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Your Most Surprisingly Good Concert?

M

MarkMgibson

Oct 24, 2012
1,218
50
Brisbane, Australia
#1
I can't remember the year, but it was the very late 80's, I think; my brother phoned me and had a couple of tickets to see Foreigner. The tour wasn't going well, so they'd basically cut their ticket prices by about half. I only knew their radio hits, and wasn't really a fan, but I was never one to knock back going to a concert.

That concert was absolutely brilliant - one of the best live shows I've seen. After that I went out and bought all their albums. I even played one of their songs at my wedding. I've been a fan ever since. I've been to a few shows like this - concerts that just took me by surprise, but that was the best one.

Some bands are okay in the studio, but live, they just kick ass. I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience, and with what band?

Regards,
MarkM
 
#2
MarkMgibson said:
I can't remember the year, but it was the very late 80's, I think; my brother phoned me and had a couple of tickets to see Foreigner. The tour wasn't going well, so they'd basically cut their ticket prices by about half. I only knew their radio hits, and wasn't really a fan, but I was never one to knock back going to a concert.

That concert was absolutely brilliant - one of the best live shows I've seen. After that I went out and bought all their albums. I even played one of their songs at my wedding. I've been a fan ever since. I've been to a few shows like this - concerts that just took me by surprise, but that was the best one.

Some bands are okay in the studio, but live, they just kick ass. I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience, and with what band?

Regards,
MarkM
Click to expand...

Back in the 70's, Seatrain. They were an electric bluegrass band who opened opened for Black Sabbath and seriously put them in the shade.

And in 1981, The Grateful Dead. I was ho-hum about them from listening to their recorded stuff but going to see them live was a slap upside the head.
 
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#3
Actually, Garth Brooks. I'm not a huge country fan, and wasn't back then either. But my first wife dragged mt to the show. He had an incredible band. He and the whole band put on an amazing show. They ran from one end of the stage to the other all night. They must have been exhausted when it was over. And he had the crowd eating right out of his hand. No matter what he did, the whole place went nuts. It was pretty electric in the Dean Smith Center that night.
 
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#4
MarkMgibson said:
I was wondering if anyone else has had a similar experience, and with what band?
Click to expand...

Three Dog Night. They played at the end of a very long festival bill in the early 70s, when many people had already left or were asleep. Following bands like Faces, ELP, and Humble Pie, and completely owning at 8AM -- not easy.

Maybe not so surprising, but a band I had little interest in seeing but who put on a great show was Led Zeppelin, ca. 1974. Same with David Bowie on the Ziggy Stardust tour.
 
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#5
November 29, 1975 at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. I was there to see Aerosmith. There was an opening act I'd never heard of. About halfway into the second song I turned to my big brother and asked in amazement: "WHO is that??"

It was Ted Nugent playing the just-released self-titled "blue" album (Stranglehold etc.) It sounded like the record on a billion-dollar stereo. I was blown away.


Aerosmith, still in their pre-sobriety days, kinda stunk.
 
#6
78' Calgary Stampede at the "Summertown" outdoor venue. McKenna Mendlesohn Mainline. Great blues based Toronto band that really delivered. Also Chilliwack from the same venue different year. The lead guitarist (Henderson) put his guitar down for a few tunes, picked up a bass, and just wailed!
 
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#10
Quite a few acts have impressed me that I was not expecting. Here are a couple.

Back in the early 70s, I went to see Humble Pie. The opening act could not make it and there was a different opening band I never heard of before called Gentle Giant. Well, I was amazed by them and have been a fan ever since.

In the early 80s, I went to a Loverboy concert and the opening band was Huey Lewis & The News. They were fantastic, super tight, and full of energy.
 
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#11
Mellencamp. I took my GF to see him a couple years ago. At one point, he dismissed the band and starting playing solo acoustic songs he had been writing on the road. That's enough of a slap to the corporate arena rock model to get my respect by itself. Even better, one of the songs was an anti-racism song about some recent lynchings-in-effigy that had happened in the South.

The whole time I'm thinking "what are you doing? You're not supposed to be cool." :D
 
#13
Rick Springfield, Living in Oz tour (ca 1984). My sister was a fan, and I liked some of his stuff, so I went with her. Great band (Tim Pierce killed on lead guitar), fantastic show. Rick can play and sing. And Quarterflash opened for him, and they were great, too! Both of their guitarists were great, and they had some serious energy. All around a worthwhile show!
 
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#14
MonetBass said:
Rick Springfield, Living in Oz tour (ca 1984). My sister was a fan, and I liked some of his stuff, so I went with her. Great band (Tim Pierce killed on lead guitar), fantastic show. Rick can play and sing. And Quarterflash opened for him, and they were great, too! Both of their guitarists were great, and they had some serious energy. All around a worthwhile show!
Click to expand...

I think I saw him on the same tour in Columbus, Ohio. Again, say what you will about his approach to pop rock, but him and his band were air-tight. He's a spirited entertainer and performer.
 
#16
Most surprisingly good concert??? For me it would have to be Hall & Oates back in the late 70's or thereabouts. I was never a big fan, but my sister was, and she had tickets and her friend bailed on her and she did not want to drive from the Jerz to Manhattan alone . I did not expect to enjoy it much, but it turned out to be a good show. The best part was when they left the stage to let their back-up band play while they took a break. I don't remember what the band played, but I remember being blown away by some great cooking.
 
#18
Melissa Ethridge with Kenny Oronoff on drums. The entire backing band was rocking and she fronted that stage well. I was dragged kicking and screaming to that one and came out inspired. I still don't like her music but do I ever respect her and that band.

Mutemath. I hadn't even heard a song, now one of my favorite bands.
 
#20
I was convinced by my teenage son to take him and friends to a metal show. I had not listened to any of the bands on the bill before. Periphery kicked butt!!! I was truly surprised at how well all of the bands played, and I had a great time even if I am WAY older than the rest of the crowd :-)
 

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