Top 10 live shows you’ve ever seen

timdwilli · March 2018

Man, there are some incredible lists on here!

Excluding PJ/Ed/TOTD/Festivals:
The Rolling Stones - Echoplex, LA 2013
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Polaris Amphitheater, Columbus 1995
R.E.M. - Polaris Amphitheater, Columbus 1995
A Tribe Called Quest - Band Shell, Gainesville 1998
Soundgarden - The Fillmore, Detroit 2013
Tame Impala - Hollywood Forever Cemetery, LA 2015
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - Stade de France, Paris 2013
AC/DC - Schottenstein Center, Columbus 2008
The Strokes - The Wiltern, LA 2016
The Kooks - The Basement, Columbus 2007

Biggest regret was missing this: https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/prince/2014/hollywood-palladium-hollywood-ca-43c2f7b3.html

Pap · March 2018

JH6056 said: I"ve seen Gogol Bordello in a nightclub and at an art gallery, plus festivals and regular shows. So much fun!

I saw them at the HMV Forum (London) back in 2010. What a night! So much dancing and sweating, plus I got to see Alain Johannes and DeVotchKa as opening acts!

tempo_n_groove · March 2018

Guy Dudebro said:

Well, brianlux wins this thread (what, no Zeppelin to throw the dagger in our hearts???) but I'll throw mine out there anyway in no particular order:
Pearl Jam-LA3 09, (first time on the rail)
Pearl Jam- Santa Barbara 06
Black Crowes- The Fillmore, San Francisco 12-19-10
Public Image Ltd.- Hollywood Palladium 6-10-83
Tool- The Glass House, Pomona, CA 10-16-96
Black Flag- The Vex, East LA, 8-20-83
Metallica- The Troubadour, West Hollywood, 5-24-88
Chris Cornell- Benaroya Hall., Seattle, 9-29-15
David Bowie- Dodger Stadium, LA, 5-26-90
Iggy Pop- The Scream, LA , 7-9-88

I was waiting for you to post @Guy Dudebro !!!

Stop holding out on us I know you've got some more gems!!!

The two highlighted are the ones I would lOVE to have seen.

tempo_n_groove · March 2018

brianlux said:

Only 10? Impossible! But, OK, pretty much in chronological order:

The Who/ Blue Cheer ( 1968)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience/ The Buddy Miles Express (1968)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience/ Taj Mahal/ Sandy Bull/ Lee Michaels (1969)
Sun Ra and the Solar Arkestra (Golden Gate Park Planetarium, 1970-?)
Talking Heads/ Tom Tom Club/ Black Uhuru (1982)
U2/ The Alarm (1983)
Bob Dylan with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1986)
Cecil Taylor/ Sun Ra and His Arkestra (1987)
Willie Nelson and Family (2005)
Pearl Jam (2012)

Ones I painfully had to cut to make it a top 10 list:

The Beach Boys/ Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels (1964)
Buffalo Springfield (1967)
Santana/ Tower of Power/ Sons of Champlin (1969)
Larry Coryell (1969)
John Mayall (1970)
Miles Davis (1970)
Jethro Tull (1982)
The Psychedelic Furs (1982)
King Crimson with Adrian Belew (1982)
R.E.M./ Gang of Four (1983)
Dizzy Gillespie/ Freddie Hubbard/ McCoy Tyner/ Bobby Hutcherson (1982)
Harvey Mandel (1990)
Johnny Cash and family (1992)
Neil Young and Crazy Horse (I had to cut this otherwise top 10 show because I listened to the show from the park just outside Shoreline Theater) (1996)

I don't even like a few of these bands but this is impressive...

I'm surprised I haven't seen Queen on anyones list yet?

Zod · March 2018

That's tough. I'll give it my best. My memory is fading from my earlier shows, so sometimes it's hard to remember that far back, or the nostalgia factor runs to deep:

1) Pearl Jam - Gorge 2005
2) Soundgarden - Vancouver - PNE Forum 1996
3) Pearl Jam - Vancouver 2013
4) The Tragically Hip - Victoria BC - 2016 (The last Hip tour, the energy/feeling in that building that night is hard to describe)
5) Bruce Springsteen & The E-Street Band - Vancouver 2012
6) Pearl Jam - Boise 2000
7) Pearl Jam - Seattle II 1998
8) Pearl Jam - Pemberton 2016
9) Tool - Gorge 1997 - Lollapalooza
10) AC/DC - Edmonton 2010 (I hope I'm remember the year right. They played through a thunderstorm.. lightning all around, and it bucketed rain

