Boy oh boy, what a list this could be. But off the top of my head the concerts that have lasted with me are ...

1-REM at Massey Hall in Toronto (mid-80's) ...this was before they hit the big time, so they were fresh, exciting and inspired. They played for close to 3 hours, brought out Natalie Merchant to sing 'Sloop John B', closed with an acoustic version of 'So. Central Rain' and were simply breathtaking. Easily my favourite concert.

2-Stevie Ray Vaughan at Massey Hall in Toronto (late 80's) ...unreal. A true master at his peak. A 40 pounder of JD was at his side all night. It was finished by the end of the show.

3-Radiohead at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto (1997?) ...when they started with 'Airbag' I knew it was going to special. Blazingly loud, wicked playing and a crowd that was in awe. Amazing show.

4-The Wrens at The Horseshoe in Toronto (2004) ...LOUD. LOUD. LOUD. They were raw, very thankful and riding a huge wave of success with 'The Meadowlands'.

5-Guns 'N' Roses with Metallica at Exhibition Stadium in Toronto (early 90's) ... Metallica stole the show. GNR were great though.

6-John Mellencamp at the Ottawa Civic Centre (late 80's) ...he was peaking with some huge radio hits and his band was one fire. He had the entire place on their feet - and I do not dance. But I did that night.

7-James McKenty and The Spades at Cadillac Lounge in Toronto (2003) ...a local band that simply rocks. They were tight, raw, energized and focused. The place was half full, but nobody left. It was like watching something before it blooms to fruition ...still waiting ...

8-Paul Simon at Maple Leaf Gardens in Toronto (mid-80's) ...'Graceland' tour. Amazing musicians. I was terribly high.

I'm having a hard time remembering all of the dates, so I'll fudge a bit.

1). Cheap Trick, with Nash Kato @ the (then) IC Lite Amphitheatre(Pittsburgh, 2000)-- Cheap Trick rocked so hard, had so much fun, and played so well I'm still talking about years later. Their good songs sounded great, their bad (mostly mid-'80s) songs sounded GOOD, and Nash Kato played an insanely good opening set to a crowd of about 10 fans (he pitched in a few Urge Overkill tunes, too!) Power pop madness.

2). Built to Spill, with the Delusions @ the Agora Theatre (Cleveland, 2002)-- I love Built to Spill with all of my heart, but I know they can put on a sloppy (and in this case bad) show. This was the total opposite. They were a machine of guitar-blasting energy, and opening band and constant-touring partners the Delusions were almost as good.

3). Wilco @ the Three Rivers Arts Festival (Pittsburgh, 2004)-- Playing their second year in a row at the free festival (both concerts were on June 6th!), the band really proved that they were a fantastic touring unit. The songs from A Ghost is Born-- even the few I wasn't too hip about --were amazing live. Nils Cline and Jeff Tweedy were on fire.

4). Matthew Sweet @ Metropol (Pittsburgh, 1999)-- Wow.

5). The Promise Ring, with Rich Creamy Paint @ Club Laga (Pittsburgh, 1999)-- Hold up-- the Promise Ring was pretty bad. But the opening band, the little-known Rich Creamy Paint, were the act to beat. The band was probably younger than most of the audience, but they played Big Star-laced power pop with so much energy and enjoyment that the Promise Ring made fools of themselves after this.

6). Richard Buckner, Dolorean and Damien Jurado @ Club Cafe (Pittsburgh, 2004)-- Insanely good show. Dolorean were the surprise stars that night, playing rock/country/folk ala the Band that was timeless as it was tasteful. It doesn't hurt that Jurado and Buckner did amazing sets (Buckner is a force of nature live).

7). Pedro the Lion, with TW Walsh and Damien Jurado @ the Beachland Ballroom (Cleveland, 2003?)-- All three acts were amazing. This was during Jurado's "rock" phase, and there were only about five musicians involved the entire night (since TW Walsh and David Bazan played for all three bands/dudes).

