Best and Worst Rock Concert Moments


I will start this off. 1975 Jethro Tull concert at the Seattle Center Coliseum. About midway through the show an M-80 goes off in the crowd in the middle of a song and Ian Anderson holds his hand up in the air and counts to three with his fingers and the band stops playing in mid measure all at once as though some one had flipped a switch. The whole place goes dead quiet for about 15 seconds or so. Anderson says something like "Well, that was bloody ******* RUDE! If you want us to keep playing then you better cut that crap right out and have a little more respect for your NEIGHbor. Do you really want us to play some more?". The crowd slowly starts to applaud and then it builds to a crescendo. As the applause starts to die down, Anderson holds his hand up in the air, counts out loud to three and the band cuts back in full force absolutely mid-measure where they left off.

When the song ended I have never heard such intense applause in any arena or hall for any song at any show. I was completely dumb struck by how Anderson handled the situation and by the musicianship of the whole outfit. Maybe it was a staged event, but I doubt it. Either way, it was really something else...
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Showing 1 response by classical1

Procol Harum headlined a concert in the early 70's. Word was they had some bad disagreement with the promoter. The result was they played about a 30 minute set then walked off saying "we don't know any other songs"..(they hadn't played "Whiter Shade of Pale").

I saw just a phenominal Pink Floyd concert @ 1970. It was held in an upscale classical concert hall. The band was on and the acoustics were just perfect. The downside was seeing many fans helped out by EMT's and a guy carried out on a stretcher from what appeared to be a fatal drug overdose.

A bad moment was at Mile High stadium 1969 when the police fired tear gas into a group of gate crashers wanting to see Hendrix. The wind then shifted and blew it all into the crowd. Good concert though - I think the last time he played with Noel Redding.