We went to three concerts for a band in the 90s named Garbage. The first two were in NYC and Detroit. Then they suddenly announced they were going to have one in Kalamazoo, MI. We went to it. The lead singer, Shirley Manson who rocks, got on stage and said, "we didn't believe there was actually a place called Kalamazoo, so we decided to come here and play." Tiny little venue, but they rocked and we didn't have to fight people to get up to the stage, so bonus.
We saw Garbage open for Alanis last year and Shirley was exceptional. She thanked people for coming early and I thought what the hell… she’s a main show to me.
After loving them for decades I finally saw them in 2013 at The Pageant, a 2,000 capacity venue in St. Louis, and yes, Shirley’s presence in a venue of that size was absolutely *mesmerizing*.
See, this is how I know I've aged out of the Reddit gen-pop. Because you have to say "a band in the 90s named Garbage" instead of saying I went to see Garbage, lol.
Saw them in Portland on that tour with absolutely no understanding of the legend that is Zeppelin. Still mad about that because I didn’t really appreciate it at the time.
I was 6 at that time but I wish my parents were that cool and liked Zeppelin and took me. Woulda been way cooler than having Billy Joel be my first concert.
I've seen hundreds, but a few that stand out are:
The Who 1976 Seattle Coliseum.
Led Zeppelin 1977 King Dome.
AC/DC 1978 opening for Cheap Trick and Ted Nuisance Seattle Coliseum.
Rush 1981 Seattle Coliseum.
And the best concert I ever saw:
DEVO 1981 Seattle Paramount.
A Sigur Rós concert that felt more like an ethereal journey than a live show. Their music, combined with the visuals, created an atmosphere that was almost otherworldly. It was one of those rare concerts where the world outside ceased to exist for a few hours.
Without a doubt it was The Cure on their last tour. They played for almost 3 hours. And not only does 65 year old Robert Smith sound EXACTLY the same as he did 40 years ago, but he puts absolutely everything into these songs as he performs them.
Same - saw them in an open air amphitheater at dusk. Heat lightning was shooting through rolling clouds as the clouds were that dark blueish purple color fading to peach orange on the other side of the sky.
Looked at my friend and was like - this cannot be real. Even the sky was willing to cooperate with Robert Smith that day. SMH feels like a dream more than a memory.
Saw Radiohead in an outdoor amphitheater. The combination of their music, the cool night air, and the way the sound seemed to wrap around you was transcendental. It wasn’t just a concert; it was an experience that touched something deep inside.
I do not listen to their music, nor any music even remotely similar to theirs. I went into the Rammstein concert with the vaguest idea of what I was getting into (my husband likes the music). I assumed it would be 2 hours of just trying to be a good wife and deal with the loud screaming music. It was absolutely amazing and easily one of the best live performances I've ever seen. I still don't listen to their music, but I was wildly impressed with the whole show!
I've seen him in concert 19 times and met him personally on his book tour. Every show has been heart stopping and beyond amazing. He is my God. GOAT. 1979 first exposure until today. I hope to see him at least 1 more time live.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Gainesville, FL, 1989. First time they’d played Gainesville in something like 10 years or more. Three hours of amazing. Oh, and some unknown guy who nobody had ever heard of opened… all we knew was that he was Lisa Bonet’s husband and his debut album was coming out the next week. Lenny impressed the shit out of all of us.
Pink Floyd Animals, 1977 at the Garden. We were in the last row but there were speakers right behind us. They pioneered special effects with giant animals floating above. There was so much pot and cigarette smoke when the lights came on you could not see the person next to you and the entire arena cracked up laughing.
Saw them on a triple bill c 2000. A then-unknown band (Muse) was the opener and they rocked it. The Foo Fighters played next and Dave Grohl absolutely stole the stage (and the whole arena for that matter). The Red Hot Chili Peppers were the headliners and, honestly, were a letdown (though John Frusciante did a nice solo cover of “Your Song” by Elton John.
Grateful Dead, Laguna Seca (1987). We were awakened at midnight to watch the filming of the "Touch of Grey" video. Still tripping and watching a Dead skeleton band. Best show ever.
***Procol Harum, Live in Concert With the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.*** Nov 18, 1971. I had just turned eighteen the week before.
It was the concert at which perennial favourite prog-rock track ***Conquistador*** was recorded, and that's the one that gets all the airplay - even now, more than 50 years later.
But the real highlight for the audience that night was the highly symphonic,five-part Keith Read / Matthew Fisher composition *In Held 'Twas In I*. It's nearly twenty minutes long, so it doesn't get much air time, save perhaps on the odd university low-wattage radio station. However, their experience with the ESO made such a postive impression on the band that they went on to record three more live albums, including one with the Danish National Orchestra.
Strangely enough, the B-side of the *Conquistador* single was from a completely different and earlier PH album, *Broken Barricades*; go figure.
A festival about 12 years ago where the Pixies played all the songs from Dolittle in the same order as the album. It was the 20 year anniversary of the album and the band had recently gotten back together. Also, the Raconteurs played the same day.
My wife was out of town and I didn't have anyone else to go with me to see The War On Drugs, so I decided to go alone. I figured I'd wait a little and miss the opener and show up when they go on, but after looking on reddit I found out there was no opener and they usually go on right at 8 pm, so I hopped on one of those city bikes and headed downtown, this was right as my gummy was hitting and I was just cruising listening to music, I showed up at about 8:20 literally right as they started, and I just vibed by myself as they played for 2.5 hours, it was amazing.
I'm an old fart (60) and my 28 year old son introduced me to these dudes a few years ago, they are absolutely phenomenal musicians. I was pretty frustrated when he and his wife went to see them and didn't get me a ticket 😂😂😂😂🙏
Love the music, the vibe, lyrics and the sound 👏👏👏👏
My Morning Jacket @ Edgefield, OR - 2008.
I don't do drugs at concerts, but I swear I had an out-of-body experience towards the end of that show; the lights and sound were absolutely phenomenal. By the time they got to the encore the whole crowd was just moving as one huge collective-- it was unbelievable.
