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Ok, How about shows that blew you away?


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                      Miles Davis 3 times.................outstanding shows were they all. Mahavishnu Orchestra both 1&2, The One Truth Band, Return to Forever with Bill Connors and later Al DiMeola Jethro Tull 6 times,The Who, 3 times when Moonie was still alive and drumming. One of the best performances was Ronnie Montrose at "The Cabooze", he had a massive rig as the band was touring behind the SPEED OF SOUND recording.  Very small club  and I was probably ten ft. away from Ronnie and the band. IT WAS loud but it was so expertly mixed it didn't overwhelm. Ronnie was at the top of his game and played amazing as did the rest of the band. He was using a silver sparkle Philip Kubicki Strat. That concert always plays in my mind when I listen to any of Ronnie's music. Almost forgot another scorcher...................Scott Henderson and Tribal Tech at the Fine Line. My wife was with me at that one and we in the front row just finishing dinner, I went up and talked to Scott for a bit about his rig.............real nice and open about talking as always. When they launched into the first number I swear my wife hair went straight back from the sheer volume of sound! Again it was REALLY loud for such a small club but the mix was spot on with no mud............crystal clear and Henderson was on fire as always and the rest of the band followed his lead and turned the music inside out.

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I saw the same Thin Lizzy/Queen tour in 1977 (February 5th at Madison Square Garden) that @Dave Scepter cited on Page 1, and while I was so giddy that I could pee, it was exactly what I expected. I was/am a huge Queen fan and they did not disappoint.
Thin Lizzy played "The Boys Are Back In Town," the only song of theirs that 10-year-old me had heard of, so I dug them too.
That was my first ever concert, so I was pre-blown away, if that makes any sense. The whole evening was a new experience for me and I saw many things that night for the first time that were not music related.

On a semi-related **Awwww** moment, I'm happy I had such a cool Dad who took me to these concerts; Queen (twice), the Ted Nugent/Journey concert I mentioned earlier, KISS in 1980, etc.
It's not like I was reading the newspaper and said, "Hey Dad... KISS is playing at MSG.  Would you take me?"
It was more like, "Hey, Mickey - wanna go to see________?"

On February 5th, 2017 I called him at work to thank him "for taking me to see Queen 40 years ago."

Some time in the mid/late '80s he called me to see if I wanted to go see Judas Priest.  I was certainly old enough by this point to make my own way to see shows, but he wanted to see them and his lady friend (now his wife), 18 years his junior, didn't want to go with him.  Not that she didn't want to see Priest, but she had already gone with him the last three times he saw them.
I declined because I was never really a Priest fan.
I'm probably going to regret that when he's gone.

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8 minutes ago, kizanski said:

Some time in the mid/late '80s he called me to see if I wanted to go see Judas Priest.  I was certainly old enough by this point to make my own way to see shows, but he wanted to see them and his lady friend (now his wife), 18 years his junior, didn't want to go with him.  Not that she didn't want to see Priest, but she had already gone with him the last three times he saw them.

I guess she'd had enough of this type of theatre, having seen it thrice?

BlaringOldfashionedDinosaur-max-1mb.gif

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Dang, its pretty amazing all the shows you/we members have seen thru the years. Interesting that the majority seem to be back in the 70s and 80s. 

I'll throw one more out....Robin Trower , 1980, Kiel Auditorium, St. Louis.  He stood front stage right in an electric blue spot light wearing a white pants suit for the show. And he was fucking effortless stunning great. 

A recent cool show was Tedeschi Trucks Band, 2019, Robinson Music Hall, Little Rock. I went nuts and spent $400+ for a pair of 4th row center tickets to be sure my gal would understand why being within 50' of the entire band is a totally different show than anything further away. We also stayed in the adjacent hotel and smoked, drank and shroomed (just me) to excess. I happened to have a big sack of Penis Envy mushrooms and handed them out with a perma grin to pretty much anyone who looked cool. I got like 10 total strangers high as fuck for the show. Ah, good times, man.

