NFR Best concerts

Non-fishing related
Boston - 1977 at Madison Square Garden (first concert I went to)
Bruce Springsteen - 1978 at Michigan State University (first time I saw him)
Romantics - 1980 at Dooley's (bar in East Lansing, MI)
Pretenders - 1984 at the Capitol Theater in Passaic, NJ (The Alarm opened for them)
The Hooters - 1988 at a frat on the University of Florida Campus
Warren Zevon - 1984 at the Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ - it was an impromptu solo performance. I did see him with his band at Michigan State, but his solo performance was amazing.
 
May 17th, 1970 at Indiana University- Byrds, BB King, Jefferson Airplane. I had just graduated from HS. The Byrds were a
warm up act against the other two. BB and Grace were the main events.
 
I've seen so many in their prime.
Many multiple times.
Alice in Chains at a small venue in Olympia +- 1985ish was cool. Same deal with Nirvana. Stevie Ray Vaughn outdoors just before the helicopter thing, Rod Stewart, Robert Cray, Almond Bros., AC/DC and The Scorpions 3 times, ZZ Top twice, George Thourogood, tons of blues greats, tons of country greats, and a ton of rock shows I've forgotten. Lots of good times.
George Strait 3 or 4 times.
Pretty good seats twice in Vegas.

 
Zak said:
So many Dead shows. But they kind of blur together.
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No doubt. I saw them on their final tour with Jerry in San Francisco. Amazing.

Most concerts just blend together. The Kinks in Seattle in the early 80's stands out. Best performance may be either Pat Benatar in Denver, or Emmy Lou in a small theater. Just amazing voices.
 
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Sammy Hagar. VOA tour portland memorial coliseum 1985ish?
Rush, Roll the Bones some outdoor place in Orange County Ca 1990
 
Paul Butterfield Blues Band - 1970ish
Bonnie Raitt - 1969ish - 2023 many times
 
last two lives ones, both in the early 2000's...Stevie Wonder who played for my wife's employer (Genentech) at an after work outdoor gig, free wine flowing, Stevie and the band was lit, everyone dancing, lotta fun.
And Boz Skaggs on a warm summer evening, backed by an outstanding 15 pc backup band, putting on an absolutely stunning show at the Mountain Winery, an intimate outdoor amphitheatre in the Saratoga foothills. Boz closed the show with the epic 'Someone Loan Me A Dime', stinging hell out of those strings on lead
 
My oldest son chose to be married at our house on Big Pine Key. We were on an interior lot across the street from the canal and had most of our acre behind the house with a large thatched roof pole barn for outdoor gatherings. The bar was set up there and I built a little platform for the hired small band that I knew from Key West. When they arrived Skip said they had some friends in town who were going to come by and join them and hoped I didn't' mind. When those friends arrived and started playing I recognized the music they chose and realized that the friends the band had invited was The Miami Sound Machine. Every neighbor within ear shot was soon dancing in the backyard.
 
I gave up on concerts. Don't get me wrong. I love music, and live music can be the best. But fvck it. Tickets go on sale beginning 10:00 AM this Saturday for (insert name of favorite band or musician here). So I go online to Ticketmaster at 9:50 AM Saturday and hit Refresh every 10 seconds until I get in. I don't bother looking around and just hit the "best seats available" button. And for nearly $200 a ticket I get a couple seats up in some fvcking nose bleed balcony (often with a post between us and the stage) a minimum of 300' from the stage. I decided that for me, concerts are bullshit and a fvcking ripoff. No musician on the planet is worth that kind of money to sit that far distant from - oh, remember to bring your "opera glasses" so you can see the performers!
 
Salmo_g said:
oh, remember to bring your "opera glasses" so you can see the performers mime!
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FIFY

Eagles, Swift, it's happening more & more
 
Hard to say...
So any good shows over the last 50 years.

Clapton in '75, opened with Layla ...Any of the Who shows from 75- 77 with Moon on the drums, Tull in 75, Floyd the same year. CSNY at the Coliseum, 4 hour show...'74 for that one.
The early shows from U2, Showbox 1980 touring the Boy Album. Clash in Vancouver at Kerrisdale Arena..Pougues at the same place.Tons of local shows in the early 80's, before the scene got big...Mudhoney Tad Nirvana ...Lamefest at the Moore...Dead Kennedys at Eagles, Damned at same venue. K.D. Lange at a bar in Ballard, her first album tour.
Butthole Surfers at Gorilla Gardens, Iggy at the Showbox when he climbed to speaker tower and it collapsed...Kinks at the Arena when the dude fell from the ceiling. There's plenty more I'm sure...hard to pick...

Probably the best show was Jonathon Richman and the Modern Lovers at a tiny little bar on Capitol Hill...small crowd that was dancing on the tables.

I gave up big venue shows decades ago, the big places were just not my deal anymore, same with festivals...but a good band in a small venue is still fun.

X in Tacoma December 11th...next on the list.
 
Salmo_g said:
I gave up on concerts. Don't get me wrong. I love music, and live music can be the best. But fvck it. Tickets go on sale beginning 10:00 AM this Saturday for (insert name of favorite band or musician here). So I go online to Ticketmaster at 9:50 AM Saturday and hit Refresh every 10 seconds until I get in. I don't bother looking around and just hit the "best seats available" button. And for nearly $200 a ticket I get a couple seats up in some fvcking nose bleed balcony (often with a post between us and the stage) a minimum of 300' from the stage. I decided that for me, concerts are bullshit and a fvcking ripoff. No musician on the planet is worth that kind of money to sit that far distant from - oh, remember to bring your "opera glasses" so you can see the performers!
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Agreed. But don't give up on small venue local bands. Live music almost always sounds good and you just might find a gem. We've got a few in the Gorge I love even if they aren't famous.
 
Salmo_g said:
I gave up on concerts. Don't get me wrong. I love music, and live music can be the best. But fvck it. Tickets go on sale beginning 10:00 AM this Saturday for (insert name of favorite band or musician here). So I go online to Ticketmaster at 9:50 AM Saturday and hit Refresh every 10 seconds until I get in. I don't bother looking around and just hit the "best seats available" button. And for nearly $200 a ticket I get a couple seats up in some fvcking nose bleed balcony (often with a post between us and the stage) a minimum of 300' from the stage. I decided that for me, concerts are bullshit and a fvcking ripoff. No musician on the planet is worth that kind of money to sit that far distant from - oh, remember to bring your "opera glasses" so you can see the performers!
Click to expand...

My thinking was exactly this when I had an opportunity to see Chris Cornell at a small venue. Last minute tickets (not even Ticketmaster) were $495 and I said "Fuck that". He died a couple months later.

I now have a Chris Cornell rule. If I want to see the concert I go and just deal with the expense. Of course, I do love live music, whether it's watching Robert Glasper and Common in a tiny NYC Jazz Club or getting pushed around in a pit in a large rock festival.
 
5/7/03, Govt Mule Deepest End @ the Sanger Theatre, Nawlins. Every living bass legend you could imagine came out and played with them that night. Greatest live music experience of my life. What a way to end Jazz Fest weekend!
 
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