Personal Lists, the top concerts I've seen

[Lumby Lager]

In no particular order.

Dire Straights was phenomenal

Seeing both Carlos Alomar and Peter Frampton play with David Bowie was an experience I won’t forget! ( being in Edmonton for the show was No Good! )

I was quite impressed with the quality of INXS live

As a teenager I was lucky to attend a Police picnic in Toronto

Can’t forget about sitting outside at home growing up near McMahon and listening to Supertramp and The Eagles!

Saw Incubus and Tears for Fears in Vegas, both shows were really good

[direwolf]

Another one that comes to mind for me is Joel Plaskett's show at Olympic Plaza during Sled Island in 2014. Neko Case was originally supposed to perform there that night, but unfortunately had to cancel due to some issue at the border. Plaskett was already scheduled for a gig at Flames Central later that night, but agreed to fill in for Neko as well, like the champ that he is.

A late afternoon rain storm had completely flooded the plaza, so we were all ankle deep in water by the time the band went on. Very fun night.

Spoiler!

[flames_fan_down_under]

Memorable shows for me would be:

Weird Al at the Jubilee Auditorium - My first concert ever.
Weezer in 1997 at Mac Hall for their Pinkerton tour. I would have been 11 or 12 years old.
Everclear and I Mother Earth at Max Bell, probably around 13 years old asking people to boost me up so i could crowd surf.
Tragically Hip at Pemberton Music Festival in 2008, arguably the craziest music festival I have ever been to.
Foo Fighters at the Saddledome in the summer of 2005.
Bloc Party in Vancouver I think at the Vogue
The National in Vancouver, I think at the Orpheum.
War on Drugs at Stanley Park at Skookum Fest in 2018.

[undercoverbrother]

Radiohead at old Mac Ballroom at U of C, when they were touring for the Bends. Amazing, concert and they "tested" out some OK Computer tunes during the show. Sometime in 95 or 96

Sam Roberts, 97? Again Old Mac Ballroom. IIRC, he played 3 hours and ripped the ceiling down solid rock show.

[Slacker]

My favorite shows so far:

- AC/DC in Edmonton 2009: I remember we had a thunderstorm three songs after Thunderstruck and the band was rocking on the pouring rain. I was really impressed seeing AC/DC live for the first time.

- Iron Maiden - Somewhere Back in Time Tour Calgary - 2008: Just incredible. Revelations and the Rime of the Ancient Mariner (especially the ship set) were my favorite songs of that night.

- AC/DC - Coachella 2015: It was fun to listen to them again. Rocking a Gaudreau retro red jersey that day (I think it was game 2 vs the Canucks in the playoffs) made things really fun and me a ton of Calgarians that day.

- Rob Zombie and Alice Cooper @ the Corral in 2010: I loved everything about this concert, it was really fun to see these two play.

- Metallica in Edmonton in 2012: Chanting Die! during Creeping Death while on the floor was awesome.

[Voodooman]

Originally Posted by direwolf

Another one that comes to mind for me is Joel Plaskett's show at Olympic Plaza during Sled Island in 2014. Neko Case was originally supposed to perform there that night, but unfortunately had to cancel due to some issue at the border. Plaskett was already scheduled for a gig at Flames Central later that night, but agreed to fill in for Neko as well, like the champ that he is.

A late afternoon rain storm had completely flooded the plaza, so we were all ankle deep in water by the time the band went on. Very fun night.

We saw the Hold Steady in an absolute downpour in Olympic Plaza as part of Sled Island in 2012. Pretty memorable show.

I’ve worked with the Folk Festival for 15 years, and had the privilege of seeing some great acts up close, but the one that will always stick out was Kris Kristofferson in 2006. Just him, a guitar and 32 songs he personally wrote, including some pretty seminal tracks made famous by other artists. It was just a history lesson in a small, almost perfect setting. No set at the Festival since has had a lasting impact like that.

[MoneyGuy]

Leo Sayer at the Greek Theatre circa 1982. He came out and said he wasn’t feeling well but he was a dynamo. Some of you won’t know who he is, so....

https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C...w=1024&bih=659

[Coach]

Originally Posted by Cecil Terwilliger

I love film scores. I love daft punk. Yet when that first came out I hated it. I couldn’t believe so much of it was orchestral with only a couple true Daft Punk sounding songs.

Now it’s probably up there as one of my most listened to scores. I listen to it regularly.

The movie itself seems to have a similar appeal. I always thought it was very enjoyable and would love to see more.

