My 10 Greatest Live Music Experiences
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- Опубліковано 22 лис 2022
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Andy is a drummer, producer and educator. He has toured the world with rock legend Robert Plant and played on classic prog albums by Frost and IQ.
As a drum clinician he has played with Terry Bozzio, Kenny Aronoff, Thomas Lang, Marco Minneman and Mike Portnoy.
He also teaches drums privately and at Kidderminster College
My dad went to see Keith Jarret in the 80s (sadly I was too young) but he had no money and when he bought the tickets there was a very cheap option called "restricted view" so he bought that for a fiver and went to the venue expecting to be at the back behind a pillar. When he got there they led him to the stage with about 20 other people and sat him behind keith's piano on a plastic chair. Keith had given the people who couldn't afford the good tickets the best seats in the house. I always thought that was great
I saw Holdsworth in Bristol the same year . Had a pint with him in a pub after . Really nice guy and down to earth . As for his playing ? words fail me .
Frank Zappa in Summer 1969. I still have a photo of him signing autographs with a pic in his mouth. Zappa on Friday, Zeppelin on Sunday ( I was able to walk up to the stage and snap a photo of Jimmy Page playing the guitar with a violin bow.) My favorite concert was the Rolling Stones 1969 Phildelphia, three days before they recorded the live "Ya Yas" album. My chest was against the stage, almost center. I reached out to touch Jagger's boots but he danced back (I was 17). I couldn't hear the vocals because the vocal speakers were out to the side of the stage but the band was incredibly powerful.
I was doing a restaurant gig in 88 and heard a guy describing to his mates how he had nearly died at donington...it was chilling.
A couple of concert stories: 1) I went to see CAB in the early 2000's at a very small venue in Milwaukee. After the show, I was chatting with the band as their single roadie was packing up. They wanted to know if I could take them to a hotel near the airport so they wouldn't have to stick around so long. So Bunny Brunel, Tony McAlpine, Virgil Donati and Steve Weingart all squeeze into my tiny Geo Prizm! 2) I got to chat with Chick Corea after a concert with Bela Fleck in 2007. I mentioned how great it would be if there was to be a RTF reunion - he said they were discussing it (the next summer it happened).
The three most memorable concerts for me. 1: Iron Maiden on the 7th Son Tour. Non stop excitement for 90 minutes which felt like 9 minutes. 2: Watching the Elvin Jones band at the Village Vanguard with Jan Hammer on Piano. In walks, Sonny Rollins, Freddie Hubbard and Jimmy Garrison and they all went up and jammed. That was pretty damn special. And number one -- Randal's Island -- known as the death of the big concert festivals. People stormed the fences and it became a free concert and all the bands got a cut in pay. Some bands refused to play. Other's did a truncated set. Jethro Tull, Ten Years After, Steppenwolf, and Jimi Hendrix were on the bill. But it was Grand Funk Railroad who came out and put the pedal to the metal from note one and didn't relent. I've never seen a performance so filled with honestly and energy before or since.
My 1st ever gig still sticks with me. Genesis at Knebworth 78. Supported by Jefferson Starship (no Grace, she stormed off) Roy Harper, Atlanta Rhythm Section, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Brand X and Devo. Apparently Devo filled in because Rory Gallagher was unwell. Took a while before any other gig lived up to it. Prince in the late 80's, The Damned in a little club in Frankfurt and Wishbone Ash in Newcastle were also memorable. Always enjoy Alabama 3. These days I try and catch The Musical Box (Genesis tribute) and the current Wishbone Ash whenever I can.
1988 Was the year that two kids were killed while Guns 'n' Roses were on - I was there and it pissed down all day apart from when Dave Lee Roth played California Girls and the sun came out!
I was also at Donnington in '88, also mainly for the Dave Lee Roth Band.. I remember seeing one of the bodies getting stretchered out through the crowd.. the crush was exacerbated by the long wait for the Guns'n'Roses set as apparently (we heard later) Axl refused to go on until somebody had bought a complete English roast dinner to him!
i did not know that...I now have that picture in my head
The concert I wanted most to go to was when LED ZEPPELIN played in Iceland in June 1970. But I was only 9 years old and couldn´t go. At least I got to see Robert Plant when he came later to Iceland . I think it was 2005. Great concert.
I know the feeling. When I was 13, my next door neighbor had an extra ticket to go see the Beatles in Philadelphia. My parents wouldn't let me go. I saw Led Zeppelin In Summer of 1969. I was 17 fortunately. They weren't a a monster band at the time but I'm sure that changed by 1970.
I was at Donnington. We went late and walked in for free.
Loved the video Andy.
Many times live Performances have influenced my appreciation of music.
I am so jealous hearing you talk about hearing Miles live, this the one I wish I found a way to hear. Was fortunate enough to hear Sonny Rollins live in Central Park about ten years ago, and Max Roach many years ago. It is a trill to be in the same room as legends.
I’ve also been fortunate to have caught Yes, Genesis, King Crimson, Jethro Tull, David Allen,
Peter Hammill, Gental Giant, Return to Forever, Weather Report, Billy Cobham, Ginger Baker, Bill Bruford, so so many more. John McLaughlin 2 times with Al & Paco De Lucia…..
Some fun shows with stories too.
My overall number 1, has to be Led Zeppelin when I was 15 years old.
It was not my first show, I saw The Rolling Stones the year before.
It was the first show where I was completely blown away.
They had this cool lasers through the arena and a pyramid laser around Jimmy Page when
he played a solo. Too cool.
I went to the Thursday and Saturday night shows.
Saturday night I sneaked my way down to the 4th row.
The music of Zeppelin is so powerful in my opinion.
So many heavy hitters. Was amazing nights.
My number 2 was two years later in 1978.
Frank Zappa at Cole Field House, U of Maryland.
I had a few Zappa records, and had listened to many others that friends lent me.
I thought the music and songs were interesting, but didn’t realize the brilliance until
I Was older. At this concert I was also able to wiggle my way down to the front.
Hearing him live made me realize his playing and music is on another level.
At this point I was impressed with Hendrix, Duane Allman, Page, Beck, Howe and Martin Barre. etc….
The band played impeccable. I think it was one of the first shows with Vinnie.
Frank closed with an amazing solo on Muffin Man.
Not sure if I knew at the time but it changed me in a way.
This was my favorite Video you have done, Andy.
Mine was the Mahavishnu Orchestra at Brooklyn College in NYC around 1976 (they were loud as hell). He had Michael Walden on drums and a wall of synthesizer equipment. On the same ticket was Herbie Hancock with Bennie Maupin. My next favorite experience again around 1976 was a fusion night at Carnegie Hall, on the ticket was Chick Corea, Larry Coryell Eleventh House, and Jean Luc Ponty's band. Just great stuff.
I was at Donington in 88 as well though I remained around halfway back for the whole day, and yes it was Matt Bissonette on bass.
My no 1 though will always be my first ever gig, November 12th 1977 Rainbow at the Rainbow London, then there are other notables like IAn Gillan at a small club in Bournemouth in 1979, Blue Oyster Cult with their laser show in 1978, Rainbow (again) in Lausanne Switzerland in summer 81 when I had to bunk off work and caj a floor to sleep on afterwards before going back to work the next evening. I didnt see Black Sabbath at Reading in 1983 as I couldnt bear to see Gillan with them, and by the time they came on I was absolutely pie eyed so had gone back to my tent - though I do vaguelyremember hearing them do smoke on the water and thinking it sucked.
Reading 79 through 83 except for 81 was always a great long weekend.
Donington 1984 was fantastic to see the one and only Edward Van Halen - that and the first Donington with Rainbow Priest etc were the best two by far.