)

It's hard because I've seen so many PJ shows and lots of them were really really good

I held back from putting Wrigley '16, Missoula '98, Vancouver '05, Calgary '09, Seattle II 2000, I know I made some interesting choices like ranking Vancouver 2013 and Pemberton 2016 and not putting Wrigley on the list. I think the Vancouver shows are often underrated because there aren't a lot of 10c'ers at them, so there's no one to speak up for them

Pemberton was an amazing show. Not of the usual bullshit that surrounds a PJ show. No crazy lineups to get in, no crazy lineups to buy a poster. The weather was perfect and it was in a beautiful location. It was a festival but the setlist was only a little short than their current 3 hour sets (I think it ran close to 2 hours 40 minutes). No BS with the seats.. we simply walked closer to the stage after Noel Gallagher's set. It was an amazing PJ peformance with zero of the annoyances

I find myself playing the Pemberton bootleg alot more often than the Wrigley boots. I loved the Wrigley shows. 2016 #2 would be #11 on my list, but Pemberton... it was memorable

Ones I had a really hard time omitting. Chris Cornell Acoustic shows (Edmonton 2011 and Victoria 2013 specifically). Guns n' Replacements Edmonton 2006. I know it wasn't the real GNR, and they didn't start playing until after midnight, but it was a helluva good show. Bubbles even came out and did a duet with Axl. The sad thing is I may have enjoyed that show more than the real GNR show I saw in Seattle in 2016.

There's also some Canadian Classic's I've seen:

Moist at the old memorial arena in Victoria (probably around '96 give or take).
Econoline Crush at Vertigo (the bar inside the university of Victoria) around '96
Headstones - Pretty much any time I see them.

There's been some amazing bar shows out there....

so many concerts to chose from.. lol

PJ_Soul · March 2018

In random order:

Pearl Jam
Pink Floyd
Glen Hansard
The Tea Party
The Tragically Hip
Jack White
Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds
Ben Folds
The Killers
Neil Young

I am not as dedicated to this as some of you - not going to name specific shows!

rgambs · March 2018

All 10 are Pearl Jam shows lol

rgambs · March 2018

George Thorogood destroyed, might have to bump PJ Cincy '14 for GT.

No Coder · March 2018

Pearl Jam - can't separate the shows
Eddie Vedder solo shows - same as above
Bon Iver Mar 2012, The Tivoli Brisbane
RATM, Jan 2008, BDO Gold Coast
Gang of Youths Sep 2017 - The Tivoli Brisbane
Glen Hansard, OCT 2016, QPAC Brisbane
Gang Of Youths, Apr 2016, The Tivoli, Brisbane
Midnight Oil, Noc 1990, BEC Brisbane
Bon Jovi, OCT 1989, BEC Brisbane
Bruce Springsteen, MAR 2003, BEC Brisbane
Sepultura, Sep 1994, Festival Hall Brisbane
RHCP, Oct 1992, Festival Hall Brisbane

10 is very hard , but the above is as close as I could get. Many others, including lost of great local shows - British India, Screaming Jets, The Angels, Regurgitator, Hoodoo Gurus, Matt Corby, plus City and Colour (2012), Pantera (94) , Aerosmith (1990/91), Gaslight Anthem (2011)

JH6056 · March 2018

Pap said:

JH6056 said: I"ve seen Gogol Bordello in a nightclub and at an art gallery, plus festivals and regular shows. So much fun!
I saw them at the HMV Forum (London) back in 2010. What a night! So much dancing and sweating, plus I got to see Alain Johannes and DeVotchKa as opening acts!

Cool, I know more about DeVotchka but that sounds fantastic!

JH6056 · March 2018

tempo_n_groove said:

brianlux said:

Only 10? Impossible! But, OK, pretty much in chronological order:

The Who/ Blue Cheer ( 1968)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience/ The Buddy Miles Express (1968)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience/ Taj Mahal/ Sandy Bull/ Lee Michaels (1969)
Sun Ra and the Solar Arkestra (Golden Gate Park Planetarium, 1970-?)
Talking Heads/ Tom Tom Club/ Black Uhuru (1982)
U2/ The Alarm (1983)
Bob Dylan with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1986)
Cecil Taylor/ Sun Ra and His Arkestra (1987)
Willie Nelson and Family (2005)
Pearl Jam (2012)

Ones I painfully had to cut to make it a top 10 list:

