Best concert you have ever seen live

[pudley4]

U2/Public Enemy
1993
Camp Randall Stadium, Madison.

(Smashing Pumpkins were originally the opening act, but were replaced by Big Audio Dynamite (they sucked))

Runners-up

Lollapalooza 2:
Chili Peppers, Ice Cube, Ministry, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Jesus and Mary Chain

Lollapalooza 1:
Jane's Addiction, Living Colour, Ice T, NIN, Fishbone (and Siouxsie and the Banshees sucked)

[Benjamin]

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5. Lou Reed - Taft Theatre, Cincinnati - 1989 - New york tour (opening band, The Feelies)


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Good call. This one goes on my honorable mention list as well. Except the Bo Deans opened for them ... not nearly as good as the Feelies, who I did see that year in a stand alone show in the same theatre I saw Lou in. Excellent show. The Lou Reed one was really top notch though.

B.

[MicroBob]

I would have really liked to see the Feelies on their own.
The Lou Reed crowd didn't know them at all. This was Cincy...not NJ where they were from.


So everyone was talking and just waiting for them to get off the stage so that Lou Reed could go.

When I went to the men's room between bands a few dudes her were toking-up and/or shooting heroin were talking about how much the opening-band sucked.
So...I was happy to see the The Feelies...but it was kinda disappointing too.

Lou was terrific though...and obviously the crowd wasn't in ANY hurry at all for him to get off the stage.

One thing I remember from the show is that he said ahead of time that he was just going to play his NY album in order...then take a break or intermission ....then come back and play "all the older stuff".
He said not to bother clapping or holding up the lighters or anything...."we'll just take a 10 minute break so go take a piss or whatever...and then we'll play more songs."

I'm pretty sure he said that he wasn't going to any encores. He's just playing all the songs we came to hear.
so it was more like a 'performance' and less like a true 'rock concert' in that regard.

And I really liked the idea of the 'intermission' in there.
He played his whole album and then took the break....and I think he must have been up there for 2 and a half hours total. It was a REALLY good show.


I also remember that it was in April because it was on the same day as the Cincy Reds season opener as well as the Michigan-Seton Hall overtime basketball championship which I taped.

[Benjamin]

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I would have really liked to see the Feelies on their own.
The Lou Reed crowd didn't know them at all. This was Cincy...not NJ where they were from.

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Yeah, not having the crowd into it can really take away from a performance. I saw 'em in NJ, they were cookin' and the crowd was wayyy into it. Very good show.

Lou did the same thing when I saw him - playing New York through first, then a break and all the old hits. Kind of unconventional, but it really stands out as a great show. Especially during the 2cnd half he had the crowd wrapped around his finger.

B.

[Ulysses]

That's a really awesome sounding list of shows, MicroBob.

[jakethebake]

Jimmy Buffet and the Violent Femmes in San Diego ran a close second to ALIZEE!

[Fishwhenican]

#1 - Cheap Trick - Best Live Band Ever
Various places during the 80's
Best show I saw was from the middle of the 5th row Alpine Vally, WI Must have been in like 1989. They opened for INXS and just totally blew them away, but them again they did that to everyone they ever opened for!

After them:

Todd Rundgren/Utopia
Columbus Ohio. 4 or 5 times during the 70's
Best show had to be the "Ra" show with Utpoia

Th Eagles - Cincinnati, 1970something, a couple of weeks before and in the same place that The Who played where a bunch of people were crushed and killed in the mad rush to get in to a general seating concert!

Kansas - Milwaukee - Early 80's
Wow they were fantastic!

Van Halen - Milwaukee - Can't remember what year it was but they still had David Lee Roth.
I wasn't even that big a Van Halen fan but they just flat out KICKED ASSSSS!

Journey - Milwaukee - The VERY early days of Summerfest back when the main stage show was included in the gemeral admission price and big cups of beer were like a Buck!
Also saw them at Alpine Valley where they were just as good but the beer was MUCH more expensive!

Billy Joel - Milwaukee - Early 80's
No REALLY He was gooot!

OK, and now the show no one will recognize:
Maynard Ferguson
Various times and places from 70's to mid 80's in Columbus OH, Summerfest in Milwaukee and Wilmot Union HS, Wilmot WI.
Maynard is a Jazz trumpet player extrodinaire! He would put together big band/Jazz Bands with some of the best young Jazz musicians anywhere and they were always fantastic!

[DeezNuts]

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Lollapalooza maybe 1993 at some air field in Rhode Island. Rage, Tool and Alice in Chains.

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I was there for the LA stop of the tour. Awesome. The next year would have been the best ever if Cobain didn't off himself. Smashing Pumpkins ended up being the headliner, but would have been the 2nd to last band if Cobain didn't blow his brains out. Nirvana+Pumpkins = awesome.

DN

[DeezNuts]

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Radiohead at this last year's Coachella is also another highlight.

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I heard it was like 100 degrees for this show. I would have loved to go but was happy I didn't. That drive is such a pain and getting out of the parking lot after the shows takes about an hour because everyone stays for the final set. Beastie Boys the year before was awesome.

DN

[detroitplayer]

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#1 - Smashing Pumpkins @ 9:30 club right after Jimmy Chamberlain came back

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I saw them on that tour too. It was all "small clubs". Tickets were a bitch to get.