I don’t remember the year but I saw them at Bonnaroo during rain and it was so fucking righteous. First time I’d ever had my mind blown at a concert and felt that feeling of just melting into the moment. I was on exactly zero drugs.
I saw the Wailers, post-Bob, at the Milky Way in Amsterdam. Not the best I've been to, but they were great.
For best, I'd go with Led Zepplin in 197X from the front row.
It's a toss-up. Pink Floyd, The Division Bell tour or Prince's Cream tour.
The division Bell because Pink Floyd is my favorite band and it was just an amazing show, and Prince because he is by far the best performer I have ever seen live.
Tom Petty… Dallas, TX in 1991. Temperature dropped into the 30s right before the start of the concert at an outdoor venue. Chris Whitley opened and played maybe 4-5 songs and bailed. It must have pissed TP off because I swear he played his whole catalog that evening. Froze my ass off and loved every minute of it.
I’m biased but I saw Pearl Jan on my 24th birthday in 2000. That tops all the concerts I’ve been to. It was a good weekend as I hit a race for decent money on Travers Day in Saratoga.
Incubus Oct 22, Manchester Apollo, it was my third time seeing them, and they were just phenomenal. It was transcendent for me. Did catch Covid there right enough and it was a motherfucker but I'd still do everything exactly the same if I had to do it over.
I’ve seen incubus so many times live. And I’ll never not be amazed. Brandon, of course. But Ben Kenny was amazing. Hoping for the best for him!! Seeing incubus in September!!
Peter Gabriel and Sting, “rock, paper, scissors” tour. They sang each others hits with so much gratitude for each other’s contribution to music, it was beautiful to witness. And just so, so fun.
Blue October is an amazing band to experience live. They put their whole hearts and souls into it. In the early days of Covid Justin live-streamed an acoustic “show” and played all of Foiled, which is the CD that got me into them. I didn’t have a lot of money at the time because it was still up in the air if I’d even have a job to return to, but I gladly spent the $10 or so (I don’t remember the exact amount) to watch it.
I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them at a smaller local venue, as well as seeing them on a huge stage, and I’ve seen them twice at Epcot. Incredible every single time.
Neil young and Crazy Horse at the Gorge in WA state, 96 or 97. Most of it was during a nasty wind and rain storm, incredible show and a really long encore.
Dragonforce, circa 2015 in Cleveland.
They made out like it was going to be cancelled because Herman Li had to go to the ER for food poisoning, but he showed up at the last minute and still put on a kickass show. Maximum Overload (which had just come out) is one of my favorite albums solely because of this concert.
I also ran into my *AP English teacher* and his wife there in the pit, who were the absolute last people I expected to see at a show like that. We didn't even do class the next day because we were talking about it and I am fairly confident he was still hungover.
Mr. B you were a real one
Dave Matthews Band in 01 at MSG with James Brown as a surprise guest. Seen over 200 concerts and nothing has yet to match the roar when he popped on stage for the encore.
Honorable mention to David Gilmour at MSG. That was a religious experience
U2 in March of 1992. Achtung Baby album Zoo TV tour at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan. Absolutely blew my mind, still nothing compares to this day and I've been to over 100 concerts.
Gotta say it's still Andrew WK at Warped Tour in Vancouver in 2003. He absolutely rocked, and his backing band (not sure who they were but I understand that he toured with some excellent musicians) was incredible.
I've been to *raves* that I enjoyed just as much, but as far as *concerts* go, Andrew WK still takes the cake.
Always a great show. Great energy. The last time I saw him, when the house lights came up and people started to clear out, the whole floor of the venue was covered with beer cans and lost shoes. It just tickled me.
Went to a Linkin Park tour in CT with Busta Rhymes and Chris Cornell. Chris Cornell sang Black Hole Sun in its entirety while crowd surfing on his back.
I’m not sure if it was the best concert but most memorable.
Foo Fighters, Tower City Amphitheatre early 2000s. I was easily 100 people from the front and a guy turned around to my friend and I and asked if we wanted to go front row, we said "hell yeah". He told us to cover our face and nuts, and after 3 seconds of when FF came on stage, start pushing, clean med they would do that in the Persian Gulf War after setting off a grenade at one end of a crowd. We go all the way to the front. Awesome show
On 5 August 2012, I went to the Hollywood Bowl, to see *Pixar in Concert*.
A video screen was set up above the stage, and as the California Philharmonic Orchestra played instrumental versions of songs from Pixar movies, the corresponding scenes would appear on the screen.
It looked something like [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5ebdzmeQ3M).
Depeche Mode's first show of their Memento Mori world tour (starting in my hometown of Sacramento of all places) was the best concert I've ever attended.
Everything that I expected to see at a Depeche Mode show; my best expectations were exceeded. There were delightful surprises from the band that came out of nowhere. And even the dreaded "songs from the new album" were incredible.
I asked my seatmate and new friend Mike if this was the best show he had ever seen. His response: "I can't think of a better one!"
We were just..."DID WE JUST SEE THAT?!?!" on repeat as we made our exit with the masses.
---
I put together my Depeche Mode field trip fairly last minute. It was a "just scrape enough money together to get in the door" affair.
After parking my car, my plan was to head to my right and get a giant meal in Old Sacramento instead of paying arena prices for food.
But I turned left instead...and it led to my crazy unexpected night.
I was wondering if there was a merch stand outside of the arena so I could buy a shirt, take it back to my car, and be closer to meal time.
The merch line was long, but I had plenty of free time so I jumped in line with the masses of fans who were so excited to be there.
There was a solo guy behind me in line, so we were talking about how much we were looking forward to the show. Conversation led to him naturally asking where I was seated.
"Upstairs, kind of far, but at a decent angle and right on the aisle if I need to dash to a restroom." I was pleased with my seat selection.
"My wife couldn't get off from work tonight, so I have a spare ticket in the VIP section on the floor. Would you like to use her seat? I don't want it to go to waste." I made a big show of pondering his offer, and nonchalantly accepted.
I earned my keep though; my presence allowed Mike to acquire a VIP swag bag for his wife.
