Best show you've ever seen, with least amount of people.

[Freaky Fender]

I was browsing Arthurfest pictures, and noticed Sunburned Hand of the Man played, and the crowd was HUGE for a band playing on a second stage. I saw them at the AS220 fest which was a big free all-day outdoor festival, in a room which was about 20 by 20 feet, with about 15-20 people in the room. It proceeded to kick my ass and watch in awe in the front.


My dad saw U2 on tour when they released "Boy" with only about 50 people in the room.


What's the best show you've ever seen with the least amount of people?

[Dave Siff]

I saw T.J. Kirk, which was one of Charlie Hunter's projects, at a small club with maybe 10 people there. Seemed like the majority of the 10 didn't know what they were in for, either!
Also, Dream Theater on a Monday night sometime in 1991, there might have been 15 or 20 people there.

[driver800]

Muddy Waters at the Agora Ballroom in Atlanta (somewhere around 1979). Featured Johnny Winter, Pinetop Perkins, James Cotton and others. It was awesome, maybe about 250 people there. It was probably the best show I've ever seen.

Also, the Violent Femmes at 688 in Atlanta just after the release of Hallowed Ground (1984?). There were about 125-150 people.

R.E.M. in Athens and Atlanta various times in the early 80s with 100-200 people.

B.B. King in the early 80's with fewer than 100 people attending.

[AaronS]

My wife was a grad student at the Colorado School of Mines and we got tickets to a Memorial Concert for Rio Nicholas, an undergrad student who died the previous year. His father, Johnny Nicholas had played with "the Wheel" over the years and they wanted to do something special for him.

The auditorium holds about 400 and 35 to 40 people showed up for the band, plus Kaz Kazanoff on sax, Floyd Domino on piano and Johnny Nicholas on guitar and piano. They gave a fantastic concert. My wife and I had tickets #1 and #2 and I caught Ray Benson's pick after the show. I framed the program cover with the pick and tickets. I was astounded that in a metro area of 1 million people so few people came to see one of the great and most enduring bands of the last 30 years. I drove 300 miles for the show, but I guess my tastes are somewhat unique.

My heart was torn listening to Johnny Nicholas performing in a memorial for his own son and to have so few people interested. Overall, I would put that concert among the best I have ever attended. And every time I look at the program on the wall, I remember Rio and Johnny.

[The Antipop]

MSI years ago, there were mabe 40 tickets sold for like 8 bucks I think, maybe 10

[Woodchuck]

Jamiroquai in Atlanta in 1993. Noone knew who they were, and it was about 200 people there. They ripped it! The next time they came to town, they packed about 3000 people into a 2000 capacity venue.

[Alan Vorse]

I saw David Fiuczynski's KIF with Tony Grey on bass at Jackrabbit's in Jacksonville Florida, 2003. I was visiting my parents and they just happened to be playing. Fuze's fuzz pedal died in the first song and so he kind of had an off night, but Tony was in top form. It was like me, my dad, maybe 5 other people and the 2 opening bands. It made me want to commit to playing creative music.

[Folmeister]

Back in about 1985 I went to see Dio and Dokken at the Lawler Event Center in Reno. It was a sizeable place, but about there could not have been more than 200-300 people there. If I remember correctly there was one line of people between me and the stage and one of those people graciously made room for me to stand in the "front row." I really thought that show was awesome, especially when Vivian Campbell got into a lazer shoot-out with an anamatronic sphinx during a solo! I also fell in love with Dokken's music that night.

[d8g3jdh]

Any canadians from T.O. get a chance to see the stones when they played the pheonix sometime last month? I didnt go but i heard it on the radio, sounded rad, seeing them in that kind of setting would be insane, did anyone here get a chance?