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Michael Hedges, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, 1991 or '92. I was a year or two into guitar lessons, and my mind was BLOWN! I remember thinking, "I didn't know you were ALLOWED to do that! Holy shit!" Completely redefined what was possible with only two hands and an acoustic in an instant. He was a god.

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21 hours ago, joshoowah said:

Michael Hedges, McCarter Theatre, Princeton, NJ, 1991 or '92. I was a year or two into guitar lessons, and my mind was BLOWN! I remember thinking, "I didn't know you were ALLOWED to do that! Holy shit!" Completely redefined what was possible with only two hands and an acoustic in an instant. He was a god.

Hedges was one of those guys who looked like playing guitar was the most natural thing in the world to do.  I got to see him three times, and after the second one, I heard somebody say, "Do you think this is what it felt like after people saw Hendrix?"  On that final tour, he was so on top of his game, it was almost unreal to watch.

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U2 - Zoo TV in Chicago.  An all out assault of the senses.  Incredible show.

U2 - All that You Can't Leave Behind Tour.  Again an incredible show.

Paul Simon Graceland Tour

Tommy Emmanuel - Small club.  Mind blowing. Life changing event for me.

Marty Stuart and the Fabulous Superlatives - same small club.  What a bunch of showmen.

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On 4/9/2021 at 8:51 AM, alantig said:

Hedges was one of those guys who looked like playing guitar was the most natural thing in the world to do.  I got to see him three times, and after the second one, I heard somebody say, "Do you think this is what it felt like after people saw Hendrix?"  On that final tour, he was so on top of his game, it was almost unreal to watch.

I have "Rhythm, Sonority, Silence" and a few additional Stropes-Hedges transcriptions/tabs, if you ever want to try the most enjoyable exercise in futility you'll ever experience! I'll scan whatever songs you want, if I have em. They had to invent new notation to accurately transcribe his techniques! So cool!

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3 hours ago, joshoowah said:

I have "Rhythm, Sonority, Silence" and a few additional Stropes-Hedges transcriptions/tabs, if you ever want to try the most enjoyable exercise in futility you'll ever experience! I'll scan whatever songs you want, if I have em. They had to invent new notation to accurately transcribe his techniques! So cool!

I have 'em, too, and frustrating?  Oh yeah.  I did work up one tune a while ago - "Naked Stalk", I think.  Man - had to change how I looked at the music and how I thought about what I playing.  Strophes has (or at least had) video of him performing the songs - I believe it was at least three cameras so they could catch all the nuances.

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I've seen way too many concerts to list all of the incredible ones by well-known artists, so I'll drop a few lower-key bands that impressed me enough out of the hundreds of shows to make me still play their stuff years later.

- You Am I (Australian Gents) opening for Sloan (Canadian Gents) at Rock & Roll Hotel in DC - BLEW ME AWAY.  I'd seen Sloan a couple of times before, and parking in that part of DC is at best, a challenge and at worst, dangerous.  We drove around the block for almost 30 minutes before finding a well lit street space in front of the club, not being too worried about missing part (or all) of the opening set.  I'm glad I didn't make that mistake - seeing YAI live made me an instant fan.  Energetic and raw stage show with lots of sweat and expletives flying around a core of stellar original material.  When they threw in a Spinal Tap cover, a Teenage Fanclub cover AND a Replacements cover, I was hooked.  Tim Rogers is an incredible lyricist and I dig his unique style.  This band struck me as what would come out of a lab where The WHO, Faces, the Stones, Replacements and Godzilla all had to merge their DNA.  Davey Lane is an incredible talent as well, and you just KNOW he can burn well past what the material calls for, but he plays it to a tee.  I bought a copy of every album they had at the merch table that night, and probably binged on their material for the next two years almost Hourly...Daily...

