Manufactured Content - Concert Time

First concert was Loverboy at Brown County Arena in Green Bay in 1981 

Last concert was Kenny Chesney 2018

Favorite all time?  This is a tough one for me.  I would have to go with a 4 way tie on this one.

Rush in MIlwaukee in about 1983

The Police in 82 or 83

Judas Priest 1984 in Green Bay

Iron Maiden in 1986 in London

The band I wish I could have seen is U2 which is also my biggest regret.  I was stationed in England in the mid 80's and U2 was finally being allowed to play in London (they were considered to be controversial by the English and not allowed to play there).  I was dating a girl from Ireland who wanted to take me but I said no.  Why? because I was a heavy metal fan and had no interest in them.  Now? I am a HUGE U2 fan and I kick myself every day.

My other regret is not going to the Eagles on their last tour before Glenn Frye passed away.  They came where I live for one of their last concerts together but I passed because of the cost.  

First.....Janis Joplin and Big Brother at some venue in Philly about 1968.  She was sober, the band was tight for that era.

Last....Dave Alvin and Jimmie Dale Gilmore, July last year at a small theatre in Denver.  If you don't know these guys you should.  Americana music at its best, rock, blues, folk.

Best...Bob Dylan in Minneapolis circa 2000.  Bob was singing great and actually talked and interacted with his band and audience.  Bruce has been awesome the 3 or 4 times I saw him.  Iris Dement, front row on my wives birthday is memorable too.  Pavarotti in St Paul was a treat.

Regrets, I have a few...probably not seeing Frank Sinatra at his peak and missing the old blues guys..Muddy, Wolf etc., they don't make em like that anymore. RIP.

They blend together, but I think the first was Steve Miller Band at Summerfest.  Good show, but seeing WAR and The Smithereens on the free stages was better.  

Favorite.  Do I pick Van Hagar with Vince Neil opening?  AC/DC and the ringing in my ears I still have?  David Lee Roth at the Dodge Co. Fair?  George Thorogood at Sioux Falls Stadium with Nazareth opening (that was a good night my friends)?  Weezer in Chicago?  Nope.  Those were all amazing, but the best was Weezer in Minneapolis at First Ave.  I fell in love that day.  I fell in love with Jonas.  

Last one?  All the shows from the last few years have been no name bands kicking ass in bars.  

Regrets?  I have a few.  Easy to say Queen with Freddie or the Original Zep.  But I wish I saw the Darkness or INXS.  

Pikes Peak posted:

First.....Janis Joplin and Big Brother at some venue in Philly about 1968.  She was sober, the band was tight for that era.

Very jealous. I didn't exist on the earth at the time but still, shit that had to be amazing. 

First?

Heart. As good as they we're in the 80's, they really haven't changed much. Every bit as entertaining as ever. Saw them most recently around 2014.  Ann's voice is powerful as fu**

Best?

Cyndi Lauper and Tina Turner. Marcus Amphitheater. Both we're fu***** amaze balls. Perfect summer evening, weather could not have been better. We were on the grass and felt like we were surrounded by hundreds of friends. Great time. 

Last?

Troye Sivan. Eagles Ball Room, budding young pop start but very enjoyable. If you haven't been to their VIP section, do it. Bar is right next to your seats. Away from the general admission crowd. Worth the extra price. 

Regrets?

Prince is definitely up there. I have seen Def Leppard twice but never with Steve Clark. And for those who did, and as amazing as that band has lasted, most say when Steve died their sound went with it. His guitar playing and rifts were ridiculous.  

What was the first concert you went to?
I remember as a kid my parents taking me to see Lynn Anderson at the Sentry World theatre in Stevens Point, WI.  After that I recall a few in high school—Joan Jett, Cheap Trick, Britney Fox—that played at the old Holiday Inn Hollidome in Point.  I also went with my best friend and his brother to see Def Leppard a couple of times.  But my first real concert experience for me was probably Ozzfest 1999 in Alpine Valley—got crazy drunk, saw Slipknot before they broke out big a couple weeks later, Fear Factory, Slayer, Primus, Deftones, and of course Ozzy and Black Sabbath.