Gary Moore at Chippenham Goldiggers when he was recorded by the BBC for Sight & Sound in Concert was a great memory also, as was Micahel Schenker at Hammersmith Odeon Nov 27th - we had luckily been able to get front row stalls tickets however a couple of nights before we'd been embroiled in a street brawl that gave my mate a black eye and I had stitches in my upper lip - we were right at the front of the stage and when Schenker first looked down at where we were standing, right up against the stage you could see the WTF expression on his face when he saw us.
1977 through to around 1986was a time when I went toas many gigs as possible and got to see a lot of the greatest hard rock and heavy metal bands and a couple of new wave of Britih Prog bands including Priest, LIzzy, UFO, Budgie, Accept, Scorpions, Saxon, Maiden, Daomond Head, Twisted Sister, Motorhead, Slade, Deep Purple (Knebworth), Whitesnake, Rush, Black Sabbath (with Dio), Blizzard of Ozz (I refuse to refer to the Daisley,Kerslake, Rhoads band just as OzzyOsbourne, ), Samson,Tygers of Pan Tang, MArillion, Twelfth NIght, Heart, Kiss, Manowar, Grand Slam, Mamas Boys to name just a few
The only jazzrock fusion sort of gigs I've ever been to were Jan Akkerman at the CRS in Rotherham, where his guitar playing just took me to another world for the hour and half he was on, and again at the CRS in Rotherham a three piece with Anthony Clayton on guitar and Siemy Di on drums supporting the Japanese female 3 piece prog group Ars Nova.
There were a few other great nights at CRS gigs - Swedish prog band Ritual; Dutch prog band Egdon Heath; Erik Norlander's Rocket Scientists; US 3 piece guitar led ELP like Mastermind (before they put out a fusion album with Jens Johansson on keys) and a load of bands where you could get right to the front and be literally looking at the bands face to face - like Rick Wakeman, Ken Hensley, Camel, The Flower Kngs, Caravan, Saga, Focus, Pendragon, Pallas, Steve Hackett, The Strawbs, Qango, John Wetton, IQ..... I have to say though that I was disappointed that Priory of Brian pulled out of a booking - we were told by the CRS organisers that it was because Robert saw it was for the Classic Rock Society and decided he'd had enough of being shoehorned into a 'Classic Rock' tag - whether that was true or not I'll never know all I'll know is that the opportunity to see him (and presumbaly at that time you) live was missed. There were 2 other gigs that didnt happen at the CRS that I was disappointed about - Asia (with John Payne) and PFM, although PFM did apparently come over to the UK to play in London the day before or the day after they had been allegedy booked to play in Rotherham.
I would like to do a video on The Gillan Band...I loved them....
Stevie Ray Vaughan Manchester Apollo 1988 for me stands head and shoulders above anything else I've ever seen. Various Metheny and Holdsworth gigs after that.
Saw Zappa at the Civic Center in Baltimore in 1980. It was the Joe's Garage Tour. He opened with a 15 minute guitar solo. Spectacular.
Like you, I walked away from the show wondering how musicians could be so accomplished at playing their instruments at such a high level and sing at the same time. Amazing.
JT
Saw some great artists up close (Holdsworth, RTF, Chick, and Al). But seeing Joe Zawinul with his Syndicate at Blues Alley in the Georgetown section of Washington DC was the best. I sat less than 20 feet from the master. Most of the first set, he played with one hand and adjusted his set up with the other. Never missed a beat. The second set was through the roof. He always played with the most expressive musicians, yet he still out-played them all.
Thanks for helping me remember.
JT
Blues Alley is a great place to hear music.
Many years ago I was friends with a waitress there.
Great memories.
There's an old video you can see on YT about Joe Zawinul developing "Corner Pocket" in his home studio. The hour video goes by in what feels like 10 minutes. He was a massive genius.
I went to the toilet and ended up pissing outside up against the wall! A guy asked me to hold his joint then just staggered off leaving me with a massive joint!
John Zorn waa my best. ZornFest. 4 consecutive nights of 3hr zorn concerts. He brought 40 musicians with him he'd played with for last 20yrs. Including laswell. Ribot. You name it. Multiple bands every few songs. Including film works and a local orchestra.
1.Yes Tales1974 2.Jeff Beck/Mahavishnu1975 3.Santana/Tower of Power 1977 4.Weather Report 1977 5.King Crimson/Robin Trower 1973 6.Wishbone Ash/Climax Blues Band 1974 7.Gladys Knight 2013 8.Queen/Kansas/Mahogany Rush 1975 9.Grover Washington/Crusaders 1977 10.Bela Fleck My BluegrassHeart 2022
Thank you for your beautiful told memories.
The "Cocaine Decicions Riots" were in Palermo 1982.
I saw FZ on his 1982 Italy leg of the tour three concerts in row.
Every concert with an almost completely different set list. Very impressive live music experience.
as teenager the most impressive was the German open air festival programmatically named 2.British Rock Meeting in Germersheim in 1972 with Pink Floyd as headliner.
I was not the biggest psychodelic Rock fan.But PF live Open Air with the right tracks was a great experience. (Also without drugs)
On a small scale, I was most impressed by Albert Mangelsdorff. Solo concerts with the trombone. An instrument that was not at all suitable as a solo instrument, to be edited in such a way that the audience listen for 1.25 - 1.5 hours! I was not only enthusiastic about his skills but also about this business model.
Great List !!! your #2 Zappa that Band ...well there was a problem with the bass player Scott thunes..& I'll leave it @ that..my wife went 2 that tour..I have that same paper program..her & her friend did Dweezil's fan club @ the time..cheers from New York...🌠 oh & the album your thinking of is best band u never heard..they just put out a complete show from that tour march 88 last year...last tour..
My first two great live music experiences was in 1970. Led Zeppelin and Fleetwood Mac (w Peter Green) at the Concert House in Stockholm. I was 17 years old. I will never forget that!! ... Miles Davis in 1973 and 1982 also at the Concert House in Stockholm. Great concerts!!! ... Art Ensemble Of Chicago 1976 in my Swedish hometown Linköping was totally mindboggling. Fantastic performance!!!..... Concerts with Joni Mitchell, Jon Hassell, Pat Metheny 80/81, Tool and Tedeschi Trucks Band are also very memorable!!...... Thank you for your channel Andy!!! Really entertaining and your passion for the music is infectious and inspiring.
So, here's the 2nd part:
6.) A little bit later that year, The Gods descended to earth to give us a small glimpse of Nirvana. Mahavishnu Orchestra on tour with their 2nd release, 'Birds of Fire'. What I was allowed to see & hear was just beyond words, so I won't go into that. Just let me say this; for a good 2 hours their feet didn't touch the ground - they were floating in space. Got it?
7.) To complete this 1973 'Season of Wonders & Miracles' I saw another two of my all-time heroes in Offenbach - Gentle Giant opening for Colosseum. Strangely (maybe not) enough, it was one of the rare occasions, when the opener - at least musically - almost outshone the main act. I just slapped my face for having written that. Colosseum were a league for themselves, and I loved them to the max. I never saw them again - at least, I can't remember, but a year later (or was it in 1976?), I saw Gentle Giant for one more time as a package gig with Chicken Shack (not again), and Man (maybe, not the best band in the world, but surely the stonedest one), and that GG show was even better than the first one. I tell Thee, you'll have a hard time to find more competent musicianship than theirs. What these guys could do on stage remains to be rivaled, believe me. They would swap instruments while playing, they delivered a show like a kind of musical Varieté, because they would present their musical skills in a most entertaining manner, like I'd never seen before. Not playing the Fool, but the Genius(es) in Wonderland.
