Your Favorite Concert Experience

[Geewiz]

Taking my son to see Radiohead in St. Louis in 2001...we were in the pit..6 feet away from the stage...he turned to me and said, "Thanks Dad." It was that moment when I knew he got difficult music.

Runners up - hanging out with the Eagles on the weekend of my 21st birthday and watching their show backstage with Cameron Crowe who became a pal.

The Ramones in a gym.

Paul McCartney's soundcheck at Wrigley last year.

Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young at the Auditorium Theater in 1970 while they were recoding 4 Way Street.

Front row center for Derek and the Dominos with a new guy from England openning...Elton John.

The Airplane, the Jam and the Smiths at the Aragon (over many decades).

Yoko Ono with Sonic Youth at Pitckfork.

Oh - and there was that show where I got to hang out and make out with Joni Mitchell in 1973.

[asianthree]

MJs row 6 thirty ish years ago

[jimbo2012]

Moody Blues
http://www.moodybluestoday.com/moodyblues/cms/Tour/MB-2012-admat1.jpg
Lynyrd Skynyrd
http://mantoos.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/BandPic-Lynyrd-Skynyrd.jpg
Grace Slick ( a while ago)
http://www.rocklopedia.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2008/05/graceslick_med.jpg
The Diamonds


Hard to recall others, we attend many.

[quirky3]

Luciano Pavarotti in concert at the Hartford Civic Center in 1988

[George Bieniaszek]

Favorite concert experience, there are 2 that stand out for me:

1. Jimmy Buffett (numerous times) The tailgating before the concert and the 3-4 hour concert is the best ever experience.

2. ZZTop with their Eliminator and Afterburner album tours. The music, the way the stage morphed from the car from the Eliminator Album to the Spaceship when they played the Afterburner songs.

[swimdawg]

Never appreciated it at the time but a group of us zipped up to Toronto in the 60's to see the Beatles. They weren't too well known at the time. I never took photos or made a big deal of it. Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

[Barefoot]

My favorite concert was Roy Orbison. The venue was very small, and he was terrific.

[ariel]

In the late '60's, Bob Hope and the Four Seasons at the same concert; in the '70's Chuck Mangione. In recent years, Neil Diamond; Rod Stewart.

[bandsdavis]

Haven't been to a lot of big name concerts, but Sue and I saw McCartney in Boston in 2001 which would pretty much eclipse anything else. My other favorite memory is when my son and I saw Huey Lewis and the News. Great concert and wonderful musical bonding.

B.

[gerryann]

Percy Sledge....Bonita Springs, Fl, summer 2009, singing my favorite song "When A Man Loves A Woman".

2nd favorite was Simon and Garfunkel, Milwaukee county stadium, July 27 1983

Memories.......

[Dr Winston O Boogie jr]

Haven't been to a lot of big name concerts, but Sue and I saw McCartney in Boston in 2001 which would pretty much eclipse anything else. My other favorite memory is when my son and I saw Huey Lewis and the News. Great concert and wonderful musical bonding.

B.

It was 2002 and I was sitting in the 11th row. That was possibly the best concert that I've ever seen except for when I saw Paul when he was with another band back in 1966.

[Bosoxfan]

Back in 86 Billy Joel came to my hometown in a blizzard, delayed the concert an hour, came out on stage to a full house,called us all crazy & proceeded to rock the house!

If you never got the chance to see Garth Brooks in concert then you missed probably one of the most energetic shows you could imagine.


The Eagles I saw twice ...first time when Hotel California was a hit & Joe Walsh had just joined the band...Amazing!


Saw Elton John & Billy Joel together at Gillette Stadium...Great!!


And I'll never forget my first big time concert when I was 17 back in 1974 I saw Grand Funk at the old Boston Garden!

[chuckinca]

Stones, 1978, Soldier Field, Chicago

Stones, 1980, Candlestick, San Francisco

Bruce Springsteen, 1983, Oakland Coliseum

Eagles, Hell Freezes Over Tour, 1992, Shoreline Amphitheatre, Mtn View, CA

Paul McCartney, abt 1995, Memorial Stadium, UC Berkeley




.

