Favorite Concert

[Mrs. Gradenko]

What's your favorite concert you ever went to?

What was your first concert?

My favorite one was Bryan Adams, in Fort Worth '04. It was awesome! We snuck up on the side of the stage, thinking allot of the Def Leppard fans would leave (they did!), and got right up close to the stage! I was to nervous to go up when he called for someone (he looked right over at me a few times, and smiled!... I melted). I still regret not raising my hand.

My first concert was, Nsync for No Strings attached (we got free tickets) We chatted up the security guard, and half way through he let us go to the empty seats right by the stage!

I'm still dying to see Clapton live, but no one wants to come here anymore.

[georgygirl]

For the first question is hard to say just one for me.

I like Queen, also Sting, Santana, also Fall Out, but don't know which was the best for me cause in all I enjoy dancing very much.

My first concert, was Queen in Monterrey...

[Mrs. Gradenko]

But what do you remember from it?

And didn't you get to see The Police live?

[georgygirl]

No never seen Police in concert.

Just Sting and Fall Out.

From Queen I remember was a very groovy night, in that time (cavern) there were no chances to get a concert in Monterrey...That made that time very amazing. I rather two songs 'Bohemian Rapsody, and Love of my life. In that time I was inlove to my exhubby...

Those were the days

[Samburu]

My first real show was The Police in Lexington, KY, in 1983. The Fixx opened. I needed glaases at the time, so I really couldn't see much.

I saw them again Feb. 14, 1984, in Cincinnati. I was on the 13th row that time, so I remember it well.

Favorite show? Hard to say. Getting on stage with Bob Dylan is something I'll never forget. The second-to-last Grateful Dead show was ggod for a few reasons. Phish usually excited. moe. is always excellent. Tom Waits was amazing in Louisville last month. The Pixies alphabetical setlist in Indianapolis last year was phenomenal. David Byrne at Orlando's House of Blues was one of the purest musical experiences I've ever experienced ... both times. John Paul Jones also made his mark at the same venue. Buckethead was great at the inaugural Bonnarroo. George Jones, Merle Haggard and, of course, Willie Nelson never disappoint.

But Oysterhead in Gainesville, Fla., probably tops them all. For me, it's a matter of expectations. I can't tell you how many shows I have waited and waited for only to be disappointed. I arrived at the O'Connell Center at noon just to watch Stewart walk across the parking lot. He had that same gait you always see him with and was dressed like a star in black pants and a rich blue shirt. Just looking at his giant green drum kit before the show was a thrill. Once they started playing, it was like I was 15 again. "Wield the Spade" is definitely my favorite song I've ever seen live. Oysterhead takes the cake and with Trey and Les's absolute, unabashed respect for Stewart, he definitely reigned supreme.

[sockii]

My first concert was Elton John & Quarterflash at Madison Square Garden. I forget the year...1982 I think? It was fun, I was maybe 10 or 11 years old at the time.

Favorite show? That's too hard to call. This year alone I've seen so many great concerts I don't even know if I could call a best pick. Of course getting to see Stewart last week with Gizmo was something I've long been waiting for, and that was a huge thrill. Earlier in that week I saw the Who kick off their world tour in Philly and they were incredible. They can be unpredictable live--sometimes good, sometimes mediocre--but they were just on fire that night. The Foo Fighters acoustic tour this year was outstanding as well; I saw them three times this year and the acoustic show was by far the best, just gorgeous sound and the setlist was terrific. And then, David Gilmour at Santa Croce in Florence this summer was a magical night--I just about died when he ripped into a scorching version of "Echoes" with old Floyd bandmate Rick Wright there with him.

Before this year, I might have called Roger Waters '99 In the Flesh tour my favorite. That was another great show, he was in terrific form and his band was tight, which makes me sadder that his current Dark Side of the Moon tour was so disappointing to me this year.

[Divemistress of the Dark]

Oh geeeeez. Where do I start, where do I start...

I have always, always been a gigantic music nerd. I grew up in the middle of nowhere (Wichita, Kansas), and the pickin's were somewhat few and far between. That said, there were a couple of hole in the wall clubs that would let me in underage, because I was friends with a few DJs from the local college radio station (KMUW-FM, which used to have a show called After Midnight that saved my sanity). Anyway, around 1985 this local band from Oklahoma called the Flaming Lips used to play a joint called the 3-D Club at least a couple times a month...me and some other friends would beg borrow or steal to get a ride downtown so we could see them. After a while another band, some punksters from California called Black Flag, came to town and shut down our little club. Seems they had caused some trouble with the law in some other Godforsaken midwestern state (and the cops were always looking for reasons to shut down that longhair music, in any event).

The first concert I saw in an arena was Hall and Oates, circa 1982. Yes, the Police played Wichita, in November 1983, and it was the same week my parents had arranged a ski vacation. I didn't get to go, although a friend did and I heard all about it for years and years, much to my chagrin.

In 1987 I cut school to go to Kansas City to see REM, then U2, then REM again...in 1989 I saw another punk band live, Sonic Youth, and I think at that moment I realized the world was not flat. In 1992 I could have seen Nirvana at a local club for $5, but I thought it was frat-boy music and didn't go...d'oh! I also missed Stevie Ray Vaughan the week before he died, because nobody would go to the concert with me. The lesson learned was always, always go to the show if you possibly can. So I did get to see Johnny Cash a few times before he died, even though I had to go by myself.

