12 Concerts that Changed Your Life!

[x1yyz]

Having grown up in Nowhere, Midwest, and being too young to travel to see the great 70s rock bands I grew up with, my list of really memorable concerts is tilted toward one side of my tastes. It's also small; though I've seen a fair share and enjoyed most, these stand out:

 

Big Country at Mary Washington College following The Crossing, ca 1983. They were awesome. Years later they opened for the Stones and Mick Jagger remarked that they were the best opening band the Stones had ever had (he might have said that about all the bands, but Big Country really were a great live act).

 

Oh wow. I've loved Big Country since the 80s but never saw them. It makes me happy to know they were good live, though.

 

 

Edit: Best show I missed...Tones on Tail (included D. Ash and K. Haskins of Bauhaus) at the 9:30 Club. Tones on Tail was my favorite band then, by a long shot, like Rush was '77 through '81, but for some reason I couldn't go. The Washington Post wrote a glowing review of the show afterwards. Salt in the wound. Missing that has always smarted. I did though see Robyn Hitchcock (& the Egyptians) and The Fall at the 9:30 Club back in the day; those were pretty sweet. A pretty tipsy post-concert Brix Smith even gave me a drink of her wine after the show. Don't know how open or closed her and Mark's marriage might have been, but my college-age self sure enjoyed that gulp of wine. Good stuff. Besides seeing the Foo Fighters in an LA diner just before they released their first album, that was my one brush with pop fame.

 

I never saw Tones on Tail either :( I've seen Love & Rockets several times, and Bauhaus after they reformed, but ToT would have been a great one to see.

[hobo73]

I've been to 15 shows, but 8 were CT so I will have a shortened list. (and yes, their shows have had huge impact on me.)

 

Eric Clapton Crossroads Guitar Festival

My first time in an audience full of hippies, and it was so awesome. So the atmosphere alone was something magical. I saw some remarkable acts that day and thoroughly enjoyed myself. :)

Doyle Bramhall II was actually the one whose performance hit me like a ton of bricks. I'd never heard of him before then, but I was an instant fan. Robert Cray was godlike, as usual.

BB King too! Fantastic show. I only wish I coulda stayed for the entire day. *grumble grumble*

 

Alice Cooper

It's weird, I always knew I'd see Alice love someday. Overall I had a shitty day that day, which is saying something if even a KICKASS Alice Cooper show couldn't save it! lol

My dad's friend took me, dad and my brother as a christmas present. The show started with 2 Alices fighting onstage to the "death", and soon after he stabbed a baby doll with a sword. Any concert that starts that way HAS to be grand. And it was.

 

Styx

Styx gets a lot of hate, but I love 'em! My grandma picked me up from high school one day and said "don't make plans this Friday- you're seeing Styx with me."

She took myself and my brother! The show was over 2 hours long and just blew me away. Rocked my face OFF.

[Rutlefan]

"I never saw Tones on Tail either :( I've seen Love & Rockets several times, and Bauhaus after they reformed, but ToT would have been a great one to see. "

 

I had a "man-crush" (ref Seinfeld) on Daniel Ash around the time of Tones on Tail and first couple Love and Rockets albums, like the one I had for Jimmy Page when I was younger. ;)

[ReRushed]

Rush - December 21, 1981, Brendan Byrne Arena, NJ

Prince - March 17, 1985, Nassau Coliseum, NY

U2 - April 1, 1985, Madison Square Garden, NY

A Conspiracy of Hope - June 15, 1986, Giants Stadium, NJ

The Replacements - June 21, 1986, The Ritz, NY

Bob Dylan with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers - July 21, 1986, Bredan Byrne Arena, NJ

Fishbone - July 18, 1990, The Palladium, NY

Pixies - November 30, 1990, The Ritz, NY

Neil Young - February 15, 1992, The Beacon Theater, NY

Los Lobos - April 25, 1996, Mercury Lounge, NY

Tibetan Freedom Concert - June 13 & 14, 1998, RFK Stadium, Washington, DC

Paul McCartney - July 16, 2011, Yankee Stadium, NY

[apetersvt]

I could list my top 12 concerts, but since the theme is 'Concerts that Changed My Life', I will stick to that theme.