8.) Ok, I have to go back a few years. Back to January 1971, when I saw Frank Zappa & The Mothers for the first time. His band included Aynsley Dunbar, Flo & Eddie, George Duke, Ian & Ruth Underwood, and Jeff Simmons. A 2-hour Freak show of some sort. I saw him many times, in 1974 (the 'Roxy & elsewhere band), 1976 (this with Eddie Jobson), then again in 1978 (with Adrian Belew, Peter Wolf, Patrick O'Hearn, Terry Bozio, Tommie Mars & Ed Mann, I think), and one last time in autumn 1979 (with Warren Cucurullu aka Sophia Loren on guitar, Ray White, Denny Walley a.o.). But, as mentioned before, the first cut is the deepest, and that's what makes the '71 gig stand out.
9.) My God, I'm getting lost in the past. Another remarkable gig that will remain unstained eternally happened in early 1970, when I saw John Mayall for the first (and only?) time with Mark-Almond (not Marc Almond, ok?) and Steve Thompson on the ‘Turning Point’ tour. Now, what made this gig so remarkable wasn't only to have Taste as opening act, but these 2 guys Mark-Almond. To this very day, I can't understand that these musicians never got the credit they truly deserve. Never a single mention on whatever format there is on YT. What a shame!!! Their releases as M-A still mean an awful lot to me, and the 2 band members Tommy Eyre & Roger Sutton belong to the (very) finest of what the British Jazz/Prog/Rock/Fusion scene has to offer. Bands like Riff Raff & Zzebra still remain in oblivion to this very day, and that's a shame. Period!
10.) 1985 was the first time I saw Miles Davis live - no opener. Does he need one? What a question? Do I have to give you a review of that show? What a question? From that year on, I saw him once a year, until his untimely passing in 1991. That year, I saw him as an (ordinary) 'member of the Quincy Jones Big Band, sitting on a chair like all the other musicians - just being a team player. All I can say about him, he's an event by himself, an apparition from outer space, one of the untouchables, a demigod. He is one of the rare characters whose mere presence sorts everything. The clothes he wore, his moves, his charisma. You could feel, detect, breathe it/him, in more ways than one. It was impossible, not to be attracted, his physical presence would put you under his charm, would spellbind you.
That's my Top Ten, but I'm in a writing mode, and I won't stop here, as it brings back all these wonderful memories. To this very day, I feel grateful & elated for what I was allowed to watch, feel & listen to.
So, like it, or not, on we go:
11.) Believe me, when I say, the early 70's were the best time for remarkable & memorable shows like hardly any other period before or after. So, in 1974, I saw Herbie Hancock & his Headhunters in Frankfurt. I owned all the Mwandishi albums (never got to see them live, though), plus most of the Miles albums he played on, with 'Miles in the Sky' & 'Filles de Kilimanjaro' being my absolute favourites. I loved all of them, complex &complicated as they were. But, I've always considered music as a lesson for life, something you had to learn. The best things in life never come easy, but with the Headhunters album it was different. Herbie went funky. That album was acoustic candy, comprising everything to make your ears, heart & legs feel fine. And, so was this concert. Saw him three more times (Man-Child, Rockit & Miles tribute), but this show was so outstanding, I had to include it
12.) And that goes for my first & only time seeing Leonard Cohen live that same year, 1974. He had just made his 'comeback' after three years of abstinence with 'New Skin for the old Ceremony', and I had to fly to Berlin to see him. That year I was working as a cargo assistant for BEA (British European Airlines) at Rhein-Main Airport outside Frankfurt, besides Pan Am they were the only airline that was allowed to fly Berlin. So, after finishing early shift on that day, I hopped an 'experience flight', free of charge. to Berlin. My first time on a plane, at all. And, he played at the Berlin Philharmony, a venue, normally reserved for classical concerts & opera. But, in some ways, he matched that requirement, easily. The acoustics were superb, the ambient nothing but marvelous, and the show beyond words. Like Miles, and a few others, he is a performer whose sheer presence gives you goose bumps. At least, most women will agree. What made the concert even more remarkable was the atmosphere of the gig. Now, if someone called the songs of Lenny being acoustic valium, I wouldn't put up a fight, though I'd rather call it acoustic morphine. Anyway, I swear to God, never ever have I seen an audience more frenetic & enthusiastic than at that show. They literally went ballistic, standing on these velvet holstered chairs,and just couldn't get enough of him. I mean, during his songs, you could hear a needle drop, but then - they (incl. myself) just went wild. like I'd never seen before. 7, or 8 encores finally did the trick, and when I stepped out of the venue and onto the streets of Berlin at night I felt inebriated like I'd never been before.
13.) The lucky number, and my final concert. In 1985 it was Paolo Conte live at the Frankfurt Zoo Theatre. Now, I don't know. if anyone of you is familiar with that name. He's an Italian poet/singer/songwriter, and has been around for ages. 'Azzuro', made famous by Adriano Celentano was written by him, and, speaking strictly for me, he is one of the most distinguished artists of his generation. In some ways, it wouldn't be exaggerated to call him the Mediterranean version of Lenny. I believe, they have more things in common than not. He's released a string of albums, more often than not, one being better than the other. And this venue with all its exclusiveness was perfect for his concert. The whole atmosphere was mature & earnest, but without being too serious about it. Nonetheless, all the musicians, incl. himself wore black suits, white shirts & ties, and they were as close to being a Jazz combo as his songs would allow. He would create an atmosphere, verging somewhere between an Italian Opera, a Visconti flick , both happening at a Cocktail Lounge at the same time. Gorgeous! I saw him again in 1988, again in Frankfurt, and one more time at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1989, or 90 - not sure.
I really enjoyed hearing the stories from a musician's point of view thanks again for sharing them and it's really nice to know that quality musicians and even act like fans when they go to see people they respect Rock on
King Crimson - Discpline; Van Halen - 1984; Michael Landau - Baked Potato, 2002; Danny Gatton - MTL Jazz fest (3 nights); Robben Ford - The Blue Line, 1992; Eric Johnson - Venus Isle, 1996; Jean-Paul Bourelly - Trippin, 1992; Rogers Waters - Radio Kaos, 1987; Elliott Smith - All shows; Metallica - Ride the Lightning, 1984
Thanks Andy. As usual I agree with so much of what you talked about here. I've played guitar semi-pro all my life. In rock, blues, funk, punk and pop bands. Now in my 60's, I've joined my local small town amateur Big Band and it's the most fun I've ever had - playing everything from Count Basie to Blood Sweat & Tears. The power of that Big Band sound in the rehearsal room just blows me away.
As far as Gigs go, I've seen Zappa, McLaughlin, AC/DC (down the local pub) and Jeff Beck with the Jan Hammer Band but my most memorable 'gig' was seeing Joe Pass in my guitar teacher's living room in 1977. He just sat there smoking those big cigars and playing every jazz standard in the book. Truly Awesome !
My favorite concert experiences as a fan:
1. Frank Zappa-Jones Beach, NY. It's an outdoor venue. I remember Frank playing Watermelon in Easter Hay while a lightning storm was happening just a few miles behind the stage. "Rain is good for ya....Rain is bad for electrical equipment." -FZ.
2. The Residents-Cube E, The History of American Music in 3 EZ pieces- NYC (I forget where.) Sheer genius. A sublime performance.
3.Midnight Oil- Jones Beach. Midnight Oil is arguably the greatest live rock band in history. They opened for Peter Gabriel. I love PG, but his set was kind of dull after The Oils.
4. Max Roach Quintet- Intermedia Arts Center, Huntington, NY. Max came out for the 2nd set by himself. He played just a snare drum for the entire set. I was completely riveted. Never heard another drummer attempt this.