[rmcpklinefelter]

...this is easy...only been to three live concerts...best by far was Bonnie Raitt, Indianapolis, May '02...was on my feet cheering. My hubby had a great time watching me.

[ssmith]

Elton John in Chicago about 1976

Beach Boys at State Fair in Indiana about 1973!

The Gaither's 2006 with the Cathedrals

Phillips Craig and Dean 2010

Beatlemaina 1980 Chicago

[BritParrothead]

My first Jimmy Buffett concert!! It was in Paris, the venue only held 300 people, it was like having a party in my living room!! Oh, the excitement. Then I got to see him again the next night, BLISS.
The following year he came to London, and I got to meet him this time. Lovely :bigbow::bigbow:

[MinnieM]

I can't say I have one favorite concert experience. It would have to be concert expierences. Spending almost every weekend at the Fillmore East in NY would be it for me. From 1968 to 1971 I think I saw every top band that was touring. It was a great venue to see bands. Less than 3000 seats.

MinnieM

[Taltarzac725]

http://www.spacecoast-cdr.com/Eric_Clapton/1974-07-18/smiling_away_back.jpg

[DaleMN]

Bob Dylan- he had such a big influence in my life and thinking- he was a profound poet and philosopher.

[jimbo2012]

Likewise Jim Morrison

[paulandjean]

Motown review,Fox theater,Detroit Mi. Stevie Wonder, Temptations,Miracles, Contours,Marvalettes......................

[Taltarzac725]

Bob Dylan- he had such a big influence in my life and thinking- he was a profound poet and philosopher.

He still working on it. Heard some songs of his in Strike Back episodes. http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/listen-bob-dylans-scarlet-town-previewed-on-cinemax-20120818

Strike Back is way too violent for TOTV though, so I put up a much tamer clip.

[eweissenbach]

1. Peter Paul and Mary 1964, Missouri University
2. Brothers Four 1968 Northwest Mo. State University
3. New Christy Minstrals 1964 Missouri University
4. The Eagles 2010 Kansas City Sprint Center
5. Elton John 2001 Las Vegas MGM Grand

The first four are the best as I was in the first five or six rows for each. I would not waste my money on anything in the back of the auditorium, might as well buy the DVD. We also saw Jersey Boys at the Kansas City Music Hall in May and were in the front row - WOWSER!

[KathieI]

The most memorable concert I ever attended, in the early 60's, Forest Hills Tennis Stadium,,, THE BEATLES... arriving by helicopter with thousands of screaming girls in the audience. I was already a working girl and feeling kinda stupid, took two of my younger cousins with me as an excuse, LOL. Could not hear a thing that they sang but it was by far the most exciting concert and something I have talked about since then.

We also went to Dave Clark Five concert in NY - fun but not as thrilling.

Other concerts were in my early teens, Brooklyn Paramount theater for Allan Freed's Rock N Roll Show. Wish I had saved all the promotional literature from the shows, they would be great to look at today. Saw all the original R&R groups.

Good memories.

[collie1228]

Led Zeppelin and Three Dog Night together at Seattle's Green Lake Park amphitheater in 1969. LZ actually was the opening act, as Three Dog Night was at the height of its fame. We listened and watched from the lawn (free), and the local paper later wrote that the lawn was a wall to wall carpet of human bodies.

[Sable99]

I have been to many concerts but my favorite was Neil Diamond in Washington, DC -- probably in the early 80s. A friend and I sat in the 2nd row and Diamond teased me throughout the concert because I brought binoculars!! We saw him in the same arena a couple of years later. This time we sat a long ways from the stage and it wasn't the same!

I love piano. I saw Liberace years ago and he was terrific!! It shocked me how much I enjoyed his concert!

Both of these guys really knew how to entertain an audience!

I was invited to an Elvis concert in Detroit in the 70s. Like a dummy, I turned it down. I'm sure I missed a great concert. He died about 8 months later and I always regretted missing that concert!

[Pturner]

To understand why my most memorable was a 1970 concert in St. Louis, you have to know the back story. From the beginning.

