The 5 Best Concerts You've Ever Seen
I have a friend in the Google+ Classic Rock Lovers community named JC Bulldog. JC mentioned that she loved going to rock concerts. She inspired me to think of all the concerts I've been to and which ones really stood out. Although I haven't attended a concert in about twenty years, they were a big part of my 20s and 30s. Actually my late teens as well. I've seen probably 60-70 concerts in my life. I've come up with 5 that really blew me away. I'm going to mention the year of each concert but please don't quote me as I'm doing this completely from memory. If it's not the exact year it will at least be close. I will also share some memories of the performance. These will be in order in terms of #1 will be the best, #2 the next best, etc etc. Ok, and here we go:
1. Page/Plant 1995: This was outstanding. To be able to go to a concert and have two of the four members of my favorite band (Led Zeppelin) perform songs from that band is as good as it gets. Plant sounded terrific and Page was literally right on the money with his guitar. I remember they started with "The Wanton Song" and finished with 'Kashmir". Outstanding!
2. Kiss 1996: This was the tour when all 4 original members got back together with the makeup and outlandish outfits. For me it was fantastic. I always loved the 1970s version of Kiss but had never seen them live. This was the same band playing those great songs the same way they did in the 70s. I saw this one at Madison Square Garden. Great show.
3. Rush 1984: There are two things I remember specifically about this show. #1 was Neil Peart's drum solo. Secondly was how good the band was. I mean technically. They were just so tight! Alex Lifeson's guitar work was incredible. Watching Geddy Lee effortlessly switch from his bass to the keyboards was amazing to watch. I remember thinking - "Man, these guys are great!". A wonderful performance by 3 gifted musicians.
4. Prince and the Revolution 1985: There was a point in time that Prince was on top - this was that time. I believe it was called "The Purple Rain Tour". Typically, and throughout most of my life, I wasn't a Prince fan. But at this moment in time I was. Just a fantastic show. I can remember they led off with "Let's Go Crazy". I think they played the entire "Purple Rain" album. What made this so memorable is what they did after the encores. All the lights came up in the arena (Hartford Civic Center) and everyone was leaving. After a good half hour, Prince and the band came back out and played for another 45 minutes. Fantastic finish to a great show.
5. REO Speedwagon 1984: I wouldn't say REO was on top at this point but they were very popular. They did some great songs in the 70s and hit their apex with the album "High Infidelity" which was released in 1981. They played all the hits and were just a really good, tight band. However, what made this show particularly memorable for me was something else. I had backstage passes. Kevin Cronin and Gary Richrath walked into the room. First thing I noticed was how tiny Kevin Cronin was and how big Gary Richrath's head was. I got Gary's autograph but didn't speak to him. I did speak to Kevin. He was just a terrific, completely polite and friendly person. I spoke to him for about 15 minutes. Even though there were other people in the room, Kevin talked to me for as long as I wanted. Really nice guy. Being able to talk to him face to face made a very good show great.
And there you have it, my 5 fave concerts. How about you? Which were your faves?????
1. Page/Plant 1995: This was outstanding. To be able to go to a concert and have two of the four members of my favorite band (Led Zeppelin) perform songs from that band is as good as it gets. Plant sounded terrific and Page was literally right on the money with his guitar. I remember they started with "The Wanton Song" and finished with 'Kashmir". Outstanding!
2. Kiss 1996: This was the tour when all 4 original members got back together with the makeup and outlandish outfits. For me it was fantastic. I always loved the 1970s version of Kiss but had never seen them live. This was the same band playing those great songs the same way they did in the 70s. I saw this one at Madison Square Garden. Great show.
3. Rush 1984: There are two things I remember specifically about this show. #1 was Neil Peart's drum solo. Secondly was how good the band was. I mean technically. They were just so tight! Alex Lifeson's guitar work was incredible. Watching Geddy Lee effortlessly switch from his bass to the keyboards was amazing to watch. I remember thinking - "Man, these guys are great!". A wonderful performance by 3 gifted musicians.
4. Prince and the Revolution 1985: There was a point in time that Prince was on top - this was that time. I believe it was called "The Purple Rain Tour". Typically, and throughout most of my life, I wasn't a Prince fan. But at this moment in time I was. Just a fantastic show. I can remember they led off with "Let's Go Crazy". I think they played the entire "Purple Rain" album. What made this so memorable is what they did after the encores. All the lights came up in the arena (Hartford Civic Center) and everyone was leaving. After a good half hour, Prince and the band came back out and played for another 45 minutes. Fantastic finish to a great show.
5. REO Speedwagon 1984: I wouldn't say REO was on top at this point but they were very popular. They did some great songs in the 70s and hit their apex with the album "High Infidelity" which was released in 1981. They played all the hits and were just a really good, tight band. However, what made this show particularly memorable for me was something else. I had backstage passes. Kevin Cronin and Gary Richrath walked into the room. First thing I noticed was how tiny Kevin Cronin was and how big Gary Richrath's head was. I got Gary's autograph but didn't speak to him. I did speak to Kevin. He was just a terrific, completely polite and friendly person. I spoke to him for about 15 minutes. Even though there were other people in the room, Kevin talked to me for as long as I wanted. Really nice guy. Being able to talk to him face to face made a very good show great.
And there you have it, my 5 fave concerts. How about you? Which were your faves?????
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