew up to become was shaped largely by Springsteen, and specifically by that concert.

Easy #1:

Rage Against the Machine/Beastie Boys — Free Mumia Concert at Continental Arena, NJ

Close #2:

Phish — New Years Eve Reunion show at MSG…(2001?)

Arctic Monkeys and We Are Scientists @ Kool Haus in Toronto last summer. Memorable for two reasons, 1st, the Arctic Monkeys will not be playing a venue this small, the next time they are in North America, perhaps ever again. The second reason is the 2 chicks my friend and I met that sucked us off after the show. Great night.

The Pogues, Danceteria, 1986 (or roughly thereabouts)

My buddy and I almost got thrown out right after we walked in the door for bringing in beers. Had no idea who was playing that night (still didn’t know who they were when the show was over), but they rocked my ass off. The crowd full of completely drunken fanatics didn’t hurt the vibe. Never felt that much energy at a show before or since.

ohmygod i was at the adrian belew power trio show at slims in november 2006. absolute best show i ever saw. they were like the freaking Cream.

Front row for Hanson at the Beverly Center Mall in ‘95. Killer show. Just kidding!

Pixies – 1991 Orpheum Theater, Boston. Black Francis and company were on fire.

“Rock the Vote Tour”, St. Paul Xcel Center, October ‘04. Screw the politics…I was there for The Boss.

REM opened with a greatest hits set (including Neil Young on lead guitar for “Country Feedback…fucking awesome).

Then Springsteen comes out and starts with Born in the USA. First verse and chorus is accapella, then Max Weinberg comes in on the drums to kick it in.

REM, Bruce, Neil Young, E-Street…bring the house down with “Rockin’ in the Free World” to end the show. Unreal.

Tool in 2001 (Warsaw), I never saw Jimi Hendrix (I was born in 1971, Hendrix died one year earlier) but it would be also my greatest show experience.

Well, Ben Harper at Deer Valley in Park city, Utah was up there. It had been raining like crazy all day and the show was at an outdoor venue. I swear it rained until just before the show. Ben came out and rocked “Manic Depression” by Hendrix towards the end of the show. By the encore lightening was all around us and the clouds looked meaner than ever. As soon as Ben left the stage it started pouring. It was as if Jimi just put the storm on hold for the ROCK! 2nd was Pearl Jam at the Gorge 2005 I was on a personal journey from Salt Lake, I had just broken up with my girlfriend I had an extra ticket, and no one to go with me. So I made the twelve hour jaunt by myself camped alone and went to the show. Pearl jam opened with an hour acoustic set, and then rocked for another two hours. It was amazing. The next night I was fortunate enough to see Tom Petty and the Black Crowes, then made the trip home a little wiser feeling more confident in where I was at that time. Finally Rage played at a tiny rodeo arena in Spanish Fork near Provo, Utah. Now you have to understand that this is small town narrow minded “mormonville” and most of the shops near the arena closed up in protest of this “devil” rock band from LA. The TV news stations were claiming that Rage was bringing gangs to Spanish Fork to corrupt the youth with drugs and violence. Needless to say when they played “Fuck The Police” by NWA it was the highlight of my teenage years!

Though not the best, a really memorable one was a CSNY on their latest tour in Chicago. My parents drove for an hour and a half to get to this remote outdoor venue. My sister was sick but came anyway. The weather was amazing and as I lay down on the grass looking at the night sky listening to Young and company jamming and so on was amazing. Most amazing atmosphere, despite the beer and smoke smells everywhere. Neil Young is a god of guitar.

Oh Yeah. Adrian Belew Power Trio at Slim’s, November 9, 2006. Best night of my life.

I’m hesitating between Pink Floyd and GWAR…

Green Day, August 2005, SBC Center in San Antonio – just a bunch of dudes who looked like they were enjoying the hell out of playing, regardless of who or how many people were watching. played for 2 solid hours, solidified themselves as my favorite band. and jimmy eat world, who i normally don’t care for, was a solid opener.

Pearl Jam 7/11/03 Mansfield, MA

epic show, the last of a three night stop. they came out before the opening act, Sleater-Kinney, to make good on their promise of playing all the songs on their tour songlist with no repeats over the course of three shows. The opening set was all acoustic and then SK played and made way for a blistering PJ electric set. All totaled they played 46 songs that night over 3 and a half hours. What a show and what a gesture to one of their most devoted fan bases.

u2 vertigo tour
10-8-2005 (MSG)
from “city of blinding lights” to “40″ it was truly amazing. mary j. blige came out for “one” and “where the streets have no name” brought the house down.

Late 70s, 1979, I think. Binghamton, NY. Muddy Waters and Eric Clapton.
Muddy was half-sitting on a stool, but still vital.
Eric was at his peak.

Foo Fighters April 1996
What a great show. It was the original line up with Pat Smear. Dave with his long hair. He was playing with his Gibson Flying V. It was amazing. Just pure adrenaline. Also, it was in a small place so it was more personable.

RADIOHEAD at bonnaroo 06.

28 song set, including new stuff, in front of 80,000 people in the middle of nowhere.

thom even said in an interview it was the best gig he’s ever played..

