Most memorable concert(s) you’ve been to….

[Guest Derek L]

Was talking over dinner tonight with the family and one of my kid’s friends over live music from “back in the olden days” and how much fun we’ve had at past live performances and the anticipation of the wife and I going to see Corb Lund next week, then the Eagles a few weeks later……..

I’ll start off:

The first concert I’d ever been to, went with my older cousins and eldest sister….bar none, Led Zeppelin, Spring of ‘75 at Pacific Coliseum, the highlight by far:

The second, five years later, again at the PNE would have been Queen......will always remember a friend puking all over himself and clearing the East Hastings bus on our way home...The show was pretty good too, And incidentally, a few year later in Sun City SA, my wife’s first “Western” live act:

Then for my third, much older of course, saw Billy Joel and Elton John in Jan of '01 at GM Place....and they closed the joint with a duet of:

[kimmy]

I went to a festival when I lived in Ottawa. Some of the acts included:

-Econoline Crush

-GOB!

-Joydrop

-Swollen Members

-the Black Halos

and... Bif Naked! I was not much of a Bif Naked fan until I had seen her perform live. She is terrific! She was joined by L7 bass player Gail Greenwood, who I met before the show (and had no idea who she was until I saw her on stage )

Bif was not actually naked at all, though she almost ended up that way when Gail attempted to pants her during the show; Bif's punk rocker jeans were having a hard enough time staying up already.

People are probably familiar with Bif already, so here is some GOB! instead:

And the Black Halos...

-k

[DogOnPorch]

I was part of a concert at UNBC where Bif lost her front tooth...kicked out by some goon in the so-called mosh pit...more like drunken naked jock wrestling pit. The Real McKenzies were supposed to appear as well, but their bus broke down. By the time they got there, we were cleaning-up. Ended-up getting quite tanked with them. Same with Nardwaur the Human Serviette...great fun during and after the concert. His private Courtney Love video tapes were VERY funny.

[AngusThermopyle]

Best concert? That's a hard one to answer since so many bands bring something special to the table when they perform. There are quite a few I put up there with the best I've seen. For sure Queen is one of them, saw them for their Jazz and News of the World tours, Freddy was mesmerizing on stage and the rest of the band were very tight and on the money. Jethro Tull for the Bursting Out and Stormwatch tours. Ian Anderson is truly a first class showman. Yes for the Tormato tour, once again a first class show. Peter Gabriel for the Shock the Monkey tour, always loved old Genesis and Peter is another amazing live performer. That's just some of them, there are others that belong on the list though. As I said, each band brought something special onto the stage.

[Shady]

Probably my favourite was my first concert, back in 1996. I went to Lalapalooza when Metallica and Soundgarden headlined. It was amazing. Also saw the Ramones there before the two big bands played.

[Guest]

Saw lots of bands back in the 70s and 80s, and the memorable ones are always the smaller venue ones. I don't remember much about Floyd, Zeppelin, Dylan, Clapton, the Stones etc.. The venues were too large.

But SAHB at St George's Hall in Bradford about 74!

David Bowie as Ziggy Stardust at the same venue about the same time.

The Clash in 77? at Leeds University. (the stage was a foot higher than the crowd)

George Thorogood at Sheffield University about 78/79, long before he ruined it all by bringing in a saxophone player. Those are the ones that stick around.

Then there was Hawkwind. Of course, that could just be due to Stacia. (NSFW if you've never heard of her and decide to Google her)

[Guest Derek L]

Best concert? That's a hard one to answer since so many bands bring something special to the table when they perform. There are quite a few I put up there with the best I've seen. For sure Queen is one of them, saw them for their Jazz and News of the World tours, Freddy was mesmerizing on stage and the rest of the band were very tight and on the money. Jethro Tull for the Bursting Out and Stormwatch tours. Ian Anderson is truly a first class showman. Yes for the Tormato tour, once again a first class show. Peter Gabriel for the Shock the Monkey tour, always loved old Genesis and Peter is another amazing live performer. That's just some of them, there are others that belong on the list though. As I said, each band brought something special onto the stage.

I agree, Freddie truly did know how to work a crowd and his premature death was a real blow to the industry and the younger generations that never got to see him perform:

http://youtu.be/zGxX3qht99o

With that said, After further retrospective analysis, I was remiss in not mentioning seeing the Thunder from Down Under twice (Their last tour and the Razors Edge)…….As such, I’ll put them tied in 2nd spot, well fully recommending anyone who has not seen AC/DC live to remedy that situation at the next available opportunity…….I would also give a nod to the Stones……..I’ve only seen them live once (Steel Wheels tour) at BC Place, and though in my opinion their album at the time was one of their more weaker ones, it was still a hell of a show

http://youtu.be/3waRxjLe-M4

[eyeball]

Pink Floyd, Dark Side of the Moon tour at Maple Leaf Gardens.

I sat about 15 rows back on the ground floor just about centre stage. It left me with a case of tinnitus that still resonates through my head every waking moment. I think they should rename the song Brain Damage, Hearing Damage.

I wish I'd never gone and settled for the album.

[Mighty AC]

I once went to a very special, small and intimate Kiss show held in convention hall in Toronto. The show lasted most of the day and included separate one hour interactive instrument clinics by the band members, a short performance by a tribute band and then an interactive, request based show by the whole band.

At the time the band had already produced more than 20 albums so watching them try to jam and recall the tune and lyrics to old songs requested by the crowd, was fun to see. They even allowed some audience members up on stage to sing along with the band.