My favorite concert experiences as a performer:
1. Opening for Jon Anderson/Vangeles -Central Park, NY. -Met Jon before my set. Gushed like a schoolboy.
2. Playing Saved By Zero on keyboards with Cy Curnin of The Fixx at CBGB's, NYC. They, without a doubt, had the most disgusting toilet I've ever encountered. Still a memorable experience.
3. Playing with Premik Russell Tubbs (Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jeff Beck, Santana, etc,) at some Manhattan nightclub (forget the name-getting old's a trip.) We played Birds of Fire together. I get goosebumps thinking about it to this day.
My greatest was Genesis performing Lamb lies down on Broadway in 75 (Oslo). They even had an uninteded pyro explosion at the end which blew up parts of the stage! It was great😂
I am so jealous of you. My 1st rock concert experience was Genesis-Trick of the Tail tour. Missed PG by a year. Damn.
Glad I found this channel...
Hello Andy, I am a fan of your channel. From oldest to latest: The Who fête de l'Humanité Paris 1972; Yes (Tales tour) Paris 1974;; Magma, Paris, 1975 (with Lockwood, Top, Widemann...); Genesis, The Lamb tour, Paris 1975; Talking Heads, Remain in Light tour 1980, Paris (with Belew etc.); Remember Shakti, Paris Jazz Festival (2000?); Esbjorn Svensson Trio EST, Paris Jazz Festival (?); Patricia Barber, NYC (2001?); Wayne Shorter Quartet with Orchestre National de Lyon, Paris 2004; Carl Craig with Les Siècles orchestra, Paris 2008; Steven Wilson Hand.Cannot.Erase tour (with Guthrie Govan), Paris 2015; King Crimson, Paris, 2015.
Mike here, not Anne. Some of mine would be seeing the Buddy Rich Band at the Whiskey a Go Go June 1969 and being dared by the older friend of my brothers to go down the ramp to the stage and take some drumsticks. It took some time to get the balls but I did it and still have one of them today .
#2 would be Zappa first time and last , first with Hots Rats with Mountain and the Winter Brothers opening. And last time I saw him was a few miles away from Ocean Way Studios where I was working and snuck out to a rehearsal that I found out about from a friend for the 1984 European Tour.
#3 Would be seeing Alan Holdsworth shutdown Eddie Van Halen in about a minute when he attempted to get up on stage and play with his Hero.
#4 A private Live Concert for an album release by the band Built to Spill where there was live through the mix old school therimin sitting there that no one was using so I thought I'd give it a go , got it down pretty quick and played the rest of the show.
#5 Having to extend my Visa for a week as my six months were up to see Ravi Shankar in Calcutta ,India.
#6 Pfm on the CTTE 2019 Cruise.
#7 While walking down the street in Helsinki in 1981 I saw a poster in Finish on a telephone pole with the Pekka Pohola Band on it and asked a passerby to translate it for us. It was a television taping for free the next night and drew a little map how to get ther for us. It was a great show and after we Talked with Pekka and he could just not believe
that we even knew who he was much less Wigwam. He even invited us back to his flat for Tea and Biscuits.
#8 Jethro Tull both first two album tours, First opening up for the Grateful Dead and the Paul Butterfield Bluesband. And for the Stand Up tour it was them; Bloodwyn Pig and Procol Harum for Broken Barricades about tenth row center at the Santa Monica Civic.
#9 Gentle Giant Octopus tour front of stage at the whiskey. Say no more.
#10 Chicago in Reno in 1971. I hitched down from Susanville in the dead of winter. It was the very first concert in Reno to date I guess and the Mayor of the city at the time came out and gave the band a key to the city. It was a fantastic show but I had little money , not enough to get a Room even in a cheap Motel but someone felt for me and rented me a broom closet for the night so I wouldn't freeze.
Some Honorable Mentions Procol Harum with the L.A Philharmonic ; Santana early time out opening for G.D. ; Cream '68 ; Vanilla Fudge ; Bob Dylan and the Band ; The Wall twice ; Banco ; Le orme ; Mike Oldfield ; Magma ; Genesis Trick of the tail tour.
Blues Magoos ('67 because it was my first), Bob Marley ('78 not a reggae fan but this show was mesmerizing), 10CC ('78 should be on your not prog / prog list, studio perfection live), AC/DC ('78 opened for Aerosmith, blew everyone away), John Mayall ('79 intensity from the first note), Dylan ('79", Genesis ('92), Steely Dan (2005), Radiohead (2012), McCartney (2018 he's a Beatle! ) amongst many others..
Captain Beefheart & The Magic Band..Mallard..Dr. Feelgood Hawkwind UFO Dave Lee Roth Band.
I saw Holdsworth in Edinburgh in 94...as you say, it was simply astonishing. I remember his effects rack was the size of a wardrobe, with a tiny mxr pedal perched on top of it.
Brilliant that Motorhead was your first gig -We also saw them on the Iron Fist Tour and gained infamy of sorts that night in Newcastle City Hall -bellied up right between Eddie's monitors,during one of the between songs crowd banter,I'm ashamed (and sort of proud) we took a sip of Eddie's drink -Lemmy clocked it and chastised us -there's a decent quality vid of the whole gig on YT and 'the incident' happens after Ace of Spades (around the 51 minute mark) -you can see my skinny, demin clad wrist nervously reaching for the beverage -we call the gig FAST EDDIE'S SCREWDRIVER x (Motorhead Newcastle 22 03 82)
Great shows. The 88 Zappa tour and Miles in early eighties with Mike stern. Too many to list. Live music is were its at.
My most memorable:
My dad took me to see Buddy Rich when I was 12 in 1978.
Kansas Monolith tour 1979- first proper rock show
Percussive Art Society International Convention- Los Angeles 1985. Tony Williams, Stewart Copeland, Vinnie Colaiuta, Gary Burton, Alex Acuna, Luis Conte, Steve Smith, Jim Keltner, and Billy Cobham all did clinics- life changing.
James Brown 1986- been hooked on funk ever since.
Saw cobham for the first time when he toured with jazz is dead T lavitz on keys, alphonso johnson bass, jeff pevar guitar what a show.
Six of the Best Milton Keynes, Specials Bracknell,
Clash Hammersmith Palais
my first gig was Yes at Wembley Arena in 1978 when I was 13. It spoiled gigs for me for ages. They were at their peak as a gigging band. This was the show that the BBC recorded in full for the Friday Rock Show so I got to hear it again, and tape it and still have the tape. King Crimson as Discipline in 1981 in Norwich was really special. Jeff Beck on the Guitar Shop tour at Hammersmith blew my mind more than any other gig. Other great moments were when I got to see bands who I thought I would never see live like the Van der Graaf Generator re-union at the Royal Festival Hall in 2005, the Soft Cell re-union around 2002 and the Magazine re-union in 2009. So many others I could do a top 100.
I saw the Guitar Hop tour...that will nr on my next list...
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer make it so Mr Data
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer look forward to that
Great Post and a push to travel down memory lane
My first concert , my eldest brother brought me to Kinks in probably 79 or 80 in Dublin . I was 15
After that many great shows followed in Dublin
John Martyn and Tom Waits are 2 big stand outs
I move to NYC and was fortunate to see
Patti Smith at CBGBs
Lou Reed w John Cale doing Songs for Drella
ZPZ with Vai and Bozzio
Before NYC I took excursion to London in88
The Zappa shows are #2 I traveled from Ireland for these shows and knew no one in London so just hung around Wembley and was lucky enough to get in for sound check and I have program still too
But #1
I was blessed to get tickets and see Nina Simone at NJPAC in early 90s . She was spectacular
One of my greatest regrets is that I never got to see Gil Scott Heron, I am so envious, the guy was a true genius
Lake Lucerne is gorgeous! I bet that was a great gig.