- Dillon Fence in 1990 opening for The Connells - I'd seen the Connells at least a dozen times by that point, and we had them play parties when I was at Wake.  Showed up right before Dillon Fence went on, and honestly may have thought about going upstairs (at Hammerjack's in Baltimore) or grabbing a beer.  I saw a guy I knew from a few of my upper level English classes from a few years before putting out setlists and water bottles and another guy I recognized from a college band that one of my freshman year hallmates had been in...interesting enough to make me stick around, but I figured they were just crew or something.  A few minutes later, they hit the stage and honestly floored me with their original material. Greg Humphreys may have become my favorite singer/guitarist on the spot that night.  He has one of the most soulful voices  - a true MoTown, bluesy kind of thing deep down, but he has the most unreal guitar tone - it perfectly matches his voice, and is always on the edge of blowing up speakers.  They also had the coolest band-designed T-shirts...I still have one from that show, but it certainly fit me far better 30 years ago!

- The Struts at a little rock club in my tiny beach town (The Bottle & Cork, Dewey Beach, DE).  They were unsigned or recently signed, I forget which, but I hadn't heard about them before and went on the recommendation of a buddy who writes music columns for several local publications and plays around town in several solid bands.   He simply said "There are 8 tickets left as of 3 minutes ago.  Buy one now or you'll regret it."   I did, and true to his word, I never regretted it.   A quartet of Brits who came on like Queen at Wembley in a dank, shitty, 70-year old half open air club.  The town should have had a crew of structural engineers over there to check out the surrounding buildings for stability the next morning because they blew the walls off the place.  Luke Spiller easily hit Justin Hawkins territory (and beyond) and was just as spirited in a sequined catsuit.  Although only two out of the four piled onstage were actually on, guitarist Adam Slack got THE BEST AC30 tones I've ever heard live.  Holy crap - I was exhausted after watching that show, and didn't know a single song beforehand.   They've come back pretty much annually out of affection for the club owner, even when they were playing giant enormodomes with the Foo.  Seriously great band, and don't dismiss them for the pop connections they've made nor the fact that you can't go to a sporting event anywhere in the world without hearing their stuff.   The real deal.

- The Cribs in 2010 at the Black Cat in DC.  I went to see them after hearing a couple of their songs ("Hey Scenesters, and maybe "Men's Needs Women's Needs) on some late night (Craig Ferguson?  Conan?) a few years earlier and was intrigued...they looked like what Oasis would be if they were much cooler...and they were all brothers.   I hadn't really followed them or owned any of their music besides a few iTunes snags off of their first two albums.  Showed up to an almost empty club, and actually wondered if the parking nightmare that always accompanies a show there was going to be worth it.  It was, and then some.  The opener was totally forgettable - not bad at all, but after what I watched that night, I think I instantly forgot their entire set.  The Jarman brothers walked out with a 4th member (also in a leather jacket, like the rest of them) and a white on white 60s Jaguar.  When the lights came on, I mentioned to my wife that the Jaguar guy was a dead ringer for Johnny Marr.  After the first song, we both realized it WAS Johnny Marr and that he was actually kind of sort of IN the band.  That made the rest of the loud, brash and highly entertaining show one for the books.  The 3 Jarman brothers have a really unique chemistry (I'm sure that gets written into every show review, but it's really evident), and they totally rocked in their own right, but the addition of Johnny Fucking Marr puts that one over the top.  

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First big arena concert was Nine Inch Nails and some dude named David Bowie in 94.  How was I to know I already knew most of the songs the headliner played.  I guess my parents had great taste.  Awesome show.  

Pantera in February 2001.  The might have been in the edge of break up but it was an awesome show.  Soulfly played a bunch of Sepultura songs.  It was bad ass.  Drank 7&7 out of a big gulp on the lightrail as we pre funked headed to the show.  
 

Voodoo glow skulls at a small club called La luna (formerly pine street theater) in 96.  Never seen so much energy and precision in such a small venue since.  Blew my 16 year old mind.  
 

Less than Jake.  Multiple times at clubs in Portland in the nineties.   Never failed to put on the best show.  Always felt I got more than my dollars worth.  
 

The Floozies 2 years ago here in Portland.  You want badass electro funk with a seriously underrated duo? Hadn’t even heard of them, went with a friend who insisted.   This guitarist doesn’t get flashy yet is so good, with nary a note missed.  They incorporate modern tech with amazing musicianship.  If you like funk prepare to have your mind altered. Its the next generation of funk.   Serious song writing abilities   Jam after jam   

/beer

 

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More recently I’ve been down to go to big production shows.  
 

