Best and worst concert experience (plus bonus)

[illawarra_steelers]

Lost of love for live music - nothing better than having front row centre and meet and greets for the aftershow. So i thought I'd start a new topic in relation to music.

1. Best gig
2. Worst gig
3. Band you wished you had seen live but was unable to

[illawarra_steelers]

1. Best gig
2. Worst gig
3. Band you wished you had seen live but was unable to

To kick this off:

1: Metallica on 'Justice For All' concert - Hordern 1990 - was the only time in my life that I felt frightened at a gig. Metallica played for 3 hours and the place went nuts. They were still an underground band then (just before the 'Black Album' was released). Have never seen so many cops at a gig and felt I was the only one with a job inside the entire place  Did a pub crawl from the inner City of Sydney to the Horden, took 3 hours, remember doing a line of coke on a toilet seat with my best mate 
2: Def Leppard 'In the Round' Sydney Entertainment Centre 1992? - touring on their excellent album Hysteria - the gig 
3: Band wished I could of seen live - The Beatles - end of story - best band ever 

[Strangeways]

1. Best Gig

Would have to be either KISS Reunion Show in Melbourne (1st Night), or the KISS Farewell Melbourne Show (3rd Night) was the most memorable show I've ever witnessed (Rod Laver Arena). It was the show that Ace Frehley broke into a Medley (KISS rarely do medleys), and proved without a doubt he was the muso of the band. Quite funny, but the place went NUTS.. I'll go with the Farewell show..Here's that EXACT moment !

Very special mention to STRYPER - "To Hell with the Devil" tour 1989 (Festival Hall), and Cheap Trick - "The Flame" (The Palace) tour in 1987-88..


2. Worst Gig

Guns'N'Roses, Poison and Motley Crue - 1988-89. But Warrant in 1990 at Festival Hall were simply AWFUL !!


3 Band you wished you had seen live but were unable to

Too easy - Led Zeppelin circa Houses of the Holy

[illawarra_steelers]

Funny as as I was creating this post I thought 'bet Nino will chip in early'

Funny cause of the gigs of your best and worst I differ soooooooo much (and saw them all).

KISS with makeup post 1996 
KISS 1980 with Eric Carr at Sydney Showground 2nd best gig ever

Poison circa 1989 - had EXCELLENT seats and was loaded - they were sh*t

Motley around the same time - in the top 10 - they were a very professional band (Was loaded for that gig also) 

Gunners (around the same time) - wasn't really a fan until I saw them live (yeah I was REALLY REALLY LOADED  ) - awesome

[Retropin]

Oh Tony..... How many gigs did i do in the 80's?? Holy crap!

MANY best gigs - all for different reasons.

Birthday Party and Virgin Prunes at Brixton Ace approx 1982 - Nick Cave was trying to crack London and doing a bloody good job.. this gig was just mind blowing! I was 15.. It cost 3 quid to get in and i still have the ticket - just unreal!

Invite only gig at the TEMPLE by Psychic TV....  approx 1985 - lit by candles in a disused temple in London.. we all felt so very exclusive being invite only - very small crowd, pigeons crapping on our heads.. fantastic gig.

Hawkwind  Fairfield Halls Croydon - LOL!!! I think they booked the wrong band! We were dropping acid - selling acid, smoking and selling hash - everyone was! all the security were over 60 - this is where the blue rinse brigade go watch easy listening - we had spliffs coming from all angles and we all loved each other that night. Air was THICK with hash smoke - hawkwind were bloody great and were chucking joints into the audience - great stuff!!!

Pogues - Finsbury Park - most VIOLENT gig ive ever been to.. i still can handle myself down the front.. but this was a blood bath and Shane McGowan was best instigator!


WORST GIGS..
Any by Jesus and Mary Chain - we used to go just to throw stuff at them - never a gig went over 5 mins!!

james Taylor - fairfield halls - we bunked in and it was soooo ZZZZZZZZZZ

Bob Dylan - Glastonbury - also Lou Reed - yeh im so friggin famous im so far up my arse! Biggest snooze fest ever!!


One last best gig..

Iggy Pop - Trewargy festival - headlined on last night... most people had gone home on this very small and not successful festival - only about 50 of us left ( bloody die hards)  Iggy played and ended up off the stage and in the crowd.. very personal gig.. youll never get to see Iggy this close up ever again - sheer fluke but well worth it... could have been 1969 all over again!

And i wish i had seen...

The VERY last STONHENGE festival - i was doing exams at the time for art college and skipped it to go the following year - it never happened as the pigs ( cough police) smashed the crap out of everyone and destroyed all the buses - real shame.. after that Stonehenge was fenced off and you now pay to get in- was the end of free British heritage.. celtic roots now had a $$ value.. an experience that ill never get to come close to... i eventually got thrown out of art college.. so yep - i should have gone regardless

[Strangeways]

I'll "chip in alright" - Music and Pinball - my favorite hobbies.