What was the last concert you attended?
Most recent was some buddies and I did a back-to-back Friday and Saturday night of We Were Promised Jetpacks—awesome band from Scotland.  We saw them in Madison, WI at the Majestic and then the next day in St. Paul at the Turf Club.  I’ve seen them 5 times now I think?  I may be going to Chicago to see them again in July.

What was the favorite concert of a single band you attended? 
Man, this is tough.  I saw Nine Inch Nails at Summerfest, Tool in Green Bay, Black Sabbath on their final tour in Minneapolis, Fear Factory and Machine Head art some tiny venue outside Green Bay where I got to meet a few of them.  But hands down, my favorite concert of all time had to be Southern Culture On The Skids.  Saw them at the Indian Crossing Casino in Waupaca, WI in the late 90’s.  Right up front.  Chick bass player’s amp blew up mid-set, and my buddy got on their bus and made out with her—don’t worry , his girlfriend approved!  Collectively, the 6 of us must have spent about $400 on beer that night—we piled all of our cans right on the stage by the singer’s monitor.  After that we went to a bar and did karaoke.  I have no idea how we made it home that night.

What is the one band you haven't seen that you wish you would have?

For me, it would have to be Nirvana, simply because I am a huge fan and they were the band that made me feel like I could actually play music too.  I know Cobain was not Van Halen or SRV on guitar, but he didn’t need to be.  He wrote great songs.  

I would also add Johnny Cash.  Huge fan of him.  I would have loved to see one of his later concerts when he made the switch to acoustic folk singer.

My wife isn’t also a huge live music fan—she enjoys it but doesn’t get as into it as I do.  But I got her excited that we are going to see Trampled By Turtles and The Avett Brothers in September!

First. Springsteen in 1979

Last. Garth Brooks. 

Best. Prince at Summerfest. 

I used to think Born to Run and Purple Rain were the two songs everyone needed to see in person. I was wrong. Purple Rain is the greatest live song ever. 

INXS is a very close live band that everyone needed to see. 

Regret. Never watching Freddie Mercury live. 

First ... Ted Nugent. Columbus Ohio 1976 My ears rang for 3 days afterwords.

Best ... Tough call but I'll say  Deep Purple at Alpine Valley. Late 80s maybe ?  Best light show for sure was at that concert. It was well after dark and a thunderstorm with near constant lightning was rolling in way off in the distance. Streaks of lightning ( still well off in the distance )  flew across the sky as the band played it's last 3 songs. What an amazing experience.

Last ... Not sure but I think it was Johnny Winter at Summer Fest.  A long time ago.

Regrets ... Two. Not seeing Pink Floyd or Led Zeppelin when I had the chance.

First- Blood, Sweat and Tears, circa 1973 At the Brown County Veterans Memorial Echo Chamber.

Last- The Eagles Hell Freezes Over tour in Tinley Park, Il. Decent reserved seats. Last because I realized I would never again hear a band perform- Just the tuneless morons sitting around me bellowing along at their drunken loudest.

Worst- Jean Luc Ponty at the Mecca in Milwaukee 1978. Opener was a solo folksinging guitarist.??? (warmup for jazz fusion?) Ponty was 1.5 hours late. Wasted a good coke buzz and no re-entry meant we couldn't head out for a toke.( this was during my responsible phase)

Best- Any number of Chicago Symphony performances. Amazing. Starts on time. Delivers the whole program. No one sings along. Has more dynamic range than loud to deafening. Light show sucks, though

Note: I've 'seen' other bands since 1996 or whenever. They're at the festivals around chicago. And I've been to Ravinia 25+ times for James Taylor to Steely Dan to Trane. But those are because I've gone with friends for the day. You can't even see  the stage from where we usually set up our picnic. It's just music over the speakers mounted on the trees.

First- Blood, Sweat and Tears, circa 1973 At the Brown County Veterans Memorial Echo Chamber. Perhaps the worst venue for loud live music ever constructed.

Jeebers the mighty fell fast.

BST headlined the Dodge Co. Fair in summer of 77...LOL.

I don't think BS&T were ever a 'headliner' in the truest sense. But yeah, when David Clayton Thomas left they pretty much showed their true nature- crack studio musicians without much entertainment mojo.  But I always had (and still have) a brass jones so I'd have gone if they were warming up.