 

1. Rush - Hold Your Fire tour - Hampton Coliseum, VA - my first concert ever. Such a transcendent moment seeing your heroes live in the flesh and being in the moment with them.

2. The Grateful Dead - Oct 94 Philly Spectrum - My first Dead show was also very important to "get on the bus" but this show was my first time doing LSD. For anyone who has tried it, you certainly understand why I consider it 'life changing'. You certainly see things differently going forward.

3. Rush - R30 tour - Virginia Beach, VA - Won front row - directly center- tickets from a radio contest. Best seats in the house. Am now spoiled.

4. Gov't Mule - Alley Katz in Richmond, VA 1999. Loudest concert ever been to. Never had music kick my ass like this.

5. Allman Brothers - Beacon Theater, NY 1996. Just something magical about that place and the excitement of being in the big city. I had a near out of body experience during Warren's solo during In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed.

6. Rush - Nissan Pavillion, VA - Snakes and Arrows tour (I think) - Nothing unusually special about the show, but it was the first time tailgating with TRF folks. Having our usual tailgate with such great people every tour at Nissan/Jiffy Lube always makes those evenings that much more special.

7. Lock'n festival - middle of nowhere in southern VA, 2013 - My first (and only) multi-day music festival. How can you not have fun hanging out with 20,000 hippies and listening to the best jam-bands out there. Been to a lot of Dead shows, but this was a 4 day long show.

8. The Kind - Wed nights at the South Main Café, Blacksburg, VA 1992-1994. The life changing part of this band was helping my guitar when I was a beginner. In a time before the internet, I had to rely on books and guitar magazines for sheet music/tabs. I was never one to be able to pick up stuff by ear. The Kind was a local cover band that played a lot of Grateful Dead and other hippie late 60s/early 70s tunes. Anyways, I was able to learn a lot of guitar songs simply be watching the chord fingerings of the guitar players in the band. Some nights I actually had a pen and pad of paper with my to write notes.

9. Rush - Test For Echo - CapCenter, MD - I don't think my jaw has EVER dropped as low as when Lerxst started those initial notes from Discovery. Had heard Overture/Syrinx many times before, but I couldn't frickin' believe they played all of 2112. Definitely the top "holy shit, I can't believe they are playing xxxx" moment in my life. Every time I think of checking the setlist for each Rush tour, I always think about that moment. I want to keep that magic/hope for magic active and not ruin it.

 

 

 

 

[Rick N. Backer]

Although I rarely go to concerts any more (the last one I saw was the Time Machine tour), it's hard to think of too many that really changed my life in the same way hearing an album by a band might open up a whole new world of music to you. I mostly went to see artists I liked already. But here's a few:

 

1. Harry Connick, Jr. on the Come By Me tour. Hands down the best live performer I've ever seen. He told stories, he did a dance number on his piano (to show how you can make music without playing an instrument) he sang wonderfully, and played amazing instrumentals.

 

2. U2 on the Elevation tour. I'm not really a U2 fan. I do like The Joshua Tree, Achtung Baby, All That You Can't Leave Behind and How to Dismantle an Atomic Bomb. Beyond that, meh. My wife is a huge fan, and has actually seen them in Ireland. I went with her to see them in 2001, and found a new appreciation for them.

 

3. Bruce Springsteen on The Rising tour. Like with U2, I'd never been a huge Springsteen fan. But the show was amazing, and it changed my view of his stuff. And because my wife's friend worked for a radio station, we met Stevie Van Zandt before the show. Very cool.

[GeddysMullet]

I've seen some good shows, but there's really only one that changed my life -- Rush at what will always be the Garden State Arts Center to me in Holmdel, NJ in 2007 on the first leg of the Snakes And Arrows tour.

 

Leading up to that gig, I had been very sick and depressed for quite a long time and nothing was seeming to get better. I didn't go to that show as a fan. I went to that show just for something to do, and to tell a Rush-fan friend of mine that I'd seen them. I figured they'd play the two or three songs that I liked and the rest of the time I'd just people-watch. Instead, I caught the joy from the stage and remembered what it was like to feel good, and to be soothed and invigorated by music. I say that I rediscovered my will to live at that gig, and I'm not exaggerating I was a fan by the time I left, I'll tell you that much!