One day in 1970, I was driving home from a shopping mall when I heard on the radio a song so smart, so deep and so different than any music I had ever heard, that I actually pulled over into a gas station, put a dime (imagine!) into a booth phone (imagine!), called the radio station and asked what the song was.

It was Question, from the album A Question of Balance, by The Moody Blues, a group I was unfamiliar with at the time. I turned around, drove back to the mall and bought the album. Got home and discovered that every song on the album was smart, deep and different than any music I had ever heard. Next day, I went back to the record shop and purchased every Moody Blues album. (Question of Balance turned out to be their 6th.) Same experience with each album. I was hooked.

Began college that fall at University of Denver. Was planning a trip home in December for winter break. My older brother, who attended Washington U. in St. Louis, called to ask if I would consider a stay over in St. Louis on way home to ATL. After agreeing to do this, I learned that Moody Blues was coming to Denver on the Saturday after I was supposed to fly to St. Louis on Thursday.

If I went to St. Louis, I'd miss the concert of my dreams. But... he was so excited when I told him I was coming and had already started making plans with friends. Let him down or miss the concert. Let him down or miss the concert. I agonized-- and finally decided not to let him down. I would miss the concert of my dreams. I booked the flight.

Two days later, he called to tell me: "Oh by the way, the Moody Blues will be here Friday night and I got you tickets".

So yes, that concert in St. Louis was my most memorable.

[eweissenbach]

To understand why my most memorable was a 1970 concert in St. Louis, you have to know the back story. From the beginning.

One day in 1970, I was driving home from a shopping mall when I heard on the radio a song so smart, so deep and so different than any music I had ever heard, that I actually pulled over into a gas station, put a dime (imagine!) into a booth phone (imagine!), called the radio station and asked what the song was.

It was Question, from the album A Question of Balance, by The Moody Blues, a group I was unfamiliar with at the time. I turned around, drove back to the mall and bought the album. Got home and discovered that every song on the album was smart, deep and different than any music I had ever heard. Next day, I went back to the record shop and purchased every Moody Blues album. (Question of Balance turned out to be their 6th.) Same experience with each album. I was hooked.

Began college that fall at University of Denver. Was planning a trip home in December for winter break. My older brother, who attended Washington U. in St. Louis, called to ask if I would consider a stay over in St. Louis on way home to ATL. After agreeing to do this, I learned that Moody Blues was coming to Denver on the Saturday after I was supposed to fly to St. Louis on Thursday.

If I went to St. Louis, I'd miss the concert of my dreams. But... he was so excited when I told him I was coming and had already started making plans with friends. Let him down or miss the concert. Let him down or miss the concert. I agonized-- and finally decided not to let him down. I would miss the concert of my dreams. I booked the flight.

Two days later, he called to tell me: "Oh by the way, the Moody Blues will be here Friday night and I got you tickets".

So yes, that concert in St. Louis was my most memorable.

Justin Hayward, John Lodge, and Graham Edge are still performing and knocking it out of the park. Saw them in Fargo in 1994 with the Fargo symphony orchestra. I Know You're Out There Somewhere is now in my head for the rest of the day - thanks Phyllis!

[CraigAC]

Justin Hayward, John Lodge, and Graham Edge are still performing and knocking it out of the park. Saw them in Fargo in 1994 with the Fargo symphony orchestra. I Know You're Out There Somewhere is now in my head for the rest of the day - thanks Phyllis!

...and they still put on a great show. We saw them several months ago in a very small venue in southern CA. Their voices sounded just as I remember from the 70's.

[BritParrothead]

Justin Hayward, John Lodge, and Graham Edge are still performing and knocking it out of the park. Saw them in Fargo in 1994 with the Fargo symphony orchestra. I Know You're Out There Somewhere is now in my head for the rest of the day - thanks Phyllis!

When we lived in London, Justin Haward lived not too far from us!! He was down the road near the river Thames!

[eweissenbach]

When we lived in London, Justin Haward lived not too far from us!! He was down the road near the river Thames!

I think he is better looking and cooler now than he was 40 years ago.

