Your most memorable live show

[LBS-bass]

As an audience member?

For me it's a tossup between three. The Roxy Music Country Life tour, Little Feat Dixie Chicken, or Gentle Giant touring Free Hand. Three shows I am amazed I had the opportunity to experience.

How about you?

 

[WG Plum]

Santana at a Roman coloseum in Turkey was pretty special.

Fugazi at the Newport in Columbus, OH, was astounding.

Slayer. Yep. Never seen that kind of legal, communal, ferocity before or since.

 

[Passinwind]

As an audience member?

For me it's a tossup between three. The Roxy Music Country Life tour, Little Feat Dixie Chicken, or Gentle Giant touring Free Hand. Three shows I am amazed I had the opportunity to experience.

How about you?

I get three, in the audience and not playing? Thirty would be so much easier...

Sun Ra at the Bottom Line in NYC, eight feet from Sonnie. Lots of sax players sitting in, and a cutting contest where all of them played back to back. The last guy, first chair in the band and looking at least 90 years old, topped everyone with a one note overblown harmonic skronk fest. And then they did an Ellington tune letter perfect. I literally fell out of my seat laughing at one point.

Ornette Coleman Prime Time double trio, Seattle Opera House. Two different bands playing at the same time, with Ornette playing glue in the sandwich.

And my token rock choice has to be my first Dead show: 04/06/71, Manhattan Center, NYC. Oh wait, you said memorable? As if!

 

[LBS-bass]

The last guy, first chair in the band and looking at least 90 years old, topped everyone with a one note overblown harmonic skronk fest. And then they did an Ellington tune letter perfect. I literally fell out of my seat laughing at one point.

You know, of course, that this is the stuff I absolutely live for

 

[WG Plum]

Oh.... Ned Rothenberg and John Zorn having an improv sax duet at the Big Ears festival earlier this year was heaven.

 

[Passinwind]

You know, of course, that this is the stuff I absolutely live for

Yeah, same here. Sonnie gave me a very stern look when I fell out of my seat, but when he saw that I was still laughing I got a little nod to acknowledge that it was cool. And those horn players sitting in were no chumps, they were in the Mingus Big Band and the like, cream of the New York crop at the time. The Arkestra was a seriously great big band when they felt like playing it straight.

 

[roccobass]

I've had several memorable ones. Honorable mention goes out to any of the Tower of Power concerts I went to (6 in all) from 1974 to 1979. They kicked my butt and inspired me!

However, I must say, this one really stands out. Being 15 and being here was fantastic. It was also within walking distance from my house. The Eagles, Linda Ronstadt and Jimmy Buffett (all in their prime) at Hughes Stadium at Sacramento City Junior College on May 1st, 1976. I had quite a few other memories stemming from this one. One of the more strange instances to happen that day, was the inebriated (we think it was only that) guy who climbed one of the canopy towers during the Eagles set and jumped on it while they were in mid song. Oh boy..

 

[bholder]

I'm not sure I can remember enough of it to call it memorable, but it sure had a huge impact on my young life:

LZ MSG NYC 7/28/73

 

[Darrell Vachon]

Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense

 

[Darrell Vachon]

Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense

Oh, and Talking Heads, Remain in Light tour, and oh yeah, David Byrne, American Utopia show

 

[Stevorebob]

Jackson Browne, mid-80’s. I sat next to his wife — after having an usher kick her out of my seat.

 

[LBS-bass]

I should give an honorable mention to David Sylvian even though I didn't have a seated ticket for his show. I had been a huge fan for ages and was living not far from a little theatre (TLA) on South Street in Philadelphia. Decided to walk down to the Dairy Queen and there it was on the marquee for two days later. I had to get tickets. My ex was a d******* who hated anything I liked - wasn't my ex at the time - so I just went by myself.

I love David more than I can express and it was an amazing show. To not share it with the person I loved at the time was a letdown, but I didn't really care. I'm just glad I got to see him. The Damage tour would have been far better as a feather in that cap, but I take what I can get.

 

[WG Plum]

I'm making like Kermit with some of you.

