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Rare Bird
17-10-2009, 21:49
I'd love to say ELP but not

Hawkwind 'Sonic Attack' Tour gigs seen Hawkwind 12 times now..

Beechwoods
18-10-2009, 08:31
Oooh... it's easy to come up with a bad, one harder to think of the real standouts. I've been to a few good 'uns, eventhough I never seem get out these days, with rare exceptions :)

Prong + Godflesh - The Venue, London c. 1992

Genius pairing, with both bands at the height of their powers. Fantastic atmosphere, great mosh-pit, and plenty of crowd surfing!

Military Surplus RDF - Endorse It In Dorset Festival 2006

I saw Radical Dance Faction (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnM9NuUlXqA) at a punk-allnighter in Peckham around 1992, and that was a great night. Very chilled out, playing in a pub that was packed just enough to get a good vibe going. The band disintegrated by 1996, but reformed for a long-anticipated reunion show at the Endorse-It festival. I went on the strength of their appearance there. They didn't disappoint. The line-up was based on their earlier 'Military Surplus' incarnation. I'm still waiting for the promised reunion album.

Toshimaru Nakamura - The Cube, Bristol c. 2004

Toshimaru performs minimalist electronic music using a 'No Input Mixing Board' - part of the 'circuit bent (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circuit_bending)' scene. All sounds are generated through feedback, hum manipulation of hum, crackle, and tones generated by the shorting of components on a modified mixing board, without any external inputs. Sounds daft, but one of the most amazing performances I've ever seen. His albums are also good, but the impact is lost via crappy YouTube videos. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eia_A523Z1Q

Whither The Sixties Underground event - The ICA 1997

This was a full day of talk, reminscence and performance by those involved in the '14 Hour Technicolor Dream' at Alexandra Palace in 1967. Arthur Brown performed, and Malcolm Boyle did his amazing 1-man play 'The Madcap'; a tribute to Syd Barrett. Not enough people attended the event - maybe only 50 or 60, but it was fantastic nonetheless...

Macca
18-10-2009, 08:43
Steely Dan - at Aintree Racecourse 2007 - sat front row centre..

Also there was a free bar! - I'm afraid I was very, very drunk...:)



Martin

John
18-10-2009, 08:46
I have a few in no order
Jonas Hellborg and Shawn Lane Pizza Express
Zero Hour Headway Festival
Diamond Head Woolwich night after the riots
ZZ Top when they played the marquee
Thin Lizzy Rainbow Theatre

alb
18-10-2009, 09:09
Finsbury Park, London. Quite a few years ago.
First time i saw Neil Young. Along with 4 non blondes, Pearl Jam, James and Teenage Fanclub. All good in their own way.

Themis
18-10-2009, 09:45
Prince, at Nice, a few years ago. A great musician.
And one of the rare stars who get down from the scene, to go near the public and sign autographs. ;)

Joe
18-10-2009, 09:48
John Cale, 1975.

REM
18-10-2009, 10:01
The Who, Liverpool Uni, May 1971. I think it was the first time they played 'Wont Get Fooled Again' in public, amazing gig from start to finish. We wondered what the three WW2 searchlights at the back of the stage were for but had forgotten about them when they announced the last number, WGFA. When Daltry and Townsend hit the BIG return, BANG on came all 3 of them. 1500 bonged out hippies blinded, dazed, confused, transfixed, totally blasted, now that's what I call a climax, incredible.:smoking:

Jason P
20-10-2009, 23:08
The Waterboys, Brighton Centre in oohh, must've been around 1989 - it was the Fishermans Blues tour. They'd done a gig about a month before in the Top Rank suite (rank being the operative word there) and had all sorts of problems with sound and kit busting. So, Mike Scott announced at the end that they'd come back and do the gig again. No-one believed it, but sure enough they did. It rocked. They started with Fishermans Blues and proceeded to blow the roof of the Brighton Centre (not a great venue in terms of atmosphere) for around 2 hours - I think I pogo'ed for most of it....

Happy days.

Jason

Alex_UK
20-10-2009, 23:20
Probably predictable, but U2, Joshua Tree Tour, the first London date - 2nd June 1987 (I was 18) - in Wembley Arena when it was an arena - amazing show, got back home at 5am, went to work 2 hours later. 2nd best gig I ever went to? U2, Joshua Tree Tour, the second London date - 12th June 1987 - at Wembley Stadium when it was a Stadium - amazing show ;) The support was pretty amazing too - World Party, Spear Of Destiny & The Pretenders. The only reason the second one wasn't quite as good as the first was that I was far too pissed the second time!