Like everyone else there are many like Beck with the Flaming Lips a few years back, Pearl Jam on Day at the Hill at Kansas in 93, but the best was a triple bill at the Mercary Cafe in Denver in April or 95. Hovercraft with Eddie Vedder and wife, then Foo Fighters 2nd show live ever, then a All-Star cast with Mike Watt with Vedder and Smear on guitar, Grohl and then Foo Drummer(forgot name already) on 2 full drum sets. Just was a great show.

Allman Brothers 1972 Gaelic Park, Bronx NY.

Jerry Garcia, Bob Weir join them for Mountain Jam.

Radiohead Jersey City August 18, 2001. Held at Liberty State Park, which was right across the Hudson from the World Trade Center. An amazing concert experience and an incredible memory of New York before the tragedy. Radiohead absoulutely tore the place apart. I will never forget it.

Ray Charles, 1962, SF Cow Palace
My parents took me, I was 9yrs.old, and LOVED Ray even then.
He not only played piano, but alto sax too. The affect of his voice, and the cry in it, had on me was overwhelming, and then began a lifelong love of music and how it can transport, uplift, unite. Of course I didn’t know all that then…it just FELT GOOD!

this show where eddie vedder and kings of leon played slow night so long together and eddie demolished the tambourines. check it out
http://www.youtube. com/watch?v=Om2CwIT2poI

Toss up between
Jimmy eat world and at the drive in, middle east Boston march 1999

Sunny day real estate, Scottsdale AZ Nov 1998

Front row – The Replacements – Headliners, Madison Wisconsin. No less than two bottles of alcohol were consumed on stage.

Lollapalooza 92′. Houston, Texas

Red hots, Pearl Jam, soundgarden, ministry, jesus and mary chain,Lush, ice cube….the music was new and it was a great vibe.

Pink Floyd, The Wall, Nassau Coliseum

Radiohead, OK Computer Tour ‘97
at Centennial hall, London, Ont.

Thom and the boys pour more emotion into a single song than most bands do in an entire career.
Stunning.

Stevie Ray Vaughan, SF Blues Festival, 1979.
Stevie’s first record had not come out yet, but the Blues grapevine was buzzing about this new guy from Austin who could really tear it up. It was almost like the old Western movie, waiting for the gunfighter to show. The band came on, billed as Double Trouble. Stevie, in black beret, reflector sunglasses, t-shirt with his smokes tucked into a sleeve, burned through a torrid set. He rarely stopped between songs, and his guitar lines were fiery, bluesy, and endlessly inventive. Also in the band was Miss LouAnne Barton who shared vocals with Stevie. They did things like “You Can Mess With My Woman But Please Don’t Mess With My Man”, “Tina Nina Nu”, “Tramp” by Otis Redding and Carla Thomas.
People were blown away, mouths just dropped, and everyone looked at each other like “Did that just happen?”

John Fogerty in Austin, TX at the “Backyard” an outdoor, small venue in September 2004. He played all of his old stuff and my wife and I sang every song. Between songs all I could do was smile. It was really great. He had a different guitar for every song and one shaped like a baseball bat for “Centerfield”. He danced from one end of the stage to the other the whole concert. The Old Man is “definitely not” Down The Road.

Oasis, Merriweather Post Pav. 9/05
Paul McCartney, MCI Center, 10/05

Toss up, both shows were tops!

The Who, 1970, San Francisco Civic Auditorium
1st set: All of “Tommy”
2nd set: All of “Who’s Next”
Keith Moon threw drumsticks at the sound man who ducked through the entire show. I sat 3 seats down from Grace Slick of the Jefferson Airplane.

Springsteen: Pick a year, pick a Concert.
http://www.foryoubruce.com

Pearl Jam in San Francisco on
7-15, 16 and 18, 2006

Pearl Jam in San Diego – July 7th, 2006

The audience went mad, I never heard an audience stomp their feet like that before – Pearl Jam completely captivated the audience that night & its gone down as one of Pearl Jam’s most legendary shows – Eddie even climbed up a ladder & was swinging when he sung ‘Last Kiss’, the band was on fire & ill never forget it – their fans & the band came together that night & bonded musically on a level 99.999% of other bands NEVER will with their fans.

H.O.R.D.E. Festival – Somerset, Wisconsin – Summer 1997 – Neil Young and Crazy Horse, Beck, Primus, Ben Folds, Morphine, Kula Shaker, – an incredible day.

Joe Cocker — The Phoenix in Toronto 1994

Los Lobos @ Fuel, San Jose, CA 2000
Benefit for SJ Latino Chamber of Commerce

Before the show, I thought I’d duck into a little Mexican restaurant 2 doors down for some dinner and Margarita’s. Place was empty except for one table where all the members of Los Lobos were casually having a pre-dinner meal.
The show was in a tiny club that held about 100 people only and the bandstand was no higher than the dance floor. It was like a small Mexican wedding-little girls in patent leather shoes and white lace dresses, old Mexican men in Cowboy hats, local Chicano business people. The band played some Richie Valens tunes, lots of Corridas and Nortena songs, and then finished with Foxy Lady that shook the windows. Everyone danced, sweated, hugged, tossed down some final tequilas, and walked out into the summer night downtown.

