Because it was an entire spectacle of visuals and sound, outdoors on a beautiful summer night...
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Your most memorable live show
- Thread starter LBS-bass
- Start date
Unlike Highlander, there can be more than one.
Milton Nascimento at the Beacon Theater in NYC.
Old and New Dreams (Dewey Redman, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Ed Blackwell) at some now-forgotten loft space in Seattle.
Ruben Blades with Seis del Solar at SOB in NYC.
Weather Report in London in 1976, IIRC Jaco's first tour. The opening acts were the Cobham-Duke Band and John McLaughlin with Shakti.
Neville Brothers at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, CA.
Of course there are more....
Milton Nascimento at the Beacon Theater in NYC.
Old and New Dreams (Dewey Redman, Don Cherry, Charlie Haden, and Ed Blackwell) at some now-forgotten loft space in Seattle.
Ruben Blades with Seis del Solar at SOB in NYC.
Weather Report in London in 1976, IIRC Jaco's first tour. The opening acts were the Cobham-Duke Band and John McLaughlin with Shakti.
Neville Brothers at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano, CA.
Of course there are more....
Add the Bad Brains to the set and I could have died happy hit by a car after the show.
The exact dates of shows tend to escape me (and sometimes even approximate dates 
), just not something I focus on for some reason. There was a great little club in my area for years, finally closed down with the pandemic ...
Saw the Basie Band there in the early-ish 2000's, sat with a buddy and two guys who'd driven up from NYC for the show (they asked if they could share the perfectly located table, and yes of course). They were a fountain of knowledge, had even seen Charlie Parker play back in the day (they confirmed that he had to be seen live to be fully appreciated). So they knew all the players in the band, added immensely to our enjoyment of the show.
The band was spilling off the small, low, stage, bass player to the side of it, singer and bandleader out front, trombonists aiming their slides between the heads of the guys in front of them ... richest sound I've ever heard in my life! OMG. So thick and harmonically full, fantastic soloists to add seasoning. An experience.
Another show from that venue some years earlier - Doc Watson. He really was that good.
So many shows, so many venues over the years. Lyle Lovett's Large Band - amazing, plus vocalist Francine Reed, Stray Cats in their early years, touring behind their 2nd record, Setzer absolutely tore it up, great singing too. Dizzy, with James Moody, Hank Jones, Jo Jones, and Ron Carter, wow.
But I'll have to say The Who for 3rd, or 1st, or whatever. Hartford stadium 1997, Zach Starkey playing solid, solid rock drums, not trying to be Moonie, just himself, Townshend windmiling, Daltrey swinging the mic, in full throated form, and Entwhistle thunderfingers. If there'd been a roof they'd have blown it off. Never saw them with Moon, I believe it when people say they were at their best with him. But with Zach they had great rhythms going the whole show. Daltrey has said that the Who's music is for fighting, not dancing, but the lady I went with and I were dancing up a storm to them, feet just HAD to move! What a show. Best live rock band ever? Some would say. They're in the running, for sure!
), just not something I focus on for some reason. There was a great little club in my area for years, finally closed down with the pandemic ...Saw the Basie Band there in the early-ish 2000's, sat with a buddy and two guys who'd driven up from NYC for the show (they asked if they could share the perfectly located table, and yes of course). They were a fountain of knowledge, had even seen Charlie Parker play back in the day (they confirmed that he had to be seen live to be fully appreciated). So they knew all the players in the band, added immensely to our enjoyment of the show.
The band was spilling off the small, low, stage, bass player to the side of it, singer and bandleader out front, trombonists aiming their slides between the heads of the guys in front of them ... richest sound I've ever heard in my life! OMG. So thick and harmonically full, fantastic soloists to add seasoning. An experience.
Another show from that venue some years earlier - Doc Watson. He really was that good.
So many shows, so many venues over the years. Lyle Lovett's Large Band - amazing, plus vocalist Francine Reed, Stray Cats in their early years, touring behind their 2nd record, Setzer absolutely tore it up, great singing too. Dizzy, with James Moody, Hank Jones, Jo Jones, and Ron Carter, wow.