I've seen probably literally thousands of concerts, way too many to list here. Some other highlights:

* Bad Brains at the Outhouse, Lawrence, KS, 1988
* Meat Puppets, 1987
* Guadalcanal Diary, 1988
* The very first Foo Fighters tour, with Eddie Vedder and Mike Watt at a small club in D.C., 1995
* A few yearly Fugazi shows at Fort Reno in D.C.
* Paul Kelly, of whom I'm also a huge fan, in Cairns, Australia, 2003
* Jeff Tweedy, 9:30 Club in Washington, 2001
* Elvis Costello, Pixies, Pretenders, Ryman Auditorium in Nashville, 2003
* Nick Lowe, Belcourt Theater, Nashville, 2004

I did see Sting in there somewhere, on the tour he did with Johnny Clegg in the 1980s...but I hadn't ever gotten to see Stewart until this year! Wow. Wonder how that happened. If Andy would quit playing coast-only tours, maybe I'd get to see him too But then, you never know. I keep threatening to go Down Under for Big Day Out, a yearly concert series...one can always hope he'll be there!

[Jose]

my best concert??? Uhmmm the only ONE time I saw a member of THE POLICE on stage...

Last days of April 1993 at the Royal Albert Hall of London: "Sting and his superb Ten Summoner Tales Concert Tour"

I was in the 10th row... I bought, previously, the ticket in the "Outlando's Fan Club" ( I flought exclusively to London from Paris for that concert).. It was nice, cause I met Tina and Dee in the F.C...took some pics, bought lot of memorabillia and gifts... and the most embarrassed moment was when I met someone into the Office, confused him with Andy Summers, he was an office boy similar in appearance than my guitar hero...

I went to the R.A.H. with my newest tiny video camera ( that in the last seconds I decided to took in the hotel room for following and respect british laws)... I met lot of fans outside, We heard some rehearsals and I bet It was "Message in a bottle", but someone said me it was "Soul Cages".... I was the first one to enter when doors were opened... I sat and met lot of females of the five continents... when Sting enter to the stage It was like someone of my family were on stage... years I listen THE POLICE and that time I met and see one of my musical heros...

He wore a seventheen jaket style, like one of those london citizens that live in that ancient era... When the chords of "Synchronicity II" sounds I was jumping from my seat and with the girls found the first row...in front of Sting... at the middle of the concert Sting performed "They Dance Alone" a song who has peruvian andean flutes atmosphera reproduced in the synth... at a time it change in salsa rythm and was the chance to find a mexican girl and with her I danced that song in a typical salsa style, in spite of the fact I was one of the worst salsa dancers around the world... I think my latin blood automatically move my foots and entire body for the delirious and applausses of the europeans surronded us...

That my best and favorite concert I went ever!

[Mrs. Gradenko]

So no one saw Hendrix, The Beatles, Derek and the Dominos, or Cream?

[georgygirl]

Well, I think we are not that old to see live concert of those rock dinosaurs...

[Mrs. Gradenko]

Then what's the point of being born before the internet and cable?

[georgygirl]

I dunno, but sounds interesting to make some analysis...

[jedsoon]

my mom saw hendrix before he became really famous. he was the opening act for somebody she couldn't even remember, circa 1966 i think.

my first show was KISS. i made a long post here about the experience in the past, i will have to check and see if i can find it.

my favorite concerts are ones where i got cool mementoes. i'll mention the runner up first: NIN opening for bowie in '95. it was great because it exposed the whole angry performer thing as a total act. he still showed some hostility, but it looked like it may have been directed at a sound guy off to the side of the stage for a screwup. that might have been an act too. they did the becoming, probably my fav song from downward spiral that hadn't been performed on the previous two shows i'd attended.

what really made it special was when trent threw his microphone into the crowd very close to where i was. of course, everybody went nuts grabbing for it. i never saw the mic itself, but 3-4 people had a hold of the cord and were pulling tug-of-war style. one of them was a buddy, he turned and asked me to help. once i added my weight to theirs the cord snapped and everybody lost their grip and fell to the ground... except me! i snatched up about six feet of trent reznor's mic cord and wore it around my neck for the rest of the show...

ooohh, i just remembered another good concert story. it was another NIN show, the preceding december in fact. this WAS the prototypical angry performance, and i didn't get to mosh, so i was somewhat pumped up and frustrated as we left the venue. some kids were locked out of their van parked next to us. they asked for help getting in, and one of them produced a shovel. they wanted me to break the window of their van!

my girlfriend was wisely against the idea. but, i was one to throw caution to the wind in those days. so i grabbed that shovel and THUD... THUD.... SMASH!!! i turned around and spit out a piece of glass i had caught in my mouth! it was a movie moment...

i'll share my favorite concert later...

[Divemistress of the Dark]

Aw man. I got invited to that Bowie/NIN tour by a friend who had a free ticket - but I couldn't go, because my boss at the time was a real witch and wouldn't let me have the night off. Sigh.

(True fact: I ran into Trent Reznor at the Virgin Megastore in New Orleans in 2002. He's shorter than you'd think, and seems like a much more likeable guy than his image would lead one to believe.)

A friend of mine who's a DJ at the local low-power FM station (www.radiofreenashville.org, check it out) was at Altamont. He said he didn't realize anyone had been killed till later. He's also full of good stories about Zeppelin shows...he lived in San Francisco during the heyday.

[Mrs. Gradenko]

Didn't realise anyone had been killed? What happened?