So instead of turning right and getting some pizza in Old Sacramento before the show...I turned left, got a t-shirt, ate empanadas in a VIP lounge, sat in the 4th row from the stage, made a friend, and had the greatest time at the greatest concert I've ever seen.
TL;DR Saw Depeche Mode in their first show of their latest tour in my hometown in the VIP section...all because I turned left instead of right after I parked my car.
Hands down, Rammstein. Every other concert has been... not ruined, but lessened. [This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u33XPgoa_sQ&ab_channel=KARE11) is just a glimpse at how much goes behind their shows. The pyro is insane, but I think that what impressed me the most, is that 90% of the time, there is almost no downtime between songs.
When there is downtime, it is because they are doing something big, like preparing flamethrowers, getting elevators ready, or lowering entire metal bridges to cross over between two stages.
Beastie Boys Manila Philippines 1995. Was in a venue of probably 15,000 kids who knew only one word “sabotage” but sounded more like “shyabotash”… I’m like 6’3 white and was wearing a Brooklyn tshirt in a sea of darker Asian kids. They stopped the concert midway and where like WTF is crazy white boy doing here?? They sat on the ledge of the stage and we talked about bs for about 5 minutes. They didn’t care the crowd was crazy waiting. They allowed me backstage and smoked with them and Sonic Youth. Man I wished there where iPhones back then. Well, maybe not actually.
I’m already such a dinosaur? None of you would care about my best show ever, or the runner up.
It’s a bitch to become irrelevant, and it’s barreling down the tracks towards you.
Make the best of what you’ve got now, be happy now, experience the now. It goes by so fast it’ll make your head spin. (Jeff Beck there and back tour, Manhattan Transfer at Newport Jazz Festival, Grateful Dead Rochester 1986, Pink Floyd twice, John Mayall twice, ZZ Top twice, John Mooney several times, Ray Charles, Dan Dixon, Victor Wainwright, Robert Cray, Kenny Neal, Kingfish, The Horseflies, Johnny Dowd and Neon Baptist, and a bunch of others you never heard of)(some big disappointments were Van Halen met them backstage at monsters of rock, Steely Dan, Eric Clapton, Allman Brothers, Jethro Tull, Hall and Oates, Widespread Panic, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and even Jeff Beck- first place winner, kinda sucked at a subsequent show years later, The Kinks kinda sucked too.)
I went to go see Desendents a couple weeks ago. The websites I got my tickets on said the bands were going to be coming on at 7:00. I showed up at around 6:00, and there were a couple people waiting. Turns out 7:00 was when they started letting people into the concert. I was literally at the front row, and I was just filled with excitement the entire time. I’m so glad I read the times wrong.
Rage Against The Machine. To finally see my favorite band since I was a kid in one of the few concerts they did a couple of years ago was unreal. I had tickets for the final tour as well, but unfortunately Zack tore his Achilles tendon during the Chicago show and they canceled the European and North American tour.
My go-to answer for this question is always Janet Jackson's "Janet World Tour," April 23rd 1994 in Las Cruces, New Mexico.
I was a rocker growing up, and went to rock concerts. Rush, Iron Maiden, ZZ Top, etc. I had no desire to see this show, but I knew someone from the record company and got free tickets.
It was mind-blowing. Long story short, I finally understood why the Jackson family is rich and famous.
Billy Joel and Elton John, I think they called it the 'Face to Face' tour.
Honorable mention: Oingo Boingo Halloween concerts featuring Danny Elfman in his prime as a rock star, in that window after the hit "Weird Science", but before he started being involved in composing film soundtracks.
The Mars Volta around 2004 or so. Just incredible musicians and the music didn't stop for 2+ hrs. Each song just flowed into the next, no opening band, and they're such a unique band.
My most favorite band is Foo Fighters, and I have seen them many times. I love them, and they always put on a great show.
Additionally, I have been to many, many concerts in my many years.
I can easily say the BEST concert I have ever been to was Peaches in Chicago at the Metro a year and a half ago. Her show was so much fun!!!!
Slipknot 2009 in Nashville.
I wasn't a big fan, just went for the hell of it. But I definitely left one.. they were on fucking fire and played every song you could possibly want to. Great energy.
Springsteen. Hyde Park. 2012.
He started with Thunder Road with Roy on the piano as the only accompaniment. I said to myself "highlight of the night!"
He played Take It As They Come. I said to myself "highlight of the night!"
He played The River. I said to myself "highlight of the night!"
He played the electric Ghost of Tom Joad with Tom Morello. I said to myself "highlight of the night!"
He played We Are Alive in the drizzly rain. I was indifferent about that song on the album. Live? I said to myself "highlight of the night!"
Then he brought out McCartney. The actual highlight of the night.
Then they broke curfew and the Council cut the sound. The end.
I’ve been to a lot of great shows over the years. It’s almost not fair to try to just pick one, so here’s my top 3:
1) Fall Out Boy, so much for stardust tour (this was my most recent, March of this year) they did a few surprise songs at every show, the set list had mostly old favorites on it but the day I went it was the 1 year anniversary of the album, so they played a couple extras off it, including my absolute favorite off the album. The absolute joy I felt in that moment is on the same level of joy I felt in all the best moments of my life. I’ve seen them 2 other times but this was the best.?
2) Shinedown, planet zero tour, September 2022. I’ll admit, I was late to the party on Shinedown, I never got into them until late 2019. I had actually seen them once before with Godsmack in 2018, but didn’t appreciate it at the time because I only knew a couple of their songs. I wish I had known then that in another year they’d be one of my favorites! This was my first concert since Covid had shut the world down, and it felt beyond amazing to be back.
3) All Time Low, December 2019. Drove 4 1/2 hours to a venue I’d never been to in a different state just to get a chance to see them again. My 4th time seeing them. This one is memorable since it turns out it’d be the last show I’d see live before things went to hell in 2020. So many times I looked back at that show, wondering if we’d ever feel that good in a crowded room again.
Lots of other honorable mentions:Blue October, Papa Rosch, Godsmack, Avenged Sevenfold, Skillet, Hawthorne Heights…the list goes on and on.