But I'll have to say The Who for 3rd, or 1st, or whatever. Hartford stadium 1997, Zach Starkey playing solid, solid rock drums, not trying to be Moonie, just himself, Townshend windmiling, Daltrey swinging the mic, in full throated form, and Entwhistle thunderfingers. If there'd been a roof they'd have blown it off. Never saw them with Moon, I believe it when people say they were at their best with him. But with Zach they had great rhythms going the whole show. Daltrey has said that the Who's music is for fighting, not dancing, but the lady I went with and I were dancing up a storm to them, feet just HAD to move! What a show. Best live rock band ever? Some would say. They're in the running, for sure!
My ace:
My Dad's band, 1978, Sandusky, OH. At the American Legion. There wasn't even a bass in the band, but this is where it all started for me.
Others:
Rush, Vapor Trails tour, UMB Bank Pavilion, Maryland Heights (St Louis), MO, 8/2/02. Was the boys' first tour after Neil's tragedy's. So much emotion as you might expect. My crew had seats at the front of the back section, but one of us won the ticket upgrade sponsored by KSHE. So we spent all night rotating in and out of front-row center. I was up-front for the first 4 songs of the second set: One Little Victory, Ghost Rider and Secret Touch. I'll never forget watching Alex "Walking Waterfall" Lifeson performing in leather pants that night. It was about 400 degrees in the shade, just brutal.
Rush, 7/27/15, Phoenix. Front row dead center.
Rush, 12/19/85, Richfield, OH. First Rush concert.
Porcupine Tree, 4/20/10, Dallas. First time seeing them live. Amazing performance!
Chicago, 6/5/87, Cuyahoga Falls, OH. First Chicago concert.
Alanis Morissette, 9/7/96, Cuyahoga Falls, OH. Lawn seats under the fringes of Hurricane Fran turned the lawn into a huge mudpit. People-watching was top-notch as drunken concert-goers tried to climb to the top of the hill for beers and then came back down with multiple-beers in-hand and not lose them or kill themselves. Then on the way home, it got super foggy and the temperature dipped below freezing, causing tons of accidents on the hilly, winding roads around the amphitheater.
Muse, 10/8/10, Oklahoma City. Just wow.
Yes, 11/12/97, Cleveland. Small venue, fabulous show.
My Dad's band, 1978, Sandusky, OH. At the American Legion. There wasn't even a bass in the band, but this is where it all started for me.
Others:
Rush, Vapor Trails tour, UMB Bank Pavilion, Maryland Heights (St Louis), MO, 8/2/02. Was the boys' first tour after Neil's tragedy's. So much emotion as you might expect. My crew had seats at the front of the back section, but one of us won the ticket upgrade sponsored by KSHE. So we spent all night rotating in and out of front-row center. I was up-front for the first 4 songs of the second set: One Little Victory, Ghost Rider and Secret Touch. I'll never forget watching Alex "Walking Waterfall" Lifeson performing in leather pants that night. It was about 400 degrees in the shade, just brutal.
Rush, 7/27/15, Phoenix. Front row dead center.
Rush, 12/19/85, Richfield, OH. First Rush concert.
Porcupine Tree, 4/20/10, Dallas. First time seeing them live. Amazing performance!
Chicago, 6/5/87, Cuyahoga Falls, OH. First Chicago concert.
Alanis Morissette, 9/7/96, Cuyahoga Falls, OH. Lawn seats under the fringes of Hurricane Fran turned the lawn into a huge mudpit. People-watching was top-notch as drunken concert-goers tried to climb to the top of the hill for beers and then came back down with multiple-beers in-hand and not lose them or kill themselves. Then on the way home, it got super foggy and the temperature dipped below freezing, causing tons of accidents on the hilly, winding roads around the amphitheater.
Muse, 10/8/10, Oklahoma City. Just wow.
Yes, 11/12/97, Cleveland. Small venue, fabulous show.
Okay, some more:
Flim & the BBs at the their second and last ever concert, at the Wiltern Theater in the late '80s.
Hollywood Bowl concert in the late '80s with Ella Fitzgerald, Woody Herman and his Young Thundering Herd, Toshiko Akyoshi Big Band, Dizzy Gillespie, Gerald Wilson Orchestra, and Joe Pass.
