Once in a lifetime concerts, contd.

Truant · Post by **Truant** » March 3, 2007, 1:02 pm

Well, for me anyways.

I saw Eric Clapton in Houston last night. That was an absofuckinglutely amazing show. I'm waiting for the initial wowness to wear off before I rate it in my top 5 list, but I'm confident it will be way the hell up there.

Eric has taken two younger guitarists on the road with him, but they aren't just functioning as rhythm guitar players for his band. He lets them solo just as often as he does, and with damn good reason.

Doyle Bramhall II has a bit of history and heritage here with Texas Blues. His father played and wrote songs with SRV. He's a very talented player (who plays a right handed guitar slung upside down, but not restrung), and also does some singing duties for the show. He was fantastic and kept up with Eric's playing 100%.

Derek Trucks is a slide player who has quickly risen to amazing status. He has been playing slide with the Allman Brothers Band since he was a teenager, and playing professionally since age 11. The guy is an absolute monster, but you never feel like he's upstaging anyone else. He just plays, and his playing is rediculously good. Fortunately, since Eric has a slide player on tour, they play the original, extended version of Layla...and it's phenomenal.

Aside from 4 acoustic songs in the middle (2 solo, 2 with the band playing an acoustic set-up as well), it's just a great big electric blues jam. Lots of solos, but they never get long, or dull. All three of these guys are able to play off each other beautifully, and have a great bit of fun doing it. You constantly see them smiling on stage at what the other is doing.

As if three blues monsters wasn't enough. Robert Cray is opening for the tour. And Eric brings him out for the encore (Crossroads) for a 4 guitar blues-rock shoot out.

Bottom line, if you're a fan of electric blues, classic Eric Clapton, or just guitar solos. You should try and see this tour.

For a youngster like me, this is really the first opportunity I've had to see Clapton on tour, and it's supposed that there will be very few more tours. So I was very fortunate to get to see the show, and totally thought it was worth the price of tickets (which weren't near as bad as something like the current Police tour).

Anyways, I'm done.

Vaemas · Post by **Vaemas** » March 3, 2007, 1:18 pm

I hate you.

Why didn't you call me on the red phone? I would totally have gone!

Arborealus · Post by **Arborealus** » March 5, 2007, 9:09 am

Vaemas wrote:I hate you. Why didn't you call me on the red phone? I would totally have gone!

Us

Midnyte_Ragebringer · Post by **Midnyte_Ragebringer** » March 5, 2007, 10:05 am

I don't care for live shows too much. I'm not a fan of large crowds. However, back when I was 15 and I was living out in Denver, Co. I got an opportunity to see Bon Jovi in their hay-day(sp?). I saw them at the Red Rock Ampitheater. It's a theater cut out of the rock, really cool. I guess it was more about the theater than the band. But, it was a show of a lifetime....for me.

Post by **Sylvus** » March 5, 2007, 11:58 am

I'm not sure that any show could be put together that would mean as much to me as Lollapalooza '93 did. I saw Tool, Rage Against the Machine, Alice in Chains and Primus all on the same day. That was a kickass show.

Fairweather Pure · Post by **Fairweather Pure** » March 5, 2007, 12:07 pm

I saw Slipknot, System of a Down, and Mudvayne when they toured together. That was a pretty fucking hardcore concert. It had more energy and build up between sets than anything I've ever seen before or since. It was like the entire place was full of caged animals.

I went there for System and Mudvayne, but Slipknot was... intense, to say the least.

Boogahz · Post by **Boogahz** » March 5, 2007, 1:00 pm

David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails. The Outdoor Tour...much fun. I have never seen such work by the crew itself! They helped make the transition from NIN to Bowie seamless. As the NIN portion of the show was nearing it's end, they would slowly work in a member of David Bowie's band. They then slowly worked the members of NIN off of the stage once they were finished. At one point, both bands were on stage together with Reznor and Bowie both on vocals. Brilliant show, and I was the only intern (from a local radio station) to get passes since nobody else wanted to work the Phish show the two prior nights for a sister station. So, two nights of Phish, followed by this concert made for a fun weekend.

Winnow · Post by **Winnow** » March 5, 2007, 2:45 pm

I'm not a big concert goer but seeing Van Halen in 1984 right after "1984" was released ranks as my best concert. I'm pretty sure it was one of the rare times I was stoned in my life and I'm also pretty sure I had a bandanna tied around my leg, for the 80's version of street cred (but no parachute pants!)

