List your top 5 concerts and why you liked it so much [Archive] - Calgarypuck Forums - The Unofficial Calgary Flames Fan Community

Knut

05-26-2012, 01:16 PM

I was thinking about all the concerts i have been to over the years and was trying to figure out what my favorites were. It would be interesting to see why certain concerts resonate with people.

I'll start...

1) Pearl Jam - Vancouver 2003 - GM Place- I had wanted to see Pearl Jam live for a decade. I was too young to travel to see them, and they had that ticketmaster Fiasco with their Calgary concert that prevented me from seeing them. This concert was fantastic and it felt like a decade of waiting had paid off. I nearly had tears in my eyes when Yellow Ledbetter was played.

2) Bela Fleck and the Flecktones - 2001 - jubilee - Wow.. These guys are amazing musicians, they have fun and the music was spectacular. If you have not heard a live album of theirs you are missing out. Victor Wooten is a beast on the Bass guitar and Future-Man has a homemade instrument he calls the Synth-axe drumitar that makes amazing and interesting percussion sounds.

3) Allman Brothers - 2008 - Red Rock Casino- Las Vegas. I told my now-wife/then-girlfriend that it was the one band i wanted to see before they died. So she suprised me with a trip to Vegas and concert tickets. It was tough to see the stage at the venue due to there being a bunch of swimming pools everywhere, but sound was good and I was able to lounge back on a pool chair drinking beer and listen to an amazing show. They had the concert recorded and available for purchase ($10) on the way out.

4) Strokes w/ The Kings of Leon - 2003 - Hershey Center - Missisauga. We were able to get floor seats and found ourselves standing about 10 ft from the front of the stage. This was right when the Kings of Leon first burst onto the scene with their first album. They opened for the Strokes and were very energetic. Julian Casablancas was absolutely smashed and ended up throwing his shoes into the crowd. I was completely amazed he could still belt out the songs when he could barely speak.

5) Taj Mahal with the Blind Boys of Alabama - Jack Singer - 2008. Put on an amazing show that had my dad and I loving every minute of. The Blind Boys of Alabama were a treat to watch, but Taj Mahal was incredible. Very interactive and funny. Great bluesman that should be more recognized.

HM: The Slackers w/ Bedouin Soundclash, RHCP, George Strait and The Stereophonics.

Worst Concert experience - THe #####ing Eagles man at the Saddledome. It is like someone just took their greatest hits album and pushed play.

Cecil Terwilliger

05-26-2012, 01:42 PM

Hmm. Tough question.

1) Korn - July 27th (?) 2000 at the Dome. This was my first real arena concert show. I'd seen a few smaller concerts but this was the first major act I'd ever seen headlining at a major venue. I was 15 and my ears rang for about a week. I'm not so much into Korn's new stuff but at the time it was right around the height of their popularity after Issues came out. Easily the single greatest performance I'd ever seen live. Never forget, after the show we were talking to some old biker dude who said he'd seen hundreds of concerts through the years and he wasn't even a Korn fan and he said he was absolutley floored.

2)NIN - Nov 17th 2005 - First time I'd ever seen them. Theatrically it wasn't as good as the shows I saw a few years later but it was a pretty epic show.

3) Roger Waters 2007 - DSOTM - I was really skeptical going in because I wasn't sure how much PF stuff he'd play. Ended up being one of the best concerts of my life. DSOTM was awesome and the other PF stuff was amazing. When he played Pigs (at least I think it was, could have been Sheep, memory is a bit hazy) and had the flying Pig I lost my ####. Amazing show. The woman who sang Great Gig in the Sky was so good it almost brought me to tears

4) Eric Clapton 2007 - Played some hits, some deep cuts but man oh man can he play the ####ing guitar. I like Clapton but I'm not exactly a superfan. I could probably name about 50 other artists/bands I prefer but he put on one hell of a show. And it wasn't theatrics at all. Just him and the band up there playing their hearts out.

5) This one is hardest. Not going to name NIN again. Let's go with Finger Eleven about a decade ago at Stampede. Several thousand people showed up and I'll never forget when they walked out the lead singer, forget his name at the moment, just said "wow, we weren't expecting this" and they went into First Time still gives me goosebumps thinking about it. The performance isn't particularly memorable but the crowd was absolutely electric.

HM: White Stripes were deadly, still mad at my boss I had to miss the private show in the afternoon at the local music school; both System of a Down shows; Queens of the Stone Age playing their S/T album at the Jubilee last year; Tool, either time. They were amazing. This really should be #5 but I don't want to change it.

I have a crazy story about Finger Eleven playing at the new Mac Hall in about 2005 or 2006 that involves some illicit substances but my dad reads CP and I don't really want to share that just yet (don't worry old man, it wasn't cocaine).

Just looking at an old post I made a few years ago about my favorite shows all time and the list is almost identical.

Worst: I honestly don't know. Haven't seen any horrible shows but obviously some are kind of forgetable.

Knut

05-26-2012, 01:45 PM

Hmm. Tough question.

1) Korn - July 27th (?) 2000 at the Dome. This was my first real arena concert show. I'd seen a few smaller concerts but this was the first major act I'd ever seen headlining at a major venue. I was 15 and my ears rang for about a week. I'm not so much into Korn's new stuff but at the time it was right around the height of their popularity after Issues came out. Easily the single greatest performance I'd ever seen live. Never forget, after the show we were talking to some old biker dude who said he'd seen hundreds of concerts through the years and he wasn't even a Korn fan and he said he was absolutley floored.

2)NIN - Nov 17th 2005 - First time I'd ever seen them. Theatrically it wasn't as good as the shows I saw a few years later but it was a pretty epic show.

3) Eric Clapton 2007 - Played some hits, some deep cuts but man oh man can he play the ####ing guitar. I like Clapton but I'm not exactly a superfan. I could probably name about 50 other artists/bands I prefer but he put on one hell of a show. And it wasn't theatrics at all. Just him and the band up there playing their hearts out.

4) Roger Waters 2007 - DSOTM - I was really skeptical going in because I wasn't sure how much PF stuff he'd play. Ended up being one of the best concerts of my life. DSOTM was awesome and the other PF stuff was amazing. When he played Pigs (at least I think it was, could have been Sheep, memory is a bit hazy) and had the flying Pig I lost my ####. Amazing show. The woman who sang Great Gig in the Sky was so good it almost brought me to tears

5) This one is hardest. Not going to name NIN again. Let's go with Finger Eleven about a decade ago at Stampede. Several thousand people showed up and I'll never forget when they walked out the lead singer, forget his name at the moment, just said "wow, we weren't expecting this" and they went into First Time still gives me goosebumps thinking about it. The crowd was absolutely electric.

HM: White Stripes were deadly, still mad at my boss I had to miss the private show in the afternoon at the local music school; both System of a Down shows; Queens of the Stone Age playing their S/T album at the Jubilee last year; Tool, either time. They were amazing.

Just looking at an old post I made a few years ago about my favorite shows all time and the list is almost identical.

Worst: I honestly don't know. Haven't seen any horrible shows but obviously some are kind of forgetable.

I was at this show too... it was good but my I could feel my "old-manness" starting to kick in. I found it too loud.

Cecil Terwilliger

05-26-2012, 01:49 PM

I'm really sad that I won't be going to the Wall in Edmonton on Monday. Tickets are easy enough to find but I can't afford to fly and don't want to drive by myself.

Displaced Flames fan

05-26-2012, 02:08 PM

Hmm. I haven't been to as many shows as most people, but I'll still play!

1. Gruntruck-Screaming Trees-Alice In Chains, December 16, 1992 The Paladium, Hollywood, CA.

I was too stupid to pay much attention to the first two bands and I regret that knowing how much I love their stuff now. Alice In Chains played relatively few shows live and I feel extremely lucky to have witnessed one from about an 8 foot distance.

2. Dave Matthews Band, Wichita, KS Summer of 2010.

Had low expectations because my view of DMB live was the Central Park Concert DVD. They put on a hell of a show here too. Obviously, no classic guest moments like the Central Park Show but for my first concert at the new arena here it exceeded my expectations by a longshot.

3. Woven Hand-Tool Ford Center, Oklahoma City, OK Summer of 2010. Walked into the Ford Center with my son, his first concert, and heard these strange almost Native American sounds as we walked the concourse toward our seats. I had no idea who the opening act was at the time. It took most of their set for me to find out it was Woven Hand...and that their strangely wonderful frontman was David Eugene Edwards. The man blew me away. Then Tool came on.....other than the annoying drunk teenagers in front of me, I thoroughly enjoyed every second.

4. Toad The Wet Sprocket-Redlands University Amphitheater, Redlands, CA circa 1993. Outdoors at twilight, maybe 1000 people there and Glenn Philips and company sounding flawless. Still love this band.

5. I guess I'll say Skid Row-Bon Jovi Spring of 1989 Kemper Arena, Kansas City, MO. It was my first concert. Never been a fan of Bon Jovi, but Skid Row was very good and as a first concert experience I can imagine a lot worse. Didn't marry the girl. :cool:

VANFLAMESFAN

05-26-2012, 02:09 PM

Honorable Mentions

Live at River Rock Casino. Probably my favorite band of all time, loved the show. They didn't play Overcome though, so that pissed me off.

Foo Fighters acoustic show at Orpheum theatre. Would have liked more classic songs to be done, but still good show.

5. Korn in 2000 at GM Place. I was a huge fan of them back then and I won passes to be on stage with them for the entire show. There were groups of people on both sides of the drum kit, about 30 or so people and I was one of them. It was so cool, I'll never forget it.

4. Foo Fighters at Plaza of Nations. 2003ish. I had seem them a few times before, but Dave just brought it that night and it was a beautiful summer night and we had this awesome ocean breeze, and a fun mosh pit too.

3. Ozzfest 2001 at The Gorge. My first festival show outside of Vancouver. Rob Zombie, Drowning Pool, Papa Roach, Linkin Park, Disturbed, Slipknot, Marilyn Manson and Sabbath of course. The main stage set changes were about 5 minutes long each, so it was relentless hard rock/metal. I was exhausted by the end of it all, but it was so worth spending the $250, and this when I was a broke 19 year old.

2. Metallica at Seahawk Stadium in Seattle. 2005 Deftones, Mudvayne, Linkin Park and Limp Bizkit opened on this tour. Deftones was wicked, Mudvayne was insane. Linkin Park was solid, and despite the music being beyond stupid, Limp Bizkit puts on a fun show. I maintain to this day, the most fun I've ever had in a mosh pit was during that Limp Bizkit show. Metallica capped it all off and that was my first time seeing them.

1. My favorite concert is my favorite because I was totally blown away based on my mediocre expectations. I won passes thru work, so I didn't even pay.

At the Commodore(aka the best place on the planet for a concert), in 2007, Dolores O Riordan of the Cranberries was touring her solo act. I didn't know anything of her new music, but I went because i liked the Cranberries in high school. She came out with her band and played Zombie(one of my all time fav songs) and that set the stage. She played plenty of Cranberries classics and threw in most of her new album at that time. She was a tremendous performer and has a beautiful voice.

I went into that show with a lady friend expecting to see a bunch of granola eating lesbians and hippies, but it was quite the opposite. I loved her new stuff so much in concert, I went and bought the CD the next morning.

She was so not my favorite artist that I've seen live, but it was by far my favorite show.

Mass_nerder

05-26-2012, 03:31 PM

1. Ted Leo and the Pharmacists - Dickens (Sled Island 2010)
It was my 3rd time seeing Ted Leo, and he had been amazing the first two times, but he went above and beyond at this show. I was right at the front against the stage with a few buddies and chatted with Ted for a few minutes. They played every single song I wanted to hear, and even allowed two of the guys I was with to get on stage and sing one of the songs with him. For the encore, in typical Ted Leo fashion, he came back out and played 5-10 more songs just by himself, followed by another few with the whole band.
The crowd was amazing, everybody was dancing and having a good time, singing along. Just an amazing atmosphere.

2. NIN and Bauhaus - The Gorge (Sasquatch 2006)
It was the first of the three days, and we had just done the drive from Calgary to the Gorge. We got there a little late, and had to set up our camp site, so we missed TV on the Radio, which I was kind of bummed about. Bauhaus played first, and I had only heard one of their songs in passing, so I wasn't really expecting much, but they blew me away! Peter Murphy was so energetic, and set was just excellent. NIN followed Bauhaus, and put on the most spectacular visual display I've ever seen. I'm not a huge NIN fan, but the setting, mixed with the crowd, mixed with the beer, mixed with an impressive show just made the night.