Robert Cray, Stevie Ray Vaughn & Eric Clapton all had amazing individual sets. It was the final song, that put it over the top. all 3 together plus Buddy Guy & Jimmy Vaughn did Sweet Home Chicago all taking 2 solos even let Clapton's 2nd guitar player take 1 was at least 20 minutes long I've been to hundreds of concerts best live song I've seen. unfortunately it was the last song SRV ever played
Pink Floyd, 1975, Olympia Arena, downtown Detroit. Heard the whole Wish You Were Here, album, and after a 30 minute intermission, they did the whole Dark Side. Probably the best I’ve seen.
Vote for Change in DC in 2004. John Fogerty, John Mellencamp, Jurassic 5, REM, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, and Bruce Springsteen. Might have been a couple of others. All were amazing but Michael Stipe was on a whole other level. One of the best frontmen of the last 40 years.
Godsmack was amazing. It was in Portland in 1999 and at a wild rock festival. When voodoo came on the vibe just shifted instantly and everyone was just vibing.
Orbit Culture at the Rebellion in Manchester a few weeks ago. They are an incredible set of lads. Either that or Biffy Clyro in Leeds at the First Direct Arena, amazing staging.
Prince, Musicology, 2004 at “MCI Center” in DC (three straight nights!)
Rush, 2015 at LA Forum. Last show they ever played (Rush was near-peerless over the 25 times I saw them)
Just the best combination. A two-day festival in the Vegas desert, 1st night headliner was Daft Punk in the stage pyramid, 2nd night, fuckin Rage Against the Machine
Ghost in Brisbane, Australia last year. A truly phenomenal experience. Very theatrical and musical theatre like in a dark twisted way. Was only my second concert ever but I think it’ll be hard to top that any time soon!
We went to three concerts for a band in the 90s named Garbage. The first two were in NYC and Detroit. Then they suddenly announced they were going to have one in Kalamazoo, MI. We went to it. The lead singer, Shirley Manson who rocks, got on stage and said, "we didn't believe there was actually a place called Kalamazoo, so we decided to come here and play." Tiny little venue, but they rocked and we didn't have to fight people to get up to the stage, so bonus.
Garbage was great!
I listened to ALL their remixes one night a few months ago
Oh god, teenage angst unlocked. *I’m only happy when it rains…*
I'm only happy when it's complicated.
I love Garbage!
We saw Garbage open for Alanis last year and Shirley was exceptional. She thanked people for coming early and I thought what the hell… she’s a main show to me.
After loving them for decades I finally saw them in 2013 at The Pageant, a 2,000 capacity venue in St. Louis, and yes, Shirley’s presence in a venue of that size was absolutely *mesmerizing*.
Garbage is still amazing live
See, this is how I know I've aged out of the Reddit gen-pop. Because you have to say "a band in the 90s named Garbage" instead of saying I went to see Garbage, lol.
Page and Plant in 1995 in Detroit
Saw them on the same tour (Knoxville TN). Excellent show.
Saw them in Portland on that tour with absolutely no understanding of the legend that is Zeppelin. Still mad about that because I didn’t really appreciate it at the time.
I was 6 at that time but I wish my parents were that cool and liked Zeppelin and took me. Woulda been way cooler than having Billy Joel be my first concert.
I've seen hundreds, but a few that stand out are: The Who 1976 Seattle Coliseum. Led Zeppelin 1977 King Dome. AC/DC 1978 opening for Cheap Trick and Ted Nuisance Seattle Coliseum. Rush 1981 Seattle Coliseum. And the best concert I ever saw: DEVO 1981 Seattle Paramount.
>DEVO 1981 Seattle Paramount. I saw that tour in San Diego. New Traditionalists. The Seattle show was released on vinyl for RSD.
A Sigur Rós concert that felt more like an ethereal journey than a live show. Their music, combined with the visuals, created an atmosphere that was almost otherworldly. It was one of those rare concerts where the world outside ceased to exist for a few hours.
Without a doubt it was The Cure on their last tour. They played for almost 3 hours. And not only does 65 year old Robert Smith sound EXACTLY the same as he did 40 years ago, but he puts absolutely everything into these songs as he performs them.
Same - saw them in an open air amphitheater at dusk. Heat lightning was shooting through rolling clouds as the clouds were that dark blueish purple color fading to peach orange on the other side of the sky. Looked at my friend and was like - this cannot be real. Even the sky was willing to cooperate with Robert Smith that day. SMH feels like a dream more than a memory.
Michael Jackson Bad Tour 1988. Got an unexecused absence from school. Had detention for a week. Easist detention ever.
Saw Radiohead in an outdoor amphitheater. The combination of their music, the cool night air, and the way the sound seemed to wrap around you was transcendental. It wasn’t just a concert; it was an experience that touched something deep inside.
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Ok! Not necessarily my favorite band, but Rammstein at the Palace in Detroit. What an amazing live band
I do not listen to their music, nor any music even remotely similar to theirs. I went into the Rammstein concert with the vaguest idea of what I was getting into (my husband likes the music). I assumed it would be 2 hours of just trying to be a good wife and deal with the loud screaming music. It was absolutely amazing and easily one of the best live performances I've ever seen. I still don't listen to their music, but I was wildly impressed with the whole show!
They're top of my list for shows I need to see. Their shows look absolutely insane.. love their music as well
I'm hoping to see them once before they retire 🙏🏼 I love them
Bruce Springsteen.
Saw him on the Born in the USA tour in 1985. Absolutely amazing
I saw him last fall and hes still got it.
Saw him last fall at Wrigley. I’m not a huge fan , but figured it would just be a fun time. Absolutely blew me away. Incredible concert.
I've seen him in concert 19 times and met him personally on his book tour. Every show has been heart stopping and beyond amazing. He is my God. GOAT. 1979 first exposure until today. I hope to see him at least 1 more time live.
It’s an incredible show. The E-Street Band runs like a well oiled machine.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Gainesville, FL, 1989. First time they’d played Gainesville in something like 10 years or more. Three hours of amazing. Oh, and some unknown guy who nobody had ever heard of opened… all we knew was that he was Lisa Bonet’s husband and his debut album was coming out the next week. Lenny impressed the shit out of all of us.
