As its painfully obvious at this point, the members of this forum really like lists, so here's another one that always floats through my brain. Name the Top 10 Live shows you've attended (with support acts & year/location if you can remember) Here's my list (I'm probably forgetting many that would make the top 10, and yes, some are old):

1. Guns & Roses / Soundgarden (1992 San Diego Sports Arena)
2. U2 / Pretenders / Steve Jones (1987 LA Coliseum)
3. Metallica (1991 L.A. Forum)
4. White Stripes (2003 El Rey, L.A.)
5. Untouchables / No Doubt (1987 Palm Springs)
6. Rush (1990 Irvine Meadows)
7. Grateful Dead (1993 LA Coliseum)
8. S.O.D. / White Zombie / Pantera (1994 Hollywood Palladium)
9. Madonna / Beastie Boys (1984 Universal Ampitheater)
10. Selecter (1989 Claremont)

Hmmm ... this will be a hard one, but ...

1. Blur - Santa Barbara Bowl 1997-8(?)
2. Suede - El Rey (1996)
3. Pulp - Diamond Club/The World (1995)
4. Beulah - El Rey (2004)
5. Spiritualized - El Rey (1997)
6. The Fall - American Music Hall (2001)
7. Coachella Music Festival #1 (2000)
8. Primal Scream - The Fillmore (2000)
9. the Skeletones/Spencer the Gardner - Loco Ranchero (1992) (first show sans parents)
10. Beach Boys and Pointer Sisters - Mid-State Fair (1986?) (first concert ever)

Well, it's difficult to narrow it to 10, remember exactly when and where they were, or remember many of the obscure opening acts. All dates are approximate, and I'll name the venues as well as I can. They are definitely not in any order.

1. The US Festival, May 28, 1983, San Bernardino, CA. Day 1 with The Clash, English Beat, Oingo Boingo and lots of new wave acts.
2. The Smiths, 1985, Henry J. Kaiser Auditorium, Oakland, CA. This was much better than the Berkeley Greek show I saw the next year (Phranc opened for that one.)
3. The Undertones, 1980, The Whiskey-a-go-go, Hollywood. Unbelievable energy in a tiny club= hard to beat for sheer thrills.
4. The Leaving Trains, 1985, the I-Beam at Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco. This is the closest in intensity to the above. This is the original Trains lineup with The Hofer brothers. Nothing can really compare with Falling James and Manfred Hofer both on their knees with their eyes closed, playing duelling guitars to "Always Between Wars", all five feet away.
5. Camper Van Beethoven, 1985, San Jose, CA Mexican restaurant (!!) They played in the lounge, called The Laundry Works (thanks, Victor ), which couldn't have been more than 15' X 30', and the "stage" was no more than one inch high. They somehow crammed six people on the thing, including a lap steel! The concert was great but nothing compares with buying their homemade t-shirts out of a suitcase.
6. Talking Heads, 1983, Pacific Amphitheatre, Costa Mesa, CA. This was the Stop Making Sense tour, and I took my mom who was 70 and danced like crazy.
7. X and the Blasters, 1981, the L.A. Greek Theatre. They were both at the height of their powers, and we had good seats.
8. Replacements with Posies, 1990, Hollywood Palladium. I saw the Replacements four times, once with Bob Stinson (no, he wasn't wearing a dress.) That show may have been better as far as the Replacements (Let It Be had just come out) but I'll take this one because of the primo opening act. Note- The Replacements also may have played at the worst concert I've witnessed. They played at UC Irvine late in their career and were completely wasted, and the sound system/acoustics sucked.
9. eels, 2003, Galaxy Theatre, Santa Ana, CA. This show was incredibly pumped up. E did all kinds of covers and he was totally into it. It also scores points for being the first concert I took my daughter to.
10. Any of the Beat Farmers concerts I went to in the 1980s in the bay area with hal. I'd probably have to pick the one where I bought Country Dick a beer and he signed my poster, "Hello Fuckface." Country Dick R.I.P.
Honorable Mention: The best concert that I went to which I didn't see was XTC, 1982, The Hollywood Palladium. My friends and I stood around for a half hour until we were informed there would be no concert. Andy Partridge got stage fright and never performed live again. Oh that reminds me, I should have included XTC anyway. I saw them in 1979 at The Cuckoo's Nest on Superior, just off Pacific Coast Hwy. That parking lot was always full of cop cars. Anyhow the high point was when Partridge put a Barry Manilow record cover on his head and kicked out the jams.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: mark f,

