This is more of a historical event - Bob Dylan and The Band at the Oakland Arena, Feb. 1974. It was a Monday, my first day on my first job out of college. This was the first tour that Dylan had done since his motorcycle accident in the late 60's, but I was really more interested in The Band, as they backed him up and also played their own songs. They did two concerts that night, and we went to the first. I changed out of my suit into regular clothes at work and my friend and his date and my date picked me up on Broadway in downtown Oakland outside my office. A memorable start to my work career.

The Band Greatest Hits is a must. What a talented group of musicians. Only two of them still living. My favorite of their songs is a Dylan composition.

Paul Simon, two years ago, Hollywood Bowl. Monty Python over 20 years ago, the Bowl.

bearister said:

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BearsWiin said:

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The best concert I didn't attend was Paul McCartney at California Memorial in Feb. 1990. We lived a half block from the stadium, so we sat out on the roof and listened to a free concert and sang Hey Jude with 60,000 paying suckers

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I forgot about this. I was there. It ranks with my best...but with the memory somewhat marred by the fact that I had severe bronchitis, it was a chilly evening, my wife and I walked from and back to a house on MLKWAY, and I ended up with pneumonia. Macca could still hit the high notes in 1990 (he stubbornly refuses to sing in anything but his young man's key so now it gets embarrassing).

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I would have preferred to see Sir Paul with The Beatles, but I think I should see him in performance just once...pretty soon now.

Nice to see some love for the tacky Circle Star Theater.
I saw 50+ shows there - Sinatra, Miles Davis, Gladys Knight, Everly Brothers, George Jones, Diana Ross come to mind - but the best was Roy Orbison about six months before he passed.
I am not sure anyone has had less charisma or a more beautiful voice.
He sounded better in person than on record.
At the end of "Crying", people were going crazy - so he did the last chorus again and the place levitated.

Led Z opening for Country Joe and the Fish, Filmore West 1969. No one had heard of LZ and they were just starting out. All I can say is holy ****.

LateHit said:

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Nice to see some love for the tacky Circle Star Theater.
I saw 50+ shows there - Sinatra, Miles Davis, Gladys Knight, Everly Brothers, George Jones, Diana Ross come to mind - but the best was Roy Orbison about six months before he passed.
I am not sure anyone has had less charisma or a more beautiful voice.
He sounded better in person than on record.
At the end of "Crying", people were going crazy - so he did the last chorus again and the place levitated.

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I had heard the mob got its beak wet there but can't find any good research on it. The fact that the Rat Pack guys performed there lends credence to it because the Mafia owned them. I saw the Puddin' Man there in '71. I was more of a Richard Pryor man but my sister liked Cos. Cos side note: When he performed in Vegas he lost a multiple of what they paid him in the casino.

joe amos yaks said:

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Funk and rock concerts in no particular order -- for us and some later with / for the kids:

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic with Bootsy Collins at the Orpheum (1989).
Tower of Power at Slims, New Years Eve (2004)
The Uptones (ca 1988)
The Pretenders at the Greek (1984)
The Who at the Oakland Coliseum (ca 1980)
The Police in Oakland (1983)
The Police at the Seattle Kingdome (1982)
Jimi Hendrix at the Oakland Coliseum (1969)
The Beatles at the Cow Palace, SF (1964).

Seattle is a great town, but the Kingdome had poor acoustics was not good for football / baseball. It's gone.

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First concert ever, two car loads of friends, drivers just got their licenses: Parliament-Funkadelic with Bootsy June 1977 at the LA Coliseum.

Next was Earth Wind and Fire at the LA Forum for the All n' All Tour in 1977. Might be my favorite of all time.

Mark Knopler at Hearst. Twice

Jawbreaker at the Gilman 1991
Rage Against the Machine at Iguanas in Tijuana in 1993
Phish at the Aladdin 12/6/96

Fall 88 - Amnesty Intl show at Oakland Coliseum with (among others) Peter Gabriel and Bruce (with E St) doing full sets.

Bill Graham memorial show at GG Park with Dead, Santana,J Journey, Los Lobos, CCR, CSN&Y, Bobby McFerrin, Robin Williams, et al

First show without my parents - fall 83 - Day on the Green with Police, Fixx, Thompson Twins, Oingo Boingo, Madness

bearister said:

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The Band Greatest Hits is a must. What a talented group of musicians. Only two of them still living. My favorite of their songs is a Dylan composition.

