OT: Best concerts you've ever seen?

[supafreak84]

It's that post draft, boring offseason stretch so for shits and giggles (and because we have a wide array of folks here)...what is the greatest concert experience you've ever had? Or give me your top 2 or 3..

For me;

1. Tool- Always been one of my favorite bands ever, but if you've never been there to experience it live, because it is an experience, you are missing out. They sound absolutely incredible and the AI generated graphics playing in the background with the light show...wow. It's like a heavier modern day Pink Floyd and one of the things you are glad you got to experience once in your life and you feel bad for the folks who never got to. 

2. AC/DC- I've seen them 3 times, with the first being the Ball Breaker tour in 1996. I'll never forget the wrecking ball swinging, hitting the brick wall to reveal a garage door that swung open and Angus strutting out blasting Back in Black. I was deaf for 3 days after that show, but what an experience..

3. Primus- A band that truly does not get the credit for the incredible musicians they are. I see them every time they tour and they always deliver. Les Claypool is the greatest bassist on the planet and watching him hit those strings live is amazing. I met Les last year and he couldn't have been a nicer dude.

Let's see some good lists and if you have any hidden gems to recommend, let me know.

[Rigby]

Paul McCartney
Rolling Stones
Eagles
Jackson Browne
Springsteen
Eric Clapton
REM
Cowboy Junkies
Police (Copeland's drumming)
Beach Boys
Elton John
Billy Joel
Fleetwood Mac
James Taylor
Arrogance
Jimmy Buffet

[TheWinterSKOLdier]

Tool is always a great show to go see.

Some of my favorites have been the Big 4 (Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, and Anthrax), Iron Maiden, Roger Waters performing The Wall, Billy Joel, Elton John.

Too many to count.

[Caactorvike]

The Band
The 5 Blind Boys of Alabama (later The Blind Boys of Alabama

Both at the Guthrie Theater in Minneapolis

[pattersaur]

RATM at Lollapalooza in 2008 is by far the best I've been too. Band sounded great, crowd of ~70,000 was going nuts, and the festival atmosphere made it that much better.

The War on Drugs at a small, SRO indoor venue shortly after their Lost in the Dream album came out was fantastic.

Kanye West at The Hollywood Bowl playing 808s & Heartbreaks in full with a lot of special guests was sweet.

Lots of others who sounded great as well. Kacey Musgraves, Luke Combs, Eminem, Jason Isbell, Phoebe Bridgers, ZBB... But Rage will probably never be topped for me. And that's fine.

Nine Inch Nails and Jack White are the two biggest wish list acts I'd like to get to. Springsteen too. I somehow always miss him.

And lastly, even though it wasn't a concert, Wrestlemania in New Orleans was a wild, ridiculous, and fun couple days.

I've been lucky to get to go to a lot of fun shows over the years. Only tickets I'm currently holding are for Blink-182 later this summer. Looking forward to that.

Good thread!

[Still Hurtn]

Def Lepard and Billy Squire

Willie Nelson

Chris Stapleton

[MaroonBells]

Good topic, Supa

I've seen U2 18 times and they'd probably take the top five. 

1. U2 Omaha, I/E tour
2. U2 Denver, Unforgettable Fire tour
3. U2 Denver, Zoo TV tour
4. U2 Dallas, 360 tour
5. U2 Vegas, Sphere

A hundred way tie for 6th between various artists including Uncle Tupelo at the Lounge Ax in Chicago, Tom Waits at the Paramount Denver, Sonic Youth at the Sundance Saloon Bozeman, MT, Replacements in Denver.

Current band I can't stop listening to: DEHD.

[supafreak84]

Good topic, Supa

I've seen U2 18 times and they'd probably take the top five. 

1. U2 Omaha, I/E tour
2. U2 Denver, Unforgettable Fire tour
3. U2 Denver, Zoo TV tour
4. U2 Dallas, 360 tour
5. U2 Vegas, Sphere

A hundred way tie for 6th between various artists including Uncle Tupelo at the Lounge Ax in Chicago, Tom Waits at the Paramount Denver, Sonic Youth at the Sundance Saloon Bozeman, MT, Replacements in Denver.

Current band I can't stop listening to: DEHD.

I want to go see a concert and experience the Sphere so bad. I've seen clips of the U2 shows and most recently Phish...what an experience. Very cool you got to see that. I see Dead and Company is playing there next.

[1VikesFan]

Stones
Led Zepplin
Lynyrd Skynyrd
Allman Brothers
Greatful Dead
Willie Nelson & Waylon Jennings
The Eagles

[Montana Tom]

Paul McCartney & Wings...in St Paul
Huey Lewis & the News...still one of my fave's in Duluth
Bravo at Beaver Creek/Classical Concert/Pachebel's Canon in D Minor (yeah, I have that side to me)
Beach Boys (w/America as the Opening Act) slopeside at Beaver Creek, CO
Charlie Daniels (fiddlin' genius...also slopeside but in Montana)
Tim McGraw & Faith Hill (she is a technically flawless singer...Vegas)
Mannheim Steamroller (Christmas concert a couple years ago...in Montana)
Clint Black (w/Mrs Black-Lisa Hartmann...I forgot how good HE was)
Celtic Woman (that blonde fiddle player stole the show)
Allison Krause/Union Station (she opened for Willie Nelson...he was weak, but she and her band were extraordinary)

But my drop my pants favorite was in Prague, Czech Republic about 5 years ago. It was the string section of the Czech National Symphony Orchestra, playing in this fantastic 400 year old church near the Charles Bridge. Opened with a resounding twin organ (in the loft) classical piece, and then this string quartet came out and played several pieces before this incredibly beautiful (auburn red hair) Czech soprano soloist came out and sang the rest of the concert. Like an absolute angel. The most amazing thing? The price of admission was like equivalent to $10...probably the most incredible "Pinch Me" moment in a concert. We were in the second row and I was in awe of that soprano soloist, ten feet away.

Maybe a close second (for the experience) was a show a the original Ryman Auditorium in Nashville (not the new one). Larry Gatlin and the Gatlin Brothers were the "house band" that week and they had multiple singing guests. Acoustics shockingly good. Main featured artist was Tanya Tucker, who is now an older, not so sexy woman, but man she belted out some songs that reduced the gal next to me to tears.

This was a good thread to post...you made me think about how to separate a "concert" from a "performance". A couple of memorable recent performances here would be Rocky Horror Picture Show (live, here in Montana with a bunch of Broadway performers hamming it up), and the other was called "Operalesque". Odd concept of combining theatrical opera singers with almost nude burlesque...and it worked. This was during the Pandemic and they couldn't do it indoors. So they strung a bunch of christmas lights out in the woods, had straw bales for seating, had and semi-nude ring gymnasts...incredible athletic bodies and singers....definitely a creative solution to having to perform outdoors during a global pandemic. We had a couple of the female performers out to the ranch to ride horses the next day...the ring gymnast normally performs in NYC and she said this was the first paying gig she had in almost a year.