Back in the day when concerts were fairly affordable and I had some money, I used to see many of my favorite bands or singers when they came to town from Romeovoid to Madonna. I enjoyed many of the concerts but I only consider four to be the best I've ever seen live.

Seeing Missing Persons for the first time in San Francisco in the early 80s was amazing. Terry Bozzio and Warren Cuccurullo were excellent musicians. They really played hard. Of course, Dale looked hot in her self-made plastic outfits.

I saw Sarah McLachlan several times. She was just fabulous each time.

I was blown away by Melissa Etheridge when I saw her perform back in 2001 or 2002. It was just her and a guitar. Amazing.

Finally, I saw the Acoustic Africa show that featured Habib Koite, Vusi Mahalsala, and Dobet Gnahore in Berkeley in 2006. Those musicians were incredible. I just loved the music. It was a great show.

The worst show I saw was Whitney Houston's concert when she first came on the scene. She oversang every song. I loved her album but the performance was awful.

Best concert I'd have to give a bit of thought to.

Worst one is easy. It was a concert of an experimental jazz group from Denmark or some place. 100% random improvised noises. It was awful. I think the entire audience walked out.

First concert I ever went to was at The Oakland Coliseum....it was the summer of 1968, I was 14 years old.
Jimi Hendrix! Sons of Champlin and Cat Mother opened....incredible!

I see Eric Clapton whenever he comes around and have never been disappointed...We have tickets for The Police with Elvis Costello at Red Rocks.....and tickets to see Jethro Tull at Red Rocks as well....

OOOhhh.....I saw Led Zeppelin at Kezar Stadium in SF....also many Dead shows at Winterland...

Best shows / worst shows? I have ties for both
Best:
Billy Joel at Nassau Colliseum, Better Middler every time and place I saw her.
Worst:
Whitney Houston at Long Beach (1984 or 5), she made I wanna Dance with Somebody last almost 15 minutes!
Barbara Streisand (I think it was at MSG around 1990). Horrible.

I think the best concert I ever attended was U2 in 1993 in Paris. The Velvet Underground and Belly opened. I also saw Paul McCartney in Paris that same year.

The best show I've seen recently was Eddie Izzard last Thursday. Eddie is the funniest comedian alive.

Other memorable shows:

Garbage/Smashing Pumpkins, OKC, 1998.
Radiohead, Seattle, 2001
Pearl Jam, seen twice - 2000 (?), Dallas, and 2004 (?), OKC. God, it all blurs together.
Nine Inch Nails, Paris, 1999
They Might Be Giants - 1998 (?), Dallas
The Breeders - 2002, Dallas
Orbital / Crystal Method / Lo Fidelity All Stars, 1998 (?), Tulsa
Fatboy Slim (all night rave) - 2002, Dallas
Bad Religion, 2002, Dallas
GWAR, 2002, Dallas and 2004 (?), Tulsa
Stereolab, 2005, Dallas
Interpol, 2006, Tulsa
Tori Amos, god only knows what year, Tulsa
System of a Down, 2002, Dallas

I'm sure there are more, but there's something about a rock concert that turns a brain into mush...

Oh, the only really bad show I saw was Bob Dylan a couple of years ago. There's not much left of that guy.

Whitney did drag out the song! It was painful.

I am surprised that Barbara sucked.

Rock concerts can damage your ears literally and more so depending on the band.

Best Concert: Dream Theater circa 1993 or 1994. I cannot remember the exact date anymore but it was incredible. They played at a smaller venue, the kind of venue where the music is much much better.

I'd also put Jimmy Page and Robert Plant up there as the best also. I saw them at the Target Center in Minneapolis in 1994.

And of course KISS. I have only seen them twice and both times the show was incredible...the second time was a bit fuzzy, it was at a very small civic center in southern Minnesota, I took the day off from work and started drinking with a few friends who lived only a few blocks from the civic center. I was massively inebriated by the time the show started.

Worst Concert: The Cult, The Met Center in Bloomington, Minnesota, late 1980s. I think they were at least an hour late taking the stage and lead singer Ian Astburry was beyond shitfaced or drugged up. It was pathetic.

Best - Eric Clapton at Joe Louis Arena, 1986
Worst - Any of the Common Ground concerts where people insisted on standing up in the 3rd and 4th rows so no one else could see unless they were 6 feet tall and standing the entire concert.

too many to remember

who dead - oakland coliseum
pink floyd animals - oakland indoors col
stones some girls - boulder
zeppelin oakland
bowie oakland
queen winterland
robin trower
TOMMY BOLIN
elvis - lake tahoe

The best concert I ever saw was The David Bowie Diamond Dogs Tour 1974.

