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
ZZ Top at the Warehouse in New Orleans for mardi gras early seventies, Alvin Lee at the warehouse early70s, Savoy Brown at the warehouse early 70s, Bruce Springsteen at the Summit in Houston Texas I believe 1978, Led Zeppelin at the auditorium in New Orleons for the Houses of the Holy tour and have to add the sixth was the Rolling Stones in Baton Rouge in I believe 1976, had tickets to the first show and scalped tickets for the second show as we were walking out of the first show.
The Grateful Dead 7/18/89 alpine valley 

The Grateful Dead Copps Coliseum 3/21/92

Phish 12/31/95

The Disco Biscuits
12/31/99  TLA Philly 

The Disco Biscuits 
4/7/2001  9/13/2001  Majestic Theater Detroit.   Overall most incredible jamband!  Still performing great shows just can't list them all. 

This is easy. 

Tool: Toledo, Ohio 1/24/12
Tool: Clarkston, Michigan 6/7/17
The Dead: Rothbury, Michigan 7/4/10
The Cure: Auburn Hills, Michigan way, way back.

Tool does such an unusual show it's just a must-see. And they're exceptional at what they do. 2012 was a good show. They did what they did as well as ever. 2017 was excellent though. They showed up with ridiculous amount of lighting and lasers and screens and just went nuts visually and sonically. The whole band was clearly well practiced and in top form. 

The Dead played a 5 hours set the night I saw them, eventually exhausting the patience the the pyrotechnics crew who launch a full-on assault behind the stage as the band jammed on. It was a great night to be alive. 

The Cure are a surprisingly versatile band and I was surprised by how aggressively they played some of their material. 
The Monkees with Jimi Hendrix in Miami. My first concert and they were smokin maryjuanna in there. I've been goin downhill ever since.
1964, Beatles at Red Rocks, included I think five other groups. Great!!! concert on a warm August evening.
1970, Jehtro Tull/Mountain, Red Rocks.  Anything at Red Rocks turns out to be fantastic.
1971, Rolling Stones/Stevie Wonder, Denver Colloseum
1971 Moody Blues, Denver Colloseum
1971,EL&P/Mahavishnu(sic?) Orchastra. Showcased two of the best percussionists, EVER!  Denver Colloseum
1980, Bob Seger,Big Mac, Denver.  That guy can really rock the house.