[Hart50]

In no particular order:

Jethro Tull/The Eagles the Corral early 70’s
Uriah Heep/Savoy Brown the Corral early 70’s
Foghat Jubilee Auditorium early 70’s
Rory Gallagher Jubilee Auditorium mid 70’s
BTO/Bob Seger & the Silver Bullet Band McMahon stadium mid 70’s
Queen/Thin Lizzy Jubilee Auditorium mid 70’s
Kiss Foothills Arena early 70’s
Supertramp the Corral-late 70’s
Fleetwood Mac-Stampede Grandstand late 70’s
The Eagles McMahon stadium late 70’s
The Cars Edmonton Northland Coliseum early 80s
The Police Edmonton Northland Coliseum early 80s
David Bowie/Peter Gabriel/The Tubes Commonwealth Stadium early 80’s
U2 Saddledome 2000’s
Rolling Stones Saddledome 2000’s
Pearl Jam Saddledome 2000’s
Red Hot Chili Peppers Saddledome 2000’s
AC/DC Saddledome 2000’s
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band Saddledome 2000’s
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers Saddledome 2000’s

[CorsiHockeyLeague]

... Although I think that is missing a couple of things they ended up playing; I distinctly recall polyethelene being played because I remember thinking "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS SONG", finding out, and then listening to it over and over again.

[FireGilbert]

“Everything in its right place” is probably my all time most memorable single song at a concert I’ve attended.

[dirk diggler]

so many over the years to count.

Billy Idol rebel yell tour at the Max Bell with Platinum Blonde opening
Paul McCartney at Missoula in 2014
Roger Water- Dark Side of the moon in 2008 or so
Eagles in 2005 in a southern california amphitheatre. Such an amazing venue

[Baron von Kriterium]

My number one concert (festival) was Greenfield in Switzerland, 2013, with Rammstein as the headliner. No other band I've seen comes close to Rammstein's show. They are a must see outdoors.

After that, the 80s concerts that rolled through Calgary/Edmonton.

Judas Priest
Ramones
Motorhead
Iron Maiden
Black Sabbath (w/RJ Dio)

[Cheese]

Jeez I can barely remember some of the shows Ive seen, but the standouts were:


Janis Joplin in Calgary at Festival Express...1970 I think
America
Deep Purple 70s
Jethro Tull put on a great show 70s
Uriah Heep
Pink Floyd and all of the Roger Waters, David Gilmour iterations...the best
The Who
U2 at least 3 times
Stevie Wonder was phenomenal
Earth Wind and Fire...great show!
The Police
David Bowie
The Stones
Supertramp
The Hip...so great every time!
Elton John x 3, all great shows
Billy Joel and together with Elton John




many many many more...

[Magnum PEI]

I find it hard to remove all bias out of the equation, locale, youth, fan level, and inebriation can skew things. But I think the best show I've seen was Arcade Fire in 2016. Wasn't a huge fan at that point, kind of just went because everybody else was going. But they were amazing, and I'll probably see them every time they pass through now.

For smaller venues, Fred Eaglesmith in 00s. He basically had a different band every tour and some of them weren't the greatest, but it was always a good time. He could probably be a stand up comedian, and he never told the same story twice. His main music collaborator stopped touring, or maybe even passed away, so now his shows aren't nearly as good.

[dissentowner]

My God, there are a lot! I have been a big concert goer since I was 10. Let me try to figure out the highlights.

First Concert was at Kingswood Theatre at Canada's Wonderland. The Spoons opened up for Gowan in 1985.

In 1986 my mom took me to Detroit to see Journey for the Raised On Radio tour. It would be the last with my favourite vocalist Steve Perry.

I don't remember all the other 80's small shows I saw at Victoria park in London. Glass Tiger, Platinum Blonde, Whitesnake.

1990 was the Dr Feelgood show in Toronto by Motley Crue

Mercyful Fate at the Reverb in 1999.

King Diamond I have seen every tour from Voodoo on

Rush I saw every Toronto show from Roll The Bones tour on

Went to the Family Values tour in 2006, Korn headlining with a bunch of other acts like Deftones and Stone Sour

2006 was a good year, I saw Slayer open for Marilyn Manson and Linken Park play with Placebo.

I saw the Hip play at Rock The Park, I believe that was 2013.

Too many to remember lol. Great times!

Edit: How could I forget Tool at the Fox Theatre in Detroit? Awesome!

[Radio]

No particular order

U2 2x both in Vancouver
Super Tramp in Edmonton.
ZZ Top at the dome
George Thorogood at Max Bell
Dire Straits at Jack Singer...I think it was JS
Tragically Hip, regrettably only the one time, the farewell tour.
INXS at the Dome, back in the 80s. Had to go by myself...nobody wanted to go?? My friends were all headbangers at the time.
Pat Benetar at the Corral, it was my first ever concert...and first time dropping acid.
ACDC at the Dome.
Iron Maiden at the Dome.
Genesis at the Dome, the dueling drum solo was great.
Van Halen at the Dome with diamond Dave.

How could I forget (I am going to give myself such a dirty look) Rush. I've seen Rush at least 4 times.

[Coach]

In no particular order.

The Rolling Stones - Calgary '05? I wouldn't say it was the best or most exciting concert I'd ever see, but I was a teenager in a high school Rolling Stones cover band and we all went so it's a great memory. The dudes were old but man they still rocked. Kieth Richards did a slide into a spotlight while jamming the first chords to Start Me Up to kick off the show. Legend.