My top ten, with supporting acts that I can remember

1) R.E.M. (Red Rocks, Denver, 2003, first night, w/ Wilco and Ed Harcourt)
2) U2 (Pepsi Center, Denver, 2001, w/ No Doubt)
3) Radiohead (Red Rocks, Denver, 2003, w/ S. Malkmus and the Jicks)
4) Social Distortion (Sunshine Theatre, Albuquerque, 2001)
5) Pearl Jam (Mesa del Sol, Albuquerque, 2000, w/ Supergrass)
6) ...Trail of Dead (Launchpad, Albuquerque, 2002)
7) Coachella 2004
8) Weezer (El Rey Theatre, Albuquerque, 2000)
9) The Smashing Pumpkins (Tingley Colliseum, Albuquerque, 1996, w/ Garbage)
10) The Decemberists (Launchpad, Albuquerque, 2004, w/ Tom Heinl)

1) RUSH - 2002
2) ERIC CLAPTON - 1990
3) ROBERT PLANT - 1991
4) TRIUMPH - 1987
5) Kenny Wayne Sheppard with Double Trouble - 2002
6) Bob Segar - 1992 (I think)
7) Boston - 1986
8) Rolling Stones - 1989
9) Fleetwood Mac - 1997
10) RUSH - 2004 (June 23)(I know it will be great!!!!)

All in Dallas, by the way!

I can't remember all the great concerts I've been to. The first concert I went to on my own was DREFest June 2, 1996 in Camden, NJ, I liked that. should probably just list my favorite live bands.

Good Charlotte- before they had a record I saw them open for Lit, I walked out on Lit that night but would have been happy with a Good Charlotte encore.

Pilfers- a skacore band that had some underground sucess but broke up before they got a break; they're live shows were just fun.

Reel Big Fish- just like the Pilfers they're live shows are fun but they've lost a step since they lost a trombone.

Madness- (May 2, 1998) I saw them once but the show was like being in one big skank pit. it was great, and the Pilfers opened that night.

No Doubt- this is my cult band. I've been to 14 concerts of thiers and met at least part of the band 7 times, they're such nice people and best friends, just try to spend nearly 17 years with someone and be enemies. The live show they put on is something I can get into and sing along with every note. ok, so I'm biased.

ray you saw No Doubt open for the Untouchables? Was John Spence still here on that night?

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Originally posted by Magic Mike:

ray you saw No Doubt open for the Untouchables? Was John Spence still here on that night?

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I can't remember. What I do remember is that the band looked VERY different than they do now. They were much more pure SKA back then. I wish the Untouchables made it bigger than they did. I saw them about 5 times in the late 80s.

The Untouchables played at our Grad Night (!) It's one of those bizarre things I remember from growing up ... a small town graduation with the parents in charge of booking the band and they got the Untouchables ... who filled in after the first band the parents booked, Social Distortion (!!) bailed.

I still don't get it ... somehow the parents committee was even cooler than any of their kids, because I don't think those bands were ones my classmates would have chosen.

Anyway, it was a great show, I think they played at about 3 or 4 in the morning and it really woke everyone up and gave a good energy to the last hours of our last all night party as kids.

I also wonder what kind of a deal they got, because that's a funny thing to agree to--come and play in front of some high school kids in this little town at 3 am. Weird.

This is incredibly difficult! My memory is leaving out important shows and getting it to 10 has been grueling!
Ween w/Kyuss @ the Starfish Room (Pure Guava/Sky Valley tour)
2 Live Crew X-Rated Party @ the Cecil Strip Club in 2000.
Tom Waits @ the Orpheum theatre (Mule Variations tour)
Mr.Bungle @ the Showbox (California tour)
Lovage @ Richards on Richards (Mike Patton fed me sushi!)
Zakir Hussain and the Masters of Percussion @ the Massey theatre in 2000
Public Enemy/Anthrax/Primus @ the PNE Forum (Bring Tha Noize tour)
Prince @ the Orpheum theatre in 2003
Handsome Boy Modeling School @ Sonar
Leonard Cohen @ the Orpheum theatre (the Future tour)

