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Your Favorite Big Shows and Favorite Small Shows


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Small:

-Meat Puppets/Bad Brains in Roanoke, VA @ '87

-Phish '87/'88 in small bars NH (Stone Church, etc) and VT. One show only about 12 of us....

-Taj Mahal, Barrelhouse, Salem, Va @'88, maybe 200 people.

-J Garcia/John Khan acoustic Bushnell, Hartford, CT 1984 and other JGB shows there.

-Black Crowes, SCI, etc. base of ski mountain in Aspen '97

-Nirvana in NYC late '93.

 

 

Large:

-Many GD shows

-Many  Red Rocks shows

-Zappa @ '80 Hartford, CT

-Police @ '79 New Haven, CT

-Kinks @ '80 New Haven

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trick question...

 

 

big shows: Roger waters in 2002 and Bob dylan in 2001 (15,000 people approx)

 

small shows also had bob dylan (well for him), when he did a warm-up club show in 1998 at the Mercury lounge for the Aus tour, only 700 people.

also Ed kuepper, which was hardly advertised. i did a head count and there was only 21 peeps there, which is about 10% of his audience. we felt like we're in primary school sitting crossed-legged on the floor in front of the teacher. lotsa requests!

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Soul Asylum, Eagles Club, Dekalb IL 1986?

Naked Raygun, Eagles Club, Dekalb IL 1986?

 

Big shows.....U2, Soldier Field, 1998?. Dead, Allman Bros, etc etc

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Any number of Dead shows, but these are always at the top of my list, including Roosevelt Stadium 1974 and 1976, MSG 9-20-90, the 1991 Boston Garden run, and the 2 May '77 shows I saw (St. Louis and Hartford). 

B52's and Talking Heads at Central Park and Berklee Performance Center (August '79)

Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense tour, and many others

Dead, Uptown Theater, November '78

 

Wow. Damn, dude. I hope you can remember something about those shows. :lol

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Another small show.....Feb, 2013, Giving Tree Band at Reggies, upstairs in the record store. I was one of 5 people there.

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Big shows,

 

For starters, gotta join that crowd at Arlington Park Racetrack for the Guiness Fleadh. What a line up!  Shane, Richard Thompson, X , Wilco and John Lee Hooker. We kinda laughed at first because in that heat John Lee Hooker was dresses like a Proper bluesman. When he sat down on that stool to play, he owned the place.

 

Next, Bill Graham Tribute Concert '91. Polo Grounds, San Francisco.  This day started out with Robin Williams comedy. Sets by Santana, John Fogerty playing CCR backed by the Grateful Dead, CSN and Y, and the Grateful Dead. ( and many others ..)

 

Highlights of Lallapaloza '92 : RHCPeppers, Pearl Jam, Al Jorgenson of Ministry getting really pissed off by chucks of turf flying by his head..    

                     Lallapaloza '94 : Beastie Boys and The Breeders

                                         '95:  7-month Prego Sinead O'Connor, belting out some of the strongest lyrics I've ever heard. Her finale of tour. Beck, the Jesus Lizard.

 

Small shows:

                        Keith Richards at The Aragon Ballroom

                        Bob Dylan at the Aragon Ballroom

                         Tom Petty & Heartbreakers at the Vic

                          Jeff Tweedy at the Vic  : )

                         Jayhawks' Hollywood Town Hall at Metro

                         Wilco at Lincoln Hall

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Wanted to see the Giving Tree show in Feb., but the roads were really bad. Tried to find an easy way out there on Metra, what would you recommend?

 

You mean getting out to Yorkville? I dont think Metra can get you out that far.

 

They're at SXSW now, wont be back in town for another month....playing in Chicago on 4/6

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worldrecordplayer. tell us your memories of that Ramones show and please about that Clash show!

I don't remember much about the Ramones show.  I can picture the room and where we were.  My memory is that it was hardly crowded at all.  The show has a lot of meaning for me because I was there with my brother, who passed away many years ago.

 

The Clash show I remember well.  It's in my personal top 5 of best shows I've seen. Looks like the date was March 9, 1980.  It was probably the loudest show I've ever been to.  I was first year of law school at BU.  Went with a group of friends, we started off in our seats in the balcony, but at some point a few of us ended up in some seats on the floor in the first row of seats behind the center aisle that goes across the floor of the orchestra. I have a good picture in my mind of the punker girl next to us with the golf tee earrings coming out of her ears and nose.  The Clash were incredibly awesome.  I think this was their peak era.  I remember being on the Green Line on the way home still bopping to Train in Vain.   Just found this video from the show, never saw it before, freakin great!:

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I think it's really cool how so many of the shows we've attended over the years were also attended by other, as-yet-unknown VCers. For example, Mr.Heartbreak, me, and other Florida VCers were all at the Gainesville show in '03. Conversation with Wilco Me revealed we'd both been at the Gillian Welch/Bright Eyes show in Atlanta in '07.

 

Just think it's neat that this message board has brought together folks who had been in the same place at the same time, but who otherwise never would have met. Cue "It's a Small World After All" here! :)

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Small shows (as in clubs):

 

Faith No More @ The Living Room, Providence, RI. Summer of ' 89, I think. The Real Thing was just about to get huge. A very sweaty, fun show.

 

Pearl Jam @ Club Babyhead, Providence, RI. July of '91. About 20 people in the crowd. The band was unbelievably good.

 

Walt Mink @ TT The Bears, Boston in 2011. Reunion show for one of my favorite bands. Incredible show.

 

The Jayhawks @ Paradise, Boston in 2011.