[2BNTV]

Frank Sinatra at MSG in New York.

I got Joe Fraziers autograph and was standing behing Joe Louis. My cousin lunged at Robert Redford.

Great night in a great venue.

[Pturner]

I think he is better looking and cooler now than he was 40 years ago.

I agree and am not surprised. With beauty that deep, how could he not?

[ronat1]

September 2, 1964 "The Beatles" at the Convention Center in Philadelphia, PA
has to rank way up there as one of my best concert experiences and there have been many.

[Number 6]

I said this somewhere else but
1) McCartney October 2005 Air Canada Center in Toronto. Nearly three hours of McCartney including Mull of Kintyre with a bagpipe band.
2) Elvis July 1976 Rochester Community War Memorial. That might have been "Fat Elvis", but he could still bring down the house.
3) John Sebastian May 1971 Kleinhans Music Hall in Buffalo. It was a very special night in a very special venue. John does the first half solo with an acoustic guitar. The sound was so pure he kept saying "Where did you get this f***kin' place?" Then he brings out Paul Harris, Ken Altman and Dallas Taylor and they work as a rock band. Never forget it. And yes, there was a whiff of canibus in the air.

[Tom Hannon]

Aside from McCartney in 2002, concerts from Billy Joel and Meatloaf were one I'd never forget. I also remember, how short concerts used to be before Bruce set a new standard. Although I wasn't there (my wife went twice) I believe The Beatles at Shea was only 40 minutes long. I remember see The Young Rascals in 67 or 68 and the show was less than an hour. Same with Grand Funk Railroad and J. Giels. I also remember Morrison being either drunk, stoned or stupid at Madison Square Garden when he couldn't remember the words.

[Yorio]

1. Van Cliburn in Grant Park, Chicago after he won Tchaikovsky Piano
Competition. 1960?

2. Three day Playboy Jazz Festival Chicago. 1958?

3. Harry Belafonte in Palace Theater NYC. Sally Winters was in the audience
after shooting "Suddenly Last Summer" with Montgomery Clift, Liz Taylor

4. Michael Jackson in Singapore. 1996

5. Ray Charles at the Newport Jazz Festival 1993? Listening with my son

[jimbo2012]

I remember see The Young Rascals in 67 or 68 and the show was less than an hour. .

Wow I forgot about them, I used to see them at "the barge" in Westhampton beach, before they made it, used to see them on the beach just hanging out easy to talk to etc.

[chuckinca]

In the early 80's I was in the Oakland Coliseum walking around an Auto Show and stopped near the back to listen to a small band playing. Other people were also walking by and not paying much attention to the band. I stayed for a few minutes and realized that the singer was Ricky Nelson.

.

[Tom Hannon]

Wow I forgot about them, I used to see them at "the barge" in Westhampton beach, before they made it, used to see them on the beach just hanging out easy to talk to etc.

Felix played at The Savannah Center last year. Although the seats were half empty those who were in attendance loved the show. I hope he returns

[Tom Hannon]

Wow I forgot about them, I used to see them at "the barge" in Westhampton beach, before they made it, used to see them on the beach just hanging out easy to talk to etc.

I also saw them at Malibu Beach Club in Long Beach, a short distance where all the dead bodies are showing up. I sure hope Felix, Eddie, Gene and Dino have nothing to do with it.

[babbs455]

Mine was this past year out at the Grand Oaks Resort in Wiersdale when I got to meet my cousin Wynonna Judd and her mamma Naomi!

[applesoffh]

Kathie, I grew up 4 blocks from the Forest Hills Tennis Stadium and we couldn't get any tickets to that show, but everyone iun the neighborhood went up to the Stadium...it was pandemonium!

Saw Simon & Garfunkle there twice, as well as Blood Sweat and Tears, Sly and the Family Stone (OMG - that was great!) and many others. It was a great venue, but The Beatles??? Ahhh - only in my dreams!