3. F * cked Up - Legion #1 (Sled Island pre-festival 2009, or 10 (can't remember))
The show was just insane. If you've ever been to the #1 legion on 7th ave, you'll know that it's a pretty small room, with an even smaller "dance" floor. F * cked Up played a tight set of hard, fast, progressive hardcore punk rock. They played every one of my favorite songs with gusto. Damien (the frontman) as always got basically naked on stage and got crazy, smashing a beer can into his forehead and opening a huge bleeding gash. The crowd was rowdy, with a lot of slamming dancing. The Legion gets super hot, so it was a hot, sweaty, violent show. Might not be for everyone, but it was a lot of fun for me.

4. Defiance, Ohio - Thrift store basement in Ogden (2005, or 2006?)
Not a very big name band, but I absolutely loved them at the time (still do). My friend and I went and searched for the "venue for 30 min. We ended up having to go around to the back alley and enter the venue through the delivery door. There were a few local bands to open, covering a wide variety of genres from ska to crust punk. Defiance, Ohio ended up being late to the show, so everyone kind of bummed around in this grimy basement waiting. When they finally played, everyone was so excited...it was electric. Everyone sang along to every song...it was like a giant sing-along. Normally that kind of annoys me, but it fit the band so perfectly.
The whole night was just an interesting expirience.

5. THWOMP and some other local band - Small theater in the Jack Singer building (2010?)
THWOMP and the other band pulled together a Weezer sing-along. I know it's not a typical concert, but it was great fun! The two bands played the music, covering Weezer from Pinkerton, right up until their newest stuff.
While the band played, they put up overheads on two walls with the lyrics, so everyone could sing along (if they didn't know the lyrics already).
It was just a blast, and took me back to being a young kid, listening to the Blue Album.

octothorp

05-26-2012, 03:32 PM

1. Sigur Ros, at the Boston opera house, approx 2005. Amazing band, great venue. And I saw Sufjan Stevens in Boston that same week, as well as Cake, and Nouvelle Vague. Best week of my life for live music.
2. Tea Party, at the Republik, approx 1994. As a small-town kid, this was my first show in a small rock venue... previously I had just been to stadium concerts. And there was this totally out-of-my-league crush from the class ahead of me who was at the show.
3. David Bowie, Reality Tour, Saddledome. 2003. Dude has amazing presence.
4. Hold Steady at the Republik, 2011. I don't get to many concerts these days, but their riffy rock is great live music. Go see them at Sled Island, if you can.
5. Drums and Tuba, at the Zaphod Beeblebrox in Ottawa, 2001. I was in Ottawa on business, and my one night off happened to be the night this band was playing. I had one of their albums, but had no real expectations about their live show. But the night had this amazing atmosphere, where the crowd was just totally into the band, and the band seemed sort of amazed at how much the crowd was into it.

3 Justin 3

05-26-2012, 03:35 PM

This is going to be super metal, but anyway:

1. A night with Amon Amarth (2011?) - Played the entirety of Surtur Rising and then played another 13-15 other songs. No opening acts, just 2.5 hours of Amon Amarth

2. Children of Bodom (2011?) - Finally after years I got to see them live and they didn't disappoint. The opening acts were really good two, oh yeah and Devon Townsend opened, so that was awesome.

3. Iron Maiden (2007/8?) - Somewhere Back in Time tour where they played all their classic material and had a 15 foot Eddie robot attack the stage. Amazing show.

4. Judas Priest (2008) - The huge metal festival at McMahon, first time I ever got to see them live and I loved every minute of it. When I saw them last year it was pretty damn good too though.

5. Metallica (2009/2010?) - Their World Magnetic Tour, they played a lot of the good classic stuff (not much of the Garage Inc. crap).

HM - Megadeth playing the entirety of Rush in Peace, that had Exodus and Testament opening so it was a pretty damn good show. That should probably be in my top 5 over Priest, but oh well.

Dream Theater opening for Iron Maiden was excellent too.

Slayer opening for Megadeth was pretty fantastic as well.

SinceDay1

05-26-2012, 07:35 PM

#1 The Who - Northlands Coliseum October 1976. Roger Daltrey was twirling his mike and shooting it out 20 feet over the heads of the audience and then whipping it back. Pete Townsend windmilling his guitar and jumping off PA stacks. Keith Moon was just manic. Entwistle like a statue but shredding on the bass. Best live band ever.

#2 Peter Gabriel - Saddledome July 1993. Just blown away by the theatrically of the performance. Split stage, lighting and use of props enhanced a great performance by Peter and his very talented band.

#3 Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - Saddledome April 2003. They played a long time and flawlessly. Thought Bruce would have been past his best before date but he had so much energy and just loved performing. In fact, I don't think I've seen a band that enjoyed playing with each other as much.

#4 The Eagles - Mcmahon Stadium July 1978. Perfect day. They were at their peak and looked like they still liked each other at that time. Great musicians and singers. The exact opposite of that soulless piece of crap show they put on in the Saddledome.

#5 Led Zeppelin - King Dome May 1977. Ultimate road trip. 50000+ people. Jon Bonham Moby Dick drum solo, Jimmy Page playing guitar with a violin bow, lasers on the ceiling of the King Dome. Awesome.

Cecil Terwilliger

05-26-2012, 09:47 PM

PowerPlayoffs06

05-26-2012, 10:36 PM

#1 - Peter Gabriel. I was 14 and had only been to a couple of concerts before. This is still my most memorable concert experience to date, and I've been to quite a few now. Fantastic music, excellent stage and props show. I still get shivers thinking about Peter coming up from under the stage in a bright red phone boot singing Come Talk To Me to open the show. To close the show he did Biko and the whole Saddledome chanting together with the end of the song was the first time I'd heard anything like it. Thousands of people united in song.

#2 - Metallica. I've seen them 7 times and every show has kicked ass. I've been backstage in Vancouver thanks to MetClub and stood face to face with Jason beating his bass front row in the Dome. Metallica always destroys their audience with metal up their ass. The outdoor show in Vancouver was another great experience like above with the whole crowd chanting along during the hurdy gurdy part from The Memory Remains.

#3 - Rob Zombie. Flew out to Vancouver to see him on tour for Hellbilly Delux. Awesome stage show, great mix of Rob's stuff and White Zombie classics. After the show and the place had mostly cleared out Rob came back out and signed autographs and chatted. Was totally unexpected. Wish I'd had a camera.

#4 Ozzy Osbourne. Seen Ozzy three times. The Retirement Sucks tour after Ozzmosis was released was my favorite but the last time he passed through Calgary he still put on a great show.

#5 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers. I almost passed this one up because while I like Tom Petty, I wasn't sure it'd be that great live. Holy crap am I glad I decided to go. Every song from start to finish was a memorable hit and even had some Travelling Wilburys for good measure. Easily the best setlist of any show I've ever been to.

HM - Ozzfest '99. Just look at the line up - Black Sabbath, Rob Zombie, Deftones, Slayer, Primus, Godsmack, System of a Down, Fear Factory, Slipknot and some others. Dino from Fear Factory came around the side of the stage after their set and signed autographs, I offered him $5 for his bottle of water and he said "You were feeding me good out there man, I saw you front left bangin' away. Here you go!" and hooked me up after he signed my ticket. Joey Jordison, drummer for Slipknot, came around the side and signed stuff for fans too after their set.

Worst Concert - Marilyn Manson. I had won tickets off CJAY92 to his show back in '96 during the height of the Antichrist Superstar tour. Then our lovely conservative government banned him and I never got to go to the show. When he finally came back a couple years ago and played the Jube, holy crap, it was brutal. He played for just under an hour, 80% of the setlist was stuff off the most recent album at the time and the hits he did play were all half-assed. He even cut Sweet Dreams down to a 3 minute piece of crap for some reason. Such a disappointment.

iLoveLamp

05-26-2012, 11:19 PM

#1 Deerhunter @ The Gorge (Sasquatch 2011) - The atmosphere was almost too perfect for the shoegaze-y, lo-fi rock they play. They closed their stage on the last night of the festival, so the sun was down, it was drizzling lightly, and there was a thunderstorm in the distance. They played extended versions of their songs with instrumentals in the middle of them, it was very surreal. At one point, someone in the crowd threw a glowstick on the stage and the bassist, Josh Fauver attached it to the end of his guitar for the remainder of the show haha

#2 Snoop Dogg & Dr. Dre @ Polo Grounds (Coachella 2012) - Seeing them live together was a dream come true, it was amazing being in the crowd with everybody rapping along to every song. And to cap it all off...the guest appearances were ridiculous! Eminem, 50 Cent, Wiz Khalifa, Kendrick Lamar, Kurupt, Warren G and Hologram 2Pac! Definitely the most fun I've had at a show.

#3 Foo Fighters @ Saddledome 2011 - This was the second time I saw them, the first being at Sasquatch a few months prior. What made this one special was that I had floor tickets and went with a friend of mine who is also a huge Foo fan. It was a ton of fun singing along to every song, and Dave had this runway through the crowd he ran along a few times so he was only a few feet away from me!

#4 Japandroids @ Republik 2010 - Not a whole lot to say about this one. A friend of mine had just introduced me to them a few months prior so I was stoked to see them live. They are really tight live and they even played my favourite song, Wet Hair, which Brian (lead singer) said they rarely played live.

#5 At The Drive-In / Refused @ Polo Grounds (Coachella 2012) - I grouped them together for the same reason, they were a couple of my favourite bands in high school, and having already been broken up by that time I thought I would never be able to see them live. When I saw the line-up for Coachella and they were both on it, I knew I wasn't going to miss it for anything. They were both really awesome live considering they were broken up for so long, and being up front and moshing was really amazing.

Worst: Guided By Voices @ The Gorge (Sasquatch 2011) - Robert Pollard was drunk as hell and could barely sing, and he was really bitter about there only being 30 or 40 people near the stage to see them when Chromeo, who played before them, probably had one of the biggest crowds of the weekend. His banter in between songs was so bad it was funny too.

HM: Nine Inch Nails @ Saddledome 2009, Queens Of The Stone Age @ Jube 2011, Radiohead @ Coachella 2012

VANFLAMESFAN

05-27-2012, 12:29 AM

Worst Concert - Marilyn Manson. I had won tickets off CJAY92 to his show back in '96 during the height of the Antichrist Superstar tour. Then our lovely conservative government banned him and I never got to go to the show. When he finally came back a couple years ago and played the Jube, holy crap, it was brutal. He played for just under an hour, 80% of the setlist was stuff off the most recent album at the time and the hits he did play were all half-assed. He even cut Sweet Dreams down to a 3 minute piece of crap for some reason. Such a disappointment.

I've seen them 3 times. Each time I saw them, I was going for someone else on the bill. But each time I saw them, I left thinking they put on a hell of a show.

Flames Fan, Ph.D.

05-27-2012, 10:07 AM

#1. Best concert I've been to was Radiohead at the Blossom Music Center in Ohio, right after they released Kid A. Great show, with the band showing off all of their new skills. The most memorable part of the show for me was that during Idioteque, the band started improvising and it appeared that Yorke walked off-stage (to my right). I was about 20 rows back and to the right of center, and could see Yorke cross the stage curtain, then instead of going to the back rooms, he headed down the ramp to the crowd area and stopped around the 5th row and started watching alongside the people. Basically he came down to actually see how their show looked to everyone, but the fans were so fixated by the show on the stage that they didn't realize Yorke had just walked up and was watching alongside them. I've been lucky enough to see Radiohead 4 times now, but this was by far the best experience.

#2: This is a regret for many reasons: Around 2000, we had tickets to see Rage against the Machine and the Beastie Boys down by Columbus. Days before the show, one of the Beastie Boys fell off his bike or motorbike and broke a leg so they canceled the show. Rage split up pretty much right after that, and I never got to see either group.

#3: I saw Primus after they released Antipop. Les Claypool is just an amazing stage presence, and it was a smallish venue (~1500 people) so he was really engaging the crowd the way only he can. An amazing experience, musically. About 30 minutes after they finished the show, while the roadies were cleaning up, he came out and just sat at the edge of the stage and started talking to those of us who had stuck around.

#4: Sonic Youth in New York. Enough said.

#5: This one is more a musical experience / continuum, but in a short few weeks in 2010, I saw Arcade Fire and LCD Soundsystem (w/ Hot Chip opening) in successive concerts in Minneapolis / St. Paul. Sad part of this was that I had to pass up Deerhunter as it was the same night as LCD Soundsystem. I'm not sure I made the right choice.

Methanolic

05-27-2012, 12:10 PM

Sorry for being Lazy But....

#1 - 5: The Cult. Up close and personal at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver, October 23rd 1994. By far the most energetic and intimate show I have ever attended. Astbury had never disappointed before and certainly hasn't since, But this show was amazing! So loud, so perfect, The band had a synergy that night like no other.

http://i49.tinypic.com/2h4i2y0.jpg

dissentowner

05-27-2012, 12:19 PM

1.) Rush- pick any one of the 11 shows I have been too. They are the best musicians ever.