oh so many left out, Pink Floyd, the Cure, NOFX, Guttermouth, Burning Spear, Culture, Israel Vibration, Planet Asia/DJ Cash Money, Shakti, Trilok Gurtu, Dayglo Abortions(on Canada Day!), Fantomas(both times), Dave Brubeck, Buddy Guy, John Hammond, Ray Charles, Paco De Lucia, Gwar, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Ozzfest(Sabbath, Primus, Slayer), Tool, Danzig, Suicidal Tendencies, the Arsonists, Masada, At the Gates, Brutal Truth, Megadeth, the Roots, man this list could go on forever...
Oh yeah, big respect to Eminem for playing at the Warped Tour as a replacement for Cypress Hill right after My Name Is came out. He played to the most hostile crowd I have ever seen, on the stage next to where the headliners Pennywise were about to play. The crowd raided the fresh squeezed lemonade cart and began to hurl lemons at the stage! I saw one thrown like a fastball explode on the side of the man's head mid-rhyme and he didn't miss a syllable or a beat! That's focus and determination!

mark mentioned taking his Mom to the Talking Heads _Stop Making Sense_ tour earlier in this thread and expanded on it a bit elsewhere, which reminded me of one of my favorite shows.

Bruce Springsteen, Tunnel of Love Tour, Sunday, April 17th, 1988, The Arena, St. Louis, MO

This was far from the best performance I've seen from Springsteen, but it was one of my favorite live concert experiences. Four years earlier, when I was in high school and living with my parents, I came down to breakfast one morning to find my Mom watching MTV. She asked, "Who's that?" as Springsteen's "Glory Days" video played.

I said, "That's Bruce Springsteen, Mom."

"You know, that's a really great song. That's just what people do as they get older, they just talk about the good times they've had in the past," she said.

"Yeah, Mom. Springsteen's a great songwriter. He's one of my favorites," I said.

She considered that for a moment as the video wrapped up with Bruce spinning around the face the band at which point she added, "He's got a great butt, too."

Perhaps not the conversation I expected to have with my Mom at the age of 16.

The Born in the U.S.A. tour had already come and gone, so it was four years before I could take her to see the Boss's butt live and in person, but it was worth the wait. She had a ball and she moves pretty well for a lady from Wichita, Kansas.

I've taken her to every Springsteen tour since.

Now Playing: "70% Bittersweet" Jessica Lurie Ensemble _Jessical Lurie Ensemble_ streaming on Seattle's KEXP. This is the first time I'm hearing this. Nice stuff!

This is a toughie. I have ticket stubs from a lot of shows, but so many of the best ones were club shows, with no tickets to be had. Or shows I was on the guest list. But here are some of my faves, in no particular order.

Del Amitri, The Roxy (Atlanta), 8/7/97. Drank too much of the bands beer backstage after the show. They did not care. Many hugs were given by all.

Mark Eitzel/Minus 5/Tuatara, Variety Playhouse (Atl), 5/31/97. Shortly before the Bill Berry retirement, all of the members of REM were in attendance. Stipe and Mills joined the Minus 5 on stage for some REM tunes. Berry did not join them. He quit a few weeks later.

REM, CHastain Park (Atl), 8/30/99. The first of three shows. Bill Berry was pulled from off stage to take a bow. Classy move. Saw all three shows.

U2, Charlotte Coliseum, 3/29/01. We rented a van and drove from the ATL for this show. The first of 4 U2 shows I saw that tour. The best of them, as well.

Lloyd Cole and Jill Sobule, Smith's Olde Bar (Atl), 12/18/98. A "Negatives" tour before the record hit. An awesome show, with Lloyd playing a nice set of Commotions tunes. Many Amaretto Sours were drunk.

Brian Wilson, Chastain, 6/30/00. The "Pet Sounds" tour with the Wondermints as his band. We sat through a horrible rainstorm for this (outdoor) show. While Brian is not in the best of voice anymore, the whole thing was magical.

Bob Mould, First Avenue-Seventh Street Entry (Mpls), 3/30/91. The first time they ever pre-sold tickets for the Entry. The tiny room was packed for a gut-wrenching acoustic set by Bob. Many of the Minneapolis luminaries were on hand.