Led Zeppelin at Madison Square Garden in 1973

Foo Fighters, Moby @ Sierra at Tahoe Ski Resort, Boarding For Breast Cancer Benefit, 4/18/98

Outdoors in the snow. Moby plays a set and continually apologizes for his voice being affected by the cold. Dave Grohl comes out and mocks him in the first song introduction by apologizing for his cold vocal chords and then RIPS into Monkey Wrench, screaming it out! There was a huge mosh pit with massive snowball fight. You could snowboard right down to the stage area and hear the Foos as you came down the slope. Totally fun!

Arcade Fire at Guelph Hillside, 2005

or
They Shoot Horses, Don’t they? in Guelph, 2006

Ok, ok.. it’s a tie between two

Sleater Kinney/Flaming Lips/Wilco
Madison Square Garden NYE 2004
-I was under the influence, and it was my first time even really hearing Flaming Lips music. I became a die hard fan afterwards. Wilco played for close to three hours, throwing in a whole bunch of lovely cover tunes.

Radiohead
Theatre @ Madison Square Garden June 13th 2006

They were road testing new songs, and it was so delightful to hear some good new stuff. Not to mention that Kid A and Amnesiac material live takes a whole new life. Jonny Greenwood + Thom Yorke = most explosive on stage package ever.

Grateful Dead 11/6/77
Broome County Colliseum
Binghamton, NY
Oh, my!

Pearl Jam in Pittsburgh June 23,2006. The people up in the box seats were flicking on and off their lights to act as their lighters pleading for yet another encore.

My first show was a James Taylor show at the age of three, in which i passed out somewhere between sweet baby james and fire and rain, since then i have seen everyone from the Who to Jay- Z to the Shins and the two best concerts I have ever seen HANDS DOWN…are 1. My Morning Jacket at Bonnoroo summer ‘06…any band who can flawlessly cover A Quick One While He’s Away at 2:45 AM in front of 6,000 restless bonnarooians deserves mention on this list and number 2….The Arcade Fire live at Vegoose in 2005, bands bring their A game to festivals and this was The Arcade Fire’s first Ameican festival and they did not dissapoint ripping through Power Out and covers of Age Of Consent (New Order) and State Trooper (Bruce Springstien) Win Butler’s voice could be heard from UNLV to the Las Vegas Strip some 10 miles away

sigur ros, february 2006

my mind fell apart and i was holding it my hands walking around outside in a boston winter snowground for forty minutes before i could function. trumped radiohead, even beat general admission dylan seven feet away from his electric piano.

1) U2-Vertigo 10/28/06…Front row, center, my legs shook as I stood on my tiptoes to reach Bono

2) Pearl Jam-three times in the summer of ‘06… once they were with Tom Petty and I wanted to cry tears of gratitude for the way both bands performed. Eddie Vedder is a magician with stage presence.

3) Bruce Springsteen-three times as well, all of them spectacular, the first being the best because it was the first.

racontuers sept 06. i saw them at roseland ball room. it started off with dr. dog hoo jam pretty hard and then jack came out and it was insane. he is probably the most talented guietarist out there and he shows it. if u havent seen him ur missing out.

Rod Stewart & the faces. Last ever

Rod Stewart & the faces. Last ever concert together. Nov 01 1975 Minneapolis Auditorium. Band broke up after this show. What a night.

Gomez. Go to any of their shows, don’t thank me, thank them. Also, when i go see the kings of Leon I have to bring an extra pair of socks cuz my other ones always get “rocked off”.

The same could probably be said for any of their shows, but seeing MMJ in Austin was like a religious experience. I can’t believe a band can bring it like that every night.

Spingsteen 9 22 78 Boutwll audatorium Birmingham Alabama He played all of Born to run most of Darkness on the edge of town E steet shuffle Saint in the city Spirits in the night unrelesed stuff Not fade away Heatbreak hotel best ive seen 3 hours long.

i’ve seen some good ones but the standouts are dashboard confessional at emos in austin in 2000 or mighty mighty bosstones also at emos in 2001. dashboard was great cause it was just chris and a half dozen acoustic guitars. he wasn’t even on the bill that nite but midtown had brought him along so people could hear how he left his heart on the stage. needless to say next time he came around to emos it was on the bigger stage with 95% of the crowd singing every song. the bosstones played on the big stage and it was still not enough stage for all the band members. that show was great cause they were already big but still played a small venue. only 10 bucks to get in. i also caught dickey’ sunglasses.

yo wat up, im 16 n from canada n i saw my first show (dylan) in 2004 which ended up being my worst show ive seen yet, since then ive seen some not so great shows but also some living legends. my best shows include: Paul McCartney, The Rolling Stones, U2, Santana, David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Red Hot Chili Peppers, n my favourite live act The Tragically Hip

oooo i just saw the who in december which was fuckin sick, defenitly in my top shows

Woodpecker at The Continental Divide in New York. Bob played bass and Dog was on drums!

Jane’s Addiction: 1987 Back Door San Diego State University. A night of unrelenting energy from a band who at the time had yet to release an album on a major label. The live album on Triple XXX records was the only one around…simply unbelievable. Perry, Dave, Stephen, and Eric…

Prince at Slim’s in San Francisco October 17, 1998. He played a 2am show as a benefit with Chaka Khan and Larry Graham, among others. Hearing them do “I’ll Take You There” .. funkalicious.

Also got to see the Minutemen’s last hoorah in Boston in 84.