First Concert
Queen at the Milwaukee Auditorium.  I am guessing ~1973.  It was definitely after Queen 2 and before A Night at the Opera.  I think it was also before Sheer Heart Attack.  I think Queen 2 is a great album, by the way.

Last Concert
Simon and Garfunkle in Schaeffer (sp?) Stadium, Foxboro, MA.  Maybe around 1986 or so.

Best Concert
Seeing the Grateful Dead at my college (UMass-Amherst) was nice.  Saw Neil Young and Crazy Horse at Boston Garden.  Rolling Stone listed it as one of the top 10 tours of all time.  Floyd was awesome.  It was after Animals which I was not aware of, but I think they did all of Wish You Were Here.  Outside of the music, I'll bet you could have heard a pin drop. It was like everyone was mesmerized.

But, I think my favorite was Little Feat.  It was around 1979 in Springfield, MA.  Lowell George was still alive.  That was the HAPPIEST concert!  It was after their live album, Waiting for Columbus.  Man, almost everyone was standing on their feet and jumping up and down and clapping during the entire show.  Oh, that was fun!

Regrets
Probably Led Zep.

Grateful Dead at Pembroke, Florida May 22, 1977.  Dick of Dicks Picks said it blew Cornell away!  (Considered the best or one of their very best shows.)  Just the intro to Eyes of the World may have made it worth it!

grignon posted:

I don't think BS&T were ever a 'headliner' in the truest sense. But yeah, when David Clayton Thomas left they pretty much showed their true nature- crack studio musicians without much entertainment mojo.  But I always had (and still have) a brass jones so I'd have gone if they were warming up.

Child is Father to the Man is there best IMO, when Al KOoper was forced out ruined it for me.

First - Aerosmith and Guns and Roses, 1987

Last - Foo Fighters, Wrigley Field, 2018

Best - White Stripes, 2004...fukkin Jack White played for 3 solid hours...dude was prolific.

Regret - Metallica, 2003...supporting their St. Anger album which was absolute dog $hit. Hetfield was fresh out of rehab, Rob Trujillo had just joined the band and they were not sharp. Godsmack was actually a superior act that opened for them and saved the show overall. Metallica did redeem themselves with me on their Death Magnetic tour...they were outstanding, Hetfield's vocals were as sharp as they'd ever been...even superior as he'd starting working with a real vocal coach, and Trujillo was almost as good as Cliff Burton on bass.

Note: I've seen the Foo Fighters 8 times, they've never disappointed me...they always bring it. Their best show was when Weezer opened for them, and they pranked them by hiring male strippers to jump up on stage when Weezer did Buddy Holly in the encore. Also, best show was tough...I've been lucky enough to see some great shows. U2 supporting the How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb tour was also epic...they played for 3 hours and the visuals were spine-tingling. Oh yeah...and the musicianship and vocals were as good as you will ever hear. Their live shows surpass their albums by far. 

I saw Joan Jett at Ribfest in Sioux Falls SD in the early 2000's.  She's a vegetarian, but eating ribs and watching JJ was outstanding.  I also stood in line behind Pat O'Brien (Sioux Falls native)  for ribs.  All I remember was he is really really small and wore gold shoes, which was both odd and perfect.  

First concert 1977 Dane Co. Coliseum Alice Cooper with Uriah Heap. Alice was a master stage entertainer. 

Saw KISS and Queen and Supertramp all there in 78/79 era.

Last Concert was the Gin Blossoms and Herman's Hermit's in Oshkosh at Riverfest. Good times !

Maynard posted:

We Were Promised Jetpacks—awesome band from Scotland.

I like the cut of your jib.  

Them, Jesus & Mary Chain, Mogwai, Cocteau Twins, Simple Minds It’s crazy how many great bands out of Scotland.

Timpranillo posted:  

 

First.
James Brown & His Revue, Tulsa Assembly Center, Aug. 1969
OK...I was not quite 10 years old at the time, but it wasn't like I was forced to go.
However, it remains the most unique show I've ever seen (by far!), and what can I say? Soul Brother #1...Oww! Huughh! Gootgawd! 