 

The greatest thing is that I've been to quite a few Rush gigs since then, and they ALL feel like that :rush:

Edited April 2, 2014 by GeddysMullet

[Cygnus 2112]

I've seen some good shows, but there's really only one that changed my life -- Rush at what will always be the Garden State Arts Center to me in Holmdel, NJ in 2007 on the first leg of the Snakes And Arrows tour.

 

Leading up to that gig, I had been very sick and depressed for quite a long time and nothing was seeming to get better. I didn't go to that show as a fan. I went to that show just for something to do, and to tell a Rush-fan friend of mine that I'd seen them. I figured they'd play the two or three songs that I liked and the rest of the time I'd just people-watch. Instead, I caught the joy from the stage and remembered what it was like to feel good, and to be soothed and invigorated by music. I say that I rediscovered my will to live at that gig, and I'm not exaggerating I was a fan by the time I left, I'll tell you that much!

 

The greatest thing is that I've been to quite a few Rush gigs since then, and they ALL feel like that :rush:

You win this thread.

[Union 5-3992]

1, August 28, 2010 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers/Crosby Stills & Nash - First concert I ever went to. Opened up a whole new experience for me. Was a big fan of Tom Petty's Live Anthology so I was really excited to finally see them perform live. CSN were good too

 

2, August 26, 2011 BB King/Buddy Guy - Got to see one of my guitar heroes, BB King. I heard a lot of him growing up and he was one of my dad's favorite artists as well. It was really cool to go see him perform with him. I also learned about Buddy when I saw this show. I had no idea how good Buddy Guy was. He ended up being much better than B.B.

 

3. July 16, 2012 Iron Maiden/Alice Cooper - The first show I saw after graduating from high school. It was probably one of the more unreal shows since it was the first time I saw two bands I really liked. It was also the last time I was able to spend time with two of my best friends before they went their separate ways. It was a great send off before college started for me

 

4. September 22, 2012 Steve Vai/Beverly McClellan - This was the first show I went to see on my own. It was where I met one of my best friends who lived across the hall from me at UB. The show was fun and made me a bigger fan of Vai.

 

5. October 26, 2012 RUSH - The first time I ever got to see Rush. Before I saw this show, I had already been a member of this board for about a year or two. Rush had established itself as my absolute favorite band and I remember the entire day seemed so unreal. I finally got to see a band that meant so much to me. I loved Clockwork Angels when it came out and probably listened to the record a hundred times that summer. The entire night was a blast and it remains the best show I've ever seen.

 

6. February 26, 2013 Buddy Guy/Jonny Lang - Really cool to see Buddy perform again after seeing him in 2011. I was glad to go in knowing a lot of his material. Thankfully he was able to play another hour compared to his last performance. There were two magical moments that night. One was when Buddy played his guitar while in the audience. He stopped in the row behind me and played in front of the empty seat. He played a solo 2 feet away from me. I'll never forget that. He also handed me a pick after the show.

 

7. April 5, 2013 Bob Dylan/Dawes - Free concert. First bad concert I've been to

 

8. April 21, 2013 Steven Wilson - General Admission show and I got there early to secure a good spot. First time I've ever seen a band from the front row and it was well worth the extra wait. I stood right under Nick Breggs and Steven had his mellotron set up 10 feet from me. My 2nd-3rd favorite show. I remember making the drummer laugh by air drumming

 

9. July 26, 2013 RUSH - At this time I had been speaking for well over a year to a girl I met here. I took a bus from Rochester, NY to Vancouver, BC to meet her and spend 2 weeks at her home. We timed it so I would see Rush with her on my last week there. We stood outside the arena from Noon till the show in the hopes of getting Rush to autograph made and they did. I remember the start of the show well, but I was so dehydrated by the end of the night to remember the end.