8). Festival of Faith and Music (with Sufjan Stevens, Bill Mallonee, David Bazan, Half-Handed Cloud, Br. Danielson, Pierce Pettis, and a few others) @ Calvin College (Grand Rapids, 2005)-- Very good...the first FFM in 2003 was great (Woven Hand, Br. Danielson, Over the Rhine), but this one won out on my list solely because the sets were really, really tight. Bazan did solely acoustic guitar versions of all of the Headphones songs as well.

9). Vigilantes of Love, with Over the Rhine @ Geneva College (Pittsburgh, 2000)-- While, in hindsight, I liked the OtR set (I didn't then), VoL was on fire. Bill Mallonee wore pajamas and played a distorted acoustic guitar. Alt. country at its finest.

10). Elvis Costello & the Imposters, with Emmylou Harris @ the Chevy Amphitheatre (Pittsburgh, 2005)-- They played for three straight hours and I didn't get bored for one second. His earlier material was pretty messy (in a good way), but the show really took of when the band played the country-tinged songs.

Animal Collective - San Francisco 2005
Joseph Arthur - Salt Lake City 2005
Sigur Ros - Denver 2002
Architecture In Helsinki - Salt Lake City 2005
Deftones/Glassjaw - SLC 2001?
Built To Spill - SLC 2001
Modest Mouse - SLC 2002
M. Ward - SLC 2005
Fiery Furnaces - SLC 2005
Sufjan Stevens - SLC 2005

Top ten live shows I attended are likely:
Bob Dylan 11-6-2001 Grand Rapids, Michigan
The Residents @ The Skychurch @ EMP Seattle 2001
The Residents @ THe Warfield 1986
Jefferson Airplane @ Fillmore 1989
The Clash Oakland 1982
Camper Van Beethoven I-Beam SF, CA
Grateful Dead 6-23-88 Alpine Valley
Neil Young @ Broken Arrow 1986
Patti Smith @ EMP
Hot Tuna 4-20-90 Guerneville, CA

THere are others that could easily be here like Cab Calloway, Miles Davis, THe Highwaymen, Dead Kennedys, Roy Orbison, Blue Oyster Cult in 1977, Peter Gabriel, Yes, and many others, but these ten seem to be some of the best.

Hmm..in no specific order, because there's no way I could possibly get my thoughts straight about them...

2005: White Stripes, Opera House (M Ward opening)
2005: Sleater-Kinney, Avalon (Missed opening act)
2005: X, Avalon (Juliana Hatfield opening)
2005: Brian Wilson, Pavilion
2003: Beck, Pavilion (Black Keys opening)
1997: Radiohead, Mullins Center (Totally forget who opened)
2004: Wilco, Newport Folk Festival
2005: Pixies, Agannis Arena (Totally forget who opened)
2005: Wilco, Agannis Arena (My Morning Jacket opened)
1999: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Woodstock (Bonus points for atmosophere!)

If anyone thinks it's suspicious that so many of them are just last year. I didn't really start going to shows till fall before last.

1. Duran Duran Madison Square Garden April 13, 2005- incredible show- I had 4th row and I could feel the music infusing every cell of my body.
2. Duran Duran Moline, IL, March 23 2005 I had second row and Simon picked me to introduce him. Meeting him was a dream of mine since I was 12.
3.AC/DC the Palace of Auburn Hills, 1992-ish I went to the box office that night and got really great seats. I was so pleasantly surprised at what a fun show it was.
4. Electric Six, Magic Stick, Detroit April 1 2006- since it was only a few days ago, it is really fresh in my head. They are my new obsession and I somehow ended up in the front at the general admission show. They are loud and fun and full of energy. And unbelievably cool.
5. Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers 1992ish Palace of Auburn Hills- Fantastic show- I was really impressed.
6. Harry Connick,Jr. Miller Auditorium, Kalamazoo, April 2004- I have always wanted to see Harry, have always loved him and was so happy to see him perform. And I went with my brother, which was nice since I rarely see him.
7. Motley Crue- Tweeter Center, Sept. 2005- I actually went with my husband- who usually is never a party guy, but we drank a lot of beer and partied together and I got to see one of my all time favorite bands- still going strong, still using strippers and little people and pyro, frequently calling the whole crowd 'fuckers'...it really was the "Carnival of Sin".
8.Guns 'n Roses/ Skid Row Toledo, circa 1992 This was an outdoor event- it had rained heavily the day before and it was really muddy. People were kicking up mud with their tires and evryone had mud on themselves somewhere. My friends and I had a 2 liter of Coke half filled with Jim Beam. It was a very rocking/redneck night. The show kicked ass, too.
9.Poison- Kalamazoo- 1988 I have to include my first concert!! I had great seats, too! and it was loud!! I love that!!
10. Metallica, Palace of Auburn hills- circa 1992- I love Metallica and the show was great, but we were in the nosebleeds. There is nothing like being in the front.