Last*.
ZZ Top, The Omni, Atlanta, March 1991.
This was their Recyler tour, and interestingly enough, the night we went was when The Black Crowes had gotten 'kicked off' the tour. We were offered refunds at the door, but decided to stay, and I was glad we did! I hated that we didn't get to see the Crowes, but we were introduced to a local band, Jackyl, who were fantastic! A chain saw solo that ended with a stool getting destroyed? Oh, hell yes!

Favorite.
Bonnie Raitt, Cain's Ballroom (Tulsa), sometime in the mid 1980's. 
A great crowd, fantastic performance, and Freebo (Dan Friedberg) was on fire, played the most killer tuba solo I've ever seen!
A very honorable mention for Led Zeppelin, The Myriad, Oklahoma City, April 1977. It was as incredible as one could imagine, but just not a favorite.

Not Seen.
I would've killed to see bands like BS&T, Terry Kath-era Chicago, CCR, Jimi Hendrix Experience, or some of the Soul acts of the day like Otis Redding, Sam & Dave, Wilson Pickett, but wasn't born early enough. 
Little Feat before Lowell George died.
For something more realistic, I hated missing the original Lynyrd Skynyrd (pre-Street Survivors era).

* A few words about concerts today:
 Timp! Rock on!

...but I don't know how you do it. The price of tickets for the major acts are outrageous, and getting sodomized by the broker's "service charges" is just as bad. Little Feat played in Atlanta last month. Some tickets were as cheap as $30/each, but the service charge crap for 2 of those was another $30. Essentially having to buy a ticket just for the privilege of buying tickets. So a $60 night out is more like $100, and dinner, transportation, CD/album purchase means a $130=$140 date is actually $200.
That wouldn't have even bought a ticket for Bob Seger....

So many acts are booked at outdoor amphitheaters, and that eliminates a lot of shows that come to town for us. I know a lot of people go to concerts for the "experience it live" thing, but I go for the music, and outdoor sound ain't the way to hear it. Not to mention crappy seating, crappy weather, crappy locations...  ...HEY! YOU KIDS GET OFF MY LAWN!!  

An upside to all of that is that it has allowed me to pursue another passion; bluegrass. We spend a lot of Saturday nights at Everett's Music Barn, and have seen everything from local pickers doing impromptu jams to world-class acts. 
The vast majority are incredible musicians and fantastic singers, and we've never spent more than $40-$50, even for their all-day events.
Incidentally, for anybody that visits the link, they feature some of my photography (NOT the crappy ones  ; most of mine are the close-ups of 1-2-3 people).

Churches as well!

Pikes Peak posted: 

Child is Father to the Man is there best IMO, when Al KOoper was forced out ruined it for me.

"Go Down Gamblin" is the one that blows me away.
Every single time!

First concert: Ted Nugent, Brown County Arena Green Bay, August 1979. Blackfoot opened and were much better than Nugent.

Last concert: Roger Waters, The Wall, Xcel Energy Center St. Paul Oct. 2010. One of my favorite albums, performed in it's entirety, with a spectacular stage show.

Favorite Concert: Roger Waters.

Wish I wouldhave seen: Motorhead. For some reason it never worked out and I never saw them live.

Special Mention: Ozzy Osbourne, LaCrosse Center January 1982. Randy Rhoads was still alive and playing guitar.

First—James Taylor at UW Fieldhouse.  He had just been on the cover of TIME magazine and “Fire and Rain” was #1.  He wouldn’t play it.  Said it was “too personal.”  Oh, too personal, huh?  Yet it’s on every radio station constantly.  

Best— The Moody Blues.  Superb.  Saw them twice.  Once in Milwaukee and once here in Boise.

Honorable Mention— Bob Dylan, The Who, King Crimson, Robert Cray.

Most recent— 3 Dog night and the Tedeschi/Trucks Band.  3 Dog was great.  T/T was good too, but I get a little overloaded with slide guitar.

Swing and a miss— I saw America in concert.  They played like they thought they were a metal band.  Very disappointing.

Would have loved to have seen ...  Rolling Stones, Eric Clapton, Cream,

Beatles, Stevie Ray Vaughan. Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin.

First - REO Speed Wagon - Rochester NY 1977

Last - Springsteen 2017?

