Concerts thread: Best/Worst/Next/Last one you attended?

First: Three-band show in KC – Starship, Cheap Trick, REO Speedwagon. An older gentleman gave a 15-year-old a half-smoked pack of Kools just because he asked. He said he wanted to quit.

Last: Coachella 2008. How do I count the ways: My Morning Jacket, Prince, Roger Waters, The National, Vampire Weekend, Rouge Wave, Cut Copy, Sharon Jones, Animal Collective, Raconteurs, The Verve, Black Kids, MGMT, Death Cab For Cutie, Does It Offend You Yeah? and Austin TV.

Hard to remember: Several-night stay at First Avenue in the early 2000s by Ween. Yes.

Favorites: Phish NYE run at Madison Square Garden, 1998, and Big Cypress NYE festival in Florida, 2000.

Surprise Favorite: Elton John.

 

Next show I'm going to is Trombone Shorty and Tab Benoit.

Great venue, really looking forward to it.

 

Last - Tool, last Friday, in Kansas City. Great laser show.

Next - Jack Johnson, Aug. 17, Bonner Springs.

 

Best: Pat Metheny Group, 1995, Milwaukee. Just happened to be there for a college hoops game on the beat I covered. Was on the team bus on the way to their practice and saw a marquee that said, Pat Metheny Group, March 3. I said, "Hey, today is March 3." Asked a few others who traveled with the team, the play-by-play guy and such, if they wanted to go. They said no. Which turned out great, because the single seat I bought was third row balcony on the aisle. It was right after PMG released "We Live Here," still their best album, so they played most of it along with most of their best material to date. Metheny was incredible. For all the traveling I do, I almost never get this lucky with people playing where I happen to be.

Worst: Wife dragged me to Sheena Easton about 20 years ago. Sitting in the balcony, would have needed binoculars to save it. And that would have been bad form.

Last: Carole King/James Taylor's Troubador Reunion in May. A wonderful show. Two performers -- especially King -- who were really delighted to be playing. I've seen James Taylor about 7-8 times dating back to 1979. I wish he didn't feel obligated to play his hits. Most of us still going to his concerts have seen him play "Fire And Rain" every single time. I wish he'd open up the songbook a little. My wife has loved King since Tapestry and we'd never gotten the chance to see her, and it was nice to see them both with Russ Kunkel, Lee Sklar and Danny Kortchmar. Funny aside about Kortchmar. I could have sworn I read his obit several years back; when he came on stage and Taylor introduced him, I said, "I thought he was dead!" Very much alive, still playing great.

Next: I'm getting toward retirement from the concert arena. I've seen almost everybody I've ever wanted to see that was possible -- Springsteen, Stones, Eagles, Rush -- except U2. If I got the chance, I'd go see them. I'd love to see David Benoit again but his concert schedule is pretty limited now. His concert at the Greek Theater in 1991 was one of the best I'd seen, although nearly as much for the setting as the music. I'd recommend anybody who has a chance to see a show there do it. That's a beautiful place to hear music.

 

Last: U2, University of Phoenix Stadium

Next: The Gaslight Anthem, July 20 in Tempe

 

Next: Roger Daltrey, Eric Clapton Saturday night with my beautiful new girlfriend. Will be the best show ever regardless of how good they are.

 

You're killing me.

 

Best: Springsteen, at the old gym at UVa, Oct. 1974; George Thoroughood and the Destroyers at the old Gaiety nightclub in Mandan, N.D., in 1981 or 1980 on his 50 dates/50 states/50 days tour.

Worst: Eric Clapton at Rich Stadium, 1974. He was awful.

Last: Mary Chapin Carpenter/Steve Earle at the Schnitz in Portland, about 10 years ago.

Next: Probably the Guess Who in August at the local county fair, even tho without Burton Cummings they're really the Guess Who?

 

Saw two good shows many years ago in Tempe at Gammage. Yes and the Allman Brothers Band.

 

Last: A bluegrass festival a year ago.
Favorite: Hard to say, probably my first Grateful Dead show, which was at the old Philly Spectrum in 1986.

 

Good thread -- thanks to whoever dug it up.

Best: Pearl Jam, summer 1995, Soldier Field, Chicago. PJ at their peak, and it was one of the few shows during their anti-Ticketmaster phase that actually happened. Bad Religion opened. Eddie sends out a special F$#@& You to corporate radio monster Q101 before launching into "Not For You."

Worst: REM, on their Monster tour, 1994. I loved the band and the album, but Michael Stipe probably moved about one step in either direction the entire show.

Next: Uhhh ... married with kids means it will probably be at a local bar, some night after work, with the newsroom gang.

Last: Rush, May 2008, Moline, Ill. My fifth time seeing them, and they still kick ass. Looking back over this thread, cool to see another SportsJournalists.com Rush fan was at the show.

Honorable Mention: Wilco, Sky Blue Sky tour, 2007, Indianapolis.

Also Prince, winter 2000, Grand Rapids, Mich. Not my favorite songwriter, but unbelievable live. And one hell of a guitar player when he wants to be.

 

Crossing my fingers that they don't join the boycott over our new immigration law. Los Lobos and Hall & Oates have both canceled shows in the last few weeks.