Honorable mention-
Chico Banks, Kingston Mines March 2005, (what a fun night that was, partying with my best girlfriend!)
Alan Jackson in Fort Wayne 1993ish- went with my grandma...it was nice. He's cute and I love his songs. It's even more fun to see my grandma get all excited about her music.


I am so sad that I missed out on seeing Gene Pitney. He was at the Soaring Eagle Casino a month and a half ago...I wish I had gone. RIP, Gene.

In no particular order:

1)David Bowie at the Santa Monica Civic, 1972
This show was one of the most charismatically transfixing performances I've ever seen. Third row center.

2)Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers at the Whisky A Go Go, January 21, 1980. I'd seen them at the Whisky in Aug. 1977, but this was a last minute decision to do this show in the middle of an arena tour and I spent the previous night in line outside the Whisky in hopes of scoring a pair of tickets. Well worth it.

3)Captain Beefheart at the Troubadour, summer 1971. Incredible night of astonishing music. The Magic Band was well tuned and one of many memorable songs was The Old Fart At Play. Also Alice In Blunderland. Also saw them at the Roxy not long after.

3a)Captain Beefheart and the Magic Band, Little Feat & Daddy Cool at the Santa Monica Civic, May 31, 1972. Great night with strong sets by all three bands. Daddy Cool was a guilty pleasure that entire summer having seen them play at least a half dozen times, most memorably an entire afternoon at a soundcheck for a show at an old theatre in Long Beach. We just stayed there until that nights official show, eating with and getting aquainted with the band.

4)Demian (formerly Bubble Puppy) at Cal State Fullerton outside of the Cafeteria/Student Union. Demian was the "house" band at school from spring 1972 to late 1973. I caught about ten to fifteen of these afternoon concerts over that period. GREAT band, played long extended jams with guitar interplay that was indelibly seared into my cranium never to be forgotten.

5)Townes Van Zandt, almost every show he played around L. A. from 1973 until he passed. Highlights were the McCabes, Ash Grove shows. The shows with Butch Hancock and Chris Smither stand out, but every night was sublime.

6)Pink Floyd at the Hollywood Bowl, early 1970's (September 22, 1972). This may have preceded the release of Dark Side of the Moon but it was mostly material from that album that was featured. Also several songs from earlier albums (Set The Controls..., Astronomy Domine?) A 360 degree sound system was employed, to excellent effect and light show enhanced the overall experience. Very impressive.

7)A series of small club shows in the mid '90s. Wilco, Sonvolt, Scud Mountain Boys, Whiskytown, Steve Earle, Richard Buckner, Richard Thompson, Jeff Buckley, Fred Eaglesmith, Butch Hancock, Handsome Family, Freakwater, and more that elude recall at places like the Troubadour, Whisky, Ash Grove (on the pier in Santa Monica), McCabes, Al's Bar (downtown L.A.) to seedier bars and dives around town. These shows marked a reinvigorated desire to see live music after an period of apathy.

8)Joe Ely w/ Roy Brown at the Cathay de Grande in Hollywood. Not sure about date but it was just after the release of Musta Notta Gotta Lotta. This show took place in a low ceilinged, sweaty basement with people jammed around a modest six inch bandstand as the band blasted out a demonically sculpted roadhouse-worthy set that physically assaulted everyone present. My wife and I were less than ten feet away from Ely's mike stand for the entire show. Ely had Roy Brown sing with him on Good Rockin' Tonight and a couple others. Jesse Taylor's guitar playing was as hot as I've ever experienced. Maybe the best live show I've ever attended. (April 27, 1981)

9)THE WHO three shows from the early to mid 1970's. Anaheim Stadium, 1970? with John Sebastian, Blues Image and others I've forgotten. Great all day concert capped off with a searing performance by the Who with a song list similar to Live At Leeds. Long Beach Arena show featuring most of Who's Next and a dozen plus songs from earlier albums. And finally, another Long Beach show featuring songs from Who's Next and most of Quadraphenia. All three shows were as good as it gets.

