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Best rock concert you’ve attended

Myotis

All-SEC
Jan 1, 2003
7,501
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For me, it was Jethro Tull in Louisville Gardens, late 70s. They played their sets and went offstage without playing Locomotive Breath. No one moved and they returned for an encore. But it as “Living in the Past”. Went offstage again. This time the lights came up and the roadies began disassembling the equipment. Everyone was both pleased and bummed. The concert was fantastic but we hadn’t heard one of their best and most popular songs. About the time people stood and just started to make their way towards the doors, the keyboard player walked onstage. He walked right to the edge of the stage wearing a tux coat and a huge grin. He raised his arms and the sleeves fell back. In this pose, he walked over to the piano, sat down, and began playing the solo intro to Locomotive Breath. All the while he was playing, the roadies were feverishly reassembling the audio gear and returning the instruments. Just as he finished the lead in, the rest of the band returned and they played to stone silent audience in a fully lit concert hall. When they finished, the place went nuts.
 
Mine is a metal show from an obscure band to those outside the metal scene.

Saw Machine Head at the Mercury Ballroom in Louisville about 10 years ago. Tickets were cheap (standing only) and I was probably 7 feet from the stage.

They’d just returned to the US from the European festival circuit and brought the same setup to this club show. Amps stacked literally to the ceiling, any open string bass note shook the walls and you could hear the songs clearly across the street through the venue’s closed front doors.

No opener. Played a 3 hour set and I caught a guitar pick just before the encore.
 
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rock band raisin GIF
 
No-brainer for me. I was 23 years old and down front on the floor about 15 people deep, between Daltrey and Entwhistle.
This was not the tragedy concert ... it happened later, in 1979.
 
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Paul McCartney put on an incredible show, completely blew my mind.

Honorable mentions:
Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Allman Brothers Band, Rolling Stones, Billy Joel with Elton John
 
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Paul McCartney put on an incredible show, completely blew my mind.

Honorable mentions:
Foo Fighters, Dave Matthews, Allman Brothers Band, Rolling Stones, Billy Joel with Elton John
I saw Wings in Cincinnati in 1976. They played for four (4) hours.
 
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56 years of concerts, who can say? One of the most memorable was Jefferson Airplane in 1971 at Freedom Hall. I stopped off at home to say hi to the family. My grandmother asked to what did they deserve the honor etc. I told her and she said, "Oh is that the girl [Grace Slick] who broke her arm?" Grandma knew more about Jefferson Airplane than me!

My friends and I got to Freedom Hall and were walking around. There, in some good seats right off the floor, was a girl (PR) I'd briefly dated in high school. I'd had an amazing crush on her and thought she was incredibly beautiful, but even in high school, I could never bring an image of her to mind when I wasn't with her. (Still can't.) We saw each other seeing each other AND then I saw the guy she was with. He looked like the young Mitt Romney. What PR and Mittens Jr. were doing there baffled and tickled me. I had this tingling sensation. THAT's what she looked like. Of course. And that guy was the kind of guy she was looking for. I kept walking and immediately couldn't remember what she looked like.
 
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74 concerts in the last 14 years alone (yes, I keep a tally of who and where), so too many to mention but I have seen anyone and everyone, all genres, and some quite a few times. From 2000 seat venues to 80K stadiums that were packed. Some great, some not.
 
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56 years of concerts, who can say? One of the most memorable was Jefferson Airplane in 1971 at Freedom Hall. I stopped off at home to say hi to the family. My grandmother asked to what did they deserve the honor etc. I told her and she said, "Oh is that the girl [Grace Slick] who broke her arm?" Grandma knew more about Jefferson Airplane than me!