WAVEFest, Charleston, SC, 8/19/97. A great lineup from a then-great radio station (96Wave), including Son Volt, Jayhawks, Ben Folds 5, Wilco, Junior Brown, and David Byrne. Highlights: Jeff Tweedy introducing, to a salivating crowd, his special guest "Jay....our guitar tech!!!" No Tupelo reunion to be had. Other highlights: sneaking into the free BBQ tent, wearing waterproof boots on a wet day (and rubbing it in to all my wet-footed friends), the smell of the landfill that the show was taking place on. Maybe not the last one.

Ryan Adams/Josh Rouse, Smith's Olde Bar, 10/25/99. Ryan played a set of new songs, mostly from "Heartbreaker", performed from a notebook. He was funny, friendly, and in good spirits. Rouse rocked a solo acoustic set, highlighted by a cover of "Just Like Heaven".

Absinthe, Smith's Olde Bar, 3/2/99. Sammy Llanas, of the BoDeans, played two nights with his band. A great show witnessed, sadly, by about 10 people. I'm not sure how many showed up for the second night, but I hope it was more than the night we saw him.

Soul Asylum, First Avenue (Mpls), 7/31/91. After being dropped by A&M, Soul Asylum was in rare form this night. Loud fast rules! The "Horse they Rode in on" show (12/11/90) was pretty damn good too. From about 1990 to 1994, this was the best live band on the planet.

The La's, First Avenue, 6/26/91. A Mersey paradise. For a band with only a dozen or so songs, they played a strong 50 minute set.

Son Volt (acoustic) with Josh Rouse, Smith's Olde Bar, 9/26/98. I was always so-so on Son Volt live, but this acoustic show for industry and retail folks was a burner. The material from "Wide Swing Tremelo" was so good. Rouse opened solo and was top-notch, as always. Ace acoustic cover of "Please Please Please Let Me Get WHat I Want."

Owsley, Smith's Olde Bar, 10/14/99. A smokin' power pop set, highlighted by a spot-on cover of "Won't Get Fooled Again".

Guadalcanal Diary, Smith's Olde Bar, 1/24/98. The first night of the "reunion" shows. A great history lesson for those who missed the Diary on the first go around. "Trail of Tears" was amazing. The "Live at Your Birthday Party" cd came from this show.

Love Spit Love, some weird living room nightclub in Buckhead, 7/16/97. An industry party in a house/club. The "band" played on couches, truly unplugged. Drinks flowed freely on a hot Atlanta night. Richard Butler is one cool dude. Sitting on the floor in front of him, as he played "President Gas", was kinda surreal.

Spiritualized, The Cotton CLub(Atl), 12/10/97. A COLD night outside, but a warm, fuzzy acid trip inside. Drug music that you don't need drugs to enjoy. My initiation to the live phenomenon that is Spiritualized.

Fountains of Wayne with Sloan, SMith's Olde Bar, 4/9/97. Two great power pop bands, one low, low price. Comp tickets rule.

Fountains of Wayne with Ben Lee, Exit/in (Nashville), 7/4/03(?). Drove to Nashvegas to meet friends from Atlanta. A hot, sweaty club with a hot, sweaty band. Great show. Seedy hotel. Good friends. Cold beer. Good times.

Whiskeytown with Fastball, Variety Playhouse (Atl), 4/11/98. One of the first times I saw a Ryan hissy fit in the flesh. A nice start that ended with a feedback storm.

Afghan Whigs, Variety Playhouse, 2/26/99. DAMN! Black Love, indeed.

World Party, The Roxy (Atl), 7/25/97. A great show. The post-show meet and greet was great fun. Didja know the drummer on this tour was in THE ICICLE WORKS? I did. Even though he looked to be about 12 years old.

Blue Rodeo/John Wesley Harding, The Cotton CLub (Mark II), 3/8/01. One of the best double bills I've seen. One of the last shows I saw while living in the ATL.

Robbie Williams, The Tabernacle (Atl), 10/24/99. Robbie ran, BUCK NAKED, across the stage during the break between sets. The show was so much fun.