The Grand Wazoo
20-10-2009, 23:29
Brighton Centre - Top Rank suite (rank being the operative word there)


God, I've seen a few gigs at those two venues & not forgetting the Dome & the Concorde

Off the top of my head:

Brighton Centre - The Jam's last gig, The Who, Zappa, Rush (twice), Alice Cooper, Thin Lizzy, Queen, Robert Plant, Whitesnake, Springsteen, Black Sabbath, Genesis..........

Top Rank - Julian Cope (support: The Faith Brothers & Dumpy's Rusty Nuts!)

Dome - Wishbone Ash, Rory Gallagher, Gillan, Kinks, Charlie Watts Big Band....

Pool Hall Richard
21-10-2009, 09:52
Led Zeppelin at the 02 Arena 2007.
Smashing Pumpkins acoustic show at the Raymond Revue Bar , Soho, July ‘93
Eric Clapton, Blues night, final concert of his Royal Albert Hall season in ’93.
Black Crowes, Brixton Academy, April 2008

DanJennings
21-10-2009, 10:17
Led Zeppelin at the 02 Arena 2007

Bastard.;)

TheGreenManalishi
24-11-2009, 10:51
Paul Weller - 93 at the T&C in Leeds - the bandwagon had started to roll but he was still doing smaller venues for a while. The return of the king.

I still remember (im 36) a bus stop full of Parkha wearing mods in 81 - they looked so cool, no-one imo has ever grasped englands youth in the same way.

Jason P
24-11-2009, 16:35
God, I've seen a few gigs at those two venues & not forgetting the Dome & the Concorde

Off the top of my head:

Brighton Centre - The Jam's last gig, The Who, Zappa, Rush (twice), Alice Cooper, Thin Lizzy, Queen, Robert Plant, Whitesnake, Springsteen, Black Sabbath, Genesis..........

Top Rank - Julian Cope (support: The Faith Brothers & Dumpy's Rusty Nuts!)

Dome - Wishbone Ash, Rory Gallagher, Gillan, Kinks, Charlie Watts Big Band....

Bloody hell, Dumpy's Rusty Nuts!! I'd forgotten about them completely - great though! You must've seen The Hamsters there somewhere too?

Brighton has a really good live music scene, especially in some of the pubs. I was a regular at The Greys and have seen some great acts - Jackie Leven, Brian Houston, Gene Parsons & Meridian Green, Eric Roche... The Concorde has had some great ones too - Gong, Martin Stephenson (with and without The Daintees), Jim White, The Hanson Family...

Happy happy days.

Jason

DanJennings
24-11-2009, 18:52
Eric Roche...


Gawd rest his soul!

A sad loss, I saw him live too, truly excellent

michaelhigh
18-10-2010, 20:29
I saw hundreds of concerts in the 70's, 80's, worked hundreds in the 90's, not much lately. Notable shows in the 2000's from the Black Crowes, horrible the last time I saw them last year due to sucky sound (darn that shitty sound! to ruin a show)... This is from a band I've seen at least 10 times in various configs, only sucked once. Generally speaking, stellar audio from a band that really cares.

Techno Commander
18-10-2010, 21:33
Choosing the best may be difficult, but these are all memorable for different reasons.

Hawkwind - Xenon Codex tour.
A superb stage set that looked like a mad scientists laboratory with a giant reel to reel as a backdrop. Also a stunning laser display was on show and this is the gig which first got me interested in lasers. Strangely, 20 years later, I ended up performing laser shows for Hawkwind.

Iron Maidem - Powerslave tour.
Heavy metal at its best.

Moby & Leftfield @ Homelands.
Possibly the 2 best dance acts in the world, back to back on the same stage.

The Vinyl Adventure
18-10-2010, 21:53
Presedents of the USA in the academy 2 in brum ... Dan could tell you what year, we were stood at the front within probably less than a meters reach from te band. Intimate loud, and hugley entertaining! Definatley the most fun I have ever had watching live music!

slate
19-10-2010, 08:14
Jazz is not biggest genre in my collection, but my most intense concert would have to be with

Niels-Henning Ørsted Pedersen (Bass)
Kenneth Knudsen (Keyboards)
Palle Mikkelborg (Trumpet)

performing their "Heart To Heart" album at in late 1986. 200 people packed in a small room with them in the middle... one could hear the proverbial pin drop.