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The Band is like the Grateful Dead; they are not only the best at what they do, they are the only ones who do what they do. Actually, I don't really care for the Dead, but there you are.

The Band's songs are so unlike anyone else that they are hard to classify. As a guitar player I appreciate that they don't follow the traditional twelve-bar blues pattern (not that there's anything wrong with that) and that their songs are complex and, in a good way, quirky. Some read like mini-novels; Is there a more plaintive song than "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"? Joan Baez should be flogged for her version. Yes, there are only two left now, and their performing window was very short. I am glad I was able to see them in their prime. Through the years when I sat around jamming with friends it was rare if at some time we didn't break into "The Weight'".

channingway said:

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First show without my parents - fall 83 - Day on the Green with Police, Fixx, Thompson Twins, Oingo Boingo, Madness

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Older sister's boyfriend got me a ticket to this, but my parents wouldn't let 14-year-old me go with him because they suspected that he was a bit of a stoner (he was)

I am seriously jealous of some of you. Some of the entries on here are absolutely epic.

One of the best concerts I ever saw was The Pogues at the Warfield in SF in the early '90s. Shane MacGowan was lost in the sauce (...yet again) and couldn't make part of the tour, so Joe Strummer stepped up to front the band. Mostly Pogues stuff with some Clash classics mixed in, but this was a decidedly non-genteel SF crowd that night, and the energy in the place was raw.

Biggest regret was not seeing Tom Petty at The Greek Theatre a few years back. He died shortly thereafter, as an earlier poster mentioned.

Springsteen's sheer force of will to go 3+ hours every time out is always appreciated too, and sometimes you get an encore with 6 of 7 songs.

"The Beach Boys while on LSD" - my dad

1981 Oakland Coliseum - J. Geils Band was main act, I was more interested in the opening act, barely known Irish group called U2.

Sha Na Na, Winterland 1973, wow, crazy! Sha Na Na Concord Pavilion 1980, wow, WTH happened to them?

UrsusTexicanus said:

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1981 Oakland Coliseum - J. Geils Band was main act, I was more interested in the opening act, barely known Irish group called U2.

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You just reminded me I saw them at the Oakland Coliseum in November, 1987. A+ show:

Day on the Green 1985: Scorpions, Ratt, Y&T, Metallica, Rising Force, Victory

Never attended anything at the Circle Star. But, I heard (I believe this came from a Herb Caen column) that Jerry Lewis was so difficult when he played there that someone put his picture in the bottom of the urinal.

So was Diana Ross.

But another great show there was BTO.

Baaba Maal
Friday, April 2, 2004, 8 pm
Zellerbach Hall

Absolutely electric.

calumnus said:

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joe amos yaks said:

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Funk and rock concerts in no particular order -- for us and some later with / for the kids:

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic with Bootsy Collins at the Orpheum (1989).
Tower of Power at Slims, New Years Eve (2004)
The Uptones (ca 1988)
The Pretenders at the Greek (1984)
The Who at the Oakland Coliseum (ca 1980)
The Police in Oakland (1983)
The Police at the Seattle Kingdome (1982)
Jimi Hendrix at the Oakland Coliseum (1969)
The Beatles at the Cow Palace, SF (1964).

Seattle is a great town, but the Kingdome had poor acoustics was not good for football / baseball. It's gone.

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First concert ever, two car loads of friends, drivers just got their licenses: Parliament-Funkadelic with Bootsy June 1977 at the LA Coliseum.

Next was Earth Wind and Fire at the LA Forum for the All n' All Tour in 1977. Might be my favorite of all time.

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Ay . . . you guys took a ride on the Mothership.

Red Ants Pants (White Sulphur Springs Montana - practically in the middle of nowhere) 2011

Lyle Lovett and His Large Band, Jerry Jeff Walker Rodney Crowell and Guy Clark.

You knew how special it was when Lyle, Jerry Jeff and Rodney were in the audience to watch and listen to Guy Clark!

To see a legend like Guy Clark in person was an absolute privilege.