The Beach Boys/ Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels (1964)
Buffalo Springfield (1967)
Santana/ Tower of Power/ Sons of Champlin (1969)
Larry Coryell (1969)
John Mayall (1970)
Miles Davis (1970)
Jethro Tull (1982)
The Psychedelic Furs (1982)
King Crimson with Adrian Belew (1982)
R.E.M./ Gang of Four (1983)
Dizzy Gillespie/ Freddie Hubbard/ McCoy Tyner/ Bobby Hutcherson (1982)
Harvey Mandel (1990)
Johnny Cash and family (1992)
Neil Young and Crazy Horse (I had to cut this otherwise top 10 show because I listened to the show from the park just outside Shoreline Theater) (1996)

I don't even like a few of these bands but this is impressive...

I'm surprised I haven't seen Queen on anyones list yet?

I saw Queen on the "Another One Bites the Dust" tour, was amped for that show like few others. But it doesn't stand out at all as a top 25 show or probably isn't even in my top 50. Maybe seeing them earlier than that would have bumped them up? But as good as their music is, no live footage has ever struck me as amazing to the point of "Best Ever" realm.

JH6056 · March 2018

brianlux said:

JH6056 said:

brianlux said:

Only 10? Impossible! But, OK, pretty much in chronological order:

The Who/ Blue Cheer ( 1968)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience/ The Buddy Miles Express (1968)
The Jimi Hendrix Experience/ Taj Mahal/ Sandy Bull/ Lee Michaels (1969)
Sun Ra and the Solar Arkestra (Golden Gate Park Planetarium, 1970-?)
Talking Heads/ Tom Tom Club/ Black Uhuru (1982)
U2/ The Alarm (1983)
Bob Dylan with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (1986)
Cecil Taylor/ Sun Ra and His Arkestra (1987)
Willie Nelson and Family (2005)
Pearl Jam (2012)

Ones I painfully had to cut to make it a top 10 list:

The Beach Boys/ Mitch Ryder and the Detroit Wheels (1964)
Buffalo Springfield (1967)
Santana/ Tower of Power/ Sons of Champlin (1969)
Larry Coryell (1969)
John Mayall (1970)
Miles Davis (1970)
Jethro Tull (1982)
The Psychedelic Furs (1982)
King Crimson with Adrian Belew (1982)
R.E.M./ Gang of Four (1983)
Dizzy Gillespie/ Freddie Hubbard/ McCoy Tyner/ Bobby Hutcherson (1982)
Harvey Mandel (1990)
Johnny Cash and family (1992)
Neil Young and Crazy Horse (I had to cut this otherwise top 10 show because I listened to the show from the park just outside Shoreline Theater) (1996)

Ok BrianLux, if and when I get my hands on a time machine, I call dibbs on picking you as my "time travel buddy" and I wanna go back to the bolded shows with you! Wow, what a list!

You got it, JH. We'll have a blast- guaranteed!

I forgot to mention The Clash! We'll add them too!

Sounds like a plan! Always happy to go back in time to see the Clash again too!

JH6056 · March 2018

vito said:

1) The Who-2001 Concert for N.Y. - 4 songs and 25 minutes of music no other band can imagine touching! If you weren't crying you aren't human!!
2) The Who- 1981Chicago International Amphitheatre- the 3 greatest hours of electric rock Guitar these eyes have ever seen.
3) David Bowie- 1978 Chicago Arie Crown Theatre Low/Heroes tour...off the blow but, still blowing minds! Btw this was my first concert and I was 14!
4) Prince- 1993 Chicago Theatre - front row right in front of maybe the most talented artist I've ever seen?! The solo in Purple Rain never ended.
5) PJ- 2014 Moline...No Code show nothing else needs to be said...my favorite PJ album front to back in all its glory in a perfect small arena!
6) Peter Gabriel- 1987 London Earls Court- Just really hard to understand how phenomenal every aspect of this show was from the superb musicians, the theatrics and the just fucking great songs the man wrote during the first 10 years after he left Genesis!
7) U2 - 1983 Aragon Ballroom Chicago...5000 people before all the megalomania set in and they were just starting their ascent that would land them on the cover of Time magazine as the most important band in the world and they absolutely were on this night!!
8) The Clash- 1982 Aragon Ballroom Chicago...opened with London Calling and by the time they closed with I'm So Bored With The USA I thought I was going to die at least 2 or 3 different times...over crowded, dangerous and absolutely beautiful brutal music!
9) Radiohead- 2001Grant Park Chicago...with the unbelievable Chicago skyline right behind the band, not a festival show, just Radiohead sounding like aliens on a perfect Chicago summer night with 40,000 fans in awe on the Kid A/ Amnesiac tour!
10) The Ramones- 1980 College of DuPage a junior college where I would later attend school in Glen Ellyn, Il...maybe 1000 people and they probably played 25 songs in 70 minutes in a punk rock fury of pure perfection!