The first time I saw the Family Stone Experience, in '08 (Rare Blend opened for them).
Flim & the BBs at the their second and last ever concert, at the Wiltern Theater in the late '80s.
Hollywood Bowl concert in the late '80s with Ella Fitzgerald, Woody Herman and his Young Thundering Herd, Toshiko Akyoshi Big Band, Dizzy Gillespie, Gerald Wilson Orchestra, and Joe Pass.
The first time I saw the Family Stone Experience, in '08 (Rare Blend opened for them).
Joni Mitchell, Jaco Pastorious, Michael Brecker, Lyle Mays, Pat Metheney and Don Alias at Alpine Valley in WI.
Silverchair at the Meridian in Houston.
I'm a huge fan and the show sounded great (Chris Joannou's Ampeg rig was killer), also went with some real close friends to the show, so it was an awesome night all around. I was 17 at the time, but all my friends were 5+ years my senior, so none of the cops checked my ID while I was smoking
I'm a huge fan and the show sounded great (Chris Joannou's Ampeg rig was killer), also went with some real close friends to the show, so it was an awesome night all around. I was 17 at the time, but all my friends were 5+ years my senior, so none of the cops checked my ID while I was smoking
Kinks, State of Confusion tour...
Police, Syncronicity tour...
Midnight Oil, Diesel and Dust tour
Replacements, Tim Tour
Fixx, Reach The Beach Tour
Rush, Moving Pictures Tour
Police, Syncronicity tour...
Midnight Oil, Diesel and Dust tour
Replacements, Tim Tour
Fixx, Reach The Beach Tour
Rush, Moving Pictures Tour
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My first "real" concert ever was Rush on the Presto tour, and Mr. Big opened for them. Two absolute bass gods in one day.
Best concert ever though - I saw Queensryche on the Empire tour. That was the tour they played Operation: Mindcrime it its entirety. I was a sophomore in college in Duluth, MN. The venue was a medium size - like 7.5k capacity or something. It was absolutely incredible. One of the best hard rock/metal concept albums of all time, and to see them do it live from front to back and nail every single aspect - just wow. We were general admission, and pushed to the front when they opened up the floor. Ended up right in front - I had my hands bracing myself on the stage barricade. A super cute girl snuck between my arms to avoid the crowd push - I mean, it was just a great night!
Best concert ever though - I saw Queensryche on the Empire tour. That was the tour they played Operation: Mindcrime it its entirety. I was a sophomore in college in Duluth, MN. The venue was a medium size - like 7.5k capacity or something. It was absolutely incredible. One of the best hard rock/metal concept albums of all time, and to see them do it live from front to back and nail every single aspect - just wow. We were general admission, and pushed to the front when they opened up the floor. Ended up right in front - I had my hands bracing myself on the stage barricade. A super cute girl snuck between my arms to avoid the crowd push - I mean, it was just a great night!
A friend of mine had an extra ticket to see Santana at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. His other friend couldn't make. "What the hell. I'll go. I have nothing better to do." Excellent show. It was the most memorable for me because it surprised me so.
When I was a teenager, in the late 70's/early 80's, I managed to get a job as a ticket taker at the Rainbow Music Hall in Denver, Colorado. It was a 1400 seat venue with a killer sound system, and not a bad seat in the house. One of the perks of working there was that after my ticket taking was completed, I could watch the concerts for free (versus paying the $8.00 average ticket price!). I saw a lot of memorable shows there, many of them by artists I knew nothing about, ranging from Elvin Bishop to The Tom Robinson Band (where I found my teenaged heterosexual self standing along with the rest of the audience chanting "Sing if you're proud to be gay!") to metal band Alcatrazz (with their new guitarist Steve Vai), The Babys (with John Waite and Jonathan Cain), and one of the best concerts I've ever seen: The Boomtown Rats (who I'd never heard of but immediately bought their Rat Trap album the next day). Another of the best concerts I've ever seen, also at the Rainbow, was AC/DC, in 1979 (Bon Scott running up and down the aisles with Angus Young on his shoulders). I recently found an online database of all the artists who appeared at the Rainbow, and I could kick myself for all the shows I missed during that late 70's/early 80's timeframe: U2, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Leon Russell, Bob Dylan, The Police, Tom Waits, Thin Lizzy, Jerry Garcia, Cheap Trick, Prince, etc., etc. If I could go back in time I'd pretty much camp out there (and at Red Rocks).