 

[kesslari]

I should give an honorable mention to David Sylvian even though I didn't have a seated ticket for his show. I had been a huge fan for ages and was living not far from a little theatre (TLA) on South Street in Philadelphia. Decided to walk down to the Dairy Queen and there it was on the marquee for two days later. I had to get tickets. My ex was a d******* who hated anything I liked - wasn't my ex at the time - so I just went by myself.

I love David more than I can express and it was an amazing show. To not share it with the person I loved at the time was a let down, but I didn't really care. I'm just glad I got to see him. The Damage tour would have been far better as a feather in that cap, but I take what I can get.

The TLA! I saw Pat Metheny sound check there - I couldn't afford a ticket so just stood outside the open door while they sound checked. Or was it Grendel's Lair? South St., either way. Long time ago.

 

[LBS-bass]

The TLA! I saw Pat Metheny sound check there - I couldn't afford a ticket so just stood outside the open door while they sound checked. Or was it Grendel's Lair? South St., either way. Long time ago.

TLA was a great concert space. This was probably 1998 or 1999. I haven't lived in Philadelphia since not long after, but I miss it every day and I have some great memories.

 

[kesslari]

For me:
Grateful Dead at Englishtown (with Marhall Tucker and someone else). It was ... a trip. Long and strange and amazing.
Tower of Power with Ellis Hall. Saw them with the R&B band I was playing with. None of us could speak afterward. I think through gestures we got it together to head to our rehearsal room and jammed until 3 am or so.
Third would either be Return to Forever at the Spectrum in Philly or Robert Hunter at a tiny club called the Main Line.

 

[LBS-bass]

For me:
Grateful Dead at Englishtown (with Marhall Tucker and someone else). It was ... a trip. Long and strange and amazing.
Tower of Power with Ellis Hall. Saw them with the R&B band I was playing with. None of us could speak afterward. I think through gestures we got it together to head to our rehearsal room and jammed until 3 am or so.
Third would either be Return to Forever at the Spectrum in Philly or Robert Hunter at a tiny club called the Main Line.

Wasn't the Main Line in Ardmore? The music store I worked in was not far from there.

 

[Passinwind]

I should give an honorable mention to David Sylvian even though I didn't have a seated ticket for his show. I had been a huge fan for ages and was living not far from a little theatre (TLA) on South Street in Philadelphia. Decided to walk down to the Dairy Queen and there it was on the marquee for two days later. I had to get tickets. My ex was a d******* who hated anything I liked - wasn't my ex at the time - so I just went by myself.

I love David more than I can express and it was an amazing show. To not share it with the person I loved at the time was a let down, but I didn't really care. I'm just glad I got to see him. The Damage tour would have been far better as a feather in that cap, but I take what I can get.

Nice! I was walking by the Tower Theater in Upper Darby on my way home one day and David Bowie was playing a date on the Ziggy Stardust tour, as in started twenty minutes ago. Some poor guy was trying to off a spare ticket and all I had on hand was five bucks, which he took. The face value was probably ten bucks or less anyway, I think. I wasn't a fan at all before then, but that band absolutely killed.

 

[LBS-bass]

Nice! I was walking by the Tower Theater in Upper Darby on my way home one day and David Bowie was playing a date on the Ziggy Stardust tour, as in started twenty minutes ago. Some poor guy was trying to off a spare ticket and all I had on hand was five bucks, which he took. The face value was probably ten bucks or less anyway, I think. I wasn't a fan at all before then, but that band absolutely killed.

Tower Theater in Upper Darby is where I saw Weather Report open for Peter Gabriel in the mid '70's and shook Jaco's hand during the break between bands. We all went out to the lobby during the break and all the guys in Weather Report were just standing out there, so we talked to them for a few minutes.

Everyone I was with already knew and understood what a groundbreaking thing Jaco was doing so I just told him how much I appreciated him, and shook his hand. I don't remember what he said, exactly - you don't think to burn that into your memory banks when you don't fully know what an iconic moment you're really experiencing - but I do remember he was gracious about accepting the praise. Another moment I'll never forget.

 

[mikewalker]

McCartney at Red Square (many years ago, before the insanity). My first wife and I and my drummer and his girlfriend, towards the western side of the square, probably 200 meters from the stage (there is a brief glimpse of us in the video). T'was an awesome show!