The Best & Worst Shows You've Seen in Person

Wow, great subject.

First, I haven't been to a big concert since the 70's, so all of these will be Classic rock bands.

Best???

The show that really blew me away was Black Oak Arkansas. Probably around '73. When the show began the drums were on a huge platform that moved forward to the stage. Above the drummer was a platform with Jim Dandy, their great lead singer. Most of you probably don't even know who Jim Dandy is, but David Lee Roth copied Jim Dandy, even down to the white outfit and long blond hair.

Black Oak Arkansas

Check out the live video on this page.

Anyway, Jim Dandy was at least 10 feet above the stage. Jim leaped off the stage and landed in a full split. He sprang up into the air. I swear his feet were 4 feet off the stage! This guy was incredible. He skipped around the stage on one foot. This guy could have been an Olympic gymnist. His voice was incredible, kinda like hearing Popeye sing.

They were an incredible super-high energy Southern Rock band. At one point the drummer threw away his sticks and played a ten minute solo with his fists. He was smashing the cymbals with his fists.

And they could really play. I have never seen a band with so much energy, just incredible.

Another great concert was Jethro Tull when they were doing the Thick As a Brick tour. Ian Anderson blew me away fingerpicking classical guitar. He is great. At the front of the stage was a huge flourescent telephone on a podium. You couldn't help but wonder what the phone was about. But they just played away all their great hits like Aqualung. Great band.

Finally the show ended and they went off stage. All the lights went out except for the huge green telephone. The phone began to ring. Ian Anderson walked out of the darkness and picked up the handset. Then he said, "It's for you!" One of those things you had to be there.

I was a little disappointed with Led Zeppelin. I remember the date, May 7, 1973. They were good, but they could not fully duplicate their albums, so often the music seemed to lack fullness and bottom end. It was thin sounding. Jimmy Page played a long solo that just sounded like he was noodling at full speed. Then he threw his guitar on the stage and stomped on it. Boing!!! That was kinda silly. I was most impressed with John Paul Jones, man that guy can really play the keyboards. He was awesome.

I also went to see Deep Purple around '75. They were one of my favorties. But they were so loud I couldn't stand it. It was actually painful and I left the show. I was amazed to see people standing right in front of their huge speaker stacks. They must be deaf.

I saw Steve Miller about '71 and was a little disappointed. He must have been having a bad night and was shouting and cursing at the audience. He threatened several times to walk off the stage. And the crowd wasn't doing anything wrong at all. The music was great and I liked Steve, but he came across as a big A-Hole that night.

Best: Aerosmith at Wembley, one of the last before it was torn down. They're amazing live, and they really get connected to the audience. Supported by Lenny Kravitz too, and he was just as good.

Honourable mention: Foo Fighters were good too, just after their second album (haven't seen 'em since, but I'm not as keen on their recent music as the first two albums)

Honourable mention: The Wildhearts (not sure if you've heard of them over the pond?). Not everyone's cup of tea, but if you like that kind of thing, they play it better than anyone. This one gets the loudest gig you've ever been to award too, my ears literally ached for days :)

Worst: ELO (part II, former members of, blah blah blah) who I saw just last week. Very competent musicians, but they were bored out of their minds on stage and it really showed. If I wasn't with friends I would have left. I had high hopes for them too :(

Worst was probably Ten Years After, back in the 1970s, probably '72 or '73, at Blaisdell Arena in Honolulu. Terrible sound. Even the bass guy was using a Marshall and it was like mud.

The opening band I never heard of back then - The Eagles - were terrific. The bass guy had a big ol' Acoustic 360 (or something), and as clean and clear as a bell.

The Best I'd have to say was Jeff Beck during the Blow by Blow tour. He played the entire album note for note. Amazing player.

The Stones Sticky Fingers tour in the 70s; a great show, but they were...it's like someone else said for some other band; you get all hyped up and the band comes on and instead of them being larger than life, they're smaller than life. They all looked someone tiny. Great sound, great lights though...it's just too much expectation I guess. Mick Taylor was this tiny little action figure with big hair, and there was an arm that kept sticking out the cloth-looking backdrop handing Keith guitars - Ted Newman Jones - and Keith had this custom guitar on a few numbers. Made, as I found out later, by Ted Newman Jones; a 5 string.