The concert I wish I could have seen but was before my time (they stopped touring in 1980) would be Led Zeppelin.

rhyae · Post by **rhyae** » March 5, 2007, 3:00 pm

Alice in Chains, my all time favorite.

For concert going experiences my ex dragged me to dozens of Phish concerts. The parking lots before and after the show are worth the price of admission. Nothing like a thousand dirty hippies lined up for hot cheese grillies and veggie burritos sold out of the back of a rusty VW mini bus.

Xyphir · Post by **Xyphir** » March 5, 2007, 4:00 pm

Without a doubt, I'd put Pink Floyd as numero uno. I caught them in 1994 when they were on the Division Bell tour. It was an amazing experience, which we had floor seats for. They recently released a DVD of one of the shows. We arrived early to tailgate, and forgot the spatula, so we turned over our burgers using the cardboard end to a case of beer. We had a pretty old hippie show us some of his kung-fu moves. Hilarious! We smuggled a couple of joints into the show. We were about twenty feet from the huge disco ball on the floor. Just amazing. I've seen Roger Waters about three times since and it doesn't come close to being the same. David Gilmour has such an amazing touch on the guitar and his voice is incredible. Don't get me wrong, Waters is a better song writer (see The Wall), but Gilmour was the catalyst for the band once they dropped Syd.

I was at the first three Lollapalooza's. I had forgotten until recently that I saw Tool for the first time there. I still remember the second one with Ministry causing a near riot in the grass section, with bonfires and mosh pits. A friend of mine got tossed at the third one for "accidentally" hitting a cop with a patch of sod. He disappeared and we didn't find him until after the show. We were yelling "Primus Sucks" when a girl in front of us told us "You suck!" Too funny.

I took my father to see Robert Plant & Jimmy Page when they toured in 1998. I took my mother last year to see CSNY at Red Rocks, which was pretty damn cool. It was my second time seeing CSNY, and I thought it was much better than the first since it was more Neil Young than anything else.

One of my favorite shows was seeing Phish in 2003, when I dropped acid for the first time in about 5 years. I had never done it before at a concert, but I knew I could handle my shit and figured what the hell. I was with a bunch of people I knew really well, and it blew my fucking mind. That was my first Phish show, and I'm sad I only caught three more shows after that.

I went to the first Bonnaroo and had a great time, even though we had to walk about a mile to get to the concert site each day. What a pain in the ass. The second night, when moe. played had to be one of the sickest musical events I've ever witnessed. They literally played until the sun came up.

Another one I really enjoyed was seeing David Burne (Talking Heads) perform with the Tocsa Strings at the Birchmere just outside of Washington, DC. It's a quiet listening room, where you order dinner, get a couple pitchers of beer and just chill out.

miir · Post by **miir** » March 5, 2007, 4:32 pm

The Prince Purple Rain tour was a highlight for me.

Post by **Sylvus** » March 5, 2007, 4:36 pm

Xyphir wrote:I went to the first Bonnaroo and had a great time, even though we had to walk about a mile to get to the concert site each day. What a pain in the ass. The second night, when moe. played had to be one of the sickest musical events I've ever witnessed. They literally played until the sun came up.

I'm seriously considering trying to go to Bonnaroo this year, and have never been there before. Any tips or dos/don'ts, seeing as you're an old pro?

Xyphir · Post by **Xyphir** » March 5, 2007, 4:56 pm

Regarding Bonnaroo, are you driving? If you are, and can afford to take some additional time off, get there early... as early as you can. They've added more space so it accommodates >100,000 people. If you don't show up early enough, you could end up camping about a mile from the concert site. Some people rent RVs. The first year we went, we drove from DC to Manchester all night and arrived early on Friday. We sat in traffic for a while, but I've heard it can get pretty bad. Be prepared to wait hours. Also, it gets really hot so be prepared for the heat. There is little shade in the camping area, so bring another shelter to cover your tent if you want to sleep in. If you don't cover your tent, you'll wake up to a baking experience, and not the good kind. When we headed out for the day, we came back to our site maybe once because the hike was so long. Bring a backpack with some essentials (water, food, sunscreen, sunglasses, hat, etc.).

