Favorite concert by an artist? (1 Viewer)

[Baloney Sandwich]

Well, if the OP is opening this up to any concert whether we attended live or not I would be hard pressed to think anything could top The Last Waltz.  Going to see Warren Haynes and Friends in Boston for their 40th Anniversary tribute to it in a few weeks and really looking forward to it.

 

[Uruk-Hai]

Loudest i ever heard was Mountain in a college fieldhouse. 135dbs AND the corrugated metal walls provided three echoes. 

I ruined my ears at many shows, but seeing Crack The Sky at the old Hammerjacks in Baltimore may have done the worst damage. Same kind of venue I think you're describing.

I took my brother & some of his friends (they only had learner's permits, not that that would have stopped them but our mother found out somehow and insisted I drive) to see KISS at the Cap Centre. AC/DC opened. If the concerts I saw in the warehouse that was Hammerjacks didn't annihilate my eardrums, this show did. Holy ####. 

 

[MindCrime]

Monsters of Rock - 1988 Giant Stadium - Metallica, Scorpions, Van Halen, Dokken 

Saw this at JFK in Philly. Great concerts that whole summer. In a span of 4 months, I saw Monsters of Rock, Priest, Aerosmith w/ GnR (2x), then Def Leppard and Queensryche on my 16th birthday. Maybe my greatest run of shows ever.

 

[pecorino]

The Who in '89 was good as others have posted. But big negative was that it was a stadium tour. Three Rivers wasn't a great place to see/hear a band.

I am surprised no Phish fans have mentioned their Y2K run at Big Cypress in the Everglades. 12/30/99 was a great concert but the all-time epic show was 12/31/99 when they played all night and played well. A transcendent experience. Find 6 or 7 hours of free time to listen to it on Youtube. But to be there was truly special.

 

[Ilov80s]

Saw Van Morrison at the Fox a few years ago, he and the band were on fire. I was third row. My mom had always wanted to see him, she was in tears.

Also my first concert, my dad took me too see Stone Temple Pilots with the Meat Puppets opening for them. It was right when Core was taking off and Weiland had really channeled the spirits of the legendary rock frontmen to come before him. 

Questlove DJing a Roots afterparty in the small upstairs of a Corktown dive bar, it just fullly captured the essence of early aughts Detroit. There were only about 40 people there but that's exactly how we liked it. 

The day after the Paris attack, the DSO was led by Parisian guest conductor Fabian Gabel. He opened with a tearful speech and a rendition of La Marseillaise and later conducted Debussy's La Mer with so much passion. The highlight was Yoonshin Song performing the rare Khachaturian violin concerto. It's rare because it's one of the most challenging violin pieces- even for the most accomplished players. Her performance was definitive and something I often find myself rewatching. She cast a spell that night.

 

[flapgreen]

Rob Zombie '98

 

[TheAristocrat]

Prince at Paisley Park sometime in the summer of 1997 or 1998.  Prince announced the show on some random day around noon or so and I picked up friends and we got there at 5.  Prince started shortly after 7 and played until well after 11.  It was stunning to see him play 5+ instruments and just see Prince being Prince.

Saw The Hold Steady at the Chicago House of Blues on New Year's Eve (my birthday eve) in 2004.  I was right up front and got to storm the stage to Almost Killed Me during their encore.  Went to the second show on my birthday as well (still pretty hungover) and got called out by Finn because I emailed the band and told them it was my birthday.    My avatar for a while was a picture of Finn from that show with my arm in the way throwing the horns.

Every My Morning Jacket show is up there.  I was in the pit at Bonnaroo in 2015 for them.  Seen them at Red Rocks.  They just rule.  Every one of their shows is a gift.

 

[flapgreen]

Smaller Venue.  Nofx '99

 

[Bonzai]

Fugazi in '93.  Best live band I've ever seen.

Saw Bob Dylan in a 1000 seat venue in '99. I'll never forget that. Bob played a lot of lead guitar.  Had a "watch this!" face half the show. You could tell he was feeling it.  Amazing show.

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

Tough to narrow to one show but if pressed, I'd say My Morning Jacket at the Zephyr Club in Salt Lake City, October 4, 2003. The It Still Moves tour

In a perfect sized, smallish venue that was fairly crowded but not too packed.  And the crowd was really into it, I think to the surprise of the band.  And they responded in kind.  I've seen MMJ at least 15 times since then and they've never come close to topping this show.  I went with a buddy who wasn't familiar with the band at that time so I told him I'd pay for his ticket and drinks if he didn't enjoy the show.  Needless to say, he offered to pay for my ticket and bar tab at the end of the night.  As I left the venue I made an excuse to travel to San Francisco a few days later to see the next show in the tour.  One of only a handful of shows that I travelled more than a couple of hours specifically to see a band.

A possible 2nd choice would be Arcade Fire's first set at Coachella in 2005.  Funeral had been released just a few months before and I'm sure this was the largest crowd they'd ever played for by a large margin.  They nailed it.  Because it was a festival, they only got to play for 45 minutes, so that knocks it down a peg or two.  Still a great performance.

 

[badmojo1006]

My go to is Elvis Costello/Mink de Ville/ Nick Lowe and Rockpile and Winterland SF in 1978. Rockpile came on and blew everybody away for 30 minutes. We called out for an encore but they were allowed. So Mink de ville took the challenge and played a monster set. And Elvis didn't back down either. He wasn't as good as Rockpile but overall the best.