My friends and I got to Freedom Hall and were walking around. There, in some good seats right off the floor, was a girl (PR) I'd briefly dated in high school. I'd had an amazing crush on her and thought she was incredibly beautiful, but even in high school, I could never bring an image of her to mind when I wasn't with her. (Still can't.) We saw each other seeing each other AND then I saw the guy she was with. He looked like the young Mitt Romney. What PR and Mittens Jr. were doing there baffled and tickled me. I had this tingling sensation. THAT's what she looked like. Of course. And that guy was the kind of guy she was looking for. I kept walking and immediately couldn't remember what she looked like.
On 03/27/2003, I saw Jefferson Starship (Kantner/Balin, not the Mickey Thomas ensemble) at Jim Porter's in Louisville. It was the night that Kentucky was playing Utah in the NCAA tournament. There were easily less than fifty (50) people there to see the show and there was some question as to whether they were going to play (rumors in the crowd about problems between the venue and the promoter because of the extremely sparse crowd). But, after everyone patiently waited ... this group that included two RNRHOF members from JA, along with Prairie Prince (Journey, The Tubes) on drums and Slick Aguilar (KBC band, Miami studio musician) on lead guitar, came out and played for over almost (3) hours, including three (3) encores, the last of which was Marty Balin coming out and performing solo with everyone joining him in a circle up on the stage. I was literally less than a foot from his microphone stand. When he sang "Today" I can vividly remember seeing the reflection of the cigarette lighter flames people were holding up in Balin's eyeballs. It was a surreal experience and that night remains as one the best concert experiences of my life. It was intimate, but it rocked !! Everybody was up and dancing all night long to every song with a danceable beat. It was pretty incredible !! They played every song you wanted to hear and expected to hear. It was pretty awesome !! Chatting with Kantner and Balin after the show was special, as they were very welcoming, kind and engaging with everyone. I was fifty (50) years old at the time.
 
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So difficult to pick one as I have been to so many. Well over 100. I mean Led Zeppelin in 1976 stands out as a great one for me because it was my first concert. Other shows like The Police in Rupp Arena in the late 70''s/early 80's was great, as was Prince at Rupp during the Purple Rain tour.
 
I’ve seen my share…

-My first was Jethro Tull in 1975. Great show.
-Montrose and Blue Oyster Cult in 76. BOC had a laser light show that blew my mind. Especially after all the pot I smoked during the show.
-Saw Van Halen and Black Sabbath in 78.
-Atlanta Rhythm Section and ZZ Top in 1980. ZZ Top was so loud that every bass note made my rib cage vibrate. Ears rang for 24 hours after.
-Judas Priest in 81. Priest was first band. Awesome! KISS was the headliner. Sucked! I left during their third song.
-Derek Trucks Band and Allman Brothers Band in 06. Derek Trucks played in both bands, of course. Best slide guitarist on the planet!
 
Like some have said above...too many to pick one...

Page and Plant twice in '96
Prince at The Louisville Palace, 3+ hour show and amazing, not long before he died
David Gilmore at The United Center
AC/DC in Indy
The Who
The Stones
McCartney x2

All amazing shows
 
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Man, you guys have been to waaaay more shows than I have. My close friends (all metalheads, they had a local band for years) and one of my sisters have been to hundreds. Excluding local shows (I've been to many, many local shows), I've been to maybe 20, and most of those were Iron Maiden.

Iron Maiden shows:

Wednesday, October 18, 2006: A Matter of Life and Death Tour
Allstate Arena, Rosemont, Illinois. With Bullet For My Valentine.
Different World (1)
These Colours Don't Run (1)
Brighter Than A Thousand Suns (1)
The Pilgrim (1)
The Longest Day (1)
Out Of The Shadows (1)
The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg (1)
For The Greater Good Of God (1)
Lord Of Light (1)
The Legacy (1)
Fear Of The Dark (1)
Iron Maiden (1)
2 Minutes to Midnight (1)
The Evil That Men Do (1)
Hallowed Be Thy Name (1)

Thursday, June 12, 2008: Somewhere Back in Time Tour
Blossom Music Arena, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. With Raven Age.
Aces High (1)
2 Minutes to Midnight (2)
Revelations (1)
The Trooper (1)
Wasted Years (1)
The Number of the Beast (1)
Run to the Hills (1)
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner (1)
Powerslave (1)
Heaven Can Wait (1)
Can I Play With Madness (1)
Fear of the Dark (2)
Iron Maiden (2)
Moonchild (1)
The Clairvoyant (1)
Hallowed Be Thy Name (2)

Thursday, July 15, 2010: The Final Frontier Tour
Blossom Music Arena, Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. With Dream Theater.
The Wicker Man (1)
Ghost Of The Navigator (1)
Wrathchild (1)
El Dorado (1)
Dance Of Death (1)
The Reincarnation Of Benjamin Breeg (2)
These Colours Don't Run (2)
Blood Brothers (1)
Wildest Dreams (1)
No More Lies (1)
Brave New World (1)
Fear Of The Dark (3)
Iron Maiden (3)
The Number of the Beast (2)
Hallowed Be Thy Name (3)
Running Free (1)