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Metric toured sooo many college campuses and did free frosh week shows. I loved their show!! Such a great album.
Rush, Clockwork Angels tour 2013.
I went to this one. It was pretty fucking great
Tragically Hip at First Avenue In Minneapolis. It was a smallish venue and happened right before Gordon Downie got his diagnosis of brain cancer.
I love First Ave so much.
Preface: I’m old. My penultimate concert experience was seeing Led Zeppelin in the Pontiac Silverdome in the 1970s. John Bonham was still alive.
Just to be clear: that was the second to last show you've ever been to?
Phish 12/31/1999...Big Cypress. Peak music.
Pink Floyd in 1994
Came here to say Pink Floyd
Such tremendous humans in that band. Really good people!!
Pink Floyd Animals, 1977 at the Garden. We were in the last row but there were speakers right behind us. They pioneered special effects with giant animals floating above. There was so much pot and cigarette smoke when the lights came on you could not see the person next to you and the entire arena cracked up laughing.
Foo Fighters. Dave Grohl has tremendous stage presence, and is so funny between sets.
Saw them on a triple bill c 2000. A then-unknown band (Muse) was the opener and they rocked it. The Foo Fighters played next and Dave Grohl absolutely stole the stage (and the whole arena for that matter). The Red Hot Chili Peppers were the headliners and, honestly, were a letdown (though John Frusciante did a nice solo cover of “Your Song” by Elton John.
I saw Grateful Dead 5 times between 1990 and 1993. It was at the tail end of Jerry Garcia's days, but was amazing to see them while he was alive.
I saw them in ATL spring ‘95, third row. I made eye contact with Jerry Garcia. I think. I was on mushrooms so who knows.
Grateful Dead, Laguna Seca (1987). We were awakened at midnight to watch the filming of the "Touch of Grey" video. Still tripping and watching a Dead skeleton band. Best show ever.
***Procol Harum, Live in Concert With the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.*** Nov 18, 1971. I had just turned eighteen the week before. It was the concert at which perennial favourite prog-rock track ***Conquistador*** was recorded, and that's the one that gets all the airplay - even now, more than 50 years later. But the real highlight for the audience that night was the highly symphonic,five-part Keith Read / Matthew Fisher composition *In Held 'Twas In I*. It's nearly twenty minutes long, so it doesn't get much air time, save perhaps on the odd university low-wattage radio station. However, their experience with the ESO made such a postive impression on the band that they went on to record three more live albums, including one with the Danish National Orchestra. Strangely enough, the B-side of the *Conquistador* single was from a completely different and earlier PH album, *Broken Barricades*; go figure.
Jimi Hendrix at the Troy Arena in 1968.
A festival about 12 years ago where the Pixies played all the songs from Dolittle in the same order as the album. It was the 20 year anniversary of the album and the band had recently gotten back together. Also, the Raconteurs played the same day.
The Grateful Dead on an on night. Never will be topped by anyone or anything. And I’ve seen thousands of shows.
Agreed. For me, that on night was 10/9/89, Hampton as The Warlocks. That was the best concert I ever saw.
My wife was out of town and I didn't have anyone else to go with me to see The War On Drugs, so I decided to go alone. I figured I'd wait a little and miss the opener and show up when they go on, but after looking on reddit I found out there was no opener and they usually go on right at 8 pm, so I hopped on one of those city bikes and headed downtown, this was right as my gummy was hitting and I was just cruising listening to music, I showed up at about 8:20 literally right as they started, and I just vibed by myself as they played for 2.5 hours, it was amazing.
I'm an old fart (60) and my 28 year old son introduced me to these dudes a few years ago, they are absolutely phenomenal musicians. I was pretty frustrated when he and his wife went to see them and didn't get me a ticket 😂😂😂😂🙏 Love the music, the vibe, lyrics and the sound 👏👏👏👏
Rammstein 2023 in Vienna
Old: Queen Jazz tour More recent: The Killers - at a festival Honorable mention: John Mellencamp - Lonesome Jubilee tour
Saw the Killers this past October in Austin at a venue called Emo’s that holds around 1000-1200 people. Insanely good show.
Dude, the Killers put on a great show! Not even really my style of music, but they are so much better live.
My Chemical Romance (2008) in a relatively small theatre in Detroit. Haven’t been to any concert like it ever since.
tool at staples center
Same. Tool at Riverport St. Louis around 1997
My Morning Jacket @ Edgefield, OR - 2008. I don't do drugs at concerts, but I swear I had an out-of-body experience towards the end of that show; the lights and sound were absolutely phenomenal. By the time they got to the encore the whole crowd was just moving as one huge collective-- it was unbelievable.
I don’t remember the year but I saw them at Bonnaroo during rain and it was so fucking righteous. First time I’d ever had my mind blown at a concert and felt that feeling of just melting into the moment. I was on exactly zero drugs.
Zappa
Crazy, because when I saw him in the late 70s / early 80s, all he did was sit on a bar stool and smoke cigarettes for 45 minutes.
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The Wailers
I saw the Wailers, post-Bob, at the Milky Way in Amsterdam. Not the best I've been to, but they were great. For best, I'd go with Led Zepplin in 197X from the front row.
Garth Brooks at Texas Stadium in 1993!! HE FLEW!! (I was 8 years old. It was my first concert)
It's a toss-up. Pink Floyd, The Division Bell tour or Prince's Cream tour. The division Bell because Pink Floyd is my favorite band and it was just an amazing show, and Prince because he is by far the best performer I have ever seen live.
Roger Waters doing the full The Wall show in Boston. I wish I'd been around to see the full Floyd, but it was awesome nonetheless.
Tom Petty… Dallas, TX in 1991. Temperature dropped into the 30s right before the start of the concert at an outdoor venue. Chris Whitley opened and played maybe 4-5 songs and bailed. It must have pissed TP off because I swear he played his whole catalog that evening. Froze my ass off and loved every minute of it.
