Your Top 5 greatest rock and roll experiences!

JonBonham

NOw what I mean by experiences...I mean experiences with the people and the music of that evening...I will share my top 5 with you, so you can understand what i'm talking about....if its not rock and roll feel free to post about anything you've experienced....

1.Audioslave-Hard Rock Hotel-April 14th,2005- It was opening night...needless to say...the air was filled with excitement, and needless to say pandemonium.Now let's leave behind the facts that I met the band and I was on the tour bus.What awaited me inside the venue, was something I'll never forget in my entire lifespan.Let me help you envision what I mean. They come on tearing into "set it off" and blaze into a whole new galaxy of music history after that. The first night they covered Soundgarden and Rage songs in their entirety...It was surreal to say the least.When you are up on the barricade with 2 people you love sharing concets of this magnitude with...it makes it that muc greater. I know that when the 3 of us(Laurieann,Chuck and myself) heard what popped out of those amps...our jaws dropped like we thought we were dreaming....I told Laurie, you know if they play my song...i'll die. Of course they did, although I didnt die...i cried.In my eyes, it had to have been the greatest night of rock and roll I ever experienced. This next moment can be what you make of it.I say this now, every middle finger thrown in the air during killing in the name, I am responsible for whether you believe me or not...Chris was on his knees screaming out the lyrics right before the verse"F you i wont do what you tell me"...and right before he began to sing it..my middle finger rose into the air..and pointed at him...and when he looked up, it was I he looked at, and threw it right back into my face, and after doing so, he did it to the rest of the joint, and then on, 2,000 people strong threw their middle fingers in the air. NOw thats rock and roll!

2.Tool-Coachella 2006-When the band came on, and played their opening tune...stinkfist...it felt like california moved as one.Imagine 60,000 strong moving in unison...and slamming forward towards the stage...then you'll know what it's like to be there....

3.VH1 rock honors-To see gods of rock and future gods of rock belt out tunes that you wished you heard a long time ago...it makes you weak...it makes you rock...it makes you rock so hard one of your rock heroes watch you rock out only 20 ft behind you.

4.Pearl Jam-THe very first gorge show they ever played-September 1st-2005-NOw mind you, the venue was stunning enough, and to see a great rock and roll band perform for 3 hours, acoustically and electric....it makes you wonder why you never saw them before...20,000 people singing, having a great time...it's a place you never wanted to leave...

5.Audioslave-Sacramento,Ca-May 15th,2005- NOw once again, the music had brought together people who i think were destined to be there.This was the fateful day. I met tons more Audioslave family members that day, and was immersed more into rock and roll than I ever thought I could be. The music, left an indelible mark no doubt...but it was the people who made that show...15 strong on the barricade...who knows how many more in the auditorium...witnessing 4 men leave it all on the stage...acknowledging each and everyone of us in their own way...letting us be apart of something, that we wished we could be. It was on this day, some would say, this fan club was founded.So out of this day, 15 bonded, 2 became a union, a fan club idea was born...any questions?

There you have it folks...my top 5 favorite rock and roll experiences...I hope to hear some of yours....

zircona1

1. Seeing the Rolling Stones on the Voodoo Lounge tour and being completely blown away at the spectacle - lights, fire, explosions, Jagger dancing everywhere, cool video screens, etc. I was 16.

2. Watching Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band do "Born to Run" live and be on the floor with all the house lights on - that is truly a magical, fist-pumping, crowd-uniting anthem.

3. Rocking out to Pearl Jam in the rain at the Kansas City show in 2003. One of the best times I've ever had at a concert.

4. Playing the Bloodhound Gang's "Fire Water Burn" at open mike nights and the crowd cheering. For 4 minutes, I feel like a rock star.

5. Going down to the Today show and seeing R.E.M. perform. Live performances are always exciting, but when you're corralled in with a bunch of other people and it's on national TV, it's twice as exciting.

improvgirl312

1. Ed joins U2 on stage at the September 17 show at the ACC. Bono gives Ed a big hug. My friend asks me to stop grabbing the people around us and screaming "It's Eddie!"

2. Pearl Jam play Alive on May 9 in TO. Mike McCready does a killer guitar solo. I'd been waiting for that moment since I was 12.

3. My mother teaching me to air guitar to "I Believe In A Thing Called Love." Not really a concert experience, but a defining moment in the life of a young music freak.

4. Chris Martin and Johnny Buckland make "floor art" at the Coldplay show on March 22. (long story/inside joke between me and my friends)

5. Getting to do a job shadow at 102.1 the Edge, the alternative rock station in the T-dot.

Did they have to be concert experiences? If they did, sorry. But these are the moments that stand out the most.

fife

here are mine:

1) OASIS AT wembenely (spl): this was just a great concert from a great band with great songs. i met so many people there as i went all by myself.

2) BOB Dylan at MSG: HIS tribute concert. so many great bands. you had eddie, dylan, cash, petty, nelson. just great.

3) Pearl Jam with bono IN tORONTO: it was just a great concert and then bono came out to sing RITFW

4) Ani Defanco in Toronto: i just can;t get enough of her.