2.) Korn/Mudvayne in Hamilton. So good, love both these bands.

3.) King Diamond - 2002- Opera House in Toronto. The King is amazing, he puts on a great theatrical performance, did Abigail in it's entirety, and he hits all his highs with ease.

4.) Tool - Fox Theatre in Detroit. Totally awesome, Fox Theatre is not a big venue so it was like being at a private showing of Tool. Was 2nd row, front.

5.) Slayer/Marylin Manson. Both acts were great but Slayer stole the show imo.

Puppet Guy

05-27-2012, 12:31 PM

1) Motorhead/Nashville #####/Reverend Horton Heat, September 2009 @ Flames Central. Motorhead is simply incredible live. All three bands were solid that night and complimented each other's styles nicely. Flames Central is an awesome small venue.

2) Iron Maiden, June 2008 @ the 'Dome. I'd waited 20 years for a chance to see Maiden, and this show was worth the wait. It was also Mrs. Puppet's first metal show, and she's now a screaming Maiden fan.

3) Rush, September 2002, the 'Dome. First big concert for me in years, and first Rush show ever. These boys can do no wrong. The really cool thing was seeing parents and teenagers at the show together and not resenting it.

4) Kiss, March 1985, Lethbridge Sportsplex. First hard rock/metal show ever. Kiss definitely give you your money's worth live.

5) Judas Priest, November 2011, the 'Dome. The sound was terrible, but the boys have so much stage presence, and when Halford screams I swear you can smell sulphur.

Displaced Flames fan

05-27-2012, 02:53 PM

CaptainCrunch

05-27-2012, 03:00 PM

1) Ozzy Osbourne at the dome - Tons of energy, a hilarious intro video where he was waiving a sex toy in Princess Di's face. He kept coming out for encore after encore. During the contest while he was playing crazy train (The person on camera doing the craziest thing won a backstage pass) had victory stolen from a girl due to a totally inappropriate boob squeeze by the guy behind her.

2) George Thorogood Dallas Alley - An amazing concert in a bar setting it was loud and raw and completely simple

3) Bon Jovi/Skid row - Hated skid row, but Bon Jovi put on a great musical show at the height of their slippery when we tour

4) Rolling Stones/Living Color at the Cotton Bowl - Just an amazing color, Living color put on a hell of a show, the Stones were incredibly musical and the 50 feet tall inflatable dancing girls during honkey tonk woman blew the audience mind

5) Bruce Springsteen and the E Street band Vancouver - A 4 hour super show where Springsteen showed that he was the consummate showman. The band was tight and wanted to make sure that the fans enjoyed the show. I'll still remember the opening "The screen door slammed, Mary's dress waiving, like a vision she dances across the porch as the radio plays"

Also Rosealita was a highlight of audience participation as well as Hungry hearts.

I could just stop going to concerts after seeing the above.

Honorable mention, Colin James played at one of our corporate retreats a bunch of years ago, and the only thing cooler then sitting down and having a drink with him after the show as the opening bars of Voodoo Thing, where 100 nerds who all claimed that we could play guitar had our collective minds blown out the back of our skulls.

HM2 Van Halen with opening act Echo and the bunny men, when the EBM concert lasted about 4 minutes due to the lead singer taking a beer bottle to the head.

missdpuck

05-27-2012, 03:58 PM

I'm older than you guys so anyway...it was clearly Lollapalooza...

Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Jane's Addiction, NIN, RHCP, Ice-T, Primus... Bayside Park, Miami...

On the way home (around 1:30 AM) we stopped for gas and thought it odd that the gas station was so crowded. Figured it was just people doing what we were doing, people from the show.

Denny's in Ft Lauderdale was packed, we thought just people going North from the show.

Got home 3:30AM, put the TV on but immediately fell asleep.

Woke up at 5AM to see the evacuation order for Hurricane Andrew.

Things were so different back then.

That was THe End of the Innocence.

And Capn I didn't love Skid Row but they were fun to hang out with. That drummer was quite the drunk lol.

socalwingfan

05-27-2012, 08:53 PM

Metallica – Wiltern Theater 2008 (Creeping Death, Fuel, For Whom The Bell Tolls, Welcome Home (Sanitarium) , …And Justice For All, Sad But True, Disposable Heroes, One, Master Of Puppets, Battery , Last Caress , No Remorse, Enter Sandman, Fight Fire With Fire (with RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS’ Flea), Seek and Destroy

Steve Earle – Royce Hall –UCLA 2008 – amazingly intimate setting for solo show – fantastic acoustics

Them Crooked Vultures – Club Nokia 2010 – JP Jones/Grohl/Homme – musicianship out the ying yang

The Tragically Hip – The Troubadour 2009 – seeing the Hip in a dive bar – what more needs to be said

Foo Fighters - LA Forum 2011 – amazing show – over 3 hours of non-stop rock n roll

Chris Cornell - John Anson Ford Theater 2011 – capacity about 1200 people – outdoor venue

Honorable Mention Alice Cooper/Rob Zombie Gibson Ampitheatre 2010

Hockey

05-27-2012, 10:54 PM

I wonder if I can even name 5 concerts I've been to.

1. Dr.Dre/Snoop Dogg/Eminem/Xzibit/WC/Mack 10- Up in smoke tour.

- ice cube wasn't at the Vancouver show. Back then I was into the marijuana smoking and normally finding it was easy, I remember for some reason my friend and I could not find any. However being at that concert we realized we didn't need our own. Best part though was the afterparty. I met Snoop Dogg, Devin the Dude and Knumskull.

- Garth Brooks

Kanye west-glow in the dark tour

-50 cent- he sucked.

I think that's it.

Magnum PEI

05-28-2012, 01:40 AM

Folk Fest 2004-I went all four days with the student pass for $60. I think they still have this deal, but this was the only year I felt the lineup was good enough. Elvis Costello, Daniel Lanois, Al Stewart, Blue Rodeo, Ian Tyson, Buck 65, there were others, but I cant think of them offhand. I thought I was pretty cool on Sunday with all four bracelets.
The most memorable moment was when Al Stewart played Roads to Moscow. That is one epic song. I also remember everybody hating Jane Siberry and most of the guys leaving for the beer gardens when Annie diFranco played.

Virgin Fest Toronto 2007-Pushed my way to the front row to see the Smashing Pumpkins. Billy Corgan was wearing knickers and stockings for some reason, so I yelled something about his outfit and he scoweled at me. It was awesome.
There were so many great bands those two days I cant even believe it, I wish I hadnt of spent half the time in the beer gardens so I could see more acts. Bjork was the best, and probably the best live performance and show I have ever seen.
The island is such an awesome venue too, you have to take the ferry to get there which is half the fun. Great views of the city.

The Northern Pikes at Coyotes, Stampede 2005. Maybe because it was my first 'adult' stampede experience, but I really enjoyed that show. The guitarist is amazing, lots of versatility.

I dont remember the date, but I saw Bob Wiseman at a gallery on 12 ave with like 15 other people. He played all sorts of wacky instruments. Amazing musician. After the show my friend asked him why he left Blue Rodeo and he pretty much said he disliked the two main guys in the band and that they were quite arrogant.

The Arctic Monkeys two weeks ago at the Saddledome. Blew the headliner out of the water, unfortunately only ~1000 people got to see it. Theres probably only two countries in the world where the Arctics have to open for someone, and Canada is one of those. Ive seen them three times now and they get better each time.

HM: Fred Eaglesmith at Ranchman's, Stampede 2010. Not the most polished act, but he puts on an interesting show.

The Worst-The Black Keys, two weeks ago, Saddledome. All the songs blended into one, even the ones I recognized from commercials. They werent horrible, just kinda boring, not much energy. Im not sure why they call themselves the Black Keys, when most of their songs would not require the use of black keys, but whatever.

Lt.Spears

05-28-2012, 08:45 AM

1. Coldplay 2012 - I know i will get some flack but they were incredible, the music was great and the atmosphere was incredible, from the lasers to the props they used and the incredibly awesome glowing wristbands that lit up according to the song... just spectacular.

2. Elton John - 200(9)? - His 10 minute version of Rocket man sent shivers down my spine, he also had a lot of energy for an older gentleman.

3. Billy Joel - Had been a fan since i was probably 5, was awesome to hear all his hits live, his voice is still great.

Worst:

1. INXS 200(4)? - The lead singer was that guy from Rockstar INXS, had broken his leg, couldn't sing or move around the stage... just awful, the only good thing was Steve Sapp opening for him playing all his Creed music.

2. Peter Frampton 2011 - Normally the acoustics in the Jub are excellent, so i have no idea how they managed to #### this up, seriously couldnt hear any words he was speaking, it was so mumbled and awful i felt jyped, wanted to leave 30 minutes in it was so bad.

troutman

05-28-2012, 10:12 AM

I much prefer smaller venues, where I can get right up to the stage.

Flaming Lips - Mac Hall
Ween - Flames Central
Raveonettes - Gateway
Modest Mouse - Mac Hall
The Wet Secrets - Broken City
Sugar - Commodore
Los Lobos - many times
TVOR - Mac Hall

Best big venue show - Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band - Saddledome
Prince
REM
Paul Simon

blankall

05-28-2012, 10:26 AM

Saw Jack White last night. Pretty amazing show. He played a mix of stuff from all the bands he's played in. He is an insanely talented musician.

macker

05-28-2012, 10:45 AM

*1. Bon Iver : last week
*2. Radiohead : The Comodore Ballroom July 1995
3. Beastie Boys : Maxbell May 1995
*4. Japandroids : (also PS I Love You & Frog Eyes) The Republik : October 2010
*5. Bruce Springsteen "The Rising tour" Saddledome : April 2003
6. Live "Selling the Drama tour" Veruca Salt opened : Salt Palace-July 1994
7. U2 : "Popmart Tour" Winnipeg Stadium : June 1997 : what a spectacle..
8. Smashing Pumpkins, Beastie Boys, The Breeders, Greenday etc. Lollapalooza 1994 : Surrey, BC
9. INXS : "Kick tour" Saddledome : May 1998
10. Arcade Fire : Stampeded Corral : September 2010
12. The Cult : Saddledome : December 1989 also saw them open for Metallica but this was a better show
13. Tragically Hip, Sheryl Crow, Wilco, Ron Sexsmith, Los Lobos, Ashley Macissac:bag: Camrose Fair Grounds : July 1997
*14. Hayden : Night Gallery : January 1995
15. Oasis with Ryan Adams opening : Saddledome : August 2008
16. Kings of Leon : Saddledome : August 2009
17. The Rural Alberta Advantage : Pepper Rabbit & Imaginary Cities opening : Royal Canadian Legion #1 : November 2010
18. Tragically Hip with Rheostatics opening : Saddledome November 1996
19. Tina Turner "Private Dancer tour" Saddledome September 1985 second concert ever...
*20. Platinum Blonde : Jubilee September 1985 First concert ever....

Heaviest weighting for concert that follows a great album and where the band basically plays the entire album which likely won't happen again. Also the smaller the venue the higher the weighting or the closer to the performance. Basically catching a band at or near their peak.

Bands that dissapointed or I had bad taste at the time:bag:

April Wine, Ugly Kid Joe, Tom Cochrane, Rod Stewart, Bette Midler, Roxette, Goo Goo Dolls, Treble Charger, Lisa Loeb, Sarah McLachlan, Shawn Colvin, Bush, Chantal Kreviazuk, Brooks & Dunn, Lonestar, Tim Mcgraw, Jessica Andrews, Shania Twain, Emerson Drive, Sam Roberts, Motely Crue, Metallica.

Cheese

05-28-2012, 10:50 AM

I cant even remember half the shows Ive been to let alone pick the 5 best!

um lets see...one of the first shows I ever saw was:

Janis Joplin in 1970? in Calgary on the Festival Express Tour I think it was called? Grateful Dead were there and Bonnie and Delaney? I think the ticket cost $8 or $9 and I thought that was a lot LOL.

Deep Purple...many times but sometimes in the 70s when they were at their height...great gig.

As Dis said above Ive also seen Dave Matthews many times and LOVE his shows...going next weekend again in Toronto. He is one of the best performers you can see live.

Pink Floyd/Roger Waters - DSOTM and The Wall. Sheesh...just brilliant. Going to see Roger again in 3 weeks in Toronto.

LOVED seeing Jethro Tull live. He had absolute mastery over the crowd. Fantastic musicians and brilliant show.

Elton John...Watched him with a full band and solo, just him and his piano. Again..one of the all time best showmen.

KISS. I worked for Fire Productions in the 70s and introduced these guys on stage when they were first starting out. One of the first to introduce costume art on stage. Also introduced and met Boz Scaggs, Suzi Quatro and many others of the same ilk. Hazy days.

Queen. what can you say but...Freddie!