The most memorable concert I ever attended, in the early 60's, Forest Hills Tennis Stadium,,, THE BEATLES... arriving by helicopter with thousands of screaming girls in the audience. I was already a working girl and feeling kinda stupid, took two of my younger cousins with me as an excuse, LOL. Could not hear a thing that they sang but it was by far the most exciting concert and something I have talked about since then.

We also went to Dave Clark Five concert in NY - fun but not as thrilling.

Other concerts were in my early teens, Brooklyn Paramount theater for Allan Freed's Rock N Roll Show. Wish I had saved all the promotional literature from the shows, they would be great to look at today. Saw all the original R&R groups.

Good memories.

[applesoffh]

Saw them out at The Barge also...singing "I Ain't Gonna Eat Out My Heart Anymore". It was the first time I ever heard them, and I was a fan for life!

Wow I forgot about them, I used to see them at "the barge" in Westhampton beach, before they made it, used to see them on the beach just hanging out easy to talk to etc.

[Lbmb24101]

In my college yrs...Fleetwood Mac, The Village People,
Electric Light Orchestra in Capitol Hill, Billy Joel ( when he was just beginning to be famous in Loyola College, Baltimore), America and then, in 2002 the Buena VistabSocial Club in Atlanta! Amazing show!
Great memories....

[mac9]

I can't believe that no one has said this yet...WOODSTOCK! Will always remember driving there in a VW bus with Dean, Gwynn, Forrest, John and Sally. Spent the entire 3 days there...wet, cold and deliriously happy.:coolsmiley:

[Trish Crocker]

Early 60s...at my high school outside of Detroit...Stevie Wonder..he was about the same age as I was...I think Fingertips was one of his first songs. I remember he performed on the gym floor and we really didn't know who he was...Since then one of the best concerts was Elton John and Billy Joel at MGM in Vegas..another great concert was Marc Antony and of course...Jimmy Buffett.

[chuckinca]

About that time I saw the Jackson 5 at a County Fair near Crete, Illinois - Michael was about 7.

.

[lovsthosebigdogs]

I saw a few great concerts, but my Favorite Concert Experience in retrospect was the time my wonderful father took me (at 13) to see my beloved Herman’s Hermits and pretended to be an usher so he could get in to keep an eye on me. Sort of worked- he wound up seating people in that tiny boardwalk theatre in Asbury Park. Every time I looked, there he was. Hard to take at the time, but a cherished expression of love to my adult’s mind now. Still makes me smile to think about it.

[batman911]

The Doors in Honolulu in the late 60's. Also 3 Dog Night about the same time and place.

[jblum315]

Easy. The Kingston Trio, fall of 1959 in the gym at Duke University. I don't think they even had a recording contract yet.

[eweissenbach]

Easy. The Kingston Trio, fall of 1959 in the gym at Duke University. I don't think they even had a recording contract yet.

One of the few big folk groups I did not see. I have a couple of DVDs of theirs.

[Barefoot]

I saw the Beach Boys perform in the 1960s in my college auditorium when they were just starting out. (Foothill College, Palo Alto, California). Priceless!

[Patty55]

My best concert experience was Frank Sinatra at Radio City in 1990. His voice might have not been what it once was, but the entire experience sent chills through me.

Now, my contribution to "Before they were Stars"... Billy Joel played my high school gym when he was in the Hassles. Also on the bill was The Smubbs.

[chappy]

Any of the Neil Diamond Concerts would qualify as my favorite. All his concerts were well done and so entertaining! Recently, I attended a tribute concert, Diamond Rocks, at the Savannah Center which was great!

[Serenoa]

Over the years I've been to a lot of great concerts, from my first, Steppenwolf in 1969 to what I'm hoping will be another great one coming up, Gregg Allman on Nov. 10th.

But by far the best & most likely to never be surpassed, Pink Floyd at Legion Field, B'ham, AL. May 1st, 1994. It was the most lavish laser light show matched with incredible sound quality that I've ever experienced. I think we paid $75 for our tickets then, and I would gladly pay ten times that to do it again. A concert I'll never forget.