Bauhaus, The Tabernacle, 9/14/98. A great reunion show. Some moron sucker punched my friend right in the eye after the show, for no good reason. The scumball security guards let the fool get out the door because he was somebody's friend.

Teenage Fanclub, The Masquerade (Atl), 2/20/94. Bandwagonesque at its finest. Such a great band in a small club. Almost as much fun: hanging with the band in Atkins Park before their smokin' Radiohead opening gig in '97, same club.

Cracker, "Apothecary Show", 40 Watt Club (Athens), 9/21/01(?) The Camper/Cracker shows were great. This was the precursor. Drinking beers in UGA sorority bars is ALWAYS fun.

Dates lost to memory: Replacements at Roy Wilkins Auditorium (1989 or 1990), numerous Gear Daddies and Jayhawks shows at 1st Ave and the 700 Bar, a smokin' Bottle Rockets show at the Star Bar, and several great gigs by the late, great Star Collector at the Star Bar (Halloween 99/00?) and the Red Light.

As others have noted, I had to search my mind to make sure I remembered everything. I'm not sure I did, but I think I'm pretty close.

1. Heart/Steve Forbert - Capital Theatre, Passaic, NJ, 1979 - Opening Night of the Second Leg of the "Dog and Butterfly" tour - They say that every night, a different band can be the greatest rock'n roll band in the world. I think I saw that in Heart that evening. I was a moderate fan of theirs before the show, I became a big fan after. I guess because it was the Opening Night of their second leg, they were pumped. The Capital Theatre only held about 3,500 so it wasn't a huge venue. And I got to see some roadies pull a guy off of Ann Wilson, who jumped on stage and tried to kiss her during the encore. What more can you ask for at a show?

2. Elton John/Billy Joel - Giants Stadium - 1994? - I was a big Elton John fan as a teeny bopper, and always wanted to see him live. When they came out on stage and began, I turned to my friend and said, "Now I can die in peace." It was a little weird going to a concert totally straight, but hey, I was 33 by then!

3. The Kinks - Muhlenberg College, Allentown, PA - 1981 - Another night where you see a band that's simply "on". People were on their feet for nearly the entire show. Even Ray Davies seemed surprised by the crowd reaction when he thanked us at the end of the show.

4. Emerson, Lake and Palmer - Nassau Coliseum - Works, Volume II tour - 1977. My first-ever concert with my favorite group! What more can you say?

5. Queen - Madison Square Garden - 1978 - Jazz Tour - You know the show that they mention on VH-1's "Behind the Music" on Queen when Nude Women on Bicycles came out on stage at MSG? I was at that show! The great thing about a Queen show was that they play everything you want to hear, NOT the obscure, esoteric cuts that maybe five people in the audience will appreciate.

6. Genesis - Madison Square Garden - Duke tour - 1980 - Considered to have one of the best light shows at that time...I agree. Phil Collins is a great showman, and hadn't sold out yet. Tony Banks catatonic on keyboards.

7. AC/DC/Gamma - Stabler Arena, Bethlehem, PA - Back in Black tour - 1981 - Loudest concert I ever went to...bordering on pain, as I sat in Row 2. Scariest crowd I ever went to a show with...I wasn't sure I'd make it out of there alive. But a damn good show on what is regarded as their greatest album.

8. Pat Benatar/Billy Squier - South Mountain Reservation, West Orange, NJ - Precious Time tour - 1982 - The height of Benatar-mania. Benatar kicked ass.

9. Dire Straits - Mann Music Center, Philadelphia, PA - Brothers In Arms tour, 1985 - Mark Knopfler is NOT the greatest showman, but DAMN he plays a mean guitar! A long standing ovation after an incredible performance on "Sultans of Swing." And I sat Row 2 Center for it all!

10. Lilith Fair (Sarah McLachlan, Natalie Merchant, Missy Elliott, Indigo Girls, Liz Phair, etc.) - E Music Center, Camden, NJ - 1998 - My first and only festival. Doubt I'd ever do it again because of the hassle, but I was glad I experienced it. Sarah's got a beautiful voice.

Holy cow, asc85, that's a pretty amazing list. It's funny though what different people take away from different lists. The first thing that jumped out at me was, "Steve Forbert? On the Jackrabbit Slim tour? What I wouldn't give to have seen THAT!

