Apart from U2, whats the best gig you have ever seen?

[cass]

I haven't been to many BIG concerts other than U2.
so my memories are smaller scale and local,
To celebrate the Year of the Indigenous People ( early 90's must have been) I went to a concert at Byron,the same venue where they hold the Blue's and Roots festival. In the afternoon it was just an acoustic duo, husband and wife, Archie Roach and Ruby Hunter. They rocked my soul, I'll never forget. Then just as the sun set, a troupe of male teenage dancers did a fire making ceremony on stage. They made it very graceful,like magic. I was right at the front of the stage, then Yothu Yindi came on and their dancers were just flirting like mad, it was hilarious. I shall never forget that whole day. I was with good friends and having a grand time
the first time I saw Bourbon Street is etched in my brain forever...that first note they played Like A Hurricane...loud!

 

[beegee]

the first show that came to mind was nine inch nails at the stardust ballroom in hollywood. that was twelve years ago, my god...the second was jane's addiction opening for love and rockets at UC irvine. the third was stevie nicks at the forum los angeles back in 1986 with mick fleetwood on drums. i saw REM on the monster tour and that was great, too.

 

[zonelistener]

Replacements in 1991 opening for Elvis Costello (who was CRAP!) at Madison Square Garden. they are the only opening band I have ever seen that came back on stage after the house lights and started playing a song while their gear was being taken off of the stage - the sound guy cut the song half way through. It was brilliant.

Others that stir something inside me: Love and Rockets each time I have seen them (four now in total), Coldplay at the 9:30 in D.C. and in Charlotte at the local Community College; Rolling Stones at the Minneapolis Metrodome in 97; REM at Saints Stadium (Saint Paul) in 1999; Eric Clapton to close the St. Paul Civic Center a few years ago; Ride (band whose members now play with Oasis) at the Ritz in NYC in 1991; Neds Atomic Dustbin NYC 1991; No Doubt at a local radio station festival in 1996; Squeeze at the Ritz in 1990; Buckweheat Zydeco in 1996 at Milwuakee's Summerfest; Paul Westerberg (replacements) last summer in a small theater here in Minneapolis.

I love a live show.

 

[martha]

I'm seriously jealous.

Well, remember, I'm seriously old too! You were thinking about starting kindergarten when I was going to these shows!

 

[IWasBored]

i've never seen u2

best show i've ever been to was seeing barenaked ladies on the stunt tour, august 1st, 1999.

 

[Mirrorball Girl]

A solo Jeff Tweedy gig that turned into a full on Wilco show. The first part had this amazing intimacy which turned into complete and utter joy when the band walked on and started playing. I've never left a concert feeling so unabashedly happy. It was wonderful.

Having been lucky enough to see that show with Gina, I second these sentiments wholeheartedly.

AND WE GET TO SEE HIM SOLO AGAIN ON MAY 16TH!!!!

 

[~LadyLemon~]

Wow! Hard to pick one, so I'll go with a few that I can think of right now (in no particular order):

1. Talking Heads at the Hollywood Palladium I think around 1980. I thought I was going to puke from dancing in the heat of the room. Fucking great show!

Goddamn am I jealous of that!!

 

[Headache in a Suitcase]

pearl jam @ jones beach

 

[kariatari]

While it wasn't a "rock show", I'm going to go with M-PACT. They are a phenomenally tallented a cappella vocal group from Washington State. They hardly ever come farther east than Colorado, but I was lucky enough to catch them at a show in eastern Iowa three years ago. I went with my jazz choir thinking it was going to be more of an educational experience, but M-pact had the whole auditorium on their feet rockin' out and rushing the stage. It was a totally unexpected and an unbelievably amazing experience!

 

[dougal55]

Wow!

Thanks for the replies!

There's a lot of different bands which I have never heard of so who the hell is Stroopwafels?!?!?

