So then, what was the BEST concert you ever attended?

[zulu]

Chris Isaak, August of 2004 (?); spectacular summer evening concert on the Seattle waterfront. The overall mood for the evening was....mellow! 8)

Afterward, we just walked up to our hotel, two blocks away.

Joe

Funny you mention Chris Isaak. I saw him at a small club in Oakland in the late 80's right before he hit it big. Only reason I was there is that my sister's band opened for him. Still stands out as probably the best show I've ever seen. Not just because the band was world-class, but also that Isaak himself was seemingly born to be in front of a crowd. He connected with the audience so well and came off as such a likable guy I've never seen anybody put on a better show since.

He played in San Fran a month or two ago and I was really dissapointed I couldn't make it.

 

[davismanLV]

Beach Boys were always great.

I agree, Bill. But I'd never seen them in concert until last year when they were here for the 50th Anniversary Tour. Over on the West side, outdoor theater, under the Las Vegas stars and sky with my brother and his wife and some really great friends!! What an amazing evening that was. I couldn't get over how great they sounded...... one of the best EVER!!

 

[adorshki]

Chris Isaak, August of 2004 (?); spectacular summer evening concert on the Seattle waterfront. The overall mood for the evening was....mellow! 8)
Joe

BIG Chris Isaak fan here.

Me? Toss-up between a couple of UC Berkeley Jazz Festival shows, either Sonny Rollins or Weather Report. Magnificent sound in an amphitheater with a panoramic view of San Francisco Bay, from afternoon until the lights come on in the city across the bay.
Throw in a beatiful girl and a picnic basket for the Sonny Rollins show.

 

[Darryl Hattenhauer]

a panoramic view of San Francisco Bay.... Throw in a beatiful girl....

Could she swim?

 

[gjmalcyon]

Me? Toss-up between a couple of UC Berkeley Jazz Festival shows, either Sonny Rollins ...

Saw Sonny Rollins, McCoy Tyner, Ron Carter in concert together as the Milestone Jazz Stars at the Academy of Music in Philly in 1978. Fantastic, with all of them pretty much at the peak of their talents.

Last spring, Junior Brown (the Guit-Steel guy) at the small Ram's Head Tavern in Annapolis, MD. Man, that guy can play. He's coming back this April.

And this past fall, Chick Corea and Gary Burton at the Kimmel Center in Philly. Those guys are so far advanced as musicians and collaborators, I was doing the equivalent of aural double-takes: "Wait, did I just hear that???!!????"

Loudest Concert I Never Went To: Boston at the Rutgers University College Ave. gym. I was OUTSIDE during the afternoon sound check, and my ears were ringing for a couple of days.

 

[Wilfred]

Black Sabbath, original line-up, 1997 reunion tour. Simply blown away, sheer brilliance.

 

[bluesypicky]

Tough one. But I'll have to go with Jeff Beck. He's a guitar magician.

 

[adorshki]

Tough one. But I'll have to go with Jeff Beck. He's a guitar magician.

HeE'd be my favorite too except that the one show that wasn't marred by some problem or another (Co-headlined with Mahavishnu Orchestra at Great American Music Hall in SF in '75 on the "Wired" tour) still wasn't as complete an overall experience as one of those Jazz festivals. Especially when you throw in the picnic.

a panoramic view of San Francisco Bay.... Throw in a beatiful girl....

Could she swim?

:lol: Actually yes, but she had a scar on her leg she didn't like to expose when wearing swimming suits...but man, could she cook! Lamb curry with apricots, pickled fruit, roasted peppers in oil and of course a bit of bread and wine. :wink:
(Hopefully that'll explain it to you, Pascal! :lol: )

 

[Thunderface]

Even though I've seen Pearl Jam six times in five different cities, and something unique has happened at each show, you never forget your first time ... June 1998 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

That, and there was the show at First Avenue in Minneapolis with The Hives, supported by The Donnas. I wound up with tie off the neck of Vigilante Carlstroem that night. How can that not be a memorable show.

 

[dougdnh]

Some that jump out
Murry the k show 1966 - the cream, the who, Wilson Pickett
Ben and Jerry's - 1980s - the band, buddy guy, NRBQ, Pete Seeger
Roomful of Blues - 1989
Duke Robillard - 1992
Manhatten Transfer - 1983
BB King - 1990
Jerry Lee Lewis - 1965
Dr John - 2010

THE best - James Brown Review - 1966 - beyond belief!

 

[killdeer43]

Small, intimate venue:
Doc and Merle Watson with T. Michael Coleman at the Lincoln Theater in Mt. Vernon, WA....the year before Merle was killed in a tragic accident.

