Posted on 04/28/2021 6:44:42 AM PDT by mylife
The list below was born out of some pretty serious arguments. Was Bruce Springsteen better in 1975 or 1978? When did Kanye hit his stride? Which was more awesome, “The Joshua Tree” or “Zoo TV”? The concerts and tours that made the final cut weren’t just huge spectacles, they deepened the power of rock & roll itself – from Neil Young thrashing out 20-minute jams with Crazy Horse to Beyoncé turning stadium glitz into a personal outpouring. “You’re almost levitating on the energy from the audience,” says Keith Richards. “And I miss it when I’m not doing it.” Here are the people who’ve done it best.
(Excerpt) Read more at rollingstone.com ...
Buddy Guy and Junior Wells at the Catalyst in Santa Cruz, fall of ‘86.
I have 2 concerts I’ll remember forever.
Van Halen Diver Down tour and of course Pink Floyd. Don’t remember what album it was for Floyd but what a great show. Saw VH at Cobo Arena in Detroit. Pink Floyd at the Pontiac Silverdome. Both shows I was coherent enough to remember. High school days and all that came with it.
Honorable mention is Rush Moving Pictures tour. Neil Peart on drums during YYZ is unforgettable.
First rock concert ever was Triumph with Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush opened up for them. I was I think around 13 years old. My brother took me, was a good concert too but not an all time favorite.
Rolling Stone, the inventors of phony hipsterism. Silly Rolling Stone, Bruce Springsteen didn’t have crap to play in 1975. In his own Box Set Concert recordings, Bruce included only 1 song recorded in 1975, Thunder Road. (He also included a 1985 version of Born to Run, which was first performed in 1975.)
No-one wanted to hear Bruce singing “Wrapped Up Like a Douche,” even if he sang it clearly enough (doubtfully*) that people could make out the real words.
(* My 8-year-old insists the words to Born to Run are “uhwubba grubble shrumma hubbra mumbrebgumnbra shumbrumpshrumple rumble grumpabrumba burrubble grumunnuh brubbab mumbra BABY WE WERE BORN TO RUN”)
Did you yell out, "FREEBIRD!"
Can’t say I’ve seen many of these listed.
But my personal favorites;
Eric Clapner at SPAC; 1976ish
The Police at the Hullabaloo night club circa 1979
Missed Pat Metheny at the same venue that year but saw Joe Jackson.
Late 70’s Beach Boys, CSNY and CSN concerts at SPAC
Also Great shows at SPAC, Fleetwood Mac front row around 1976, Phil Collins, Eurythmics in the 80’s. Steely Dan, Allman Bros, Steve Winwood, Santana, Chicago, EW&F all at SPAC.
Joni Mitchell Shadows of Light Tour at Tanglewood August 21, 1979
Jean Luc Ponty many times always great, The Cars in Buffalo, in Albany enjoyed McCartney, FM, Elton John,
Gary Burton was awesome in a small club, Steve Morse and the dixie dregs a few years ago at the Egg.
Live performances are all good.
So many great performances, so little time.
The PMG - The Way Up tour.
Sadly the last time I was able to see Lyle.
My youngest brother was at Tom Petty’s show in 1981 at the O’Connell Center in Gainesville. He remains a rabid Tom Petty fan.
Never saw a bad Allman Brothers show out of seven concerts, two of them on New Years’ Eve (not the same New Years’ Eve).
I kinda hate that as a teenager I was so turned off by Geddy Lee’s weird voice that I pretty much ignored Rush. A college roommate who loved Pert, and, of all things the Geddy-Amy Mann duet first got me to pay them proper attention.
I have only been to one rock concert in my life; Wild Cherry w/Iron Butterfly in Grand Forks 1978. Took my GF who became my wife and still married to her.
Great concert.
Geddy pretty much toned it down by the time Permanent Waves came out. Sounded nothing like on the earlier records.
Here’s a recording. If anyone wants to hear great drumming. The first 45 minutes is noise... then Geddy playing awesome bass that sorta overwhelms the drums on the recording... then starting at 3:25 is a drum solo... but the drums start to dominate somewhat earlier.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMdsAy5MUaU&list=PLw9oL_q3XfJzdd4lg3sGc2-buSQKvxZoj&index=3
Well’ Tom Petty at Red Rocks ca. 1979 then...
I still consider La Villa Strangiato the single greatest guitar performance, ever.
Didn’t realize they won a grammy for that
Slayer, Megadeth, Testament and Anthrax supported by a new band from Seattle named Alice in Chains.
I like them until he starts singing
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Eric Clapton at the Yale Bowl 1974 - his "461 Ocean Blvd" Tour. Yvonne Elliman on stage with him - hot stuff!
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