5) Richard Ashcroft with Coldplay: that's right i put Richard first not coldplay because he was 1000 times better.

InstantKarma

Pearl Jam, September 8, 2005 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, at the recently built and opened (and poorly named) MTS Centre; first concert/event to completely sell out! Not even the Grammy awards did that.

Kraven

My greatest experience is seeing Pearl Jam open for the Stones, being 6 rows from the two greatest bands going right now. Belting out all the words to every song played by both bands that night, and practically crying when Eddie came out and sang Wild Horses with the Stones. That is the greatest moment period.

Then going to Boston II this year with my dad and turning him into a fan. Having the thrill of being 50 feet away or less from Theo Epstein when he was sitting at the light table and realizing it was him when he came out on stage with his wig and PJ hat on.

My first concert which was the Stones in 1999 on the No Security tour, never had felt the bass in my chest before, it was just amazing.

Audioslave last year in Hartford, one of the best shows I have been to period.

My first Pearl Jam concert in Albany in '03 and being addicted ever since.

enharmonic

1. Soundgarden - Patriot Center 1996 - Rusty Cage
2. QOTSA - Pre-tour for SFTD, with Dave Grohl on drums at the 9:30 club
3. Openng for Ken Andrews/Year of the Rabbit @ Fletcher's in Baltimore
4. Melvins @ the old 9:30 club, a day or two after the passing of Kurt Cobain. I thought that the Melvins would cancel since they were very close friends. Instead, they came out and played a blistering, relentless set.
5. Pearl Jam at Constitution Hall

direwolf74

1. Another Roadside Attraction Festival, 1993, Calgary:
My first time attending a major rock festival, and one of the best outdoor shows I've ever experienced. Daniel Lanois' performance was pure genius, those Aussie bush giants Midnight Oil absolutely kicked my ass, and then the Hip came on and kicked it even harder. It was an incredible day of music, not to mention my first experience with mosh pits and crowd surfing. Good times!

2. U2- Montreal, 2001:
Hands down the single greatest large-scale arena show I've ever witnessed. The band was on fire, the crowd was electric, and the overall atmosphere was unbelievable.

3. The Tragically Hip- Sasquatch Festival, 2006:
I've seen 23 Hip shows over the years, and this was probably the single greatest performance they've ever given. After a crazy hail storm almost put a stop to the proceedings, the Hip finally came on and ripped through a short set of 8 songs, blowing everybody's minds in the process and proving that after 20 years as a band, they're better than ever. I felt sorry for The Shins for having to go on after them.

4. Pearl Jam- Calgary, 2005:
My first Pearl Jam show since 1993, and it was well worth the wait. An absolutely incredible experience. They opened with "Oceans", and my jaw hit the floor. Crazy crowd, amazing energy, and a stunning performance from the band. I'll never forget it.

5. The Tragically Hip- High Sierra Festival, Novato, CA 1998:
Small outdoor festival + 500 people + beautiful surroundings + gorgeous weather + one of the greatest live bands on the planet = MULTIPLE EARGASMS!

sebaarg88

i'm 18 and i have only two great experencies

1. Rolling stones and Bob Dylan playing together in the Bridges to babylon tour (Bob was the support act, and they played together Like a rolling stone on the stone's set)

2. Pearl jam, last year, very very emotional

wolfbear

InstantKarma wrote:

Pearl Jam, September 8, 2005 in Winnipeg, Manitoba, at the recently built and opened (and poorly named) MTS Centre; first concert/event to completely sell out! Not even the Grammy awards did that.

Ah, we were there. It was awesome. First (only) time ever front row, Ed handing me a pic! Probably, no definitely, my #1.
HOB: Seeing Ed (especially) and the band with Plant and their reactions=priceless.
Stones in 1972: Wasn't really a fan before and they were "old", but really turned me on to them.
Floyd in Anaheim: The animal tour. Spectacular.
Fifth place lots of ties: Led Zep (would be higher but it was at the San Diego Sports Arena-yuk for sound), Summerfest (lots of good bands), Bridge School (Who and PJ, Green Day, almost Smashing Pumpkins) Neil Young several times, BB King, Soundgarden, Nirvana, etc, etc.

Jellyrolls

Oasis in Nashville.. fucking amazing show.
It sounded like there was a million people singing along to 'Don't Look Back in Anger' .. gave me the chill bumps.

Pearl Jam and toast

so far..

- first pearl jam album : live on two legs. need i say more?

- a friend called me from a show on the VFC tour (god, was that all the way back in 04?).. she got me right in the first verse of Immortality... i heard the first performance of Alone in what was like 12 years, Present Tense (i nearly cried on the phone when i heard those opening bars), and more.

- when i see Bob Dylan in my town Winston Salem aug. 18, 2006. (and when i get him to autograph the sketch of him i did in class )

- watching pink floyd on live 8.

- The first time i saw Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, and Nirvana's unplugged sets. (all seperate, but i included them together).



obviously i haven't been to many shows.. i haven't even been to a Pj show yet (i'm poor and car-less) but i will see them as many times as possible as soon as they wheel around to the south US.