If you've never gone to a musical festival, be prepared for the conditions. I remember the port-a-potties being full, literally overflowing, after the first day. It was one of the most disgusting things I have ever witnessed after opening door after door only to see piles overflowing the seat. Also, you're going to get sweaty, dirty, and feel gross. Get used to it! Hygiene goes out the window for the most part. You can bring food in as well, but like I said, you'll be away from your campsite for most of the day. Plan accordingly. First thing you need to do is get your music schedule and plan what you want to see. I can't stress this enough. Some of the best music is on the side stage and late night. If you haven't seen The Flaming Lips, I recommend them. Wayne Coin is an interesting character. Michael Franti is also an energetic show with a great positive message of love and peace.

From what some friends of mine have said, the past few years have been pretty bad with police busting people and locals coming in and stealing so lock your shit up. If you buy any illicit substances, be careful. The first year, anything and everything could be had. It was crazy! Be careful and have a great time. Personally, I like smaller music fests, like High Sierra and Rocky Grass Bluegrass Festival. Langerado has a great line-up this year, and 10,000 Lakes Festival and Wakarusa look good too.

Post by **Sylvus** » March 5, 2007, 5:22 pm

Thanks a lot for the info! If I do end up going, I'll most likely be driving down. Though the initial reaction from most of my friends on the email I sent out was lukewarm at best.

If I can convince people to go, it sounds like it'll be a great show. I have seen and would love to see again: Tool, Flaming Lips, The Roots, Spearhead, David Cross, Dave Attell. I have not seen, but would really look forward to: Clutch, The Police, The White Stripes, Ween, STI, Wolfmother, Aesop Rock. And then there are like 20 other bands that I either haven't paid much attention to or haven't thought about seeing before that I'm sure would great to see.

Plus just living like a damn dirty hippie for a few days not long after my 30th birthday has quite an appeal to it.

masteen · Post by **masteen** » March 5, 2007, 6:33 pm

I already got tickets to the Police concert in Miami this July. I'm very stoked about this.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » March 6, 2007, 9:03 pm

A 2 and 3/4 hour single song played by Godspeed you Black Emporer in 2002 (or 03) I cant remember the date.

In a poky little bar in Belfast with about 100 other people there.

To me it is the benchmark by which I compare all other gigs, none of which have compared (although Tool came close - but in retrospect they are no Godspeed).

It had to be heard to be believed.

Tyek · Post by **Tyek** » March 7, 2007, 2:16 am

Seen so many bands in so many places, hard to pick a favorite.

LA Street Scene 80's - Fishbone, Sparks, Oingo Boingo and many others. Sadly the idiots that kept starting riots every year killed this event.

The The - Anaheim (the Grove Theatre) front row, Matt played his set list, then played requests for another hour.

Concrete Blonde - Roxy Theatre LA small intimate show and her voice always amazes me.

U2 - Anaheim Stadium. I remember being on the field looking at the stands and the whole fucking stadium was moving up and down while the band played New Years Day. I will never forget that image. Looked like that bridge in the earthquake.

Jewel - First album with just 50 people in Tower Records store in LA.

NIN - Opened for Jesus and Mary Chain in San Diego before the first album broke. I remember laughing because we were supposed to go to a Ministry concert and my friend saw a video of them playing a concert behind a cage and beer bottles flying. He said no way to Ministry so I told him lets see Jesus and Mary Chain, knowing that NIN was going to be there. I still remember his face when Reznor threw a keyboard towards the crowd.

Fishbone, Oingo Boingo, Untouchables - They used to play Magic Mountain, Knotts and the local colleges in the 80's and we would go to every show. We even hung out getting drunk with the Untouchables at Knotts backstage. All were amazing live acts.

Saw the Stones on the night Axl and crew broke up. Axl fell off the stage. They came back for an encore and Axl says something along the lines of "If some of the fuckers in this band would stop playing with Mr Brownstone we could...unintelligable babble. He then throws down the mic walks offstage and I hear a few days later they have broken up.

Worst shows - New Order (first part of the show). I swear they played the Substance CD over the speakers. I called out every song in order. My brother was stunned I knew what was coming next. Then they came out after their encore and 3/4's of the stadium had left and started jamming Joy Division songs which rocked.

Cure - Could have put 4 statues in my yard, turned on the lights and pretended I went to the show.

