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

[dougal55]

Hi!

As I have seen U2 live 15 times now, Im wondering what, apart from U2, you consider to be best show you have seen in your life?

I must have seen, oh, about at least 100 bands/singers since the very first gig I ever went to back in 1987 seeing U2 at Wembley Stadium.

I have seen British bands/singers like Jesus and Mary Chain, House of Love, Stereo MCs, Lone Justice, Aswad, Joe Strummer, Coldplay, Fatima Mansions, Pulp, Bernard Butler, UB40 and many others. Other bands/singers from outside UK includes The Pixies, Bjork, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Bruce Springsteen, Youssou N'Dour, Tracy Chapman and so on.

Well, the best gigs I have seen so far are, not necessarily in order of preference:

1. Red Hot Chili Peppers - Saw them as support to U2 at Slane Castle in 2001 and boy, they blew my mind! I was a sceptic when they came on but I was instantly a convert when they got off! Amazing!
2. The Pogues - I have seen them live several times through the years and you cant beat them for their amazing energy and also the unbelievably great atmosphere. They are now still playing but I prefer the good old days back in the late 1980/early 1990's when they were at their best.
3. The Pixies - Wow, man! They are on a par with the best including U2 themselves! I have seen them live 4 times and they were amazing every time! I loved their live songs like Gigantic, Monkey's gone to Heaven, Debaser, and so on. It was a real shame that they had split up years ago.
5. House Of Love - this was an early 1990's band fronted by an intense but cool guitarist and singer called Guy Chadwick and for a time, they were the darlings of the indie music press like NME. They had amazing songs like Christine which brought them a lot of attention at the time. They are, in some ways, similar to The Pixies.

I think thats all I can remember..... now only if they performed with U2 on the same day! Now that would be heaven for me!

dougal

 

[oliveu2cm]

Bruce Springsteen. Absolutely phenomenal!!!!!!!

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

The Oddfellows, a local guitar band inspired by the likes of REM and the Smiths. I've only been to two actual gigs in my life, the Corrs and the Oddfellows, and the Oddies win. (Although technically it was a free promotional performance).

What? No U2? Tell them to come down to Singapore then.

 

[Sicy]

No Doubt

 

[Hallelujah Here She Comes]

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.

 

[meegannie]

Hmmm.... this is difficult because I like different gigs for different reasons. So my top five would be:

Starsailor in March 2002 in Philadelphia Also the best time I've had before and after a show.

Idlewild in March in Baltimore

Neil Halstead....I can't pick one....

Doves in December at the Brixton Academy in London supported by the Delgados.

Doves and Elbow double headling tour last June. Both the Philly show and DC show.

 

[HelloAngel]

#1 The Strokes - Boca Raton, November 2002. (front row)
#2 No Doubt - Orlando, October 2002. (also front row)

 

[Salome]

the amazing stroopwafels

 

[Elvis Presley]

#1 Interpol in January
#1a Sigur Ros in March

 

[jkayet]

Starsailor in March 2002 in Philadelphia Also the best time I've had before and after a show.

Neil Halstead....I can't pick one....

Doves in December at the Brixton Academy in London supported by the Delgados.

Doves and Elbow double headling tour last June. Both the Philly show and DC show.

all those are in my top 5, so it's easier just to second megan's votes! (minus idlewild, of course - since i wasn't there, i'm sure it'd be in my top if i was!)

My final show though, is:

Starsailor at the London Astoria in February 2003.

OH, wait! ED. I have to make this my top 6, sorry..

Ed Harcourt at North Star Bar in Philly...May 2002 I think...

 

[adamswildhoney]

I have only seen one other show besides U2 and it was Nstink so i have no comment!!!!!

Concerts I am looking forward too:

COLDPLAY
and *crosses fingers* Fleetwood Mac

 

[Angel]

Coldplay for sheer passion.
Doves for improvement in their music live.
Smashing Pumpkins for being what they are (were). Spectacular live show if you can stomach the 45 min long jamming session in the last half.

 

[Bonochick]

Oh gosh...

Well...I absolutely adore Ryan Adams...

*random voice* We know, we know!!!!!!!!



But I've also seen The Rolling Stones twice...and that is just such a spectacle, such an experience...



I've gotta go with Ryan Adams...it really changed my life. It was a springboard for a lot of things that most people don't even know about. Just incredible...what a trip.

 

[meegannie]

Ed Harcourt at North Star Bar in Philly...May 2002 I think...

YES! May 18th! Substitute that for one of my Doves shows.

Ed

I love his cat.

 

[yertle-the-turtle]

I saw Doves on the MTV live TV show once. That count? I think it was the Pinkpop Festival, they did a really amazing version of Here It Comes.

 

[dsmith2904]

God, that's tough. I've seen The Stones and Tina Turner twice each and they're just beyond compare, they invented the modern rock spectacular. Madonna was tremendous. Guns 'n Roses was fantastic. Rollins is always the man. Then there's Beck and No Doubt and Alanis and Heart and Stevie Nicks and Rod Stewart and Brian Setzer. It's so hard for me to pick the best show because I don't think I've ever been to a terrible show, and I've been going to concerts more than half my life (first show NKOTB, Christmas 1989!!).