Somewhat off topic but during these strange days I've been watching videos of Playing for Change on Youtube. Hard to adequately describe but shows people throughout the world playing seemingly all at once. Songs such as The Weight, All Along the Watchtower etc. Their mission is world peace through music. Goes back to early 2000s so might be old news for some of you. Mostly unknown performers but has Keith Richards, Jimmy Buffet, Robbie Robertson, David Crosby etc. Very uplifting for me.

joe amos yaks said:

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calumnus said:

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joe amos yaks said:

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Funk and rock concerts in no particular order -- for us and some later with / for the kids:

George Clinton & Parliament Funkadelic with Bootsy Collins at the Orpheum (1989).
Tower of Power at Slims, New Years Eve (2004)
The Uptones (ca 1988)
The Pretenders at the Greek (1984)
The Who at the Oakland Coliseum (ca 1980)
The Police in Oakland (1983)
The Police at the Seattle Kingdome (1982)
Jimi Hendrix at the Oakland Coliseum (1969)
The Beatles at the Cow Palace, SF (1964).

Seattle is a great town, but the Kingdome had poor acoustics was not good for football / baseball. It's gone.

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First concert ever, two car loads of friends, drivers just got their licenses: Parliament-Funkadelic with Bootsy June 1977 at the LA Coliseum.

Next was Earth Wind and Fire at the LA Forum for the All n' All Tour in 1977. Might be my favorite of all time.

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Ay . . . you guys took a ride on the Mothership.

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I'm in awe of some you literally seeing history, seeing groups/individuals when they were barely known, and/or emerging.
Not that I read every post, but there is a diversity of taste in this thread (which is what music is all about in my mind) and no one commented on musical tastes etc....

75bear said:

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Beastie Boys
Run DMC

at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles 1987. It was my Elementary School graduation present, so I went with my Dad. It was also the first time I smelled pot - that's something you never forget.

Epic concert - I don't have too many vivid memories from my childhood, but this is definitely one.

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I was there. Wasn't EPMD and Public Enemy on that set?

The Who, Clash LA Coliseum 1982.
Coldplay Levis Stadium 2017
Miles Davis LA 1985
Oingo Boingo Warfield 1993
The Who Oakland 1989
Faith No More LA 1987
Paul McCartney, California Memorial Stadium 1990
EPMD, Public Enemy, Run DMC, Beastie Boys 6/27/88 Greek Theater LA

De La Soul ...

... at the I-Beam, SF (1989).

Linda Ronstadt at Berkeley Community Theater, Spring 1975. Roger McGuinn opened for her. I regret to say, though I bought many of her albums, I never saw her again. Such a stunning voice and now, due to Parkinson's, she can't sing. PBS broadcast the Kennedy Center Honors last year where she was recognized and I watched with tears rolling down my cheeks.

Boz Scaggs at The Greek, October '75 before Silk Degrees. He still played tunes from his "Moments" album, my fave. Then saw him in one of his Oakland shows at the Paramount the end of '76 - he'd hit the big time, had an umpteen piece orchestra and the audience was dressed to kill. The next time I saw him was 2006 in Sacramento and I'd just been laid off and needed an emotional lift. It was a hot night, lousy outdoor venue, and he frankly "mailed in" the performance. He was dead to me after that until my wife bought tickets to his show in Folsom last August. It was terrific and restored my faith. Check out Last Tango on 16th Street on YouTube - great song.

Tower of Power - early 2000s at the Gold Country Fair in Auburn. They played in the rodeo arena - great show! Superb, polished musicians.

Junior Walker and the All Stars in Seattle, early 1990s. He showed the ill effects of a musician's life on the road at that point, but he put on a good show and could still blow!

Springsteen - everybody should see him once. He is a force of nature. The way he controls the emotions of the audience is something to behold. You see three generations of fans at his shows, not just Boomers.

On a more mundane level, two Bay Area bands who injected comedy into their shows at local clubs: Butch Whacks and the Glass Packs in the 1970s and The Toons in the 1980s. Lesser-known bands in a small venue can be so much more fun than a big arena show.

HearstMining said:

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Linda Ronstadt at Berkeley Community Theater, Spring 1975. Roger McGuinn opened for her. I regret to say, though I bought many of her albums, I never saw her again. Such a stunning voice and now, due to Parkinson's, she can't sing. PBS broadcast the Kennedy Center Honors last year where she was recognized and I watched with tears rolling down my cheeks.