For my bday the wife got me tickets to Iron Maiden’s last tour.   Damn it was awesome.  If I can rock at that age I’d be happy.  Plus it was all the old favorites.  
 

Saw Kiss in Oakland last year right before the shutdowns with my dad, brother and both brother in laws.  They might not be at the top of their game and giant money making douches, but they still put on a show.  Glad to see them at least once in my life.  An experience for sure. 
 

 

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Great thread.

Big +1 on Public Enemy (saw 'em w/ Anthrax, was a big fan already by then), and DEVO (new traditionalists tour w/ the plastic hair and conveyor belts,) super cool and rockin'.

 

On 4/7/2021 at 2:48 PM, Biz Prof said:

I guess she'd had enough of this type of theatre, having seen it thrice?

BlaringOldfashionedDinosaur-max-1mb.gif

I love that they could have made 2" thick doors that looked like marshalls; fook that, slap giant hinges on real marshall cabs and ride the bike thru 'em, ha

 

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Hey @Ranger, remember the Mississippi River Festivals?  Gawdayum, more great shows than I can remember.  I used to go the the jazz nights and practically sit on top of so many of the greats.  Of all of those, the one I remember most vividly had a band from Grand Rapids, MI called Aorta.  Tight, with an excellent grasp of dynamics, engaging songs.  I bought the record the next day.  Eons later, I found the master tapes of that record moldering in the basement of Universal and swiped them (they were going to be tossed out anyway).  I held on to them, and a machine that could play them until they disintegrated.

But then there was the headliner, Janis Joplin with the Full Tilt Boogie outfit.  Now, it's no secret that Janis was pretty average in the looks department, but when she hit that stage and went to work, she was the most fiercely erotic creature imaginable.  Everything about that performance was tight and tough as nails.  I was worn out by the time it was over.

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On 4/16/2021 at 2:42 AM, cmatthes said:

I've seen way too many concerts to list all of the incredible ones by well-known artists, so I'll drop a few lower-key bands that impressed me enough out of the hundreds of shows to make me still play their stuff years later.

- You Am I (Australian Gents) opening for Sloan (Canadian Gents) at Rock & Roll Hotel in DC - BLEW ME AWAY.  I'd seen Sloan a couple of times before, and parking in that part of DC is at best, a challenge and at worst, dangerous.  We drove around the block for almost 30 minutes before finding a well lit street space in front of the club, not being too worried about missing part (or all) of the opening set.  I'm glad I didn't make that mistake - seeing YAI live made me an instant fan.  Energetic and raw stage show with lots of sweat and expletives flying around a core of stellar original material.  When they threw in a Spinal Tap cover, a Teenage Fanclub cover AND a Replacements cover, I was hooked.  Tim Rogers is an incredible lyricist and I dig his unique style.  This band struck me as what would come out of a lab where The WHO, Faces, the Stones, Replacements and Godzilla all had to merge their DNA.  Davey Lane is an incredible talent as well, and you just KNOW he can burn well past what the material calls for, but he plays it to a tee.  I bought a copy of every album they had at the merch table that night, and probably binged on their material for the next two years almost Hourly...Daily...

- Dillon Fence in 1990 opening for The Connells - I'd seen the Connells at least a dozen times by that point, and we had them play parties when I was at Wake.  Showed up right before Dillon Fence went on, and honestly may have thought about going upstairs (at Hammerjack's in Baltimore) or grabbing a beer.  I saw a guy I knew from a few of my upper level English classes from a few years before putting out setlists and water bottles and another guy I recognized from a college band that one of my freshman year hallmates had been in...interesting enough to make me stick around, but I figured they were just crew or something.  A few minutes later, they hit the stage and honestly floored me with their original material. Greg Humphreys may have become my favorite singer/guitarist on the spot that night.  He has one of the most soulful voices  - a true MoTown, bluesy kind of thing deep down, but he has the most unreal guitar tone - it perfectly matches his voice, and is always on the edge of blowing up speakers.  They also had the coolest band-designed T-shirts...I still have one from that show, but it certainly fit me far better 30 years ago!