Honorables to U2, Tragically Hip (who always bring it), Springsteen, Bowie

soooooooooooooooo many more.

A few of the worst shows were:

T. Rex. Couldnt understand a damned thing he was singing. Was booed off the stage only to be rescued by the first show of Blue Oyster Cult. They were brilliant.
Joe Cocker. WOW was he drunk. Missed the first 3 songs before they carried him onstage. Should have just let him be behind stage, he was booed off as well. He made it up to me later on when he was sober.

YYC in LAX

05-28-2012, 11:02 AM

No explanation other than the fact that I love metal...no particular order. All shows in Calgary, except cKy; once in Calgary, Philadelphia, Grande Prairie.

Dimmu Borgir x 2
Children of Bodom x 4
Avenged Sevenfold x 4
lamb of god x 2
Satyricon
Pantera - 2001
Slipknot x 3
Stone Sour x 2
System of a Down x 2
cKy x 3

rubecube

05-28-2012, 11:10 AM

I don't know if these are in any particular order, but here are 5 I really liked:

1. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers (2008 in Calgary, 2010 in Vancouver). I liked the setlist better in Calgary but I was front on the floor in Vancouver, right in front of Mike Campbell.

2. Prince 2011, Save on Foods Arena Victoria - 90 minutes of just pure entertainment and musical brilliance

3. Michael Franti and Spearhead, 2007 Mac Hall - Giant dance party in Mac Hall. Franti had a tonne of energy and just pumped everyone up.

4. Metallica, Bonnaroo 2008. I had no expectations going into this show was blown away by how good it was.

5. Neil Young, 2008 Rogers Arena - Neil ripping his strings off the guitar and playing them against the pickup.

HM - Wilco (Royal Theater, 2010), Modest Mouse (Mac Hall, 2008), Gogol Bordello (Bonnaroo 2008), Bela Fleck and the Flecktones (Folkfest 2007), Neko Case (Folkfest 2007), The Hip, Taj Mahal/Blind Boys of Alabama (Jack Singer, 2007)

Disappointing - Roger Waters the Wall (2012, BC Place)

Worst - Kanye West (Bonnaroo 2008), Eric Clapton (Saddledome 2007)

Regular_John

05-28-2012, 11:57 AM

1) Iron Maiden - Somewhere back in time tour (2008), Calgary
Epic show start to finish, I still get chills thinking about the scream in Number of the Beast. Plus the stage show & props were awesome too, perfect mix of 80's cheese & heavy metal swagger.

2) Foo Fighters - Summersault (2000), Winnipeg
One of those fantastic summer festivals, all the bands were great (besides Smashing Pumpkins who really phoned it in) & the weather was fantastic as well. Highlights of the set included Dave hopping on the drums for a cover of Have a Cigar, this was back in 2000 before he started drumming with QOTSA/NIN/Them Crooked Vultures so seeing the drummer from Nirvana behind the kit was pretty cool. At one point Dave Grohl was about 3-4 feet away from me with the garden hose spraying the sweaty crowd down.

3) Matthew Good - White Light Rock and Roll Review Tour (2004), Cowboys, Calgary
I had seen Matt Good/MGB probably 3-4 times before this show, but for some reason I'd always found myself distracted by other things & never really go into the show. Avalanche tour in Winnipeg I got there late & missed 1/2 his set. A few festival shows with MGB always seemed to get ruined by drunks and/or bad weather. But I finally managed to see a show with my full attention. The small venue combined with one of my favourite MG albums made for a great night.

4)Ozzy Osbourne (2002), Winnipeg Arena
I swear this tour occurred immediately before Ozzy went right off his rocker & become a bumbling TV dad & his spoiled family started pushing him out of the spot light. At this point he was still a great showman & Zakk Wylde was simply ON the whole night.

5)Nine Inch Nails, Lights in the sky (2008), Calgary, Saddle dome
Simply a great show start to finish, the production values were through the roof & the band was in perfect firing mode at the time. Look up any of the shows from this tour & everthing was alway clicking in perfect sync. Minus the screw up at the beginning of Echoplex which at least provided a bit of a laugh & showed the band was having fun on stage by this point.

Honour Mentions: Slayer last year at the dome (with Rob Zombie), probably the sweatiest, roughest I've gotten in a pit since highschool, but come on, it's freaking Slayer. Also Bloc Party at Mac Hall.

Most Disappointing(tie): Tool at the dome, Smashing Pumpkins in 2000

Misterpants

05-28-2012, 12:20 PM

I'm shocked The Hives haven't made anyone's list. When they came a few years back after the Black and White Album they blew the doors off of Mac Hall Ballroom. Hands down the best show I've ever seen. These dudes are the epitome of showmanship. When they did the full minute pause during "You Dress up for Armageddon", stood perfectly still the whole time and then brought the hammer down, everyone went nuts. If you ever get a chance to see these guys live, treat yourself.

KPJ

05-28-2012, 01:13 PM

Esoteric

05-28-2012, 01:22 PM

1) 2011 - Apathy and Celph Titled - Great show, drove to Sask to see them. So much energy. Going to see them again in July in Calgary!
2) Aborted - 2006 - I knew all the words to the setlist, and got to yell into the mic with Sven. Awesome set.
3) Nevermore - 2005 - Awesome set, I knew all the words to their new album. Warrel commented on the fact it was great to see fans that new the lyrics, and then Loomis handed me his pick :)
4) Iron Maiden - 2008 - Somewhere back in time - incredible show
5) Metallic - 2004 - Saw them twice (once in March and once in May). Great shows, as well as the first big show I ever saw.

HM - Ill Bill, Necro, Dark Tranquility

kyuss275

05-28-2012, 01:28 PM

#1 Iron Maiden - 2008 - Vancouver

#2 Beastie Boys - early 90's - Commodore ballroom- Check your head tour

#3 Janes Addiction late 90's - Vancouver

#4 Rage Against the machine - 90's - Vancouver

#5 2nd Lollapalooza tour - Vancouver - line up Red hot chillis, soundgarden, ice cube ect.

habernac

05-28-2012, 01:42 PM

damn, tough thread. So many shows. Here goes...

1. AC/DC - Who Made Who - 1986, Northlands Coliseum
I've loved them as far back as I can remember. Their music is not complicated. And neither are they. I've seen every tour since then and they NEVER disappoint. I just love their stage energy.

2. Metallica - hard to choose here, but I'll have to select the Load tour - 1996 -Saddledome. (I had 1st row) Unreal stage show, great setlist and fantastic seats.

3. Paul McCartney - 2005 US Tour - Seattle Key Arena
A Beatle. In his 60's. Kicking it for 3 hours on stage. Took my inlaws to this one, they've never stopped thanking me. Incredible songwriter.

4. Billy Idol - Devil's Playground 2005 - The Joint, Hard Rock Hotel Las Vegas, NV
I got tickets to this expecting to see a sad imitation of 80's nostalgia. What a happy surprise! Billy and Steve Stevens were awesome. Small venue, the whole band was into it. Anyone who saw the show at Fort Calgary a year or twp later knows what I am talking about.

5. Mark Knopfler - Kill to Get Crimson - 2007 - Jack Singer in Calgary
Telegraph Road. In it's entirety. That's all I need to say.

Honourable mentions:
Megadeth, Testament and Judas Priest in 1990. Alice in Chains opening for a ####ty Van Hagar in 1991. Any of the 5 times I've seen Motorhead, Elton John in Vegas.....

octothorp

05-28-2012, 01:52 PM

HM: Fred Eaglesmith at Ranchman's, Stampede 2010. Not the most polished act, but he puts on an interesting show.

Fred Eaglesmith always puts on a great show, although I miss him touring with Willie P Bennett. Those two were awesome together.

Which reminds me of a concert that I should have included in my list: Tom Russell with Andrew Hardin, performing at the East Longview Community Hall on Ian Tyson's birthday, about ten years ago. Of course, Tyson was there, being a long-time friend of Russell's, and got up to do a few songs with him. I've always really enjoyed Tom Russell's showmanship and Hardin's amazing musicianship, and throwing Ian Tyson into that mix made for a great evening.

habernac

05-28-2012, 02:03 PM

funny seeing The Cult on some "best" lists. They opened for someone in the 80's (AC/DC, I don't know, I mix up someof the shows). Astbury was so drunk, his mic stand was a crutch. Runner up to my other crappy show, Van Hagar where Eddie was blotto and Sammy lost his voice 3 songs in. Alice in Chains saved that one for me as they were awesome as the opener.

Still hard to believe that after 60+ shows, I've only seen 3 that were awful. Someone else listed KISS as an awesome show in 1985. That was my first show and it remains the worst. Kinsman Fieldhouse in Edmonton. Soundman needed to be flogged. I had no idea what songs they were playing. The sound was horrible.

macker

05-28-2012, 02:07 PM

^^
Corb Lund is playing with Ian Tyson this July!

Puppet Guy

05-28-2012, 02:12 PM

funny seeing The Cult on some "best" lists. They opened for someone in the 80's (AC/DC, I don't know, I mix up someof the shows). Astbury was so drunk, his mic stand was a crutch.

sounds like their opening gig for Metallica in '89; I wasn't a fan of The Cult going into that show, and after Astbury's "performance" I liked them even less.

Rhettzky

05-28-2012, 02:12 PM

1. Beastie Boys - Ill Communication Tour at Max Bell. I was 16 at the time and worked selling t-shirts at concerts. At max bell the t-shirt stand was right in the arena so I got to watch the whole show with a birds eye view. Just an awesome gig and one of the first large concerts I ever went to.

2. Fact to Face - Re-reunion tour at Flames Central. Flames Central has to be one of my favorite small venues to see a band at. Acoustics are good and the view is great from just about anywhere. They played a great set-list and had been split up for years so was nice to see them back together.

3. Foo Fighters - Wasting light tour at the Saddledome. Dave Grohl is amazing live and I can't believe this was the first time I've seen the foo. Such a great stage presence, worth every cent.

4. Strung Out, Headstones, Chixdiggit - Snow Jam 2002 at Millenium Park. I loved the snow jam series. The one on the steps of the municipal building ranks up there in my favorite band list but this one overshadowed it simply because we hung out with Strung Out after the show on their bus and then at the Back Alley. Crazy night with a bunch of awesome guys who love to party.

5. Ten Foot Pole - At the Stetson. I always love seeing bands play small, intimate shows like this. Lead singer, Dennis, was on the dance floor with the mic belting out lyrics. Really fun show.

macker

05-28-2012, 02:15 PM

From a great memories and ok music stand point I used to love going to those Craven Saskatchewan Jambories with my family and saw just about every country legend there is.....Tammy Wynette, Charley Pride, Oak Ridge Boys, Alabama, Loretta Lynn etc.etc. Still have those?

habernac

05-28-2012, 02:19 PM

sounds like their opening gig for Metallica in '89; I wasn't a fan of The Cult going into that show, and after Astbury's "performance" I liked them even less.

That may have been the one. Great show, loved seeing Lady Justice blow up.

I love The Cult, enjoy their music, maybe I need to see them next time they come through (I did see a recorded show recently that was good).

Dion

05-28-2012, 05:42 PM

1.) The Guess Who - Running Across Canada tour in 2001. Randy Bachman and Burton Cummings reunite for this tour and put on an awesome show. The crowd was really into all night long. IIRC they had 3 oncores as the crowd kept asking for more.

2.) Fleetwood Mac - Late 70's in the Stampede Grandstand. Crappy place to hold a concert but the show was great. I believe it was the only time they came to Calgary

3.) John Cougar Mellencamp - Saddledome mid 90's. He knew how to put on a great show and did a few solos without his band.

4.) The Eagles - McMahon Stadium 1978. I seem to remeber the concert recieved alot of complaints from the surrounding neighbourhood due to all the noise. I would rate this as the best concert i'd have ever been to.

5.) Josh Groban. I decided to take mother for her birthday and treat her to a nice night out. Was amazed at how good a voice Josh had and was quite impressed with his concert overall.

Senator Clay Davis

05-28-2012, 06:29 PM

Picking a top 5 is so unbelievably hard for me. My number one show is essentially locked in, but after that it’s hard to assign spots for them, so I'll leave them unnumbered.

1. NIN/QOTSA/DFA 1979, November 2005
Well like an idiot, when QOTSA came in I think April of that year I didn't get tickets quick enough and missed it. So really I was going to see QOTSA more than NIN, not that I didn't like NIN, but just not as much as Queens. I also might even say I was liking the DFA 1979 album quite a bit and was almost looking forward to them as much as NIN. And in the end, after it was done NIN was the best of the three, and the other two were pretty awesome too. And the crowd was really good and I was surprised at the quality of the mosh pit. Probably one of the top 3 best ones (i.e. no DBags, just fun) I've enjoyed.