Another worthy mention would be David Bowie in Copenhagen 1991 on The Sound + Vision Tour. Although David was in form that night, the first thing I always recall is Kim Wilde as the warmup gig. They started playing her 3 biggest hit to get people going a bit; but the rest of her material is not that known here; so the rest of the set people were just talking/smoking/drinking.... I felt sorry for her, but then I have always had a soft spot for Kim ;)

Haselsh1
19-10-2010, 08:56
Anderson, Bruford, Wakeman, Howe at Birmingham NEC sometime during the Nineties.

DanJennings
19-10-2010, 18:19
Presedents of the USA in the academy 2 in brum ... Dan could tell you what year, we were stood at the front within probably less than a meters reach from te band. Intimate loud, and hugley entertaining! Definatley the most fun I have ever had watching live music!

+1 on that one, and Hamish it was Wednesday 10th August 2005... one of the best gigs I've ever seen as well as:

Bjork - the homogenic tour at symphony hall

Roxy Music - their reunion tour in about 2001

Lemon Jelly - the lost horizons tour 2005

Sabbath reunion tour 1997

shane
19-10-2010, 19:18
Anything at the Van Dike in Plymouth, 1970 - 1973, a fabulous venue about the size of the average village hall. The most memorable was the first I went to, Free in March 1970. I ended up mesmerised leaning against one of the Marshall stacks at the end of the stage. Prior to that I'd been mostly into The Shadows. Talk about a Damascus moment!
I subsequently found that Floyd, Zeppelin and Yes were regulars in the two years before I found out about the place, but never got to see them. Did get to see Sabbath and ELP's first gig, but the bands that stick in my mind now are Groundhogs and The Edgar Broughton Band. Saw both of them six times!

I'm pretty sure I've posted this link before, but never mind eh! http://www.thepippin.plus.com/Van%20Dike%20handbills/

Rare Bird
19-10-2010, 19:47
Anything at the Van Dike in Plymouth, 1970 - 1973, a fabulous venue about the size of the average village hall.


:youtheman:

sparrow
19-10-2010, 19:57
Tangerine Dream in Edinburgh 2008 .

Thermionic
19-10-2010, 20:22
Ah, a bit of Jazz (cos I’m doing my bit for the genre) - It has to be the Dave Brubeck Quartet at Basingstoke (of all places) in 2007. I missed Bill Evans at Ronny Scott’s in the 70’s, not this time. Three elderly gents and one youngster all in sharp suits, and could they (still) swing!

aquapiranha
19-10-2010, 21:49
Barclay James Harvest at Manchester Apollo, a long time ago.

Judie Tzuke at the Neptune theatre Liverpool, a long time ago.

Fleet Foxes at Manchester academy Nov 2008 see here.. http://hangout.altsounds.com/reviews/103156-fleet-foxes-manchester-academy-2-9th-november-2008-live.html

And of course Cara Dillon - twice on her home turf in Derry, and once in Crosby (Liverpool) in June.

Other highlights include Waterboys, Donovan (!) Bjork and Tori Amos among others.

MartinT
19-10-2010, 22:04
Rock
Steve Winwood at the Albert Hall around 1990. It was so joyous, everyone was dancing.

Classical
Simon Rattle conducting Mahler's Symphony No.2 with the CBSO at the Festival Hall around 1980. I have never before or since seen an entire hall give a standing ovation nor so many open tears of emotion. A truly staggering performance.

Grez
26-10-2010, 17:44
One of the finest gigs I ever saw was The Hellecasters at JBs club in Dudley in front of about 100 people. The band were superb, good-humoured and played a terrific set in a great, intimate atmosphere.

War of the Worlds at the NIA last year was also a terrific night out, as was "Heartbeat" - a day-long gig in 1986 at the NEC featuring ELO, the Moody Blues, Roy Wood, Robert Plant with the Big Town Playboys, The Fortunes, The Applejacks, The Rockin' Berries, The Steve Gibbons Band, UB40 with Ruby Turner and MC'd by Jasper Carrott.

The Grand Wazoo
26-10-2010, 17:56
One of the finest gigs I ever saw was The Hellecasters at JBs club in Dudley in front of about 100 people. The band were superb, good-humoured and played a terrific set in a great, intimate atmosphere.

War of the Worlds at the NIA last year was also a terrific night out, as was "Heartbeat" - a day-long gig in 1986 at the NEC featuring ELO, the Moody Blues, Roy Wood, Robert Plant with the Big Town Playboys, The Fortunes, The Applejacks, The Rockin' Berries, The Steve Gibbons Band, UB40 with Ruby Turner and MC'd by Jasper Carrott.

Blimey! - I thought everyone but me had forgotten about Steve Gibbons.

