Again along with the idea of "genre defying" and "songs that blow your mind" thread, not necessarily the best gig you've been to, but the ones that will likely be spoken about for a long time because of significance to the artist or whatnot.
First off the top of my head is Blur at Glastonbury 2009 - what they themselves have said was their best gig and most important gig. First gig back in front of a properly big crowd (after some smaller warm up shows) and they not only nailed it but put forward one of the best Glastonbury headline sets of all time. Damon was visibly nervous as hell at the start but the crowd willed him on, which helped the band take a step up, which made the crowd get behind them more and during Tender there was the biggest singalong that lasted long after the band finished, and all night long. Damon burst into tears just after "To The End". Incredible.
Could also say The Gaslight Anthem at the same festival. Playing the John Peel stage but for the first time Bruce Springsteen joined them on stage, unannounced, for a song. A surprise that genuinely nobody was expecting and although he's joined them a couple of times since, that was an "I was there" moment.
Laura Marling at the Queens Hall in 2010 (I think). Her drummer fell ill overnight and had to receive treatment hours before the show. Rather than cancel she played acoustically like she used to do at open mic nights before becoming a recording artist. She was nervous as hell and could barely speak but it was her at her absolute best, she threw in a Neil Young cover that she used to do at the open mic nights and again, one of those ones where the crowd helped the artist along and the better she got, the better the crowd got too. Again, one that's unlikely to be repeated but magical for something that was just a makeshift gig to stop having to cancel.
Sure I've got more that will come into my mind later, but what "wikipedia worthy" gigs have you been to?
Results 1 to 30 of 59
Thread: Notable gigs you've been to
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17-02-2021 02:56 PM #1
Notable gigs you've been to
Do you think your security can keep you in purity, you will not shake us off above or below. Scottish friction, Scottish fiction
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17-02-2021 03:03 PM #2
You mentioned Glasto. A few moments come to mind.
Billy Gibbons coming on to play with Ronnie Spector for Be My Baby
Bruce playing overtime and getting Michael Eavis fined
Best of all.... getting to see Patti Smith from backstage..... which was brilliant in itself. But then we spotted the Dalai Lama in the other wing. Watching the crowd as he walked on, and them slowly realising what was happening, was awesome . After his "set", he turned and blessed us . And then Patti restarted her own set.... 5 minutes after singing Happy Birthday to DL, she's up at the mike screaming "I am a ****ing animal!"
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17-02-2021 03:24 PM #4
Not a single gig, but I went to one of Kate Bush's shows at the Hammersmith Apollo in 2014. Her first live shows in 35 years and unlikely to ever be repeated. Was more like a theatrical performance than a gig.
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17-02-2021 03:52 PM #5
Queen supporting Mott The Hoople at the Caley cinema in 1973. No-one could quite believe how good Queen were, that was their first tour I think. Then Mott came on....follow that and they certainly did. What a night and off to school the next day to brag about it 😀
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17-02-2021 04:05 PM #6
The original Madstock in 1992. Madness’ first comeback gig after 9 years split. Still in my top 3 gigs, British Geological Surveys thought there was an earthquake and I managed to get my mug in the cover of the CD released the following year.
Depeche Mode at the Barras in 2017 and at the Royal Albert Hall in 2010 were both notable within the DM fan base. Usually filling huge stadiums, it was amazing to see them in such venues.
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17-02-2021 04:10 PM #7
The Doors of the 21st century, in 2004. The three remaining (at that time) band members. Playing brilliantly and more than ably leading them was Ian Astbury of Cult fame. Almost a tear in my eye watching them and listening to legends play iconic music
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17-02-2021 04:15 PM #8
Peter Green on his comeback tour. Another unbelievable musician who had iconic songs. Watching him play on stage was amazing after all the years in hospitals and being looked after by friends. One of the greatest guitarists of all time and a privilege to see him
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17-02-2021 04:25 PM #9
The two that fit the criteria for me would be The Who’s 50th anniversary at Hyde Park and The Stone Roses last ever gig (until they need the money again) at Hampden.
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17-02-2021 04:28 PM #10
Another few.
Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie's last-ever gig in 1995.
Until they reformed.
And then their last-ever gig in 2019
What was originally billed as Wilko's final gig (before he died) at the O2 in Sauchiehall Street. Was incredibly emotional......and then the ******* got better.Last edited by CropleyWasGod; 17-02-2021 at 04:33 PM.
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17-02-2021 04:36 PM #11
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Two interesting ones
I saw Adele play at the Royal Albert Hall which was turned into a DVD and TV performance ..often shown.
I saw Madonna’s first ever live performance in the UK in front of a small crowd at The Hacienda in Manchester in 1984. No one knew she would be anything big ..in fact no one really knew who she was ....