1) Red Hot Chili Peppers, 1990, University of New Hampshire tennis courts – WOW!!! Nobody knew who these guys were, except everybody said this weird punk band from LA were playing a free outdoor show at UNH. Man, they came out and just ripped everybody’s head apart. I went with a bunch of freaks from my high school, then we looked around and saw all the preppies were there as well. We all just rocked out and had a great time. No question – these guys were going to be huge.

2) Phish, Worcerster, Mass., 12/29/95 – Legendary. Great opening set, but Set II has gone down in Phistory as one of their best ever. Started off with a solid Makisupa, then Cars Trucks and Buses, and then all hell broke loose with Bathtub Gin into a note-percect “The Real Me”-> Bathtub Gin, McGrupp, BBFCFM, La Grange (absolutely crazy), Bouncin, a bass duet between Mike Gordon and his bass teacher, an unbelievable “Fire,” and a “Golgi Apparatus” encore that left the place smoldering. I will never forget that show.

3) Doors of the 21st Century, Gilford, NH, 2005 – Nobody believes me, but the re-formed Doors with Ian Astbury singing lead were high-energy and amazing.

i’ve seen alot of concerts in my short day, but i really enjoyed wilco in london ontario on july 8th 2006. it wasnt htat great of a concert, but it was awsoeme seeing wilco live

or big d and the kids table at call the office august something 2006

or the who september 30th 2006 at the john labbat center in london ontario. crowd was fucking nuts, even there new material sounded great, and they still had that intense rock and roll effect on me. definitly proved they were not a nostalgic act!

Lollapalooza ‘96 in some god-forsaken field outside of Dallas, TX. There really was something special about spending the entire day in 100 degree heat listening to The Ramones, Soundgarden (one of their last tours) and Metallica and drinking alcohol.

Brian Wilson in Montreal is the best concert I’ve ever seen. It was in 2005 for the “Smile” tour. He played a lot of classic Beach Boy songs, and all of the amazing Smile album. However, it was the Beach Boys songs that made this show unforgettable. When the first notes of California Girls started, it was all over …

Sleater-Kinney at Metro, Chicago. May 2000. The Gossip and The Bangs opened. Carrie Brownstein moved across stage on her back playing guitar, thought I was gonna die right there.

well… i saw STEVIE RAY VAUGHAN at the kalamazoo county fairgrounds in august of 1990…i was kind of dragged to it cause i saw him open for ROBERT PLANT in 1988 and i thought he was a bit sloppy sounding…my brother had never been to a concert and bugged me to go….well i went and it was an amazing show. 2 days later I ran into a friend at the mall and she told me Stevie died….i was devastated. No other death has affected me quite like his did. I feel so grateful to see one of the last shows he ever played…it will ALWAYS be the show I most treasure. (2nd though is U2′S ‘POPMART’ SHOW on 10/31/07 at the PONTIAC SILVERDOME).

Since the age of 16 I have been trying to repeat the high! Of listening to Hendrix at Woodstock on that hazy August morning. I remember awakening to the musings of Wavy Gravy…then all of a sudden Sha Na Na…Was I hallucinating again? Gold Lame and 50’s rock…And just like that they were gone…And out comes Jimi…I remember looking around for the “RED HOUSE” Jimi was singing about but his playing of the National Anthem still brings goose bumps to this day…I have seen a million shows throughout the world…Cream at the Garden 2005 were good…Billy Joel opening for Kinky Friedman at Max’s in NYC with only about 100 in attnedance on a cold winter’s night…The Who opening for the Doors at the Singer Bowl in 1969…Sarstock several years ago with Justin Timberlake dueting with Jagger on “Miss You.” Van playing a superb set opening for the Stones last Nov in Oakland…Springsteen singing a genuine “Rising” at the NO Jazzfest last April..but nothing comes close to Jimi at 8 in the morning playing Voodoo Chile after a magic weekend of Hippedom!

1. Smashing Pumpkins for their Mellon Collie Stadium Tour in their hometown of Chicago, Illinois. It was my first rock concert and still my number one. What I remember most was Bily Corgan and Co. came out for an encore and jammed for nearly an hour or two.

2. The Muse at the joint in Las Vegas, Nevada last September. I have never seen such a diverse group of people at one show. My jaw was open the whole time and was laughing because the whole set was so amazing. In my opinion, this band doesn’t get enough credit live and in the studio.

3. Nine Inch Nails at Coachella 2005 was fucking fantastic. I have been into them since 7th grade and I finally got to see NIN live! Trent puts his heart and soul into that Coachella 2005 set. The set list was near perfcet as well!

AND I HAVE YET TO SEE RADIOHEAD LIVE! HOPE IT’S SOON!

Tom Waits Nashville Rhyman Auditorium
2006.

Pretenders, Washington State University, 1984. They played every song they knew, so loud I put cigarette butts in my ears.