Now Playing: "Singin' In The Rain" Jamie Cullum Twentysomething (Verve)

Hi LinnTate,

Yes, I believe Forbert was touring off of the "JackRabbit Slim" album. Obviously, few were there to see him and not Heart. I came in about mid-set, and heard him doing his song "Thinking". He then announced, "this will be the last song of my set." which gave him the biggest ovation of the night. And actually his closing song turned out to be my favorite Forbert song, as well as a philosophy that I remind myself of from time to time: "You Can Not Win, If You Do Not Play"

Just fell off my soap box!

Even in '79 Steve Forbert would have been a pretty shaky choice for Heart's opening act. Label mates, right? That's the kind of fuzzy logic that usually leads to those kinds of decisions.

My seats weren't nearly so good as yours for Dire Straits' Brothers In Arms tour and you're right, Knofler is not one of the world's great showmen, but they had the crowd on their feet most of the way. In fact, one of my clearest memories of the night was the guy behind my buddy Geoff and me who hassled us any time we tried to sit down!

Oh, and I probably should respond in your Worst Live Shows thread, but I love the thumbnail of the Joe Jackson show. I love the man's music, but I've heard he's not much of a charmer live and in person.

Now Playing: "Maiden Voyage" V.S.O.P The Quintet Happy Birthday Newport: 50 Swinging Years! (Sony)

1. Rush (12th September 2004, Glasgow Secc. 3 and a half hour show-unreal!)
2. The Deftones w/ One Minute Silence (?? January 1997, Dublin SFX)
3. The Doors of the 21st Century (12th July 04, The Point, Dublin)
4. Tomahawk w/ Ex-Girl (?? March 2003, The Ambassador, Dublin)
5. Guns N' Roses w/ Faith No more & My Little Funhouse (??? August 1992, Slane Castle, Meath)
6. Motorhead (Nov 1999, Vicar St. Dublin)
7. Therapy? w/ash, joyrider, mexican pets (15th sept, 1995 - my first gig {I was 13} and still the only one I remember fully. Coz I was sober)
8. Megadeth (April 2002, SFX, Dublin)
9. Slayer w/Machine Head & Downset (1995, SFX, Dublin)
10. Cannibal Corpse w/ Vader, Mystic Circle (April 1998, Temple Bar music centre, Dublin - this is in my top 10 because of the absolutely terrifying yet thrilling moshpit that I somehow survived)

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Originally posted by mark f:
5. Camper Van Beethoven, 1985, San Jose, CA Mexican restaurant (!!) They played in the lounge, which couldn't have been more than 10' X 30', and the "stage" was no more than one inch high. They somehow crammed five people on the thing, including a lap steel! The concert was great but nothing compares with buying their homemade t-shirts out of a suitcase.

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I'll trade you one of my kidneys (slightly used) for that t-shirt, Mark! Anyways, here we go:

1. Jon Spencer Blues Explosion w/Alex Chilton in 1999 at Bogart’s in Cincinnati: Spencer managed to channel Iggy Pop and James Brown simultaneously in the funkiest, sweatiest and dirtiest rock ‘n roll performance I’ve been fortunate enough to witness. God bless the Blues Explosion.

2. Drive By Truckers in 2004 at the Imperial Theatre in Augusta: Without a doubt, they are THE greatest live band touring right now. They craft timeless, sad and funny songs, melding the urgency of The Clash, the musicianship of The Band and the poignancy of vintage Neil Young (and their triple-guitar assault gives me that “special” feeling.)

3. Wilco in 1998 at Bogart’s in Cincinnati: They just released Summerteeth, ditched the steel guitars & mandolins, and entered their Beach Boys-esque period. Jay Bennett worked wonders on his ancient analog keyboards and Jeff Tweedy was a man possessed.

4. Haynes Boys in 1995 at ComFest in Columbus: No amplification needed. They stepped onstage at a gazebo with a couple acoustic guitars and a primitive drum kit and laid down the meanest country/punk/blues this side of the Delta.

5. Hank Williams III w/ the Shack Shakers in 2002 at Little Brothers in Columbus: Ol’ Hank is no novelty act. His band was tight as can be, and the death metal encore cleared the room of all except for a few of us brave souls. Highlight: the steel guitar solo on a Pantera cover.

