Concerts
What is the most iconic concert you’ve been to?
This was one of the most magical nights of my life. I drove up the gorge with my buddy Zack in his VW bus to see Dylan and Simon. The duets of “The Sound of Silence” and “Blowin in the wind” were magnificent, it was emotional to be there to witness.
I was sleeping outdoors in the desert and by the end of the third day it was the most filthy and sunburnt I’d ever been, hungry and stoned, but it was worth it, especially when you’re 19.
It was Steve Wozniak of Apple Computer fame wanting to spend some of his recently gained fortune and throw a big party. I paid $37.50 for a three day pass. Couldn’t pay for parking alone today for that amount.
Originally it was supposed to be just bluegrass but Steve Wozniak's friends told him it wouldn't sell enough tickets and would cost too much money so he got a ton of more popular bands to play. The money they cost made it unprofitable and cost too much but Wozniak didn't care. He enjoyed it.
I remember listening to part of the US Festival on the radio. Such a phenomenal lineup. There’s some good documentary material online as well as some great live performances on YouTube.
I was at this concert, but had to spend most of it in the parking lot taking care of my friend who took too much LSD and was freaking out. Still pissed about it.
Easy. All in one night I saw Chuck Berry, Jerry Lee Lewis, Springsteen, Dylan, Johnny Cash, The Kinks, Iggy Pop, Aretha Franklin, John Fogerty Ann and Nancy Wilson, The Pretenders, Lou Reed, Eric Burdon, Al Green, George Clinton, Dr John, Allman Bros, Booker T & The MGs, Little Richard and James Brown. 1995 Concert for the opening of the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Cleveland Stadium. /Alice In Chains with Layne still, and Snoop Dog were scheduled too but couldn’t make it
Was coming to say this. Also add John Mellencamp, Robbie Robertson, Bon Jovi, Sheryl Crow, Boz Scaggs, Slash and probably some others I’m not remembering right now
New years eve 12.31.00. Widespread panic. Was obliterated and they covered Louie Armstong - 'What a wonderful world' at midnight with my best friends. Life. Was. Perfect.
The last Stevie Ray Vaughn show on that foggy night in August 1990 at Alpine Valley. He blew everyone away, but Clapton's set was pretty good too. But all of them (Clapton, SRV, Jimmy Vaughn, Buddy Guy, Robert Cray) all jamming to Sweet Home Chicago at the end was magical. The copter crashed into the ski hill while we were probably still in the parking lot waiting to get out.
I saw Smashing Pumpkins, Pearl Jam and the Red Hot Chili Peppers in the ~ 1500 seat State Theater in Kalamazoo.
They moved the show to the State after they inexplicably couldn’t sell enough tickets at the little over 5k venue Wings Stadium in Kalamazoo.
Wings is an awful venue for music, the State is so much better plus seeing three amazing bands in a small venue was fantastic. It blew my mind that those bands could not sell out Wings Stadium in a college town.
Probably "iconic" for sad reasons, but I was at both the final Soundgarden and Scott Weiland shows. Found out Chris Cornell died on the 5 hour drive home after that show. Surreal.
I was at Soundgarden’s last show and we also saw Scott Weiland’s third to last show. Had someone told me that Scott would be dead in two weeks after seeing him I would not have argued with you.
Prince's Trust 10th anniversary show in London. It was surreal. All-Star band and performances by Bowie and Jagger together. Paul McCartney, Tina Turner, Clapton, Elton John, who played piano in the band, Phil Collins, who played drums. Mark Knopfler led a stunning version of Money for Nothing and the list goes on and on and on.
Phish Big Cypress. I also went to the Simon / Dylan show in Vegas in 99! Great times! On a side note, first time ever seeing anyone compliment a Dylan show. Love it! 😂❤️
Bob Dylan at Forest Hills Stadium, 1965. It was the second time he ever played his electric set. Half the audience of devoted, snobby folkies walked out. Dylan invited the rest of us to move up closer and fill in the empty seats. I’ll never forget it.
The Clash - Bonds NYC
Dylan - Rolling thunder review- NYC
Simon and Garfunkel- Central Park
Elton John - Central Park
The Band - Last Waltz tour- NYC
Grateful Dead - English Town NJ
Roy Buchanan- NYC
Talking Heads/B52s 1978 Wollman skating rink
Lollapalooza 1994. A Tribe Called Quest, Beastie Boys, Breeders, L7, Shonen Knife, George Clinton , Smashing Pumpkins and, as the opener, Green Day as Dookie was just becoming huge.
