What was your most memorable concert?

[ski_resort_observer]

Saw pretty much every concert at SPAC from 68-74, they had to have rock concerts to pay the bills, but the most memorable would have to be the Dead's last show at Red Rocks in the late 70's.

 

[mlctvt]

gd halloween '80 radio city acoustic/ electric
roundup allman bros et al jfk - just freakin funny cut water hoses riot
who jfk - drove from temple u in philly back to nj to take the "magic bus" back to the show
peter tosh / jimmy cliff tower theater phila
violent femmes rome italy - classic punk bar fight while jammin jesus walked on the water (?!)
dizzy gillespie south st phila
talkin heads stop making sense fairmount park
gd/dylan giants stadium fathers day before jg passed - i remeber thinking wow he's bad...rip
first of many newport jazz festivals
north mississippi all star /john hiatt keswick theatre last year - smokin'

and every time i see pat methany i get blown away
and although i never saw led zeppelin i did see dred zeppelin at CBGB's maybe andyz was tthere mon

gorganzola you've got great tastes. I would have loved to see the Femmes in Italy

My favs
Pat Metheny- '89 Letter from Home tour , front row Bushnell Theater ,Hartford
Psychedelic Furs- early 80s Agora ballroom Hartford

 

[marcski]

Yep, remember Belizbeha

Belizbeha rocked! I LOVE the funk...and those guys definitely had the .... "flow" as they used to say. I believe they've been defunct for a few years but hear they get together every once in a while for private parties...(ie. I heard Burton had them one recent year, not sure if its true).

 

[deadheadskier]

Saw pretty much every concert at SPAC from 68-74, they had to have rock concerts to pay the bills, but the most memorable would have to be the Dead's last show at Red Rocks in the late 70's.

I'm assuming you mean last show of the 70's at Red Rocks as they did play there numerous times during the 80's.

 

[frozencorn]

Belizbeha rocked! I LOVE the funk...and those guys definitely had the .... "flow" as they used to say. I believe they've been defunct for a few years but hear they get together every once in a while for private parties...(ie. I heard Burton had them one recent year, not sure if its true).

Saw them a bunch times in my time up there and in Boston when they'd play the Paradise or House of Blues. Loved those guys.

Walked by - I think it was Bretton Woods - booth at the expo last week and "Not for Nothin'" was playing along with their promo video. Catch the flow.

 

[WWF-VT]

Sept 17, 1980 - Bob Marley and the Wailers at Meehan Auditorium, Brown University - great show, only performed three more concerts before his death in 1981

October 30, 1980 - Grateful Dead at Radio City. Helluva bus trip from Storrs, CT and seats in the 5th row.

Apr 23, 1982 - REM opening up for the English Beat at the Agora Ballroom in West Hartford. REM was still relatively unknown at the time. Maybe 200 people paying attention to a band that would later sell out staduims

August 1982 - The Clash at the Cape Cod Coliseum and Agora Ballroom. The Clash set the bar for intensity for a live performance by any band I ever saw.

October 1, 1994 - Grateful Dead, Boston Garden - first Dead show was May 1978 this was my last of many in between. Jerry and the boys nailed this show. Opening Help on the Way > Slipknot > Franklin's Tower. Top version of So Many Roads and killer second set Terrapin Station and Stella Blue.

 

[ChileMass]

October 30, 1980 - Grateful Dead at Radio City. Helluva bus trip from Storrs, CT and seats in the 5th row.

Those Radio City shows must have been fun, especially with the acoustic opening set.

 

[marcski]

Those Radio City shows must have been fun, especially with the acoustic opening set.

Agreed, my brother saw a whole bunch of them during that run!

 

[WICKEDBUMPER]

too many great shows. these are just a few.
-Ray Davies on the X-ray 2 man acoustic tour. At some opera house. A legit posh-posh opera house with carpet, drapes, beautiful ceiling, 8 people to a box, each box had a personal tux wearing go-for, Perfect sound. Right after the first song, he comments that he does not like the sound of his amp. After the 3rd or 4th song he picks up his amp and smashes it into pieces on stage and starts cursing and yelling. He throws his guitar down and walks off. After 10 mins, his roadie comes out with a new amp and sets it up and tells the crowd that unless we beg him, he's not coming back out. after 20 mins. he comes out and finishes the show.
-black crowes in the stone pony parking lot. Some unknown chick next to me puts her hand down my shorts for an hour. Not to mention I'm standing 4 feet away from Marc Ford.
-Kiss @ MSG. First reunion tour. floor- 14th row. My ass never touched the seat. stood on the back of the chair the whole show.
-Buckwheat Zydeco @ SOBS. did not stop dancing for 3+ hours. Buck was in a great mood and just kept on playing. If Buck cant make you dance, you have issues.
-dwayne doopsie on bourban street - unexplainable. the guy made the paint on the walls melt.
-Blue Oyster Cult @ Jimmys basement comedy club. Just as the name says...The basement of a comedy club in a residential area. BOC showed up with enough gear to play Giants stadium. Loudest show I have ever experienced. If you put your beer down on the table, it shook from one side to the other.

