Favorite Concert

[JAHV76]

Also saw Dueling Pianos, Elton John and Billy Joel, about six years ago at the Pond. It was great! Saw Paul Simon and Sting a couple years back and was saddened by how far gone Simon's voice is.

I also did see Elton John and Billy Joel at the pond. It was a great show and it was cool to see them perform together at the same time.

[Keener]

Some really good ones back in the early 90s.

 

1995 Beastie Boys at Cal Expo in Sac, Bad Brains opened for them.

 

Lollapalooza at Shoreline in 1994.  Unreal.  A Tribe Called Quest, Green Day, George Clinton Allstars, Nick Cave, Beastie Boys, Smashing Pumpkins...

 

Foo Fighters at the armory in Salem, OR when they were brand new.  With Ween and Jawbreaker, who I dug and thought were going to make it.  They broke up shortly after, lol. It was obvious that early that Grohl was on to something as a frontman. 

 

Probably my favorite alltime experience was Nine Inch Nails at Arco Arena.  The show included Marilyn Manson, who was brand new at the time, and the Jim Rose Circus.  I didn't know what to expect from those 2, and was freaked out in a good way.  When NIN was going to start, we planted ourselves front row center, and stayed there the whole performance.  One of the most physically demanding feats of my life.  Then, when they played Hurt, they dropped a sheer curtain, and projected some weird footage on it.  Everyone was literally still.  Reznor is a master manipulator of tempo.

 

The worst?  Aerosmith at Cal expo, mid 90's.  They seriously played like they were pissed off and bored. 

[red321]

Some really good ones back in the early 90s.

 

 

The worst?  Aerosmith at Cal expo, mid 90's.  They seriously played like they were pissed off and bored. 

 

You would be too if you had to play Love in an Elevator every friggen night

[JAHV76]

Anyone ever go to the original US festival? I was a little too young to go myself but the lineups were incredible.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Festival

[Troll Daddy]

Neil Diamond at the forum was dope.

[Angel Oracle]

avery couple of years ill watch the beat it video on yourube then weird al right after, just to laugh at each scene and how he makes fun of it.

Brandon, i head thrice is getting back together? So theres your shot at another show.

Getting hungry for more Bologna and Spam

[Tank]

Neil Diamond at the forum was dope.

 

wife and i saw him there around '88 or '89. 

 

impressive amounts of women ready to let neil have his way right then and there.

[BaseballMom]

California Jam

Bruce at the Coliseum

Elvis at the Long Beach Arena 

Eagles Hotel California tour (Roy Orbison opened)

Garth Brooks anywhere

Allman Brothers at the Forum

 

In the past couple of years I got to take my daughter to see the Eagles and Garth.  

 

Can't believe I left off Led Zeppelin  

 

Jeez, I'm old

Edited April 15, 2016 by BaseballMom

[JAHV76]

Another great concert In 1990 I saw Fleetwood Mac and Squeeze. Totally different generations but both were great performances.

[JAHV76]

My very first concert was The Sparks and The Bangles at the Anaheim Convemtion Center.

[arch stanton]

 

The worst?  Aerosmith at Cal expo, mid 90's.  They seriously played like they were pissed off and bored.

They sucked when I saw them in '83 as well but I chocked that up to being coked out assholes doing the only thing they knew how to do to support their habit.

[ten ocho recon scout]

3 best headliners have been Thrice in Seattle, Incubus in Portland and Queens of the Stone Age in Portland. I happened to work with a girl who was cousins with the guitarist from Queens and she hooked it up with back stage passes. Got to meet the band and all that. Everyone was super cool and wanted to go out partying. I was only 21 and 2 of the people we were with were 19 so I had to decline. I should have ditched them...

Best full show I have seen was in Eugene. Silversun Pickups were headlining and they were awesome but Cage the Elephant and Manchester Orchestra opened and I have since become huge fans of both of those bands because of that show

good to see ao many on here have the same taste in music.

