Thread: Post your most memorable/spiritual/prolific/etc live music/concert experience here:

Mine had to be Woodstock '95. I have had many memorable experiences, but that was really my first soul-searching-type venture into music culture. My first real experience where music and emotion finally merged. [Well, I'm sure the drugs probably helped... ] Told my parents I was just going "camping" for a few..... hmmph.

They still don't know.

*EDIT* Correction, it was actually '94. My memory is going already. I do remember Joe Cocker and Traffic especially kicking ass and the Green Day mud fight was definitely a once in a lifetime'r.

Steel Pulse at the south shore music circus in Cohasset. it was like 100 degrees with 99% humidity. super roasted out of my head and the band plays on this rotating stage that was like 3 feet away. got all worked up and sweaty dancing to sweet reggae music, the music was so loud and I basically felt like I was in a trance just roooockin along with Pulse. super good time.

other shows of mention would be Dropkick Murphys at avalon on landsdowne and The Roots at Hunter college in Manhattan.

Radiohead in Chicago (Hutchinson Field) in August 2001. Band was staged against the backdrop of the cityscape on a perfect summer night; magical moonrise over the lake at the opposite end from the band during the show.

Got a BJ in a portapotty at Tony Hawk's BoomBoom Huckjam last summer. Fucking transcendent.

Fucking disgusting. I was taking a piss in a port a potty the other day and considered that fact that people do, in fact, have sex in hot, nasty, smelly port a potty's.

I threw up in my mouth a little.

Remember back in 1995 when Pearl Jam was at the height of their popularity and was trying to kick TicketMaster's ass? I borrrowed $1000 from my dad and skipped school with a bunch of friends to get in the local ticket lottery for their 2 Milwaukee shows. I bought as many tickets as I could styled out myself and friends with the best seats for free, and scalped the rest for a $1000 profit.

Grateful Dead: Red Rocks. I actually SAW the music, and HEARD the mountains singing!.

Gotta be phish Halloween in Glens Falls-1994
was in my hay days of seeing phish--dressed as divided sky and didnt listen when they said just take 1

Close second was the Clifford Ball

Mine would be my first Phish show. 12/28/97. That was the first time that I really understood that there was more to music than the shit that was playing on the radio.

Allmans. Red Rocks. About 12 years before this pic was taken.

Got home to the Springs in 40 minutes after that show. on the wings of beautiful angels.

This is corny compared to others, but The Smashing Pumpkins at Mesa Amphitheater a few years back. Fucking Sick.

A Perfect Circle/Nine Inch Nails was surreal as well.

Widespread-Barrymore Theatre, Madison WI 10/25/96

1: Pilgrims > Papa Legba, Jack > Weight Of The World, Send Your Mind > Blight, Heroes > A of D > C. Brown > Mr. Soul

2: Glory > Tall Boy > Tie Your Shoes > Do What You Like > Pigeons, Raise The Roof > Fishwater > Drums > Fishwater, Space Wrangler > Walkin' (For Your Love)

E: Walkin' reprise > Low Spark Of High Heeled Boys

10/26/96

1: Let's Get Down To Business > Worry, L.a. > Gradle > 1 x 1 > Better Off, Happy > Wondering, Mercy > Flat Foot Flewzy

2: Ain't Life Grand > Henry Parsons Died, Greta > I'm Not Alone, You Got Yours, Hatfield > Pusherman > Drums > Entering A Black Hole Backwards* > Chilly Water* > Blackout Blues*

E: Aunt Avis > Dream Song

Grateful Dead, 6/20/'83

Probably the most amazing show I've ever been to. Got laid in the tall grass out back, the show started, and we were outside on the lawn. It began to rain, then pour, then POUR. Lightning filled the sky, ball lightning like I've never seen before or since hovering and shimmering in the sky over the stage, people turning the lawn into a gaint slip'-n'-slide, wading through rivers of water where it had been bone dry earlier to get back to the car, it was simply fucking amazing.

Set 1
1. Minglewood Blues
2. They Love Each Other
3. Little Red Rooster
4. Peggy-O
5. My Brother Esau
6. Tennessee Jed
7. Hell In A Bucket
8. West L.A. Fadeaway
9. The Music Never Stopped

Set 2
1. China Cat Sunflower >
2. I Know You Rider
3. Samson & Delilah
4. He's Gone >
5. Truckin' > Jam>
6. Space >
7. Bob Star >
8. The Other One >
9. Wharf Rat >
10. Sugar Magnolia

Encore: It's All Over Now Baby Blue

That night was the shit.

I've been to a bunch of shows (although not recently) of all different genres. I've been to a few shows where the music pretty much took over my body; either goosebumps all over, jaw on the floor, yelling and screaming at the top of my lungs, dancing like crazy, or moshing like a madman. The most religious experience was seeing the trance dj'ing duo, Sasha and Digweed at a small rock club in Clifton Park, New York. These guys usually play superclubs (3000 to 5000 people in the U.S. and twice as big in Europe). The place we saw them at holds 600, with a liberal bouncer. It was completely surreal. You'd think they might not do their best set for a small show like that, but it was great from start to finish. The pinnacle was about 2/3 of the way through. I remember Sasha dropping this ridiculous beat and I went crazy and thought to myself "there's no way the beats can get any harder". Sure enough he dropped an even harder beat, and then he did it again. It was 15 minutes of pure bliss. I'm sure a 15 minute powder run would be more memeroable, but I've never had one nearly that long. Even though there wasn't another time during the set quite like that one, the anticipation of something that awesome was there for the rest of the night.