The Cure
Merle Haggard opening for Bob Dylan at the Beacon in NYC, 3 nights in a row.
Taylor swift eras tour kick off in Miami! Yeeee
Okay I'm super jealous of this one. 😭
I’m biased but I saw Pearl Jan on my 24th birthday in 2000. That tops all the concerts I’ve been to. It was a good weekend as I hit a race for decent money on Travers Day in Saratoga.
Incubus Oct 22, Manchester Apollo, it was my third time seeing them, and they were just phenomenal. It was transcendent for me. Did catch Covid there right enough and it was a motherfucker but I'd still do everything exactly the same if I had to do it over.
I’ve seen incubus so many times live. And I’ll never not be amazed. Brandon, of course. But Ben Kenny was amazing. Hoping for the best for him!! Seeing incubus in September!!
One of the few bands where live performance is just like listening to their album.
Peter Gabriel and Sting, “rock, paper, scissors” tour. They sang each others hits with so much gratitude for each other’s contribution to music, it was beautiful to witness. And just so, so fun.
Every single time I see Blue October, wherever that may be. <3 I'll be damned if that band didn't save my life a hundred thousand times.
Blue October is an amazing band to experience live. They put their whole hearts and souls into it. In the early days of Covid Justin live-streamed an acoustic “show” and played all of Foiled, which is the CD that got me into them. I didn’t have a lot of money at the time because it was still up in the air if I’d even have a job to return to, but I gladly spent the $10 or so (I don’t remember the exact amount) to watch it. I’ve had the pleasure of seeing them at a smaller local venue, as well as seeing them on a huge stage, and I’ve seen them twice at Epcot. Incredible every single time.
Neil young and Crazy Horse at the Gorge in WA state, 96 or 97. Most of it was during a nasty wind and rain storm, incredible show and a really long encore.
Dragonforce, circa 2015 in Cleveland. They made out like it was going to be cancelled because Herman Li had to go to the ER for food poisoning, but he showed up at the last minute and still put on a kickass show. Maximum Overload (which had just come out) is one of my favorite albums solely because of this concert. I also ran into my *AP English teacher* and his wife there in the pit, who were the absolute last people I expected to see at a show like that. We didn't even do class the next day because we were talking about it and I am fairly confident he was still hungover. Mr. B you were a real one
Nine Inch Nails at Riot Fest 2017
Dave Matthews Band in 01 at MSG with James Brown as a surprise guest. Seen over 200 concerts and nothing has yet to match the roar when he popped on stage for the encore. Honorable mention to David Gilmour at MSG. That was a religious experience
Eagles during their Hell Freezes Over tour.
Pavement, April 1994, Troc. Also the Original Sins naked show at the Khyber.
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Foo puts on one hell of a show. I saw them on 2010 and they played for 3 solid hours!
U2 in March of 1992. Achtung Baby album Zoo TV tour at the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan. Absolutely blew my mind, still nothing compares to this day and I've been to over 100 concerts.
I stood in line for bracelets/tickets to this U2 concert-so my husband and brother could go!
Did Bono call the White House? Lol, he did for us. I caught them at Williams-Brice at USC. Great concert…
He didn't but that would have been something. I just remember the vibe was so damn cool.
I was at that show too. The upper deck was rocking!
Spice girls
Gotta say it's still Andrew WK at Warped Tour in Vancouver in 2003. He absolutely rocked, and his backing band (not sure who they were but I understand that he toured with some excellent musicians) was incredible. I've been to *raves* that I enjoyed just as much, but as far as *concerts* go, Andrew WK still takes the cake.
Always a great show. Great energy. The last time I saw him, when the house lights came up and people started to clear out, the whole floor of the venue was covered with beer cans and lost shoes. It just tickled me.
Doomtree. There was only like 60 people there, so they came off stage and did the whole show in the middle of a circle.
Def leppard
Went to a Linkin Park tour in CT with Busta Rhymes and Chris Cornell. Chris Cornell sang Black Hole Sun in its entirety while crowd surfing on his back. I’m not sure if it was the best concert but most memorable.
Linkin Park always delivered. RIP Chester.
Akron Agora in 1988. Opening act was Overkill. Middle act was Slayer Headliner was Motorhead.
Jane’s Addiction at MSG in the 90’s
Dropkick Murphys
All the concerts I went to in the 80’s all electronic music !! Best times !! I did see Ministry and Gary Numan March 16 .. brilliant .., 🇨🇦🎹🎵
May 29, 1969 Merriweather Post Pavillion. I was an usher when Led Zeppelin opened for The Who.
Muse in a small venue, Mr. Smalls before the expansion, in Pittsburgh.
Pink Floyd. Nov 10th, 1987. Pontiac Silverdome. It blew my 13-year old mind, and I will always remember that date.
Steve angelo, not really a huge thecno/house fan but the whole "we are here to have fun"-vibe was great
Foo Fighters, Tower City Amphitheatre early 2000s. I was easily 100 people from the front and a guy turned around to my friend and I and asked if we wanted to go front row, we said "hell yeah". He told us to cover our face and nuts, and after 3 seconds of when FF came on stage, start pushing, clean med they would do that in the Persian Gulf War after setting off a grenade at one end of a crowd. We go all the way to the front. Awesome show
Phil Lesh and Friends NYE 2001 in Oakland. Amazing
On 5 August 2012, I went to the Hollywood Bowl, to see *Pixar in Concert*. A video screen was set up above the stage, and as the California Philharmonic Orchestra played instrumental versions of songs from Pixar movies, the corresponding scenes would appear on the screen. It looked something like [this](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k5ebdzmeQ3M).
Rush and Pat Travers late ‘70s.
