My boss and I were talking about concerts yesterday, and how some bands just surprise the hell out of you – acts that you never expected much out of that do amazing things. He later sent me his Top 5 best and worst concerts ever, which of course got the list-maker in me thinking: what were my Top and Bottom Five?

So, I spent a little time last night while watching House thinking about the shows that I had seen and how they ranked against each other. I know that I have seen a lot of shows over the years, although a lot fewer recently. It took me a while to remember most of them – in fact, I’m sure that I am missing more than a couple, but I’m sure I have the majority. Then it came down to remembering how good the show was. Some of them were no-brainers – shows that stick indelibly in my memory as a “frickin’ awesome show, man”. Others I had to think a little harder: “Was Big Head Todd that good, or was the Ziggy Marley show better that year?”. But eventually, I figured out my lists.

Dante was a lot more thorough – he had exact dates, etc. I have only vague memories of the months they were in, although I tried to put in dates that I could remember. Oh well – it’s a list of best concerts: do the dates matter that much? Well, without further ado:

My Top 5 Concerts

1. Southern Comfort Blues Festival – Red Rocks Colorado 6.16.96 – What can you say about a show that has Keb Mo’, The Radiators, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal and George Clinton and the P-Funk All-Stars. AND it was at Red Rocks. The line-up alone was worth a high ranking, but the fact that the Radiators and Buddy Guy were playing through the rain/thunderstorm (at least until the lightning hit the Rocks) made it even more memorable. Just seeing a major thunderstorm going over/coming through Red Rocks is an amazing experience. Adding the music, the extra-curriculars (we only had about 40 people, 3 vans and a Winnebago there with us) and copious amounts of beer were all bonuses. In the concert itself, every band jammed their hearts out, and I managed to get to the front row for P-Funk – classic in every sense. It was the greatest full-day concert event I have ever witnessed. RATING: 10
2. WIDESPREAD PANIC – Red Rocks Colorado 6.26.97 – This was my second Widespread Panic show ever, and hooked me on the band for life. I went because all of my friends were going, and my business partner, Mike, got us back stage (his old roommate was their tour manager at the time). So, GREAT show + backstage + going UNDER the seating to the soundboard at the Widespread Panic show. I was in heaven. Other WSP Red Rock shows were close, but it’s hard to beat this. RATING: 9.5
3. IRON MAIDEN – Stabler Arena, November 1988 – This was the best metal show I ever went to. I don’t remember the opening act – either Queensryche or Yngwie Malmsteen – but while they were really good, Iron Maiden put on a show that was start-to-finish one of the best all-out metal performances ever. They were known as one of the hardest working metal bands, touring for more than a year at a time, and putting together fantastic stage shows. This one did not disappoint. RATING: 9.5
4. PHISH – Red Rocks Colorado 6.10.95 – This was the tour where I actually followed around the band for 4 shows in the Rocky Mountain area. A friend (and her friends) were coming to town, so we made it a group effort. I drove to Powder Springs, WY to meet up with them, and from there we went to Boise, ID for the first show. Salt Lake City, UT followed (the original destination of Wolf Mountain was snowed out), and then back home for two shows at Red Rocks. The second show was the ringer of the two, and a fantastic set, a great vibe and good friends. Even with Bill trying to sell “kind BEEF burritos” to all of the VeggieHippies. RATING: 9.5
5. COWBOY MOUTH – Virginia Beach, VA 9.3.2000 – You probably don’t even know who this band is. I didn’t know much about them until the girls that I went down to VA Beach with got me to listen to them pretty incessantly on the ride down. I still think I only got invited because my buddy lived in VA Beach, but what the hell. I had no expectations, so perhaps that’s why this show stuck out as being such a strong, enjoyable show. They played right on the beach, and I’ve only rarely seen a better, more energetic performance than this band put on. They loved the crowd and the crowd responded, and there was no holding back from the first beat until the final drop into the sand, exhausted. RATING: 9.5
6. HONORABLE MENTIONS:
   — Anthrax/Metal Church (Pulsations, 1987): Great show, most because of Anthrax and their relentless energy and the fact that they were obviously having as good a time as us.
   — Sarah McLachlan & The Chieftains (Red Rocks – 8/3/95): Just a great combination, made better by Red Rocks
   — Blues Traveler (Red Rocks – 7/4/95): One of many July 4th shows I went to, Blues Traveler always satisfied at their Red Rocks dates, particularly on the 4th.
   — Cranberries/Toad the Wet Sprocket (Red Rocks – July 1995): This one surprised me – I didn’t expect the high-energy, all-out show that the Cranberries gave.
   — Queen Bee & the Blue Hornet Band (State College PA, Philadelphia PA, Wilmington DE and Washington DC, 1988 – 2000): I saw these guys too many times to count, and they very rarely gave a less than fantastic performance. God rest your soul, Tonya.

The BOTTOM FIVE

This was actually harder because I think I’ve put out most of the really bad shows I’ve seen. Still a few stuck through into my memory.

1. ZIGGY MARLEY – Red Rocks Colorado 1995 – I’d say that some of this concert’s low rating was because of my general apathy for his style (I got this ticket as a part of a 6-show package for Red Rocks). I went because I had the tickets, and it could have been a show that over-achieved easily. Instead, it managed to underwhelm. The show was scattered, dull and even the musicians seemed bored. My friend Matt – a bigger reggae fan than me – and I left a few songs into the second set. RATING: 5.5
2. METALLICA – Pittsburgh, PA 1992 – I’ve seen them 4 times, and this was the only show that I regretted. I don’t know if it was the crowd, that they were tired, or what, but they played like they wanted to be anywhere else but at that show. Lacksadaisical and paint-by-numbers. One of the few shows I was hoping they wouldn’t come back for an encore. RATING: 6
3. LIVE 8 – Philadelphia August 2005 – This should have been a great show; the line-up was fairly strong (particularly for the short notice) and it was an outdoor festival on the Parkway. Instead, the sound system struggled, acts barely had any time to get warmed up, let alone really put together a strong set. While the performances on average were good, only 1 or 2 really shined (Linkin Park and Jay-Z comes to mind). Overall, it seemed like something that would have just as good to listen to from the TV or radio while doing something else. I did have a nice day out, though. RATING: 6.5
4. WIDESPREAD PANIC – Bob Carpenter Center, Newark, DE, 1999 – It started with a major delay at the start of the show, then came the announcement that the drummer was ‘sick’. Finally, the band came on but for whatever reason had no fire. The performance was lazy and scattered, and far below any other I’ve seen from this band. Makes you wonder if they’re minds were somewhere else this night… RATING: 6.5
5. BLUES TRAVELER – Penn State, 1991 or 1992 – I can’t put my finger on it, but I remember this show being highly anticipated but completely disappointing. I remember sound problems, but I think that even when the PA was working, the sound was off. I don’t know if it was even really their fault, but I walked home from this show wanting my money back. They never disappointed me again after that day, though. RATING: 7
6. HONORABLE MENTIONS: too many small bands to count

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