The worst I ever saw was a band called GIZMO @ CBGB OMFUG 1976.

Wow this is good question, let's see..

U2 at red rocks in the 80's
George Strait every time
Dave Mathews in a small bar in Salt Lake in the earl 90's before he hit it big
Grateful Dead in Chicago in the mid 90's, they did Dark Star for the first Time in years, and I was there, what luck
Jimmy Buffet all 45 times
Third World in CHicago mid 90's

Strange since I listen primarily to country, oh well, I'm eclectic I guess

Best: Faces - Berkeley Community Theater (Woody and the late Ronnie Lane unveiled a huge Holiday flag they'd stolen)
Pink Floyd pre-Dark Side, Winterland (they did a lot of Dark Side stuff, though ...ended with firepot explosion that put a skull image in your eyes when you closed them..)
Paul McCartney (1989 and 2001)
Traffic (Low Spark tour)
The Who: all the times I saw Moonie, including the night at the Cow Palace he passed out and they replaced him with an audience member ... he was fucking awesome

Worst: Black Oak Arkansas

you will appreciate this

Summer of 1990 I think, I had bought a new Camaro and got two round-trip tickets to any 50 states as a deal, wasnt working at the time, had income from some investments, spent several months listening to that double live buffet album of that time whatever the name, heard so much about that bar in key-west that i went, used those tickets with some girl dont remember who...had blast in miami and key west and went to margaritaville etc

captain tony's?

Randi--- I shit you not, you gave me chills, and it's 80 degrees here, Captain Tonys!!! Oh yeah, been there done that, I used to go visit a friend on Key West every year, sadly he drowned last year while scuba diving, so I won't be going back, but what a week I had that day!!!

I remember seeing Dolly Parton and watching through binoculars, they are even more obnoxious through a set of bino's. Just fucking HUGE!!! Her hubby must be so happy, and he doesn't need to buy balloons for his b-day parties!!!

BTW--worst-- Donny Osmond when I was about 5, my mom made me go because my sister loved him. FWIW

A tough call. Here's some of mine:

Blind Faith: Oakland Collisseum 1969
Fleetwood Mac:Fillmore West: 1969
BB King and Led Zepplin: Winterland, 1969
Quicksilver Messenger Service: 11/7/68. They recorded the album Happy Trails from this gig here:
http://concerts.wolfgangsvault.com/dt/quic...t/604-5673.html
Rolling Stones: Altamont Speedway: 1969
The Who(Tommy Tour):Family Dog at the Great Highway
Allman Bros band: 11/71 two weeks before Duane was killed. Saw them the night after I saw Black Sabbath before Ozzy got all those tattoos
Jefferson Airplane:Speedway Meadows Golden Gate Park:1968-69
Traffic with Fairport Convention: Winterland 1970
The Mothers of Invention: Winterland 1972
Humble Pie, Eagles and Steely Dan: Winterland 1972
Led Zepplin with Freddie King: Physical Graffitti tour: San Diego 1974
Little Feat and Bonnie Raitt: at a Tidewater Tides Ball game in Norfolk Va. 6/76. Robert Palmer came down from DC and jammed as well.
Yes:every tour from 1972-78
George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers: Wilmington, DE late 1977: Our softball team played a bar team from Wilmington in late 1977 and got waxed. So we all went to the bar to pay off in beer. Then the 2nd baseman(George) and three other team members picked up instruments and started jamming.
Police: Keystone Berkeley: 9/78
Creedence Clearwater Revival: Lucky Lion restaurant, 1983: My ex-wife and I crashed the El Cerrito class of 1963 20 year reunion at the Lucky Lion in Walnut Creek, Ca. We were eating dinner there when I went to the head. Passing by the banquet room, I heard CCR. I peeked in the door to see CCR playing John's 20-year reunion. So I grabbed the ex-wife, payed the check and we crashed the party.
Ramones and U2: two seperate free concerts Vaillancourt Plaza SF: 1982 & 83
Richard Thompson and John Trudell: Old Waldorf 1992
Bruce Cockburn: Old Waldorf: 1983, Oakland auditorium 1986 & 88, Crest Theatre, Sacto 94, New Mexico School for the Deaf auditorium, santa Fe: 10/06
John Mayall's Bluesbreakers: Boulder, 95 and Long Beach Blues Festival 98(The Long Beach show included Mick Taylor, Keith Emerson, Jim McCarty and Chris Dreja of the Yardbirds, Kim Simmonds of Savoy Brown and Peter Green)
John Cippolina's Copperhead, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band, The Michael Bloomfield Band, the Elvin Bishop Band and the Sons of Champlin: Winterland 1973
Tower Of Power:various venues over the years.
Cold Blood: Sf and here last year
Andres Segovia: Norfolk Va. 3/76
Too many others to mention

Worst concert:
The Doors, a month after jim Morrison died at Berkeley, 1970. Dan Hicks and Albert King were the warmup bands and people were yelling for them in the middle of the Door's set.

