I've been to at least three dozen concerts over the years. Many of them excellent shows. So many memories. One of them was the second time I saw Rush at Alpine Valley on June 17,1990.It was a beautiful night and the moon was full. Hair metal band Mr. Big opened up the show playing their mediocre power ballads. Rush lit up place with a two hour show playing tunes from though out their career as well as their well known songs like "Tom Sawyer","The Spirit of Radio" and "YYZ".
The most impressive part of the show was the light show,which I felt was worth the ticket price alone. They had lasers everywhere. Off of the buildings in the back,in trees, and down thr aisles. Very impressive!
So what is your favorite concert or concert moment? If you have never been to a concert,what is your favorite moment in sports games,comedy shows,or whatever you been to. I'd like to hear stories.
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I've heard that Rush has a very loyal fanbase.
I went to a Tori Amos concert at the Milwaukee Auditorium which was one of the most powerful I've heard musically. Garbage blew me away at the Eagles Ballroom (That place was built for acoustic performances. I couldn't hear for a day afterward.) Oh, I just remembered a stunning performance by Laurie Anderson at some old, small theater on Milwaukee's south side.
I've been to 40 years worth of concerts. I couldn't pick a best of or even a top ten. Part of the reason is that I don't remember half of them. Or maybe three quarters.
I would love to see Laurie Anderson.
For local events, Pat McCurdy is always a fun show. The show is not always onstage either!
It may seem a strange choice, but back in high school I saw Weird Al on the Stupid Tour. Although not to be confused with high art,he does give a heck of an entertaining show!
Orbs-I've got tons of stories from some these shows that I've been to.That's surprising,considering the condition I was in half of these shows. I don't have particular favorite show or moment,but I remember some of the "better" moments. Like sitting in the 7th row for Aerosmith/Black Crowes at Alpine,the masses singing along with the Eagles/Melissa Etheridge at Alpine. I could go on...
I've seen Laurie Anderson twice, hale-bopp. The first one was a long time ago, at least ten years, the one I alluded to. It was a musical performance par excellence. Much more recently, I saw her on her Homeland tour. As much a political statement as a concert. Not that I even disagreed so much with the politics, I guess I was just expecting something different.
Go on drew, tell stories. Here's one: back in the day, my wife and I were big Bowie fans. For my birthday one year, friends of ours got us 3rd or 4th row center (can't remember) seats at the then Milwaukee Arena. During Bowie's Thin White Duke period. All the women, and half the men, were swooning. It was exciting to be so close to such a large show. Also saw him perform in Iggy Pop's backup band at the Riverside, I think, or one of Milwaukee's other theaters.
Memorable ones...
Paul McCartney with his band Wings in Chicago. I was mesmorized throughout the whole thing.
Eagles at Alpine Valley. What a rocking show. They even had skydivers flying in. Opening band was great too.
Pink Floyd at County Stadium.
ELO had a fabulous laser light show.
David Byrne at the Riverside. We sat very close. His energy and his ablility to manipulate the crowd with his music is awesome. Every song was better than the last. He incorporated a lot of his old Talking Heads music...funky, fun and excellent.
kk-Wow! You saw Pink Floyd? That's one band that I always wanted to go see. Unfortunately,that will be impossible now. Keyboardist Richard Wright passed away last week.
And saw the Eagles? When? I saw them at Alpine on 7/15/1994 during their Hell Freezes Over Tour. I have a copy of this show on tape-Great show.
Actually saw Pink Floyd twice. Dark Side of the Moon 1975, and then the Animals concert. Felt the wind blow my hair and wide leg bell bottom jeans back when the huge pig inflatable accidentally blew up. (They were sued for breaking windows in nearby buildings.)
Eagles opening band was Christopher Cross. Joe Walsh joined the group and if memory serves me right, I'm pretty sure they played Life's been Good... almost didn't get out of there alive. There was a crush of the crowd as everyone was being funneled out of the concert. The push was so hard, I could hardly breathe at one point. Pretty scary.
First concert: Memorial Hall, Styx... couldn't believe people were openly passing around doobies.... ha ha.
I never saw Pink Floyd, either. :(
Saw Bob Dylan way back in '73 or '74, at the Chicago Auditorium. We were so high up in the rafters that it could've been anybody on stage.
My first concert was Rush/Rory Gallagher on 10/9/1982 at the MECCA.(I saved my ticket stubs).It was the day the Brewers went into the World Series. I remember the downtown Milwaukee streets were packed with cars coming from the County Stadium. Singer/bassist Geddy Lee was wearing a Harvey Wallbangers at the show.
KKD Oh man! Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon but in san francisco. County Stadium when the pig blew up. I thought that was part of the concert!
Hmm, most memorable. Frank Zappa in Milwaukee. Things were getting a little red concerning partying. We were passing fun between us. We were way in the back, had a few rows between us and the back aisle. Saw a guy ask a stoner for a hit in the back row. Guy hands him the doob. First guy smells it, puts it out, then handcuffs the poor boy. I remember I didn't get busted.
WKLH was a rocker station. I had the WKLH parachute I used as my third parachute as I progressed from better to better chutes while I jumped. They had a pro-rock rally during the time of the bible thumper's anti rock record burning. I rode my panhead chopper there (between the periods of chopper coolness for the masses).
Anyway, I got to park it behind the stage after talking a cop into letting me into the grounds with it (pays to ride coolnes). A couple other bikers and I were out on the rocks away from the shoreline burning one. I'm facing the shore and see this baby faced black guy watching us. Dude had clean jeans and new tennies. I said loudly to the boys as we finished, "I only bring one with me to these things and I NEVER save the roach as it makes no sense getting busted for crumbs." I then field stripped the roach and let the crumbs fall to the water.
One of the guys starts to say he had.... I stopped him before he could say anything and told him baby face was a narc. He didn't believe me but Babyface nods to me, stands up from squating where he had been, walks fifteen feet to the other side of us on shore and flips a badge at a girl that had just rolled a joint from an ounce.
Needless to say, the three of us stood in a circle watching over each others shoulders whenever we sparked up the rest of the day. Milwaukee cops were filling busses with stoners and carting them off to jail.
Bill Grahm's (Not billy Grahm) Days on the green concerts were a blast. If you listen real close you can hear me yelling during Peter Frampton's "Do you Feel" Live concert album. Oh sure, lots o stories, nearly all deal with reefer though....
I just found that old ticket stub from the first Pink Floyd concert. Doesn't have a date, BUT does show the price.... can you believe.... $7.50 to get in? lmao! They filled county stadium, including the infield, but how did they make any money?
That's simple kk,60,000 fans x $7.50= a lot of money. And to make tour of it..
I paid $12.50 for tickets to the first time I saw Rush. $42.50 for lawn seats at the Eagles.
Orbs, 35 years later, Dylan is at the Riverside. Tickets go on sale Friday 10/3. Show is scheduled 11/6. I was sorry I missed him when he came to Carthage, was that last year or the year before?
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