 

[skidmarks]

Roger Waters The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking 1984 Hartford
EC was playing guitar!

David Bowie The Glass Spider Tour 1987 Hartford
Peter Frampton on guitar!

Van Halen The Monsters of Rock Tour 1988 Sullivan Stadium
Sammy Hagar

Rolling Stones Steel Wheels Tour 1989 Sullivan Stadium + Shea Stadium

The Del Fuegos anywhere near Boston

Pajama Slave Dancers

NRBQ

 

[deadheadskier]

October 1, 1994 - Grateful Dead, Boston Garden - first Dead show was May 1978 this was my last of many in between. Jerry and the boys nailed this show. Opening Help on the Way > Slipknot > Franklin's Tower. Top version of So Many Roads and killer second set Terrapin Station and Stella Blue.

I caught the whole run and they were all killer shows.

I'm partial to 9/29 because of the 2nd set; it was like a step back in time; could've been a set list from 1973

Playin>Eyes>Estimated>He's Gone>Drums>Spanish Jam>Other One> Wharf Rat> Sugar Mag

 

[jimk]

@Smellytele 's rock concert story in the Europe thread about the drunken girlfriend with muddy white pants made me dig up this thread. I guess I never posted in it? Maybe it was before my time on AZ?

I went to college in the mid-70s so that's when I saw some of my most memorable music concerts. I was a standard baby boomer Rock N Roll fan and enjoyed concerts by Clapton, Allman Bros, Linda Ronstadt, ZZ Top, Springsteen, Zappa, etc, etc. But two really memorable ones from around 1973-74 were The Earl Scruggs Review and Buddy Rich. Earl was undoubtedly the greatest banjo player of all time and Buddy was possibly the greatest drummer of all time. They played the kind of music I hadn't previously listened to much, Bluegrass and Big Band respectively. It was really fun to be exposed to these genres by two of the absolute greats.

Another oddly memorable concert occurred much later, around 2007 when I saw Peter Noone. I had Low expectations. It was a nostalgia act and we went to kill time at Hershey Park while the kids rode roller coasters. Wife and I both thought Peter Noone killed it with high energy versions of old Herman's Hermits tunes. He even romped widely thru the audience giving free CDs to dozens of youngsters.

 

[deadheadskier]

Great thread resurrection Jim and I agree about Buddy Rich.

Live music is such a huge part of my life. When I joined this site and was thinking of a handle, I thought at the time what really defines my passions and it was my love if the Grateful Dead and skiing, so deadheadskier came out of that.

We live where we do for basically four reasons

1. Close to family
2. Very good school district
3. IMO one of the best small music clubs in the country in The Stone Church. It's now been the heart of the town for 51 years.
4. Decent proximity to skiing

#3 has completely changed and spoiled me over our 13 years here. I used to chase large arena and stadium concerts for years and years. I've seen so many legends and some of them dozens of times. Used to travel all over the Northeast for 15-20 concerts a year. 2-5 weekend camping music festivals as well

Over the past ten years that number has dwindled to maybe 2 or 3 big concerts per year. Some of that has to do with becoming a dad and lacking the time and energy to travel for music at great expense.

But most of it has to do with just how great the live music experiences are at the Stone Church. I can hear the soundchecks from our back deck and walk there in ten minutes. And the up and coming talent they book sometimes grows into National touring acts. As an example, Phish played here a half dozen times in the early 90s before they blew up. The indoor capacity of the venue is only 175 people.

The pandemic has actually been a huge blessing in disguise for the Stone Church. They were shut down in March 2020. That reality was looking like it might end them. The owner sent out a plea asking for $20k to cover taxes and utilities for six months. The local community covered that request in two days.