You were 5. Come on. Donny could not have been that bad. I loved Donny (and Marie) when I was a kid.

A couple of additions: I think I was at that Fillmore West Fleetwood Mac that you were at, Ishmael. It was just after Peter Green left, as I recall. Jeremy Spencer and Danny Kirwan were amazing.

And Randy Newman, 2006, in Redwood City. That concert had me in heaven for days after. He is just fucking incredible. I highly recommend you see Randy Newman. Worth every damn penny.

Best three-band bill I ever saw:

from top to bottom: Mott the Hoople, Bachman-Turner Overdrive, Aerosmith (their first tour)

I saw the Mother's Roxy and Elsewhere tour at the Golden Hall in SD while in the Nav. That was Frank's first intensive foray into jazz with the Bee-Bop Tango and Son of Orange County and my favorite,"Cheepnis". Tom Waits was the opening act and BOA were playing across the plaza at the Civic Theatre with perfect acoustics. Frank was so pissed, he played an extra 45 minute solo set before Tom and punctuated his concert with bitches about the Hall's sucky acoustics and BOA playing where they didn't need them.




Yeah. Spencer went out the next week in LA and joined the Children of God cult as I recall. Kinda reminded me of his song Preachin'



The Humble Pie/Eagles/Steely Dan and Copperhead/butterfield/Champlin show were probably the best triple bills I saw but no mention of SF music would be complete without mention of the perennial opening act, Sweathog. I must have seen them open on about 7 different show bills. I also used to really like the Winter bros. especially Edgar's White Trash.

Best: Billy Squire opening followed by Bad Company. The the headliners were Styx who stole the show, and Journey to finish. Phoenix, 2002 (i think)

Close Second: Kansas opening for Yes

Worst: Also in Phoenix was a concert mega-show with lots of great acts. When I got there Ziggy Marley was playing and hardly anybody was paying attention. No prob. Toked a little (did that then) and had fun at the exhibits. O.A.R. was okay and I almost stepped on the lead singer when they were coming out for a press meet. The best all day was Train. So what was so bad about it? Sheryl Crowe finished the night and was so bad she just about cleared the ampitheater. I like some of her stuff, but that was a terrible show she did.

What a diverse selection of music everyone likes, this is a fun thread to read.

For me the worst concert I ever saw is a tossup between Elton John and Steppenwolf. Both were such dissapointments! All I wanted to do was go home but I wasn't driving. Too bad because I was hoping both shows would be good.

Choosing the best is sooo hard because there have been many I loved, so I'll mention the most recent.
Bryan Adams solo acoustic last month. For me it was really something to see him alone on stage with just the guitar. OK don't laugh, some of my friends are already kidding me about going.

wide spread panic with black crowes opening was the best tied with Prince at target center. close second was phish in las vegas, and close third local band named big wu. worst, wu tang clan,

Britney's Toxic concert in Miami which was aired on Showtime.

There are 2 shows that immediately come to mind as for which was the best.
August 1974 The Bottom Line, in NYC Bruce Springsteen
After waiting in line for 12 hours for standing room tickets, I saw my first Springsteen show, and it was literally life changing.
December 1977 Red Bank New Jersey Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes --->turned into a Bruce Springsteen show.
My then girlfriend (now wife) and I had tickets to a 7:00 show, but at 6:45 the doors still had not opened. A little while later a guy came out and said that Southside Johnny was sick and was no able to perform. He said that if we wanted we could come back for the 11:00 show with "Miami" Steve Van Zandt filling in on vocals. He also said that also Appearing would be Ronnie Spector, and The E Street Band. My wife and I got tickets to that show, and I will never forget the introduction.
"Thank you for coming back, and wont you welcome, The Asbury Jukes (Crowd cheers), along with Ronnie Spector (crowd cheers), "Miami" Steve Van Zandt (crowd cheers louder) and......." At that point the crowd cheered so loud that you couldn't hear rthe announcer say, "Bruce Springsteen!" The bands broke into the Jukes, 'This Time It's For Real' the crowd stood up, and didnt sit down all evening. The show was divided into two parts, the first part they did Asbury Jukes songs with VanZandt doing the lead vocals. The second portion was all Springsteen songs. You could tell that these two bands were really enjoying the evening, playing together like they did in years gone by.

