Jump to content
SASS Wire Forum

Best Live Music Acts You Have Seen


Chantry

Recommended Posts

And you can break it down into small venue (500 people or less), medium venue (5000 or less) large (20,000 or less)  very large (more than 20,000).

 

Best Small Venue act:  Rick Estrin and the Nightcats, a West Coast Jump Blues band, mostly up tempo with a lot of funny songs.   John Lee Hooker comes in a very close second.

 

Best Medium Venue Act: Buddy Guy, even in his 80's he still puts on a great show

 

Best Large  Venue Act:  The Rolling Stones.  I wasn't a huge fan before I saw them live, but, and I don't quite know how they do it, they don't do a concert, it is more of a "show" or "event".

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The absolute best concert I ever went to was Journey in 1986, back when Steve Perry still fronted the band. One awesome rock song after another... I never got bored or sat down the entire time. Bruuuuuuuce was really good as well back when he was young, but lately he's just a crotchety old man who looks and sounds tired when he performs, and spends most of his time kissing Democratic butts.

 

Unfortunately there's not many new acts I like so I haven't been to a concert in many years.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Steely Dan, Chick Corea , Micheal McDonald, solo. The 4 Seasons and Miles Davis at a Jazzfest with a few others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Other than school or church things I have only been to two concerts.  1976, Hands Across the Sea (I think that was the name of it),  Massed Bands of Her Majesty's Royal Marines and Black Watch, and in 1977 Massed Bands of HM Royal Marines and Scots Guards for her Silver Jubilee .  Both were in San Diego, both were rather stirring.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Best small venue band: “Billy Vera and the Beaters”, dinner club in Santa Monica, CA in the early 80’s
 

Best medium venue band: “Dire Straits” in the Greek Theatre, Los Angeles, CA 1985

 

Best large venue band: “Saga” at the Hampton Colliseum in Virginia 1982. They were the warm up band for Pat Benatar. Best concert ever. The Pat Benatar came out and threw a wet blanket on the crowd with a lackluster performance that for me lasted 2 songs and we left. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Large venue: about 1978, AnaheimCalifornia:  U.S.M.C. "President's Own" from 8th and I and The Black Watch touring band.  Took me two weeks to get my pulse back under 100 bpm.

 

Small venue: about 1963,Lagoon Amusement Park just north of Salt Lake City: The Everly Brothers before they got really famous.  The whole audience got into the act, Phil fired a drummer mid act and a local girl maybe 16 years old filled in on the drums (and did a wonderful job of it).

Link to comment
Share on other sites

YES - any of the 6 times I've been fortunate enough to catch them.

 

Little Chris and the Nightcrawlers - at small, festival like, shows.  Always blow the roof off the joint.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Small venue - it's a tie. Randy Newman at the Cincinnati Zoo pavilion in 1986. Robbie Krieger in a little dive of a venue in St. Petersburg, Fl in 1994.

 

Medium small venue - another tie. Little Feat at Ruth Eckerd Hall in Clearwater, Fl in 199?. Gordon Lightfoot, same place in 199?

 

Large venue - Ted Nugent at Lakeland Civic Center, Fl in 1978.

 

Very large venue - It was called Tampa Jam in Tampa, Fl in 1978. It featured Black Oak Arkansas, Blackfoot, Alvin Lee, Atlanta Rhythm Section and a couple of other bands. Blackfoot and ARS kicked some serious ass.

 

Those sure were the days. Music these days isn't even music, it's mostly noise by someone with little to no musical ability.

 

Time to turn on some Sirius FM now.......... 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

4 hours ago, Rye Miles #13621 said:

Steely Dan, Chick Corea , Micheal McDonald, solo. The 4 Seasons and Miles Davis at a Jazzfest with a few others.

Steely Dan was the biggest venue 

Chick Corea and Miles Davis and Micheal McDonald were outdoor concerts and medium sized 

The Four Seasons was a small venue when they were just breaking out. It was at an amusement park in the 60’s

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Small Capacity, at least I think it was 500 or less: Michael Feinstein at the old Veterans Memorial in Columbus, Ohio. He played primarily Gershwin tunes, and due to his connection, had, or has, a unique insight. If it was more than 500 people there, he made it seem like he was playing for and talking to less than a dozen. Intimate, one of my first concerts with Mrs. Doc, and romantic as could be.

Medium Capacity: Central Ohio Symphony Orchestra at Ohio Wesleyan University's Gray Chapel performing The Chichester Psalms, The Great Gate of Kieve, and finishing with Beethoven's Ninth Symphony.

 

Large Capacity becomes more of a challenge. Name any of the Rush concerts I've been to. With Iron Maiden receiving a strong honorable mention.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

America and 3 Dog Night.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Best small venue: Toss up between Buddy Guy at the Horse Shoe Casino Indiana and John Prine at the Palace in Louisville

Best medium venue: 38 Special in the castle in Wurzburg Germany

Best Large Venue: Texas Jam in 1980 on June 21 (my B-Day)  (?) Sammy Hagar, Eagles with Joe Walsh, Foreigner, April Wine, Cheap Trick, Christopher Cross and Point Blank. Never forget that tickets were only $16.50 back then.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Small venue- JJ Grey solo ‘Front Porch Sessions’, Largo Theater, Los Angeles

Medium Venue- JJ Grey and Mofro, Hard Rock Cafe, Anehiem

Large Venue- JJ Grey and Mofro, Red Rock Amphitheater, Colorado

There IS a pattern here...  ;) 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Cypress Sun said:

Those sure were the days. Music these days isn't even music, it's mostly noise by someone with little to no musical ability.

