Wow! A 2 for 1
I’ll try to catch video tomorrow. I saw Santana '68-69 era in Pa. near Harrisburg . I can’t say exactly where. I was pretty outter space back then. School auditorium. I’d be shocked if there was more than 200 people there. People were on top of their seats just a dancing away.
Haha, yeah you’re right Amazon are massive now and seem to be everywhere.
-Paul-
My best had to be Goldie and Roni Size … where I got dragged off stage for jumping up and dancing back in 2000, was one of my most memorable gigs ever! That was back in my uni days in Leicester when the Drum & Bass scene was just starting to get massive. It was an amazing city to be in at the time with Formation Records HQ run by Grooverider just down the road from us and was a killer vinyl store.
That or the first gig I ever went to… MC Hammer and Snap 
I’ll get my coat!
Sounds like an awesome time.
Come on Gang. Surely we all have had at least a one time great concert. If you got more, tell us about them.
I worked the concert committee at Rutgers back in 70’s. did Billy Joel concert and Springsteen showed up and they jammed a while. also put on Jackson Browne, Kinks, Dan Fogelberg and Phoebe Snow.
Another great concert was Bonnie Raitt (seen her 3 or 4 times) with opening act Chris Issac.
The Who performing Tommy in it’s entirety? Jethro Tull 4 or 5 times, Ten Years After…
too many forgotten.
Met a lot of the performers, most were nice folks, a few absolute d**ks
Wow!
That’s awesome. Sounds like you’re my age. I’m 68
I had a couple of friends who worked backstage with groups. One of those guys can’t remember much about those times. He was too busy exploring outer space with his head being the rocket ship. 
This is more of a commentary about changing eras than “Best” concerts…but these are the concerts I remember right now…
Most “Rock & Roll”: Standing front row/center at a Replacements “Don’t Tell A Soul” concert with the stage divers hitting me in the head, random strangers (female) crushing into my back, and supporting the crowd with my arms.
And…now attending a bunch of pop/rock and classical events in the last few years:
Best Combination of Active Writing and Technical Production: Muse “Drones” tour – old school classic rock, giant projection screens, a pop-up piano, and drones flying everywhere. But, they actually play their music (not lip syncing)!
Narrowest, Most Unexpected Demographics: Fleet Foxes – Attendees appeared to all (1) attend college, (2) regularly take baths, (3) come alone if too shy/no date, and (4) be Caucasian. Music favored by librarians and kind micro-brewers (and I like it). Unfortunately the nuances of the records were lost in the live setting.
Passing of an Era Concert: Queen + Adam Lambert – Main takeaways (1) fans are largely older, mainstream, and grew up on radio and network TV, (2) very, very few active musicians have the talent and ‘rock star’ stage presence of the two survivors (Brian May & Roger Taylor), and (3) see the originals before they die – even with the hyper nostalgia.
Best All Ages, Global Culture Concert: Gorillaz “Humanz” – Truly fans of all ages singing along and on their feet. Ranging from 4 years old to retirees. Extremely multiracial crowd, with some “Hmmms…?” from each segment. Hip-hop to pop to retro vocals to rock. Mixing cartoon videos with both gentle and adult themes gets you this mix.
Will This Culture Survive?: Escher String Quartet. My wife is a hardcore classical fan and we have seen this strong group several times. The paying classical audience averages age 70, with just a handful of people (students) under age 30. This audience stands to change (shrink) dramatically within 10 years.
I am 17 and I will keep it alive!!! Jk there are a lot of kids even now that enjoy classical. I think that we will see the popular music shift in the next few years due to so many people getting tired of lil pump rap and the garbage electronic tracks. Not saying that we will ever see classical on the billboard 100 but I think many teens are walking away from the hits in an effort to find “good” music which was, essentially, what I did like 5 or so years ago and then got into all this audio stuff because of it.
My My! I though it already had been and continues to be on its own " Billboard "
Of all the concerts I have been too, nothing has ever been close to the abilities of so many instruments portraying intent of its Composer.
When I listen to most modern music, I usually hear a long time ago composition. I often think most music is a derivative of Classical Music. " Long live Classical Music " which I am sure will be here long after I am gone.
Jazz was born as a fusion of African rhythms with European classical instrumentation, and Jazz has certainly exercised its own influence on Hip Hop, so one can say that classical music has influenced the stuff that’s popular these days. What I don’t know is how much Jazz and now Hip Hop are influencing modern classical European music. A cursory search reveals stuff like the below, but hopefully that’s just glimpsing the tip of the iceberg.
The flip side of the coin to Best Concert you ever went to is Who can’t you see that you most wish you could have seen live.
then all the rest.
Hendrix without a doubt. Saw Led Zeppelin in ‘77 and the Stones multiple times over the years, but I would have love to see Jimi on the guitar live. Likewise I would like to back in time to see early Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, and Miles Davis to name a few.
Yes, Classical was the first intellectual, money-is-no-object style. The composers had all the resources they needed to develop for dozens of people in an orchestra, and to separate out individual parts for pure tones, emphasis, harmonies, synergies, etc. They were also literate and left a mountain of sheet music. I fully appreciate Classical as the foundation for most music that follows.
But, my heart belongs to the explorers. This includes folk, blues, punk, and any other DIY effort. I’m drawn to those who naively or intentionally create something a different, or do something “wrong” but interesting. This ranges from true eccentrics to genre mash-ups to the self-consciously weird. Due to the large back catalog, genuine originality might be the hardest thing to achieve today. And the same (modest) innovations do indeed get reinvented every generation.
Note that explorers are very different from artificial/commercial flavors of the week that are created in marketing departments.
Bruce Springsteen at the QE theatre in Vancouver on the “Darkness” tour!
He was not much further than arm’s length on the extended stage platform with a 2500 capacity. Over three hours of up close and personal Springsteen is tough to top.
Best intimate concert (< 300 people) was Roy Buchanan at the Town Pump in Vancouver. It was in the mid eighties, around the time of his final “Hot Wires” album.
A stunning +2 hour performance I will never forget.
Wow, your number 1 and 2 are exactly the same as mine! My number 3 would be Louis Armstrong.
It gets very hard after #3. Andres Segovia. Toscanini. Sinatra. yes, Louis Armstrong, but also some of the big bands in their primes. The Doors. heck, the Beatles. I missed Woodstock - just got my driver’s license, and no way were the 'rents going to let a 16 year old drive half across the country.
Man, your as old as me. Those are some awesome concerts. Some no doubt immortalized, and others soon to be. Kind of scary there are so many going to the " The Great Gig in the Sky "
I suppose Roger Waters says it best with . " And I am not frightened of dying … There’s no reason for it, you 've gotta go sometime …
It is pretty amazing that this hobby (and music in general) can bridge people of all ages together like it does. Plus the conversations I’ve seen and been a part of are always great and the people(for the most part) are so kind and helpful and it’s a painless and enjoyable hobby because of it. @pwjazz @Torq @I_want_all_the_tacos I tagged you guys because you have been great so thanks lol
Yes, I recognize that quote. On Ummaguma, I think…
" Dark Side of the Moon " 5th Track I must admit I don’t know if it is on Ummaguma as well .