Concerts Thread

[leafsweetie]

I'm a bit of a concert fiend.  Go often.  What are some of the best shows you've been to?  Ones that have surprised you, good or bad?

Last on my concert bucket list is Chris Cornell - going to see him at Massey in November.  Didn't get the best tickets (I usually get GREAT seats) but just thrilled to be going. 

 

[Rick C.]

I had great seats to U2 about 10 years ago.  I thought they put on one of the better shows I've seen.

My favourite was about 4 years ago.  Much Music had Keith Urban in a small theatre hall in Toronto.  I was a couple people away from the stage.  Man, can he ever play guitar!

 

[Peter D.]

I haven't been to many concerts, but the three Tool concerts I have attended have all been excellent.

 

[louisstamos]

Oh man - where do I begin...

I'm not much of a fiend as a used to be when I was younger/not-working-9-5, but I must have been to 200+ concerts plus some 500+ local shows in my lifetime.  Some of my favorites:

Eric's Trip/Tristan Psionic/.moneen @ the Opera House - 2001.  It was my first time seeing moneen, I had no idea who they were, and they ABSOLUTELY blew me away.

Weezer/Dashboard Confessional/the Weekend @ the Molson Amphitheater - 2002.  All around solid show, and one of the best sets I've ever seen Weezer play.

Nine Inch Nails/Queens of the Stone Age/DFA1979 @ the ACC - 2006, I think?  Same as the above.  Stacked lineup and solid sets.

Thrice/La Dispute/Moving Mountains/Oh Brother @ the Phoenix - 2012.  Thrice is one of my favorite bands (although not known for their live show).  This whole roster of bands was amazing.

 

[Leafaholic99]

I have only been to one concert in my life, Taylor Swift back in June at the new Investors Group Field in Winnipeg, amazing stadium, very nice and the concert was pretty good, Ed Sherran was one of the opening performers and was pretty good.

 

[Bullfrog]

I haven't been to many lately, but saw lots in the early 2000's, mostly Canadian Bands. Tea Party put on a great show. Wide Mouth Mason are insanely talented, and I attend I Mother Earth's last concert with Edwin and have to say I was impressed.

From a show perspective, seeing ZZ Top in Winnipeg when I was a young teen was pretty awesome. They definitely knew how to put on a show.

For pure musicianship, the concert I saw with Jesse Cook and Natalie MacMaster was the best I've ever seen. Unforunately, Cook opened. After listening to his absolute mastery, listening to MacMaster's fiddle was like hearing a herd of cats scratch their nails across chalkboards. Too bad, because otherwise it would have been enjoyable. Just a strange mix of acts though.

And the coheadline concert I saw with Big Wreck and The Watchmen was outstanding.

And I have to give a shoutout to Willie Nelson, who I saw about 25 years ago.

 

[seahawk]

I had great seats to U2 about 10 years ago.  I thought they put on one of the better shows I've seen.

My favourite was about 4 years ago.  Much Music had Keith Urban in a small theatre hall in Toronto.  I was a couple people away from the stage.  Man, can he ever play guitar!

I saw him at the ACC and have to agree with ya Rick. He also showed a bit of a fun side that night. It was the last stop on that leg of his tour (with Lady Antebellum opening) and I remember him joking to call the baby-sitters because he was tossing out the setlist. I also really enjoyed seeing Alabama play at Copps and then Kenny Chesney and Eric Church at the same show in Seattle in June. Next up on my list is probably Brad Paisley next month. The big one on my bucket list is CMA Fest in Nashville. A full week of both the stars and up and comers of country music with concerts each night at LP Field.

 

[Rick C.]

Next up on my list is probably Brad Paisley next month. The big one on my bucket list is CMA Fest in Nashville. A full week of both the stars and up and comers of country music with concerts each night at LP Field.

I've seen Paisley twice.  Once in London, once at Bayfest.  He's every bit as good on guitar as Urban, and has a great stage setup.

 

[Boston Leaf]

Ive been to hundreds of concerets in my life. Way too many to mention. So many great ones..

As far as best I have seen? Ones that come to mind are the Pogues, REM back in 1984 before they made it big, the Pixies and most recently The National..But so many

 

[OldTimeHockey]

Some of the pretty good ones:

Cheap Trick(In Sturgis,SD at Bike Rally)
Doobie Brothers(In Sturgis,SD at Bike Rally)
Aerosmith(Molson Amphitheatre with Fuel opening who were also half decent)
Black Keys(Molson Amphitheatre with The Shins opening)
Alice in Chains(Molson Amphitheatre with Jane's Addiction~awesome~)
Middle Class Rut
Tragically Hip x2

Out of the list above, Alice in Chains, Black Keys and Aerosmith take the cake.

 

[Kin]

I'd say that probably my favourite concert that I've ever attended was the Hip playing the ACC on Dec. 31st 1999. It was them, the Rheostatics, Hayden and probably a handful of other Canadian acts that aren't springing to mind. Terrific show, heck of a way to spend the night.