The most memorable one for me would have to be the Strokes at the Crocodile Cafe early January in 2006. We drove 8 hours to make it to the “secret show” and got to the venue 10 hours early so we could find tickets. I had seen these guys 4 times prior but never at this particular venue. The Croc is really small and there isn’t any room for security except for a couple guys mixed in with the crowd. We hadn’t slept since the day before since we were driving in from Montana. I literally fell asleep at the counter of the cafe while ordering a drink. Someone brushed against me and my head popped up to discover that Nick Valensi and Fabrizio Moretti were ordering drinks beside me. Once the show started we had taken our place front and center. It was my little brother’s first Strokes show and he couldn’t believe that Julian Casablancas was literally three feet in front of him. They tore threw the set list playing alot of brand new First Impressions of Earth. It was one of their first US shows supporting the new album and I’ll never forget the event.

6/8/99 – Higher Ground, Winooski, VT
a benefit for discover jazz fest
Vermont Jazz All-Stars
Trey Anastasio, Big Joe Burell, Dave Grippo, James Harvey,
Jeff Salisbury, Bruce Skalar and Stacy Starkweather….To some this seems silly. Who are these Guys? But to the ones who know the names and the palce, this was the place to be on that June Night. 21 and over show, I was about to turn 20. A serious addiction to Phish and the music scene going on in Burlington, and Trey was playing with the rest of the Vermont music ledgends. Thankfully for a friend I was in the door, and front row all night with three feet between me and Trey. This was one of those shows at a club where you knew going in you were there and others weren’t. If you were a part of the Phish scene this was the place you wanted to be, Bad! I was there and it made me feel that thing that only live music can give you. I was a part of somethig that would never happen again. I was there. The show would have gone on without me, but I was one of the lucky ones. Were You?

Radiohead on the Hail To The Thief tour was a great show. The last NIN tour was phenomenal on all fronts (saw it 3 times for that reason). Even the late Jane’s Addiction still kicked a phenomenal amount of ass. The best and most physically moving show I’ve ever seen was an unknown Muse in front of 12,000 people who had never heard them before. They absolutely destroyed every person in that audience. It was pure euphoria at its finest. Still the best live band I’ve ever seen.

John Mellencamp on the Scarecrow Tour. The guy tore it up with one of the best bands in the business. The set of classic 60s covers at the end of the show (Under the Boardwalk, Mony Mony, Cold Sweat, Proud Mary, Mickey’s Monkey) was outstanding. A great show by a great artist.

John’s new album Freedom’s Road is incredible.

John Mellencamp is a f*king joke – He writes a song about how great our country is, then turns around & sells it to Ford or whatever – It shows how important that song really was to him – His songwriting at even the best points in his career was mediocre, he makes Tom Petty look like John Lennon in comparison.

Pete Doherty at the Wolverhampton Civic Hall. May 2004. Pete had just been kicked out of the libertines due to drug problems and embarked on a tour around the UK alongside Dot Allison, a little known Scottish Folk singer. Pete staggered around the stage early on, probably due to the heroin habit he had at the time. When “time for heroes” kicked in the crowd sang every word with Pete and breathed a collective sigh of relief when he got through each line. What followed was an electric mass singalong of old and new Libertines hit, performed by their creator along with future Babyshambles hits. I am truly grateful to have experienced this gig first hand

My Top 5 Shows I’ve Seen:

5. Audioslave at Everett Events Center Everett, WA 2005
4. Muse at the Paramount Theatre Seattle 2006
3. The Who at The Gorge 2002
2. Green Day at the Valley Drive-In Auburn, WA 2000
1. Pearl Jam w/Red Hot Chili Peppers at Key Arena Seattle November 6, 2000

fuck u2

Best so far:
U2 in Washington, D.C. nov -05.
Amazing!

Would have killed to be at:
Woodstock
Rufus Wainwright in Carnegie Hall
Bob Dylan at Newport
Simon & Garfunkel in Central Park
Jay-Z in Madison Square Garden
Any Beatles show

U2 Joshua Tree 1987 in Saint Paul Minnesota encores concluded lights came on but the crowd was so into it and we all wouldn’t stop singing along!The lights went off and the band came back out and rocked on!

Well, first would have to be Meatloaf at the silver dollar action center, calgary, alberta. 1990. I was young, it was in a bowling alley, we were surrounded by bikers and Meat’s sweat was pounded us in the face.

Tom Waits. Orpheum theatre. 1999. Amazing.

Madonna. Girlie Show. Toronto Skydome. 1993. Travelled on a bus for 2 days to see this incredible show. Some may say she’s not rock enough. I’ve yet to see another woman put on that kind of show. unbelievable.

My friend saw the Red Hot Chili Peppers at the AJ Palumbo centre in Pittsburgh (not so big college arena for Duquesne University) with opening acts Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins. That’s right. Pearl Jam and Smashing Pumpkins.

Her head hurt from the mosh pit, which happened after the audience ripped up the chairs from the floor two songs in (or so she said).

However, I would have liked to have been there mostly because she said that Smashing Pumpkins, who were touring behind Gish, got booed off stage and were insulting Pittsburgh. Would have been quite a sight!

