Best gig you've ever been to?

A tough if not impossible task to select just a single live occasion. Some of them are more memorable just because it was near-awe to be in the same room/venue as the artistes.


Dr Feelgood, St. Andrews Student Union, circa 1979
Sonny Terry/Brownie McGhee- Manchester Free Trade Hall 1984
Bo Diddley- a billiards club in Longsight (yes!) circa 1982
Carole King-Manchester Apollo, early 80s
9 Below Zero, Manchester University Students Union, 1981
Mike Oldfield-Rainbow Theater, Finsbury Park, circa 1981
John Mayall- Musicians Exchange, Ft. Lauderdale, 1985 (Coco Montoya on guitar).
Van Morrison-Manchester 1984
Joni Mitchell, Birmingham NEC, 1982 or so.

And after a very long gap...
Ten Years After, Chattanooga, TN 2008

, I think. Dr Feelgood, Brinsley Schwarz, Graham Parker amongst others

Van Morrison with the Caledonian Soul Orchestra at Knebworth and again at RAH earlier this year

The Waterboys at the Manchester Apollo at the time of Fisherman's Blues

Sex Pistols at Lesser Free Trade Hall, Manchester - though not "that" one! - this was about a month later with The Buzzcocks supporting

Bob Marley at the Lyceum - yes, that one!

Grateful Dead, Wembley, 1972 just a few weeks before my A-Levels. Took a lot of pressure on my mother to let me go to that. And again at Bickershaw - but memorable for the mud!

Rolling Stones at Hyde Park, 1969

Waterson-Carthy at a pub in East Didsbury, maybe 1995?

Arthur Lee - Forever Changes concert, Liverpoool. Just looked it up - 2003 - six years ago!

Leonard Cohen - any of the four I've seen so far (Manchester, Berlin, Manchester again and Liverpool). Possibly Berlin was the best

and many, many more. But possibly the real best was a local Stockport band (The Best Band) playing the Bowling Green pub on the night Ireland beat Italy in the 1994 World Cup. It was my 40th birthday and everyone, including the band, stopped to watch the match and once it was over, carried on into the night...

Ciarán

without a shadow of a doubt Leonard Cohen in Manchester at the Opera House last year.

Most bizarre was Gammer and His Familiars palying at a winebar in Altrincham in the eighties. To go to the toilet you had to cut across the stage. When more than one went the band stopped and waited for them before continuing!

Very tough call to nominate one.

Possibly Thin Lizzy Liverpool Empire 1981

Van Morrison - he can put on a real bummer of a show, but it's worth taking the gamble just in case he shines - the best I remember was Ulster Hall in Belfast, I think it was late 1980's. The audience was completely spellbound.

James Taylor put on an incredible show around the same time period in Queens University's Whitla Hall - a superb venue for an acoustic set.

Others that really stand out were the ones where I had little expectation:

Santana took to the stage at the Slane music festival and blew the whole crowd away. I had barely heard of them at the time and was mesmorised. Dylan took to the stage later but he too was blown away - not sure if drink or drugs but he collapsed and was carried off stage. Bono tried to step in to provide cover which was kinda funny!

Bruce Springsteen at Olympia a few years back lives on my memory. I knew his music, I just had no idea what a fantastic show he would put on. That man was wired up to the National Grid - no idea where else he could get so much energy from - a fantastic show man.

Peter

Without doubt, Dylan and The Hawks 27 May 1966 Royal Albert Hall London, the last show ever played with the The Hawks before the motorcycle crash and too many drugs, too much touring, too much pressure ended it all. An angry audience really raises the dynamics of a gig. Even the acoustic first half was spellbinding.

Chris

SON HOUSE LEITH 1970
CAPTAIN BEEFHEART GLASGOW 1972
SUN RA ARKESTRA (marshall allen)EDINBURGH 2006

quote:

Originally posted by mike/dallas:
Led Zepplin- 1978. J.Page was sick and played sitting down. They never came back after intermission and a full scale riot ensued at the Chicago Stadium. Luckily was in the press box during the mayhem!

Ooh, Mike, don't mean to be picky but the last time they played the US was June 23rd/24th 1977 in Oakland which, coincidentally, is the show I would pick to be my best gig ever. I am sure you meant '77.

Page was very sickly for my show too, and his fingers kept getting caught between the strings. But for a 16 year old fanatic who stayed/slept in line for almost 24 hours, it was heaven. Rick Derringer (whirling dervish guitar) and a little known Judas Priest (!!!!) opened. This was the occasion of the alleged massive beating of a stagehand by Grant and co. who, as the story goes, were retaliating for said stagehand's rough treatment of Jason Bonham.

Aside from all the nonesense it was amazing.

My first gig was Santana 1971 at the Berkeley Community Theater. As a 10 year old, I went with my friend and his mum and I have been spoiled ever since. Return to Forever a couple of years later at the same venue was pretty mindblowing as well. Then the Dead Kennedys were probably the most thrilling/scary/out of control gig I have ever done.

And Voltaire - I like your list.

Munch, don't be a show off like ewemon , but do give me just one or two poignant memories. I know you have some stories....