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17-02-2021 04:56 PM #12
The Sex Pistols reunion gig at Finsbury park in '96. Had always just accepted that I would never see them live.
We had tickets for the Glasgow gig but the week before the NME had a competition with tickets for the London gig. The question was why did the pistols get back together, one of my mates answered with "for the money" and two days before the gig a couple of access all areas passes came in the post.
Pretty epic gig with buzzcocks, slf and iggy pop as the support. What struck me was just how good the pistols actually were, how good they were musically and how tight they were. Prior to that all you could really judge them on was the live footage from 20 years prior with terrible sound and an album which could have been so polished it made them sound better than they were, clearly not the case though.
London was quite febrile at that point as it was during Euro 96. I think it was the build up to the Germany game and the all day drinking in scorching weather gave the atmosphere a bit of an edge.
Plenty of the rich and famous swanning around in the backstage bars, I remember seeing Steven Berkoff, Keanu Reaves, Liam Gallagher and Stuart Pearce in there.
Good weekend all in all with the UK Subs doing a gig in Hackney on the Friday night. Really glad I got to go as the Glasgow gig in the SECC was pretty poor, mainly due to the dreadful sound.
Other than that, there was one of the morecambe weekenders where 4 bands I had always wanted to see yet never expected to see all played the same year. Poison Idea, TSOL, Angry Samoans and Youth Brigade.
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17-02-2021 04:57 PM #13
I was in Manchester at a gig in 86 or maybe early 87 and afterwards ended up at a warehouse party where the Stone Roses were playing, were a bit gothy back then and wasn't particularly impressed
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17-02-2021 05:22 PM #14This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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17-02-2021 06:03 PM #15
The 1977 White Riot tour. I was at the Playhouse gig, May 77 I think. Featuring The Slits (booed off), Subway Sect (bottled off), The Buzzcocks (brilliant), The Jam (ok-ish but that was the first album they were doing) and The Clash who were unbelievable.
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17-02-2021 06:17 PM #16This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Was also at Queens last gig at Knebworth, a free concert for me as i used to be the postman for Knebworth House at the time.
There is a picture on the wall of the crowd from the air from that concert, it is just humungous.
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17-02-2021 07:04 PM #17
Springsteen at the Playhouse in 1981, I was in the 5th row
It was the too promote “The River” album. Can still remember them starting with, The Ties that Bind
I also was at the Usher Hall to see Kate Bush, in one of our rare gigs
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17-02-2021 07:21 PM #18This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
I remember him starting with Badlands, though. IIRC, there were 2 gigs as the first one sold out very quickly.
So probably not the same one 😁
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17-02-2021 07:34 PM #19
Alter Bridge at SECC, supported by Black Stone Cherry and Theory of a Deadman, 1st time I'd seen them live, the voice of Myles Kennedy and the guitar of Mark Tremonti blew my mind, seen them around 12 times now.
Seen Rival Sons supporting Black Stone Cherry at the Picture House and couldn't believe how amazing they were also.
One of my favourite 1st gigs was a band called the Virginmarys from Macclesfield, went down last minute to Newcastle to the O2 there, seen then half a dozen times now, cracking band and really nice guys to talk to as well.
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17-02-2021 07:41 PM #20
Another one that's popped into my head - The Fratellis at Arbroath Viewfield back about 2006. They're *****, but they mention it all the time in interviews because their singer had "food poisioning" and had to give up after four or five songs. The crowd weren't happy and before you know it glasses were flying and the police had to be called in to quell the trouble.
Being the big manly tough manly guy that I am, I was out the door before the first glass hit the wall
Terrible gig, awful band but noteable in the timeline of the Fratellis.
Do you think your security can keep you in purity, you will not shake us off above or below. Scottish friction, Scottish fiction
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17-02-2021 08:00 PM #21This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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17-02-2021 08:48 PM #22This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
Lincoln Folk Festival 1971. The Byrds with McGuinn forgetting the words of Tambourine Man! And lying back with head on rucksack looking at the starry sky listening to JamesTaylor. And a generation later hearing him again at Glasgow Concert Hall (row B of stalls) with my son seeing his amazing talent so close up - but for the first and only time hearing him play a duff note!!
Steve Howe (Yes) a solo gig at queens hall 1995. Breathtaking variety of playing styles, each time making it look so easy!
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17-02-2021 09:11 PM #23This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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17-02-2021 09:28 PM #24
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I came back to Edinburgh a couple of years ago just to see Ride...It was moved to the Queens Hall Im guessing because there was hardly any tickets sold. Even the Queens hall was half empty. Just made it a very personal gig & I loved every minute being able to get so close to a band that's meant so much to me over the years.
