Speaking of Middle East small audience concerts. I do believe that is what Axel Rose venue recently looked very small in Abu Dhabi as he got very ill on stage and had to cut short his performance.
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/guns-n-roses-show-cut-short-after-axl-rose-falls-severely-ill
Oops forgot Hendrix @ Brown; Doors at Brown; The Who at Holy Cross; Chicago @ Holy Cross ( it helped to have a roommate whose brother was on the social committee)
That’s a heck of a list. I would love to have seen just one of those groups. Great taste.
Those sure must have been some of my “lost in space” years. I lived near Holy Cross in Worcester from '75-80 I’m sure those concert were several years before that.
a few more, BS&T, Richie Havens, Grand Funk, Andy Pratt @ BC, Hendrix again at RI Auditorium, Buffalo Springfield @ RI Auditorium
---- Paul Fallon headphones@discoursemail.com wrote:
Dang, y’all have seen some LEGENDS live. The best concerts I’ve been to were both at the Verizon Ampitheater in Irvine. My friend got free VIP seating and backstage passes to Muse in 2007. Unbelievable seats. Muse is so much better live. The other was the KROQ Weenie Roast 2009. Weezer did an awesome cover of Poker Face. I was dying. Love that band.
I just remember I saw, Billy Joel, Elton John, and Stevie Wonder at the Centrum. Also, Ray Charles at Mechanics Hall. Jessie Colin Young at some club in Boston. All kinds of artist at Berklee School of Music. Shadowfax, Stanley Jordan, George Winston, Michael Hedges, Mark Isham, Liz Story, Andy Narell, I saw Yo Yo Ma, Emmanuel Axe, Itzhak Perlman, Seiji Ozawa and Boston Symphony Orchestra, Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee, Kenny Rankin, Commodores, Joan Jett, John Mayall and more.
I guess I wasn’t too out of it back then, or does seeing all those concerts mean that I was?
Those were all in Worcester and Boston.
That’s only part of them in my old days. I was a hitch hiking fool back in my hippie days. Saw all kinds of concerts across the USA. Man ole man, there was nothing like seeing a volkswagen bus coming down the highway. We all knew what treats were soon to be.
You both have seen some great concerts. I’ve been going back recently and trying to listen to some of the material I heard live while working on a review for the xDSD DAC. It’s as good as I remember it. And I found that someone even had the setlist from the Rush/Kiss/Blue Oyster Cult concert I saw in September 74 in Lock Haven PA.
Some of the odder things I did see live - a Paul Hindemith performance. Maggie Bell - what ever happened to her? Ramatam - I recall seeing the guitar with the Inca sacrifice motif.
Weather Report, Larry Coryell. Exuma - I was stage crew at a college summer fest. They blew me away. Papa John Creach in a bar somewhere, I think it was San Francisco. Herbie Hancock. Bill Evans. Springsteen twice, Zappa twice. I did see Itzhak Perlman like you did. And John Mayall - it was a couple of years past the Bluesbreakers, but he played a lot of that material. Dave Mason. The Preservation Hall Jazz Band - if they still tour (their personnel change) you owe it to yourself to buy a ticket.
Touring company for Hair. Threepenny Opera with live music. There are so many regional productions of stage shows that have really nice music.
Saw John Mayall & Bluesbreakers (Turning Point era) as a middle act, Procal Harum, JM&B, and Alice Cooper.
Spectrum in Philly used to put on really weird shows.
Would have loved to see Jesse Colin Young, or Youngbloods, very underated band.
Loudest I saw? toss up between the Who (multiple times) and Blue Cheer (Filmore East).
Saw the Mothers perform, outstanding shows.
I worked on concert committee at Rutgers and the night that Billy Joel played Bruce Springsteen came up and they did half the set together, unfortunately I was on a plane for England and missed that…
Just a few more I can think of: Pointer Sisters, Graham Nash, Crosby Stills, Nash and Young, Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Natalie Merchant, Tom Petty, Crash Test Dummies, Ritchie Havens, Thelonius Monk at Shelly Mann Hole Club, Brian Setzer, Bob Dylan,Black Sabbath, Chamber Brother, James Gang, Santana, Alice Cooper,Rolling Stones, Moody Blues, Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull) Donald Fagen,Larry Carlton, Loudon Wainwright 3rd, Patti LaBelle, and many more. Lots of them forgotten memories.
Sorry Now Im showing off. Some of us had to be the hippies back in the day. A good portion of those were in small venues.
I think this topic could start to use a blending of posts as best and some of our favorites. .
You know, it’s not just the bands, sometimes its the venue. (duh, yes I know, Woodstock - I wasn’t there)
The Civic Arena in Pittsburgh. They would open up the dome sometimes. One of my friends told me that he saw Pink Floyd there, and they had mist/smoke all over the stage, and opened the dome as they began Obscured by Clouds.
That’s gone. I saw Jethro Tull there. The Syria Mosque had great acoustics. At Penn State, Schwab Auditorium was a rather intimate venue for the Jazz Club series. It’s not used much now. The larger Eisenhower Auditorium hosts mid size and classical music, and the Bryce Jordan center is for the big names. Saw Clapton there. Rod Steward at the Spectrum in Philadelphia, 1988.
Saw one of my Favorite Bands live
Matisyahu back when he still just did reggae at my Local House of Blues, excellent show! Couldn’t speak of the fidelity or quality but I sure as heck enjoyed it. I was likely still in High School then too
Wow what a line up of greats. I envy your experiences. You’ve seen such an array af talent.
First time I saw Metallica in '98 was a good time had. Part of the excitement was that me and my buddy were broke and had no idea we’d be going to the show. Another friend of ours came through at the last minute and not only did she get us tickets to the show but also a ride and some tasty beverages on the way there.
We got there just in time too, as soon as we were going through those gates “The Ecstasy of Gold” started playing (Metallica starts every show with this track off the Good , the Bad and the Ugly by Ennio Morricone). I remember running towards the stage and what followed was pure madness and a hell of a good time for the next couple of hours. One of the highlights for me was starting a huge pit, I then took that opportunity when the crowd opened up to go the the front of the stage. Also, in that setlist they would extend part if the stage towards the front to play an intimate acoustic set. Hearing and seeing these guys so close banging away on acoustic guitars to older songs was just awesome, a great time for sure!
Back in the day we called this “good karma” . 
The Boston Symphony Orchestra at Symphony Hall.
Saw them at Tanglewood with Itzhak Perlman. Absolutely fantastic. 
No doubt this topic has morphed into any concert instead of best. I think that has been very cool. Keep them coming. Maybe later we could do worst concerts
Worst concert was Taylor Swift on her 1989 tour. I scored free tickets from one of my vendors and knew the wife would be excited. Her opinion of Taytay changed that night too. On the bright side, it was awesome seeing John Legend, Beck, and St. Vincent get on stage for cameos. Vance Joy and Haim were great too.