- The Struts at a little rock club in my tiny beach town (The Bottle & Cork, Dewey Beach, DE).  They were unsigned or recently signed, I forget which, but I hadn't heard about them before and went on the recommendation of a buddy who writes music columns for several local publications and plays around town in several solid bands.   He simply said "There are 8 tickets left as of 3 minutes ago.  Buy one now or you'll regret it."   I did, and true to his word, I never regretted it.   A quartet of Brits who came on like Queen at Wembley in a dank, shitty, 70-year old half open air club.  The town should have had a crew of structural engineers over there to check out the surrounding buildings for stability the next morning because they blew the walls off the place.  Luke Spiller easily hit Justin Hawkins territory (and beyond) and was just as spirited in a sequined catsuit.  Although only two out of the four piled onstage were actually on, guitarist Adam Slack got THE BEST AC30 tones I've ever heard live.  Holy crap - I was exhausted after watching that show, and didn't know a single song beforehand.   They've come back pretty much annually out of affection for the club owner, even when they were playing giant enormodomes with the Foo.  Seriously great band, and don't dismiss them for the pop connections they've made nor the fact that you can't go to a sporting event anywhere in the world without hearing their stuff.   The real deal.

- The Cribs in 2010 at the Black Cat in DC.  I went to see them after hearing a couple of their songs ("Hey Scenesters, and maybe "Men's Needs Women's Needs) on some late night (Craig Ferguson?  Conan?) a few years earlier and was intrigued...they looked like what Oasis would be if they were much cooler...and they were all brothers.   I hadn't really followed them or owned any of their music besides a few iTunes snags off of their first two albums.  Showed up to an almost empty club, and actually wondered if the parking nightmare that always accompanies a show there was going to be worth it.  It was, and then some.  The opener was totally forgettable - not bad at all, but after what I watched that night, I think I instantly forgot their entire set.  The Jarman brothers walked out with a 4th member (also in a leather jacket, like the rest of them) and a white on white 60s Jaguar.  When the lights came on, I mentioned to my wife that the Jaguar guy was a dead ringer for Johnny Marr.  After the first song, we both realized it WAS Johnny Marr and that he was actually kind of sort of IN the band.  That made the rest of the loud, brash and highly entertaining show one for the books.  The 3 Jarman brothers have a really unique chemistry (I'm sure that gets written into every show review, but it's really evident), and they totally rocked in their own right, but the addition of Johnny Fucking Marr puts that one over the top.  

Does living vicariously count?  Some years ago my high school aged daughter (maybe 6 tears ago?) saw The Struts at a little place called Cats Cradle in Chapel Hill (Chappa Heeya, as we say).  She loved the show and brought the music home w her.  So it has also filled me w joy.  I trust my daughter’s taste, absolutely. 

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Triumph - Early 80's Allied Forces tour. They owned that smokey hockey rink that night. Awesome rock band in their prime.

BBKing - Late 90's historic little old theater in Burlington Vermont. BB invited an old friend, spent time after conversing with the crowd, magical night.

Ted Nugent - Wango Tango days, loud straight on wild man rock n roll. Loverboy opened.

Fogarty- Great show every time I have seen him. Not sure why, but I always walk away re-impressed by his guitar skills

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On 4/22/2021 at 1:59 PM, Brooks said:

 

Great thread.

Big +1 on Public Enemy (saw 'em w/ Anthrax, was a big fan already by then), and DEVO (new traditionalists tour w/ the plastic hair and conveyor belts,) super cool and rockin'.

 

 

Dude! Those PE/Anthrax shows were straight 🔥! My first concert without a parent!

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Hiya Tom, yes, sure do remember MRF. Wish I had gone to many of the outstanding shows they offered thru the years but that scene ended around 1980, just after I gravitated from high school. My gal, who's a bit older than me, went to a bunch and has a very cool book about the history of the venue with a ton of pics of the various artists who played. It's an amazing list of stellar talent. She still has a MRF t-shirt!

Take good care, TT.

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