10)Chris Gaffney and the Cold Hard Facts at the Canyon Inn in Yorba Linda. It's a sports bar that had Gaffney & company every Wednesday night playing three sets from the late 1980's to early 1990's. They later played weekly in Long Beach at the Blue Cafe as well. During their run at the Canyon Inn I attended at least three out of four Wednesdays for two plus years running. Even so, I hated not being there to see them every chance I could. Reviewers of their Live...and Then Some CD made statements to the effect that this was the best bar band in the country/on the planet, and I would not contradict them. Chris is now in the Hacienda Brothers, with three solid albums to their credit. What made these nights so enjoyable were the mixture of original songs and great covers, with enough surprises turning up to keep you coming back for more. After seeing them play 200+ sets I never got close to losing interest. Memorable nights included members of the Iguanas sitting in with the band.


Honorable mentions:nearly any of the Neil Young solo/Crazy Horse shows. Early T-Rex shows before Electric Warrior through Tanx. Mott the Hoople, Electric Light Orchestra w/ Roy Wood, Rod Stewart/Faces, Bruce Cockburn at several venues, Humble Pie early club dates through Rock On, Traffic in it's many configurations and more too numerous to mention. One concert to single out for it's excellent and thematic consistancy:Traffic (circa John Barleycorn) headlining with Fairport Convention (Sandy Denny & Richard Thompson) and Steeleye Span on the same night.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: sanford9850,

1. Einsturzende Neubauten 04 Temple Bar Music Centre

deafened after the gig, Blixa joked about how small the stage was.

2. Patti Smith 07 Vicar Street

still cool after all these years, band was amazing pity they played mainly covers

3. Nick Cave solo Vicar Street 03
along Martyn P. Casey, Jim Sclavunos and Warren Ellis
Nick was on fine form joking with crowd played up a storm

4. Franz Ferdinand Olympia 04

before they became a festival fixture

5. Sons and Daughters WHelans 08

Small club gig sound was a bit patchy from the balcony but amazing show

6.Radiohead Punchestown

7. Pixies support RHCP Landsdowne Road 02

Black Francis did not say much the band played the songs still it was pixies the songs were amazing and they sounded great live. RCHP while not a fan were pretty good live

8. Manic Street Preachers Smithfield 01 I think

Great show, band on top form best of the 3 times I have seen them live.

9. Green Day SFX 98

Nimrod tour, they picked someone out of the audience to play guitar one of the songs.

10. Whipping Boy Theatre Royal 95 my first concert.





10.

I'm pretty iffy on these dates and, for the most part, I really can't remember who the opening acts were. All of these locations are in Calgary, Canada.

1. Roger Waters (2007 Olympic Saddledome). Wow wow wow. This has forever ruined me for concerts. Nobody could top that.

2. Toots & the Maytals (2003 The Night Galllery). Awesome. There were about 500 people crammed into a club that only holds about 300. I was really surprised, but it seemed like everybody there knew all of the words to all of the songs. Also, Toots was in his early 70's at the time and he looked like he was in his 40's. Dude has some serious guns for a geriatric!

3. Joe Satriani with Stuart Hamm (1990 Jack Singer Concert Hall). Unreal. I had no idea that 2000 people could make that much noise. Stu Hamm did "Quahogs, anyone?". No kidding - if you've heard a recording of it, that's what it sounds like live. It sounds like two bassists playing together, but it's just him.

4. Sarah McLachlan (many times). She is one of the few artists who sound as good live as she does on the album. Beautiful voice.