Another memorable early 80's concert was The Clash at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. 30 years later my college-aged son and I saw Foo Fighters at Red Rocks, which was pretty great. Seeing Van Halen, Black Sabbath (with Dio as their singer) and Blizzard of Oz (with Randy Rhoads)--separate concerts--in the early 80's at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque was pretty monumental.
Two others come to mind because I did not expect them to be as fantastic as they were:
Phil Keaggy playing a solo show at a little church in Boulder, Colorado in the late 80's. Very intimate and informal, with jaw-dropping acoustic guitar playing.
Nickel Creek in 2006 at Marymoor Park in Bellevue, Washington. Immense talent from all three members (and their upright bassist, Mark Schatz). I didn't realize bluegrass music could be so entertaining and awe inspiring.
Another memorable early 80's concert was The Clash at Red Rocks Amphitheatre. 30 years later my college-aged son and I saw Foo Fighters at Red Rocks, which was pretty great. Seeing Van Halen, Black Sabbath (with Dio as their singer) and Blizzard of Oz (with Randy Rhoads)--separate concerts--in the early 80's at Tingley Coliseum in Albuquerque was pretty monumental.
Two others come to mind because I did not expect them to be as fantastic as they were:
Phil Keaggy playing a solo show at a little church in Boulder, Colorado in the late 80's. Very intimate and informal, with jaw-dropping acoustic guitar playing.
Nickel Creek in 2006 at Marymoor Park in Bellevue, Washington. Immense talent from all three members (and their upright bassist, Mark Schatz). I didn't realize bluegrass music could be so entertaining and awe inspiring.
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Allman Bros. at the Filmore East, late 70’s sometime. Duane had already passed away.
More recently, 2018, Marcus Miller, with David Sanborn, Bob James, and Billy Kilson on drums. And Last night Tedeschi Trucks Band in Cincinnati, OH. So many great shows over the years. All great and hard to choose just a few.
More recently, 2018, Marcus Miller, with David Sanborn, Bob James, and Billy Kilson on drums. And Last night Tedeschi Trucks Band in Cincinnati, OH. So many great shows over the years. All great and hard to choose just a few.
Stanley Jordan, solo, at the Chance Theatre in Poughkeepsie, NY. Some time in the late 80's or early 90's. I won the tickets by calling in to the radio station, WPDH.
I have never been to a musical event like this. One person on stage. He had two Roland Jazz chorus amps, one at each side of the stage, in glorious, super-clean stereo. The only other instrument was his tapping foot. I seem to remember he had metal-tipped boots on, so his taps rang out percussively.
It was like watching a trapeze artist flying through the air without a net. The crowd literally hushed at times, ooh'd and aah'd at times. Never saw such reactions at a guitar show. Such beautiful, flowing music, and as I understand, most/much of it improvised. What an artist!
I have never been to a musical event like this. One person on stage. He had two Roland Jazz chorus amps, one at each side of the stage, in glorious, super-clean stereo. The only other instrument was his tapping foot. I seem to remember he had metal-tipped boots on, so his taps rang out percussively.
It was like watching a trapeze artist flying through the air without a net. The crowd literally hushed at times, ooh'd and aah'd at times. Never saw such reactions at a guitar show. Such beautiful, flowing music, and as I understand, most/much of it improvised. What an artist!
UK at Penns Landing. Not only was the show amazing but a fire broke out at the next pier. I was parked on the other side of the fire and the cops closed Delaware Ave. Getting my date and I back to my car turned into a modern day version of Homers Odyssey.
Living Colour in probably 1992, was front row and got to droll over (not on) Muzz' gear. He had a lot of sponsors at that point. Wish I would have had a camera for that show, but cameras would get you kicked out at that point in time.