Rock the Bells, San Francisco, August 2007 (Rage Against the Machine/ Wu Tang Clan headliners)
Well when RATM reunited for festival shows I was definitely going to one, and the Rock the Bells shows appealed to me the most by far, being a huge fan of not only RATM and the Wu, but Public Enemy, Mos Def and Talib Kweli, the Roots and Cypress Hill. Too bad Nas wasn't there like he was most other shows, might have made it number one. Besides all the awesomeness of the music, this show is most memorable for the sunburns me and my buddy got. He had it worse than me though, 2nd degree burns on his face. Must have used an entire bottle of aloe vera in about 4 hours.

Tenacious D, Seattle, February 2007
Was planning on visiting a friend in Victoria for reading broke, and lo and behold the freaking D schedule a few shows in the Pacific Northwest, including one in Seattle. Cannot miss this opportunity, so decide to book a ride on the Clipper for a night. Great venue first of all (Paramount Theater), nice and small but still big enough to get a loud crowd, which it most certainly was. Neil Hamburger to open was funny in the he's-trying-to-be-awful-and-his-awfulness-is-actually-pretty-funny. He actually got the crowd pretty riled up at times. And of course the D is the D, he enjoyed the acoustic only part more than the full on rock band part, but it was still amazing. Too bad they scheduled a second show after we had booked our Clipper tickets, because I definitely would have seen the second show. Found out later this show was on the Complete Masterworks 2 DVD.

Pearl Jam, September 2011
Somehow, the last two times Pearl Jam came to town I was on vacation. So this was my first time seeing them, and of course you hear from other fans what the show is going to be like. I was happy that basically anything in their catalog is fair game to be played, and was happy to hear many songs I didn’t expect (which of course consequentially means I didn’t hear some songs I wanted to). Electric energy in the crowd, and really the most diverse crowd at a concert I’ve seen. Two and a half hours and I wish it was four. Should have seen em in Edmonton and Saskatoon too.

The White Stripes, June 2007
Holy crap 2007 was easily the best concert year of my life. Besides the two other shows mentioned, throw in Heaven and Hell/Megadeth, Lamb of God, Rush and my favorite QOTSA show (where I got my sperm hoodie). But the White Stripes was just a little more special than all those great shows. I actually can’t remember a concert where I walked out with a big smile and not just exhausted. Such a fun, fun show. Jack White was in full on God mode, and Meg might not be Neil Peart, but her tits bounce really nice when she bangs on those skins. My Doorbell was a personal highlight.

Honorable Mention (Besides those mentioned):
System of a Down (2005,2006)
Soundgarden/QOTSA (in Vancouver, 2011)
Metallica (March 2004)
Monsters of Rock (2008)....except the beer line. Beyond stupid.

Worst Show: Disturbed (2006? Can’t remember, it sucked after all). Yeah they were 45 minutes late, played for about 65 minutes and generally seemed disinterested.

Jacks

05-28-2012, 06:47 PM

No particular order:

1) Roger Waters Dark Side of the Moon was the best concert I have ever seen. I'm sure it will be mentioned many times.

Metallica 1986? at the Max Bell, it was like a giant bar, really great show but the opening act Metal Church kinda sucked. Unfortunately this was right after Cliff died, one of the first shows for Newsted but he played great.

Clash of the Titans (early 90's?) in Vancouver. Triple bill concert with Megadeth, Slayer and Anthrax with Alice in Chains opening. Drove with a bunch of buddies crammed in a car to see it and wasn't disappointed.

Billy Joel a few years back in the Dome. His voice isn't 100% anymore but he's still entertaining as hell.

AC/DC, pick a show, they are all great. The Who Made Who tour sticks out in my mind. They had a contest on CJAY for Angus impersonators and the top 10 or so got to go on stage during the opening. One guy wouldn't leave and they had to chase him around the stage. When the cannons went off during For Those About to Rock I thought my head was going to explode. Wish I had seen them with Bon Scott.

Can't really think of the worst shows but Yngwie Malmsteen in the Corral was pretty bad.

ricosuave

05-28-2012, 06:49 PM

1 - Roger Waters, Dark Side of the Moon, Calgary 2007 - The music drew me to it, but the actual show, and showmanship of Roger and the band is what makes the memory. Sure, he's older, he probably dubbed some vocals, but its one of my favorite albums of all time, and the visuals that accompanied it, touring maybe for the last time, is what made it special.

2 - Roger Waters, The Wall, Vancouver 2010 - Much the same as above, I had no idea this was even in the works in 2007, yet when it was first announced, there was no question of if, but rather where. I can only imagine the people that got to see it back in 1980-81 felt exactly as I did 30 years later.

3 - Peter Gabriel, Us, Calgary, 1992 - Another of my favorite albums of all time, I was able to get front row, centre tickets for this and was blown away at the theatrical moments of my favorite songs as only Gabriel can do.

4 - Frank Sinatra, Golden Jubilee, Calgary, 1991 - Do I really have to explain this one? Edie Gormel and Steve Lawrence opened, and it was almost 3 hours of the chairman and his friends taking me back to the rat pack days. I was able to score the tickets from a friend in the Stampede Board and took my mother, who also rated it as one of her most favorite memories.

5 - Radiohead, In Rainbows, Seattle 2008 - LOL again, one of my most favorite albums, I hadnt even heard a Radiohead song before In Rainbows came out, and when it did, it was at a difficult time, when I was often listening to music to get me through. In Rainbows was an impulse purchase due to the pay as you want (I paid $5), and I fell in love with the music, and subsequently, their entire catalogue. The concert was visually stunning, the music was great, and the road trip to Seattle to watch this in the pouring rain in a 5000 seat outdoor ampitheater, along with the trip back home through Washington, Idaho and Montana, and seeing some friends, was memorable as well.

Honorable Mentions:
- Depeche Mode, Calgary, 1990 - Back when you camped out for tickets, a buddy and I did just that. The visuals were unlike anything seen before and it matched perfectly with the music. Loved the Violator album, so this was a must see.
- REM, Toronto, 1999 - Another great trip. Visited family, took the future wife to this and Niagara Falls. We're married now.
- James Taylor, Calgary 2007 - Legend. So glad I got to see him. Free tickets with a family member and his new wife.
- Tony Bennett, Calgary 2009 - See above. The unamplified vocals on this man in his 80s would put most to shame. The Jube audience was stunned when he demonstrated it.
- Dire Straits, Calgary 1985 - My first concert, at the height of the Money for Nothing wave. Again, to see Mark Knopfler play was amazing.
- U2, Edmonton 1997 - Since I missed out on ZooTV, this was the next best thing. Lots of people hated Pop, but I enjoyed the spectacle.
- David Byrne, Calgary 2009 - Fabulous songwriter and singer. Was last last last minute, since I was unaware that he was even in town.
- The Pixies, Edmonton 2010 - Another group from my youth, they did not disappoint.
- Van Morrisson, Calgary 2010 - He came out, no banter, sang for 2 hours, and walked off. All business. An icon.
- NIN, Calgary 2008 - Not a huge NIN fan, but really enjoyed this show, when the live NIN machine was at its height. Got 4 tickets and a parking pass FREE from soneone off craigslist. Someone mentioned the messed up startup of Echoplex also. Was a highlight.
- REM, Calgary, 2004 - Decent seats, great show.

It's funny how music can be such a soundtrack to lifes events. I still get goosebumps when I hear certain songs from these shows, and from albums in general. They have the ability to instantly take me back to times and places.

EDIT: Everything #2 down gets bumped due to Leonard Cohen's show on 16 Nov 2012 in Calgary. Wow. If you ever get the chance, just go. You'll thank me later.

VO #23

05-28-2012, 08:34 PM

In no particular order:

Glastonbury, Worthy Farm (UK, 2008): Highlights were Jay-Z, Amy Winehouse, Crowded House, Leonard Cohen, the Verve (reunion). Sure Glasto is your classic huge festival with mobs of people, but it was an amazing experience. Glad I got to see Amy before she died, so talented and Back to Black is one of my favourite albums of the last ten years. Not a terribly great performance (she was drunk on stage) but her music is great and one memorable moment was when she punched a fan who reached over the barrier.

Nine Inch Nails, Brixton Academy (London, 2007): Great venue and killer show by Reznor. Lots of energy running a range of emotions. His performance of Hurt gave me absolute chills.

The Black Keys, Deer Park (Burnaby, 2011): outdoor amphitheatre next to the water. The Keys killed it, and played lots of older stuff as well as the hits from Brothers. I couldn't believe two guys could pump out so much great sound, and I'm surprised that the reviews of their most recent tour haven't been nearly as good.

Matthew Good, Burton Cummings Theatre (Winnipeg, 2006): solo acoustic show. He interacted with the fans quite a bit, and the format gave me a new appreciation for how well-written his songs really are, as well as the quality of his voice and guitar-playing. Really enjoyed this show.

Pearl Jam, MTS Centre (Winnipeg, 2005): I'm not usually a big fan of huge arena shows, but PJ was at their best in this concert. I paid to download this concert afterwards and still listen to it often; great set list (including a series of Neil Young covers as an homage to him) and they played for probably two and a half hours.

king_amonte

05-28-2012, 10:51 PM

1. RHCP - By The Way tour at the dome in Oct, 03. Was on the floor and the band was awesome, Frusciante blew me away this night, awesome show through and through.

2. Metallica - World Magnetic Tour at the dome in Dec 08, floor again and just an awesome show, great setlist and as a drummer was fun seeing Lars live

3. Foo Fighters - Wasting Light Tour at the dome in Oct 11, whole show was amazing and Dave Grohl was awesome to watch all night

4. Matthew Good Band at the Coke Stage July 2000(?) , loved the band and still love Matt solo, at the height of there popularity, the crowd was nuts and the show was awesome

5. Edgefest 98 at Race City July 98, first big show, Tea Party, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Creed, Sloan, Matthew Good Band, among others, hot as hell and awesome show all day!!!

LGA

05-28-2012, 11:21 PM

1) Radiohead @ Thunderbird Stadium
Amazing concert, the band was great, I was with really cool people, and it was raining lightly which just seemed to add to the atmosphere. Absolutely amazing.

2) Muse @ The Saddledome
I had missed seeing Muse a few times before, and thought I'd never get to see them live (they are probably my favourite band). They put on a really fun show, and they definitely seemed to be having fun up there as well.

3) Foo Fighters @ The Saddledome
The Foo are just awesome, Dave Grohl really knows how to play a crowd and they are just a great live band.

4) Beck @ The Orpheum
Pretty intimate atmosphere, Beck does some really unique and crazy things musically.

5) Matthew Good Band @ The Stampede Coke Stage
I believe this was the first concert I had ever gone to, or at least that I remember. Lots of nostalgia behind this one.

CaptainCrunch

05-29-2012, 12:25 AM

One of the concerts that's still my absolute favorite was seeing Triumph at the dome. Nothing beats a 20 minute guitar solo during Rock and Roll Machine.

Rik Emmit still remains in my top list of guitarists.

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puffnstuff

05-29-2012, 12:38 AM

Tragically Hip at the SilverDollar when Road Apples came out.

Midnight Oil in 1986 or 87

Doug and the Slugs at MRC

All in small venues, all great shows

Misterpants

05-29-2012, 07:38 AM

Tragically Hip at the SilverDollar when Road Apples came out.

Midnight Oil in 1986 or 87

Doug and the Slugs at MRC

All in small venues, all great shows

Radiohead. AC/DC. Pink Floyd. Led Zeppelin.

Doug and the Slugs. :huh:

Doug must have been playing out of his skull!

puffnstuff

05-29-2012, 09:01 AM

Radiohead. AC/DC. Pink Floyd. Led Zeppelin.

Doug and the Slugs. :huh:

Doug must have been playing out of his skull!

There's a pretty good chance I was really really drunk at the Slugs, so I could be misremembering how good they were. But I do know how the night ended so I have some very fond memories of it... :D

CaptainCrunch

05-29-2012, 09:53 AM

I remember leaving the Thorogood concert in downtown Dallas and watching a fight between two guys one with a leg injury.

It ended when one of the brawlers got stabbed in the stomach wth a boken crutch.

I remember going to the Steel Wheels concert at the cotton bowl and while we were stuck in traffic we watched a liquor store get robbed.

I remember going to a Motley Crew concert and feeling total disgust when some really drunk girl puked all over my shoes.

I remember drunkenly hitting on Lee Aaron backstage at one of her concerts and being shot down in the nicest way that I've even been shot down.

Some concert memories have nothing to do with the band.

Free Ben Hur!