Afterwards, they signed autographs for an hour or so. I was lucky enough to get into a small group that met the band and was able to spend 5 to 10 minutes talking with each member. For a kid that dressed up like band members for Hallowe'en and even burnt my chest trying to blow fire like Gene Simmons, it was an amazing experience.

[The_Squid]

Great story AC... and what an amazing event that would have been.

The best concert, and maybe the most memorable, was the most recent Rush concert that I went to.... the band was absolutely on their game! And the string section they brought provided a great flair to some of their old songs! Awesome...

And their new album is one of their best... yes, 38 years as a band and the latest album is terrific. It plays very well in concert...

[BC_chick]

My most memorable concert is easy.... but more for its infamy than anything...

I managed to get myself backstage at the concert of a certain rock star who shall remain nameless in case anyone from those days recognizes this story.

I got to drink beers backstage, go on stage, visit 'the bus' and sit in the sound room. It was amazing, I couldn't believe it I was 'chosen' (tongue-in check) to be there and the guy who seemed to have taken a liking to me was treating me very nicely and respectfully.

But this is where the story took a turn for the ugly (or uglier I should say, looking back at things as a mature woman).

I started to feel light-headed and I thought that maybe one of the roadies had slipped something in my drink. I started panicking and I ran out of concert. I couldn't find my friends so I hailed a taxi. I told him I was drugged and to take me home.

I was lying down in the back seat moaning and the taxi driver was driving very fast to get me home. To make matters worse, we had gone to the concert in a border US town so I had to go through the border and I had a long way home.

Somewhere along the way I started to feel better. Obviously I drank a bit too much but I sobered up on the long ride home. By the time I was home I was totally fine. I thanked the taxi-driver who I'm sure thought I was crazy when all this was said and done.

The cab-ride home cost me close to $100 but it was definitely the most infamous yet memorable concert of my life.

Probably not one to share with the grandkids though.

ETA - Whenever I've told this story I've had people react with a raised eyebrow on 'how exactly' I got backstage so maybe I'll explain pro-actively. It was my birthday and my friends were asking the security guard if I can get in but they refused. Somehow one guy who overheard this asked me to show my ID to prove that it's my birthday and he said he'll be back with a VIP pass. I didn't believe it, but he came through. He turned out to be a great kid too, very polite. I'm sure he had other intentions but I ran out of there a mess so I never got to see that side of him...

Edited August 20, 2013 by BC_chick

[AngusThermopyle]

And their new album is one of their best... yes, 38 years as a band and the latest album is terrific. It plays very well in concert...

From what I've heard of it it does sound good, a return to the old power trio days. Its one album I wont buy though as the recording is horrible. They fell into the same trap that many musicians today fall prey to. When they recorded it they boosted the loudness at the expense of dynamic range, as a result it doesn't sound very good. Source material good, recording and engineering bad, that equals a fail. Unfortunately.

[cybercoma]

God. What I wouldn't give to have been able to see Freddy Mercury live in his prime or The Who when they were at the top of their game.

[AngusThermopyle]

Saw the Who in Detroit back when I was a teen. It was a great concert but not my favourite one. What I miss is the fact that the days of the grand concerts appear to be done. Some will argue that the new bands are as good or better but I maintain that its pretty hard to top some of those old bands for the sheer spectacle and fantastic music they put up on stage.

[DogOnPorch]

I once went to a very special, small and intimate Kiss show held in convention hall in Toronto. The show lasted most of the day and included separate one hour interactive instrument clinics by the band members, a short performance by a tribute band and then an interactive, request based show by the whole band.

At the time the band had already produced more than 20 albums so watching them try to jam and recall the tune and lyrics to old songs requested by the crowd, was fun to see. They even allowed some audience members up on stage to sing along with the band.

Afterwards, they signed autographs for an hour or so. I was lucky enough to get into a small group that met the band and was able to spend 5 to 10 minutes talking with each member. For a kid that dressed up like band members for Hallowe'en and even burnt my chest trying to blow fire like Gene Simmons, it was an amazing experience.

Between Kiss and the Provos, my hearing is shot. One of the loudest concerts I've ever attended...Love Gun Tour.

[GostHacked]

I have not seen many, but my faves so far.....

Dire Straights (Sudbury Arena 1989 i think)

Rush (Bell Center Montreal 2012)

Prince (Corel Center, Ottawa 2011 .. a fan of over 20 years and first time I saw him was then)

Infected Mushroom (some popular bar Vancouver 2010)

Knopfler and the boys brought enough gear to make even the craptastic acoustics of the Sudbury Arena sound fantastic. And I cannot say which one is my fave, but these four are my most memorable.

[Mighty AC]

Between Kiss and the Provos, my hearing is shot. One of the loudest concerts I've ever attended...Love Gun Tour.

Yeah, they are incredibly loud. Do you remember Big Sugar from the late 90's? That is the absolute loudest band I've seen live. I'm fairly sure they're responsible for causing tinnitus in many club workers.

[DogOnPorch]

Yeah, they are incredibly loud. Do you remember Big Sugar from the late 90's? That is the absolute loudest band I've seen live. I'm fairly sure they're responsible for causing tinnitus in many club workers.

Yes...tried to book Big Sugar in those days...they were already well past the venue's seating ability to pay...great band.

[Guest American Woman]

Like a few others here, I have to say KISS; it was my first concert, so that was exciting in itself, it was KISS ('nuff said), and it my first time getting high ( probably shouldn't have had that bottle of wine first). Come to think of it, I'm surprised I remember it so well.