Your best video yet mate.
Saw the Broadway The Hard Way tour in Brighton in 1988, a real game changer. I have never seen such a well drilled band.
Lucky enough to have seen AC / DC on the Highway To Hell tour as my first gig. The Pirates supported and my mind was already blown before the main act.
I think it was the Brighton show Iread the review of
Great stories. It blows my mind that artist of that caliber allow a show to come to such a braisen halt. Back in the 90's I mixed FOH at a shed with No Doubt, Bush, Duran Duran, Black Crows and about 5 other like acts. When Duran Duran went on the singer, Simon Le Bon, stopped the show with in the first 30 seconds because the bass was not tuned correctly. He did this another 4 times as he sat on the drum riser in front of 45k people in dead silence with the rest of the band standing on stage while they kept mistuning the bass. Now I don't know if he wasn't all there that day or they had a tech that was so incompetent as to not know how to use a tuner, but that was the biggest train wreck I've ever seen at a show due to the artist. Just blows my mind. Cheers!
Tank would have had my great mate Graham (Crash) Crallan on drums! Great guy from Hartlepool band White Spirit! RIP mate!
Just subscribed. Im.around your age. Your stories are great. My first gif was Rush at 14 yrs old in 1984
great memories Andy, in common with you live music has kind of bookmarked my life from my first experience (Queen at the NEC in 1979) through the notorious Black Sabbath at Sofia Gardens in Cardiff gig in 1981 (where the promoter sold enough tickets for 2 shows and after a full scale riot Sabbath played 2 sets in one night), Ozzy's first ever UK solo gig at Port Vale later that year, Queen's last gig at Knebworth, Springsteen, etc, etc.
Hitch hiking to gigs and worrying how we'd get home later, flagons of cider, lazing in the sun
Too many memories, so many great times :-)
Another enjoyable video of personal experiences and anecdotes from you, Andy, but fookin' ell, there were so many adverts during this video, it was more like watching some adverts that occasionally went to Video Breaks. Chuffing spoilt.
Genesis at a small venue in Baltimore, Md. We didn't know a lot about them then and they just blew us away. The people there left including us just shaking our heads at how incredible they were. Roller Rink (bring your own pillow) in Arlington, Va. Krokus, Nazareth and a band that wasn't popular at the time but, they became pretty famous BOC. What a show and my ears rang for a month. 😂
Bring it back to present day
I saw one of best concerts ever at Mercury Lounge a few weeks ago
Sports Band supported by a band called Thus Love
It was $25 , 3 band in a club that hold 250 people
Loud and awesome
Just like the old days
Elton John with the Melbourne Symphony in Sydney, Steve Howe solo in Manhattan 1994 or 95, Allan Holdsworth at The Basement, Sydney.
Love your passion fella, so many things in common. Saw Gil at Glastonbury in 86. Saw Allan loads and the best times were with Chad. Saw Mclaughlin quite a few times and my first gig was the best, in Leeds with Trilok and Jeff Berlin about 1988. Had a run of seeing people like Stanley Jordan, John Scofiled (bought him a lager) Oregon, Pat Metheny etc but I too WAS AT ZAPPA AT THE NEC. We came from York on a coach and smoked jazz woodbines all the way !!! I remember really well whipping post, lucille has and when they left for the first half the sound of the huge band left me stunned by its hugeness, Have seen Dweezil many times but like yourself so grateful saw Frank. Love him
I have a cassette bootleg recording of that gig somewhere...
Miles always told his musicians, "play what you don't know".
Hi there! Well, today's a difficult one, and (for some, actually most of them) I have to go back 5 decades and more. So, I might confuse the actual year the gigs happened.
At first, I have to say, having lived in Thailand since 2002, I haven't seen a proper live gig in more than 20(!) years. However, the years/decades before, have been packed with concerts. Hundreds, if not more than a thousand. There were times, I would go for a live show every other night, and sometimes even more often than that. Mostly, as a fan, sometimes working as a stage hand (Guitar Trio, Genesis, David Bowie, Stevie Wonder, Motorhead, Foreigner, Blue Oyster Cult, original Iron Maiden, to name but a few), and also as a (label) representative of the music companies (IMC, BMG, Rough Trade) I was working for at the time. For many years in a row, I went to Montreux Jazz Festival, and there I saw some of the most stunning performances you could possibly think of. Everyone, who has experience in (Jazz)Festivals whatsoever, would corroborate that unconditionally. However, in order not to write a whole novel, I've chosen to leave those out of my top ten list. OK, just one concert, and that's for you, Andy. In 1992, as a (part time) label representative for GRP (Grusin-Rosen Production), I saw The Brecker Bros. live in Montreux together with Dave Weckl on drums. Now, I'm pretty sure you're familiar with his name, because he used to work with Robert Plant. At this time, being a member of Chick Corea’s Electric Band, he was one of THE drummers in the Jazz(Fusion) circuit. I mean, I grew up with drummers like Ginger Baker, Aynsley Dunbar (Genious!), Tony Williams, John Hiseman, and (a bit later) Billy Cobham, of course. They were my heroes, and I managed to see all of them live in their heyday. Nonetheless, Weckl's playing was kinda sensational. He gave the whole performance a kind of Heavy Metal touch. I've never since seen/heard a drummer playing more powerful & ferocious, albeit exact, more prominent, but nonetheless virtuoso as a team player, and, at the same time soloing his guts out. He, quite literally would drum you out of the venue by sheer force. You would have loved it, I dare say. Mind-blowing, to say the least. Oh yeah, one more (I swear) from Montreux. 2 years before (I think) I saw John Zorn with his at the time band 'Naked City', following Caetano Veloso. Caetano Veloso!!! Man! I loved both of them, but they couldn't possibly be more oppugnant. Caetano played a thoroughly acoustic set, almost creating a kind of living room atmosphere to a packed audience in the Casino. And, most of them came for him, without a clue what would come next. So, John Zorn started with 'Take the A Train', composed by Billy Strayhorn, I believe. So far, so good. However, within a minute, or so, Free Jazz hell broke loose, like you'd never heard it before. Imagine, Metallica, Megadeath & Black Sabbath all together on stage, having their late Coltrane moment. It was breathtakingly loud & heart-throbbing at the same time, And, I shit you not, within the next 2 or 3 minutes, 90% of the audience had fled the scene, as if a conflagration had hit the Casino again, like you all remember DP's 'Smoke on the Water' which was about a fire breaking out at the very same venue, years earlier. In fact, I watched the last part of that show in the lounge on one of the monitors. Their sound & performance was so intense, it almost caused cardiac arhtythmia, no joke. But, that's what I meant with diversity of performance, you only get festivals like that. I could go on for hours/days with stories I recall. Brian May joining a B.B.King show. Sting & Andy Summers spontaneously reuniting during Andy's performance, and, and., and.
Anyway, here's my top ten:
1.) 1969 Chicago Transit Authority with the Welsh band Man as opener. As I loved both of them to bits, this was like Birthda & Christmas on the same day. In fact, it was on my 17th birthday, 17 December 1969. My first 'real' concert with 'real' bands. Not just some locals fiddling about. And, as we all know, the first cut is always the deepest.
