Three that stand out: Eric Clapton at Red Rocks in Morrison Colorado. John Mellencamp at Great Woods Massachusetts. Little Richard at the Ventnor City Racetrack in New Jersey.
1993/94 Pink Floyd Houston rice stadium, big storm , altered states , you could not re create, Mother Nature and the band were one as was some of us in the crowd . Suck it broke back / backbone
Hawkwind in 1980 stands out too, due to all the head cases running around, I got more out of watching the antics they were getting up to than the music, apart from a long drum solo by Ginger Baker. The main reason I went was to watch the crowd and I wasn't disappointed.
Stevie Ray Vaughn and Eric Clapton at Alpine Valley in Wisconsin in 1990. This was the last concert for SRV as he died in a helicopter crash leaving the venue. Rumor was Clapton turned down the ride on that very helicopter and SRV jumped in. So sad.
Wow, can't believe you saw that show. I have bootleg CD of that with the end where SRV, his brother, Clapton, Robert Cray and Buddy Guy all got on stage and did Sweet Home Chicago. SRV did take Clapton's spot on his helicopter because he allegedly was trying to meet up with his GF in Chicago and Clapton offered him his seat. Chopper hit a rock face in the fog. Talk about fate...
Sadly I was pretty drunk and possibly partaking in some extra curricular activities ( I was a freshman in college) so I don't remember a lot of it. From what I do remember it was pretty amazing We slept in our car and when we woke up to sirens it was pretty crazy. We all figured Clapton was on the copter and didn't realize that it was SRV until the car ride home.
Nathanial Rateliff and The Night Sweats this summer was incredible. Jimmy Buffett's Beach House on the Moon was terrific. Rush's Time Machine Tour was a great show. The President's of the USA put on an awesome show the one time we saw them. Asia's last tour with John Wetton was one memorable show. No stage antics or fancy lights, just the guys standing up there cranking out Asia, Yes, Buggles, King Crimson and ELP hits. Great show. I can't pick one of those above the others.
Every time we drive down to Lake Geneva, I think about that as we pass the hills south of Alpine Valley. My BiL went to that show too. I have yet to trek out there, but someone built a cairn in the place the helicopter crashed.
I rode my F650GS Dakar to Coney Island to see Björk. The concert was OK, but the funny thing was that I was the only dude in the whole place. Cake played a soccer field in Charleston and it sucked. They played the tunes but were all pissy because the crowd did not cooperate with the STF participation. And the college kids kept throwing cups of beer up in the air the whole time. I saw The Violent Femmes at the Booker T Washington theatre in Columbia 1989. That was pretty epic.
First concert Mother's of Invention 1968, Lawrence University chapel Just unbelievable Midwest rock fest, Milwaukee racetrack, 1969. So many acts, Led Zep, rained out last day Pink Floyd, DSOTM, outdoors at Brewers stadium, quadrophonic sound, big movie screen, thunderstorm rolled over, stopped the show, came back out, storm rolled out over the lake, revealing rising moon as they played Brain Damage. Transcendental Lyle Lovett and the Large Band. In a theater, 1991, perfect sound, fabulous band Last summer, outdoors, even better band with Leland Sklar and Russ Kunkel, perfect sound, just incredible, every player got a solo Many, many jazz performances, Al Dimiola! And Tom Waits, first tour
The Eagle, January 27, 1980. I was 12. U2 Joshua Tree tour ROCK SUPER BOWL XIX October 29, 1983 Featuring The Police, The Fixx and Eric Burdon & The Animals The RSBs were all great line ups https://www.rockshowvideos.com/rocksuperbowlshome.html
Gotta love those odds I got into some Icelandic/Scandinavian music from KXRP annual show they do… I kind of dig it, Aurora, Of Monsters and Men style… Cake came through this summer and the tickets were $80! It was an outside venue at a park and you could’ve heard it for free but I didn’t even go listen to see if it was worth paying for… Did the Violent Femmes “bring all their instruments on the bus”? outside of that lyric and their Kiss song I know none of it… I could see it being a fun crowd
Nice thread. Reminded me of a show from a long time ago: Cab Calloway opening (!), Dick Dale 2nd, and Double Trouble lead. 1985, Hollywood Bowl. Crazy good show.
I lucked into a free Beastie Boys ticket while in high school. I called in to explain to my manager at the pizza place I was delivering pizzas for that I couldn’t make it in that night, and when I told him the truth about why he totally covered my shift, that guy was a saint. Thanks dude!
The Femmes were sincerely effed up people. The singer zoned out completely for a good long while. At one point they all produced shofars and conch shells and played some really weird pre-history music. It was spectacular.
Thin Lizzy in the Fox in ATL in 79 or 1980…I can’t remember..The opening band was Journey and they got covered in Beer and walked off stage after their 3rd song… It was a rough crowd to say the least but when Phil Lynott came out and opened with Jailbreak they blew the roof off..