 

The Wildhearts @ Mercury Lounge, NYC 2008

 

The Weakerthans @ UConn Student Union in 2000

 

The Sundays @ Crawford Hall, UCI, Los Angeles in '93.

 

Theater shows:

 

Wilco @ Lupo's, Providence, RI. The "Evening With" tour, 2010

 

Wilco @ Bushnell in Hartford, CT. 2012

 

Metallica & Anthrax @ Edinburgh Playhouse, Scotland. Sept. 12 1986. Amazing show. Two weeks later Cliff was dead.

 

Motörhead @ Edinburgh Playhouse. Sept. '87. Life-changing.

 

Big shows? I've seen many, but they rarely grab me like the smaller shows. A few stand out, though:

 

Aerosmith & Guns 'n' Roses @ Great Woods, August '88. G 'n' R played maybe the loosest, tightest, most dangerous set I've ever seen. It was everything good about rock and roll.

 

Solid Sound 2013

 

This last is an odd one. It makes the list just for the list of bands that performed. A girl I was dating in L.A. Got us free tickets to the '92 MTV awards. Among the bands who played:

Nirvana, Pear Jam, The Black Crowes, RHCP, Eric Clapton, Guns 'n' Roses with Elton John...I can't remember the rest. Anyway, we got to go to the party afterwards. That was pretty fun.

 

It was hard to keep this list short. I've been lucky to see a lot of great shows. Reading all the posts above, I see I'm not alone.

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Small shows (as in clubs):

Faith No More @ The Living Room, Providence, RI. Summer of ' 89, I think. The Real Thing was just about to get huge. A very sweaty, fun show.

Pearl Jam @ Club Babyhead, Providence, RI. July of '91. About 20 people in the crowd. The band was unbelievably good.

Walt Mink @ TT The Bears, Boston in 2011. Reunion show for one of my favorite bands. Incredible show.

The Jayhawks @ Paradise, Boston in 2011.

The Wildhearts @ Mercury Lounge, NYC 2008

The Weakerthans @ UConn Student Union in 2000

The Sundays @ Crawford Hall, UCI, Los Angeles in '93.

Theater shows:

Wilco @ Lupo's, Providence, RI. The "Evening With" tour, 2010

Wilco @ Bushnell in Hartford, CT. 2012

Metallica & Anthrax @ Edinburgh Playhouse, Scotland. Sept. 12 1986. Amazing show. Two weeks later Cliff was dead.

Motörhead @ Edinburgh Playhouse. Sept. '87. Life-changing.

Big shows? I've seen many, but they rarely grab me like the smaller shows. A few stand out, though:

Aerosmith & Guns 'n' Roses @ Great Woods, August '88. G 'n' R played maybe the loosest, tightest, most dangerous set I've ever seen. It was everything good about rock and roll.

Solid Sound 2013

This last is an odd one. It makes the list just for the list of bands that performed. A girl I was dating in L.A. Got us free tickets to the '92 MTV awards. Among the bands who played:

Nirvana, Pear Jam, The Black Crowes, RHCP, Eric Clapton, Guns 'n' Roses with Elton John...I can't remember the rest. Anyway, we got to go to the party afterwards. That was pretty fun.

It was hard to keep this list short. I've been lucky to see a lot of great shows. Reading all the posts above, I see I'm not alone.

In the spirit of Smells Like Flowers, have to say I was also at the Wilco show at the Bushnell in 2012. First time for me in that theater, what a fantastic venue!
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The best tiny show I ever saw was Rock Plaza Central at the Beauty Bar in San Diego. It was an intimate little space, and the audience was only 6 people and the sound guy, actually fewer people than the band onstage. A real pity because I've never seen a more moving and heartfelt show. I would easily rank that night as high as any live show I've ever seen.

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Yeah, especially coming out of the Mass MoCA benefit the night before, that room is not exactly acoustically ideal. What a difference a night made.

I was at that as well.  I couldn't get through for presale or for regular sale on line.  I would go back every few hours and still couldn't get through.  I was beginning to think that maybe it wasn't in the cards since I was seeing them twice earlier that week.  I figured I'd call the box office and if that didn't pan out I'd quit.  I called, a lovely woman answered in person on the first ring.  She asked where I would like like to sit and of course I said as close as possible.  She said, "Look at that, there's 2 in the first row."  So we were right under Nels' nose, met lots of VCers that night.  We were like Nels' personal cheering section.  After any big freakout, we would all yell, and he would look over to us, give a nod and a smile.  Great theater, no barrier, so we had to set our beers on the stage to clap.  Great night.

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I was at that as well. I couldn't get through for presale or for regular sale on line. I would go back every few hours and still couldn't get through. I was beginning to think that maybe it wasn't in the cards since I was seeing them twice earlier that week. I figured I'd call the box office and if that didn't pan out I'd quit. I called, a lovely woman answered in person on the first ring. She asked where I would like like to sit and of course I said as close as possible. She said, "Look at that, there's 2 in the first row." So we were right under Nels' nose, met lots of VCers that night. We were like Nels' personal cheering section. After any big freakout, we would all yell, and he would look over to us, give a nod and a smile. Great theater, no barrier, so we had to set our beers on the stage to clap. Great night.

Holy shit, I was 2nd row, right in front of Nels!

I had to yell at some big drunk guy who was row hopping and stood in front of my wife.

Amazing show, though.

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Holy shit, I was 2nd row, right in front of Nels!

I had to yell at some big drunk guy who was row hopping and stood in front of my wife.

Amazing show, though.

I think I recall seeing something like that.  It wasn't us!!  Were you near the elderly lady sitting in the front row?

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