I really dont go to too many shows, but ive been really licky now that i think about it. Like you mentioned, im friends with a handful of people who are friends with someone. So over the years ive ended up getting pretty ridiculous hook ups on big named shows. Kind of weird, because again, i dont go out of my way to go to any. But reading that made me think, and i kind of suprised myself with some of the hookups ive gotten over the years.

[Brandon]

avery couple of years ill watch the beat it video on yourube then weird al right after, just to laugh at each scene and how he makes fun of it.

Brandon, i head thrice is getting back together? So theres your shot at another show.

This is correct. Their new album is actually coming out soon, I know it's this month. Thrice are so good live, but I'm too old. I can't stand for hours on end like I used to.

Fun fact of the day, Thrice are one of my favorite bands and unbeknownst to me, their drummer is a huge Angels fan and used to post here years ago. He and I used to talk music, bands, playing, etc. quite a few times (I actually vividly remember our conversation about Sigur Ros and ironically saw a dvd or behind the scenes video of the band where he mentions them as an inspiration, I believe on the element four disk album). Funny thing is I didn't find out until many years later from Chuck that the poster was him. Kind of cool.

[Brandon]

A super fun one was Alchemist and Oh No (Gangrene) did a dj set in Chinatown in LA at some spot. Had some Phillipes at some point then ramen. They killed it, Evidence from Dilated Peoples was next to us, and I got to shake hands with the dudes after....Alchemist is one of my favorite producers of all time so it was kind of a star struck moment.

[Ray McKigney]

So many Lilith Fairs, can't decide which one was best.

 

The one where you got your first period.

[Ray McKigney]

California Jam

Bruce at the Coliseum

Elvis at the Long Beach Arena 

Eagles Hotel California tour (Roy Orbison opened)

Garth Brooks anywhere

Allman Brothers at the Forum

 

In the past couple of years I got to take my daughter to see the Eagles and Garth.  

 

Can't believe I left off Led Zeppelin  

 

Jeez, I'm old

 

Wow. You saw some classic shows. I never knew that Roy Orbison opened for the Eagles on that tour. That's awesome.

[Tank]

saw roy orbison sing the anthem at a kings game one year. that was fun.

[Stradling]

Anyone ever go to the original US festival? I was a little too young to go myself but the lineups were incredible.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/US_Festival

My brother, who posts on here, was at US. I'll get him to log on and tell us all a really boring story about it. He went to some great concerts as well. I remember him telling me about going to see the Stones in concert and Prince (something happened to him today) opened for them, and Prince was booed off stage, or actually left the stage before one of the bottles that were being thrown at him hit him.

[Jason]

Apprently Prince has had the flu and his plane had to make an emergency landing and he was taken to the hospital but has since been released.

[HaloMilliVanilli]

Springsteen at the Sports Arena back in the early 90's and a couple of years ago at the MODA center in Portland.  U2 at the Sports Arena back in 86' touring Joshua Tree and in 91', two nights in a row, at the Sports Arena for Achtung Baby (and numerous times since).  Sting was always amazing at the Hollywood Bowl and Universal.  Journey at the LB Sports Arena around 88'.  Pearl Jam at the San Diego Sports Arena around 92'/93', Elton John at Caesars.  

 

I tend to really dig small places and lesser known artists so I've seen a lot of my favorite small time performers at McCabes (Freedy Johnston, Matthew Sweet), House of Blues (Dramarama and English Beat in a double bill, Chris Isaak, Aimee Mann of Til' tuesday), Largo (Grant Lee Phillips), UCLA and Claremont colleges  (Ryan Adams, World Party/Grant Lee Buffalo), Coach House (Grant Lee Buffalo, Freedy, Dramarama), Troubadour (Grant Lee Phillips, Ron Sexsmith), Roxy (Counting Crows....sat on the stage on their first tour before the first album hit it big), Whisky (Jayhawks, Black Crowes) and the only time I ever saw a show at an American Legion Hall (Jeff Buckley).

 

Amongst the lowlights, saw Beethoven in Germany at a dim, dank hall back a few years.  What a pompous douche.  Kept yelling to him but he never looked our way.  We were close enough that I KNOW he heard us.