Boz Scaggs at The Greek, October '75 before Silk Degrees. He still played tunes from his "Moments" album, my fave. Then saw him in one of his Oakland shows at the Paramount the end of '76 - he'd hit the big time, had an umpteen piece orchestra and the audience was dressed to kill. The next time I saw him was 2006 in Sacramento and I'd just been laid off and needed an emotional lift. It was a hot night, lousy outdoor venue, and he frankly "mailed in" the performance. He was dead to me after that until my wife bought tickets to his show in Folsom last August. It was terrific and restored my faith. Check out Last Tango on 16th Street on YouTube - great song.

Tower of Power - early 2000s at the Gold Country Fair in Auburn. They played in the rodeo arena - great show! Superb, polished musicians.

Junior Walker and the All Stars in Seattle, early 1990s. He showed the ill effects of a musician's life on the road at that point, but he put on a good show and could still blow!

Springsteen - everybody should see him once. He is a force of nature. The way he controls the emotions of the audience is something to behold. You see three generations of fans at his shows, not just Boomers.

On a more mundane level, two Bay Area bands who injected comedy into their shows at local clubs: Butch Whacks and the Glass Packs in the 1970s and The Toons in the 1980s. Lesser-known bands in a small venue can be so much more fun than a big arena show.

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amen to your Bruce comments

HearstMining said:

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Linda Ronstadt at Berkeley Community Theater, Spring 1975. Roger McGuinn opened for her. I regret to say, though I bought many of her albums, I never saw her again. Such a stunning voice and now, due to Parkinson's, she can't sing. PBS broadcast the Kennedy Center Honors last year where she was recognized and I watched with tears rolling down my cheeks.

Boz Scaggs at The Greek, October '75 before Silk Degrees. He still played tunes from his "Moments" album, my fave. Then saw him in one of his Oakland shows at the Paramount the end of '76 - he'd hit the big time, had an umpteen piece orchestra and the audience was dressed to kill. The next time I saw him was 2006 in Sacramento and I'd just been laid off and needed an emotional lift. It was a hot night, lousy outdoor venue, and he frankly "mailed in" the performance. He was dead to me after that until my wife bought tickets to his show in Folsom last August. It was terrific and restored my faith. Check out Last Tango on 16th Street on YouTube - great song.

Tower of Power - early 2000s at the Gold Country Fair in Auburn. They played in the rodeo arena - great show! Superb, polished musicians.

Junior Walker and the All Stars in Seattle, early 1990s. He showed the ill effects of a musician's life on the road at that point, but he put on a good show and could still blow!

Springsteen - everybody should see him once. He is a force of nature. The way he controls the emotions of the audience is something to behold. You see three generations of fans at his shows, not just Boomers.

On a more mundane level, two Bay Area bands who injected comedy into their shows at local clubs: Butch Whacks and the Glass Packs in the 1970s and The Toons in the 1980s. Lesser-known bands in a small venue can be so much more fun than a big arena show.

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I remember Butch Whacks. How about Dan Hicks and the Hot Licks doing "Where's the Money?"

A fave of mine was Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen doing "Hot Rod Lincoln" and Smoke, Smoke, Smoke That Cigarette" at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountainview, except for that cold weather down by the Bay at night.

I saw Tower of Power in Harmon Gym in 1972, Fall Quarter of my freshman year.


Interesting fact about TOP's lead singer:

Tower of Power singer Rick Stevens: Redemption in prison


https://www.mercurynews.com/2017/09/10/rick-stevens-tower-of-power-singers-redemption-in-prison/
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.mercurynews.com/2017/09/10/rick-stevens-tower-of-power-singers-redemption-in-prison/amp/

I have to mention a couple of classical music concerts. Both by Houston Symphony:

2010 - Holst's "The Planets": The music was played to amazing film clips put together by NASA of each planets. Well, except for Pluto but that's only because it hadn't been discovered when the symphony was written.

2017 "Soundtrack to Fantasia": I thought they'd show the movie while playing the music, which they did but not as expected. I didn't know before the show Disney made two Fantasias, the second came out in 2000. Same concept and just as good as the original. The conductor introduced segments from each film and talked a bit about them before they were shown.