Amazing, 5 of your 10 shows, I wasn't at same venue but saw same tours! And was blown away by all of them, although I didn't include the Who or Peter Gabriel on my list and I put down different U2 and Clash tours, but I was at the tours you listed and they were absolutely brilliant!

I often call that Kid A/Amnesiac Radiohead show "the most perfect show" I've attended, because everything was A-MAY-ZING: weather, crowd, my view point, the setlist, the band's performance, the band's energy, the pacing of the setlist, the audience's energy, the lighting, the sound, and the band/audience interaction were all frickin' awesome.

Was the Peter Gabriel tour the "So" tour? If so, yes, incredible, and also the staging, like Shock the Monkey with the giant desk lamp that kept trying to kill him and all the choreography. Amazing staging!

And lastly, having just kidnapped my child to NYC last Friday to see the opening of the "David Bowie Is..." exhibit at the Brooklyn Museum, there are no words for how JEALOUS I am that you saw him on the Low/Heroes tour! Like.... like just for that one show, I might ditch Brian Lux and take you in the time machine back to that show instead (Sssssssh, don't tell Brian

). Amazing, and soooo envious!

tempo_n_groove · March 2018

No Coder said:

Pearl Jam - can't separate the shows
Eddie Vedder solo shows - same as above
Bon Iver Mar 2012, The Tivoli Brisbane
RATM, Jan 2008, BDO Gold Coast
Gang of Youths Sep 2017 - The Tivoli Brisbane
Glen Hansard, OCT 2016, QPAC Brisbane
Gang Of Youths, Apr 2016, The Tivoli, Brisbane
Midnight Oil, Noc 1990, BEC Brisbane
Bon Jovi, OCT 1989, BEC Brisbane
Bruce Springsteen, MAR 2003, BEC Brisbane
Sepultura, Sep 1994, Festival Hall Brisbane
RHCP, Oct 1992, Festival Hall Brisbane

10 is very hard , but the above is as close as I could get. Many others, including lost of great local shows - British India, Screaming Jets, The Angels, Regurgitator, Hoodoo Gurus, Matt Corby, plus City and Colour (2012), Pantera (94) , Aerosmith (1990/91), Gaslight Anthem (2011)

You are one odd duck and I like it!

samjam · March 2018

I have kept a list of every concert I've seen. 300+ now! Not too shabby for a 25 year old. I will take a look and get back here with a Top 10 (I will try, at least!)

tempo_n_groove · March 2018

samjam said:

I have kept a list of every concert I've seen. 300+ now! Not too shabby for a 25 year old. I will take a look and get back here with a Top 10 (I will try, at least!)

Lots of festivals?

samjam · March 2018

tempo_n_groove said:

samjam said:

I have kept a list of every concert I've seen. 300+ now! Not too shabby for a 25 year old. I will take a look and get back here with a Top 10 (I will try, at least!)

Lots of festivals?

No actually, not a big festival person. A lot of internships and volunteering around the industry/venues, though

JH6056 · March 2018

samjam said:

tempo_n_groove said:

samjam said:

I have kept a list of every concert I've seen. 300+ now! Not too shabby for a 25 year old. I will take a look and get back here with a Top 10 (I will try, at least!)

Lots of festivals?

No actually, not a big festival person. A lot of internships and volunteering around the industry/venues, though

I do like festivals, but when I used to also keep track of every show, I considered a festival 1 show, even if it was multi-day. I stopped counting when I reached 1,500 shows, (sometimes more than 1 or 2 in one night), but like Samjam I was around a lot of music biz people and shows were kind of our social life for the most part. A lot of weeks we saw shows (mostly club shows) between 3-5 nights/week. And I still got up on time to work every day!

Samjam you've racked up quite a tally for 25 yrs old! I bet you quadruple it by 50!

samjam · March 2018

Ok. Here goes.

1. The Who - Izod Center - East Rutherford, NJ -10/29/08
The one and only concert I went to with my late father. The Who was his favorite band, and he hadn't seen them play live since seeing them at Woodstock. He passed that love onto me and we had the BEST time at the show, singing every word. He told me after that he had never seen me so happy before. One of my most cherished memories. Only my 2nd concert ever, too--the show that made me want to go to a million more live shows.