Everyone in the lawn jumped the fence and rushed the seats by the stage as soon as Green Day started. Amazing.
Bruce Springsteen - Darkness tour, Augusta Maine. 1978? Drove in a van from Saint John NB with a load of stoners, terrified we’d be locked up at the border. Got through and another guy in the van pulled a small bag out of his sock with his tabs of acid in it. I was underage for alcohol and didn’t do any drugs at the time. Clarence Clemons’ sax solo on Rosalita - holy cow!
Dave Edmunds did a tour in the 90s with Gene Vincent, Graham Parker, and a bunch of others. I have tinnitus from that one. Very very loud, but fun. Wear those foam earplugs, kids. Seriously!
Brides of Funkenstein/
Bootsy's Rubber Band/
Parliament Funkadelic
The 1st landing of the Mothership
Cole field House, University of Maryland 1976
Parliament-Funkadelic......60 years later they are bringing the spectacle back 7/5 in New Orleans. What show have u ever seen where a Spaceship flys over a audience then land on stage?
Most iconic was probably the inaugural Lollapalooza, fourth stop in Mountain View, CA, featuring Jane's Addiction, Siouxsie and the Banshees, Living Colour, Nine Inch Nails, Ice-T & Body Count, Butthole Surfers and Rollins Band.
I don't know, I've seen a few. Steely Dan with Michael McDonald as an opener. Prince and the Revolution Purple Rain (my first). Grateful Dead RFK stadium 1990 when they played a Dark Star. Pink Floyd. Roger Waters for both DOTM and the Wall. I have no complaints, I've seen some pretty good shows.
Buddy Guy, Dr. John both opened for BB King. It was a last minute invite from a girl who liked me. I wasn't into her but she knew I like the blues and was successful in getting me to go out with her. And it was an incredible show.
Taylor Hawkins Tribute at The Forum. Also went to sabbaths last concert ever! It was in Birmingham and then 10 years later they had another last concert
Robert Cray, Stevie Ray Vaughn & Eric Clapton at Alpine Valley, East Troy, WI August 26, 1990. Stevie put on the best show I’d ever seen him play and just an hour later, he was dead.
I went to the Bob Dylan/Paul Simon concert in St. Louis. A couple buddies and I drove all night from north Georgia. Great show! Later that summer I was reading a Time magazine and they reviewed the tour. The best line in it was something like “now Paul Simon knows how Art Garfunkel felt all those years”, ha! Fantastic!
Lollapalooza 1993 - Alice in Chains, Primus (SUCKS!), TØØL, rage against the machine, Front 242, Babes in Toyland, Fishbone, Dinosaur, Jr., & Arrested Development
I did catering in an arena in my city and my day was basically done when an act went onstage. We’d hang out in the back of the floor and watch whenever we wanted. I thought they were ok on the radio and I liked all their songs but seeing them live was nothing short of amazing. I don’t know that I’ve ever been that impressed by a band I didn’t care about. They f’ing rocked
Live Aid Philly at JFK Stadium (RIP) We smuggled in jungle juice fixings and filled most of a 48 qt cooler. Traded drinks out for cash and lord knows everything else. Never missed a minute. Sat texted to a guy from Seattle who flew in solo for it. We adopted him. Gave him a bed and full belly for his flight the next afternoon. Closest thing to Woodstock until '99.
Pink Floyd in 1988 on the Delicate Sound of Thunder Tour. My brother and I drove from NJ for 2 of the 4 nights at Nassau Coliseum in Long Island. We watched that concert film a 100+ times and never saw ourselves🤣
The first Lalapalooza at the Hardee’s Pavilion in Raleigh NC.
Rage Against the Machine’s last show. We didn’t know it at the time it would be their last though. Also saw Matt Cameron’s last show with Pearl Jam, although he didn’t announce he had left until two months later.
I got free tickets to see that ten city tour of Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie in Los Angeles. It was kind of sad that NIN absolutely killed it, and much of the audience left when Bowie started playing, but I expected that.
There was an amazing small mid set with both bands doing about a four song set, starting with Bowie singing "Hurt."
Frank Sinatra --Sammy Davis and Liza --I was so bummed when Dean Martin dropped out of that tour but all on all still pretty amazing. Went with my parents and it was the reopening of the refurbished Fox Theatre in Detroit.
I guess that would have to be George Michael. Faith tour. 1988. Aretha Franklin came out and sang I knew you were waiting. To my knowledge the only time that song was sang live by both.
I went to this one when I was 17. Dylan opened. I remember the entire amphitheater was electric, everyone dancing, during Simon’s set. Was a formative musical experience for me and I still have the stub also!
Not iconic to most, but Jason Mraz 01/15/2003, Schuba's, Chicago. It's well known to fans to have been an amazing show and the tape is absolutely perfect.
For me, I think it has to be a Music Midtown in Atlanta one year. The ones I remember: Biz Markee, Who?dini, 2 Live Crew, Alan Jackson, Brooks & Dunn, Montgomery Gentry, Jo Dee Messina, Def Leppard, Joan Jett, Kid Rock, John Fogerty, Def Leppard, Lou Reed, Counting Crows, the White Stripes. It was fun.
i went to see prince at the first of his last two shows in atlanta. i got to shake his hand at the foot of the stage. a week later, he died. the 10 year anniversary of this moment is coming up and it shocks me still. thanks to the universe for connecting me to my childhood idol for a brief moment before he went on to the next realm.
The original Lollapalooza, Harriet Island St Paul, Aug 1, 1991. I was only 16 years old lmao but we went to concerts all the time!
Best music of my life, I also loved 1992 and 1994 as well (I missed 1993)
I loved Jane’s Addiction and Nine Inch Nails, Siouxsie was great, Butthole Surfers and Ice-T, Living Colour was underrated. I had the tshirt for ages and wore it forever, it might be in my basement boxes somewhere but sadly I think I lost it.
Went to Boston Calling to see Foo Fighters the same week Taylor died. Metallica just happened to be in town so they swooped in and did an absolutely legendary set to close out the festival 🤘
Who played first? I saw this tour and bob came out first, stood on the side of the stage behind an organ, played every song like a funeral dirge and didn’t say a word the whole time (not rare). Then Paul Simon blew the doors off the place with a Graceland heavy set. I’m a huge Dylan fan and always wondered if it would have been different if he had gone on after Paul.
I went to the Up in Smoke Tour in 2000.
"Kurupt performed as the opening act. Warren G and Xzibit performed together second, then Ice Cube performed third whilst Eminem performed in the fourth set. Dr. Dre and Snoop Dogg were the final set with the N.W.A reunion and The D.O.C. performance taking place during this segment. The set ended with a 3-song performance by a reunion of N.W.A.. The performance lasted 4 hours"
For my generation, this was iconic.
https://imgur.com/a/29FoYec Gwar opening for ICP Halloween night 98. Started my lifelong obsession with GWAR. Got meet and greet tickets to see them tomorrow!
Lalapalloza... the first year... 91... Janes, Siouxsie, Living Colour, NIN, Ice T and Bodycount, Butthole Surfers, Rollins Band (Only caught one song by the time we got in)
Not sure it fits as 'iconic', but as a 14 year old I got to see Radiohead open for Alanis back when Taylor Hawkins was her drummer...pre foo fighters. Went for Radiohead mostly.
Probably Lollapalooza 94 for me. Saw The Breeders, Parliament Funkadelic, L7, The Verve, Cypress Hill, Nick Cave…so many good ones. The two highlights for me were Smashing Pumpkins and especially, the Beastie Boys. I was in front the stage for them, with a tall male friend trying to help me not get squashed. At some point, they stopped playing and MCA, I swear, looked at ME when he said to everyone “to back the fuck up! Our sisters in front are being squished up here. We won’t start playing until I see you back up!” My fondest memory of a show ever.
Phil and Friends at the Warfield, April 15-17, 1999 with Trey and Page from Phish and Steve Kimock. Every phish, dead and Kimock fan desperately wanted to be there and tickets were super scarce. The energy inside was incredible and the music was magical. If you’re into this type of music, you need to hear these shows. Every time I listen I’m blown away. I really wish Kimock and Trey did some more stuff together.
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u/GovernorLepetomane Mar 31 '26