 

10. August 7, 2013 Baroness/Royal Thunder - Another show I got to be up front row. Probably the heaviest band I've seen. Saw it with a good buddy of mine

 

11. October 1, 2013 Joe Satriani/Steve Morse - Saw it with my buddy from college, also a fun show

 

12. April 1, 2014 Experience Hendrix (Buddy Guy, Eric Johnson, Dweezil Zappa) - Before I saw this show this week, I had grown a bit tired of Hendrix's music. I hadn't listened to it in a long while and was a bit bored with it. I went to the show because it had many musicians I enjoyed. Their performances helped reinvigorate my appreciation of Hendrix's music. Also Buddy Guy was nice enough to sign my copy of Living Proof after the show. :D

Edited April 5, 2014 by Union 5-3992

[Oracle]

June 10th, 2012 - Roger Waters

 

Literally changed EVERY conceivable way I thought you could put a show on, stage wise. I don't think I can fully describe how I felt when I walked into the arena and saw this huge wall stretching across it. Then to see it built up over the course of the show, have images projected onto it, and then be completely destroyed in this incredibly climactic event...it was literally like nothing I had ever seen.

 

September 22nd, 2007 - Genesis

 

Seeing these guys on stage was pretty special for me, considered I had been told, ever since I started listening to them at about age 6, that they would never get back together. Granted, the set list was really a let down looking back on it, but it was the absolute perfect set list back when I was 13. Seeing "In the Cage" performed in this amazingly well put together medley with "The Cinema Show", "Duke's Travels", and "Afterglow" was just amazing. Seeing "Afterglow" live as well was just magical. That's the one moment I'll always have with me.

 

July 7th, 2009 - The Beach Boys

 

I had seen them numerous times before, but this one was really special. I had taken my girlfriend at the time to see this show. The one moment I'll always remember is dancing with her during "Don't Worry Baby" and singing in her ear. Like the whole world just stopped and nothing else mattered. I probably couldn't thank the band enough for playing that song at that exact moment (sunset and everything too!).

 

November 2008 - Yes (with Benoit David)

 

This, of course, being the tour that Jon Anderson was supposed to be at but was soon replaced. This really changed my concept of how a guitar could be played. Me and my father were sitting in the second row, right in front of Steve Howe. When it came time for "The Clap" and "To Be Over", he just looked at us the entire time. It was like looking Skeletor in the empty eye sockets, but watching him watch US and play these two amazing acoustic solos at the same time was just amazing. He kept pretty good watch on us after that and would often look to us for approval every time he started a new riff or went into a small solo. It's great to have that kind of communication with someone on stage like that.

 

August 29th, 2010 - Rush

 

Damn, was this one hell of a show. This really stuck to me, not only because it was my first Rush gig, but because I had never realized how great showmen these guys really were. I own the DVDs, the albums, the live albums...but seeing them live is the ONLY way to get a true taste of how they go about performing. Being a drummer primarily, I was really excited to see Peart do his drum solo and go through the entire "Moving Pictures" album. Seeing him work his magic on "Marathon" brought tears to my eyes, it was just so spot on. It makes me wish I could have gone to Cleveland a few months later to attend that concert, because it was obvious to me that the 2010 gigs were just warm ups compared to what they gave in Cleveland.

[g under p]

I could list my top 12 concerts, but since the theme is 'Concerts that Changed My Life', I will stick to that theme.

 

1. Rush - Hold Your Fire tour - Hampton Coliseum, VA - my first concert ever. Such a transcendent moment seeing your heroes live in the flesh and being in the moment with them.

2. The Grateful Dead - Oct 94 Philly Spectrum - My first Dead show was also very important to "get on the bus" but this show was my first time doing LSD. For anyone who has tried it, you certainly understand why I consider it 'life changing'. You certainly see things differently going forward.

3. Rush - R30 tour - Virginia Beach, VA - Won front row - directly center- tickets from a radio contest. Best seats in the house. Am now spoiled.

4. Gov't Mule - Alley Katz in Richmond, VA 1999. Loudest concert ever been to. Never had music kick my ass like this.

5. Allman Brothers - Beacon Theater, NY 1996. Just something magical about that place and the excitement of being in the big city. I had a near out of body experience during Warren's solo during In Memory Of Elizabeth Reed.

6. Rush - Nissan Pavillion, VA - Snakes and Arrows tour (I think) - Nothing unusually special about the show, but it was the first time tailgating with TRF folks. Having our usual tailgate with such great people every tour at Nissan/Jiffy Lube always makes those evenings that much more special.