Grez
26-10-2010, 18:20
Blimey! - I thought everyone but me had forgotten about Steve Gibbons.

I was going to mention him only the other day. I was never a huge fan of Steve Gibbons or indeed Bob Dylan. Then one year at my annual pilgrimage to the Cropredy Festival, I found out that Steve Gibbons was fronting a band called The Dylan Project featuring some members of Fairport Convention, plus Steve's erstwhile guitarist PJ Wright. I thought I was going to really hate it, to be frank, but Steve's singing of Dylan's songs I found to be really good, and I have to say that Highway 61 Revisited and Like a Rolling Stone were superb.

Amazing that how much you think it won't work on paper, in fact it does in real life. Moral of the story: um.... yeah, right.

isuckedmandelsonslemons
26-10-2010, 18:26
Genesis - Lamb Lies Down tour (Newcastle City Hall)

Steely Dan - Wembley Arena

Blondie - as a support act (Television topped the bill) Newcastle City Hall

Queen - as a support act (Mott the Hoople topped the bill) Hammersmith Odeon

I'm sure there were others . . .

Stratmangler
05-11-2010, 14:28
I've been to a few really great concerts, but one which will always stand out for me was Slade at Rotters Nightclub in Manchester.
This was when Noddy Holder and Jim Lea were still with the band.
They were absolutely superb, and there was much band/audience interaction and singing going on.

I've seen quite a few bands with a reputation for putting on a good rocking show, but Slade showed them exactly how it should be done.

It's a pity Noddy and Jim don't play any more:(

Haselsh1
05-11-2010, 15:02
The Stranglers at Cleethorpes Winter Gardens around 1976. What a brill gig with much spitting and scrapping going on. It was a real eye opener as it was my first ever gig.

Haselsh1
05-11-2010, 15:04
Yes at Manchester Apollo around 2000 when Steve Howe danced across the stage and pulled his guitar lead out by accident. Oh how we laughed with embarassment.
:lol:

Haselsh1
05-11-2010, 15:07
Steve Hackett at Hull City Hall around 1978 during the Defector tour. Absolutely staggering after which it became really obvious who one of the major players was in Genesis. I'd now love to see the other major player; Peter Gabriel.

Mothman
05-11-2010, 20:50
Like Chris (Stratmangler), Slade would be very near the top of my list. I was lucky enough to be at the Reading Fesival gig in 1980 when they weren't even on the bill but were draughted in as eleventh hour replacements for Ozzy Osbourne. They had been out of the limelight for a few years but they had been constantly gigging in smaller venues around the country. Well to say they were match fit would be something of an understatement as they absolutely blew the place apart, Noddy even had the crowd sing 'Merry Christmas Everybody' in August. Def Leppard had the unenviable job of following them but never really stood a chance and 20 minutes into their set people were still shouting for Slade. A memorable festival as it was also the only time I got to see the great Rory Gallagher.

Other memorable gigs would be Queen at Ally Pally around 79, and also Zep at Knebworth in the same year, I was miles from the stage but happy to have gotten to see them before Bonzo died. In more recent times Joe Bonamssa at the RAH was a great gig dispite the somewhat iffy sound, though this is thankfully corrected on the DVD:).

Stratmangler
05-11-2010, 21:17
Rory Gallagher....
What a performer !
Only saw him the once, unfortunately, at The International in Manchester, where he played a blinding set.

When he got to his solo acoustic spot he picked up his guitar and started playing, only to find that it was completely out of tune, due to the heat in the venue.
Now most players would excuse themselves while they retuned, but not Rory.
He just carried on as though nothing were wrong, and tuned his guitar as he played and sang - didn't miss a beat along the way either.
By the end of the first acoustic number he had got the guitar perfectly in tune.
It's a neat trick if you can do it - certainly impressed me;)

Mothman
05-11-2010, 21:37
Rory Gallagher....
What a performer !
Only saw him the once, unfortunately, at The International in Manchester, where he played a blinding set.

When he got to his solo acoustic spot he picked up his guitar and started playing, only to find that it was completely out of tune, due to the heat in the venue.
Now most players would excuse themselves while they retuned, but not Rory.
He just carried on as though nothing were wrong, and tuned his guitar as he played and sang - didn't miss a beat along the way either.
By the end of the first acoustic number he had got the guitar perfectly in tune.
It's a neat trick if you can do it - certainly impressed me;)

Chris, Rory was a true legend, I doubt I will ever see his like again. At the start of the recently released 'Ghost Blues' DVD documentary Johnny Marr tells of how he once witnessed Rory changing a string mid song without even stopping, now that's some trick:eek: