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.
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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.
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?
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).
Location: A simple man leading a complicated life....
Exp:
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.
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.
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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.
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.
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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.
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!!!
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.
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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Last edited by CaptainCrunch; 05-29-2012 at 12:38 AM.
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...
The Following User Says Thank You to puffnstuff For This Useful Post:
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).
Last edited by Free Ben Hur!; 06-01-2012 at 02:04 PM.
Reason: details
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.
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.