7. Lock'n festival - middle of nowhere in southern VA, 2013 - My first (and only) multi-day music festival. How can you not have fun hanging out with 20,000 hippies and listening to the best jam-bands out there. Been to a lot of Dead shows, but this was a 4 day long show.

8. The Kind - Wed nights at the South Main Café, Blacksburg, VA 1992-1994. The life changing part of this band was helping my guitar when I was a beginner. In a time before the internet, I had to rely on books and guitar magazines for sheet music/tabs. I was never one to be able to pick up stuff by ear. The Kind was a local cover band that played a lot of Grateful Dead and other hippie late 60s/early 70s tunes. Anyways, I was able to learn a lot of guitar songs simply be watching the chord fingerings of the guitar players in the band. Some nights I actually had a pen and pad of paper with my to write notes.

9. Rush - Test For Echo - CapCenter, MD - I don't think my jaw has EVER dropped as low as when Lerxst started those initial notes from Discovery. Had heard Overture/Syrinx many times before, but I couldn't frickin' believe they played all of 2112. Definitely the top "holy shit, I can't believe they are playing xxxx" moment in my life. Every time I think of checking the setlist for each Rush tour, I always think about that moment. I want to keep that magic/hope for magic active and not ruin it.

 

ALL of your RUSH shows I was there too including, also seeing the HYF tour back at the Cap Centre in MD. MY first RUSH show was also at the Hampton Coliseum for the Grace Under Pressure tour a truly amazing show at an amazing arena to hear a show. I Caught PW at the Richmond Coliseum and only missed the Counterparts tour since GUP to date. I'm at #49 need a special show for #50 maybe outside this country with a foreign language that would be memorable.

[PolarizeMe]

Would add descriptions for these shows, but then it'll go into tl;dr (that stands for "too long; didn't read" for those who don't know) territory.

 

1. Steven Wilson - April 26, 2013

2. Steven Wilson - November 11, 2011

3. :rush: - October 20, 2012

4. :rush: - April 10, 2011

5. :rush: - September 3, 2010

6. Opeth/Katatonia - April 19, 2013

7. Dream Theater - March 28, 2014

8. Iron Maiden/Alice Cooper - July 2, 2012

9. Porcupine Tree - September 24, 2010

10. My Bloody Valentine - November 12, 2013

11. Anathema/Alcest/Mamiffer - September 14, 2013

12. Katatonia/Cult of Luna/TesseracT/Intronaut - September 24, 2013

[Union 5-3992]

Would add descriptions for these shows, but then it'll go into tl;dr (that stands for "too long; didn't read" for those who don't know) territory.

 

1. Steven Wilson - April 26, 2013

2. Steven Wilson - November 11, 2011

3. :rush: - October 20, 2012

4. :rush: - April 10, 2011

5. :rush: - September 3, 2010

6. Opeth/Katatonia - April 19, 2013

7. Dream Theater - March 28, 2014

8. Iron Maiden/Alice Cooper - July 2, 2012

9. Porcupine Tree - September 24, 2010

10. My Bloody Valentine - November 12, 2013

11. Anathema/Alcest/Mamiffer - September 14, 2013

12. Katatonia/Cult of Luna/TesseracT/Intronaut - September 24, 2013

Please go into detail. That's what this thread is for. Plus I love all those bands

[Turbine Freight]

1, August 28, 2010 Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers/Crosby Stills & Nash - First concert I ever went to. Opened up a whole new experience for me. Was a big fan of Tom Petty's Live Anthology so I was really excited to finally see them perform live. CSN were good too

 

2, August 26, 2011 BB King/Buddy Guy - Got to see one of my guitar heroes, BB King. I heard a lot of him growing up and he was one of my dad's favorite artists as well. It was really cool to go see him perform with him. I also learned about Buddy when I saw this show. I had no idea how good Buddy Guy was. He ended up being much better than B.B.

 

3. July 16, 2012 Iron Maiden/Alice Cooper - The first show I saw after graduating from high school. It was probably one of the more unreal shows since it was the first time I saw two bands I really liked. It was also the last time I was able to spend time with two of my best friends before they went their separate ways. It was a great send off before college started for me

 

4. September 22, 2012 Steve Vai/Beverly McClellan - This was the first show I went to see on my own. It was where I met one of my best friends who lived across the hall from me at UB. The show was fun and made me a bigger fan of Vai.

