WestCoastRunner Posted September 19, 2015 Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 (edited) I'm not sure if this type of thread has been initiated (maybe by me), but my best concert ever attended was a very long time ago. It was Supertramp in London, Ontario, circa 1976 or 77. It was at an old roller skating arena which has long since been torn down. Cheech and Chong performed at the very same arena The absolute best concert I have ever attended and I have attended a lot. Supertramp was just on their way up and they completely blew my young mind away. Edited September 19, 2015 by WestCoastRunner Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WIP Posted September 19, 2015 Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Never got around to seeing Supertramp in their heyday, though I had most of their albums. I saw Roger Hodgson a few years ago when my wife and I saw a solo show he was doing at Casino Niagara a few years ago. Before he took the stage, their were so many instruments and equipment on stage, I expected a full band coming out to back him up....even after he and one and only one sideman came out to do the first two or three songs. But, Roger with the help of one other multi-instrumentalist were able to perform all of the songs he did with Supertramp....even Fool's Overture! Seems that 'best concert' is seriously skewed by how old we were, how high we were at the time that I'm not sure if it can be any kind of yardstick to judge how good the band was that was performing. I think I'll go with Paul Simon as my pick....not because it was the best concert I ever saw...likely not, but it was one that I did not want to be at (my fiancee at the time sort of armtwisted me into this one), and it was a Toronto concert staged not long after the Graceland album was released. Graceland was taking a long time to win fans over at first, and wasn't really getting a lot of radio airplay until more than a year after release. It seemed to get unflattering comparison with other white musicians discovering African music like Talking Heads and Peter Gabriel, and after turning out a few solo clunkers, there was a feeling that Paul Simon was just looking for some Third World cred to restart his career. Nevertheless, it was much better than I expected, and I was glad to be there: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoastRunner Posted September 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Graceland is one of my favourite's and I still like to dance to it. It has great rhythm and a beautiful cd! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrimeNumber Posted September 19, 2015 Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Every concert, festival, show, bar, house, garage and dingy basement me and my friends ever played in. Nothing beats it. Sure miss those days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoastRunner Posted September 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Every concert, festival, show, bar, house, garage and dingy basement me and my friends ever played in. Nothing beats it. Sure miss those days. For sure. The ultimate is finding a neighbourhood pub that plays good bands. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoastRunner Posted September 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Every concert, festival, show, bar, house, garage and dingy basement me and my friends ever played in. Nothing beats it. Sure miss those days. You guys played in a band? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoastRunner Posted September 19, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BubberMiley Posted September 19, 2015 Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Sun Ra Arkestra at the Concordia University Faculty of Music concert hall in 1989. $10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canada_First Posted September 19, 2015 Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 I've been to Iron Maiden numerous times in the 80s and 90s. They put on an amazing show. Saw them more recently in about 2010. Getting older but still good and energetic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Hardner Posted September 19, 2015 Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 I was at Prince's 40th birthday party, sort of, and while I eschew terms like 'best' when describing n-dimensional aspects of living it was certainly a remarkable show he put on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrimeNumber Posted September 19, 2015 Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 You guys played in a band? We did. For about 11 years. Released 2 EP's and 3 Full Length albums in that time. And played all over North America. There is nothing better than playing music in front of thousands of people. But then reality strikes and eventually people go to school and get married and have kids and get jobs that demand more of their time. I'm just thankful I got to live it during the prime of my life, can't ask for much more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ash74 Posted September 19, 2015 Report Share Posted September 19, 2015 Garth Brooks was really fun but hands down best concert was Pink Floyd in 94. I saw two shows and will never forget it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jbg