05-29-2012, 12:49 PM

1. Led Zeppelin - Ahmet Ertegun Benefit - London O2 (2007) Quite likely the last time these musicians will perform as Led Zeppelin. So many memorable things packed into a one week stay on London: the camaraderie at the ticket / wristband / merch queue on the day prior, the exaltation of so many people when they got their actual tickets in their hands, meeting random fans from across the world (on the tube, in the hotels, at the pre-parties), the amazing atmosphere at the gig, media everywhere, other rock stars where everywhere, and how GOOD the music was. To see my favorite band live after so many years of resigning myself to never seeing them this, for me, was the event of a lifetime.

2. Queen (with Thin Lizzy) - Calgary Jubilee (1977) My second ever concert and an amazing show from the sixth row - stage centre. Thin Lizzy were awesome as well.

3. Elton John - Houston The Summit (1980) Sir Elton before he got heavily drugged-out and the dreary 80's took its toll (anyone remember 'Little Jeanie' ach!). This was 2 maybe 2 1/2 hours of Elton John at his best with the original band plus Ray Cooper on percussion. Live Lies Bleeding to open and it included long versions of Bennie and the Jets and Rocket Man (I think).

4. The Eagles - Hotel California Tour - Calgary McMahon (1978) For all the reasons previously stated. Eagles still in the period where they cared as much about the show as the dough. Felder and Walsh on double lead guitars. A beautiful Calgary summer day for an outdoor show with a huge crowd and a very fun atmosphere.

5. Prince - Edmonton Rexall (2011) I echo the comments of the others that attended Prince shows last year. The performance and the energy in the crowd were something amazing to be a part of.

HM's:

Leonard Cohen - Edmonton Rexall (2009)
Bruce Springsteen - The Rising Tour - Edmonton Rexall (2003)
Coldplay - Twisted Logic Tour - Irvine CA - Verizon Ampitheatre (2005)
Neil Young - Edmonton Rexall (2009)
Roger Waters - DSOTM - Edmonton Rexall (2007)
Roger Waters - The Wall - Edmonton Rexall (last night)
The Who - Endless Wire Tour - Edmonton Rexall (2006)
Bruce Cockburn - Fort McMurray Keyano College (1990 something)

Worst:

Alice Cooper - Calgary McMahon - 1977? (major wind / rain storm; huge delay; speaker stack blew over during Atlanta Rythym Section's set; Alice had almost no sound due to the wind; brutal show).

Northendzone

05-29-2012, 12:54 PM

Rick Astley - when he played Never Gonna give You Up I thought he was going to blow the roof off the place.

Barnet Flame

05-29-2012, 01:40 PM

1) AC/DC - Wembley - 2009 Stadium - Rock n Roll Train Tour. I don't know how it happened, but I managed to go without seeing these guys til 2009. My favourite band, I just love them. But I was never in the same city as they played. I tried not to raise my expectations too high - afterall I was convinced I'd missed them in their prime and thought how good could these guys be? They're in their 50s and 60s. Well it turns out they were so good I was so emotional I could cry tears thinking about it. One of the best nights of my life and a memory I will take to my grave.

2) Rush - Stampede Corral 1982 - New World Man Tour. My first concert and what a concert it was. They are masters of their craft and I do feel a bit smug that even as a zitfaced teen I had good taste.

3) Foo Fighters - Wembley 2008 - Their biggest ever show - 86000 of us at it and Dave Grohl had everyone rocking. He is a really nice guy and he has amazing stage presence and rapport with his audience. It was the second time I had seen them. Got the DVD of the show.

4) Def Leppard - Hammersmith Apollo - 2006. My wife got me tickets for this for Fathers Day. Cheap Trick were one of the support acts. It was an incredibly hot night and I was close enough to the stage to grab a few of the plastic cups of water they were handing to and throwing over the crowd to keep us cool. On a side note, I was at Dublin airport the year previous and was standing by Joe Elliot and Phil Collen and saw them being hassled by a youngish teen. Thought it was an over eager fan - turned out to be Phil Collen's son.

5) Hothouse Flowers - RDS Dublin 1988 - A beautiful hot sunny day in Ireland, so deserves to be remembered purely for that. The lines for drinks were insane and when we saw someone pushing a pallet full of milk cartons we were so desperate we offered to buy them off the guy there and then. He just gave them to us. As we were drinking our milk, we saw some guy full on giving one to his girlfriend. We just stood there, four of us watching him give her a good seeing to while drinking milk. For this reason alone, the Hothouse Flowers knock Green Day at Wembley 2010, with Joan Jett opening, out of 5th place.

moncton golden flames

05-29-2012, 02:42 PM

1. the tragically hip (2002) - university of utah during the salt lake city winter olympics.
2. steve miller band and the beach boys (1989) - shediac, new brunswick.
3. foo fighters (2008) - rexall place, edomton, alberta.
4. blue rodeo w/ luke doucet (2008) - jubilee audotorium
5. rural alberta advantage w/ agnostic mountain gospel choir (2009) - at broken city during sled island music festival. this one ranks highly because we sat next to the stage and sold cd's and shirts for both bands.

troutman

05-29-2012, 02:49 PM

2) Rush - Stampede Corral 1982 - New World Man Tour. My first concert and what a concert it was. They are masters of their craft and I do feel a bit smug that even as a zitfaced teen I had good taste.

I think that was my first concert too. The Corral was thick with the aroma of weed.

Barnet Flame

05-29-2012, 03:05 PM

I think that was my first concert too. The Corral was thick with the aroma of weed.

When we were going in they searched some guy's hair in front of me.

fredr123

05-29-2012, 03:27 PM

My favourite concert, hands down, was Edgefest '98 at Race City Speedway. Bands that played either of the two stages that day included Sloan, the Matthew Good Band, Bif Naked, Tea Party, The Watchmen, The Killjoys, Econoline Crush, Creed, and the Foo Fighters. I may be forgetting some others.

My second favourite concert was a Collective Soul show at the Jube around 2000 or 2001. My wife won a meet and greet from CJAY92. We went to the concert early for soundcheck then had a beer with the band in the dressing room before the show.

AC/DC 2001 at the Saddledome was pretty cool. They had the most props and pyrotechnics of any concert I had attended to date.

Warped Tour 2000 at Race City was memorable. Jurassic 5, The Donnas, Papa Roach, NOFX, The Bosstones, and Green Day.

Number 5 favourite concert is probably one from Coyotes during Stampede around 2005 or so. Hurst played followed by Theory of a Deadman. I didn't know what Hurst was until I saw the leadman up on the stage and things clicked. I am/was a big Econoline Crush fan and they played all their good stuff.

undercoverbrother

05-29-2012, 03:40 PM

undercoverbrother

05-29-2012, 03:47 PM

SinceDay1

05-29-2012, 07:58 PM

I bow down to you.....two greats at when they were really GREAT

One of the fews benefits of being an old fart I guess. Pretty lucky to have seen 2 of the great drummers in rock history. The Zeppelin roadie was a crazy 24 hours. Flew to Vancouver. Bus to Seattle. Scored a nickel bag and some papers at the show. Then made the trip back to Calgary. Been thinking about that show a bit lately as I went with a childhood buddy who just recently passed.

CofR

05-29-2012, 08:26 PM

1. The Rolling Stones, Saddledome 2005 - I was 14 and it blew my mind to seeing living legends of rock and roll. Had so much fun and got plenty of memories out of it.

2. Megadeth, Corral 2008 (Children of Bodom and In Flames opening) - First time I saw Megadeth. Sweating Bullets, Tornado of Souls, High Speed Dirt... Amazing set list, and great atmosphere.

3. Iron Maiden, Saddledome 2008 - Fantastic setlist, amazing energy and stage performance... Every minute of this show was awesome. The huge walking Eddy is probably the best on-stage prop I've ever seen.

4. Metallica, Saddledome 2008 (Lamb of God opening) -Nice mix of classic songs and tunes from Death Magnetic. Overall just a hell of a fun show.

5. Megadeth and Slayer, Saddledome 2009 - So much fun, my neck hurt for about two weeks from headbanging so much at this one.

Honourable Mentions:

Burton Cummings, Jubilee 2011 - The man still has his voice, and loves to perform. So many classics.

Neil Young, Saddledome 2009(?) - Much like seeing Cummings, just a great evening to enjoy a legend playing through some of classics.

Slayer, Rob Zombie, and Exodus, Saddledome 2011 - Another night of severe headbanging.

macker

05-29-2012, 10:47 PM

Radiohead @ old mac hall ballroom. It was on the Bends tour. great concert and they brought out music stands to play stuff off OK Computer. After that concert Radiohead were dead to me

Another Roadside Attraction: The Hip were great and so where the mushrooms.

Sam Roberts: again old mac ballroom, wife surprised me @ valentines. was the tour for his first album. played nearly 3 hours, ripped the joint up.

The Hip at the westward club. Tour for the blue album. I was underage and too stupid to know what I was witnessing.

The Cult, can't remember the year, but @ the Dome, and G N R opened.

other good ones, Slow Hand (wow), Stones (wow), Lowest of the Low @ The "Buttlick"

When was that concert?
http://www.ateaseweb.com/live/1993/

Sounds like a Nirvana at the Westward club scenerio!

I think they played Calgary in 1993, I saw them on the Bends tour in 1995 in Vancouver and then saw them again in 1998 at Max Bell. I wasn't aware of the Mac Hall show and drove to Vancouver to see them:bag:. Also Bends tour in 1995 was too early for OK Computer stuff wasn't it? I saw them in 1998 when they toured that album at Max Bell. Not as good as Bends tour though.

macker

05-29-2012, 10:53 PM

Ok.....found it
http://www.setlist.fm/search?query=radiohead+calgary
Must have been in 1996. Surprised I didn't go again:w00t: Anyone at the 1993 Radiohead show at the unknown venue in Calgary. They were unknown to me then....

Coach

05-29-2012, 11:03 PM

Some of the dates may be wrong. Not necessarily in order...

- Coldplay Saddledome 2012: I've always been a pretty big Coldplay fan but had never seen them live. I was holding out listening to the new album until a couple weeks before the show. Then I got really ripped and listened to it all the way through once. I didn't listen to anymore Coldplay until the show and it was amazing. They played in the middle of the arena and at one point came out in sec. 215. The lights on the wristbands going to the music and the confetti was awesome. I was sitting right on the railing at one of the back corners and the stadium looked incredible.

They actually completely messed up in the middle of Warning Sign and had to stop. The whole stadium had a good laugh and it was neat to see some humility from the band. The music was all around top notch, except for that song with Rihanna. It's so bad because of her. If she wasn't in the song it would be miles better.

- Sam Roberts Jubilee 2011: I don't know what Sam Roberts' popularity is like globally, but its likely not enough. The guy (and his band) are so effing talented its crazy. Great energy in the show, he came into the crowd at one point. They crushed every song and played every one I wanted to hear. The opening band (Zeus) was excellent too.

My only beef with the show is the seating in the Jube. I wish I could been up at the front partying. It was so close, yet so far away.

The Who Saddledome 2007?: What is there to say about The Who? I was on the floor and it was a party for sure. We went up to the very front for a bit but were eventually moved back to our seats. Except for one friend who snuck into an open chair and got be front row for Baba O'Rielly.

Even tho Pete Townsend is old and fat, he still rocks it and still looks like he loves doing it. At point he broke a string mid song and literally hucked his guitar back stage. Some roadie probably got domed by it. Daltry was working the spinning mic for sure. It was really cool after only being able to see them in old movies.

The Rolling Stones Saddledome 2006?: The Stones were my favorite band when they came to town and I was actually in a Rolling Stones cover band with some high school friends so we all went (but were all sitting separately). Our lead singer was from England and was the biggest Stones fan I knew (young or old). Through a crazy turn of events his back row floor seat turned into row 3 beside the stage where Keith Richards did an awesome point/dance move at him while rocking to Satisfaction. When I saw him after the show he looked like he just had the best sex of his life.

Such energy from all those old guys though. Pretty amazing watching Jagger do his thing. I'm surprised Keith can stand, much less dance around and play guitar like a boss. The have such a huge band with the horns and the piano etc. Great sound. Probably the last time they'll ever tour. I'm glad I got to see them.

Oasis Saddledome 2008: I know a lot of people arent really into Oasis but they have been my favorite band for a very long time. Listening to Wonderwall for the first time is one of my fondest memories. I think I was six or so at the time so I didn't get it, I just loved it. I was so excited when I heard they were coming to Calgary. And I knew they weren't likely to return so I had to get tickets. I was poor so the tickets were crap. But the music was great and Liam actually sounded really good (he can suck live sometimes). Their show is a far-cry from the Stones or Coldplay, as they kind of just stand there and play, but the music is great.

- Eric Clapton Saddledome 2009?: By a turn of events our 3rd deck seats transformed into "behind the stage" seats where I was 20 feet from Clapton. And although I had to look at his back most of the time the music was amazing. His entire band had their moment to shine, from the drummer to the guy playing the tiny piano thing (which was awesome, he stuck a clothes pin in a key at the end of his solo so it rang. He took a big swig of beer, then pulled it out and kept playing). It's definitely not all about him and that was cool.