Worse show, Spencer Davis Group post Steve Winwood.

Two favorite shows;

Stevie Ray Vaughn

Dire Straits

Two Worst Shows;

Foghat

Jefferson Starship (their sound system was way out of whack)

Love this topic Rainbow - a chance to reminisce about my mis-spent youth!

Best is too hard, so I'll go with most memorable...

Live Aid, July 1985, Phila PA (and, trust me, the real action was in the parking lot :-)

Pink Floyd, The Wall Tour, February 1980, Nassau, LI NY ($12.50 - cheap! Always remember it was the same week as U.S. Hockey Team Miracle on Ice at Lake Placid)

Bruce, December 9, 1980 Philly Spectrum The night after John Lennon's death and I'll never forget it. Bruce came out and said, "Don't feel much like playing tonight, but if it wasn't for John, I wouldn't be here." Then they rocked the house for 4+ hours including "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and bringing down the house with "Twist and Shout" encore. Thanks, John.

Grateful Dead - 8/29/80 Philly Spectrum Saw them many times, but how can you not love the Wharf Rat > Goin' Down the Road Feelin' Bad > 'Round & 'Round > Johnny B. Goode > U.S. Blues closer in the middle of the fabled "Dead Set" run?

Fortunately for posterity, bootlegs of every one of these shows exist + I have in my possession 12 hours of video tape of the entire MTV Broadcast of Live Aid (mom taped it for me :-)


Don't really have a worst except one mid 80s Elton John show when he was suffering with his throat problems. He actually apoligized for it, but the band still kicked ass :-)

Cher, all three times I've seen her. They weren't the best shows ever but I was one happy boy each and every time I have gotten to see her.

Phish! Saw 'em a few times - always good :-) But the best is their "Dark Side of the Moon" cover from Salt Lake City. Sometimes I pop it on and pretend like I was there.

Best:

Ella Fitzgerald at Hollywood Bowl, 1991

Cocteau Twins, SF, 1994

Rush, San Jose, 2003

Worst:

Erasure with Baby Ford, 1990

Here are some bands that you might want to check out. Warning all of them are "jam bands".

Widespread Panic - I have seen them over 30 times in 6 different states. They never disappoint and the set lists are never the same.

Mofro - I have seen them over 40 times. Same deal, never the same set list.

The North Mississippi Allstars - wonderful southern rock.... the cover some oldie but goodies from the blues legends.

Michael Franti - Music with a cause.... a lot about peace and environmental activism

ever check out big wu?

Yes... I saw them the first year of the Wakarusa festival in Kansas. I think I caught them year two as well... but I don't remember much from that year.... lolololol. I was knocked up last summer so I didn't go to very many concerts or festivals.

Here's one I forgot, sometime in the early 80's I saw Jose Feliciano open up for Kenny Rogers, I went for Jose, then left, I'd seen Kenny before.

Two luminous guitar player/songwriters specializing in dark, literate lyrics.

Richard Thompson:

Mingus Eyes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8M799A4Hc4Y

Hot for The Smarts:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=axa0_gh6NYk


Bruce Cockburn:

Call It Democracy:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OkrZPD5aUbw

Night Train:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vU0zlp1TSkI

Wait No More:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVr2VvJjYnw

My favorite, The End Of All Rivers:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gcHviL77kBc

Best:

Thin Lizzy/Motorhead/ACDC - Hammersmith, London. 1980
One only need imagine the joy of seeing these three legends in one show. Perfect from the first note to the last.

Moody Blues and John Sebastian - Lakeland Civic Center (Fl) 1975

The Moodies could do no wrong that night and Sebastian broke two strings and still played for a hour and a half without them.

Worst:

Bonnaroo '97 Hands down.

Everything sucked except the dope and Hot Tuna.
The Police were a joke and some Rapper clown, I don't even remember his name, joined them for Roxanne and the dude was the worst singer I ever heard. Absolutely ruined an already weak performance by the Police.

Bonnaroo ain't what it used to be. They're becoming like the R&R Hall of Fame and including unworthy acts because of popularity instead of influence and stature.

Hey, I forgot you dig Cocteau Twins - I'm a huge CT junkie. So unique- never been anything like it before or since.

Indulge me - check out the album U.K. (1977) by the band of the same name. Let us know what you think. The band was formed by guys from King Crimson, Roxy Music, and Frank Zappa.