Guns N Roses: Leeds festival, UK, August 2002. Nobody actually believed they would show, but they had played the summer sonioc festival in Japan a few days before so there was a glimmer of hope. This was the first night of the festival, it was hot, dark, and a veil of dust and smoke was floating past the crowd as we sat on the plastic flooring waiting for… something. Anything. A sign that a man who most of us had adored for years and in some cases never been lucky enough to see perform. Yeah his band rumoured to be freaks, but where else can you hear a full set of Guns N Roses songs and stand a chance of it actually sound like GNR. The answer: nowehere. This was it. If Axl didn’t show it would be the worst night of our lives, and the remaining 2 days of the festival would have been a drag. And then it happened… that bizarre video intro, Axl doing the Civil War commentary, sequences of China. The crows on its feet. People literally brimming with excitement. It was impossible to contain myself with the thought that this was actually going to happen. And then the chugging, echoing riff of Welcome to the Jungle kicked in. The crowd was roaring, jumping up and down and charging at the stage. The intro was slower than the original, and more interspersed, but when it kicked in we knew what was going on. The freaks emerged onstage one by one, and eventually Axl joined them and I’ve never heard a louder group of people in my life. Crazy. Even crazier was that he still sounded good. Amazing, in fact better than the UYI tours of 10 years ago! I’ve heard the audio back since and it isn’t as striking as it was at the time. People were just stood in awe at how incredible his performance was. He didn’t tire, miss notes, or cut anything short. He just rocked. DEfinately the single best show I’ve been to in my life, and the remaining headliners of the weekend were weak at best. Axl’s done a bunch of shows since but this was the first time anyone had seen them in almost 10 years in front of a big crowd and my god did we appreciate.

Nirvana with The Breeders and Half Japanese–The Armory (Philadelphia, PA), Winter ‘93.

One of the last American shows from the best/most important band of the decade and generation. The show itself wasn’t amazing due to shotty sound in the venue–which used to store an old military weapons cache–but the vibe was tremendous, and there turned out to never be another chance to see their greatness in the Northeast. Those who were waiting for their Lollapalooza headlining stint that was scheduled for summer ‘94 F’d up big time.

Heres my Top 10: (no order)
Black Sabbath w/ Pantera Feb15,1999
Tom Petty w/ Black Crowes
Jul 20,2005
Deftones w/ Incubus and Taproot
Nov 10,2000
Black Crowes w/ Oasis
June 2,2001
Rage Against the Machine
Nov 27,1999
Page and Plant
1998
Van Halen (Balance tour)
Easter Sunday,1996
Aerosmith w/ Kiss and Ted Nugent
Aug 15,2003
Limp Bizkit w/ Cypress Hill
July 11,2000 (free napster show)
Ozzfest 2000,Sabbath,Pantera
Godsmack ,Incubus,Static-x
July 12,2000
Woodstock 99
Bonnaroo 2004
Ive been to so many its hard to pick my favorites but these were so much fun.
Long live Rock and Roll

phish new years 99, Big Cypress

Outkast with Goodie Mob at the Tabernacle in Atlanta — either ‘98 or ‘99. Effing nutz.

The Clash, Tokyo, 1981 — absolutely unbleiveable musicianship and spectacle all wrapped up into one.

My Bloody Valentine – The Spectrum (now long gone…) Toronto, 1991 or 92…it’s fuzzy

Followed closely by Stereolab with Cornershop, Opera House, Toronto, 1996

The Boss, Giants Stadium, August 2003.

IGGY POP at the vogue theatre in louisville in 1990.

if you weren’t there, you don’t matter.

rolling stones 9/17/05 The pepsi arena albany
phil lesh and friends with trey and mike gordon 7/2/06 saratoga
the allman brothers bang 7/24/05 Saratoga

the 3 most enjoyable concerts of my life

David Bowie, opening for Moby at Chicago’s Tweeter Center on the Area2 Tour in 2002. The set opened with just Bowie and Mike Garson on piano for “Life on Mars?” It was haunting, beautiful and it only got better from there.

It was so good everyone forgot about Moby’s mediocre set.

Faith No More at Milwaukee’s Majeska Theater on their last tour in 1997. A little known band named Limp Bizkit opened and were ignored for obvious reasons.

Radiohead at Chicago’s Hutchison Field in 2001. 30,000 in attendance in 100-plus degree heat. I was ten feet away from Johnny. There were three encores that night including a beautiful “True Love Waits.”

R.E.M. at The World in Chicago in 1999. It was celebratory and euphoric. They played “Pilgrimage,” which was rare at the time. Wilco opened playing songs from the just released “Summerteeth.”

Pearl Jam Virginia Beach 2000

After A European tour that ended in the tragic death of 9 fans Pearl Jam made the decision to move on. The opener Long Road, the changing of the lyrics in Corduroy to “absolutley everything has changed”, and the “It’s OK” tag on Daughter were all symbols of their mixed emotions following the euro tour. Pearl Jam is one of the biggest and most important rock bands of the last 15 years and my personal favorite band of all time, to see Eddie Vedder and Co. pour their hearts out on stage like that was an experience i will not soon forget.

Bob Dylan and the Band, 1974, Madison Square Garden, afternoon show (can’t remember the exact date). They were ON that day–just an electrifying show. At the end of the concert, and the musicians had left the stage after the final encore, the crowd was still going wild minutes after the house lights had come up and it was definitely over. We just wouldn’t stop the noise and go home. Then Dylan came out wearing a Rangers jersey and said “Thank you. See ya next year.” The place went crazy! This was his first major tour since 1966, so this was a unique moment. He had said in later interviews that this show was special even to him. Glad I was there.