[slapnuts]

I just went to my first concert not too long ago, a victor wooten concert, on July 15, 2005; with about 1 thousand people. This is a long story, so hang on. It was at a small venue called the "Varity Playhouse." So we get there early, my dad and me, and it's general admission, so we get front row seats, well standing. For his opening band, M.C. Divinity, she almost wacked me with her bass probably 5 times! So anyways, her sister and her cousin were standing behind us, and my dad is talking to her and they were all like oh cool he's a bass player, well stay right here after the show and we will let you talk to her. That is not even the good part. So anyways, they are changing bands, and this woman comes up to us. She said she was with the band and showed us her little nametag thingy. She said she was supposed to film Regi, the guitarist, when he did his solo. We were fine with that, of course. So my dad got to talking with her and told that this was my first concert and that I was a bass player. She said, "Oh really, well, Vic will sometimes let people out in the audience play his bass." We thought that was the coolest. So you know, the play the last song and head back stage. Whole crowd is shouting ENCORE, ENCORE, and she had disappered. It took them awhile to get back out, but when they came back out, she reappered. So you know, Vic plays a little while and he hands his bass out to the other side of the crowd and this guy is just wailing on this thing. The Whole time this girl is shouting, "VIC. VIC! OVER HERE." He kinda nods to her. So he gets his bass back and him, Regi Wooten, and Anthony Wellington (I think that is his name.) come over to me, pick me up, put me on center stage, and strap his bass on me and let me play!!! I really stunk right then, I had been at tuba camp, one of my many other instruments all week and I hadn't played the best instrument of all for a while. I played the intro to foreplay/long time by boston as that was all I could think of just then. In case you get any kind of chance like this, BEWARE THE LEGENDARY SLIPPERY STRINGS. I swear these things are the most slippery things in the world.

[slapnuts]

My dad saw Husker-Du, the original punk band, in a church basement with about 10 other people in his hometown.

[Figjam]

Saw a semi underground band BearVsShark at local venue, probably 50 people tehre, i was right in front of stage , on it at times.

[McHaven]

My own band's show. Best show we ever did, 20 people. sucked majorly

[sargebaker]

Alain Caron with I dunno but how many exactly but a small room of peoples.

[Jerry Ziarko]

Over the years many come to mind, but probably my favorite was one I performed at back in the early 90's. Some promoter had the "brilliant'" idea of having an outdoor festival in early Oct. Doesn't sound like a terrible idea does it? Well let's add it was at night up in Watertown NY. Although there was a huge tent for the concert, the sides were open air. It was pouring rain with the temp in the mid forties. Our management at the time grabbed the gig knowing we were huge fans of the headliner, Asleep At The Wheel. We arrived in the afternoon for soundcheck and thought they might actually pull the plug on the whole thing, the weather being as bad as it was. Well by showtime there were at most 40 people under this massive tent canopy. We were bummed as you can imagine but still managed to play a half way decent set. NOW THE EDUCATION BEGAN! AATW took the stage with all guns blazing. For the next 90 min they played one of the most inspiring, smoking sets I had ever seen or heard. It was at that time I finally got what it meant to play and act like a professional. You would have thought there was 40,000 peolple there by the way they played and responded to the dismal showing. Total class!!!!
AND I also have to mention this one. The agency that handled us also had ELP on their roster. They were rehearsing their "reunion" tour in my hometown. The night before their first show, they had a informal performance in this tiny storage garage for a handful of people. They took requests and played their butts off. I remember seeing them in concert during the mid 70's in front of 10,000 plus and being blown away. I got to say, I enjoyed the garage setting 25 yrs. later even more!

[Bard2dbone]

Originally Posted by nettor

My own band's show. Best show we ever did, 20 people. sucked majorly

I had one of those days, once. We played...at least okay-ish, that night. I tried, but couldn't work up the usual excitement.

Our audience was named either Ted, or Burt, depending on whether you ask me or my guitarist.

The bar was closing that week, and was definitely going out with a whimper. I don't think they even turned the outside lights on that night.

[Bryan R. Tyler]

I saw Michael Manring in a club/restaurant in Cleveland- there were less than 50 people in there, and I sat about six feet from him.

I also saw Tree at a local rock club (no longer exists) and there was a very small crowd- maybe thirty or fourty at most.

[Finger Blister]

Night Ranger at a small barn party in Antioch, CA., Oct. 1982.

[DaveDeVille]

Talking Heads , Dallas ,Tx.
after 1979 release of " Fear of Music"...

it was in a small bar , and it wasn't promoted very well .
no radio announcements , i only got to go because my friend saw a small advertisement in the local paper ...
less than 100 lucky people got to see that one .

what a GREAT show .

[BigJH]

I saw Ozomatli at Bogarts with about 150-250 people. The next week I saw Flogging Molly fill Bogarts. I was really disappointed that so few people showed up to see Ozomatli they were amazing. That was one of the best shows I have ever seen.