I attended one of their concerts, opening for Al Dimeola back in 1980.

I have to add that one of the most fun concert experiences was Oingo Boingo's annual Halloween concert at the Santa Monica Civic, back in the early 80s. It was mostly a local L.A. thing, but quite memorable.

Here's a funny:

I recently caught an appearance by X at the House of Blues- Exene was still great, though a more ample grandmother!

She ragged on the bassist for using the word 'fuck' in front of her grandkids - hilarious!

I'm going to check out Cheap Trick's tribute to the Beatle's catalog at the H'wood Bowl this month - will let you know the synergistic effect of these two icons.

Bruce Cockburn, "If I Had A Rocket Launcher" I do this one live, all the while with chills running down my arms and people still come up and ask who wrote that, when I tell them , they ask who's he?.
I love that song, but more than that I love performing it, I wish I had written it. And if I had a rocket launcher, some son of a bitch would die!

TRULY INCREDIBLE BAND!!!
Saw them last year opening for Robert Randolph.
A very good show!

I've seen Joe Satriani 6 times. Every show was spectacular. No one even comes close to his absolute mastery of the guitar.

Genitorturers twice in Orlando. She's fun if you're into Pussy Worship.... NOW!!!
Gen Not Worksafe.

Uriah Heep in Wurzburg Germany back in '78, was a hoot.

I Mother Earth was excellent.


The worst was Butthole Surfers.

CWV--I've always loved Uriah Heap, wow an MTV original, lucky you!!!

Hey! I did too....also saw Alice Cooper-Welcome to My Nightmare, early 70's

Ish,

Altamont...walked for miles from where we had to park. Saw the Stones every time they came around... Jefferson Airplane at Golden Gate Park...yes Paul Butterfield Blues Band...saw them at Diablo Valley College
Johnny and Edgar Winter at the Keystone in Berkeley....you brought back SOOOO many memories!

Check this out....

Freshman year '69-'70 we had Sons of Champlin play our homecoming...true!

sophomore year '70-'71 we had It's a Beautiful Day

junior year '71-'72 we had Elvin Bishop with Jo Baker

senior year '72-'73 we had Boz Scaggs

Some of you have excellent memories going back to the '60s. Did you keep your concert stubs? I accidentally threw out my collection of concert stubs.

Anyway, I still have not seen anyone list Queen at Live Aid in 1985 as one of the best. I saw that on TV. Did anyone go to that in London?

Oh wow I totally forgot about them.

Love King Crimson.

I saw this and thought of you Tap. Semper fi bro.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z02J_kPincA

On a lighter, more hopeful note, here are three by Roy Rogers. The first is tales of John Lee Hooker and "Legends Of The Blues":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iTTMcLCYtu0

A montage of Vida's Place, Built For Comfort:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PiN9yePJQ9U

With Ray Manzarek of the aforementioned Doors, "One More Year" or the "Presidential Boogie":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N82ofGjM8Ro

Roy used to play my high school dances in Benicia in the late 60's-early 70's with his first band, 4-Way Stop and I forgot to mention his fortieth birthday party at Slim's in San Francisco as one of the best concerts. I always talk him up and recommend him to blues fans. His website is below:

http://www.roy-rogers.com

My favorite Roy story is about the time he and blues harmonica player Norton Buffalo were pulled over by the Fairbanks PD a block from the club they were playing at. Norton was driving and the Fairbanks cop didn't believe Norton's California Driver's License that said Norton Buffalo with his pic on it. So he asks Roy to show HIS ID with predictable results. The Cop is all set to haul them off to the slam when Roy gets a brilliant idea. He asks the cop to read the theatre marquee down the street where it says in Three-inch high letters:

Tonight Only

Roy Rogers and Norton Buffalo

The chagrined cop returned their IDs and slunk away to his coffee and donuts.

Here's the two together, "Ain't No Bread In The Breadbox":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2u9api6tQEA

Oh I just thought of another one, not really bad just disappointing. In the mid-late 80's there were a lot of doo-wop revival shows going on. I used to go to them regularly with my mom, because I thought it was awesome seeing all these groups that I had only heard on record/tape or CBS-FM.
Anyway, one time my father came with us, because he saw that the Shangri-las were going to perform and he went to high school with 2 of the girls. BTW if you don't know their name, they did "Leader of the pack".
When they came on, they were almost my age! Thats when we realized that for all we know EVERYONE we saw except the more well known people like Ben E. King were people PRETENDING to be those old singers.
It was so disappointing.