Live Concerts!

[Andymeets1880s]

Who have you seen live? How many times? What was your favorite? What was the worst?

Let em' fly, folks.....

As for me, I have been to the following:

Van Halen: 9 times (I have seen all four VH combinations)
Cheap Trick: 3 times
KISS: twice
Johnny Cash: twice
Alabama: twice
Loverboy: twice
Dokken: twice

Plus...Twisted Sister, Crowded House, The Cars, Ace Frehley(solo), Bruce Hornsby, Ratt, Merle Haggard, The Judds, LL Cool J, Chuck Berry, Vince Neil(solo), Metallica, Scorpions, Tanya Tucker, Davy Jones (yep, the Monkee himself), ELO, Sammy Hagar and the Wabos with Michael Anthony as special guest, and many others.

Best show was my very first concert ever...Van Halen in 1984. I just saw them on a few clips of their performance at the 83' US Festival and was completely enthralled. They came to KC and when the place went dark and I heard Eddie for the first time live, it was all over. Then the lights came on to the opening of "Unchained" and boom! VH for me ever since!

Saw Johnny Cash at Worlds of Fun and the closed Sam's Town Casino in KC. At Sam's, he started with "Folsom Prison Blues" and milked the pause when he introduced himself. You could feel the anticipation as he rared back playing his guitar and then finally walked back up to the mic and said "Hello, I'm Johnny Cash!" Needless to say, the place exploded.

[Junior]

Paul McCartney...The Eagles...Elton John...Reba McIntire...Garth Brooks...Hank Williams, Jr.
-
Charlie Pride...The Forester Sisters...John Conlee...Tracy Lawrence...Joe Diffie...Narvel Felts
-
Jerry Lee Lewis...Little Richard...Ozark Mt. Daredevils...Earl Skruggs...Rodney Dillard...Jana Jae...Joe Walsh

Many other country music acts...got to meet a few stars during my years working in radio.
Had a chance to meet Oscar winning actress Mary Steenburgen, and many politicians including Mike Huckabee, John Ashcroft, Bill Clinton, Jim Guy Tucker, Dale Bumpers, Mark Pryor, David Pryor, John Danforth, saw Ronald Reagan and George Herbert Walker Bush. Many others I cannot name at this time.

Best shows by far...McCartney, Eagles, Elton John...and Charlie Pride, John Conlee, Garth Brooks and Reba McIntire.


Hey, it's been a wonderful life!

[How-doFolks]

Summer Jam back in the late 70s at Arrowhead Stadium
Iron Maiden - Twisted Sister open'd for them at Kemper. Early 80s
Ratt - Bon Jovi open'n for them at Starlight Theater. Shows how long ago THAT was!

Thats it. They say if its too loud, then your too old.. Well, i'm too old.

[rubedugans]

Okay deep breath....here we go

Def Leppard, Mr. Big, Nelson, Duran Duran, Stone Temple Pilots (3 times), Live (2 times), Firehouse, Damn Yankees, Poison, Hole, Beck (2 times), Sinead O'Connor, Cypress Hill, Sonic Youth, Radiohead, REM, Red Hot Chili Peppers (2 times), Huey Lewis and the News, Toadies, no Doubt, 7 Mary 3, 311 (3 times), Garbage, Goo Goo Dolls, Soul Asylum, Cheap Trick (2 times), Candlebox, Everclear, The Urge, Jars of Clay, Gravity Kills, Metallica, Pavement, Mighty Mighty Bosstones, L7, Matchbox 20, The Bloodhound Gang, Bush, Kay's Choice, Cowboy Mouth, Better than Ezra, Rollin's Band, Local H, Aerosmith, Johnney Lang, The OC Supertones, DC Talk, Govt. Mule, Dave Matthews Band (2 times). Weird Al Yankovic, Collective Soul, Cranberries, Smashing Pumpkins, Gary Lewis and the Playboys, The Boxtops, Foo Fighters, Blonde Redhead, Paloalto, Counting Crowes (2 times), Nitty Gritty Dirtband, Fuel, Our Lady Peace, Puddle of Mud, Alien Ant Farm (2 times), Saliva, Weezer (4 times), Good Charlotte, Sum 41, Rancid, Fenix TX, The Living End, Bob Dylan, Tenacious D, JimmyEat World, Ben Folds (6 times), Abandon Pools, Pink, Lenny Kravitz, John Mayer (2 times) Guster, Rufus Wainright, Erin Bode, Jamie Cullum, The Fray, Van Halen, Sammy Hagar, The Other Half, Journey, Heart, The Decemberists, Stars of Track and Field, Chuck Berry, The Offspring, Pepper....I might have missed a few....