Managing at Music Plus in the 80's had it's perks, free concert tickets, free CD's and 320 dollars a Week. That's right 320 dollars EVERY freaking week to risk my life catching people stealing the new CD's that were just starting to come out. I got into fights with thieves, met one of my best friends, got laid by a bunch of the customers and a few employees (all female!!) and eventually met my wife. I also got to see some of the most amazing moments in my life musically.

Thanks for bringing back some great memories, nice topic.

Nick · Post by **Nick** » March 7, 2007, 2:00 pm

Tyek is a lucky bastard

Arborealus · Post by **Arborealus** » March 7, 2007, 3:09 pm

Hrmmmmmm:

Pink Floyd - The Wall Dallas, TX
U2 - Boy Tour Riverboat President, NO
REM - The 40 Watt Club Athens, GA more times than I can count...
The Grateful Dead - Soldier Field
Jagger and Richards impromptu set Tipitina's after Jazz Fest
Clapton & Cray impromptu set Tipitina's after Jazz Fest

miir · Post by **miir** » March 7, 2007, 3:40 pm

The The - Anaheim (the Grove Theatre) front row, Matt played his set list, then played requests for another hour.

Was that for Hanky Panky or Mind Bomb?
The only time I got to see him was for Infected and that was a pretty intense show.

miir · Post by **miir** » March 7, 2007, 3:51 pm

Managing at Music Plus in the 80's had it's perks, free concert tickets, free CD's and 320 dollars a Week

Hehe, I worked in a record shop in the 80s as well.
Job sucked but the perks owned.

I saw New Order a few times and they were pretty horrible live.
Cure... sucked both times.
A friend dragged me to a Fishbone show. I never liked them much until I saw them live. So energetic.

One of the most ridiculous shows I was invited to was the media showcase for Blur in Toronto, several months before Leisure was released.

I was a bit of a fan of theirs so I jumped at the chance to go.
They played in this pretty small place called Lee's Palace.

The place was JAMMED with industry and media people.
When the band came on, it was so fucking loud... obnoxiously loud... painfully loud. They had a sound system suited for a small arena performace. Lee's has a capacity of around 400.. so it's fairly small.
By the time they were playing the 3rd song, the place was about 3/4 empty. The people who stuck around were treated to a fucking prilliant show.

Tyek · Post by **Tyek** » March 8, 2007, 1:21 am

Miir it was actually for Nakedself. Was a great show.

Drinsic Darkwood · Post by **Drinsic Darkwood** » April 27, 2007, 10:54 am

So apparently Tool's night at Bonnaroo is the Friday the 15th. I'll finally be seeing them live~

Post by **Sylvus** » April 27, 2007, 11:15 am

Awesome! I didn't know you hadn't seen them. It's been so long since I've seen them in a festival I'm not sure if they have their normal stage show. It's something to behold though.

I just got an email from toolarmy.com saying the presale for their July 3rd Detroit show goes on sale at 1pm today. Hopefully I can get some pretty sweet seats.

/edit: yay, got my 2 pre-sale tix! tool's site didn't say where the seats are, but it's presale so i'm assuming they're decent.

Momopi · Post by **Momopi** » April 27, 2007, 1:03 pm

Best show I have ever seen was every halloween from 86 or so till 92 at irvine meadows for Oingo Boingo. I also loved B52's with voilent femmes opening for them. Saw U2 a few times and they were always excellent. Out of all the bands I have ever seen Oingo Boingo is by far the best live band!

Chidoro · Post by **Chidoro** » May 4, 2007, 11:14 am

I think the best show I went to was a dead show at RFK back in '91. Their music fucking sucks but loved going to their shows. Edie breckell open at the RFK show and I wanted to fuck her every which way including tuesday at the time so that didn't hurt. Now that I'm thinking about it, i don't they anything could hurt me that evening

Pherr the Dorf · Post by **Pherr the Dorf** » May 4, 2007, 11:43 am

Best shows for me

Roger Waters - Radio Chaos Tour in Jersey, special 1 AM live broadcast on BBC, played most of final cut, saw most of the tour but this was quite a different show.

Dead at Red Rocks... what a place

SRV and Jeff Beck - MSG show, Going Down was the best guitarwork I have ever seen.

Portishead... there are no words

NIN with Bowie