Other Memorable's: Beach Boys, Billy Joel, James Taylor, Arlo Guthrie, Southside Johnny, Tom Petty

Best - Springsteen & E Street Band - No one connects to the crowd / brings it every night like the Boss . "Wrecking Ball" tour 2012-14 was my favorite, had a 14 member band complete with horn section and back up singers, many of the shows were nearly 4 hours, just incredible. I saw 4 shows of that tour. 

Agree with Timmy! regarding ticket prices. Brokers and demand driven ticket prices have ruined live performances as a form of entertainment. With that said, I feel like I've seen my share but most were GA tickets and relatively affordable:

First: Deep Purple, 1973 (opening band Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen), very impressed with DP at the time but now in comparison to shows I saw following that, pretty tame stuff:  Alice Cooper (ZZ Top opened), Santana, Genesis, Yes, ELP, Joe Walsh, Supertramp, The Kinks (opened by Johnny Cougar), The Who, Eric Clapton (post heroine addiction comeback tour w/ Carlos Santana), Tina Turner (Private Dancer tour), Chick Corea and Return to Forever, Styx. These were 70's and early 80's, all great shows. I've seen a variety of stuff since but really pick and choose now looking mostly for smaller venues, when possible.

Best: This is tough but I would have to say The Who, the energy of the crowd was electric.

Regrets: Zeppelin, Springsteen

Best, Steely Dan, Michael McDonald, and Boz Scaggs in concert in Chicago.  Gotta put Willy Nelson up there too, Moody Blues as well.....

worst, none.

first, can’t remember, was to long ago and was just random local bands like a local “Woodstock” in Iona Wisconsin, back in 1970.        Here:  https://m.facebook.com/media/s...242171362&type=3

First: Yes and J. Geils, 1971

Last: So long ago don't remember.

Best Tossup between Buddy Guy and Elvin Jones

Regrets: Never saw Hendrix or John Coltrane

First -- Judas Priest, Green Bay, 1982

Last -- Avett Brothers, Charlotte 2018.

Best -- tie.  Replacements, Charlotte, 1989 / Aimee Mann, Asheville, 2004

Regret -- Soundgarden

Note:  Maynard, not sure what it is about SCOTS live, but they sure know how to get folks to get their drink on.  Spartanburg, SC, late 80's. 

I think.

First: Ratt... opened up by Bon Jovi

Last/Best: Motley Crue's last live show residency in Vegas a few years back.  Front row to childhood metal gods.  

Regrets: Queen and the Eagles... and sooner than later, Garth Brooks if I don't get off my ass and make it happen.

I forgot my worst concerts. 

Yes in about 2003 or so. First time at a concert for me that there wasn't enough beer to make it good

Kiss in Milwaukee in 1985.  Now I will admit I was never the biggest Kiss fan but they seemed to just go through the motions that night

First:  Van Halen at the Target Center in 1992.

Last:  Duran Duran at Excel in 2016

Favorite:  Slipknot at Excel in 2009.  Seen Korn 3 times. Once at The Myth and caught a drumstick.  That small venue and Jonathan Davis' voice were amazing.

Wish:  Ramstein - no other language sounds as bad ass as German metal.

First:   Club MTV Tour 1989 in St. Paul, MN Riverfest (This will show you how bad the state of pop music was back then).  Featured bands like Information Society, Was Not Was, Milli Vanilli, Tone Loc.   I actually had a total blast that night but it wasn't because of the music. 

Last:   Firehouse, Night Ranger, Starship, and Brett Michaels formerly of Poison.  Greenville, WI 2018.   I probably liked Night Ranger the best, though Firehouse was better than I thought they'd be.  

Best:  Tom Petty/ZZ Top at Summerfest Marcus Amphitheater 2010.  Really liked both those bands live.  RIP Tom Petty.

Worst:  Hootie and The Blowfish - Madison, WI 1995.  I just didn't have fun.  Also, BoDeans at Summerfest maybe like 2006 or so, the people around us were just a bunch of idiots which ruined it. 

Regrets:  Many.  Top 1 would probably be that I wish I could have been at whatever bar Todd Rundgren was at in 1978 where he filmed the "Hello It's Me" video for his "Back To the Bars" album.  That live version of the song is my favorite.  In their primes... would have liked to have seen a ton of acts like Beatles, Rolling Stones, Carole King, Zeppelin, etc., believe it or not I wish I could have seen Cher back when she was much younger.  