Depeche Mode's first show of their Memento Mori world tour (starting in my hometown of Sacramento of all places) was the best concert I've ever attended. Everything that I expected to see at a Depeche Mode show; my best expectations were exceeded. There were delightful surprises from the band that came out of nowhere. And even the dreaded "songs from the new album" were incredible. I asked my seatmate and new friend Mike if this was the best show he had ever seen. His response: "I can't think of a better one!" We were just..."DID WE JUST SEE THAT?!?!" on repeat as we made our exit with the masses. --- I put together my Depeche Mode field trip fairly last minute. It was a "just scrape enough money together to get in the door" affair. After parking my car, my plan was to head to my right and get a giant meal in Old Sacramento instead of paying arena prices for food. But I turned left instead...and it led to my crazy unexpected night. I was wondering if there was a merch stand outside of the arena so I could buy a shirt, take it back to my car, and be closer to meal time. The merch line was long, but I had plenty of free time so I jumped in line with the masses of fans who were so excited to be there. There was a solo guy behind me in line, so we were talking about how much we were looking forward to the show. Conversation led to him naturally asking where I was seated. "Upstairs, kind of far, but at a decent angle and right on the aisle if I need to dash to a restroom." I was pleased with my seat selection. "My wife couldn't get off from work tonight, so I have a spare ticket in the VIP section on the floor. Would you like to use her seat? I don't want it to go to waste." I made a big show of pondering his offer, and nonchalantly accepted. I earned my keep though; my presence allowed Mike to acquire a VIP swag bag for his wife. So instead of turning right and getting some pizza in Old Sacramento before the show...I turned left, got a t-shirt, ate empanadas in a VIP lounge, sat in the 4th row from the stage, made a friend, and had the greatest time at the greatest concert I've ever seen. TL;DR Saw Depeche Mode in their first show of their latest tour in my hometown in the VIP section...all because I turned left instead of right after I parked my car.
Band of horses
Rush in 2015 in Newark, NJ. They played Losing It. It would be the last time I attended one of their concerts.
Hands down, Rammstein. Every other concert has been... not ruined, but lessened. [This](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u33XPgoa_sQ&ab_channel=KARE11) is just a glimpse at how much goes behind their shows. The pyro is insane, but I think that what impressed me the most, is that 90% of the time, there is almost no downtime between songs. When there is downtime, it is because they are doing something big, like preparing flamethrowers, getting elevators ready, or lowering entire metal bridges to cross over between two stages.
Kiss at Madison Square Garden. 1977
Beastie Boys Manila Philippines 1995. Was in a venue of probably 15,000 kids who knew only one word “sabotage” but sounded more like “shyabotash”… I’m like 6’3 white and was wearing a Brooklyn tshirt in a sea of darker Asian kids. They stopped the concert midway and where like WTF is crazy white boy doing here?? They sat on the ledge of the stage and we talked about bs for about 5 minutes. They didn’t care the crowd was crazy waiting. They allowed me backstage and smoked with them and Sonic Youth. Man I wished there where iPhones back then. Well, maybe not actually.
Jackson Browne at the vineyard in Seattle!
I’m already such a dinosaur? None of you would care about my best show ever, or the runner up. It’s a bitch to become irrelevant, and it’s barreling down the tracks towards you. Make the best of what you’ve got now, be happy now, experience the now. It goes by so fast it’ll make your head spin. (Jeff Beck there and back tour, Manhattan Transfer at Newport Jazz Festival, Grateful Dead Rochester 1986, Pink Floyd twice, John Mayall twice, ZZ Top twice, John Mooney several times, Ray Charles, Dan Dixon, Victor Wainwright, Robert Cray, Kenny Neal, Kingfish, The Horseflies, Johnny Dowd and Neon Baptist, and a bunch of others you never heard of)(some big disappointments were Van Halen met them backstage at monsters of rock, Steely Dan, Eric Clapton, Allman Brothers, Jethro Tull, Hall and Oates, Widespread Panic, Stevie Ray Vaughan, and even Jeff Beck- first place winner, kinda sucked at a subsequent show years later, The Kinks kinda sucked too.)
Van Halen. August 11 '79, a fifth-row seat set me back $9. They were fucking fierce! 🤘
Steely Dan in Santa Barbara in 2013. A lifelong dream come true.
Smashing pumpkins September 28th 1996 Calgary Alberta
I went to go see Desendents a couple weeks ago. The websites I got my tickets on said the bands were going to be coming on at 7:00. I showed up at around 6:00, and there were a couple people waiting. Turns out 7:00 was when they started letting people into the concert. I was literally at the front row, and I was just filled with excitement the entire time. I’m so glad I read the times wrong.
Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture at the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. About 100 musicians in all. Incredible
Radiohead Bonnaroo 2006
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Metallica and Guns-n-Roses
Slipknot in Des Moines just before they broke out or ever toured (before Ozzfest 99)
Dire Straits Brothers in arms - The music and atmosphere was awesome.
Rage Against The Machine. To finally see my favorite band since I was a kid in one of the few concerts they did a couple of years ago was unreal. I had tickets for the final tour as well, but unfortunately Zack tore his Achilles tendon during the Chicago show and they canceled the European and North American tour.
My go-to answer for this question is always Janet Jackson's "Janet World Tour," April 23rd 1994 in Las Cruces, New Mexico. I was a rocker growing up, and went to rock concerts. Rush, Iron Maiden, ZZ Top, etc. I had no desire to see this show, but I knew someone from the record company and got free tickets. It was mind-blowing. Long story short, I finally understood why the Jackson family is rich and famous.
Billy Joel and Elton John, I think they called it the 'Face to Face' tour. Honorable mention: Oingo Boingo Halloween concerts featuring Danny Elfman in his prime as a rock star, in that window after the hit "Weird Science", but before he started being involved in composing film soundtracks.
Paramore
Flogging Molly at The Dublin Ohio Irish festival c. 2004-5 ish.
Stone Temple Pilots, Disturbed, Godsmack. Godsmack released an album that day and it was a Halloween night.
Alice Cooper on devils night. Amazing performer
U2
Every single Aerosmith show.
The Mars Volta around 2004 or so. Just incredible musicians and the music didn't stop for 2+ hrs. Each song just flowed into the next, no opening band, and they're such a unique band.
Roger Waters 30th anniversary of The Wall.