Posted September 20, 2015 Report Share Posted September 20, 2015 I was too new to progressive rock in July 1970 to fully appreciate it but I attended a concert that opened with It's a Beautiful Day, then Jethro Tull, and then the Who, performing all of Tommy. The best one(s) I can remember well are: 1) Carly Simon opening for Livingston Taylor in October 1971 (should have been the other way around); 2) James Taylor in Carnegie Hall (December 1971); 3) Don Williams in Elizabeth, New Jersey in December 1984; 4) Blue Rodeo in New York City in June 2003; and 5) Ian Tyson in New York City in July 2015. I don't count numerous classical concerts, or excellent multi-musician events as a bluegrass festival in Hartford, Connecticut in June 1981 or a country music jamboree in Meadowlands, New Jersey on July 4, 1983. For the latter my girlfriend (who set me up with my wife eventually) asked why we took seat in the shaded eves of the stadium. It didn't take her long to figure out when when the temperature hit 35 or 36 in the shade and people were being carried off the field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RB Posted September 20, 2015 Report Share Posted September 20, 2015 I've never been to a pop/rock concert I am so missing out - as soon as I have to time I will I will get to these but I have never missed classical music, opera, orchestra, theatre - would trot the globe for these Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bryan Posted September 20, 2015 Report Share Posted September 20, 2015 I've seen a lot of concerts. The best one I've ever seen by far was the Kiss 1996 reunion tour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WestCoastRunner Posted September 20, 2015 Author Report Share Posted September 20, 2015 We did. For about 11 years. Released 2 EP's and 3 Full Length albums in that time. And played all over North America. There is nothing better than playing music in front of thousands of people. But then reality strikes and eventually people go to school and get married and have kids and get jobs that demand more of their time. I'm just thankful I got to live it during the prime of my life, can't ask for much more. And probably a good idea to exit that lifestyle early. Rock musicians seem to have premature deaths. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PrimeNumber Posted September 21, 2015 Report Share Posted September 21, 2015 (edited) And probably a good idea to exit that lifestyle early. Rock musicians seem to have premature deaths. haha no need to worry about that only the really good ones have premature deaths. I suppose it's the curse of the 27 club. Trade your soul for rock and roll and all that jazz. The lifestyle isn't nearly as bad these days as it was in the 60's and 70's though. Edited September 21, 2015 by PrimeNumber Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty AC Posted September 23, 2015 Report Share Posted September 23, 2015 I've seen a lot of concerts. The best one I've ever seen by far was the Kiss 1996 reunion tour. I've seen Kiss a few times, including on that tour. In terms of a rock spectacle, their live shows are hard to beat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BubberMiley Posted September 24, 2015 Report Share Posted September 24, 2015 I've seen Kiss a few times, including on that tour. In terms of a rock spectacle, their live shows are hard to beat. Who would have thought a band could be so successful by appealing to people who have no interest in music. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mighty AC Posted September 25, 2015 Report Share Posted September 25, 2015 Who would have thought a band could be so successful by appealing to people who have no interest in music. lol nice. Their music was catchy enough, but the focus was more on entertainment and merchandising. As a young kid growing up in the 80's Kiss collectibles were the big draw, along with their comic-book-like personas. Paul was very solid singer, even doing some stints on Broadway as the Phantom, and they had a few reasonably talented guitarists over the years, but they weren't a musicians band. I still have a soft spot for them, despite Gene Simmons being a major a-hole. I did manage to meet and talk with the band in the mid-90's. They did an unplugged warm up show, prior to doing an MTV Unplugged session. It included a collectibles convention and each band member put on a clinic for their instrument, then they did an all request acoustic show. Afterwards, they signed autographs but the lines were so long I wasn't going to my album signed before the cutoff time. With nothing to lose I just hopped up on stage, walked across to the back and waited for the band to finish. I fully expected to be tackled and beaten by the no-necks guarding the stage, but nobody seemed to notice. So once they finished they all signed my album and talked with me for 5 to 10 minutes. I still have that signed album in a dusty box somewhere under my basement stairs. My dad had an old vinyl copy of Zeppelin I, that I found in a box and thought it was the coolest thing ever. My son will one day find my Kiss albums and ask why I couldn't have met a better band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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