[halomatt]

GnR multiple times.  Monsters of Rock was the last time (Rose Bowl). They we just so bad ass!  I have tickets to Quaalcom in August.  Looking forward to it. 

 

Beck a couple of years back in L.A somewhere.  Fun concert.

 

Jack White three times.  Great musician and entertaining.  First time was White Stripes at the San Diego Street Scene.  Saw Sonic Youth there and Black Eyed Peas as well.  Fergie pissed her pants at that concert.  Big wet trail down her thighs. 

[Mark68]

If there is another thread about this topic mods please merge. One of my favorite concerts was the Monsters of Rock tour at the coliseum in 88. Van Halen, The Scorpions, Metallica, Dokken, and Kingdom Come. I was on the floor of the Colisiem and when Metallica started the crowd rushed the stage and we were standing on our seats which collapsed. It was crazy but one hell of an event. What's your favorite concert?

http://www.eightiesonline.com/80s-music/monsters-of-rock-la-coliseum-1988/

I actually had tix to that one, but they cancelled one show because Hagar's voice was shot or somesuch.

 

I got a refund and used the money to go to George Thorogood at LB Arena.

[Mark68]

Two of the best shows I've seen happen to be the last two, for different reasons.

 

I saw Iron Maiden here at the Pepsi Center last Wednesday. I've wanted to see them for 30 years and finally had the opportunity. Probably not up to their 80s standard (after all, they're all in their 60s or close to it now) but it was an awesome show.

 

Before that, I saw Bruce last month. The guy turns 67 this year, and yet he and the E Street Band played 34 straight songs with no break at our altitude. I know that's typical of Bruce, but still...

[Ray McKigney]

Springsteen at the Sports Arena back in the early 90's and a couple of years ago at the MODA center in Portland.  U2 at the Sports Arena back in 86' touring Joshua Tree and in 91', two nights in a row, at the Sports Arena for Achtung Baby (and numerous times since).  Sting was always amazing at the Hollywood Bowl and Universal.  Journey at the LB Sports Arena around 88'.  Pearl Jam at the San Diego Sports Arena around 92'/93', Elton John at Caesars.  

 

I tend to really dig small places and lesser known artists so I've seen a lot of my favorite small time performers at McCabes (Freedy Johnston, Matthew Sweet), House of Blues (Dramarama and English Beat in a double bill, Chris Isaak, Aimee Mann of Til' tuesday), Largo (Grant Lee Phillips), UCLA and Claremont colleges  (Ryan Adams, World Party/Grant Lee Buffalo), Coach House (Grant Lee Buffalo, Freedy, Dramarama), Troubadour (Grant Lee Phillips, Ron Sexsmith), Roxy (Counting Crows....sat on the stage on their first tour before the first album hit it big), Whisky (Jayhawks, Black Crowes) and the only time I ever saw a show at an American Legion Hall (Jeff Buckley).

 

Amongst the lowlights, saw Beethoven in Germany at a dim, dank hall back a few years.  What a pompous douche.  Kept yelling to him but he never looked our way.  We were close enough that I KNOW he heard us.

 

I've seen most of the lesser known artists that you mentioned. Grant Lee Phillips/Buffalo, Ron Sexsmith. Matthew Sweet. The Jayhawks. They were all terrific. Grant Lee Phillips has the best between song banter of anybody I've ever seen. Dude is like a comedian up there.

[HaloMilliVanilli]

You are right about Grant being a great banterer.  At one show where he was playing primarily solo, I called out for "Soft Wolf Tread" from his first Grant Lee Buffalo album "Fuzzy".  He thought about it for a minute, then said he hadn't performed in years but would give it a go but that if it sucked "It'd be my ass for suggesting it".  At another show, he invited a four piece string orchestra to accompany him.  I went to the restroom and when I returned he had moved his mic stand right to the center of the dining audience and literally right in front of my seat.  When I came back, he was so close it was difficult to get back into my seat.  Each of the four string members was positioned at one corner of the square floor.  What a great experience.