Rolling Stones 2002 indoors Oakland Coliseum. After 40 years still awesomely tight. Finished the night with a killer version of "Brown Sugar" and walked off the stage. No encore. Very rock and roll

 

[badmojo1006]

For me it was Deep Purple "Perfect Strangers" tour.  Only time my ears were actually numb.

They played on Boston Common every summer for years, It hurt outdoors.

Loudest i ever heard was Mountain in a college fieldhouse. 135dbs AND the corrugated metal walls provided three echoes. The aural equivalent of the "my sister, my daughter" scene from Chinatown and if two echoes hit you simultaneously you could actually feel g-force

Loudest concert for me was "Boston" tour for their first album. Don't think it was 135, but pretty close

 

[wikkidpissah]

Loudest concert for me was "Boston" tour for their first album. Don't think it was 135, but pretty close

Sib's (drummer) an ol pal - takes some doin to play over him anyway. Must have heard 7 demo versions of "More Than a Feeling" (from folk song to happytime 70s cheez) in my last couple years in the biz.

 

[jvdesigns2002]

I posted earlier about favorite concerts in regards to music that I've ever attended.  However--the OP stated that he's open to concert experiences--as well as clips viewed on tv or online.  The two experiences that I am about to mention are not what I would call the best musically--but they were concerts that I attended that really stand out as cool moments in my life to me. 

The first was one approximately 20 years go--I was 17 (almost 18) and I became friends with this dude that quickly ended up becomming one of my closer friends.  When I first met him--I knew he was battling some health ailments--but I didn't know how extreme they were or weren't. Needless to say--he invited me to attend a concert in San Diego with his father--it was Weezer opening up for No Doubt.   While they weren't my favorite bands--I gladly accepted.  To my surprise--the day that I go to his house to go to the concert--there is a big limo outside waiting to take him, his father (super cool dad type), and I to the concert. We go there--and ushers walk us all the way to the front--and clear out a space--we were literally in the front row in our own protected space--frigging awesome!! After the show--a few other ushers walk us out of the arena--but instead of walking to a regular exit--walk us through the backstage area.  The entire time I was thinking we were taking a special exit to leave--but I was wrong--they walked us into this little room--where there were members from the "Make a Wish foundation".  I had no idea that my buddy was dealing with a terminal cancer that would end his life less than 2 years later.  His wish was to go to that concert with his dad and I.  The band members from both Weezer and No Doubt came to the room and actually hung out with us for some time.  They were all super cool--but from that moment on--I will always be a Gwen Stefani fan.  She literally hung out with us soo long and even when her management was calling for her to leave--basically told them to shut up and wait.   I know that was one of the highlights of my buddies shortened life--and it certainly will always be one of mine.  

Second cool concert experience was seeing a terrible band called "Pigmy Love Circus"  at a tiny venue called the Galaxy in Southern California.  Terrible might actually be an understatement.  At the time--the lead singer was this heavily overweight dude that still found it cool to wear tight leather--amongst other tight fitting Harley Davidson style garments.  The music was horrid at best with the exception of one facet.  The drumming was amazing.  It was truly terrible singing, terrible guitarist--that was all taking place over beautiful drumming--which was the only reason why my friends and I attended that show.  At the time Danny Carey was drumming for some Pigmy Love Circus shows when he wasn't busy drumming for Tool.  To experience Carey's drumming talents in such a tiny venue will always be a memory that I cherish.   

 

[SFBayDuck]

Loudest concert for me was "Boston" tour for their first album. Don't think it was 135, but pretty close

For me it was Public Enemy/Primus/Anthrax at the Salem Armory - a concrete building with all three groups on stage for Bring Tha Noise....my ears were ringing for days. 

 

[The Dreaded Marco]

For me it was Public Enemy/Primus/Anthrax at the Salem Armory - a concrete building with all three groups on stage for Bring Tha Noise....my ears were ringing for days. 

Loudest show I ever heard was either A Place to Bury Strangers at the Urban Lounge or Dinosaur Jr. at the Depot--both in SLC.

 

[Tin Cup]

Pink Floyd 1988 at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison, WI

Good call.  Saw them in '87 @ JFK in Philadelphia (junior year of college).

Also really enjoyed seeing the Eagles on their Hell Freezes Over tour in '94.

 

[Mr. Know-It-All]

Black Crowes permanently damaged my hearing. Loudest show I ever went to. Some ####hole in Salina KS. Couldn't talk on the phone for a week. Have had occasional tinnitus ever since. 

Loudest I went to was a Motorhead concert at the Sokol auditorium (a very small venue in Omaha, NE) in March 2005.  Day after a foot surgery so I was sedated with Percodan and they let me up in the balcony above  and within 10 feet in front of their wall of speakers.  Couldn't hear the music as much as you could feel it throughout your entire body.  Pretty sure my current hearing deficit is directly related to that experience.  And yes, Lemmy (RIP) is god.

 

[Anarchy99]

I'm not sure if this was the most memorable SHOW I have been to, as I am not a die hard Nirvana fan, but I was there . . . two days after Nevermind dropped. I helped set up / breakdown for the show and hung out and drank with the band. At the time, it seemed like such a non-noteworthy night. Being on the wrong coast, no one had heard of Nirvana. In fact, for several weeks I thought the band was called Urbana.

Nirvana - The Moon, New Haven 1991

They were about three rungs below nobodies at the time (again, at least on the east coast). I certainly did not walk away thinking these guys were the next big thing. But as they say in Anchorman, that escalated quickly. If you told me that two and a half years later Kurt would be dead, Nirvana would sell 80 million records, and Dave would move on to the Foos and sell another 30 million albums, I would have said you were f'ing insane.