Stones @ Myrtle Beach Convention Center – Some Girls tour. 1800 seat hall. Show announced 5 days prior. Jagger announced openin act “from Jamaica, Peter Tosh” then joined him in duet for Walk and Don’t Look Back. A wonderful summer night at the beach back in ‘79 – I think.

11/11/93 – Widespread Panic at the Roxy in LA. An epic WP show was capped with an encore that included Trey and Page from Phish sitting in on a euphoric redition of Low Spark of High Heeled Boys.

7/3-4/99 – Leftover Salmon at the High Sierra Music Festival. The ultimate party. Festivaaaaal! Started at midnight and went until dawn, climaxing with a band led parade through the campground.

The most memorable gig (for all the wrong reasons) must be watching Menswear at Hultsfred festival when I was 17ish. Blissfully unaware, I watched the over-hyped indie boyband poncing around on stage, as The Verve played one of their last ever shows on a different stage. Darn. Apart from that Massive Mistake Of My Life, I remember going to see REM, Oasis, Belly and the Cranberrys on a massive outdoor festival outside Dublin in 1995, especially when REM played ’it’s the end of the world…’ and people went absolutely bonkers and started to set fire to stuff on the ground.

Pearl Jam Bonner Springs 2003:
Brian already talked about it but just imagine this, Pearl Jam + torrential downpour + 10,000 die hard fans = one magical night

Bob Dylan – Ripken Stadium, August 2004

This was actually the second time I saw Dylan but this concert was extra special. *swoon* I shook his hand.

Joan Baez – Washington DC, September 2006

My hero.

Oasis – Merriweather Post Pavilion, September 2005

The band of my generation, hearing them perform the songs that were so important to me; that I felt connected to. True rock and roll.

Top 3:

3. Guns N’ Roses – May 12th, 2006 – Axl’s first show in four years… amazing energy and his voice was absolutely unparallelled. We were always huge gnr fans, but doubters in axl’s live singing before the show. All i can remember is my boys and I looking at eachother after every song and throwing our hands up over our heads screaming “Holy Shit” at eachother.

2. Rage Against the Machine, The Beastie Boys, Bad Religion, and Black Star – Free Mumia. Chuck D. came out and gave a Mel Gibson-esque Braveheart “fire up the crowd” speach followed by RATM closing the show with “Killing in the Name.” Insanity. The Beasties were off the hook, also.

1. Pearl Jam – Randall’s Island, NY, 1996. They were still the biggest band in the world, it was outside in a thunderstorm, and they played for two hours. Eddie came out and they opened with ‘Last Exit,’ and he proceeded to smash the mic stand into the stage for about a minute before singing a single word. That was back before he blew is voice out and he could still scream with the best of ‘em.

sigur ros may 2001 in NY 1st east coast show…went without tixs and scalpers were scalping scalpers….got in…luckily even though there was two lines a block long each. seriously had a musical hard-on the whole time. was soaked in reverb and delay…closest ever feeling high without drugs. breathtaking. 2nd has to be 1st time seeing godspeedyoublackemperor. went in only knowing they sounded like mogwai..after the 1st note turn to a friend and was like they just destroyed EVERYTHING mogwai has ever released. Believe it was september 2000. perfect. 3rd..field day fest. see one of eliott smith’s last performances. FINALLY see radiohead. if the festival had taken place in 1995 would have been best show ever.

The boss, alb nm 1996, to listen to the boss tell stories about mojados troubles in the states , myself being one of them , was almost surreal,pretty cool…c.s.

U2-5/25/97 Popmart @ RFK Stadium in DC….My first U2 show, and one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to….

john mellencamp is not a joke…he said columbia records weren’t promoting his lp’s and radio wasn’t playing his new stuff much, so he thought a commercial would do the trick….and ‘FREEDOM’S ROAD’ is a great lp….and i saw him live in 1995 and in 2004…he was great.

“Nirvana with The Breeders and Half Japanese–The Armory (Philadelphia, PA), Winter ‘93.

One of the last American shows from the best/most important band of the decade and generation.”

Ok… But you said it was a Nirvana concert, not a Pearl Jam concert, so I think we’re confused.

I’d have to say my peoples out of Wilmington,DE(WILLTOWN!)Fat Daddy Has Been.Oftentimes you’ll see me give out their myspace.com address because they are one of the best,fantastic acts,especially in this area.Plus they deserve national exposure as well.As you gys may have heard me mention before,they’re a perfectly battered mix of ska and hip hop,resulting in an extremely,pulsating and frivolous party mix.They are also lead by gifted rapper Marchitect(one half of talented Newark,DE rap group The 49ers).In 2005 they were voted best band by the state,and they simply proved why they are the champions last summer here at The Bob Marley Festival.Who ever thought 45+ minutes could be so utterly explosive?

Key tracks:”12 O’Clock”,”Ladi”

Look out for The 49ers on myspace.com and at this summer’s Bob Marley Festival(when you touch down in the DE).Peace!

4) Prince at TD Garden, Boston- 3121 tour- it was one big dance party. They wheeled him out in a tiny crate because the garden doesn’t have any underground stage. He’s TINY but larger than life. He brought girls from the audience up on stage! It was heaven.

3) Madonna- Confessions Tour- I went with my friend and it was pure insanity. She came down from a gigantic disco ball. I was practically in tears.

