I actually had tix to see Zeppelin at JFK stadium in September 1977, but Robert Plant's son died and they cancelled the tour. I ended up never seeing them. :-(

Bob

yeah he got insane energy on stage, performed all the classics. it was like 2 years ago idk if they still doing that comedy jam

System of a Down, 2003 or something. Not joking and not a huge fan of that genre either.

Rage/Wu-Tang 1997

311's 3/11 day show, 2004. 68 songs, 3 sets, 6 hours.

I´ve seen Sigur Rós twice and both times they were the best show I'd ever been to. An absolutely breahtaking experience both times.

Bruce Springsteen also puts on a damn good show.

Tie: Arcade Fire at Coachella 2005, was a pretty sick coming out party for them, Wilco 2004 Radio City Music Hall...nuff said.

this show in st louis. the jim rose circus shideshow was eye-opening. this was before jackass etc





1992
Location: North America

Dates: July 18, 1992 – September 13, 1992

Main Stage: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Ministry, Ice Cube, Soundgarden, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Pearl Jam, Lush

Side Stage: Jim Rose Circus, Sharkbait, Archie Bell, Porno for Pyros, Basehead, Cypress Hill, House of Pain, Sweaty Nipples, Arson Garden, Seaweed, Seam, Boo-Yaa T.R.I.B.E., The Look People, Stone Temple Pilots, The Vulgar Boatmen, Truly, Skrew, Tribe, The Authority, Samba Hell, Café Tacuba, Rage Against the Machine

Fishbone @ Irving Plaza

NIN @ Webster Hall

RATM @ Roseland

best recent one was My Morning Jacket At MSG last New Year's Eve

I wish I was old like some of you.

A rough top few, in no particular order but all between 1992-96 and all in Virginia/North Carolina

First three at William and Mary Hall, which bizarrely in the early 90's became the place where bands stopped in Virginia. Not sure why.

The Cure, Wish Tour- Just a really great show where they happened top play everything I wanted to hear from an extensive catalog.

Nirvana- The Breeders opened. Both bands were awesome. Low point was my friend Steve twisting his ankle on the floor and having to finish the show sitting in the seats.

Smashing Pumpkins- Probably my favorite. Just an amazing show, this was just after Siamese Dream came out and that was pretty much all I listened to for 6 months.

Pearl Jam in Charlotte around 1996, Ben Harper opened and was great as well. Music was amazing, preaching and politics was a little tedious. They brought Gloria Steinem out on stage and she spouted some gibberish for a few minutes. Lots of Jesse Helms hate though, which was fun.

At the risk of offending Oddjob, Dave Matthews at the UVA amphitheater in I guess 94, right before they went on their first real tour. God Street Wine opened and played with them, was just a joyous night with great friends and the band was obviously having an amazing time.

I also saw the NIN/Marilyn Manson/Jim Rose tour in Hampton. Wasn't really interested in Manson, Jim Rose was certainly weird for the times, NIN destroyed. Literally, lots of throwing Macintosh computers to the ground and destroying them.

Glow in the Dark Tour with Kanye West, Lupe Fiasco, N.E.R.D. and Rihanna (3 out of 4 aint bad)

Was more of a production than a typical concert.

green day msg

I'm probably younger than most of you (18) so I don't know all the bands that have been listed.. but the first time I saw Evanescence was by far the best concert I ever experienced, also was my first concert ever when I was 14!

Since then I've seen them 4 times but the first was the best.. it was in this private club in Chicago with only like 300 people, so a very up close and personal show. Other shows I've seen were Korn with Evanescence, Avenged Sevenfold, Atreyu, and a whole lot of underground rock/metal bands that no one has ever heard of lol .
I'd really like to see Paramore though.

My favorite would be my very first concert (just because it was my first) which must have been in 1980 or 1981 at the Palmer Auditorium in Davenport, Iowa. Rush was the headliner.

My second favorite would be from 1984 or 1985 in Chicago at Comiskey Park. Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Flock of Seagulls, INXS, The Police, Ministry(they were a fill in), and possibly one more.

1 Neil Young, Pearl Jam, Soundgarden and Blues Traveller for $15.

2 Green Day - Phoenix Concert Hall, Toronto. Green Day playing all of American Idiot in like a 1000 capacity GA club.

3 Jack Johnson. Seriously, Jack Johnson rules.

4 Various Grateful Dead concerts. No party like a Grateful Dead show.

5 Joe Satriani - Massey Hall, Toronto. Played every note and pinch harmonic perfectly.

toadies (2001) - awesome band and i love them, and i saw them since and it wasnt as magical, im not sure what was going on but that night they were amazing.

weezer (1999 or 2000) - before green came out right when they got back together. again, great that night, saw them afterwards and it wasnt the same.

high on fire (2006ish) - awesome anytime you see them, but specifically right after blessed black wings

jesus lizard (2009) just cause im a huge fanboy

spoon - just a good live band

captured by robots (anytime you see them)

and any number of ska shows i used to go to way back in the day that were always a blast.

1.) Phish - last tour (2003?) Alpine Valley

2.) The Rolling Stone- Soldier Field with 2nd row from stage

Despite this comment, my answer is probably Dave Matthews Band at the Gorge. Several great experiences and memories there (without drugs).

Other shows that have blown me away:

- Built to Spill
- Counting Crows (ten years ago when I was all emo)
- Modest Mouse (great show when Issac Brock isn't falling down drunk)
- Robert Earl Keen


Has anyone ever seen The Roots? I hear their shows are amazing.

Guns and Roses, Metallica, Faith No More. Rich Stadium in Buffalo 1992.

Pixies - last November in Boston. 4th row from the front and the fact that it was the Pixies probably skews results.

GTFO

i saw them this fall, cause i got some ridiculous cheap $10 tickets (they were $65) and love the pixies. the whole time i kept thinking how glad i was, i didn't spend $65.

wish i saw them the first time around though.

The first one that came to mind was seeing Buck 65 at the Commodore Ballroom in vancouver in 2006. If you don't know him, he's a Canadian Indie Rapper. Pretty great, but what made this show so memorable for me was that between songs he was doing a running infomercial ad for 'Buck 65' and the product of buck 65 was changing throughout the show.

Moneen and Sparta in 2007 at Legends in Victoria was another amazing show. Moneen comes out on stage and has such a presence and energy that I can't really begin to describe it. fans of the band know what i'm talking about.

Pearl Jam at GM Place in 2005 was my favourite time seeing them. They played all the songs that I wanted and (obviously) put on an amazing show.

Silver Sun Pickups, Manchester Orchestra, Cage The Elephant in 2009, which was a show i had mildly high expectations for. I loved SSP, hadnt heard much pf MO, and was ambivalent towards CTE. The show these three bands each put on was pretty wild. The lead singer of Cage The Elephant was a maniac, and was running through the crowd the whole show. Manchester's lead singer has an incredible energy about him when he sings. and Silver Sun was very professional and high energy, which i liked as well.

$48 per ticket on the day of the concert. :-/ not great but not bad imo.
beats the $60+ (for seats further away) that some folks I know paid for the previous nights show.

NIN at a very small venue in Austin, TX 1990

they were pretty much unknown to the masses and it was a dance club in the summer and the club's air conditioning was broken and it was a sweaty drugfueled mess of ppl

ill resist the urge to cheat and list more shows but gdam that was an amazing night