Your 5 Fav Rock Concerts


There are certainly more than a few geetar fanciers among us judging by all the threads on guitar bands and best guitarist. This thread is about the best rock shows you saw. Let's limit it to the rock shows. Not Blues or Jazz or solo performers. The concerts that raised the hairs on your neck or made you want to take up an instrument or raised your pulse through their sheer energy or just moved you through their performance on stage. The only ones that count are the ones you've seen. After making a list in my mind of the many rock concerts I attended, most from the late 1960's through early 80's, I have come up with mine. It was tough, I’ve seen well over 200 rock concerts over the years and it is really hard coming up with a top 5 but we have to limit this so here go mine. "Yes" - This group stands out as the 2nd best concert I ever saw with Steve Howe and Chris Wakeman. They opened for Emerson, Lake and Palmer and after their set I do feel that EL&P were disheartened and knew they couldn't match it; they didn't. Funny thing is like most, I was there to see EL&P. They were forced to have another concert the following night by popular demand. Virtuoso musicianship, “Poco” - This group could put on a show. I saw them 4 different times in the many various stages of their evolution. They never had the commercial recognition of some of the other great bands of their era but they sure made up for it in their live performances. No one stayed seated during a Poco concert. “Rod Stewart and Faces” - Ron Wood on guitar and Rod Stewart strutting all over the stage. Rod was probably the greatest natural Rock showman I ever saw, including Mick Jagger. His uninhibited manner and constant movement and soulful vocals brought the house down. The crowd wouldn't let him go after the 5th encore so he invited everyone ("especially the pretty young ladies") to his hotel to “party on”, and so they came; Led Zeppelin I had to include them because next to the Doors and of course Jimi Hendrix they were my favorites of that era and I never did get to see either of the other two. The acoustics were bad and they played so loud you couldn’t really hear the music. But they were great none the less and it was special to me. The best should be kept for last. "The Who" was acknowledged as the best concert band at the time. Getting tickets meant getting in line and waiting. I imagine at the time the only tougher ticket would be the “Beatles” and they weren’t even together then. They didn’t disappoint. The reaction of the audience was beyond anything I ever saw at a live concert before or since. The band was so cohesive and the energy they put out put them into a different realm. They just have to be on a very short list of the best live bands ever.
tubegroover
Ramstl~I don't have a CDR of that show but would love one. If you know where I can find one let me know!

Ok my second favorite show was my last Dead show. This featured Traffic as the intro band with Steve Winwood onstage bangin' away at a grand piano. I couldn't find the sets for traffic but here is the setlist for the Dead. The highlight for me was Jerry doin Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds! The big screen was showing a view looking down on Jerry as he was playing and it looked as if it were snowing. The Dead were not at there best during this period but I loved the show anyway. It also featured Vince Welnicks best tune to date: Samba in the Rain. I still think this is a great tune!

BAND Grateful Dead
DATE 07/23/94
VENUE Soldier Field
CITY Chicago
STATE IL
SET1 Picasso Moon ; Sugaree ; New Minglewood Blues (1) ; Lazy River Road ;
When I Paint My Masterpiece ; Brown Eyed Women ; Cassidy
SET2 Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds ; Samba In The Rain ; Playing In The Band
> Terrapin Station > Drums > Space > The Other One > Wharf Rat > One More
Saturday Night
SET3
ENCORE Knockin' On Heaven's Door
COMMENTS (1) acoustic Bob
RECORDING no recording info yet
CONTRIBUTORS (posting from dead-heads and/or rec.music.gdead)
I have to go with Pink Floyd-The Wall Los Angeles 1981 only 35 shows worldwide, I've got some killer bootlegs on vinyl.
The Who 1981 tour Oakland Coliseum oudoors on a Sunday, Oakland Coliseum indoors on a Tues or Wed night and at the LA Coliseum the next Saturday. I saw Asia in a small theater, 1000 seats or so in San Francisco-the warmup act was a magician. Yes 90210 tour with no warmup band, they had Bugs Bunny cartoons. I'll end with Petty, the Dead and Dylan in RFK stadium 85 or 86 I think

In no particular order the shows that stand out for me were:

1.GWAR- America must be destroyed tour. BOGARTS IN CINCINNATI
2.NINE INCH NAILS- Pretty hate machine tour with MEAT BEAT MANAFESTO as the opening act . BOGARTS IN CINCINNATI
3.CIRCLE JERKS at BOGARTS IN CINCINNATI (Mid 80's)
4.PANTERA with WHITE ZOMBIE and DEFTONES. DAYTON HARA ARENA
5.GRATEFUL DEAD with STING. BUCKEYE LAKE NEAR COLUMBUS, OH
Ok I posted 2 so I got 3 more to go :^) Keeping with my theme of things they are also Dead shows. Hope this is not a problem for anyone.

3rd favorite:BAND Grateful Dead
VENUE Autzen Stadium, Univ. of Oregon
CITY Eugene
STATE OR
DATE 06/23/90
SET1 Feel Like A Stranger ; West L.A. Fadeaway ; Me And My Uncle › Cumberland Blues ; Far From Me ; They Love Each Other ; Cassidy ; Tennessee Jed › The Promised Land
SET2 [1:41:31 %] ; Eyes Of The World [15:24] › Looks Like Rain [8:35] › Crazy Fingers [8:24] › Playing In The Band [10:57] › Uncle John's Band % [9:02] › Playing Reprise [2:11] › Drums [8:03] › Space [9:18] › The Wheel [5:32] › I Need A Miracle [5:25] › Morning Dew [10:50]
ENCORE One More Saturday Night [4:59]
COMMENTS The cut in UJ Band is a cass flip that cuts some of the last verse, probably 45 seconds or so. At the end of Saturday Night, Bill Graham: "Let us give thanks to Little Feat and the Grateful Dead on this wonderful Saturday afternoon."
RECORDINGS 180 SBD, CM›DAT
CONTRIBUTORS dflynch.esq@internetMCI.com (Dan Lynch)

Forth Favorite:

BAND Grateful Dead
DATE 06/18/89
VENUE Shoreline Amphitheater
CITY Mountain View
STATE CA
SET1 Foolish Heart ; Jack Straw ; Alabama Getaway ; Queen Jane Approximately ; Cold Rain & Snow ; Little Red Rooster ; Hey Pocky Away ; Iko Iko
SET2 Samson and Delilah ; Cumberland Blues ; Saint Of Circumstance ; He's Gone ; Drums ; The Wheel ; I Need A Miracle ; Stella Blue
SET3
ENCORE Around and Around ; Good Lovin' ; U.S. Blues
COMMENTS
RECORDING no recording info yet
CONTRIBUTORS (Stack O Dead)

Fith and final favorite and I'm outta here:

BAND Grateful Dead
DATE 08/28/88
VENUE Autzen Stadium (U or Oregon)
CITY Eugene
STATE OR
SET1 Mississippi Half-Step Uptown Toodleloo ; Little Red Rooster ; Friend Of The
Devil ; Stuck In Mobile
With The Memphis Blues Again ; Foolish Heart ; Victim Or The Crime ; Don't Ease
Me In
SET2 Jack Straw ; Bertha ; Truckin' ; Terrapin Station ; Drums ; The Other One ;
Wharf Rat ; Throwing
Stones ; Not Fade Away
SET3
ENCORE Knockin' On Heaven's Door
COMMENTS
RECORDING no recording info yet
CONTRIBUTORS (Stack O Dead)