2. Paul McCartney - Yankee Stadium - Bronx, NY - 7/16/11
My whole family on both sides is from the Bronx, so Yankee Stadium is a special place to see a show. First time seeing Sir Paul--I don't think much more has to be said. Magic. I got a Blackbird inspired tattoo 2 weeks later.

3. Pearl Jam - each show is so special....so top 3:
-MSG, NYC, 5/21/10. My 2nd PJ show, my first being the night before. What a way to introduce me to live PJ. A night I'll never forget--pure bliss.
-Baltimore, MD, 10/27/13. Well, duh

Best birthday ever!
-Leeds, UK, 7/8/14. Had just graduated college, first big trip abroad on my own. A set list that dreams were made of with a collection of friends from around the world, including my best friend who went to MSG 2 with me and was converted that day.

4. Foo Fighters - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC - 5/5/14
Foo Fighters were the secret special guests, but the secret didn't last too long. Front row, tiny venue that means a whole lot to me, a favorite band. They played from 11pm-1am and ripped the roof of the place. I also had a fever and was struggling until they came on (then it disappeared-funny how that works), but it was sooo worth it!

5. Glen Hansard - 9:30 Club - Washington, DC - 9/19/12
First Glen show, and first show I saw after my father passed. That show gave me the strength to tackle things head on, and keep moving forward. I also went to the show with a huge Glen fan who really needed that night of music as well.

6. Soundgarden - DAR Constitution Hall - Washington, DC - 1/18/13
First SG show, 8th row--never thought I'd get to see SG and the excitement was high that night. I was mindblown. Everything I thought it was going to be, and more. Chris was a truly special soul with true talent. Got the setlist, and got to meet Matt and Kim as well after the show.

7. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - Madison Square Garden - NYC - 3/28/16
The River tour, marathon show, with a good friend, and also my Mom. You go through every emotion at a Bruce show, and leave feeling cleansed. I had a smile on my face for weeks after this show.

8. Temple of the Dog - Madison Square Garden - NYC - 11/7/16
9th row at MSG for a once in a lifetime (sadly) show, with my boyfriend. I really cherish my memories of this one. You could tell how much fun this tour was for the band--special to see.

9. My Morning Jacket - Fillmore Detroit - Detroit, MI - 6/16/15
Front row center for one of the best live bands out there today. When Jim James looked at my bf and I and pointed to us, it felt like we had magical powers. A head banging, arms to the sky good time.

10. Stevie Wonder - Global Citizen Festival, Central Park - New York, NY - 9/29/12
The most/hardest I've ever danced sober. He's still astounding.

THAT WAS HARD! Other amazing shows include: Dispatch at Forest Hills Stadium, Band of Horses at Grand Central Terminal, MUNA at Brooklyn Bowl, Avett Brothers at The Capitol Theatre, Miike Snow at Le Poisson Rouge, Guster at The Capitol Theatre, Lady Gaga at Citi Field, Neil Young at The Hippodrome Theatre, The National at Forest Hills Stadium, RHCP at MSG, HAIM at Mo Pop Festival, Umphreys McGee at Fillmore Silver Spring, Kendrick Lamar at Terminal 5, Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers at Forest Hills Stadium

No Coder · March 2018

tempo_n_groove said:

No Coder said:

Pearl Jam - can't separate the shows
Eddie Vedder solo shows - same as above
Bon Iver Mar 2012, The Tivoli Brisbane
RATM, Jan 2008, BDO Gold Coast
Gang of Youths Sep 2017 - The Tivoli Brisbane
Glen Hansard, OCT 2016, QPAC Brisbane
Gang Of Youths, Apr 2016, The Tivoli, Brisbane
Midnight Oil, Noc 1990, BEC Brisbane
Bon Jovi, OCT 1989, BEC Brisbane
Bruce Springsteen, MAR 2003, BEC Brisbane
Sepultura, Sep 1994, Festival Hall Brisbane
RHCP, Oct 1992, Festival Hall Brisbane

10 is very hard , but the above is as close as I could get. Many others, including lost of great local shows - British India, Screaming Jets, The Angels, Regurgitator, Hoodoo Gurus, Matt Corby, plus City and Colour (2012), Pantera (94) , Aerosmith (1990/91), Gaslight Anthem (2011)

You are one odd duck and I like it!

Yes, there can be a wide variance in the music I like, but both of those shows were great

Top 10 live shows you’ve ever seen

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