Hehe, I copied the shape of it off a newspaper clipping from a day later, and eventually made a guitar that looked like it.

Except for the 5-string part.

Their opening act though, was killer. ZZ Top, whom I'd never heard of before. Incredible HUGE sound from just 3 guys.

Wow Ricochet! I was at that show! I am originally from Birmingham. Funny I dont remember a lot of it but I was 15 at the time and just happy to be at a show.You must've been on the floor. :lol:

EB, sounds like Joe was consistent in those days, at least!

Gotta agree with Wes about Black Oak Arkansas circa 1973. I really didn't know what I was going to see, I was like chalkoutline, just a kid going to a show. WHAT A SHOW! :shock: :D

And ZZ Top has always been awesome! Saw 'em a couple of years ago, and they still are.

Best show I've ever seen was around 1995. I'd gone to see Third World (probably the best reggae band in the world!) Ladysmith Black Mombazo - the African acapella group that had backed Paul Simon was opening for them, as well as a band I'd never heard of - Arrow.

Arrow turns out to be a soca (soul/calypso) act. They were HOT! Before they'd finished their second tune, the entire crowd - about 6,000 people - were all dancing in a giant conga line that snaked through the auditorium. I was totally blown away by their energy.

The worst was actually a pretty decent show overall. A famous blues guitarist who shall remain nameless - because otherwise, it was a good performance. But after a couple of really great hours, he came out for his encores - and started in with Paul Desmond's "Take Five". Really ripping it up, too. And then he lost the lline... and walked off stage in disgust, in mid-chorus. Totally unprofessional, and from a guy who'd been around for quite a while.

The ultimate best show I've ever seen was the Lonestar Front Porch acoustic tour at the Coronado Theater in Rockford, Illinois, spring 2004 I think.

Picture first the Coronado Theater, an opulent, baroque theater built in 1927 as a movie palace and vaudeville hall, with abundant gilding, dragons in relief, and wonderful acoustics. The theater recently underwent an 18-month renovation to restore it to it's original grandeur. It is a gorgeous smaller venue.

Bought tickets on a whim the morning of the show when there were less than a dozen remaining, to take my son, who had recently started guitar lessons. I wanted him to see a live professional performance and he liked Lonestar at the time (He's more into the rap stuff now. :? )

Jimmy Wayne was the opener. I'd never heard of him before that night, but came away a huge fan. One guy, one guitar and an unbelievable lot of super sound. He performed all originals from his self-titled debut CD. His performance alone would've been worth the price of the ticket.

Then Lonestar took the stage. Grand piano, acoustic guitars, back-up fiddlers, one snare and one cymbal. Unbelievably pure vocals and incredible musicianship all the way around the rest of the night. It was a musical high like I've never experienced before or since.

To put this in context, I was not an avid Lonestar fan before this. Yes, I'd heard their songs on the radio, but I'm generally more into rock and blues. But this performance simply blew me away. They were just that good. It was magical. And no, I didn't have any drink or drug that might've altered my perception.

As for the worst performance I've seen, hmmmmm, there probably were some real groaners but they've been too many years ago for me to recall. :lol: All I can think of is some of the American Idol auditions I've seen on tv.

Margaret

Among the best:

Late '70s and early '80s in Chicago area: Talking Heads a couple times -- pure freakin' dancefests. A quite stoned and quite good Leo Kottke in a college union multipupose room. Harry Chapin on campus, hilarious and also stoned. Pat Metheny Group with Lyle Mays. Girls were actually screaming for Pat, who stopped and said goodnaturedly that they were ruining his band's rep as serious jazz musicians.

Last few years in Princeton: Lyle Lovett with his band, Lyle with John Hiatt, Joe Ely and Guy Clark, Los Lobos, David Byrne (outstanding!), David Bromberg with the oldest horn section I've ever seen. They could hardly walk on stage, but could they play!

Not horrible, but very dissappointing: Al Dimeola in the late '70s (yawn) and recently, Laurie Anderson, who was so boring we snuck out.

