As much as I love listening to music - in the car, as I’m working out at the gym, during the day at my desk - there is something about attending a live performance that just adds a new level to the experience. Maybe it’s the combined emotion and excitement of the crowd, the whole experience of attending a live concert, or just the fact that no two live performances are exactly the same. Beginning when I left for college in the mid-1980s, I can’t even count the number of concerts and live bands I’ve seen. Throw in a season or two working security at a large outdoor music venue and I’ve also seen a pretty wide range of performers, from Jimmy Buffet to Nine Inch Nails. While I can’t even remember them all, it’s always fun to think back to some of my favorite concerts and other live performances.
Here are just a few very random concerts that I remember for one reason or another.
Grateful Dead with The Steve Miller Band - Chicago - 1992
The concert was in the summer of 1992, a couple of years after I graduated from college. My taste in music had become pretty eclectic, and while I wasn’t a hard-core Deadhead, I was definitely a fan. Having never been to a Grateful Dead show before, I was pretty psyched to go through the whole experience. It did not disappoint. The whole pre-show experience walking through the makeshift Deadhead campground was… well, a trip. So many tie-dyes. Pretty sure I was wearing one too.
The concert itself probably wasn’t an unforgettable Dead show, but Jerry Garcia was still going strong and they powered through some classic tracks like Ramble on Rose, Brown Eyed Woman, Good Morning Little School Girl, and All Along the Watchtower. We had seats just to the right of the stage, so we felt like we were right on top of the show.
Admittedly, my memories of the show get a little hazy, but we had a blast. I do well remember coming out after the show and finding that I had left my lights on and my battery was dead. Just as I was trying to figure out how to solve my dilemma, the driver of the car parked next to me walked up. We hadn’t even noticed each other when we both parked, but I now looked over and realized that it was actually a friend of mine from college. Not only was it cool to see each other after a few years, but he also gave me a jump start so I could get home.
Lollapalooza - Chicago - 1991
Anyone who has been to one of the many iterations of Lollapalooza over the years no doubt has an opinion on the best lineup and best show. But for me, it’s hard to beat the inaugural concert tour, which I was fortunate enough to see in Chicago back in 1991. A couple of friends drove in out of town so we could all spend a long day in the sun, followed by a great night, catching what was then a trendsetting music festival.
The lineup for the show included: Ice-T & Bodycount, Rollins Band, Living Colour, Butthole Surfers, Siouxsie & the Banshees, Nine Inch Nails, and Jane’s Addiction. To this day, it is one of the best concert experiences I can remember. Every band was top form. Nine Inch Nails were still touring on their first album and really picking up a following and when they played Head Like a Hole, the place was electric. Living Colour was rolling on their second album and the lead guitarist (Vernon Reid) put on a show. Henry Rollins, Ice-T and the Surfers all knocked it out of the park. Honestly, I wasn’t a big Siouxsie & the Banshees fan, but as I remember they were still good. Then Jane’s Addiction came on and brought the house down.
After a long summer day and night, I remember being totally exhausted once the show wrapped up. But, it remains one of my all-time favorite concerts.
Violent Femmes, The Pogues, Mojo Nixon - Chicago - 1989
In the case of this concert, the tickets were actually a birthday present from a buddy of mine who noticed this interesting lineup that was playing a show at a large outdoor venue near where we lived. But, they probably sold under 1,000 tickets, so they basically packed everyone down by the stage for the show. You got the amenities of a big venue and a tightly packed crowd, but were also close to the action and could easily find some breathing space if you needed it.
The opening act was Mojo Nixon & Skid Roper. For those who don’t remember, Mojo Nixon’s music would be categorized as rockabilly or psychobilly. When your most famous song is called Elvis is Everywhere you get the idea. The songs were also largely weird and sometimes hilarious. They played the opening set and it was predictably odd and very funny. But honestly, the crowd didn’t come to this show to see them.
Next up came the co-headliners, The Pogues, a great Irish-punk-alternative band that definitely had their heyday in the 1980s and early 1990s. They recorded a Christmas song that still makes my playlist every holiday season (Fairytale of New York) and put out a number of memorable, if often unintelligible songs. This was the first time I had seen them live and they really did put on a good performance. But, the lyrics which were hard to follow on a studio album (due largely to the lead singer’s thick Irish accent) were often unrecognizable as words or sentences as he proceeded to drink heavily during the show. At least 1 and possibly two bottles of whisky, as I remember. That might have been even more impressive than the music.
The Violent Femmes happen to be one of my favorite bands to see live. I’ve caught them a number of times over the years at various venues and types of events. They never disappoint. Always a great show, with an eclectic mix of music from their classic first album and then various tracks from later releases. The crowd on this day included some die-hard Femmes fans who knew the words to every song, happily singing along with the band, making it one of the more interactive shows I can remember. I just remember the crowd bouncing to songs like Add it Up and Blister in the Sun.
When I think back, there wasn’t anything remarkable about this concert. Just a great time, with good music, from some fun bands.
Bruce Springsteen - Denver - 2002
I was a Springsteen fan in high school but largely drifted away from his music in college and into my twenties. I knew he was a great performance, but his music didn’t grab me for whatever reason. In 2002, a friend of mine who was a big fan bought tickets when he came through Denver (where I lived at the time). He called me the night before the show and said he had an extra ticket because someone had backed out and would I like to go. Again, I wasn’t a huge Springsteen fan, but I certainly knew a few of his songs and always heard he put on a great live performance. So, on a whim, I decided to go. Such a great decision.
First off, we were on the floor, not far back from the stage. So we had prime spots to watch the show. Second, I realized as the show went on that I actually knew many more Springsteen songs than I thought. Third… it is so true that Bruce just knows how to put on a live performance.
He proceeded to put on a 3-hour concert, including 2 encores that just covered a huge range of songs from what was even then a huge catalog of music. It included a song he hadn’t played live since 1985 (I’m a Rocker), bring-down-the-house classics like Born to Run, Dancing in the Dark and Born in the U.S.A, and a number of tracks from his then-current album, The Rising.
I remember walking out of the concert just thinking, “that’s how you put on a live show.” Just a masterclass in putting together a setlist that engaged the crowd and brought the energy up, then mellowed out a bit, then up again. And, despite the literally thousands of shows he and the band have played over the years, not for a moment did you feel like they were going through the motions. Springsteen performed every song with as much energy and passion as if it was the first time. It was really a ‘wow’ performance for me.
Not every great concert is a huge production with thousands of fans. We all know that some of the best live music experiences happen in smaller venues or dive-bars, where you just happen to catch a performer on the night when the stars align and you have a great experience.