6. Jay Farrar in 2002 at Little Brothers in Columbus: Uhhh, in my Maker’s Mark induced haze I vaguely recall one heckuva show and I don’t think I was groped at all.

7. Nine Inch Nails in 1993 at Veterans Auditorium in Columbus: Me and thousands of my disaffected teenage peers stormed the floor and “removed” the reserved seating, creating an impromptu mosh pit. Unfortunatley, Trent Reznor’s golden retriever fell from the loading dock backstage during the show and died.

8. Beck w/The Roots & Atari Teenage Riot in 1998 at Miami University: The most danceable bill my booty has ever witnessed.

9. Willie Nelson in 2000 at the Ohio State Fair: 2 & ½ hours of enthusiastic renditions of American classics. Willie’s audience must encompass the most demographic groups of any artist- every age, race and class was represented in the audience.

10. Mick Taylor in 2001 at the Thirsty Ear Tavern in Columbus: Although he’s been off the popular radar for a while, the former Stone is still a guitar god and puts guitarists 1/3 his age to shame.

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Originally posted by Lola:

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Originally posted by mark f:
5. Camper Van Beethoven, 1985, San Jose, CA Mexican restaurant (!!) They played in the lounge, which couldn't have been more than 10' X 30', and the "stage" was no more than one inch high. They somehow crammed five people on the thing, including a lap steel! The concert was great but nothing compares with buying their homemade t-shirts out of a suitcase.

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I'll trade you one of my kidneys (slightly used) for that t-shirt, Mark!

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I could probably use that kidney and a liver, but no dice.

Best of past few years

1. Don Caballero (Halloween 2003) - They played at the basement of Tokyo Rose, a sushi bar and were awesome
2. Magma (June 2003) - Christian Vander's drumming blew me away
3. Blue Oyster Cult (2002 March at Richmond Chili Cook-off) - Just an hour set but it rocked.
4. Richard Thompson (March 2004) - Wonderful acoustic show interspersed with his trademark humor.
5. Richard Pinhas (July 2004) - The legendary leader of the electronic greats Heldon. Movie accompanied the music too. Dystopian, noisy and claustrophobic.
6. King Crimson (around March 2003) - Belew was down with flu and the band did ProjeKct 3 music for an hour and then Fripp took questions from the audience.
7. Bill Frisell trio (November 2004) - Fantastic soundscapes without any sole concentration of virtuosity. Bill's also influenced by traditional country, as evidenced from his 90s records. He played Dylan's "Just Like a Woman" as an encore.
8. Alamailmaan Vasarat (June 2003) - This Finnish band play an avant-klezmer hybrid with horns that kick ass.
9. Univers Zero (July 2004) - Grim Rock In Opposition churned out by these masters. Accompanied by a movie.
10. Overkill (November 2001) - I'm still a metalhead at heart and there's no better bad-ass soldiers surviving from thrash's hey-day. However, my car suffered irreparable damage on the way back.

Honourable mentions would be High on Fire/ Clutch, Wishbone Ash, The Strawbs, Kreator/ Destruction/ Cephalic Carnage, Cryptopsy who headlined for Dimmu Borgir (yuck!) etc.

Talking Heads 1983 at the Mann music center in Philadelphia. Yep, and I went with MY mom, too!

David Bowie at the Spectrum also the summer of '83. I saw him 3 times that tour-twice in Philly and once again at Hershey Park and snuck under the fence after the show and drank Heineken and ate shrimp from the buffet backstage and then a roadie gave us a TOUR of the STAGE! I stood where David stood.

New Order 1987 NYC. The show was announced short-notice. A benefit concert for some good cause I cannot remember. Stood next to Paulina for a few moments during the show. New Order at their height and NY in the last days of the dirty Reagan eighties.

My Bloody Valentine at Liberty Lunch Austin, Tx 1992 "opening for Dinosaur jr. Really fooking LOUD and plain brilliant. 17 minutes of jet engine in an airplane hanger dissonance from Kevin Shields ripped off the corrugated tin roof. Well it sure seemed like 17 minutes.

TheThe also in '92 Mind Bomb tour w/Johnny Marr. Austin, Tx. Also really really loud and BRILLIANT.

S