And I forgot to include Coldplay which I have seen twice now and will see again at V Festival this summer in Chelmsford along with Red Hot Chili Peppers.....cant wait!

dougal

 

[celia]

And I forgot to include Coldplay which I have seen twice now and will see again at V Festival this summer in Chelmsford along with Red Hot Chili Peppers.....cant wait!

dougal

I cant wait to go V Festival!!! Cldplay and Chili Peppers are two of my fav bands!!!

My fav concerts have been Alanis Morissette, Trais and Sting!

 

[joyfulgirl]

Tori Amos is consistently the best live experience for me besides U2. And Springsteen, of course.

Elvis Costello 1980
Tom Waits, 1987, on Broadway
David Bowie
REM and the Replacements in the early 80s

And most of my favorite concerts aren't the big band arena shows (The Who and the Stones, for example, don't even rate in my top 10 favorite shows) ... they're the club shows of smaller acts that I didn't have high expectations about, that totally surprised me, or where there was just an electric vibe in the audience that night.

Case in point...a Jane Siberry show I saw in NYC in 1994. It was just inexplicably, unexpectedly brilliant. A perfect show, beginning to end. People cried, people howled laughing, I ran into two friends I was at odds with and had a healing, it was just an unforgettable night and anyone who was there experienced it. One of those "God walked through the room" nights. Who knew.

And Jeff Buckley at Maxwells in Hoboken, 1994. 200 people crammed into a steaming hot sweaty bar and Jeff giving it everything he's got.

 

[joyfulgirl]

martha > It's too bad we didn't live in the same place and know each other back in our club days! I was always looking for a music buddy. As I recall, think I had to go see X by myself in NYC. Actually, some things haven't changed I guess

 

[MrBrau1]

The Boo Radleys
May 1997
$7
@ Brownies in NYC

Rocking 1 1/2 hr set. Stage front, and hung out w/ the band after the show. Sweet.

 

[IWasBored]

The Boo Radleys
May 1997
$7
@ Brownies in NYC

Rocking 1 1/2 hr set. Stage front, and hung out w/ the band after the show. Sweet.

did you ever see any aloha steamtrain gigs there?

 

[MrBrau1]

did you ever see any aloha steamtrain gigs there?

No. Were they good?

 

[martha]

martha > It's too bad we didn't live in the same place and know each other back in our club days!

Yeah; we woulda had fun!

 

[MiniFly]

Tom Petty by far was the most ass-kickingest show I've ever been to, as I've not seen U2 yet

They did this cover of Gloria....(the van morrison song, not U2) and man it was sooooo good.

 

[IWasBored]

No. Were they good?

their gigs were great, i never saw one at that particular place, but i know they played there a bunch of times, and they kicked ass whenever i actually got to see them play...damn 21+ shows...

 

[MissVelvetDress_75]

coldplay and doves

 

[AdamsMango]

humm let's see..
No doubt and Darren Hayes. I know he is pop music but he has a beautiful voice..AND idolizes Bono too He made me cry live he was so great

 

[AngelofLarrydom]

Erasure- cowboy tour

It has to Erasure hands down.
Back in 97? I saw them on their
Cowboy tour. It?s was very
theatrical, There was set
changes for every song plus
He came out in blue glitter
chaps, matching thong & matching
cowboy hat !!!! I thought
Oh my GAWD---we laughed so
much. His danceers were drag queens.


I can't help it--I LOVE Erasure!!!

 

[DiGi]

I would have to say in no order

Dave Matthews - summer of 94 - tiny club in baltimore
Chilli Peppers - Slane 1
Coldplay - 9:30 club in DC august 2002 (every other time as well)
Pearl Jam - Merriweather Post Pavilion Sept 98
Neil Finn - 9:30 club in DC summer 2002
Doves - 9:30 club in DC summer 2002
G. Love & Run D.M.C. - University of Maryland Spring 1997
Green Day - 2001HFestival RFK stadium summer
Live - 2001 HFestival RFK stadium summer 2001 (9PM or so) and then later that night at 9:30 club in DC (about midnight) played a free show for about 3 hours and they were great.
Idlewild - March 2003 in bmore
Starsailor - 9:30 club in DC march 2002

 

[zonelistener]

I forgot Dave Matthews

Coldplay - 9:30 club in DC august 2002

......If it wasn't for that ass drinking Stella in the "Milwaukee" shirt - this would have been a great show!