Other than that AC/DC, Blur, Sloan, Jurassic 5ive and The Roots stand out as being particularly memorable.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

I can't say I've ever really had a negative concert experience - I'd say far and away my favourite show was seeing Neil Young in 2009.

Others I've been to (all from 2006 - present) - Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, Oasis (x2), Red Hot Chili Peppers, The Brian Jonestown Massacre (x2), The Black Crowes, Arctic Monkeys, Wolfmother, Propagandhi, Roger Waters, Fleet Foxes, Bob Dylan, The Hip...and then countless smaller Canadian bands at our local live music venue.

Too many to post my individual experiences, but they were all great in their own way, and all worth seeing live once.

 

[Corn Flake]

Best: Peter Garbriel, Growing Up Tour @ the ACC.

Worst: Eric Clapton about 10 years ago. He sleepwalked through the entire concert. Music was of course good but it was like he didn't care, and wanted out of there as quickly as he could.

 

[bustaheims]

Best show I was at was probably Ben Folds Five at the Guvernment in 1999 (I think - might have been 98 or 2000). If you ever get a chance to see them, or Ben on his own, they put on a fantastic show. U2 at the Dome in 1997 was pretty cool, too. Very different than your average concert experience. The giant lemon shaped disco ball they performed part of concert in still stands out. Other than that, BRMC, the Hip, Pearl Jam, Stone Temple Pilots and Great Big Sea all put on great shows, as well.

Worst concert, though, was Collective Soul at Edgefest 97. They had no energy. It was awful. Thankfully the Tea Party, Our Lady Peace and I Mother Earth (when Edwin was still with the band) were the other headliners and more than made up for it.

 

[OldTimeHockey]

Worst concert, though, was Collective Soul at Edgefest 97. They had no energy. It was awful. Thankfully the Tea Party, Our Lady Peace and I Mother Earth (when Edwin was still with the band) were the other headliners and more than made up for it.

I saw Collective Soul at a small venue here in Sudbury and they were fantastic. It was probably back in '95/'96.  Rusty opened for them and were also pretty good.

 

[bustaheims]

I saw Collective Soul at a small venue here in Sudbury and they were fantastic. It was probably back in '95/'96.  Rusty opened for them and were also pretty good.

They might be a better small venue band. They certainly wouldn't be the first band that didn't know how to play to a larger crowd.

 

[Tigger]

One of my most memorable shows was at a dingy little club called The Electric Banana in London back in 1991 where I caught I Mother Earth before they took off, they were unbelievable.

ACDC and Metallica were also pretty amazing, tons of energy and showmanship.

I managed front row centre at Massey Hall for a Tori Amos show many moons ago too, which was unexpectedly brilliant. Met her after, how someone can go from 10 feet tall onstage to a 5 foot nothing mouse was pretty interesting.

Michael Manring with Michael Hedges was kind of mind blowing and I've caught Martin Sexton a number of times, how he manages to sound like Billie Holiday at the drop of a hat still has my head shaking.

 

[GhostofPotvin29]

I saw Collective Soul at a small venue here in Sudbury and they were fantastic. It was probably back in '95/'96.  Rusty opened for them and were also pretty good.

They might be a better small venue band. They certainly wouldn't be the first band that didn't know how to play to a larger crowd.

To add to that, my concert experience is definitely impacted heavily by the venue.  While all the artists I've seen have put on very good shows, some of them (RHCP, Oasis) have been impacted by the huge venues and my seats being far away.  In general I hate sitting at a show - so my favourites have been ones where I'm on the floor, or ideally, in a venue small enough to only have a floor.

Being about 6 rows back from Neil Young in a 4,500 seat venue was pretty special.

 

[Bender]

One of my most memorable shows was at a dingy little club called The Electric Banana in London back in 1991 where I caught I Mother Earth before they took off, they were unbelievable.

ACDC and Metallica were also pretty amazing, tons of energy and showmanship.

I managed front row centre at Massey Hall for a Tori Amos show many moons ago too, which was unexpectedly brilliant. Met her after, how someone can go from 10 feet tall onstage to a 5 foot nothing mouse was pretty interesting.

Michael Manring with Michael Hedges was kind of mind blowing and I've caught Martin Sexton a number of times, how he manages to sound like Billie Holiday at the drop of a hat still has my head shaking.

Amazing that you saw Michael Hedges! Speaking of Michael, I saw a friend of his, Pierre Bensusan, at Trinity St. Paul cathedral last year.

It's one of those concerts where there was no unnecessary brovado and other nonsense. He let his guitar do the talking. I shook hands with him before hand, the man is brilliant.

 

[Bullfrog]

I hope to see Blue Rodeo some day. They've been through my town many times, but I always seem to miss them. Everyone I know who's seen them say they put on an amazing show, particularly in a smaller venue.

I would love to see Norah Jones too.