Edit:  Most Disappointing:   Sting and Peter Gabriel at Marcus Amphitheater 2016.  I thought that was going to be a lot better than it really was.  Was okay, just thought it would be better.  

Hadn't thought about disappointing... But, easy one for me. Last time I saw jane's Addiction, it literally was them buzzing through the set as quickly as possible, in as boring a fashion as feasible.  I've never seen a band that looked so much like "We just need ran out of money and needed to tour again".  

And this is band that has done some of the best, most entertaining shows I've been to.  Really really bummed on that one and instead of seeing them when they did the Nothing's Shocking Tour in 2016, I passed because I was so bummed out. 

First: Watkins Glen, NY festival (30 minutes from my home at that time) with Allman brothers, Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, The Band, and more.  (400,000 attended)

Best:  Cream (London 1974), Doobie Brothers, The Band, Emily Lou Harris, Paul Simon (Graceland tour),  Eagles,  too many to name

least known:  a white dude with a curley fro opened for Doobie Brothers in Buffalo Aud in 1973 and sang ‘Piano Man’ - it was Billy Joel long before he made it.

most recent:  Skerryvore (scottish group) in March

regrets:  U2, The Stones

I saw Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young around 2002 or so in DC.  CSN&Y were good but it was much better when Neil played a solo set for a good hour or so.  The audience was in golf clap mode up until Neil took the stage and played.

Another guy I gotta see before it's too late is Elton John. 

Did anybody ever see John Denver?

First:  Boston (I think) . I love vocalists and Brad Delp was amazing.

Last: Can't remember.  Some local band at the Turf Club.

Saw a ton of good jazz slinging drinks at the Dakota.  McCoy Tyner, Roy Hargrove, Joshua Redman, even Harry Connick Jr.  

Best:  Bob Mould at 7th Street Entry doing acoustic set on his Workbook tour, which is still one of my favorite albums.

K.D. Lang at the Minneapolis Orpheum.  

Freedy Johnston at First Ave. 

I think I was at the Bob Dylan show Pikes Peak talked about.  Got last minute tickets from a friend.  Complete nose bleed seats and it was still an amazing show.  

Timpranillo posted:

Maynard posted:

We Were Promised Jetpacks—awesome band from Scotland.

I like the cut of your jib.  

Them, Jesus & Mary Chain, Mogwai, Cocteau Twins, Simple Minds It’s crazy how many great bands out of Scotland.

Travis.

1st:  PDQ BACH @ Kennedy Center, D.C. 1973 or 1974

Last:  JAPANESE BREAKFAST @ The Norva, Norfolk, VA  5/2/19

Fave:  LOS LOBOS @ The Chameleon Club, Lancaster, Pennsylvania 6/27/94

Close 2nd:  R.E.M. @ George Washington Univ., DC 10/10/84

Would have loved to have seen Cream.  Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd.  Sober Stevie Ray Vaughan.  Stevie Ray Vaughan as lead guitar in David Bowie's band,.... Was at this concert but Stevie Ray wasn't!  

Even if you're not into them, everyone on the planet needs to see The Flaming Lips live, at least once.  If he's coming near you definitely go see the Joe Jackson band..,. brilliant, just like it's back in 1979 again, amazing voice hasn't changed a bit.  Really amazing show.

Timpranillo posted:.  

Last

• Swervedriver and Failure at Crystal Ballroom, Portland, 4/17/19.
  Swervedriver is a band I've followed since mid/early 90's. They are as classic a "shoegaze" band as you can get. Just released a new album, still sound great. I can't pretend that they are "famous" or anything, but they did have a song called "Rave Down" that was a staple on MTV/120 Minutes for a bit. Great song, like the ultimate driving song to me.  Failure is just a classic band that fits my tastes. What used to be called alternative or post grunge, little bit "weird" (cuz gosh, they play instruments and sing), but lots of cool sounding stuff. Give "The Heart is a Monster" a listen.  Previous 3 before that were Bob Mould April 5, Deafheaven March 18, Interpol Feb 1. I like going to concerts.

 

I was at Elevation 27 for this concert recently.  Love Swervedriver!  Got the two most recent albums.... pretty good stuff!  For those unaware, check out the song Setting Sun for a taste.