Best Concert You've Ever Attended

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20 years ago tonight in Orlando, my wife and I attended an epic Vote For Change concert. After Springsteen came out and played the Star Spangled Banner, we got:
Tracy Chapman--6 songs including Fast Car, Give Me One Reason, and A Change is Gonna Come
R.E.M.--12 songs joined on the last 2 [Permanent Vacation and Man on the Moon] by Springsteen
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band--15 song set which included
Chapman joining on My Hometown
Bruce and the E Streeters backing John Fogerty on Centerfield, Deja Vu (All Over Again), and Fortunate Son
Foberty joining on The Promised Land
Michael Stipe joining on Because the Night
Mike Mills and Peter Buck joining on Born to Run
Encores of
Bad Moon Rising--Bruce and the E Streeters backing Fogerty
(What's So Funny 'Bout) Peace, Love and Understanding--All artists
People Have the Power--All Artists

The show started at 7:30 and ended just after midnight. The fact that Bruce is my favorite artist and R.E.M. my wife's made it all that much more special.

Another VFC concert was held that same night in Kissimmee featuring Pearl Jam, Death Cab for Cutie, and others including some band Tim Robbins was moonlighting in. We get back to the hotel and are hanging at the bar when in comes Eddie Vedder, Ben Gibbard, and Robbins sitting down at the table next to ours. We see Fogerty walking in with his guitar case heading up the to the elevators. Alas, although we learned later that both Springsteen and Stipe were also staying at the same hotel, we didn't get a chance to see them.

Hard to believe it was 20 years ago this very night.
 
Lera Lynn, Grey Eagle, October 2022. She was a virtuoso and it was an intimate setting. Just an incredible experience.
 
Pink Floyd - Bobby Dodd Stadium Atlanta 1994. Quadrophonic sound - really misty/foggy night that made the light/lasers look really cool.
 
I've been to more than 100 concerts because of work, but the best concert I ever attended was my very first one.

Human Rights Now
San Jose, Costa Rica
1988

Lineup included Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Peter Gabriel and Tracy Chapman.
 
Explosions in the Sky at the Grey Eagle back in 2006 was mind blowing in that small venue getting your ears blown off.
Bon Iver at Kings Theatre in Brooklyn in 2016 was incredible
Frightened Rabbit in 2017 at the Saxapahaw Ballroom in the middle of a thunderstorm with lightning flashing through the skylights was crazy experience as well.
Porter Robinson this year at the Skyla Amphitheatre in Charlotte was a phenomenal show. One of the best in terms of production I've been to.
 
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Not been to many concerts, but hope to be able to go to a bunch more now that I actually enjoy them.

I went to see Dead & Co. at the Sphere in July, and it was a pretty amazing experience. I was skeptical of the whole Sphere thing, but I’d recommend it. The visuals were stunning and perfect for a Dead show.

I think Eagles are performing there now? Not sure if that would be as good as the one I went to, but the venue itself is a big draw.
 
1 )Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead in RFK stadium in 1973
2 ) Rod Stewart and Rory Gallagher in Cameron in 1973
3) Dave Mason in Page Auditorium in 1973
4) Al Green in Memorial Hall in 2007
5) Cher and Cyndi Lauper in Greensboro Coliseum in 2002
6) Van Morrison in Atlanta in 1978
 
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These are in no particular order -

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band - April 1976 - Farthing Auditorium; Appalachian State University. Gym was only half-full. Bruce had just been on the cover of both Time and Newsweek 6 months prior in Oct 1975. 2.5 hour concert and then an additional 1 hour "encore". Bruce was young and in support of his new album Born to Run which was released 7 months prior. Band was on fire and so was Bruce.

A double bill: Eric Clapton and Santana. Santana opened. June 1975 in Charlotte, NC. Carlos came back up and had a guitar duel with Eric for an encore.

Another double bill: Marshall Tucker Band and Lynyrd Synyrd - again Charlotte mid-70's. Tucker opened up. Skynyrd came next and VanZant (drunk) took the mic stand and swung it like a baseball bat and clipped another mic stand. I think he electrocuted himself. He dropped like he'd been shot. EMS came on stage and carted him off on a gurney. Concert stopped for about an hour. The Caldwell bros and the rest of the Tucker boys joined what was left of Skynyrd and they jammed. Playing things like Will the Circle be Unbroken; and some generic blues tunes. Toy Caldwell stole the show and he literally wiped the stage with both Rossington and Collins (or whoever the LS guitar players were that night). He murdered those bums and showed how to REALLY PLAY A DAMN 6-STRING ELECTRIC GUITAR!