 

[Bonochick]

(first show NKOTB, Christmas 1989!!).

My first show was NKOTB...I think it was in 1990.

 

[Hewson]

It would be pretty tough to pinpoint, I've seen a lot of great shows.
Off the top of my head, some of the top live acts I've seen:
The Who(7x)
Pearl Jam(8x, with 3 more coming this year)
The Stones(6x)
Bruce(6x)
Nirvana(sadly just once and 6 months later...blammo)
Van Halen(7x)
There are many nights when I left an arena thinking I had just seen one of the best shows of my life, including after many U2 shows.

 

[HeadsOnSticks]

Radiohead: Greek Theater Los Angeles 2001

 

[u2popmofo]

#1 - Audioslave - Mesa Arizona, April 2003 - amazing

#2 - Weezer - SLC - September 2001 - They do a fantastic live show

 

[ThatGuy]

Definitely Radiohead, five years ago today at the Bill Graham Civic Auditorium.

 

[~LadyLemon~]

Hmm...I have a few that were all equally outstanding.

*The Who 1996--they performed Quadrophena (with Billy Idol as the Bell Boy!)

*CSNY 2000--saw their first show in Detroit in Jan, but their Columbus show in April was a lot better

*Bruce 2002--need I say more!!! Ok, Bruce sweat!! hehe..

 

[Niamh_Saoirse]

I'd have to say Red Hot Chili Peppers and The Rolling Stones.

 

[Banshee Breeze]

Bruce Springsteen- 12/09/80. It was the night after John Lennon died. Bruce was absolutely on fire. Little Steven cried. What a night. I will always feel lucky to have been there.

 

[jkayet]

YES! May 18th! Substitute that for one of my Doves shows.

Ed

I love his cat.

CLASSIC quote... That was the best. ed...

*edited b/c i typed :ed:ed instead of ed, but come to think of it, an :ed: icon wouldn't be bad...

 

[hiphop]

not an easy question.

power and tricky, both gigs.

quality of the band buena vista social club and james brown.

david bowies gigs were great.

some festivals, too, for days and nights, the mood. seen the stereo mcs there, it was fun. what about bj?rk, never got a chance to see her live. and the concert i would most long to see would be prince if he?s in a good kickin? mood.

i really can?t decide there are lots of musicians i like.


i?m sorry to say the stones were ridiculous.

 

[martha]

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!

2. The Ramones, also at the Palladium, also in 1980. We left school early that day and on the way up heard on the radio that they would be signing records at the Music + store on Sunset and Vine. We went and watched the punks stealing lps and unwrapping them and having the Ramones sign them! Johnny Ramone was the palest living human I have ever seen! I didn't know people could be that color and be alive!

3. Elvis Costello Almost Blue, Almost '82 tour at the LA Sports Arena He played for almost three hours, and it was such a great show.

4. Springsteen on The River tour, sometime in the early 80s. We had side riser seats, but at the end of the show, we were able to work our way right up front. Remember, this is before standing areas were popular at arena shows, so this was a huge deal! It was a ball!!!

5. Boomtown Rats and X, again at the Palladium, again in the early 80s. This was a great show! I loved the Rats, and this was the first time I got to see X. My mother was worried, because at an X show at the Roxy a few weeks before, someone had gotten stabbed. This was when punks were still somewhat dangerous!

6. George Carlin at the Roxy, maybe 1978 or so. I laughed so hard I couldn't breathe.

7. Gil Scott-Heron at the Roxy, early 80s. Great show!

8. Lou Reed at the Roxy, early 80s. I don't think I need to say anything here!


I loved going to concerts when I was young and tickets were cheap and bands were good! The early 80s was so much fun for me! I won't even mention Augustus Pablo at the Palladium or Reggae Sunsplash in Jamaica in 1981 with Steel Pulse.

 

[u2popmofo]

Martha, HOLY CRAP you've seen some awesome shows!!

Seriously, Talking Heads and the Ramones! WOW! That would have been awesome. There's just some bands like that, which I'll never have the chance to see, who just look look like they would have put on spectacular shows.

I'm seriously jealous.

 

[hiphop]

I?m jealous on Lou Reed.

 

[pax]

I saw Ben Harper at the Electric Factory in Philadelphia two years ago or so. He was absolutely, awesomely, fucking amazing. He played for two and a half hours, first of all. I was also RIGHT up front (GA and everyone was standing, but I was equivalent of 2nd or 3rd row because me and my boyfriend at the time got there mad early). He also played EVERY song that I really love by him (like "Ground on Down" and "Forever"), and he even did "Sexual Healing."

Honorable mentions are Dave Matthews Band, Wally Pleasant (who no one has ever heard of), Barenaked Ladies, and Fiona Apple.