Honorable mentions:

A very close 2nd was this outdoor festival show in Hartford. First band we saw was this band that played at a frat party at our school, so that was pretty funny. Then we saw Kitty, before they're song got on the radio and mtv. We thought these incredibly hard-rocking chicks, with gutteral screams were pretty funny, but also intriguing and kinda good. Can't remember who else was in the middle. The next band I remember was Everclear. They sucked so much it was entertaining. At 10:00, like clockwork, all these mothers started showing to pick up their kids. Pretty hilarious. BTW, I didn't have sex with any of these mothers in a porta potty. The remaining two bands were memorable for their show. The first of these two was Public Enemy. Yeeeeeeeah Boooooy! I'd been waiting for this moment since I was in 4th grade. They were awesome. The next group is kinda lame, but I liked them at the time, and damn, they put on a good show. 311. Really energetic, had me moshing around like crazy. Singing aside, they're all excellent musicians.

One concert that wasn't amazing musically, but it was just a great night was REM at Great Woods. Beautiful weather, clear skies, stars shining brilliantly, and great friends all having a good time. Don't get me wrong, REM put on a good show, but it wasn't the music that put the show near the top of my list.

My two favorites were Nick Warren at Soma in Boulder(now closed down and replaced by some shit martini bar. But it was one of the better small dance clubs I have been to and since my e-tarded friend knew the owner(sorta) we managed to get in the booth with him for a bit of it. And my first and only Phish show, in Vegas. Trey told some sappy story about this dream he had about all of the awesome fans over the years and thanks to my many intoxicants I felt like I had been following them for years. Later that night some dude in a suit on Fremont street tried to sell us crack, gotta love Vegas. Both events were ones where the music seemed like a physical entity surrounding us all.

My only real Grateful Dead show in '95 in Pittsburgh in the rain was amazing. Wish I was older just so I could have gone to more shows.

Phish in '97 at the Gorge, aided by the abundant and inexpensive shrooms available in the pacific northwest. They turned every houselight off during a Harry Hood and there was a meteor shower, or at least I saw one.

Got free tickets to some crappy Nokia sponsored thing in Manchester with like one half pipe and some average skaters. Greatest moment of my life when Run DMC appeared on the stage

Radiohead at Red Rocks, twice.

All of Telluride Bluegrass, summer of 2002. Everyday we would hang out on a blanket, drinking and doing other things, listening to music all day in the mountains. Watching Emmy Lou Harris and Mary Chapin Carpenter at a free tent show, sitting about 5 feet from them, just strum away and tell stories about their careers. It was an incredible 4 days.

Originally Posted by Pow4Brains

Widespread-Barrymore Theatre, Madison WI 10/25/96 & 10/26/96

HA. i was at those 2 shows also

Stevie Ray Vaughn at Finger Lakes Performing Arts Center, a couple of weeks before he died. He was touring on a double-bill w/Joe Cocker-they would switch opener-closer each night. Stevie Ray closed the night I was there. He was really on top of his game then, and suposedly clean and sober. It was a beautiful night, I can still picture him sitting with his feet hanging off the edge of the stage playing Riviera Paradise (a jazzy tune from In Step)

1.Neil Young Acoustic, around 2000.

2.Eek a Mouse, 1994 and not just for the music. Will Rogers beach. Inter Sorority Volleyball Tournament. Hitched a ride as coach. Its a must do.

3.PInk Floyd Division Bell. Oakland 1994. I bought 40 tickets to a one night show to scalp for a Kirkwood Pass. The one show event turned into 3. It didnt work out too well.

4.Ziggy Marley, Chicago 1998. Sung all of Bobs old stuff, pretty cool if you missed seeing Bob.

5.Reggae on the River, 1990-93. My closest experience to being a hippy.

6. First show ever. Beastie Boys/Murphys Law, Ft. Lauderdale 1987. 15yrs old, front row, and had never seen ass like that before.

Originally Posted by iceman

Grateful Dead, 6/20/'83

Probably the most amazing show I've ever been to. Got laid in the tall grass out back, the show started, and we were outside on the lawn. It began to rain, then pour, then POUR. Lightning filled the sky, ball lightning like I've never seen before or since hovering and shimmering in the sky over the stage, people turning the lawn into a gaint slip'-n'-slide, wading through rivers of water where it had been bone dry earlier to get back to the car, it was simply fucking amazing.

Set 1
1. Minglewood Blues
2. They Love Each Other
3. Little Red Rooster
4. Peggy-O
5. My Brother Esau
6. Tennessee Jed
7. Hell In A Bucket
8. West L.A. Fadeaway
9. The Music Never Stopped

Set 2
1. China Cat Sunflower >
2. I Know You Rider
3. Samson & Delilah
4. He's Gone >
5. Truckin' > Jam>
6. Space >
7. Bob Star >
8. The Other One >
9. Wharf Rat >
10. Sugar Magnolia

Encore: It's All Over Now Baby Blue

That night was the shit.

Saratoga?

I think I was still tripping on 'shrooms when I graduated from High School the next day after that show. You should have been under the trees on the left of the theater like I was and you wouldn't have gotten wet. Definitely, one of the more memorable Dead shows I've seen.

Originally Posted by Mr.Scruff

Greatest moment of my life when Run DMC appeared on the stage

Originally Posted by Cono Este

First show ever. Beastie Boys/Murphys Law, Ft. Lauderdale 1987. 15yrs old, front row, and had never seen ass like that before.

Then you two can definitely understand the impact seeing the 1986 Run DMC - Beasties "Raising Hell Tour" show in Richmond, VA had on my impressionable 13 year-old psychee. Giant inflatable dick on stage and everything...


Seeing Primus halloween night, 1993 at Radford University was a pretty mindblowing experience for me as well.