Arctic Monkeys - Sasquatch '13. I knew the name Arctic Monkeys but had never really heard them. They were on one night at Sasquatch and blew me away. One of my favorite groups since.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Sasquatch '13. See above. Basically the same story.

Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zeros - Sasquatch '13. Had never heard of them. My group knew them and we went to their set. Just phenomenal.

Elvis Costello - Sasquatch '13. After Edward Sharpe, the grgoup wanted to go back camping but then Elvis Costello came on and I was like, I'm gonna stay for this. and a few others did. The most I REALLY knew about Costello was his Austin Powers cameos. He was unbelievable. Shredded the guitar throughout his set and basically didn't stop between songs. I remember at one point the camera on the big screen was like right in his face and he was just dripping sweat while ripping a solo. Totally not what I expected.

Mumford and Sons - Sasquatch '13. I'm really not a M&S fan. I think all their songs sound the same. It's like good, but yeah repetitive. But they headlined a night there so we went obviously. All I remember is they closed playing Fleetwood Mac's The Chain. It was one of the best music experiences I've had. Standing outside in The Gorge and hearing those first few notes echo through the festival. It was magical. Still not a big fan of the band, but I thank them for that moment.

Macklemore and Ryan Lewis - Sasquatch '13. I'd heard his name before the festival, but I had no idea what or who this was. I still wouldn't say I'm a big fan, although I think he has a few really good songs. But I'll say this, it was a great frickin time. They put on a really fun and energetic show, and for someone who didn't know them at all, I enjoyed the hell out of it.

Fleetwood Mac - Calgary '15? I always enjoyed Fleetwood Mac, but I probably wouldn't have bought tickets to their show myself. My mom got me tickets for my birthday on the floor 13th row. It was a blast and they put on one of the better shows I've seen at the Dome. They genuinely seemed to be having a great time playing. Buckingham was just hammering on his guitar at one point and holding it down to the crowd so they could slam on it too. Ive seen the Stones, The Who, Alice Cooper, Def Leppard, Van Halen, all in past their prime, but all decent shows. Out of all those groups I'd say Fleetwood was the best show.

Coldplay - Calgary '16? Mylo Xyloto tour. Not their best album but I've always been a fan of the group. This was my first and only time seeing them. It made me regret not seeing them sooner. These guys know how to put on a show.

Oasis - Calgary '08? I've always been a huge Oasis fan since my older brother got (Whats the Story) Morning Glory? on tape back when it came out. I have all their albums. I would probably say they are my favorite band overall, which as a Canadian who has never been to England is a bit of an outlier. I never thought I'd end up seeing them live in Calgary, so when I heard they were coming I had to get tickets. The music was good, but they are not an exciting group to watch. They also beefed the city in only the way Oasis can. Noel said it was a weird city that is in the middle of nowhere. Like the Shining. I enjoyed it.

Eric Clapton - Calgary 07? I may be way off on the year on this one. But what can you say? It was Clapton. He was awesome and every musician around him was awesome.

John Mayer - Vancouver '18. Not ashamed to be a John Mayer fan. The guy is an unbelievable guitar player with a great voice. I think he's much better in concert than on recordings. He improvises a lot and does quite a bit more blues and hard rock. In this particular show it was separated into 3 sections where he did a few songs with his full band, a few just himself on acoustic, and then finished with just his blues trio. Also the next day was 4/20 in Vancouver. I don't think that was an accidental tour date by his squad.

Arkells - Vancouver, '18. I had the opportunity to see them open for the Tragically Hip in Calgary before news of Gord's illness was widespread. I passed because it was raining and I will forever regret it. This was a concert they did at The Commodore and tickets were FREE first come first serve. Sold out in 20 minutes. My buddy got some and invited me. They put on a great show. They came into the crowd to play. Did some unique covers. You can tell they have a lot of fun.

The Raconteurs - Vancouver '19. Bought myself front row seats to this one as a birthday present. Jack White is a bit of a personal hero and it was awesome to see him do his thing up close. Watching the interactions between the band was fun and eye opening. One minus was they didn't play You Don't Understand Me, which is one of my favorite songs period and was 80% of the reason for getting the tickets. But it was still a great show.

I'm sure I'm missing some but I'm sick of typing.

[AltaGuy]

Radiohead at an outdoor venue in Montreal - 2001. Was during the Kid A tour and was amazing.

Green Day at Mac Hall in 1995.

Cat Empire in Montreal last year. - ridiculous crowd energy, super fun.

My first-ever concert without parents - Blind Melon, Tea Party and 13 Engines at the Silver Dollar. 1994 I think. Was exciting because the lead singer had peed on the crowd in Vancouver. For a 13 year old that sure added a badass rockstar feel to it.

[troutman]

Flames Central/Palace: Yo La Tengo, Ween, Steel Panther, Thundercat

Central United Church: Godspeed You! Black Emperor, Tortoise, Wye Oak

Rec Room: Ted Leo And The Pharmacists

Border Crossing: D.O.A.

Gateway: Raveonettes

Stampede Shows: Sloan