Okay to clarify, my parents woked with a company building our outdoor ampatheater, an we got tickets (4th row) to every concert for 6-7 years. I had the opportunity to hear some great, iconic acts of Rock and Roll. Some memorable, some forgetable, I knew I had a big gift with these tickets available to me, so I recorded the bands etc, for just a time like this!

Best shows: Radiohead opening for REM, Damn Yankees-seeing Ted Nugent shooting flaming arrows into his guitar was awesome, Metallica had the best pyro show I have ever seen (my mom said KISS was better since she was at both!), Weird Al changed costumes 13 times in the show, The Living End rocked, Jamie Cullum was amazing, Ben Folds always puts on a great show, Van Halen with David Lee Roth was indeed a highlight...

Forgettable show, I was cussed out by a forgettable chick band L7 for refusing to stand during their show, Cypress Hill was comical, but a bit uncomfortable for a non-drug addict,  Bob Dylan was nice to see but sounded like a wheezy vacuum cleaner, Chuck Berry in his 80s forgets chords/ words now and then.

[Tony from Tulsa]

I've always been picky about going to concerts mostly because they are so expensive. But I've seen a few. Allison Krauss and Union Station twice. Dan Fogelberg four times (first tour I saw of his was with Beth Nielson Chapman, and Timothy B. Schmidt of the Eagles), The Beatles tribute group "1964" several times. They are incredible!! Best show ever was Paul McCartney in summer of 2009 in Tulsa. The guy doesn't miss a note, and he played for two and a half hours. After that show, my life is fulfilled. I also saw Jerry Seinfeld. That was a lot of fun.

[DeweyBald]

Tony- I saw McCartney in Tulsa last year too!  That was a great show!  I also saw him a few years earlier at the Ford Center in OKC.  I belive the OKC was a little better show because they had a giant pre show with all kinds of things.  Musically, they are equal though. McCartney is incredible!  I've also seen all the Van Halens, Eric Clapton, Kiss, Kansas, .38 Special, Eagles, Ted Nugent SEVERAL times (I live Uncle Ted, in fact, I'm going to see him tomorrow night!), Aerosmith, BJ Thomas, Head East, Garth Brooks (even before he was "Garth Brooks" at Willies in Stillwater) Stryper, Great White, Alice Cooper, Three Dog Night, Asleep at the Wheel, Olivia Newton-John (hey, she was HOT back in the day!), REO Speedwagon, Styx, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Ozzy, Rob Zombie, and I'm sure there are a few that have slipped my mind.  Oh...and the best show in Branson....the Liverpool Legends!  Great tribute to the Beatles.  I've also seen "1964", but I'll take LL anyday!

My favorite show is obviously Paul McCartney.  The biggest let down was Eric Clapton.  He was literally booed a few times in OKC.  It was more of an acoustic jam than a concert.  Never played any of the old stuff.  Just SAT on the stage playing some blues on his Martin.  That's fine for a while, but I can't take 1 1/2 hours of it!!!!!!  Kiss has an incredible stage show and I was a giant Kiss fan in the '70's.  They are a little old now, but they can still put on a show.

