Post by Dark Star on Oct 1, 2019 15:51:08 GMT
This is a thread to discuss concerts: the most recent ones you've been too, who you've seen, the best and worst you've ever seen.
I've always loved going to concerts; to me, they're like church: a bunch of like minded people coming together to feel good and enjoy themselves. My father started taking me when I was nine, my first show being Elton John on his solo in 1999. Since then, I've seen about 40+ shows, including the Stones, Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Macca, Stevie Nicks, Clapton, Tina Turner, Aerosmith, Chuck Berry, and several more.
My Top 10 Concerts
1. Dead & Company at Citi Field 6/23/19 (just a really perfect evening for me as a Deadhead: the band was in top form, Mayer played one of Jerry Garcia's signature guitars, a beautiful summer evening, got to sit with great friends and a great crowd, and a near-perfect set list of tried and true Dead classics, including the songs I wanted to hear most: "Scarlet Begonias," "Fire on the Mountain," "The Other One," and especially "Morning Dew." I get goosebumps thinking of how floored I was when the opening chord of "Dew" started.)
2. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band at MetLife Stadium 9/22/2012 (the show was the day before Bruce's 63rd birthday, so we came expecting a really special, celebratory and fun evening. Unfortunately, a long lightning storm led to a two hour delay that had us questioning if the show would even go on. When Bruce came on after 10:30, we expected a truncated concert instead of the three hour marathons that are his signature. He didn't leave the stage until 2 in the morning, and the show itself was incredible at every point. The highlight was getting the first U.S. performance of "Jungleland" since Clarence Clemons died, and to make that even more special it was preceded by a rare "Meeting Across the River," just like the album.)
3. The Rolling Stones at Madison Square Garden 1/18/03 (my first time seeing them and still the best out of all them. This show was broadcast live on HBO, plus it was in the midst of their 40th anniversary tour so they pulled out a lot of stuff I did not expect to hear. Hearing "If You Can't Rock Me," "Monkey Man," "Let it Bleed," "Can't You Hear Me Knocking," and "When the Whip Comes Down" alongside the usual suspects ("Satisfaction," "Jumping Jack Flash," "Gimme Shelter," etc.) was awesome at the time and still stands out as one of the best moments of my concert going career.)
4. Stevie Wonder at Madison Square Garden 11/17/07 (the last show of his tour. Played a lot of tracks from Innervisions, plus "As," "You and I," "Ribbon in the Sky," "Lately," and a couple of other lesser known tunes. Tony Bennett came out to sing "For Once in My Life" and sounded fantastic (Stevie's mother had passed before the tour began and had been dedicating each show to her; Tony was her favorite singer). The most memorable moment, however, was it being the only time I got to see Prince live, as he came out to play a great guitar solo during "Superstition.")
5.Elton John at Madison Square Garden 10/15/99 (my first show ever. Just Elton alone at his piano, in great voice and he managed to engage the crowd throughout the despite the sparse, mellow setup. Lots of big hits, but the real highs was just how many deep cuts he did at the time: "The Greatest Discovery," "Border Song," "Harmony," "Better Off Dead," "Elton's Song," "Sweet Painted Lady," "Ticking," "Carla / Etude," "Tonight," and "Blue Eyes" all in the same show. What a first show.)
6. Paul McCartney at Citi Field 7/21/09 (my only time seeing Paul so far. Last night of the inaugural shows at the then new Citi Field aka the old Shea Stadium. The crowd was fantastic and hearing "A Day in the Life" was a lifetime highlight, with the crowd all in the same sense of awe as I think this was the first U.S. tour Paul had done it live.)
7. Elton John at Madison Square Garden 11/8/19 (I got to see Elton for the second and probably final time for free when my brother called with last minute tickets from a client had to cancel (he works hospitality at the Garden). Went with a friend and it was a beautiful, emotional evening. In contrast to my first show, this was pretty much all hits or well known album tracks, aside from "Indian Sunset" which was incredible, with just Elton and Ray Cooper onstage. Hearing these songs in the context of it being a farewell tour felt like saying goodbye to old friends. Elton's music has been a constant companion for me, and I admit I teared up a bit during the encore of "Your Song" and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road."
8. The Rolling Stones at Met Life Stadium 8/5/19 (my first time seeing them since 2005, coincidentally at the old Giants Stadium which is now Met Life. I was really nervous going in because the shows I'd heard from the last year had them really sounding their age, but they hit the ground running and had fantastic energy all night. Got the first "Harlem Shuffle" since 1990, plus "Dead Flowers," and I finally caught "Paint It Black." The encore was "Gimme Shelter" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," which really showcased how many great songs they have, as I could've heard just those two and gone home very happy.)
9. Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden 4/19/06 (second show of this particular tour, pretty much as good as the first. This show had "Vienna," "The Great Wall of China," "Zanzibar," "Miami 2017," "Sleeping with the Television On," "An Innocent Man," and "A Matter of Trust.")
10. Genesis at Madison Square Garden 9/25/07 (had front row first seats and got to appear on the jumbo-tron during "Throwing It All Away." A great show, back when Phil Collins could still sing and perform very well; he didn't drum, though. Did all the Collins era hits except "That's All" and "Land of Confusion," plus "Mama," "Home by the Sea," and a lot of Gabriel era stuff ("Cage Medley," "Carpet Crawlers," "I Know What I Like in Your Wardrobe.))
Bottom 5
1. John Mellencamp at Jones Beach (an absolute snore fest of a show. 75 % of the set was boring acoustic songs from his then new album along with equally turgid rearrangements of hits like "Jack and Diane" that sucked the energy out of them. Only highlight was the "Authority Song" encore which only happened because I kept screaming it intermittently all night. Show was so bad I don't even remember the date and couldn't find it online.)
2. Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton at Madison Square Garden 2/19/10 (Jeff Beck was great but Clapton was so obviously not wanting to be there and gave a disappointingly uninspired set. Didn't even do "Layla.")
3. Aerosmith and ZZ Top 6/26/09 (ZZ Top were great. Aerosmith were sloppy and off all night. Tyler was clearly on something and the show after this was when he fell off the stage, injured his head, and then subsequently went to rehab.)
4. Allman Brothers at Jones Beach 6/27/06 (they sounded ragged and Gregg was in terrible shape. Really bad crowd, just a bunch of arrogant and miserable people. Someone threw a pretzel at my head for standing up during "Elizabeth Reed."
5. Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden 5/9/14 (this wasn't a bad show, just uninspired and disappointing. It was his 65th birthday and we were all expecting a big blowout but he did the same set list he did for the last several years and was really going through the motions. Plus he wasted a spot on Jimmy Fallon coming out and doing that ragtime routine from his talk show and did a cover of the song "Sweat." Cringe worthy. At least I got to hear "Scandinavian Skies" and my first "Uptown Girl.")
Feel free to share your own experiences.
I've always loved going to concerts; to me, they're like church: a bunch of like minded people coming together to feel good and enjoy themselves. My father started taking me when I was nine, my first show being Elton John on his solo in 1999. Since then, I've seen about 40+ shows, including the Stones, Springsteen, Stevie Wonder, Macca, Stevie Nicks, Clapton, Tina Turner, Aerosmith, Chuck Berry, and several more.
My Top 10 Concerts
1. Dead & Company at Citi Field 6/23/19 (just a really perfect evening for me as a Deadhead: the band was in top form, Mayer played one of Jerry Garcia's signature guitars, a beautiful summer evening, got to sit with great friends and a great crowd, and a near-perfect set list of tried and true Dead classics, including the songs I wanted to hear most: "Scarlet Begonias," "Fire on the Mountain," "The Other One," and especially "Morning Dew." I get goosebumps thinking of how floored I was when the opening chord of "Dew" started.)
2. Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band at MetLife Stadium 9/22/2012 (the show was the day before Bruce's 63rd birthday, so we came expecting a really special, celebratory and fun evening. Unfortunately, a long lightning storm led to a two hour delay that had us questioning if the show would even go on. When Bruce came on after 10:30, we expected a truncated concert instead of the three hour marathons that are his signature. He didn't leave the stage until 2 in the morning, and the show itself was incredible at every point. The highlight was getting the first U.S. performance of "Jungleland" since Clarence Clemons died, and to make that even more special it was preceded by a rare "Meeting Across the River," just like the album.)
3. The Rolling Stones at Madison Square Garden 1/18/03 (my first time seeing them and still the best out of all them. This show was broadcast live on HBO, plus it was in the midst of their 40th anniversary tour so they pulled out a lot of stuff I did not expect to hear. Hearing "If You Can't Rock Me," "Monkey Man," "Let it Bleed," "Can't You Hear Me Knocking," and "When the Whip Comes Down" alongside the usual suspects ("Satisfaction," "Jumping Jack Flash," "Gimme Shelter," etc.) was awesome at the time and still stands out as one of the best moments of my concert going career.)