2.) Ten Years After at the same venue with Chicken Shack (still without Christine McVie, I think), opening for them. Now, I'm not sure when that happened. Must've been earlier that same year as it was the tour promoting ‘Ssssh’, their fourth album. Now, I'm really not a fan of Chicken Shack, not even close, but back then, even bands like them were exciting for a young lad. However, I was a huge fan of TYA, and their first 4 albums, incl. the debut, Undead, Stonedhenge & Ssssh. They still belonged to the first generation of 'Brit Blues', and they were just on the verge of stardom with 'Love like a Man' 1 year later. They truly played their arses off, and the audien - so we let them go.
3.) Moving on to 1971, I saw Grand Funk Railroad, together with Humble Pie in their original line up incl. Peter Frampton, as opener in my hometown Offenbach (a smaller city attached to Frankfurt). Back then GFR were notorious for being the 'loudest band' in the universe with a wall of Marshall amps behind them, and, believe me, they lived/played up to it. Nonetheless, Humble Pie were in no way inferior, both of them were nothing but fantastic & perfect. And, the best of it all, they played 2 nights in a row, and I managed to sneak in for free. That happened quite often back then. Normally, after half of the opening act, they would let people in without any charge. Yeah, those were the (golden) days.
4.) Eric Burdon & War. That happened a good year earlier, on 5th May 1970, to be exact. I still remember, because I had a bootleg of that gig. Bought it many years later at a weekly flea market along the banks of the Main River. Again, an amazing act, a fantastic performance. You see, back then, a lot was what we would call amateurish today. Very often not such a good sound quality, only a basic light show & NO (or hardly any) special effects. Just the artist(s) and their audience, but I'd gladly sacrifice my left nut to bring those days back again, and if only for once.
5.) moving on to 1973, 2 concerts marked a truly stupendous concert season. Now, I may get the order wrong, who I saw first, and who was second, but, I believe it was Roxy Music that I saw first. 'For your Pleasure' had just been released, they were still with Eno (no Brian, yet). What can I possibly say. I saw them 1 year later with Eddie Jobson & John Wetton, but that performance remains unmatched in my (humble) memory. They were just from outer space, no more, but also nothing less. I believe, that year the only other artist to(maybe) match that would have been David Bowie with Ziggy Stardust. It would (unfortunately) take exactly another 10 years before I would see him, working as a stage hand, on his 'Serious Moonlight' Tour.
OK, I have to split that up, otherwise, it won't get through.
Great vid and list. My rocker mates went to see Motörhead on the Bomber tour at Wolverhampton Civic Hall and it sounded like it was quite an experience.
My first gig was ‘The Jackson’s’ 1979 Birmingham Bingley Hall when I was about 12 lol
Couple of months later Earth Wind and Fire -Stafford Bingley Hall and a couple of months later Chic at Birmingham Odeon. All very memorable cause was so young. Despite seeing plenty of people after that, only really Japan in 81, Genesis in 84, It Bites in 86 and a couple of relatively recent gigs (Knower and Snarky Puppy), come to mind. I’ve not thought about it before but I seem quite jaded with regard to gigs lol
Actually, Flaming Lips in 98-99 ish and Royksopp around 2001 were also great. Maybe there’s more than I think and my memory is just getting worse lol
My best concert was Zappa's 200 Motels at the Philharmonie de Paris with probably 150 musicians on stage
I remember that Monsters of Rock, we were nearer the front but thankfully off to the side a bit (probably about in line with the left PA stack), but it was still scary. We didn't know until later either, my mom was worried though until we managed to phone her, which is when we found out.
First gig was Iron Maiden on the Peace of Mind tour (and then Rush the following week on the Signals tour).
Most memorable... Fleetwood Mac at the Edinburgh Playhouse. They were catually supposed to be playing Dublin but there was a ferry strike, so at the last minute they booked the Playhouse, and as we had a gold card at the time, we managed to get tickes in the front section. The atmosphere was just incredible, and the band were also (even without Lindsey).
Others include Muse on the Black Holes tour, Rammstein on the Made in Germany tour (if just for the spectacle!) and getting to see Nina Simone on probably her last UK appearance.
some of my fav gigs, PFM 76, Genesis and Brand X , Knebworth 78, UK with Holdsworth 79, Bowie with Adrian Belew 78, Joni Mitchel 83, Weather Report 78, wish Id see Zappa, live
You let me remember:
Brussels Feb.1978 Frank Zappa sung to Yo'Mamma the lyrics:
you ain't really made for throwing things on the stage
Ain't much hope for a nerd like you
Cause if I give you a chance, you forgot to come in
where you're supposed to sing
Maybe you should stay with your DAVID
He can do your laundry and play for you
FZ was not amused that Bowie had poached in his band
The rest is history
@@narosgmbh5916 Bowie poached Belew from Frank, I had heard that,
If I could have attended any concert in history ,it would have been The Band's final concert in 1976' ,at Winterland ,in San Francisco ! A celebration of the most admired and respected American based group EVER ! The cream of the 70's rock generation acts joined in to give the greatest goodbye in music history . Not to mention the quality of musicianship and talent . Captured on film by Martin Scorsese is amazing ,but to have been in the audience on the night of the concert ,had to have been remarkable ......
I'm glad you like it. I remember watching The Last Waltz as a youngster and trying to work out what the fuss was about. It might have been that film that put me off all the artists that featured in it. I have since become a huge Jon fan but that's about it. But the critics love this stuff....
Sorry, I have to say this. I'm still watching your video, and your top live experience was Miles Davis, and, in some respect, it was mine as well. However, what struck me the most is that you're saying the same about him what I had written 2 hours or more ago. The sheer presence & charisma of that man remains unmatched. There maybe a handful (or two) of artists who could claim that, one being Lenny Cohen, another being Frankie Boy (I'm thinking of Zappa, not Sinatra - never seen him, so I wouldn't know), and....... you tell me. Can't think of any other right now. Bryan Ferry...maybe. I'm off.
I agree, but none you mentioned are in the same league really. I met BB King twice, he was...
Pink Floyd in 1968. Roberta Flack 1972. Rory Gallagher 1973. Van Morrison 1984. The Waterboys 1984. Talk Talk 1986. Blue Nile 1990. Biggest regret missing Captain Beefheart at Bham Town Hall 1970.
My best gigs: 1) Jethro Tull-Broadsword tour 1982 (I was alone in Frankfurt as a 14 year old lad) 2) Steve Morse Band-1984 with the great Jerry Peek on bass 3) One of the few gigs of „The new acoustic guitar trio“ with Steve Morse, David Lindley and Richard Thompson 1986 (?) 4) Nguyen Le on his Maghreb and friends tour 1998 (and other concerts of him as well) 5) Nils landgren Funk Unit with Esbjörn Svensson 1997, Renaud Garcia-Fons in 1999 (?) and John Scofield in the same year. Worst gigs: Al Di Meola (1999?) and NHOP with Philip Catherine (1994 ?), the latter played just an hour without any word to the audience, just after 5 minutes „Encore-shouts“: „One more!“
My most memorable gigs have mainly been bands I knew little or nothing about - they proved to be pleasant surprises. The Sensational Alex Harvey Band, Weather Report on their 'Heavy Weather' tour (w/Acuna, Badrena, Jaco), the Jess Roden Band, Marty Stuart & the Fabulous Superlatives, Liza Carthy, Don Weller's Major Surgery (Bryan Spring drumming), and a few others including Michael Shrieve with Mark Isham, Doug Lunn, Andy Summers etc. at NAMM (opening for Jack Bruce, Ginger Baker & Blues Scaraceno), and David Garibaldi, Mike Miller and Jerry Watts ripping it up in a Paiste demo room, also at NAMM.
Preconceptions and expectations can really dampen the experience of a gig.