Joe

 

[geoguy]

Can't really choose one "best" show . . . but here's a few memorable ones.

Jerry Garcia Band at UMass Amherst, circa 1980. Outstanding band in a not-too-large venue. Warm-up act was Garcia's lyricist, Robert Hunter, equipped with an acoustic guitar. Very cool to hear his interpretations of classic Garcia or Grateful Dead tunes.

Albert Lee & his regular band, Hogan's Heroes. Just a couple years ago, in a small music venue at Foxboro, MA. Possibly the most fun I've ever had in a musical audience . . . there's something remarkably joyful about hearing/seeing that man play guitar, & he is possibly the sweetest & most humble musician I've ever had the pleasure to meet. Here's a sample of Albert, though not with his current band: Sweet Little Lisa

Peter Wolf at a 200-seat music room in rural Maine, on several occasions. Backing included one of my favorite tele players, Duke Levine. Gratuitous sample of excellent rootsy rock: Nothing but the Wheel

Richard Thompson at that same Maine venue. Here's a sample from one of his shows there: Beeswing

Other more-recent memorable shows include Cowboy Junkies (ditto in Maine), Lyle Lovett (you guessed it, in Maine), & Johnny A & Laurence Juber (a strange double-bill, at a small community arts center in Massachusetts). I would much rather see live music in a small room than a stadium or large theater nowadays.

 

[sfIII]

Lightning Hopkins 1978 - Blowing Rock NC

Merle Watson joined our table for the last set.

 

[Dutchmaple Dave]

Arrgh, so many concerts, impossible to pick just one. But, if I must, Genesis, August 1982, at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center. Just awesome. Running second, guitarist extraordinaire Bill Nelson brought BeBop Deluxe to the Palace in Albany and I was there. Darn !! That remminds me, I saw Springsteen at the palace too: also unbelievable. He did racing in the streets and darkness on the edge of town as "new songs" in the encore. Gawd, how did I get old? :wink:

 

[killdeer43]

I would much rather see live music in a small room than a stadium or large theater nowadays.

+1
I'm with you there! I like to hear the music. :wink:

Joe

 

[Bluelizzard]

I am a self proclaimed concert junkie. Easily been to well over 500 shows. You name it, I have probably seen them at least once. Impossible to pick the best show but the one that had the most impact on me would be seeing Return To Forever with Chick Corea, Stanley Clark, Al DeMeolla and Lenny White back in the mid 70's. That concert forever changed me musically. Very cool got to see the original band again on their reunion tour back in 2008.

 

[kitniyatran]

I've told of the best show I ever saw a couple of times before; Harry Chapin:

Chapin & his ensemble of lead guitar, bass & cello, played at a local convention center near my home town around 1970 or shortly after. The local college had some big basketball(or some sport) game the same night. Harry & the band played for about 60 people, including my brother & me, in one of the bestest concerts ever, as though it was the most important show they'd ever give; this was when they were filling halls, topping the radio charts, appearing on TV, etc. I was always impressed by how hard they worked to entertain so few.
And the songs were great, too.

I think it was about the time Cats In The Cradle, WOLZ, etc. came out, my brother & I saw him with his band on the same night a local college had a sporting event(basketball game, I think). There were only about 60 of us, & you'd have thought it was the bestest audience they'd ever had; I've always ranked it the best concert I ever saw. And it would have been a great show & band if they'd only given our money's worth, instead of surpassing that by far.

Repeat & rinse.

 

[bluesypicky]

the one that had the most impact on me would be seeing Return To Forever with Chick Corea, Stanley Clark, Al DeMeolla and Lenny White back in the mid 70's. That concert forever changed me musically. Very cool got to see the original band again on their reunion tour back in 2008.

I can understand that with much ease. You just named some of the greatest in the History of modern music, and are fortunate to have witnessed this phenomenon live. If I remember correctly, Frank Gambale and Earl Klugh were also part of the project at some point...
These, along with Weather Report and Manhattan Transfer gave us some of the best music ever offered, by creating the fusion style, mixing rock, blues, gospel, and jazz together.
Thanks for the excellent memories, now I have to find me these CD's again. Love this thread!

 

[dreadnut]

My #3 best: EmmyLou Harris and the Hot Band in '78 on a showboat in Lowell, MI with about 400 people in attendance. She was dressed in white buckskin skirt and jacket with ruffles and boots to match, and some guy by the name of Ricky Skaggs was singing harmony with her.

 

[dougdnh]

Another one - how could I forget: Laura Nyro in 1981. At a small auditorium in New Hampshire. Goose bumps, she was amazing. I believe she had Jimmy Vivano on guitar.