4. Stevie Wonder at Madison Square Garden 11/17/07 (the last show of his tour. Played a lot of tracks from Innervisions, plus "As," "You and I," "Ribbon in the Sky," "Lately," and a couple of other lesser known tunes. Tony Bennett came out to sing "For Once in My Life" and sounded fantastic (Stevie's mother had passed before the tour began and had been dedicating each show to her; Tony was her favorite singer). The most memorable moment, however, was it being the only time I got to see Prince live, as he came out to play a great guitar solo during "Superstition.")
5.Elton John at Madison Square Garden 10/15/99 (my first show ever. Just Elton alone at his piano, in great voice and he managed to engage the crowd throughout the despite the sparse, mellow setup. Lots of big hits, but the real highs was just how many deep cuts he did at the time: "The Greatest Discovery," "Border Song," "Harmony," "Better Off Dead," "Elton's Song," "Sweet Painted Lady," "Ticking," "Carla / Etude," "Tonight," and "Blue Eyes" all in the same show. What a first show.)
6. Paul McCartney at Citi Field 7/21/09 (my only time seeing Paul so far. Last night of the inaugural shows at the then new Citi Field aka the old Shea Stadium. The crowd was fantastic and hearing "A Day in the Life" was a lifetime highlight, with the crowd all in the same sense of awe as I think this was the first U.S. tour Paul had done it live.)
7. Elton John at Madison Square Garden 11/8/19 (I got to see Elton for the second and probably final time for free when my brother called with last minute tickets from a client had to cancel (he works hospitality at the Garden). Went with a friend and it was a beautiful, emotional evening. In contrast to my first show, this was pretty much all hits or well known album tracks, aside from "Indian Sunset" which was incredible, with just Elton and Ray Cooper onstage. Hearing these songs in the context of it being a farewell tour felt like saying goodbye to old friends. Elton's music has been a constant companion for me, and I admit I teared up a bit during the encore of "Your Song" and "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road."
8. The Rolling Stones at Met Life Stadium 8/5/19 (my first time seeing them since 2005, coincidentally at the old Giants Stadium which is now Met Life. I was really nervous going in because the shows I'd heard from the last year had them really sounding their age, but they hit the ground running and had fantastic energy all night. Got the first "Harlem Shuffle" since 1990, plus "Dead Flowers," and I finally caught "Paint It Black." The encore was "Gimme Shelter" and "(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction," which really showcased how many great songs they have, as I could've heard just those two and gone home very happy.)
9. Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden 4/19/06 (second show of this particular tour, pretty much as good as the first. This show had "Vienna," "The Great Wall of China," "Zanzibar," "Miami 2017," "Sleeping with the Television On," "An Innocent Man," and "A Matter of Trust.")
10. Genesis at Madison Square Garden 9/25/07 (had front row first seats and got to appear on the jumbo-tron during "Throwing It All Away." A great show, back when Phil Collins could still sing and perform very well; he didn't drum, though. Did all the Collins era hits except "That's All" and "Land of Confusion," plus "Mama," "Home by the Sea," and a lot of Gabriel era stuff ("Cage Medley," "Carpet Crawlers," "I Know What I Like in Your Wardrobe.))
Bottom 5
1. John Mellencamp at Jones Beach (an absolute snore fest of a show. 75 % of the set was boring acoustic songs from his then new album along with equally turgid rearrangements of hits like "Jack and Diane" that sucked the energy out of them. Only highlight was the "Authority Song" encore which only happened because I kept screaming it intermittently all night. Show was so bad I don't even remember the date and couldn't find it online.)
2. Jeff Beck and Eric Clapton at Madison Square Garden 2/19/10 (Jeff Beck was great but Clapton was so obviously not wanting to be there and gave a disappointingly uninspired set. Didn't even do "Layla.")
3. Aerosmith and ZZ Top 6/26/09 (ZZ Top were great. Aerosmith were sloppy and off all night. Tyler was clearly on something and the show after this was when he fell off the stage, injured his head, and then subsequently went to rehab.)
4. Allman Brothers at Jones Beach 6/27/06 (they sounded ragged and Gregg was in terrible shape. Really bad crowd, just a bunch of arrogant and miserable people. Someone threw a pretzel at my head for standing up during "Elizabeth Reed."
5. Billy Joel at Madison Square Garden 5/9/14 (this wasn't a bad show, just uninspired and disappointing. It was his 65th birthday and we were all expecting a big blowout but he did the same set list he did for the last several years and was really going through the motions. Plus he wasted a spot on Jimmy Fallon coming out and doing that ragtime routine from his talk show and did a cover of the song "Sweat." Cringe worthy. At least I got to hear "Scandinavian Skies" and my first "Uptown Girl.")
Feel free to share your own experiences.