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
A problem arises in that picking one ahead of the other....it's very hard. In no piticular order but in my top five
1.) Tommy Bolin with "The James Gang" circa 1973? Cant be sure now. They were 2nd on the bill to J. Giels. Go figure!! *S* Bolin....he Had like this aura that enveloped him. It was like nothing I'd ever seen before from a player or since. He just smoked but in a really controlled almost zen like way. It was very bizzare in that Bolin STOLE the show from Climax blues band and a killer set by J. Giels. Just Obliterated Everyone else. I was like in a fog for about 3 weeks after that concert.

2.) Kansas circa 1986? The Power tour with Steve Morse. *Warm Smile* Steve Walsh was like at nearly a vocal peak at that time, He was like on prescription speed also, seemed to be, it was one for the ages from Walsh BUT it was Morse who just took the show away from the rest of the band. He asked for more Gain right off the bat and He kept it through out. He walked ALL over Rich Williams But Rich was like cool with it. "Seemed to be." Morse was almost like he Had something to prove that night. Amazing!!

3.) Gary Moore near the end of His Wild Frontier tour in Milw. There are no words to describe that night. A Friend and I purposely did Not drink. We may of had one 12 oz. beer to take the edge off when we first got there. He recorded it. Havnt heard it in a long, Long time. He does a 19 1/2 min. version of "The Loaner" to end the concert. Are You Kidding me Moore!!?? THAT was my single Moment at any concert. Those 19+ minutes. Morse's night in Rochester, MN.is more in grained within me BUT that encore of The Loaner......................there are no words. There truly arent. Never again would I See a player spill his insides out like that. Like other worldly. Not of this earth. Robin Trower in his blood or something along those lines. Insane experience!!

4.) Lenny Ball. They were a local act in the early 70's in and around La Crosse, Wi. This cat was off the charts. Should of made it big. It was a sat night at a bar called the factory. I caught all of the 2nd set. In about 3-4 yrs He quit playing. The effect He Had on me that night with his playing I Cant explain it. An unreal guitarist!!

5.) Wishbone Ash circa 1973? Not sure anymore. *S* The first bigtime rock band I ever saw. What I took away from that concert was Steve Upton, Ash's drummer. Without trying too he made that show HIS. It was like tonight is mine. Totally Blew my mind.

Never saw Page, Trower, Stevie or Marino. Dumb A..!! that I am. HAD chances at seeing all four of them many times. There is much regret there.

Memory lane with concerts. What a trip. *Smile*
Janis Joplin and Big Brother at the Filmore West-
I was working there and saw most of the concerts but, this one stood out for me.

Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention with The Merry Pranksters-
I drank the kool aid so of course it seemed good. Who knows if it was.

The Bands last concert The Last Waltz-
Ended up working it completely by accident, it was even better live than the video makes it out to be.

U2 Joshua Tour-
Again, I was working on it. Wasn't U2 that I enjoyed though. B.B. King was the opening act and he was really in his prime back then.

Tom Waites at MaCabes Guitar Shop-
He hadn't made a album yet and I was dating his sister, Terri. She dragged me down to MaCabes and I was mesmerized by his performance.

George Harrison with Ravi Shankar-
George Harrison was having voice problems and ended up giving the entire concert over to Ravi Shankar and his wife. Only time I had ever heard a Indian orchestra and it was fantastic.
No particular order. Can't really say any were better than others, and my list could go a lot longer. Being a Denver native.
U2 at Red Rocks, when they filmed under a blood red sky
Black Crowes, the first show returning after Mr. Robinson was arrested for shoplifting at 7-11. They all played like they were pissed! What a show
Sting, also at Red Rocks, for the Bring on the night tour. I never liked Sting before that, Once they started, I was in another world.
Elton John, it was my first concert when I was fourteen, and my folks made me go with my older sister as a chaperone. Can't really say it was a good concert, but it was my first

Last, but not least, Jethro Tull, summer of '88. Let me tell you how much I hated having to go to that show, I had been to three other Tull shows. First was with the stones or the who, I don't even remember. This and the other two were free tickets from friends who couldn't find any other suckers to go for free. Long story short, met an ex-girlfriend, had sex in my friends car during the show. Enough said
In no particular order...

PINK FLOYD @ Rice Stadium, 1994
- This is the show where they played in the rain until everything blew up. The storm rolling in with lightning in the clouds, and then the lasers reflecting off the rain resulted an amazing experience (regardless of the show being cut short).

PRINCE @ Toyota Center, 2004
- I didn't own a single Prince album and had no idea what to really expect. The man is pure genuis and an incredible musician. The night was a blast.

ELVIS COSTELLO @ Jones Hall, 2006
- Front and dead center. Need I say more?

STEELY DAN @ Cynthia Mitchell Woods Pavilion, 2006
- We were given tickets and thought they were for row "V," but ended up being row "C." And row "C" is essentially front row (behind the pit, etc.). This was one groovin' show.

RUSH @ Cynthia Mitchell Woods Pavilion, 2010
- We sat on the lawn, dead center, as far forward as you could get. It rained like mad for about an hour prior and then stopped. I preferred this to being 3rd row several years earlier; you were able to really take everything in. The vibe was just soooo right.

There are definitely others, but I'll keep those as my five for now.