Come July last year, the owner asked the town for a waiver to allow outdoor socially distanced shows in the parking lot nextdoor and got permission to move forward. Starting right away they were hosting shows outdoors weather permitting five nights a week. It was incredible. Outside of Pembroke Studios in Mass and drive in shows with car pods, there was almost no substantial live music in New England for a year. The Stone Church had by far the best setup and lineups. I had friends traveling from far and wide coming to shows.

They kept these outdoor socially distanced shows going through the middle of December. People were there in ski gear on nights as cold as 35 degrees dancing away. They reopened in March a few warm nights and then for good on April 9th.

Early spring it was still socially distanced shows. Basically you would buy either a 4 top or 6 top table and the capacity was about 200 people. Now the restrictions are lifted and the outdoor capacity is about 400 people and it's general admission. Great bands Thursday through Saturday. If they can't book a band that attracts 400, they book one that will attract 175 inside now with no restrictions.

This last year has been so great to be a part of what the Stone Church has become. Which is better than I could ever imagine. During a pandemic!. I typically buy extra tickets to shows once a month and tell the bands to resell the seats, but take the revenue from the extra tickets I bought and donate it to a local charity of their choice and to promote that charity during the show so other fans chip in to that cause.

It's a really beautiful and community lifting thing we have here at The Stone Church. Makes wanting to spend money on large production, corporate venue shows almost non-existent for me

Though I do have tickets to see Primus play Rush in Portland in October. They're playing the full album "A Tribute to Kings" by Rush; who we are big fan of. RIP Neil Peart. Neil right there with Buddy as the best to hit skins.

Picture of the Stone Church looking up the stairway from downtown to get up to Zion Hill.

 

[jimk]

Good stuff @deadheadskier ! You are very fortunate to have that amazing venue nearby and to have it continue to function in the last year.

I haven't seen a live music show since before the pandemic. Here in the Wash DC area we usually have access to frequent/weekly free performances by military bands (USMC Presiden't Own, US Army Pershing's Own, US Navy and USAF bands, etc.) at many venues around the region and I've enjoyed them a lot over the years. About 4 years ago I was visiting historic Mount Vernon, VA (George Washington's home) and caught a memorable free concert there by the USAF Strolling Strings ensemble - amazing what 15 people on violins and cellos can sound like playing Led Zeppelin's Kashmir!


I haven't been to a really large arena/stadium concert in many years, but I live 15 minutes from this 7000 seat place and in normal times see several shows per year here:

Wolf Trap National Park (Virginia)​

Ron Cogswell / Flickr / CC BY 2.0
[National parks are not usually associated with concerts, but concerts are the main events at Wolf Trap National Park for the Performing Arts in Fairfax County, Virginia. Philanthropist Catherine Filene Shouse donated the land to the National Park Service in the 1960s because she wanted to protect it from suburban sprawl. The property was the first, and remains the only, national park for performing arts.

Wolf Trap’s main stage is the Filene Center, a partially covered space that seats around 7,000. Half of the attendees sit in a covered pavilion, and half can sit on the lawns behind this area. Performances have included operas, folk music festivals, ballet, jazz, and symphonies (including performances by the National Symphony Orchestra). Besides the Filene Center, Wolf Trap has a children’s theater. ]

 

[ScottySkis]

Gathering of vibes 4 daye of grateful dead and other awesome bands in CT on water in 2011
It was awesome time I was so drunk and stoned along with 85% of the attendees

Just curious if any one on AZ belongs this dead haeed Facebook group I recommend

Log into Facebook

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[jimk]

Back in 2013 at that same venue (Wolftrap) I saw Warren Haynes when he joined the National Symphony Orchestra for a Jerry Garcia tribute concert. They played a bunch of Grateful Dead tunes and Warren used Jerry's "Wolf" guitar. Photo below is not mine, but from the concert I attended.


Question: I'm not really a Deadhead, but am a casual fan of the group's music. Is it bad form to wear a Hawaiian shirt instead of a tie dye shirt to a dead concert?

 

[crank]

I'm assuming you mean last show of the 70's at Red Rocks as they did play there numerous times during the 80's.

I just saw my first show at Red Rocks a week or so ago. Brandi Carlile and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. It as awesome and lol: lots of lesbians.

Checking out their museum I saw that the Grateful Dead played Red Rocks more than any other band.

Which leads me to what has to be my most memorable concert: The Grateful Dead at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY in 1970.l NRPS opened. I was only 13. Saw them there again in '71.