HM:

- Fleetwood Mac: I wouldnt have paid to see them, but I got tickets for my birthday. I would pay to see them now. So awesome. Lindsay Buckingham rules.
- Keith Urban: I've seen him a couple times because my Mom is a big fan. Not exactly my favorite genre of music, but there's no doubt the guy is good.
- Alice Cooper: Was my first every concert at the telus convention center. It was a table thing but everyone was at the stage when he was playing obviously. For a guy that used to sell-out stadiums he could have mailed it in but he definitely did not. It was everything you would expect. Lots of leather and creepy things. It was great.

Wow. didnt think that would take so long.

saskflames69

05-29-2012, 11:13 PM

I have only been to two concerts in my lifetime.

1. Kanye West - Glow In the Dark Tour, Credit Union Centre 2008 :bag:
2. Jon Lajoie - Odeon this past November, not much of a concert, mostly stand up, although he did sing his usual songs.

I would like to see Rush this fall. That would be friggin awesome. I'm also thinking of going to Craven in 2014. There are numerous other bands I wish I could see live, but until they any of them announce a show in Saskatoon I'm bummed out.

troutman

05-30-2012, 09:22 AM

Senator Clay Davis

05-30-2012, 09:43 AM

troutman

05-30-2012, 09:51 AM

You should see Rush this fall. In fact everyone should see Rush if they can.

I bet they play Tom Sawyer!

undercoverbrother

05-30-2012, 11:02 AM

I remember I was in the Den the night they played Mac Hall, remember hearing it, wish I went.

it was great.

I had a similiar experience in Vancouver with The Who back in summer 1989, while sleeping on the street for the night.

SinceDay1

05-30-2012, 12:06 PM

Local Concerts you were sorry to miss?

Husker Du at The National
REM at Mac Hall
Radiohead at Max Bell
Queen at the Jubilee
Nirvana at the Westward

Did Frank Zappa ever play Calgary? Sonic Youth? The Clash? The Replacements?

I saw The Clash in Max Bell Arena in 1982. XTC opened. My memory is failing but I think some Paul Weller band was also on the bill. Style Council maybe? Pretty great show.

Puppet Guy

05-30-2012, 12:12 PM

I would like to see Rush this fall. That would be friggin awesome.

Go. See. Rush.

Puppet Guy

05-30-2012, 12:15 PM

Local Concerts you were sorry to miss?

Did Frank Zappa ever play Calgary? Sonic Youth? The Clash? The Replacements?

I regret not going to see Heaven and Hell here in '07, because Ronnie Dio was dead three years later.

I wish I'd gotten a chance to see Zappa live.

troutman

05-30-2012, 01:54 PM

I saw The Clash in Max Bell Arena in 1982. XTC opened. My memory is failing but I think some Paul Weller band was also on the bill. Style Council maybe? Pretty great show.

Wow. Just Wow. So jealous. XTC is my favorite band - Andy got stage fright and never toured again.

I think XTC played Mac Hall too - there is a picture there.

afc wimbledon

05-30-2012, 02:25 PM

Adam and the Ants at the marquee in their leather nazi phase.

The Skids at the Nashville Room

The Specials, Madness the Selector at the Lyceum on the first Two Tone Tour

Dr John at the Yale

Dumpstaphunk at the Commodore

The worst would have to be Floyd at the Wembley arena on the animals tour around 77, fell asleep they were so boring, last arena show I ever went to, Sade at some club a few months before her first album came out, the buzz around her was huge as she was shagging the editor of the NME at the time but that b**** can't sing a note, it was worse than bad karoke

afc wimbledon

05-30-2012, 02:27 PM

Wow. Just Wow. So jealous. XTC is my favorite band - Andy got stage fright and never toured again.

I think XTC played Mac Hall too - there is a picture there.
'
I was supposed to see XTC at the roundhouse in '76 but Partridge bottled it and the Radiators from Space played instead, as support for Ultravox, caught them once after that, at the Nashville rooms I think but they actually weren't that great live.

Senator Clay Davis

05-30-2012, 02:28 PM

I regret not going to see Heaven and Hell here in '07, because Ronnie Dio was dead three years later.

I wish I'd gotten a chance to see Zappa live.

Yes indeed, Heaven and Hell was incredible. Phil Anselmo can kiss my ass for being "sick" and Down not playing too, but Megadeth got an extended set (including for the first time I can remember, an encore for an opener) so that was a good make up.

macker

05-30-2012, 03:37 PM

I saw The Clash in Max Bell Arena in 1982. XTC opened. My memory is failing but I think some Paul Weller band was also on the bill. Style Council maybe? Pretty great show.

Have you heard his new song :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VcxSdnxUDa8
Catchy stuff! Maybe better than 30 years ago:whistle:

East Coast Flame

05-30-2012, 04:17 PM

5. (Tie) Bruce Springsteen, Magic Tour - Denver, 2008(?)/ U2, ATYCLB Tour - Calgary 2001(?)

4. Prince, Welcome 2 Canada Tour - Toronto, 2011: He was at the top of my bucket list forever. The culmination of about 5 years of waiting and it was insane. I saw the show in Calgary later on in the tour, but sadly, it didn't even compare to the Toronto show. Over three hours of one of the greatest performers around, three encores, with the last one coming after waiting 20 minutes in the arena with the lights on.

3. The Chemical Brothers - Coachella, 2011: Ridiculous. I've never seen a light show like this, put on by the best in the game.

2. The Rolling Stones, A Bigger Bang Tour - Halifax, 2006(?): Huge outdoor show in the pouring rain. The old buggers still had it. So much fun.

1. Watch The Throne - Vancouver, 2012: Simply incredible. Two of my all-time favorite artists performing together at their peak. It was an insane three hour party of hit after hit, topped off by them playing N***as in Paris 11 (11!) straight times. It was so over the top and ridiculous. I loved every second of it.

8sPOT

05-30-2012, 04:56 PM

5. Korn/Mudvayne - GM Place, Vancouver, 2006.
Honestly, I flew to BC to see Mudvayne. Loved those guys and they put on a great show. Was a big Korn fan up until whatever album came out after Issues, so this show was disappointing, actually ended leaving early and I don’t ever do that.

4. Green Day/Foo Fighters – Edgefest, Edmonton, 1998.
My first real concert. Was a big Green Day fan and Nimrod had just been released. Them and Foo Fighters just rocked the place. Also saw Matt Good Band, Sloan, The Tea Party and Hole (Courtney Love lifted her shirt up, sweet deal for a 14 year old). This was also my first experience in a pit-type setting, loved it.

3. Metallica – Edmonton & Calgary, 2009.
The Edmonton show was better. Crowd was more into it, their stage was setup properly. This show would be higher but I was way up in the nose bleeds for both of them. Still, they played all their classic songs, lasers, fire, all that good stuff. They can still bang.

2. Lamb of God – Big 4 (or Corral cant remember) 2010
Was right down on the floor where you’re right in the thick of things. Such a fast and heavy show. Ironically it was one of the more hospitable pits I had been in. The old metal heads don’t take kind to kids blindly throwing elbows and punches, so there was sort of a don’t be stupid and you won’t get hurt mentality. These guys killed it though, I know they aren’t for everyone but man was it intense.

1. Slipknot – Corral, 2006.
Vol. 3 Subliminal Verses had been released that year. Two reasons this show is number one. The 9 guys in the band make it look like pure chaos on stage but they don’t miss a beat. Second reason, half way through the show, Corey Taylor, during the breakdown section of a song, had everyone on the floor get down on their knees. Then he called everyone up in the stands to get their asses down on the floor, my buddy and I barely had a chance to look at each other and we raced down. The floor went from about 45% full to over 100% full. Once down the band exploded and everyone went nuts. Awesome.

Honorable Mention to Avenged Sevenfold circa 2003, Starlight Room, Edmonton.
A tiny club, a relatively unknown band and they played an awesome set. They only had one real album out by that time so they basically played all of what is probably their best ever, Waking the Fallen.

DownInFlames

05-30-2012, 05:06 PM

Local Concerts you were sorry to miss?

Husker Du at The National
REM at Mac Hall
Radiohead at Max Bell
Queen at the Jubilee
Nirvana at the Westward

Did Frank Zappa ever play Calgary? Sonic Youth? The Clash? The Replacements?

I definitely regret not seeing Fugazi in 2001. I was at this show (http://www.dischord.com/fugazi_live_series/calgary-ab-canada-81791) but I would have loved to have seem them again.

Barnet Flame

05-30-2012, 05:24 PM

IgnitedSoul

05-30-2012, 05:46 PM

afc wimbledon

05-30-2012, 06:49 PM

My carpenter nailed her.

hope she wasn't a screamer, definatly head phones required

ricosuave

05-30-2012, 07:18 PM

My carpenter nailed her.

jesus?

macker

05-31-2012, 09:12 AM

[QUOTE=East Coast Flame;3724516]5. (Tie) Bruce Springsteen, Magic Tour - Denver, 2008(?)/ U2, ATYCLB Tour - Calgary 2001(?)

U2 was April 2001 "Elevation Tour". Was at that show also. Decent show! Don't think they had an opener that I remember? That was the giant heart stage that would like up. I was too far away from the stage though:bag:

macker

05-31-2012, 09:25 AM

Rammstein at MSG in 2010. Holy crap.

The only bad concert I think I've been to was a free k-os show. But whatever, it was free. Which is more than I can say for Avril Lavigne, who my friend begged me to come to (free box seat ticket) and I refused. Oh man I'm still glad I didn't go.

Nothing good comes from free concerts.....I saw Goo Goo Dolls free at snowjob 1994 in Banff and it was just a mob of people and the sound was awful. Imagine moshing to the Goo Goo Dolls:bag: That was back when people would break out into a mosh pit just for the phyical release. Sam Roberts at Stampede 2006 same mob of people and the sound was also not good. Motley Crue brother in law had free tickets a couple years back so what the heck I would have liked to have gone to a Crue show in their prime.....well they suck live now:bag:. This was maybe the worst concert ever and was worth what I paid for it.....So I guess the best free concert I have ever been to was Gowan at Callaway Park in the 80s. He was in his prime;)

CaptainCrunch

05-31-2012, 09:37 AM

hmm, goo goo dolls are playing at the Stomp this year, I was kind of looking forward to seeing them.

Coys1882

05-31-2012, 09:55 AM

5. Mellencamp @ the Dome 2007? - The Wallflowers opened for him, good show lots of fun.
4. Blue Rodeo @ Enmax Christmas Party - It was like a private show and they sound great live.
3. Coldplay @ the Dome 2010 - Say what you like about them and their music but the show was awesome.
2. Beastie Boys @ Max Bell 2001? - Touring for the Ill Communication album
1. Metallica @ Sask Place - my first concert, the Cult opened for them on the Justice tour. There is something special about Last Caress being played live.

East Coast Flame

05-31-2012, 10:00 AM

U2 was April 2001 "Elevation Tour". Was at that show also. Decent show! Don't think they had an opener that I remember? That was the giant heart stage that would like up. I was too far away from the stage though:bag:

That's what the tour was! I remember them walking on stage with all the house lights on. Pretty, pretty awesome.

PJ Harvey was the opener! She was great. I saw them a few years later on their next tour and the openers were a couple long haired hillbilly teenagers that my friends and I all made fun of....turns out it was Kings Of Leon.

macker

05-31-2012, 10:30 AM

That's what the tour was! I remember them walking on stage with all the house lights on. Pretty, pretty awesome.

PJ Harvey was the opener! She was great. I saw them a few years later on their next tour and the openers were a couple long haired hillbilly teenagers that my friends and I all made fun of....turns out it was Kings Of Leon.

Ok....went with my wife so we were likely late and completely missed it. If you look at the opening acts over the years for U2 they hand pick some great bands! http://www.unratedmagazine.com/document.cfm?Page=Features/index.cfm&Article_ID=219 Although on the Popmart tour I went to Winnipeg and Edmonton and they had "The Fun Loving Criminals:bag:" Would have liked to see PJ Harvey!

CaptainCrunch

05-31-2012, 02:06 PM

That's what the tour was! I remember them walking on stage with all the house lights on. Pretty, pretty awesome.

PJ Harvey was the opener! She was great. I saw them a few years later on their next tour and the openers were a couple long haired hillbilly teenagers that my friends and I all made fun of....turns out it was Kings Of Leon.

I was there on the first night, and I loved that simple opener, they walked out on stage with the house lights up and just started playing, and then half way through the song the place just went dark except for the spotlights.

I also remember Bono pulling a little girl out on stage and dancing with her, she looked pretty terrified and shy, but I'm sure that it was one of the high lights of her life now.