5. The Cult/Lenny Kravitz (1990 Olympic Saddledome). This was before Lenny was big (he was the opening act). Right before he did "Let Love Rule", he said something like "I know, I know - you're all gonna say "here goes Lenny with his hippy bullshit again" but do me a favour..." and he made us all hold hands for the duration of the song. At one point, Ian Astbury (The Cult) got pissed off because security guards kept giving shit to people who were standing on their chairs, so he encouraged everybody to do it. The rent-a-pigs were so outnumbered that they stopped caring.

6. The Tragically Hip (many times). I don't think Gord Downie is ever sober on stage. Great energy, awesome live band.

7. Rheostatics (1993 The Republik). I was young and very drunk, but I remember thinking that it was the best small-club show ever. Probably the tightest live band that ever existed.

8. Gomez (2004 MacEwan Hall). I had wanted to see those guys forever. Well worth the wait.

9. hHead (2000 The Republik). Great show. A female friend of mine had complained about some weird, creepy guy in the club who was staring at her with his hand down his pants. When the band took the stage, she pointed to Noah (lead singer) and shouted "That's the guy!"

10. Odds (1998 Some Tennis Dome). I'm not kidding - a tennis dome.

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I agree with other posts... this was a difficult list. I have been to lots of shows... so going through the mental archive, you worry about leaving something out. And another caveat: I am going to see My Morning Jacket at the Fox Theater in Atlanta in a couple weeks. I'm sure that show will land in this top 10.


Radiohead (Houston | May 2008) - This was, perhaps, my most anticipated show ever. Flew from New Orleans with a great group of friends... got a great spot on the lawn... and didn't shake the grin for the rest of the night. A beautiful performance that left the sellout crowd in awe. From the slow burn of "Pyramid Song" to the electronic frenzy of "Idioteque" to close out the show... Radiohead once again proved to me, they are simply -- the best band on the planet.


Widespread Panic (New Orleans | May 4, 2001) - In my college years... it was all about Widespread Panic... and this show, of the more than 35 WSP concerts I have attended, was the best. This night caught the band at their finest, with late guitarist Michael Houser hitting a new peak. Special guest appearances included: Warren Haynes and Matt Abts from Gov't Mule, The Wild Magnolias, and Chuck Leavell playing keys for WSP's cover of "Dear Mr. Fantasy. A special night indeed.


Nirvana (New Orleans | December 1993) - My first concert at age 14. This was just a few months before Kurt Cobain's death, and one of the band's final live performances. Enough said? Yeah. My young impressionable mind was blown away.


Radiohead (Seattle | 2003) - I was, at the time, just graduated from college, and tour managing a cross-country tour for my best friend Josh Kelley. We were in town to play the Bumbershoot Festival, and took a detour to the White River Amphitheatre. This was my first chance to see Radiohead.. and they certainly lived up to the hype I had already built for them in my mind. Yeah, traffic was a nightmare getting in.. and we missed a song or two... but the show was excellent.


My Morning Jacket (New Orleans | 2006) - MMJ took the stage at NOLA House of Blues with a rousing energy. The sellout crowd was electric throughout... one of those shows where the house lights would come up after some songs... and you could see the shock, joy, hysteria, awe on every face in the room.


Built to Spill (New Orleans | 2006) - Another electric House of Blues show. After the band sluggishly set up their own gear on stage... they lights went down, and they floated back out, literally looking like they just rolled out of bed. Nevermind their indifferent appearing attitude... Doug Martsch and company rocked the f'n hell out of me that night.
"Sometimes life surprises... Because you never expect it to be that.... Dangerous disguises... That you never expect to see" - Built to Spill - "Conventional Wisdom"


TV on the Radio (Austin | 2006) - A post ACL Fest show at Emo's. High energy and passion on stage. Thanks Tunde.


Caribou (Baton Rouge | 2006) - Tiny crowd. Unbelievable performance. The duel-drumming won me over.


The Disco Biscuits (New Orleans | May 2003) - I know many of you on this forum probably aren't into the "jam" scene, but let me tell you, the Disco Biscuits are an incredible live band. This show was on board a Riverboat.. paddling up and down the Mississippi River near Downtown NOLA. Inside the boat... the band played in a long, narrow reception room. It was hot, crowded, and loud. But it was the most ridiculous dance party I have ever seen. Trancefusion.