 

[jimk]

I just saw my first show at Red Rocks a week or so ago. Brandi Carlile and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. It as awesome and lol: lots of lesbians.

Checking out their museum I saw that the Grateful Dead played Red Rocks more than any other band.

Which leads me to what has to be my most memorable concert: The Grateful Dead at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY in 1970.l NRPS opened. I was only 13. Saw them there again in '71.

I visited the Red Rocks facility 3 or 4 years ago when I was staying nearby on a ski trip. No shows going on because it was winter, but museum was open. Would love to catch a show there sometime, stunning setting!

Here's a cross post from that other website, lists most of the concerts I have attended:
70's
David Bromberg (roots/folk, possibly my 1st concert, 1972.)
America 2x (the late Dan Peek was totally bombed during one show and basically propped up by the other two)
Linda Ronstadt (front row, just as You're No Good was climbing the charts)
Focus (Dutch group with manic guitarist Jan Akkerman)
Charlie Byrd
Dion*
Frank Zappa* (memorably crazy show)
Rolling Stones*(ticket cost $10 in 1975)
Earl Scruggs Review (got to visit with him in empty hall during sound check)
Buddy Rich (amazing drummer!)
John McLaughlin
Larry Coryell
Looking Glass (one hit wonder, played Brandy You're a Fine Girl at beginning and end of show)
Pointer Sisters
George Benson
Doobie Brothers* (gave a very good show, I worked as an usher close to stage at Cole Fieldhouse, Univ of MD)
ZZ Top* and Kiss (I worked a spotlight at this show, Capitol Center, Largo MD. BTW the recently deceased Dusty Hill of ZZ Top was a big Elvis fan and did a nice cover of Jailhouse Rock at that show.)

Stephen Stills and Manassas (I worked as an usher at this show)
Neil Young*
Eric Clapton*
Allman Brothers*

80’s
BB King*
Joe Jackson
Bobby Blue Bland*
Sonny Stitt
Patty Smith (she walked off stage and never came back after one or two songs claiming to be sick, her band was good and played on for an hour)
I think I saw Richie Havens and the Talking Heads in the 80s but can't remember for sure

90’s
Peter, Paul and Mary (my brother the Marine and other family members were with me and Peter made a memorable appeal to veterans before singing Where Have All the Flowers Gone, saying he was anti-war, but not anti-soldier.)
Jake Shimabukuro (the Jimi Hendrix of the ukulele)
Kenny Loggins 2x

00’s
Willie Nelson (legend, glad I got to see him)
Wynton Marsalis
Beach Boys*
Bruce Hornsby
Bonnie Raitt*
Keb Mo
Dr. John
Lyle Lovitt (with the large band, my wife often cites this as one of the best shows she's ever attended)
Peter Noone (Herman's Hermits)
Joe Cocker (his voice was nearly gone, but I love his song catalog and the band was great)
Bobby McFerrin
Manhattan Transfer
Davey Jones (member of The Monkees)
Josh Groban

10’s
B52s 2x
Tedeschi-Trucks (Derek is a powerhouse!)
Aretha Franklin* (concert started great with RESPECT, but seemed to run out of gas after that, she died a couple years later)
Crosby Stills & Nash*
Sting*
Warren Haynes
Los Lobos
Bare Naked Ladies (at Vail during 2015 FIS Alpine World Ski Championships)
Righteous Brothers* (Bill Medley with Bucky Heard replacing the late Bobby Hatfield. This is the last live concert I've seen, Las Vegas, NV, Feb 2020.)

*Rock Hall of Fame member


Near miss, not going when I had the chance

Elvis 1974, Univ of Maryland, turned down a chance to usher at this show to instead go home from college for the weekend

 

[chuckstah]

I just saw my first show at Red Rocks a week or so ago. Brandi Carlile and the Colorado Symphony Orchestra. It as awesome and lol: lots of lesbians.

Checking out their museum I saw that the Grateful Dead played Red Rocks more than any other band.

Which leads me to what has to be my most memorable concert: The Grateful Dead at the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY in 1970.l NRPS opened. I was only 13. Saw them there again in '71.

I saw "The Dead" at Red Rocks in 2004. Concert was not great, the Warren Haynes version, but any version of my favorite band is worth while. The venue? Best in the country for me to date. Bonus, skied the 3 days prior at Abasin, mid June, including a wet powder day. Best concert ever? Live Aid in Philly, 1985. Great show.

 

[cdskier]

Metallica with the Symphony Orchestra at MSG in NYC back in 1999.