Sometime last year I made a list of all the concerts I've attended, and I picked the top fifteen. Originally it was going to be the top ten, but there were some notable mentions I needed to include. Here's the first five:
15. Ramones, Metropol, Pittsburgh, 1994?
Me and David went to this show in the Strip District. Their stage presence was so simple: t-shirts, black leather jackets, and sneakers. And they just ran through one song after another and another and another, with almost no pause between them. As I recall the crowd wasn't too rambunctious. And every once in a while the guitarist and bassist would step up onto the speakers for emphasis...and then step back down.
14. John Prine, Capitol Music Hall, Wheeling, 2003
I know Krista was there, but I can't remember who else. I can't remember if this was before or after the Iraq invasion, but it was right around that time. John changed the lyrics to "Illegal Smile" to say "I dreamt the police heard everything I thought, what next? So I went to court and the judge's name was...Ashcroft," which got a lot of applause. Then he said George W. Bush was making all his songs popular again and played "Your Flag Decal Won't Get You Into Heaven Anymore," which got a huge ovation.
13. Elvis Costello, Blossom, Cleveland, 1995/6?
Me and Mike sped up to 90 mph to get to this show on time, and I got a ticket on the way, which along with two other tickets in Ohio that year landed me in court. This was the Brutal Youth tour, and Elvis was in rare form, tearing up on guitar solos. And, thanks to Mike, we had awesome front row (or damn close to it) seats. And it was the first time I saw Elvis in concert.
12. Bruce, Devils and Dust, Cleveland, 2005
This was a particularly moving solo show. Bruce cut off half of a basketball court, and Krista and I had excellent seats near the front. The rest of the gang included Mike, Jami, and Aunt Liz. Bruce played a lot of reworked old favorites including "Reason to Believe" just using some kind of amplified stomping pad and a blues harmonica. He pounded on his accoustic guitar filling the arena with thunder claps. And he closed with "Dream Baby Dream" by the Suicide something or others, and it reminded me of a David Lynch kind of song. It was almost hypnotic.
11. Bruce, Meadowlands, NJ, 2000
This was a reunion tour show in Bruce's home state. I remember having terrible seats at the back of the arena. Brad, Mike, Aunt Liz, and I made the drive over and met up with Mike's friend Kelley and her husband as I recall. This was the first time since 1985 where I saw Bruce and the E Street Band, and they played a great combination of Bruce solo stuff with the whole band and old favorites in a new way. They played a song off of "Born to Run" that I had never seen in concert, but I'm struggling to remember if it was "Backstreets" or "Jungeland" that night.
To be continued...
Tuesday, August 7, 2007
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9 comments:
Damn your eyes, Lou. When I read this I thought, "Shit, I don't even think I could remember all the concerts I've seen let alone rank them". Then, like the obsessive motherfucker that I am I now must mount an effort to come up with a list of all the concerts I've seen. This will take up WAY to much of my time but I will now not be able to not do it.
Why couldn't you have posted this in the off season when I had more time to devote to obessive tasks.
Oh well, at least you can help my first piece of reasearch: I don't recall seeing The Ramones in Metropol. I remember seeing them at CMU in about 1992 or 3 and also I think I saw them at Blossom in the mid to late 90s. I remember seeing the Pogues with you in Metropol... was that the same show?
A pox on your homestead,
-David
I'll help with your list any way I can, and I accept responsibility for your obsession.
It's possible that the Ramones concert did not exist. I can't find mention of it on the internet. Evidently they played the IC Light Amphitheater in 1996 on a second "farewell tour." So I think it may have been 1995 that they came through on the first farewell tour.
Maybe Tony went with me. Or maybe I dreamed it...
I was at the Blossom show, and our seats were terrible and we had to suffer through Rugburn. I think the Ramones were made for small venues.
Incidentally, we saw the "Popes" at the Metropol. The Pogues booted Shane MacGowan out of the band and he toured as Shane MacGowan and the Popes for a few years. He has since reunited with the Pogues. I'm sure you're grateful that I cleared that up.
Ah, thanks for clearing the "Pogues" thing up. Thankfulling football season is decending on me like a rabid dog so my obsession is waning... but I think I will still get around to it at some point. I will accept your offer for help, though, as I will need some.
For example, I remember a Femmes show in the middle of Ohio farmland (between Warren and Cleveland) that was pretty cool. It was some kind of fair and we were muddy as fuck. It would have been 1994 - maybe 1995. I also remember my favorite Femmes show was at the Agora in Cleveland (I don't recall when). And that then reminds me of the time we saw them in some fucked up place like Slippery Rock or Grove City... Fuck, now I'm obsessed again because every time I start to think of it I uncover a little more and it intrigues me....
At the muddy as fuck Femmes concert in the middle of Ohio, do you remember that a bunch of muddy girls in bras gave us free tickets as we entered? That's one of my few examples of "things going really, really my way." Of course, I lost my watch at that show too. Damn you, Karma!
Louie, I'd like to read a whole book of musings like this. I've been thinking about my favorite concerts, but I'm not sure I could be so brief... and Dave and I seem to be the only people in America reading this.
The muddy Femmes was at the Geauga (spelling?) County fairgrounds as I recall. I seem to recall seeing Gordon's half hollow body telecaster for the first time at that show. I remember that Matchbox 20 was playing AFTER the Femmes and a small group couldn't believe we were leaving BEFORE they took the stage.
And that other one was at Slippery Rock.
Also, I talked to my agent today and he said that I'm really writing for a "niche" market -- people who were at Geauga County Fairgrounds the time it rained and the Violent Femmes played.
Mike, you may be the only person in America but I have confirmation from a trusted source that we get about 2,000 hits a day from the Ukraine.
So I think that is where we ought to start focussing our efforts for maximum buckage.
That is until Bud get's us hooked up with his massive marketing strategy. I have faith in Bud and so should you.
-David
Greetings from the Ukraine! I'm also inspired by Lou's list to come up with my top fifteen concerts, but share David's consternation at remembering them all.
I'm honored to have been there for so many of Lou's favorite concerts. Although as I think back, since I went to high school with Mike, he'd probably make more appearances on my list. For example, remember the pre-concert festivities with Jen, Kelley, et al for the Erasure/Duran Duran show? It wasn't one of my favorite concerts, but a fun night nonetheless.....
I'm honored that you're honored. Were you in the Ukraine?
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