 

Time to turn on some Sirius FM now.......... 

 

 

 

There is still good music out there, it just isn't played on the radio very often, you have to go looking for it.  Apple iTunes is good and there is a lot of live music on You tube.  If you have Amazon Prime there is free music as well.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, Cypress Sun said:

 

 

Time to turn on some Sirius FM now.......... 

 

This is how I stumbled upon JJ Grey and Mofro- 1st song I heard is still one of my favorites- Lochloosa 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Small venue: The Dillards, Boulder, Colorado, live in a pizza bar west of the University of Colorado campus, fall, 1966.  They played every bluegrass tune on every one of their albums. Rodney played a harmonica with no hands.

 

Medium venue:  Peter Nero on his piano with his combo, Ravinia Park outdoor concert theater, Chicago,  July, 1968. Hotter than a $2 pistol; the musicians took off their coats and ties and gave the audience a treat.

 

Large venue: Ray Charles at the Grand Palace in Branson, Missouri; year is lost but probably mid-1990s.  Ray had about 2,000 of us in his pocket.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Small Venue:  Mebbe ten years ago, at a coffee shop in Visalia, California, sitting about a dozen feet from Dave Stamey.  ^_^

 

Medium/Large Venue:  Winterland, in San Francisco, 1973.  First, some gospel group then E.L.O. as lead-ins for Sha Na Na.

 

Very Large Venue:  Day on the Green in Oakland - Jesse Colin Young, Joe Walsh [and Barnstorm], The Band, and CSNY ~ all on one ticket.  Buddy and I sat on the grass about 75' from the stage.  That was a LONG day.  :lol:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Large venue: Doc Severinsen and his Tonight Show Band

 

Medium: Brian Setzer Big Band

 

Small: Big Bad Voodoo Daddy

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

best i ever saw was a little known warm up band that stepped in for the headliner [ill not even list them] and turned the evening into a great performance , mason proffit , back in the early 70s at iowa state university , i have everything they ever did in my meager library of music 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Different generation of music here, but the best shows I've been to were Metallica in 2002 (huge venue) and Linkin Park in 2004 (huge venue), both at the Amalie Arena in Tampa. The best small venue shows I've been to were Ben Howard (Shrine, downtown LA) and Andrew McMahon in the Wilderness (at the Roxy in Hollywood).

 

If I had a time machine, I'd have gone to see Pink Floyd, Ray Charles, Bill Evans, Earl Scruggs, and those would probably be my answers.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

BB King, Buddy Guy & others at our college campus. Wishbone Ash at an old movie theater in Davenport, Iowa. ZZ Top at multiple locations.

I still like Classic Rock, but I also like the Blues today on Pandora or Amazon Music.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

The Eagles, 1979 Long Run Tour (when it was just The Eagles, no extra musicians, no horn section).

Pink Floyd 1987 - played for 3 hours with a short intermission.

1981. a southern rock all day event, The Outlaws, Marshall Tucker Band, Molly Hatchet, 38 Special, Allman Brothers, I think Rossington-Collins was there, can't remember all of the bands.

Also, a concert in 1981 that had Blackfoot opening for Nazareth, strange pairing of bands for a tour.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

Neil Diamond World Tour.  At the Yahrhundrethalle in Germany.

 

Don't know if it qualifies, but Bob Hope and his troupe in Viet Nam were just incredible.  Nothing like it since. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

My wife and I chaperoned the church youth group to Six Flags in NJ. Most of the day was pleasant but late afternoon there was rain and the park emptied. The kids weren’t ready to give it up so we stayed. Roy Orbison was scheduled to perform and we weren’t sure he’d show because of the rain and poor attendance. Probably less the 80 spectators in the audience and he put on the full show just as if the arena was jammed. The only difference on his part was that he interacted with the folks directly, taking requests after his regular show. He did some repeats that were requested even though they’d already been in the show. I always liked Pretty Woman, even the second time that night.

 

CJ

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Best intimate venue - California the blue grass band at the amphitheater at Calico Ghost Town

Best small venue - Leon Redbone at the Coachouse in SoCal

Best medium venue - Ray Charles at the Hollywood Bowl

Best medium/large venue - BB King at the Pacific Amphitheater - we were close enough to see his facial expressions and his passion for playing.

Best large venue - Pink Floyd Division Bell tour at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena. 

 

As you can see, we enjoy a wide range of music.

 

We also have a number of runner-up shows:

Kenny Loggins at the Pacific Amphitheater

Charlie Daniels at the Route 66 Bluegrass Festival, Victorville

 

 

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Small venue,Joan Jett and the Blackhawks at the Chance theater

Medium,AC/DC at the Mid Hudson civic center

Best medium large Hank Williams Jr at Hunter mountain

Never been to a Large venue.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Best intimate venue: Tommy James and the Shondells at the Crystal Blue in Nashville around 1974

 

Best small venue: Neil Diamond at the Ryman Auditorium. 1972

 

Best medium venue: The Rolling Stones with Stevie Wonder as an opening act, Municipal Auditorium in Nashville, 1972

 

Tied for best medium venue: any one of the Volunteer Jams from number one, (War Memorial Auditorium) through the last one held at Municipal!! After those, they stopped allowing festival seating and wouldn’t allow folks to approach the stage!!

 

Best big venue: Jim Croce, several large performance halls across the south.

 

Best huge arena! Again a tie. ZZ Top Whole Earth Texas Tour with Alice Cooper opening at Nashville’s Fairground Speedway.  1974

 

The other part of the tie belongs to The Allman Brothers Band at any one of probably twenty different venues of various sizes across the country over more than forty years!!

 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site, you agree to our Terms of Use.