Wow my memory is bad - I'd forgotten I had seen them live until I read this. I had to look up their tour history to figure out that it must have been the Momentary Lapse of Reason tour. Listening to their albums now I much prefer the earlier stuff, but they still put on a good show in '88.
My wife assures me the Rush concerts we saw were the best.
I don't know any of the songs and couldn't understand a word they were singing.
I think the best I saw on my own were early Blues Traveller, just when their 2nd album came out, and a guy named Chris Smither.
After the show he was in the lobby talking and shaking hands with people. Super nice guy.
I agree with your wife. And if you weren't singing along to every word of YYZ, you're a rube.
I missed my chance to see Rush, but I did get to see Primus covering Rush, and that was pretty dope
Rob Zombie put on a hell of a show back when I saw him a decade ago. More recently, Municipal Waste was sick. Their mosh pit was a blast.
I saw him at the show where Marilyn Manson passed out on stage. He put on his amazing show then went on to handle most of Manson's set.
Probably when I saw Snarky Puppy in my hometown of Aalborg, Denmark. In the jazz-fusion world they are very well-known, but I never expected them to do a stop in my town of a 100.000 people. I brought a friend who had never heard their music before at all, and we got 2nd row seats. He was blown away, and afterwards we got selfies with Michale League, the bassist of the band.
Ooof. Tough question.
Probably one of:
Iron Maiden, Sheffield City Hall, Somewhere on Tour, 1986
Metallica, Sheffield Arena, 1992
Depeche Mode, supported by Sisters of Mercy, Crystal Palace, 1993
Sisters of Mercy, the Fenton pub, Leed, 1996
Primal Scream / Alabama 3, Rock City Nottingham, 1998
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, Brixton Academy, 2001
Big arena things like Metallica at the Sheffield Arena are so different to intimate pub gigs like the Sisters of Mercy at the Fenton that it's really hard to compare.
U2 at Massey Hall in 1983. It was the "War" tour. They weren't well known at that point - we bought tickets the day of the show. They were also still professing Christianity and there was a big "John 3:16" banner across the balconies. But Holy shit the energy!
They began to blow up on "The Unforgettable Fire" tour the next year. They played Massey again at the beginning but by the end they were playing much larger venues.
I've seen so many. Stevie Ray Vaughan at the Variety Theater in Cleveland, Oh, USA, in 1984. He was new to the scene, and he played from his heart. It was pure and moved me in a way few other musicians have. I saw him 6 more times before he died.
Motorhead at the same Variety Theater, maybe 1985. It was the loudest show I've ever seen. The ceiling fell in chunks, and they had to stop the show before the building broke apart. Absolutely incredible.
Equality Rocks in Washington DC, 2000. Melissa Etheridge, George Michael, The Indigo Girls, k.d. lang, Pet Shop Boys, and more.. all in one place. The entire RFK Stadium was silent for Melissa Etheridge's Scarecrow. It still makes me cry.
Halestorm, Lita Ford, and Dorothy in Raleigh, NC, USA. We went for Halestorm- Lzzy has one of the best voices in rock, ever. I was super psyched to see Lita Ford- I've been a fan since her Runaways days and haven't seen her live. But for me, the showstopper was Dorothy- an unknown who's song Gun in My Hand echoed in my head until I was able to buy her album months later when it was released. I've seen her 4 times since.
Orianthi in November 2023, Detroit, MI, USA. She had incredible talent, and being able to see her in a small club with a few hundred people is an experience I will never forget. She, like SRV, plays from her heart. She rocked that place. I also saw her in Colombis, OH. I can't wait to see her again. Ori, if you see this, I think that I know you. I had my hands up to show you.