[DougB]

1969 Palm Beach Pop Festival (AKA Woodstock South) Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane, Sweetwater, PG&E, Steppenwolf, King Crimson, Chambers Bros, Sly & the Family Stone, Spirit, GFRR, and a fantastic jam by Janis Joplin/Johnny Winters/Vanilla Fudge

[bestmickey]

Not in order of preference...

Early 70's, Montreal Forum, David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust show. :pepper2:
Muddy Waters in a bar in Montreal
Savoy Brown, in a bar in Woodstock, NY
John Denver at SPAC in Saratoga Springs, NY
Santana, but I can't remember where.

[DougB]

Early 70's, Mon
treal Forum, David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust show. :pepper2:


Ziggy played guitar, jamming good with weird and gilly
and the spiders from mars.

[Walt.]

My best by far was Roy Orbison at the Bayside Amphitheater opening. Free concert and we got there early enough to get seats in second row center. 10,000 others showed up for an incredible show. He died about a year later.
High on my list would be Del Shannon (from about 8 feet away), Brenda Lee, The Searchers, ELO and Peter Noone (first seen in Ft. Lauderdale 20+ years ago).
Dozens more (Judy Collins, Gene Pitney... even Burl Ives), but these were standouts.

[Bonnevie]

Dave Clark Five because it was the first concert I ever went to....

Janis Joplin 1969 in Syracuse....she was everything they said about her

believe it or not, John Denver in 1970 in a college gym...just before he became big...put on a great show

[Mikeod]

My favorite concert experience was many years ago. The San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park in Escondido held concerts under the stars in the summer. We went to a Don McLean concert which was very enjoyable. There were hundreds of people sitting on blankets on the hillside overlooking the stage. There was the constant murmur of talking interspersed with laughter and glasses clinking. As a finale, he started singing Starry, Starry Night (Vincent). The place went completely quiet, not a sound but his voice. It still sends chills up my spine when I think about it even now. It was so eerie. Whe he was done the place exploded with applause. Whew!

[msendo]

Cat Stevens in Madison Square Garden stands out.

[John_W]

Vanilla Fudge, as others have said, it was my first concert, 1968 St. Petersburg, Florida. Also because I had just seen them on Ed Sullivan.

A year later, the Allman Brothers at a bar in St. Petersburg called the 'Electric Zoo'. Me and a couple of friends had gone to the Bayfront Center to see George Carlin, but he was sold out. So we headed to the EZ and paid the $3 cover and as soon as we walked in I knew this was different. They had two drummers, the keyboardist was the singer and a guy with long blonde hair with a read guitar stood in the center of the stage and had everyone amazed. When they finished, Greg said our debut album is coming out next month, we hope you buy it.

Some other favorites were 1988 Atlanta - 'Pink Floyd', 1986 Jacksonvville - 'U2, 1993 Landover, MD - 'Peter Gabriel', 1985 Savannah - 'REM', 1981 Gulfport, MS - 'Journey', 1984 Savannah 'Def Leppard', 1995 Columbia, MD - 'Boston', 1998 Columbia, MD 'Grand Funk Railroad' (last time Mark, Don & Mel toured together) 1972 Savannah - 'Jethro Tull' aside from Pink Floyd and the Moody Blues, JT was the most theatrical show I had seen. The album jacket was an 8 page newspaper about stories such as rabbits in the garden, during the show people dressed as rabbits would hop across the stage and large telephones would ring and he would stop the show to answer. Very unique show for 1972.

[gatherer47]

The PBS taping of DooWop50 at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh in 1998.This was a two night taping.Subsequent tapings were DooWop51,Rock,Rhythm,and Doowop,and Red,White,and Rock.All were great events.

[Billyg]

The Boss. 67 Salem State College
The Stones. 68? Montreal
Woodstock. 69 Another planet
Strawberry Fields. 70 Canada

Bucket List...Garth Brooks

[John_W]

The PBS taping of DooWop50 at the Benedum Center in Pittsburgh in 1998.This was a two night taping.Subsequent tapings were DooWop51,Rock,Rhythm,and Doowop,and Red,White,and Rock.All were great events.