Deftones (New Orleans | 1997) - Chino Moreno is one of the most powerful frontmen around. Watching him climb the walls at House of Blues.. then jump off a monitor into the crowd was insane. Sure, its an old rock n roll trick, but does it ever get old?

1. Radiohead (Madison Square Garden, NYC- Summer 06)
Test runs for the material off In Rainbows. Scored a ticket on the street among hundreds of other looking for tickets to this sold out show. I ended up paying a third of what others were offering... no idea how I got so lucky.

2. Bonnaroo (Manchester, TN- June 07)
The White Stripes, Spoon, Flaming Lips, Decemberists, Hold Steady, The Roots, Kings of Leon, many many more. I know I'm forgetting a half dozen awesome bands, it's kind of hazy.

3. The Arcade Fire/ LCD Soundsystem (Kansas City, MO, Sept 29, 2007)
Surprised my girlfriend with this show for her birthday. Great gig... too bad that split 7" was sold out.

4. Sonic Youth/ The Flaming Lips (The Pagent, St. Louis, MO- 2006)

5. Blackalicious w/ Lyrics Born opening (32 Blue, Colorado Springs, CO- May 2003)
Awesome show...the Gift of Gab is a masterful lyricist.

6. Kings of Leon (Kansas City, MO- March 2005)
Front row, just before Aha Shake Heartbreak came out.

7. Bob Dylan (Bramblege Collusium, Manhattan, KS- 2004)
He's old now and it's even tougher to understand him... but it's Bob fucking Dylan

8. Art Brut w/ We Are Scientists, the Spinto Band (Lawrence, KS)
Only really cared about Art Brut, who put on a great show.

9. The Strokes (Uptown Theater, Kansas City, MO- 2005
Room on Fire tour. My concerns over the album were put to rest after seeing the show. I finally got it.

10. tie between such acts as Jurassic 5, the Liars, a second Kings of Leon show in Denver w/ Secret Machines & the Shout Out Louds, some random shows in New York City with bands I didn't know.

Due to me being under 18, and the fact that I live in the relatively boring city of Cincinnati, I haven't been to very many shows, but enough to make a list. All of these shows I've been pretty damn near front row.

1) Nine Inch Nails (Chicago, 2008)
All around incredible performance. Band and crowd both with unprecedented energy, not to mention the ridiculous light show going on.
2) Sunset Rubdown/ Evangelicals (Mad Hatter, Covington, KY, 2008)
I went to this one pretty recently and for some reason it blew my mind. Evangelicals are extremely loud and energetic, overall great performers. Sunset Rubdown played with the same energy and were extremely tight. They played a bunch of new stuff, all of which was great.
3) Radiohead (Chicago, 2008)
Not much to add to this, incredible band, incredible performance.
4) Dirty Projectors/ Andrew Bird/ Grizzly Bear/ Bang on a Can (Music Hall, Cincinnati, 2007)
Everyone of these bands was near perfect. The small theater they played in suited all the bands perfectly.
5) Jamie Lidell (Chicago, 2008)
Funky as shit. Lidell went through a bunch of newer songs with his band, all of which were really fun, but the real show was when the band left and he mixed all his songs by himself, using only his voice.
6) Arcade Fire/ LCD Soundsystem (Columbus, 2007)
Very good. Again, both bands with incredible talent and energy. Arcade Fire's performace was over the top as expected, that's a good thing.
7) Holy Fuck (Chicago, 2008)
Great deal of fun. Holy fuck experimented with a lot of different sounds and it really added to their songs.
8) Yeasayer (Chicago, 2008)
Same thing for Yeasayer. Loads of energy.
9) Amadou and Mariam (Chicago, 2008)
Great band. Was not expecting the dance party that ensued when they began to play. And damn, Amadou can fucking play. Especially for a blind guy,
10) LCD Soundsystem (Chicago, 2007)
Ok, I really don't even like them very much at all, but this show was great. DANCE PARTY WOOT! Funnest crowd I've been.