 

5. October 26, 2012 RUSH - The first time I ever got to see Rush. Before I saw this show, I had already been a member of this board for about a year or two. Rush had established itself as my absolute favorite band and I remember the entire day seemed so unreal. I finally got to see a band that meant so much to me. I loved Clockwork Angels when it came out and probably listened to the record a hundred times that summer. The entire night was a blast and it remains the best show I've ever seen.

 

6. February 26, 2013 Buddy Guy/Jonny Lang - Really cool to see Buddy perform again after seeing him in 2011. I was glad to go in knowing a lot of his material. Thankfully he was able to play another hour compared to his last performance. There were two magical moments that night. One was when Buddy played his guitar while in the audience. He stopped in the row behind me and played in front of the empty seat. He played a solo 2 feet away from me. I'll never forget that. He also handed me a pick after the show.

 

7. April 5, 2013 Bob Dylan/Dawes - Free concert. First bad concert I've been to

 

8. April 21, 2013 Steven Wilson - General Admission show and I got there early to secure a good spot. First time I've ever seen a band from the front row and it was well worth the extra wait. I stood right under Nick Breggs and Steven had his mellotron set up 10 feet from me. My 2nd-3rd favorite show. I remember making the drummer laugh by air drumming

 

9. July 26, 2013 RUSH - At this time I had been speaking for well over a year to a girl I met here. I took a bus from Rochester, NY to Vancouver, BC to meet her and spend 2 weeks at her home. We timed it so I would see Rush with her on my last week there. We stood outside the arena from Noon till the show in the hopes of getting Rush to autograph made and they did. I remember the start of the show well, but I was so dehydrated by the end of the night to remember the end.

 

10. August 7, 2013 Baroness/Royal Thunder - Another show I got to be up front row. Probably the heaviest band I've seen. Saw it with a good buddy of mine

 

11. October 1, 2013 Joe Satriani/Steve Morse - Saw it with my buddy from college, also a fun show

 

12. April 1, 2014 Experience Hendrix (Buddy Guy, Eric Johnson, Dweezil Zappa) - Before I saw this show this week, I had grown a bit tired of Hendrix's music. I hadn't listened to it in a long while and was a bit bored with it. I went to the show because it had many musicians I enjoyed. Their performances helped reinvigorate my appreciation of Hendrix's music. Also Buddy Guy was nice enough to sign my copy of Living Proof after the show. :D

 

Choices 2 &3 are ace.

[Jaminbenb]

Was looking for something else, but found this thread I started a while back....It reminded me of something I was thinking about the other day when I pulled out the Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman & Howe stuff....

 

I got to see those guys in 1989 on an island in the middle of the Susquehanna River in Harrisburg, PA...it was an island used (at the time, and prior) for mainly parking for the city...you got on the island, parked, then took a shuttle into the city...then the had a park on it...and when I marched in a drum & bugle corps, we practiced on the football field, and parking lots...at one point in the early 80's they decided to put a big stage on the football field, and have concerts there.. it was HUGE from 1982 until about 1984...then it really dwindled off....they THEN changed the football field into a baseball stadium for a minor league team (The Harrisburg Senators) and moved the "concert venue" to the other side of the island (and created another football field) The LAST concert I ever remember them having was Anderson Bruford Wakeman & Howe in August of 1989. It was like their 4th or 5th show and they were still working out bugs in some of the songs (Yes always rehearsed in Lititz, PA which was where their sound company was based)

 

I remember parking on the island, and walking over to where the show was, and hearing the sound check...when we got to the gate, they took our ticket, and we were able to walk in while they were doing their sound check...Steve was working on some stuff...Bruford was playing his electronic kit with headphones on, looked like he was just warming up Levin was doing the same thing, and Wakeman was doing something with his keys, with one of his techs, and a manual...Anderson walked out, and they all talked a little..then Jon came over to his mic, and said he wanted to teach us something...so he "taught us" the chorus to Order of the Universe so we could sing along with him (and there was probably about 100-200 people standing there at the moment) So he sang it...had us sing it..then had the band PLAY some of it so we could sing with him...after that they went back about their warm up...played a little bit of something else...then said they'd be back in about 20 minutes... (and that was the shows where they came out and did their "solo" stuff first, before going into the ABWH/Yes stuff.)