I bought that 1998 Show on DVD at Best Buy in 2003 and we have watched it many many times, I have about 250 concerts on DVD. The Flamingos are my favorite doo whop band and they keep advertising this Saturday the Florida Lottery will be at the Paddock Square live broadcast and the Flamingos will be playing at 7pm. If it's them, we will definitely be there.

I've checked the Flamingos website and they don't list any tour. It appears there are two original members left and one tours in the US and the other one lives in the UK and tours in Europe. They don't provide any information with the advertisment and the Florida Lottery Logo is a Flamingo Bird, so it's somewhat confusing what they are really talking about. You would think they would be promoting a show like that in a better way.

[George H]

...early 70's...Boston Garden...Bob Dylan and The Band...solid music for 3+ hours straight...no breaks just music...seats overlooking piano at stage left where Dylan played "Ballad for a thin man"...awesome!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Number 6]

Dave Clark Five because it was the first concert I ever went to....

Janis Joplin 1969 in Syracuse....she was everything they said about her

believe it or not, John Denver in 1970 in a college gym...just before he became big...put on a great show

Reminds me that I saw Don McLean in 1969 in a college gym with the afternoon session. Just Don and his guitar and banjo. That evening we saw Jay and the Americans (the REAL Jay, Jay Black).
Also, my first concert was the Blues Project.

[Barefoot]

My best by far was Roy Orbison at the Bayside Amphitheater opening. Free concert and we got there early enough to get seats in second row center. 10,000 others showed up for an incredible show. He died about a year later.

I also saw Roy Orbison in a very small theater, he was amazing!

[2BNTV]

I saw Tony Bennett only a couple of hours after landing in Las Vegas for his 7 PM show at Ceasar's Palace back in 68, He's still around today and still amazing. It was impossible to do that in NY.

I saw Paul Anka at Theater In The Round in Nanuet NY. He went all out to sing extra songs and put on a great show.

Paul Anka's joke as he is the father of four girls:

I know when I have been on too long of a road trip when I come home and the toilet seat is up. LOL

Neil Sedaka at The Big E in Mass. I really enjoyed his show as he sang all of his hits and all the songs he wrote for others. Dynamite performance. Favorite is the slow version of, "Breaking Up Is Hard To Do".

BTW - Paul Anka wrote a lot of songs for others too. My favorite is "My Way" by Frank Sinatra.

[Geewiz]

In the mid-70's I was backpacking through Europe and agreed to meet my grandfather in London (he was returning from Israel). Normally, I stayed in cheapo-cheapo lodging in Europe; but that wouldn't fly with Papa in tow (plus a good bathtub would give me a place to wash out the socks) so we went to some big money American hotel....and I think at the Hilton there was this English guy busking on the street. He was really fine and I forced Papa to listen to a few songs. The hotel had no rooms due to a CBS record convention and it turned out the busker was Elvis Costello. A good free show on the streets of London plus clean socks by the next morning.

[ijusluvit]

I've enjoyed reading this thread and my mind reels with the memories of having seen many of the performers mentioned, some early, some late in their careers. Most were great concerts.

I started with an immediate idea of the best one and no matter Who I compared them to, there was no one Who was better.

The Who, 1969, in the acoustically perfect Kleinhans concert symphony hall in Buffalo. The original group sang all their hits in the most energetic presentation I'd ever seen, without a break. The sound (not oppressively loud) was so beautiful, the crowd was simply stunned. We thought the show was over, but then Pete Townshend shouted "Stay, we want to do something new in this great place."
They came back and did the entire opera 'Tommy', without a single pause. Again, the crowd was completely enthralled. There were no wild distracting displays during the opera, but I can't recall a more enthusiastic, longer standing ovation at any other concert.

[ohiogolf]

Joe Cocker, Mad Dogs And Englishmen tour with Rita Coolidge at Music Hall in Cleveland. Joe threw up on stage in the middle of a song, stepped back, and started singing again.

[RETIREDSFW]

Elvis presley 4-9-1972 hampton coliseum, hampton, va.

[DougB]

I've enjoyed reading this thread and my mind reels with the memories of having seen many of the performers mentioned, some early, some late in their careers. Most were great concerts.