Last was my most recent concert, 12 July 2024. Amanda Marshall and Colin James at The Budweiser Stage in Toronto, Ontario, CA. I heard Amanda and Colin on the 96 FM from London, Ontario, across Lake Erie in 95 or 96. Amanda's Let It Rain blew me away. Her voice is incredible. Colin's Voodoo Thing was one of the most fun Texas Blues sings I've heard since SRV. I saw Amanda in 1997 or 98 when she was just starting out. She was great. Then she had a fight with Sony Music CA and didn't record or play for 25 years. I own every album either of them have recorded. All of Amanda's compilations and everything Colin did from blues to big band. The July show was the first big show since Amanda returned. It was pouring rain as I walked into the amphitheater. I was in the second row, dead center. Colin opened with Voodoo Thing, and it only got better. I was on my feet from the beginning of the set to the end. I sang every word. Colin was everything I hoped he would be. I'm going to see him again this month. Then Amanda took the stage. The emotion was palpable. She opened with Let It Rain and never slowed down. I, a 57 yr old guy, sang every word along with the women on my right and the couple on my left. We were all on our feet dancing and singing the whole show. Amanda's voice, timing, sense of humor, and musicality have only gotten better. I look forward to seeing her again soon.
Stevie Ray Vaughan
It was loud AAF, leaving my ears ringing for almost a week afterward, but it was just so much fun while I was there.
Honorable mention goes to the Chris de Burgh concert I attended. He's quite the showman, but it was the pop era of his music and I wasn't as into it as I was into Vaughan's at that concert.
This is a really hard question, so many gigs to choose from. I'd probably choose a VNV Nation gig I went to in Slimelight, London. They were famous (in the goth scene, at least) at that point but did an intentionally small gig for the old fans.
A close #2 would be The Dead Milkmen at a gig in Marburg back in the 90s. Was the first time I heard the grunge sound, and I thought it was excellent.
So much good music, so little time...
I don't know Bauhaus well - Bela Lugosi's Dead was on a mixtape I got from someone, and I enjoyed it, so I listen to them a bit. But I imagine they would be awesome live - I'm jealous.
Bela Lugosi is a great tune, but there are plenty of others. Check out the dub inspired She's In Parties, the gloomy Passion of Lovers or the post-punk Dark Entries.
There's a bar/cafe 20 mins away that has a stage and live music most every night. The crowd's only between 5-30 people depending on the act. Last month I caught a local goth band with two industrial duos from out of town opening, it was my favorite concert in recent memory. Support your local music scene!
Phoenix is just something else, saw them twice, Love Like A Sunset is a unique experience. Love their energy and how they interact with the crowd!
Yes ! It's so beautiful, they usually play it with the 'power of ten' video in the background, making it a whole new experience
It depends a lot on what you're looking for. Iconic bands? Probably Neil Young with Crazy Horse or Crosby, Stills & Nash.
Best production was probably Trans Siberian Orchestra.
The Moody Blues were damn fun to watch. They were pretty old by the time I saw them, but they sure looked like they were having fun. It was infectious.
Hard choice, so so many, a few highlights
X and Black Flag, Cookoo's Nest, 1979
Pretenders, Perkins Palace, 1981 (Bruce Springsteen joined for encore, Your Love Keeps Lifting Me Higher and Higher)
Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense Tour, Greek Theatre, 1983
Dave Nelson Band, Galaxy Theater, 1999
Buffalo Springfield, (opening act Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings) Wiltern Theater, 2011
Chick Corea and Bella Fleck, Royce Hall, 2014
Gorillaz, Demon Dayz Festival LA in 2018. There was so much going on, so many artists to see and it was a blast. Damon gave it his usual best and the song selection was on point
A couple of standouts were The Clash in 1982 at the St Paul Civic Center.
2024 The Kills @ First Avenue in Minneapolis. The filthy things Jamie did to that guitar.
I bet we were at some of the same shows if you were doing First Ave/Fine Line/Turf Club/Uptown Bar in the '90s.
I'll take Replacements at 7th Street Entry in early 1986. Westerberg did If Only You Were Lonely solo acoustic as an encore while getting pelted with beer bottles from off stage.
Most memorable (in hindsight) would be Stevie Ray Vaughan at Alpine Valley the night before the helicopter crash.
Replacements are one of my favorite bands but somehow I've never managed to see them live. Still think they shoukd have played the super bowl with Fancy Ray instead of that Bruno guy.
I saw then a few years back and not only was it a good show, it was one of the longest gigs I've ever been to. Great value for money.
Last time I saw them live they'd perform for 3.5 hours and during one of the few short breaks they played the Doctor Who theme song on a theremin. ^^