 

Great concert! Surprised I didn't mention that one when I first started this thread!

[Justin Case]

I've seen over 1,000 shows (no idea of the actual number). Many were awesome, some were mindbogglingly amazing (not even sure i could pick only 12), but just 3 were literally life changing where everything about my world was different from that day forward.

 

1) Grateful Dead - July 1989 Philadelphia

2) Parliament Funkadelic - December 1993 NYC

3) Ween - Seabright, NJ 2001

Edited March 26, 2015 by Justin Case

[fritz44]

AC/DC November ’78 – First concert. What a start!

 

Judas Priest April ’79 - Like ‘Narps’ prior to the British Steel tour, but delivering the goods I still love British Steel.

 

Van Halen ’79. Probably the loudest band I’ve ever seen in a tiny venue, or did the PA, amps and amount of cables just dwarfed the venue. Not a long show, but delivered with class. A band at the top of their game.

 

Motorhead Autumn ’79 – Bomber tour. Poor album, f**king superb gig

 

AC/DC & Diamond Head January ’80 – Bon’s second last gig. Sentimental reasons, but f**king great gig. AC/DC were on fire and mentioned the Saltwell House Rock Disco, which I frequented. Diamond Head were canny that night as well.

 

Rush June ’80 – a band at the height of the powers or just about to get there – where ever ‘there’ is.

 

Slade – during their second rising. Loved them as a young kid and watching them deliver a super set was class.

 

Hanoi Rocks – the kings of sleazy rock ’n’ roll.

 

Manic Street Preachers 2004 – not their biggest fan, but one of the best gigs I’ve ever been to and Newcastle lost a euro semi final that night.

 

Nils Lofgren – superb, talented musician. Acoustic, electric, keyboards and his mate tap-dancing. It doesn’t get much better than that.

 

Skunk Anansie/The Virginmarys. Probably the best support band I’ve ever seen. I’d never heard of the ‘Marys’, but boy were they good. Now seen them a few times and they always do a great gig. Skunk – possibly the most dramatic entrance I’ve ever seen by a band and then continued to deliver.

 

Band of Skulls 2014. Small venue, but packed and classy pop-rock songs. Great.

 

I could go on and on about gigs. I’ve not mentioned the hardest working duo – the Black Keys. On the Thickfreakness tour so much sweat and kept faith up to ‘El’, but now play bigger venues with extras – not quite the same.

[The Cat 3]

*KISS - 1976 - War Memorial - Syracuse, New York (The Spirit of '76 Tour)

 

*Rush - 1977 - War Memorial - Syracuse, New York (The A Farewell to Kings Tour)

 

*Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - 1978 - War Memorial - Syracuse, New York (Darkness Tour)

 

*Queen - 1980 - Joe Louis Arena - Detroit, Michigan (The Game Tour)

 

*Bob Dylan - 1981 - Pine Knob - Clarkston, Michigan (Shot of Love Tour)

 

*The Who - 1982 - Carrier Dome - Syracuse, New York (The It's Hard Tour)

 

*David Bowie - 1983 - Madison Square Gardeb - New York City (The Serious Moonlight Tour)

 

*Tom Petty - 1985 - Brendan Byrne Arena - East Rutherford, New Jersey (The Southern Accents Tour)

 

*The Alarm - 1987 - Beacon Theatre - New York City (The Eye of the Hurricane Tour)

 

*Alice Cooper - 2000 - Parmount Theatret - Asbury Park, New Jersey (The Brutal Planet Tour)

 

*Def Leppard - 2003 - Beacon Theatre - New York City (The X Tour)

 

*The Beach Boys (W/ Brian Wilson) - 2012 - PNC Bank Arts Center - Holmdel, New Jersey (The 50th Anniversary Tour)

 

*Paul McCartney - 2013 - Barclays Center - Brooklyn, New York (The Out There Tour)

 

...ok, so it's a baker's dozen!

[Jaminbenb]

I've seen over 1,000 shows (no idea of the actual number). Many were awesome, some were mindbogglingly amazing (not even sure i could pick only 12), but just 3 were literally life changing where everything about my world was different from that day forward.