I started with an immediate idea of the best one and no matter Who I compared them to, there was no one Who was better.

The Who, 1969, in the acoustically perfect Kleinhans concert symphony hall in Buffalo. The original group sang all their hits in the most energetic presentation I'd ever seen, without a break. The sound (not oppressively loud) was so beautiful, the crowd was simply stunned. We thought the show was over, but then Pete Townshend shouted "Stay, we want to do something new in this great place."
They came back and did the entire opera 'Tommy', without a single pause. Again, the crowd was completely enthralled. There were no wild distracting

displays during the opera, but I can't recall a more enthusiastic, longer standing ovation at any other concert.


Seen The Who in Miami at Marine Stadium in 68. All instruments were smashed and thrown into Biscayne Bay!

[Buckeyephan]

The Beatles at Cleveland Public Hall in September 1964 is the best one. Others that stand out are:
Billy Joel and Elton John at the Ohio State University Stadium
Simon and Garfunkel in Columbus
Paul McCartney in Columbus
Michael Crawford in Cleveland
Il Divo in Cleveland

Not a concert, but great thrill to see Hugh Jackman in The Boy from Oz and then meeting him at the stage door

[Country Dreamer]

The Beatles, 1964 in Atlantic City, Paul McCartney, front and center many times, Phish in a small concert hall before they got huge, but the best of the best was Bob Marley, in a small outdoor arena in 1977.

[ijusluvit]

Seen The Who in Miami at Marine Stadium in 68. All instruments were smashed and thrown into Biscayne Bay!

Townshend did smash his guitar in Buffalo, but because the venue was a symphony hall and the concert was so perfect, the bays actually seemed a little awed by their performance. I believe it was the first time they had done Tommy straight through. They were definitely more mellow than their trademark 60's angry show endings.

[PennBF]

Back in the late 50's there was a small bar in Times Square called the Metropole. All the great players at the time came there to just play together after they were done at their regular jobs. Gene Krupa, Hampton, Basis, etc..the list is long would play on a small stage until early in the morning. The other standout, believe it or not was the Dutchess County Fair in New York. The owner of the oldest continuing working hotel in the country, (e.g. Beekman Arms) had contacts with some of the greatest older players. Each year he gave them free room and board and they would come together for one night of jazz at the fair. They also had a lady singer from Harlem who had to be 80 but one of the best I have ever heard. It was interesting as one of them had a farm in Pa, etc. Carvella (of the ice cream fame) use to drive his Limo on the gounds next to the tent and just listen to the great music. I have been to concerts in the round with Tony Bennett, Ray Charles,et al and they were all terrific but these two continue to stand out in my memory. What wonderful memories of true music. Unfortunately today's is more shouting and whinning. What a loss to the generation of today. :clap2:

[2BNTV]

Back in the late 50's there was a small bar in Times Square called the Metropole. All the great players at the time came there to just play together after they were done at their regular jobs. Gene Krupa, Hampton, Basis, etc..the list is long would play on a small stage until early in the morning. The other standout, believe it or not was the Dutchess County Fair in New York. The owner of the oldest continuing working hotel in the country, (e.g. Beekman Arms) had contacts with some of the greatest older players. Each year he gave them free room and board and they would come together for one night of jazz at the fair. They also had a lady singer from Harlem who had to be 80 but one of the best I have ever heard. It was interesting as one of them had a farm in Pa, etc. Carvella (of the ice cream fame) use to drive his Limo on the gounds next to the tent and just listen to the great music. I have been to concerts in the round with Tony Bennett, Ray Charles,et al and they were all terrific but these two continue to stand out in my memory. What wonderful memories of true music. Unfortunately today's is more shouting and whinning. What a loss to the generation of today. :clap2:

:agree:

I think I need to find a piano type restaurant in or around TV. I always though they were classy and brings back great memeories on New York in the fifties and sixties.

[jackz]

Sonny and Cher summer 1970 in MA in a small venue

Elvis Aloha Concert, Jan 1973, Honolulu, Hawaii

Tony Bennett, 2002, Tampa