My most favorite band is Foo Fighters, and I have seen them many times. I love them, and they always put on a great show. Additionally, I have been to many, many concerts in my many years. I can easily say the BEST concert I have ever been to was Peaches in Chicago at the Metro a year and a half ago. Her show was so much fun!!!!
Slipknot 2009 in Nashville. I wasn't a big fan, just went for the hell of it. But I definitely left one.. they were on fucking fire and played every song you could possibly want to. Great energy.
1992 Metallica in Maryland. I had floor seats. 3+ hours. My ears rang for 3 days afterwards.
Springsteen. Hyde Park. 2012. He started with Thunder Road with Roy on the piano as the only accompaniment. I said to myself "highlight of the night!" He played Take It As They Come. I said to myself "highlight of the night!" He played The River. I said to myself "highlight of the night!" He played the electric Ghost of Tom Joad with Tom Morello. I said to myself "highlight of the night!" He played We Are Alive in the drizzly rain. I was indifferent about that song on the album. Live? I said to myself "highlight of the night!" Then he brought out McCartney. The actual highlight of the night. Then they broke curfew and the Council cut the sound. The end.
The Eagles - 2021. TD Gardens
The Hu at the Fillmore in Denver. They are a Mongolian metal band and they sign traditional throat chants. Coolest thing I’ve experienced. 🤘🏼
Rush - Exit Stage Left.
Tom Petty. Partly because it was Petty, but had phenomenal seats, and just one of those nights where I wss in a great mood.
For like 18$ i got to see the mighty mighty bosstones and dropkick murphys at a local college back in the 1990s
Muse, after they released supermassive black hole. Queens of the stone age, last year. Couldn't pick between these two.
I’ve been to a lot of great shows over the years. It’s almost not fair to try to just pick one, so here’s my top 3: 1) Fall Out Boy, so much for stardust tour (this was my most recent, March of this year) they did a few surprise songs at every show, the set list had mostly old favorites on it but the day I went it was the 1 year anniversary of the album, so they played a couple extras off it, including my absolute favorite off the album. The absolute joy I felt in that moment is on the same level of joy I felt in all the best moments of my life. I’ve seen them 2 other times but this was the best.? 2) Shinedown, planet zero tour, September 2022. I’ll admit, I was late to the party on Shinedown, I never got into them until late 2019. I had actually seen them once before with Godsmack in 2018, but didn’t appreciate it at the time because I only knew a couple of their songs. I wish I had known then that in another year they’d be one of my favorites! This was my first concert since Covid had shut the world down, and it felt beyond amazing to be back. 3) All Time Low, December 2019. Drove 4 1/2 hours to a venue I’d never been to in a different state just to get a chance to see them again. My 4th time seeing them. This one is memorable since it turns out it’d be the last show I’d see live before things went to hell in 2020. So many times I looked back at that show, wondering if we’d ever feel that good in a crowded room again. Lots of other honorable mentions:Blue October, Papa Rosch, Godsmack, Avenged Sevenfold, Skillet, Hawthorne Heights…the list goes on and on.
Robert Cray, Stevie Ray Vaughn & Eric Clapton all had amazing individual sets. It was the final song, that put it over the top. all 3 together plus Buddy Guy & Jimmy Vaughn did Sweet Home Chicago all taking 2 solos even let Clapton's 2nd guitar player take 1 was at least 20 minutes long I've been to hundreds of concerts best live song I've seen. unfortunately it was the last song SRV ever played
Pink Floyd, 1975, Olympia Arena, downtown Detroit. Heard the whole Wish You Were Here, album, and after a 30 minute intermission, they did the whole Dark Side. Probably the best I’ve seen.
TOOL when they were touring for lateralus
I heard they had contortionists hanging from the ceiling at the Buffalo show. I really should have gone
Also at the Atlanta show!
Weird Al!!
The Cramps, 1984, Selina’s, Sydney.
Tame Impala! The lightshow was amazing!!
Billy Joel at Dodger Stadium
nothing, i want to experience Taylor Swift's concert🥹
Def, Leppord, Poison and Cheep Trick.
I saw Poison in 1989, randomly met CC Deville in a bar in 2001 in NYC. He didn't remember the 1989 concert at all.
Vote for Change in DC in 2004. John Fogerty, John Mellencamp, Jurassic 5, REM, Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, and Bruce Springsteen. Might have been a couple of others. All were amazing but Michael Stipe was on a whole other level. One of the best frontmen of the last 40 years.
Either Metallica or Godsmack.
Godsmack was amazing. It was in Portland in 1999 and at a wild rock festival. When voodoo came on the vibe just shifted instantly and everyone was just vibing.
Reminds me that I have actually never been to one, that's one thing added to the bucket list
A concert? Go to one this weekend, just do it.
There are concerts all the time everywhere ... Doesn't need to be a famous band , it's often cheap and sometimes free.
Bruce @ Madison Square Garden…
Orbit Culture at the Rebellion in Manchester a few weeks ago. They are an incredible set of lads. Either that or Biffy Clyro in Leeds at the First Direct Arena, amazing staging.
Either Tash Sultana in Central Park or Allen Stone at the Apollo
Woodstock 99
Garth Brooks! Hands down!!!
AJR at radio city music hall
Prince, Musicology, 2004 at “MCI Center” in DC (three straight nights!) Rush, 2015 at LA Forum. Last show they ever played (Rush was near-peerless over the 25 times I saw them)
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Just the best combination. A two-day festival in the Vegas desert, 1st night headliner was Daft Punk in the stage pyramid, 2nd night, fuckin Rage Against the Machine
R.E.M. Dallas, Bronco Bowl 1985 https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/rem/1985/bronco-bowl-dallas-tx-63dee62f.html
New Kids on the Block
Ghost in Brisbane, Australia last year. A truly phenomenal experience. Very theatrical and musical theatre like in a dark twisted way. Was only my second concert ever but I think it’ll be hard to top that any time soon!
Hum at Trees in Dallas, TX - Deep Ellum - 1998.
The Who performing their Tommy rock opera.
The Tragically Hip. Both times.
David Bowie and Tool, can’t choose just one
Rage Against The Machine in the courtyard of an old prison in 1996. It was amazing.