2) The Who- 2001. Great Woods, Ma. It was right after 9/11 and the death of Entwhistle. You could sense ane overwhelming sense of unity in the audience. They brought the house down.

1) Pearl Jam- 2003? Everytime Pearl Jam is in the Boston area we get tickets for every single show. This one particular night they were their own opener, doing an hour long acoustic set followed by two hours of pure rock!! Amazing!!

whoever said vedder blew his voice out needs to go see pj, this never happened, hate to burst your bubble

hey, where’s that segment i posted last night RS?…

May 17, 1995, Jeff Buckley, two years before he died, at Toad’s Place in New Haven. Soul Coughing was supposed to open up, but cancelled. I was right at the front of the stage – thisclose to my hero, the man who was going to bring music back to a good place. The concert was amazing, except for when Jeff sang “Hallelujah.” A woman who was, let’s call it, “overserved”, though it best that her voice be heard louder than Jeff’s. And if you know Jeff’s version of the song, it’s almost not even there, it’s so quiet and hushed. So imagine him singing, whispering almost (at the beginning of the song) his version of the song, while drunk, sloppy mess screams her version from the audience, right next to me. Jeff kept eyeballing her (without using words), trying to be polite, staring at her, before saying something like “When I recorded it, it wasn’t a duet” or something like that, but she didn’t shut up. Eventually I think her friends convinced her to can it. I suppose it made for a memorable show. I miss Jeff terribly and can only speculate as to what the future would have held for him were it not for the stupid Mississippi River.

Yo RockFan, my bad – he didn’t “blow his voice out,” but he definitely can’t scream like he used to… try listening to a vs. or vitalogy era bootleg and you’ll hear the difference.

Bridge school benefit 2000, foo fighters, red hot chili peppers, beck, tom petty, dave matthews and neil young by himself and with CSN. About 7 hours of amazing acoustic music in the pouring rain. Also, the dead and CSN in ‘90, (Buffalo NY) and Pearl Jam, Pensacola FL in ‘94.

Pearl Jam – Merriweather Post Pavillion in Columbia, MD, 9/24/06

I was 16 and this was my first ever concert. Talk about an introduction to live music! My senses are still recovering from that monster of a show. After 10 years and 80+ concerts since then (28 of them seeing PJ), no band can touch Pearl Jam for putting on a show, except maybe the Boss.

Pearl Jam – August 1998 Tweeter Center (then the E-Center) Camden N.J. It was the first time they had been around the Philly region in seven years, I believe. I had missed them when TEN first came out and had no clue it would take so long to see them. Local rock radio compared it to Zeppelin, and for once they were right.

Elliott Murphy, Zaragoza, Spain, December 1995.
It was an acoustic concert, It was incredible, I had never been seen him before and that show chaged my life.

I witnessed Led Zeppelin’s performance at the Bath Festival in England on June 28th,1970. I had seen the Beatles and Stones a couple of years prior to the Zeppelin show, and have since seen just about every major rock artist. The Led Zeppelin concert spoiled me for life because nothing before or since has come remotely close to the intensity and brilliance of Zeppelin’s performance. I know Zep. are still probably the most popular band in the world, but I wish some of the doubters could have been with us on that thrilling day. I promise they would have been Zeppelin fans for life if they witnessed what I did.

one time when i worked a temporary job at hewlett-packard, i went to go see the eric martin band at wolfgang’s in SF with a big tall mexican co-worker friend of mine named ken cuz he had an extra ticket…

anyway; he ended up meeting the band that night and eventually became a roadie for them…

also; eric martin was being handled by herbie herbert at the time (journey’s management) so ken also eventually got to meet the members of journey as well…and all because we went to see a rock n roll show…

Led Zeppelin 1973 Three Rivers Stadium, Pittsburgh

The Who 1979, Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA (The night before the stampede in Cincy)

Neil Young (Sonic Youth opening) 1991, Civic Arena, Pittsburgh, PA (The more the crowd booed Sonic Youth the more they cranked up the feedback, Amazing show)

The Strokes at DAR Constitution Hall, Washington D.C. in October 2002

I don’t feel like elaborating on how I felt seeing my favorite band ever, months after first hearing them, live for the first time; I’d rather tell about the coolest consert moment I’ve ever witnessed: A man in the front row was yelling at Albert, one of the guitarists, towards the end of a song. Although I wasn’t able to hear what the guy said, Albert obviously felt bothered because he spit his gum on the guy. Julian, the lead singer, noticed as he was singing; and when he finished singing, he walked over, yelling at him and then punched him in the face. The guy grabbed Julian’s leg, so Julian turned around and hit him again. The guy was carried out of the venue by security while everyone jeered at him. The night was truly unforgettable.

Ocean Colour Scene The Savoy Cork 4-2-08 Acoustic Gig Absolute Joy!!!!

H.O.R.D.E. 1997 – A “workshop” stage was set up in between the main and secondary stage. While no one was playing on the workshop stage, I decided it was a great place to get out of the sun and take a nap so I leaned against the stage and started to snooze. I woke up to Les Claypool, the guy from Morphine that played two saxes, and some other great folks from other bands jamming. Although the other events at the fest were notable, the jam session still sits in my mind as one of the greatest concert moments – the music was outstanding and I was front row to enjoy the tunes.