Pink Floyd Earls Court 94 I think. It was the division bell tour. Also Queen in Knebworth 1985 we were 15 feet from the front . They are two of the best

The worst I must admit I have seen a lot of bands and I cannot remember a bad one where the band played badly. Jools Holland perhaps in the mid 90's but I went for the missus so it wasn't my cup of tea, spent half of the gig in the car listening ti Iron maiden tapes.

Van Morrison early 90's in a Pub in Newport Wales it was a fantastic venue, but he was on the rum and black and got blotted , started to swear an aweful lot ,and refused to do any requests....."I dont do those ~#@/><; songs any more.

Havent seen a whole lot of big name bands. But:

Best - I dont care much for Marilyn Manson but they really hyped up the concert here back in the 90s sometime, so when the day actually came there was a lot of tension in the air. It was a terrific dramatic performance and alot of fun

or else The Black Crowes. Was pretty close to the stage and there was so much energy in the air.

Worse - The worse I have seen is Dokken. They came with Aerosmith and Don couldnt hardly hold his mic stand. Sounded horrible. Looked horrible. Luckily Aerosmith made up for it.

Geoo

Best would have to be Nazareth, Liverpool Empire, Sept 1975 - it was the opening night of their UK tour, so you'd expect a few gremlins....nope, the sound was perfect, the band was LOUD, they played all my favourite songs. I was amazed that the sound they got was so close to their records, until my mate enlightened me as to the wonders of technology and footpedals! Also an honourable mention to the support band, SNAFU - I'd never heard of them before, I was very impressed by the guitarist - later found out his name was Mick Moody, went on to play with Whitesnake.....

Could have thrown in any one of a dozen Status Quo gigs, but I've enjoyed them every time I've seen them.....hard to pick just one out....

Worst? Ian Hunter at the Carling Academy, Liverpool, last April. I've been a huge fan of Ian's since the Mott the Hoople days, but - good band, they opened with "Once Bitten Twice Shy" (a great version!) but he flat-out refused to do any Mott songs....he had a sort of sneering, condescending attitude to the audience, "Hey I'm the STAR, you'll get whatever crumbs I throw you....." - so I left long before the end, I lost a lot of respect for him that night.

May have to update this post later - I've never seen the Stones - YET - but I do have tickets for Sheffield.....

:D :D :D

Vic

Best....well, way to many to get them all but...

Genesis (seen them 4 times....all of them were amazing shows)
Yes (seen many times, all fantasic)
ELP (twice in one year...Carl Palmer and Keith Emerson stole the show)
Van Halen (1979..in a night club in Phoenix AZ....un-fricken-real)
Peter Gabriel (Always gives you your monies worth....)
Steve Hackett (My all time, numuber one, favorite guitarist and performer)
The Who
Pink Floyd (the Wall...LA)
Roxy Music
King Crimson
Robin Trower
Just to name a few of the many, many great shows I have seen.

The worst...ummm, my vote for the worst show I have seen...

Led Zeppelin...in 1977, Phoenix AZ....man, those guys got so drunk, and just turned up the amps so loud to cover all the mistakes....horrible. But, the ticket was only 10 bucks, so I cant really complain.....to much.

I thought Rush always put on great shows as well......

Best - Aerosmith tour in the early '90s - the one with the city skyline as the backdrop ("Pump" or "Permanent Vacation"?). Small outdoor venue. The sound was great, the guys were tight and sane.

Worst - Aeorsmith "Back in the Saddle" tour 1984-5. Greek theater in LA. Everyone so stoned they couldn't do anything right.

Other good ones, Chicago at the Park West in 1982, Terry Kath Scholarship benefit. Just before Cetera left - they sounded so good. And every Melissa Etheridge concert we've been to has been very good.

-Laz

Best would have ot be Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at Chiago's Vic theater in 03. Three hours non stop, every tune was excellent!!

Worst for me was the Allman Bros in 05. All jam tunes, with a big pschedleic backdrop. Greg Allman would just leave the piano in the middle of a jam and dissapear backstage, having a snort, or a doob, who knows? I guess alot of the Deadheads are into them now. I've never been one for 20 minute guitar solos on every song. And I could have done without the 30 min drum solo alltogether.

Oh man, y'all just keep bringing back memories! ELP in 1974 was awesome!

The Ramones did homecoming one of those years at university -- completely as expected ... but 20 times louder.