1974 August Jam was cool - but I don't remember much except I ate some mushrooms

Tony Bennett - 2018 again in Charlotte. For his last song, he put down the mic, and with only the guitar player accompaniment, he sang Fly Me To The Moon - sans mic... incredible
 
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heelinhell said:
1 )Allman Brothers and Grateful Dead in RFK stadium in 1973
2 ) Rod Stewart and Rory Gallagher in Cameron in 1973
3) Dave Mason in Page Auditorium in 1973
4) Al Green in Memorial Hall in 2007
5) Cher and Cyndi Lauper in Greensboro Coliseum in 2002
Click to expand...
I would kill to have been at 1
 
Paine said:
Not been to many concerts, but hope to be able to go to a bunch more now that I actually enjoy them.

I went to see Dead & Co. at the Sphere in July, and it was a pretty amazing experience. I was skeptical of the whole Sphere thing, but I’d recommend it. The visuals were stunning and perfect for a Dead show.

I think Eagles are performing there now? Not sure if that would be as good as the one I went to, but the venue itself is a big draw.
Click to expand...
We saw D&C at the sphere earlier this summer also. Can’t say it’s in the running for best concert I’ve ever seen but it was a very cool and unique experience. I was impressed with how nice and efficiently managed the venue itself was too (the concession prices are even more absurd than normal concerts/sporting events though, which isn’t surprising for Vegas). We only did one night but I wish we had planned for an entire weekend in hindsight.

Eagles started their residency last month. I’m sure it’s also great, but that place is tailor made for bands like D&C and Phish and their fans lol.
 
bonnaroo 2023. Foo Fighters, Kendrick Lamar, Kingfish Ingram, Sheryl Crow, My Morning Jacket, Umphrey's McGee, Hippo Campus, GRiZ, girl in red, Remi Wolf, Sammy Rae and the Friends, Cimafunk, sylvan esso, Tyler Childers, Portugal. The Man, and still missed Abtaham Alexander, Jenny Lewis, Red Clay Strays, Revivalists, Lil Nas X, Noah Kahan, JID, Franz Ferdinand, etc.
 
Slight diversion--worst Concert
Around 1973-took a bus from Madison to Milwaukee. Van Morrison in a fancy little padded seat hotie totie theater, He came out-said nothing-played for 45 minutes-got up and left
What a putz he was that night
 
I've been to scores of Dead shows and I wouldn't trade those experiences for anything, but there's something to be said for shows in a (much) smaller setting. Saw tons of great shows at the old Cradle in the 80's: Replacements, Husker Du, Dinosaur Jr., Flat Duo Jets, etc., loved em all...
 
I saw Phish play a frat party in the late '80s (humble brag)

Saw a triple bill in 1987. Beastie Boys opening act, followed by Public Enemy, and the headliner was Run DMC
 
Radiohead, Irving Plaza (I believe it was) NYC 1997 - launching the OK Computer album. There was a music festival going on at Randall's Island at the time and a lot of buzz for the album which had been released in the UK but not USA, and the VIP area at the concert included U2, Madonna, Michael Stipe, Eddie Vedder and a bunch of other giant rock/pop stars at the time (TBF, I thought Madonna was Courtney Love, but others with me at the venue set me straight -- she looked kind of rough and very high). One of my husband's friends had been a roadie and got us tickets. It was very very very late starting but was absolutely amazing.
 
The Tibetan Freedom Concert at the Polo Fields in Golden Gate Park wasn't bad either. Smashing Pumpkins, Foo Fighters, Beastie Boys, Chili Peppers, can't remember who else. They wheeled John Lee Hooker out for a couple of numbers, that was more of a nod and tribute to the past but still memorable...
 


[Sound on this is AWFUL but sharing it more for the vibe] My husband wanted near the front, so we wormed our way up there. Pretty sure it took decades off my hearing (and I was wearing earplugs).
 
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