 

1) Grateful Dead - July 1989 Philadelphia

2) Parliament Funkadelic - December 1993 NYC

3) Ween - Seabright, NJ 2001

 

Meh...12 was a random number...I think I wrote this up for something else so....I think the list has actually grown as I "remember" things! (damn 80's)

[Union 5-3992]

*The Who - 1982 - Carrier Dome - Syracuse, New York (The It's Hard Tour)

My dad went to see this show. He said it was great

[Justin Case]

I've seen over 1,000 shows (no idea of the actual number). Many were awesome, some were mindbogglingly amazing (not even sure i could pick only 12), but just 3 were literally life changing where everything about my world was different from that day forward.

 

1) Grateful Dead - July 1989 Philadelphia

2) Parliament Funkadelic - December 1993 NYC

3) Ween - Seabright, NJ 2001

 

Meh...12 was a random number...I think I wrote this up for something else so....I think the list has actually grown as I "remember" things! (damn 80's)

 

 

If we're talking phenomenal shows, I could probably name at least 20...probably over 50...maybe even over 100. I've been to A LOT of concerts!!

[Jaminbenb]

I've seen over 1,000 shows (no idea of the actual number). Many were awesome, some were mindbogglingly amazing (not even sure i could pick only 12), but just 3 were literally life changing where everything about my world was different from that day forward.

 

1) Grateful Dead - July 1989 Philadelphia

2) Parliament Funkadelic - December 1993 NYC

3) Ween - Seabright, NJ 2001

 

Meh...12 was a random number...I think I wrote this up for something else so....I think the list has actually grown as I "remember" things! (damn 80's)

 

 

If we're talking phenomenal shows, I could probably name at least 20...probably over 50...maybe even over 100. I've been to A LOT of concerts!!

 

 

I've been to more than100... But I'm in a seemingly socially starved area for decent concerts....

 

I could probably push my total to about 25-30 easily...(and if I could remember some of them...maybe more)

[bathory]

I've seen over 1,000 shows (no idea of the actual number). Many were awesome, some were mindbogglingly amazing (not even sure i could pick only 12), but just 3 were literally life changing where everything about my world was different from that day forward.

 

1) Grateful Dead - July 1989 Philadelphia

2) Parliament Funkadelic - December 1993 NYC

3) Ween - Seabright, NJ 2001

 

you wooks don't count :P of those 1000 shows, 900 were phish and the dead!

[Justin Case]

I've seen over 1,000 shows (no idea of the actual number). Many were awesome, some were mindbogglingly amazing (not even sure i could pick only 12), but just 3 were literally life changing where everything about my world was different from that day forward.

 

1) Grateful Dead - July 1989 Philadelphia

2) Parliament Funkadelic - December 1993 NYC

3) Ween - Seabright, NJ 2001

 

you wooks don't count :P of those 1000 shows, 900 were phish and the dead!

 

 

Not even close. And definitely never been a wook.

 

Admittedly, though, the bulk of my shows were by a relatively small number of acts (probably over 600-700 shows are made up of 25-30 bands).

Edited March 27, 2015 by Justin Case

[PolarizeMe]

Would add descriptions for these shows, but then it'll go into tl;dr (that stands for "too long; didn't read" for those who don't know) territory.

 

1. Steven Wilson - April 26, 2013

2. Steven Wilson - November 11, 2011

3. :rush: - October 20, 2012

4. :rush: - April 10, 2011

5. :rush: - September 3, 2010

6. Opeth/Katatonia - April 19, 2013

7. Dream Theater - March 28, 2014

8. Iron Maiden/Alice Cooper - July 2, 2012

9. Porcupine Tree - September 24, 2010

10. My Bloody Valentine - November 12, 2013

11. Anathema/Alcest/Mamiffer - September 14, 2013

12. Katatonia/Cult of Luna/TesseracT/Intronaut - September 24, 2013

Please go into detail. That's what this thread is for. Plus I love all those bands

Wow, looking at this list and with all of the subsequent concerts I've been to since I posted this, my list would look quite different now. I'll probably post an updated version and with fuller details when I have time (and after the next 4-6 concerts I've got planned or am thinking about going to in the next 2-3 months).

Edited March 27, 2015 by PolarizeMe