 

[LarryMullen's POPAngel]

Bruce, hands down, was my 2nd favorite concert after U2 (and that would be even without the benefit of having front row).

Runners up include:
-Garbage (Columbus, May 8th, 2002)
-Rolling Stones (Detroit, October 12, 2002)
-Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (Dec, 1998)

 

[Flying FuManchu]

Sunny Day Real Estate in Champaign-Urbana, Illinois. The best live show I've seen/ heard (even better than U2). Even if I didn't know all the songs... the performance was so strong that it didn't matter to me. That concert made me a fan.

 

[The_acrobat]

Tom Petty, 8/13/02, Riverbend, Cincinati. Amazing energy from both the band and the crowd. Really made for a great summer night along the Ohio River.

Coldplay, 3/9/03, Promowest, Columbus- Undescribably great.

 

[u2popmofo]

Ok, I saw one of the best concerts I've ever seen tonight:

AFI - Salt Lake City 4/8/03 - Never in my life have I heard fans belt out every single lyric of every single song so loudly. The band had more energy on stage then probably any band I've ever seen before. Simply amazing.

 

[Popmartijn]

Hello,

I've given this some thought and tried to remember which live experiences were so utterly wonderful they match U2's. Here's my shortlist (it's also a short list):

Urban Dance Squad - Fenix, Sittard (The Netherlands) 1997
Their DJ had just returned and I had just made up my mind that they were my second most favourite group. There weren't that many people in the club, but they played a great show. Still got the setlist from it! Now if I can only find UDS live recordings...

Bruce Springsteen - Palau Saint Jordi, Barcelona (Spain) 1999
I was studying in Spain at that time and had been in a holiday town the week prior (it was Easter). On the way back I tried to go to this show, the official Reunion Tour opener (not counting the warming up shows in Ashbury Park), even though I didn't have a ticket. On the day of the concert I went to the venue early, looking for a scalper who could offer me a reasonable price. Imagine my surprise when I met some Dutch guys who had an extra ticket (a friend couldn't come with them to Spain in the end) and sold it to me at face value! Being there the whole day I managed to be (almost) at the front, making this a wonderful experience. One day I will have this live recording...
Honourable mention: Ahoy, Rotterdam (The Netherlands) 22-10-2002

Tr?ckener Kecks - De IJsbreker, Leusen (The Netherlands) 29-12-2001
An (ex)colleague alerted me to this band and together we went to see them in the fall of 2002. At that point they were already on their farewell tour (having existed since the early '80s). After the first concert I became so enthusiastic I wanted to see them again. So we managed to get tickets for this gig, their next to last ever concert. Where did they play this? Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Utrecht, big hall? Nope, in a small village somewhere in the centre of the Netherlands. And it was a great gig where they played many crowd favourites with a melancholy mood hanging over it (2 days later it would be over). Luckily they've released an official live CD of their farewell tour.
Honourable mention: Tagrijn, Hilversum (The Netherlands) 23-11-2001 (my first TK gig)

Solomon Burke - Tivoli, Utrecht (The Netherlands) 2003
What can I say. He still has an amazing voice. Live it is maybe even more powerful than on record. And he does know how to charm a crowd. Anyone recorded this?

C ya!

Marty

 

[Blue Room]

The Rolling Stones on the Voodoo Lounge tour in Lansing Michigan in 1994, Lenny Kravitz opened. The closest I have come to the U2 experience at a non U2 show.

A close second would be Simple Minds and Bruce Springsteen. Both are great performers also.

Of course afterwards (and sometimes during) it usually crosses my mine that I wish or wished it was U2 I was seeing.