Your enthusiasm for the Basie Band is interesting. And you are so right. That experience of hearing an acoustic big band must have been sensational. The only big band I heard was Louis Belson's (one tune at a big Remo party at NAMM, which was quite the experience, though surely nowhere as moving as the Basie Band. After them was Toto, who tore it up with an instrumental. And there was also and number by Micky Hart and his massive frame drum and percussion. Each of those three (and others) was so totally different, which highlighted the fact that in a live setting in particular, one can truly be smitten by the most diverse and even unlikely music...stuff we know little or nothing about.
Ahhh...Jess Riden, incredible singer! I know a lot of the musicians that played with him back in the seventies...
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer Richard Bailey drummed two track's on Roden's solo debut - 'On Broadway' and 'I'm On Your Side', both killer. Zigaboo and the Meters were on some other tracks. BTW, the late Alan Sharp, founder of the Natal percussion brand circa 1965, is on congas for this track: ua-cam.com/video/CjIY983WCMo/v-deo.html
@@MrCherryJuice My best mate is Kevyn Gammond who is the guy playing guitar with me and Robert Plant in the recent video I posted up. He was the guitarist in Bronco with Jess back in the early seventies
@@AndyEdwardsDrummer I remember Bronco. Roden and Robert Palmer also both went through The Alan Bown. Now dig the groove here. Alan Cartwright on bass, Pete King on the drums. This is SO in the pocket. I saw this band twice within a couple weeks - Leeds and Edinburgh. Though relatively unknown, the audiences went wild. ua-cam.com/video/BKHggovcDTI/v-deo.html
BTW, if you knew the late Kevin McMichael, guitarist in one of Robert's bands (and also Cutting Crew for 'Died In Your Arms Tonight') he was part of our local scene here in Canada.
Mine, in no particular order:
Queen (The Game Tour): I would have said the Hot Space Tour (with my future wife), but 1980 was the first of two times I saw Freddie live, the song selection was better, and we got hit by a drunk driver on the way home from the 1982 concert (no serious injuries though, despite the ~60mph T-bone collision)
Johnny Clegg & Savuka (Heat Dust & Dreams Tour): The first of four JC concerts I attended, and the most memorable
Utopia (Redux Tour warmup show): The second time I saw them was when Utopia reformed for a brief Japanese tour, and their sole warmup show was in a small club in Santa Clara, CA -- barely 20 minutes from where I was living. Utopia fans came from all over the U.S. to attend, even though the club maybe held 400-500 people.
Fish (Sunsets On Empire Tour) and Marillion (This Strange Tour): I have to include both of these, because one North American tour was just ending and the other just starting, and the overlap happened to be in the San Francisco Bay Area. So I saw both for the first time within two or three days of each other, and a bunch of us got to hang out with Fish before and after his show.
Parliament/Funkadelic (Funk On The Green): Promotor Bill Graham, who regularly staged Day On The Green rock concerts in the Oakland Coliseum (home of the A's baseball team and Raiders football team), staged exactly one Funk On The Green, but the lineup was legendary: P-Funk, Bootsy's Rubber Band, Con-Funk-Shun, The Bar-kays, Parlet, The Brides Of Funkenstein, and...Sister Sledge. The whole thing was incredible, but the landing of the mothership was an experience I would have always regretted missing.
Ben Folds Five (The Sound Of The Life Of The Mind Tour): I didn't get into BFF until they'd broken up, and after seeing Ben a number of times, I finally got to see BFF after they reunited for a single studio album. Even better, the live album from the tour was heavily weighted towards The Warfield (SF) gig I attended, probably because it was broadcast live on the AXS TV channel.
Katatonia/Caspian (Uncrowned & Vertikal Tour?): Katatonia is a favorite band of mine -- I finally got to see them a few years earlier when they opened for Opeth -- so when they headlined a small club, I was thrilled. Even more thrilling was discovering post-rock band Caspian, whom I'd never heard of until I saw them listed as one of the openers. They're now also a favorite of mine.
Heart/Jason Bonham's Led Zeppelin Experience (America's Cup Concert Series, SF): My wife is a big Heart and Zeppelin fan -- we'd seen Heart once or twice before, but never Zeppelin or Jason's band -- so we braved the nighttime outdoor concert right on the shore of San Francisco Bay. The people in the stands froze -- many of them forced to leave early -- and when the fog rolled in, we could no longer see buildings a few hundred yards away, but fortunately it was warmer on the floor. The highlist was the final half-hour, when several members of Jason's band joined Heart for an additional batch of Zeppelin tunes, including Kashmir, The Rain Song and, of course, Stairway.
The tenth is a tough one -- I probably would pick a different concert on a different day -- but the one that popped into my head yesterday (even before you posted this video):
Michael Oldfield (Five Miles Out Tour): It was one of my earliest concerts, I went with my best friend at the time and several others, and we had amazing seats. It may sound odd, but the highlight of the show was Oldfield's version of The Sailor's Hornpipe, which everyone knows from Popeye cartoons. I've seen videos of Oldfield and his band playing it -- starting slow and gradually speeding up -- but I swear Oldfield ramped it up to about 50% faster than any of the videos I've found. He basically kept playing the electric mandolin faster and faster until the band just fell by the wayside, never even breaking a sweat. Quite possibly the most jaw-dropping two minutes I've ever experienced at a concert.
Actually, this version comes close to what I saw, but he was much more relaxed when it hit warp speed: ua-cam.com/video/nlQ-T8w01oA/v-deo.html
I enjoyed watching that video. It brought a couple of facts to mind that I associate with gigs I have been to.
I don't really have visceral memories of anything, including gigs, I think I have SDAM. The upside of that is that every gig I go to is the best one I can remember at the time.
I have a ticket stub from The Half Moon Theater from November 1987 where I saw (Bill Bruford's) Earthworks. I remember that the venue was small, and I think it was the Mondesir brothers supporting. Both acts were a little confusing to me as a (prog) rock fan, that gig made me willing to explore the Loose Tubes & Andy Sheppard British jazz scene.
Seeing as we've got to Bruford via Mondesir, you recently mentioned one of my favourite albums: Cloud About Mercury. Have you seen the live UA-cam video of (most of) a live performance with Mick Karn on bass? ua-cam.com/video/clNy78RCe_A/v-deo.html
My best gig?.... No bout adoubt it, the three days at the Reading Rock Festival in 1980. Not a drop of rain and a stellar lineup including, and most notably, Slade who replaced Ozzy Osborne at the last minute. This 17 year old was in heaven! (Iron Maiden, Whitesnake, Magnum, Def Leppard, Rory Gallagher etc. were pretty good as well!).
Miles at Manchester in 1986 was also very fine!
Billy played a tour gig some years back at my local club. Did i go?? Naaaa:)
HOW ABOUT A LIST OF THE BEST SUPPORTING BANDS YOU HAVE SEEN LIVE ??
I'm a drummer and someone once asked me if I was related to Art Blakey ----- No! My surname is Blakey but I'm white!
Stevie Ray Vaughan 1983
I sure miss Gil-Scott.
Ah sorry.. you mean your greatest. I always get that bit wrong, ;)
Iron Maiden Brangwyn Hall Swansea 1980 my first.
Ozzy Osbourne, Port Vale 1981
Deep Purple Knebworth 1985
Black Sabbath, Cardiff 1981
Steve Hackett, Cardiff 2022
Hackett with Blunders!!!
OK, folks, here's part 3, and that's it. I'll be 70 next month, and I'm looking back at more than 50 years of concerts (a fair string of them creating Moments out of Time), and more than 60 years of being a music lover. Most of the artists (my Heroes) mentioned have left us by now, so those days will never return. I'm not a big fan of reunions & "Farewell Tours". I accept them for the monetary aspects, as I can understand the (sometimes) need to pay the upcoming bills, or for 'Guilty Pleasures' of the past, but musically they're never where its at, are they? Or, like Denis Leary used to say, "someone should have shot Elvis in the head, back in the late 50's, so we could remember him in a nice way." Is it not so?