I tend to lead towards U2 are ######s, but musically they put on a great show, and Bono had a great stage presence.

Matata

05-31-2012, 03:35 PM

(no order)

Matt Good (Avalanche tour) - Not the biggest MG fan, but I saw him deliver one of the best live vocal performances I've ever heard, on the coke stage of all places.

Mars Volta (Bedlam in Goliath tour) - Amazing 2.5 hour set. These guys say that they'd never give less than 110%. Proved it.

NOFX (that Warped where they played 'the Decline') - After every song, Fat Mike said they'd play just one more, little did I know it would be true after the second song.

The Tea Party (many shows) - An incredibly Zeppelin-esque live show, always playing the songs differently an taking them to a higher level. Plus they used to be in town about every 8 months.

Bela Fleck & the Flecktones (Holiday tour 2010) - Front row tickets. Greatest bassist on the planet. Neo classical Banjo music. Tuvan throat singers. Perfection.

E: Worst show
RHCP at the dome. Listless set where they mostly played older, lesser know stuff. Never though I'd go to a RHCP show and go 7-8 songs in a row without recognizing any of them. Compounding this was the fact that the Mars Volta opened for them and completely blew them out of the water.

undercoverbrother

05-31-2012, 05:06 PM

One show I forgot was Bryan Adams. Not a big fan, but I went to a show in a small club in Barbados that was on the beach, the stage was on the beach, and he ripped the place up.

undercoverbrother

05-31-2012, 05:07 PM

4. Blue Rodeo @ Enmax Christmas Party - It was like a private show and they sound great live.

I am a big fan, they played the Bay's concert (can't recall the year, but it was just north of High River, on highway #2. They were great.

East Coast Flame

06-01-2012, 08:34 AM

Blue Rodeo are a fantastic live band. I've seen them several times and never been disappointed.

There aren't many singers around as great as Jim Cuddy. That dude can SING.

Hart50

06-01-2012, 09:42 AM

Some fond, somewhat hazy memories from the 70s:

-Jethro Tull/The Eagles - The Corral 1972. A night to remember, my first concert. JT was on their "Thick as a Brick" tour and the Eagles were an unknown opening act supporting their first album.
Queen/Thin Lizzy-Jubilee Auditorium 1977. Notwithstanding how stoned I was, I will never forget them opening with “Tie your mother down”. To this day, I have not experienced such an explosive opening to a rock concert.
Foghat-Jubilee Auditorium 1974. Back in the day, one of my favourite bands.
Manfred Mann's Earth Band/Wishbone Ash/Kiss-Foothills Arena(now Father Bauer Arena) 1974
This concert was only notable for the opening act who nobody had ever heard of before. Although we there to see Wishbone Ash, not surprisingly, we were all blown away by Kiss. I also remember my buddy getting hit in the head by Peter Criss’ drum stick.
Bachman Turner Overdrive/ Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band-McMahon Stadium-1975. Although BTO as the headliner was great. Bob Seger, whom I had never heard of, was in a different league altogether.
The Eagles- McMahon Stadium-1978 It was one of those rare great Calgary summer evenings with the band entertaining most of the NW quadrant of the city. This concert's decibel level was unfortunately the death nail for summer concerts at McMahon.
Supertramp-The Corral-1977 I believe they were on their "Even in the Quietest Moments" Tour and the show took place during that year's Stampede. Talk about going from the sublime to the riduculous.

troutman

06-01-2012, 09:54 AM

Blue Rodeo are a fantastic live band. I've seen them several times and never been disappointed.

There aren't many singers around as great as Jim Cuddy. That dude can SING.

You have inspired me to learn Try.

http://www.ultimate-guitar.com/print.php/id334114/?transpose=0

Drury18

06-01-2012, 10:06 AM

1. Matthew Good @ Coke Stage (Avalanche Tour 2003) - one of my first concerts and I can still remember it really clearly. Burned a stuffed pigs on stage, told us he made a $1000 donation to the Mustard Seed since he couldn't swear on stage without being fined and figured the money would do more good there then the Stampede, jumped into the crowd to crowd surf during the solo of "Under The Influence" and put on a hell of a memorable show. Under the Influence to date has only been played twice, here and Toronto. Still the only time in 15 Matt Good shows I've heard Generation X Wing.

2. Alexisonfire @ Republik (2010) - X929 Private Show. Stood right at the stage in front of the guitarist Wade and took his guitar to the head during Accept Crime. The put on an awesome show although it was only 4 songs and the band was so awesome about talking to the crowd (except Dallas) and giving autographs and just being there to meet the people.

3. Rise Against/Rancid/Riverboat Gamblers @ Corral (2009) - Huge fan of Rise Against and the show featured an unbelievable setlist including Dancing for Rain with a piano, turned into a huge Rancid fan after seeing them play live. Riverboat Gamblers was a favorite of mine but disappointing live as the sound was horrible during their set.

4. Matthew Good @ MacHall (Put Out Your Lights Tour 2004) - He played Man From Harold Wood/Rat Who Would Be King, Advertising On Police Cars and Prime Time Deliverance all in one show. Could have died happily. Openers were Limblifter who were also pretty solid.

5. Bad Religion @ SonicBoom (2010) - It's Bad Religion. They have been touring since before I was born and outdid every single band on that stage the whole day.

undercoverbrother

06-01-2012, 10:23 AM

turned into a huge Rancid fan after seeing them play live.

how could you not?

woob

06-01-2012, 12:36 PM

The Cult - Saddledome - Grade 11 at the time. Friends had floor seats and passed us their tickets over the boards in a drink so we got in to join them on the floor. I was a HUGE fan back then and this was like my Holy Grail moment at the time. Remember it being a great show made that much better by sneaking on to the floor.

Eek-A-Mouse - Lake Tahoe - Bit hazy on dates, probably around 97? A buddy was graduating from Sierra Nevada College and they brought in Eek-A-Mouse for their grad party. Super small event, great people, and great music.

DRI - The Republic - 18th birthday made this one hit the list. Free drinks, ear shattering music, and excellent mosh pit.

Blue Rodeo - The Gateway @ SAIT - What more needs to be said about Blue Rodeo? Fantastic show and the venue was intimate and awesome.

Pink Floyd - The Division Bell Tour - Being a huge Pink Floyd fan through school, I never thought I'd get to see them live. Loved the show. My buddy I went with also came with me to go see Roger Waters on Monday in Edmonton. That, also, was a great show. I don't think I've ever seen an arena hot boxed before. Or maybe it was just the section I was in.

Honourable mention for the sheer hilarity of it - Spirit of the West - Bermuda Shorts Day at UofC - Music was great and getting kicked out for crowd surfing was both hilarious and :bag:

woob

06-01-2012, 12:47 PM

5. Edgefest 98 at Race City July 98, first big show, Tea Party, Green Day, Foo Fighters, Creed, Sloan, Matthew Good Band, among others, hot as hell and awesome show all day!!!

Definitely a great show!

Also forgot Another Roadside Attraction in '95. That was a great show as well. My favs were Blues Traveler and The Hip.

Hanna Sniper

06-01-2012, 01:41 PM

1. David Gilmour - April 10th 2006 - Massey Hall 4th row or center
David's playing was top shelf for this show, where he seemed to fight it the night before, he was in a zine of this night. Echoes and High Hopes were the two songs that stuck with me the most. Also got a polite hello from Polly before the show started which was a very nice feeling

2. Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble - July10th 1990 Copps Coliseum nosebleeds
A show that brings me to tears just remembering, SRV died in a helicopter accident 5 weeks later. His rendition of Leave My Girl Alone was nothing less of amazing. Its so sad, because i took a lot of what was around me for granted, this is one show i wish I could have back

3. Pink Floyd - July 5th 1994 - CNE Stadium nosebleeds, very back
One of the all time great show I've seen. I had seats at the very back but they ended up being a treat. Getting to hear Money echo around the CNE grandstand and the power of visual and sound had on the crowd during Us and Them was a truly remarkable experience.

4. David Gilmour - April 9th 2006 - Massey Hall 2 Row left center
The atmosphere in the building was incredible and I couldn't believe how much smoke could be used for a single show as they ended up setting off the smoke detectors. David was a true professional, the band wasn't "on" but to see how much he worked and cared about being perfect was a life lesson>

5. Eric Clapton - July 7th 2004 - Air Canada Center 2nd row center
This was a great show for me because Billy Preston (5th Beetle) was in EC's band and his playing brought some much life to the show. He was a beautiful man and this show was the only time I ven had the chance to see Billy play. Eric was bang on, as the show consisted of a lot of the Robert Johnson tunes and Robert Randolph opened and also did the encore with EC

VO #23

06-01-2012, 05:43 PM

Blue Rodeo are a fantastic live band. I've seen them several times and never been disappointed.

There aren't many singers around as great as Jim Cuddy. That dude can SING.

+1. I saw them during the Vancouver Olympics at a free concert and they were outstanding.

Knut

06-01-2012, 10:32 PM

Hanna. You saw Mutha F***ing Stevie Ray Vaughn. Man.... jealous.

JohnnyB

06-04-2012, 06:45 AM

Most memorable concerts in the order they come to me:

GWAR @ Commodore Ballroom
Couldn't name a single song of theirs, but even the line to get in before the show was worth seeing and the show itself was amazing. I would go to see a GWAR show again in a heartbeat.

Frank Black & the Catholics @ Commodore Ballroom
Memorable for how good he sounded and how he just played and played and played at an incredible tempo without breaks between songs. He went on for ages just belting it out and pouring with sweat. Finally, when he was done he took a short break to take in the applause and then quickly came back out for another twenty minutes of amazing music.

Metallica @ GM Place
They were my favourite band in jr. high. Although I didn't listen to them much anymore in university I got floor tickets and spent the entire concert from when Godsmack opened to the end just two or three people back of the stage in a very intense mosh pit. Thank god I was playing rugby and in good shape back then. At the end of the show when Metallica was throwing out their pics and drum sticks to the crowd I had a short moment of connection with Hettfield as he was telling the crowd how awesome we all were just a few yards from me and when I yelled back how awesome he was he for some reason saw me and repeated as we had eye contact. Then he laughed and moved on. It was pretty cool for the little metal head teenager in me from back in jr. high.

Tea Party @ Race City Speedway
Possibly my first festival concert as a young teenager. I just remember being back from the stage taking it all in as they were closing out the headlining show with the sun setting and the sky orange as a thunder storm rolled in across the prairies in the background all big purple clouds and flashes of lightening. I think that did a lot for my love of music and festival shows. A great memory.

Wesley Willis @ a community center in downtown Calgary I can't remember the name of
Just loved Wesley Willis and thought it was cool to see him, though at the same time seeing how much a novelty he was to some people who just thought it was cool to bump heads with a big weirdo has always given me a touch of sadness.

The Reverend Horton Heat @ Commodore Ballroom
My first ever Rockabilly show and he put on an awesome performance. Still remember Big Red Rocket of Love very clearly.

Tool @ GM Place
They were musically excellent and the stage performance was great, making up for how far away I was.

troutman

06-04-2012, 09:19 AM

Hanna. You saw Mutha F***ing Stevie Ray Vaughn. Man.... jealous.

I saw him at the Jube - Couldn't Stand The Weather tour. He played behind his head. Later he had the guitar face down on the stage, and played notes by rocking the guitar against the floor.

puffnstuff

06-04-2012, 03:06 PM

Blue Rodeo are a fantastic live band. I've seen them several times and never been disappointed.

There aren't many singers around as great as Jim Cuddy. That dude can SING.

Another plus for Blue Rodeo...remember seeing them at the Jack Singer, Bobby?? The keyboard guy got sick in the middle of the show and left. Cuddy sat in at the keyboard for him for the rest of the set...was a GREAT show.

Nage Waza

06-04-2012, 06:11 PM

Top Five:

5 GWAR - multiple times, I will keep going as long as I can.
4 Metallica '89. I still have two concert shirts. Early metal in a massive venue. Really cool to watch a band get so big when everyone else seemed to hate them.
3 Slayer, Anthrax, Megadeath and Alice in Chains - Vancouver around 1990. Amazing lineup and a great chance to see early Alice in Chains. Was this the Monsters of Rock festival? I forget.
2 Alice in Chains in Seattle during the heyday of the grunge scene. Amazing thing to watch and being in Seattle at the time was pretty cool. Layne sat at the front of the stage and sang, and if you know this band he can almost bring tears to your eyes.
1 Tool - mid 90's. There will never be another singer like MJK ever. I think I saw them twice during the period where he actually was part of the show. Even if you hate metal, if he ever goes back to the front of the stage you have to see it. He is my all time favorite singer even though he is not the best singer at all. I will still go see them, but wish they still kept MJK at the front.

I have seen many smaller metal bands in very small venues, those are pretty much the only concerts I will go to now.