[maddilives4him]

Geeze rube, I'm jealous! the only concerts I've been to was a tween christian concert called "iShine" and I've been to a Third day concert.

[rubedugans]

Yeah I was just at the right place at the right time, and got most of those free, now I have to pay like everyone else! One regret, I wishI had been the dork wearing earplugs...The constant ringing isn't too much fun. That coupled with the mediocre band I played with for a few years in the late 90's ruined my hearing.

[betamike]

My very first concert was James Taylor followed the next week by New Kids on the Block (don't ask).  Then I got hooked and got serious

I keep a ticket stub diary so....(in no particular order):
They Might Be Giants (8 times)
The Faint (6 times)
The Dead Kennedys
No Doubt
Nine Inch Nails (3 times)
Ministry (four times)
Foo Fighters
Live
Rufus Wainwright (3 times)
Incubus
Ben Kweller
Guided By Voices
Wilco, Cursive
Bright Eyes (2 times)
Tilly & the Wall
Weezer (four times)
The Decemberists
Soul Coughing
Death Cab For Cutie
Depeche Mode (front row!)
Daft Punk (twice and once front row!!!!)
New Order
Bauhaus
The Arcade Fire
The Bravery
Imogen Heap
Jamie Lidell
LCD Soundsystem (2 times)
Gorillaz
Fatboy Slim
Hole
Teddybears
The Go Team
Scissor Sisters
Mastadon
My Bloody Valentine
B-52's
Ice Cube
Soundgarden
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Jesus and Mary Chain (two times)
Justice
Ladytron
Pet Shop Boys (2 times)
Junior Boys
MSTRKRFT
Erasure
Tegan & Sara
Jose Gonzalez (2 times)
Girl Talk
Jane's Addiction
Rage Against the Machine
De La Soul
Duran Duran
Deee-Lite
Peaches
Gossip
Fever Ray
Little Boots
Florence and the Machine
Jars of Clay (2 times)
Hot Chip (my favorite band - four times)


The Branson Years (mostly at Grand Palace)
Johnny Cash (five times...at Magic Mansion...hardly anyone in the place each show)
Reba McEntire (second row)
Vince Gill
Sawyer Brown
Brooks & Dunn
Kathy Mattea
Sweethears of the Rodeo
Sawyer Brown
George Jones
Everley Brothers
(Also, just about every act on the strip)

[Tony from Tulsa]

Good Lord, Mike!! Did I mention I saw Paul McCartney? I did?.....oh.

[betamike]

Ha ha!  How could I forget....I saw Sir Paul too!  At Coachella in 2009.  I've been to the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California for the past six years.  Saw Prince, Sigur Ros, Jonsi, Portishead, Kraftwerk, and Roger Waters performing the entire Dark Side of the Moon.  Among many, many, many others.

[Tony from Tulsa]

Well Betamike, I don't mean to brag but,...uh,well, I also saw CARROT TOP!! that's right, I said Carrot Top. Checkmate.

[betamike]

He's from Orlando and lives three blocks over from me.  I'll give him your regards.   

[betamike]

Oh, and I'll see your Carrot Top and raise you a Bea Arthur

[Parson B Ready]

Bon Jovi (multiple times)
Van Halen (Sammy Hagar)
Cinderella
Steve Vai
Alice in Chains
Extreme
Alabama
Oak Ridge Boys
Barbara Mandrell
Oldies show (featuring Chubby Checker, Brenda Lee, Jerry Lee Lewis)
Petra (multiple times)
Whiteheart
Stryper
Rez Band
Skillet
Bride
Whitecross

Back in the 70's
The Osmonds
Bay City Rollers
Jackson 5


Most Memorable Concert: Rez Band--they played in a High School gym, but had tons of pyro (this was before we knew it was dangerous)

Biggest disappointment:  Jerry Lee Lewis didn't show up.

And though I never got to see them in concert, I got to meet Scotty Moore and DJ Fontana.  Shaking their hands was like meeting rock-n-roll royalty!