Some of you may say, hardly any mention of the late 80's & 90's. My profuse apologies for that, and it's not sheer ignorance that drove me. I've seen countless gigs until the early 2000's that are well worth to be remembered, and some of them could only be seen just then, because earlier they just weren't around, or were yet to be born. So, it wasn't their fault, was it?
As a kind of explanation/excuse, let me finish with the first line of Neil Young's 'Ambulance Blues", 'Back in the old, foggy Days, the Air was magic when we played.' Or, like Cat Stevens once sang (I mentioned it before) 'The first Cut is the deepest.'
Memories are made of this!
By the way, Hooray to you Andy, for bringing this up. With this, you handed me a ticket for time travel - and it was free. I owe you, mate.
Actually, I started writing this sermon while still watching this, and, in order to not lose my momentum, I stopped. Now, I've continued watchiing, and I heard you mention the name Courtney Pine. Outstanding sax player, he is. And, like you, I saw him in 1988. Where? You guessed it, at the Montreux Jazz Festival on the same bill as Abdullah Ibrahim, otherwise known as Dollar Brand. He helped kicking off what soon would be known as 'Acid Jazz'. Beside his debut album, one of my favourites is his horn contribution to the OST of 'Angel Heart'. You did a video on Helloween sounds the other day, didn't ya? In its sinister, almost hellish mode, it would have fit in that list perfectly.
Thanks for mentioning that Big Band gig you saw. I never saw the Count Basie Big band, but I've seen others, like the Quincy Jones Big Band, that I mentioned earlier on. On some afternoons, before the main program started, you could hear semi-professional big bands from the US & other countries playing in front of the Casino, or nearby. Let me say this, same as with classical music, it makes a giant difference if you hear that on vinyl, or CD, or if you hear it live & unfiltered. Also, you mentioned that terrible thing happening at the DLR gig with Steve Vai. Something similar almost happened to me at this Eric Burdon & War gig, I mentioned in my top ten list. It was one of those concerts where the event organisers would let the outside crowd get inside to attend the show. More often than not, that created tumultuous chaos in front of the entrance. In that case wide folding doors made of glass. The crowd outside kept pushing the ones in front inside, but only one of the doors had been opened. I was right in front of a closed one, and the ones behind me kept pushing so hard that my nose was literally pressed flat against that door, causing a nose bleed. Luckily, I managed to slip past it, being pushed into the lobby by sheer force. I must admit, by then my knees had turned to jelly, but Eric & War made up for that moment of doubt & pain. Listening to you, I could go on & on with my concert experiences, but I'll leave it with mentioning the first time I saw Motorhead on their 'Bomber' tour in 1979. They played a smaller venue in a little town called Neu Isenburg, and playing at maximum volume, they almost caused the hall to collapse. Everything was rattling & shaking. Anyway, it's bed time for Bonzo. See you next time, take care.
Mike,
Bravo for your three parts of your musical journey of the last around 50years
Where you saw FZ 1971?
@@narosgmbh5916 In Frankfurt at The Kongresshalle. The sound back then could have been a( little) better, but the show made more than up for it. Zappa is a one of a kind entertainer. Over the years, all the shows I attended, he always did his very best to keep you interested, entertained & afloat. Nowadays, to speak in his own words: "They don't do that on stage anymore."
Hi Mike,
Our musical socialization seems to have taken a similar course. Just that you had a two-year head start. But I have another 10 years of (jazz) festivals until 2012. After that only Lugano.
1971 Grand Funk with HP in the Schweinfurt barracks for 20,000 GI's was my first big live experience. (Didn't impress me.) I must have seen Zappa 30 times in different countries in Europe. Your brief description is spot on. I hope you noticed that youtube is flooded with Zappa concert recordings. You could spend the rest of your life just studying it. I know Offenbach from a Weather Report concert and of course because of the Offenbacher Kickers. (I saw Siggi Held play at the Kickers) I saw Conte one time live in Italy. The Italian audience is perhaps the best in Europe. In the second half of the seventies I saw Konstantin Wecker several times. He organized similar encore after encore after encore 3.5 - 4h events with the audience._ I sent my children to LC's farewell concert in Berlin. They were excited too. Aura aura aura!
@@narosgmbh5916 Man, we're twin brothers, just from different mothers. The WR concert you refer to, must have been the 1978 one with Jaco Pastorius, right? I was there. A friend of mine Bernie Haefner was the tour manager, and got me in for free - like he did so often. Also hired me as a stage hand on various occasions. And, comes to the OFC, I went to the 'Bieberer Berg' on a regular basis until the 'Canellas Scandal' in 1972. when they were relegated to the amateur league. I saw'em all, Beckenbauer, Mueller & the whole Bayern gang, Uwe Seeler (RIP), the 'Fohlen Elf' from Gladbach, and so on, and so forth. Saw Pink Floyd in '71 in OF when they promoted 'Meddle' - fantastic concert. The Stadthalle, OF was a hot spot for great concerts throughout the late 60's until the early 80's. Saw great bands there, from Deep Purple (Mark I) to Ginger Baker's Airforce (Ihre Kinder as openers) & Jack Bruce band. Lots of fond memories. You must be a Kraut as well. Which part of Germany are you from?
Hi Mike, looks like we're from the same stable. Not only did we see the WR concert with Jaco, we are also connected through such "nonsense" as chicken shack. I saw the early seventies featuring Stan Webb. The guy was drunk with a bottle of wine on stage. I didn't think it was funny at the time.
CV
School days in SW and M
Student time in FR
Professional life in M,B,AC as well as Basel and Lugano.
Beginning in 2010, alternating between Europe and Lebanon every six months
Whole student and professional life takes every opportunity to attend concerts and festivals. Had good contact with WDR in the 70s and 80s. That's why I saw some Rockpalast concerts. Among others Jack Bruce with Billy Cobham, or the still "unknown" Patti Smith. During my time in Freiburg, many trips to CH and I and F. Once, in the early 80s, I was lying on the beach in Montpellier during the Pentecost holidays when a small motor plane flew along the coast and pulled an advertising banner behind it for a Zappa concert. Had some of these spontaneous visits in a good 50 years.
When I was at school, I worked in an alternative bookstore that wanted to supply SW with left-wing ideas and therefore had almost no customers, but instead had the ECM catalog in its record department. So in the early 70's I taught myself not only to listen but also to understand music. Later in M I could say I buy my sausage, bread and my music all in one street, in the Gleichmannstrasse. By the way, remember what it was like when "our" music conquered the "bourgeois" concert and theater halls. You described it beautifully with your LC concert.
I actually wanted to put my email address here for you to use. But then yt does not accept the posting
A gig is a performance for which you are paid. Sounds to me like you’ve attended some shows.
I was at 1988 and 1990 Donnington. 1988 was maiden . Made us pay for 5lt bottle outside so poured alcohol into that. Toilets were like 3 for 107 thousand. So every one pissed in the bottles and threw them in the air oddly these all missed my mate mick who got hit in the face with a clog. 1990 was whitesnake .worst time i every saw them ,steve vai was shit. Thunder and t😢quireboys were easily the best that day even though page came on with Aerosmith which made me spill my beer 1988 was much better, apart from the 2 guys getting crushed to death during guns and Roses. Also hells angels dancing to dave lee roth doing calafornia girls.
Dear Andy you never mention Bill Ward's drumming . Why not ?
i have mentioned it many a time
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