The favourite albums thread threw me into thinking about my love of live music for its visceral and ear appeal.
Like favourite albums, I have too many memorable live shows to outline a single favourite.
COVID has robbed, and continues to rob us, of that experienced of the a collective mass savouring an act performing live - stripped of the studio production and polish.
In this space, I have watched bands / artists transform and transcend mere sound and become something spectacular.
The totally surprising - music I wouldn't listen to or engage with
James Reyne circa '92 with a crack band ripping part his and the Crawls catalogue to a bunch of pi$$ed idiots - brilliant
Noiseworks (suppress vomit) delivering a killer show as the sunsets at the Newcastle Earthquake concert 89?
Pink - 12? - amazing
The unexpected
Pacific Island water slapping percussion ensemble - Novelty..yes.. amazing in its intricate rhythm
Japanese string instrument and drum duo - Gottan and Koto - playing traditional songs but through amps and effects pedals and sounding like late Small Faces / Led Zep...incredible
The way beyond
Six Ft Hick gig - like plenty before them in the alternate Oz rock pantheon these guys should be superstars
You am I - songwriting chops, great songs and amazing drumming.....yes Timmy cant hold a verse anymore but....
Beasts of Bourbon - circa early 90's - scary to witness
Marlon Williams - circa 17 - an amazing band and voice destined for bigger things just waiting and playing to us schmucks
The one off
The Who and Dallas Crane - thanks for fulfilling my mod bucket list
The missed
Had tickets (with my teenage son) to At the drive in in 2017 - chose to go to the granny (with him) to watch the Tigers win after 37 years of pain instead - little **** keeps reminding me what we missed and those that went raved.....
Missed Paul Weller due to illness
Over to you breezers...
A few stand out head and shoulders above the rest...
- Albert Collins at the Palace - His "hundred foot guitar lead" came out and he walked through the crowd. Ended up standing 6 feet in front of me jamming for about 15 minutes. Mind blowing.
- Motorhead at Festival Hall - Just because... Lemmy!!!
- Barb Wire Dolls at the Whiskey LA - Staying in LA I had to go to one of the clubs that some of my favourite bands started out at. Found another favourite while I was there. Bloody Awesome (and the singer is to die for... 
).
Chris Cornell at the Palais - The last acoustic tour of Australia. He was amazing.
- Voodoo Underpants at the Evelyn - Jack Jones side project after working with John Farnham. A bunch of highly skilled musos with a talent for writing songs live when they ran out of rehearsed stuff.
- Hi Fidelity at the Kilkenny (now Goldfingers adult club...) - I was the foldback sound guy and pseudo lights guy for a bunch of top notch musos playing a weekly gig with each other in between their regular gigs. Playing Toto and Tower of Power among others. Scored a new guitar teacher out of that gig...
I didn't realise I'd come up with so many unknown bands. You'd think it would be the big names most of all...
Special mention...
- Guns n' Roses at Calder Park 1993 - Rose Tattoo (with Pete Wells and Mick Cocks), Skid Row, Wet T-Shirt Competition (when it rained) and finally the Gunners. What a show (No one even remembers the first band...)
Select to expand quoteBen 555 said..
Skid Row....???
The American version not the Irish one. The Irish one had been dead and buried for long enough the name was no longer trademarked.
They were pretty good for a hair band back in the day...
One that sticks in my memory because is was so small was seeing Mental as Anything at something like the Shoalhaven Workers Club (?)or whatever it was called. It was awesome as it was so close up to the band and I think was even on a weeknight!
I have many memories of Shellharbour Workers Club as they used to have a lot on, when it used to be in the middle of nowhere, and some of the memories are of The Screaming Jets, George Thoroughgood, and Jimmy Barnes. There were heaps others, and the only annoying thing about the place was getting a cab out of there after they finished. Now the same place is in the middle of suburbia.
Oh yeah, I forgot the first one, INXS Kick in the Sydney Entertainment Centre, where we found out that they would serve us drinks despite being only 16 or 17 at the time. Oh yeah!
Talking heads,David Bowie,pink Floyd,u2 ,rattle and hum tour, portishead, Elton John and Billy Joel,beasties boys at livid,pearl jam....but rage against the machine at the horden still makes my bones smile
So many other good shows I have been lucky enough to see ,those are ones that still sit fresh in memory
Please 'Brent in Qld' bring back Friday night music... that made me realise how much I miss it!
For me the standout one would have to be Prince, saw him at Birmingham and the day after we all booked again to watch the same show in Sheffield. What an artist, it was a concert on steroids more like a show.
Special mention would be Billy Idol, why oh why oh why. Worse concert ever, it was shambolic he couldn't hold a tune.??
Yep agree, saw him twice. Once at the Melbourne entertainment centre and an impromptu one at the Palais Theatre where he just played blues and funk. Prince was an amazing artist.
The other for me is The Cat Empire who I've danced to for 20 years and hopefully one more dance before they disband at the end of the year
Ocean Alley supported by Gentle Person's club in Moonee beach tonight !! One of those elite feral gigs -should be rather interesting
Nirvana, Fishermans Wharf Gold Coast. Nevermind had just been released.
They were the support band for Voilent Femmes?? WTF.
Was way under aged, after Nirvana finished their support the crowed halved for the Femmes. lol
Gangajang was fun. Big Pig rocked. Floyd was Pink. ACDC were superb. U2 got the crowd pumped. ZZ Top disappointed. Rose Tattoo, snore.
I think my favourite was Franz Ferdinand at Fuji Rock.
Honourable mention to The Surfers. It took guts for Slater, Machado and Peter King to belt out their set, in where, Shibuya?
Red Hot Chili Peppers at Festival Hall (BNE) in '92
The Cure (every time I've seen them from '92 to the other pre-covid year they played Disintegration at the Opera house).
A stand out, also from '92, was Billy Bragg at Festival hall.
Brides of Destruction in Milwaukee, probs about 2004? Nikki Sixx and Tracey Gunn. Played the Brides album then a best of of Motley Crue and LA Guns.
VNV Nation at the Hard Rock in New Orleans, probs also about '04. Through sheer coincidence, I saw them in New Orleans, Milwaukee and Brisbane, all on the same tour.
While I'm on the '04ish trip, although maybe '03? Jane's Addiction and Audio Slave at Loolapalooza in Milwaukee - Audio Slave did an amazing cover of White Stripes 7 Nation Army not long after the song hit the radio.
One of the best shows EVER, probably about 10 years ago (?), at the Troubadour in the Valley (BNE). Local band Lovejoy, with a band comprised Radio Birdman members (I wanna say the New Christs, but I don't think it was) and Mick Medew and the Rumours doing mostly Screaming Tribesman songs. little dive bar, amazing musos and songs. place was pumping.
On that, any time I've seem Mick Medew play has been a win!
Oh, another classic gig - maybe '97 (?). The Damned at the Playroom on the gold coast - that was huge.
i could go on and on......