Thursday, July 19, 2012: The Maiden England Tour
Klipsch Music Center, Noblesville, Indiana. With Alice Cooper.
Moonchild (2)
Can I Play With Madness (2)
The Prisoner (1)
2 Minutes To Midnight (3)
Afraid To Shoot Strangers (1)
The Trooper (2)
The Number Of The Beast (3)
Phantom Of The Opera (1)
Run To The Hills (2)
Wasted Years (2)
Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son (1)
The Clairvoyant (2)
Fear Of The Dark (4)
Iron Maiden (4)
Aces High (2)
The Evil That Men Do (2)
Running Free (2)

Friday, September 13, 2013: The Maiden England Tour
Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee. With Megadeth.
Moonchild (3)
Can I Play With Madness (3)
The Prisoner (2)
2 Minutes to Midnight (4)
Afraid to Shoot Strangers (2)
The Trooper (3)
The Number of the Beast (4)
Phantom of the Opera (2)
Run to the Hills (3)
Wasted Years (3)
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son (2)
The Clairvoyant (3)
Fear of the Dark (5)
Iron Maiden (5)
Aces High (3)
The Evil That Men Do (3)
Running Free (3)

Tuesday, Jun 13, 2017: The Book of Souls World Tour
Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee. With Ghost.
If Eternity Should Fail (1)
Speed of Light (1)
Wrathchild (2)
Children of the Damned (1)
Death or Glory (1)
The Red and the Black (1)
The Trooper (4)
Powerslave (2)
The Great Unknown (1)
The Book of Souls (1)
Fear of the Dark (6)
Iron Maiden (6)
The Number of the Beast (5)
Blood Brothers (2)
Wasted Years (4)

Thursday, August 15, 2019: The Legacy of the Beast Tour
Riverbend, Cincinnati, Ohio. With The Raven Age.
Aces High (4)
Where Eagles Dare (1)
2 Minutes to Midnight (5)
The Clansman (1)
The Trooper (5)
Revelations (2)
For the Greater Good of God (2)
The Wicker Man (2)
Sign of the Cross (1)
Flight of Icarus (1)
Fear of the Dark (7)
The Number of the Beast (6)
Iron Maiden (7)
The Evil That Men Do (4)
Hallowed Be Thy Name (4)
Run to the Hills (4)

Monday, August 19, 2019: The Legacy of the Beast Tour
Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee. With The Raven Age.
Aces High (5)
Where Eagles Dare (2)
2 Minutes to Midnight (6)
The Clansman (2)
The Trooper (6)
Revelations (3)
For the Greater Good of God (3)
The Wicker Man (3)
Sign of the Cross (2)
Flight of Icarus (2)
Fear of the Dark (8)
The Number of the Beast (7)
Iron Maiden (8)
The Evil That Men Do (5)
Hallowed Be Thy Name (5)
Run to the Hills (5)

I could write an essay on each show. Wonderful, crazy times. Other notable shows...Ani DiFranco was the first show I ever went to (in the late '90s, she played in an old parking lot), and she was awesome and the party after the show was sweet. And I saw Priest and Queensryche in Corbin a few years back, and...well, the sound wasn't great. But hey, I got to see Priest and Queensryche (sans Geoff Tate, Chris DeGarmo, and Scott Rockenfield, but whatever).

The only band I want to see live and haven't is The Foo Fighters. I'd go see Billy Joel or Aimee Mann if they played close though.
 
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Robert Plant Manic Nirvana tour, circa 91-92. Took two hits of blue unicorn on the way up to Indy and had just started coming into it when the show started.
 
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Journey, 2 years ago in Charlotte. Granted I've not been to a lot of them in 55 years.
It's not too late to get out and hear live music, especially at the smaller venues. JUST DO IT !! You'll be hooked !! 😎
 
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Lots of people have mentioned seeing Led Zeppelin. If interested, ZoSo is an EXCELLENT Led Zeppelin tribute band that has been touring for over thirty (30) years. I've seen them MANY times and always enjoyed them. It's fun to go see 2+ hours of music and know every song, if not every verse !! They will be at Mercury Ballroom in Louisville, on Friday 11/29/24 ... which is Thanksgiving weekend.

If you are a fan of Zeppelin, I would be very surprised if you didn't thoroughly enjoy yourself at the show.
 
Yes (band), with their laser light concert sometimes in the seventies during my high school days. Can't remember the exact year but for a young man it was incredible. Probably wouldn't be much now but back then? Whoa. Couldn't stop talking about it for weeks.
 
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