Seen a few bands in my time - here's a snippet

Great Bands

Extreme - three sides to every story - Palace 1996ish. Awesome show - fantastic musicians and professional production.
Stryper - To Hell with The Devil - Festival Hall 1988. Great live band - smaller venue, but I enjoyed he show immensely. Awesome live band.
David Lee Roth - Skyscraper - 1989. Steve Vai was a guitar GOD back then and David Lee Roth was the ultimate frontman
Cheap Trick - The Flame - 1988. Simply awesome - a very professional outfit. I still have the album cover signed by the band and my left ear drum burst that night - ouch!
Whitesnake - Slip of the Tongue 1992 Festival Hall - AWESOME Warm-up Gig for their world tour. Coverdale was great that night.
KISS - KISS my ASS Tour - 1994ish - Rod Laver Arena - 1st and 2nd Night - completely blown away by this tour. Really did show the other bands how it is done !"
KISS - Reunion - 1996 - All three shows, but particularly the first night. Every other band prior to this was worthy of possibly being the warm up" gig !
KISS - Farewell - 2001 - Third and final Melbourne show - Best gig I've ever seen.
Iron Maiden - 2008 - Wold Slavery tour - LOVED this show. Other bands should take note - This is how the "big boys" do it !!

Shockers

Guns'N'Roses - Appetite for destruction - Tennis Center 1989ish.. HORRIBLE. As Mr Mckey says - "Drugs are bad - mmmakay?" Terrible Show
Motley Crue - Dr Feelgood 1990ish - When we grow up, we want to be KISS.. Nikki Sixx and Tommy Lee were great. The other two.. well..
Warrant - Just shocking. Rubbish. I saw Red, then I walked out thedoor..
Bon Jovi - slippery When Wet - Tennis Center 1987ish. Choirboys blew them off stage. Theirset was TERRIBLE.

Had fun compiling this list - and I'll bet I missed a few !

[Retropin]

mmmmmm - yeh i saw Whitesnake in 81 at Donnington Rock fest... i quickly came to the conclusion that even though many women were behaving strangely at the sight of Mr Coverdale ( i was 14)... it was clear that he was quite capable of loving himself more...

also on that fest...



 Blue oyster Cult
 Slade
 Blackfoot
 More
 Headlining... ACDC and they threw piss filled bottles at him for not being Bon Scott as we all shouted SKINHEAD!!!!!

There was a tattoo tent there also - they only did one tattoo and NEVER changed a needle once .. there was a line of people all day long.. the tattoo was a pic of Bon with RIP BON SCOTT underneath... die hard fans alright....

[jyebow]

Its gotta be ,Number One,  Iron Maiden, Newcastle Civic Theatre, 1985. Awesome ! Small gig but unreal.
               or  Neil Young , Syd Ent cent. 1989 ?
               or Hayseed Dixie @ Cambridge Hotel, Newcastle. ( I'll add the date when I'm in the shed & checkin' out the autographed gig poster. Great crowd too. Everyone from Headbangers, punks, rockabillies, senior citizens (lol), mods, etc,etc. top night.No Drama's.
& The Cult @ Newcastle Workers Club 1987 ? ( Before the Earthquake ) They rocked !!
& any Spy V Spy , or The Choirboy's or any of The Angels gigs, At the old Workies &/or The Palais. (RIP).
AC/DC & Kiss in Sydney were great as well.

[ddstoys]

Only ever been to two concerts Metallica and AC\DC and both were awsome

[big dog]

1. pink floyd ,88 in Sydney...spot on
2.lots but it is unfair to comment as I can not do better
3.hey ,I think Tony's right ,The Beatles

[Lloyd Olson]

1- Todd Rudgren 1972. Pretty much just a speaker, pre-amp, and guitar. And he played his heart out, gave 100% plus.
2- Led Zepplin 1978 Met Sports Center ( Minnesota, USA ) Hit the stage 2 hours 40 minutes late, tired worn out, some of the crappiest playing ever, and did an encore for the few people left. ( and I'd seen them at their best three years earlier 1975 at the Guthrie when they were awesome. )
3- Jim Morrison and the Doors.

[big dog]

I forgot to mention SMOKIN'JOE ROBINSON  both acoustic and the electric guitar and he now sings ,worth seeing ,you will be surprised.

[acejas]

Best Gig: Kiss 1980 Unmasked tour, Wellington NZ. First ever concert at 12 years old. Travelled 9 hours each way on bus. Wagged a school night. To this day my parents don't know that I went to a rock concert  LOL.

Worst concert: Think it was Dire Straits - Love Over Gold. I got the shits all night and didnt appreciate the concert because I bought a "bullet" of pot, opening it up and then windy Wellington weather blew it all away LOL.

Wish I had seen: Bob Marley. I got to see The Wailers in '85 in my home town when they toured NZ. Went to the after party. Man that was awesome

Ill add in another category :P

Scariest Conecert: Stevie Wonder: Western Springs Auckland 1987. Two gangs, Mongrel Mob and Black Power head to head...must have been 3-400 each side. They rumbled later after the concert

[ktm450]

Best: AC/DC Ballbreaker tour, man what a show, awesome!

Worst: Live, they just played their set, no show 

Wish I had seen: Metallica last time they were in Aus, we were strapped for cash as we had recently purchased our first home, couldn't afford to go 
Also would have loved to see the S&M concert they played with the San Francisco symphony orchestra, think they only played 2 nights in California

[Rod71]

Worst: Live, they just played their set, no show 

Saw those guys back in 2000 i think.  They were supported by Sugar Ray, who were actually more entertaining.