When I moved to Dublin I knew no one & I loved right in the centre of town. So all I did was go to any gig going & kept that up for the 9 years I lived there.
First gig I went to was just before I moved. Electric Picnic festival - went over on a weeks notice after meeting an Irish hen doo in Liverpool who told me to come over for it. The highlight was seeing Arcade Fire..The had just released their Funeral album & I had never heard of them. It was in a small enough tent and was one of the most life affirming gigs Ive ever been to, the Irish crowd there certainly knew them...heres some dodgy footage https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iuVQ...ature=emb_logo its classed as one of the best performance in all the years of that festival.
LCD System in Vicar street. It was part of their "Farewell Tour", ahem...Anyway they had to cancel the original date for some reason. To make up for it they came back, didn't have a support & played a 3 hour set. By this time Id made some mates and it seemed like everywhere I looked there was someone I knew....The song "All my friends" was very special indeed.
Dan Deacon in Vicar Street..He was supporting my mate band, Jape. Another Id never heard of at the time (I like the surprise element). If you have ever been to a Dan Deacon gig you will know its like no other. Crazy electronic music with whole crowd participation being made to create human tunnels for everyone to go through, whole venue human whirlpools & other crazy stuff..this isn't the gig but gives you an idea of the sweatfest created https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1io9CFfCJA
Primavera in Barcelona was a regular visit of mine. Most memorable gigs there were Caribou - just an wonderful display of holding a crowd in the palm of your hand, giving absolutely everything & again like most of my favourites just being joyous..https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dSwmfnCR8MY.The stage they were on was a cool amphitheatre so that helped create the vibe too. Gang Gang Dance - dunno how to describe them but was just beautiful trippy & spellbinding https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FmT1dR7MQ7k
Finally Dead Can Dance....Again Id never heard of them but this gig brought a good few to tears (nothing to do with a come down)..Heres one of the songs that made me well up https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sG5-1lFokoI
Oh yeah and I can't not mention LFO playing.........Seeing them live finally was just a dream for me...A rather obscure video of that gig https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqzKStNmzPo
Back to Dublin which was just great for loads of wee underground electronic artists turning up every week. Especially at the now gone Twisted Pepper & Andrews lane...Too many great gigs to mention but the ones above certainly stick out for me (and the first couple have been mentioned by the artists as one of their favourites)Last edited by Dalianwanda; 18-02-2021 at 08:08 AM.
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17-02-2021 09:34 PM #25This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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17-02-2021 09:45 PM #26
Dexys Midnight Runners - Don't Stand Me Down Tour at The Playhouse late 85. After Too Rye Aye the follow up Album was not appreciated by the Come on Eileen Crowd and possibly pissed off a number of Soul Rebels. There were less than 300 in the stalls. No idea how many upstairs. Band were superb and played the whole new album along with new versions of old favourites.
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18-02-2021 07:55 AM #27This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
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18-02-2021 08:41 AM #28This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
BruceBase has the answer
http://brucebase.wikidot.com/1981
You were right about Ties That Bind at your one. The other one started with Prove It All Night, which I don't remember. In my head, all I hear is the drum intro to Badlands, which wasn't played until halfway through both gigs. See age?
Further looking at it, he played Fire the night I was there, which he didn't the other night. So, in conclusion, I was at the same one as you, and you were right
Hope I didn't block your view!Last edited by CropleyWasGod; 18-02-2021 at 09:16 AM.
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18-02-2021 09:27 AM #29
There were actually quite a few bands I saw at the first T in the Park (my first ever festival, I was only 16) that ended up feeling significant.
Oasis in the tent was one. Definitely Maybe hadn't yet been released and myself and my mates were probably more into rap and hip hop at that time but that got knocked in a very different direction after seeing Oasis live for the first time. We'd heard a few of their singles before so they weren't exactly unknown but they certainly weren't the size of band they went on to become. My brother eventually became pretty good mates with Noel Gallagher and he'd said to him that I was in the tent at T in the Park for that gig. Gallagher says that there is a bit of the "Seville calculator" about their King Tuts gig and the tent at T in the Park ie if everybody who claimed to have been there was actually there then there would have been about 10m people at each gig.
Another one in that same tent was actually the Manic Street Preachers. They were playing as a 3 piece, possibly for the first time, as Richey Edwards had recently gone into rehab. He would return to the band later that year but disappeared the following year, never to be found and the band went on as a 3. Again, they were a band I didn't know much about until then, but got into them more after seeing them there.
I was also at Cream in Liverpool for the Millennium, memories of which are understandably hazy, but I seem to recall Orbital being on at the bells and Chime following straight on from the bells being pretty cool. Pretty sure the last song of the night was "Hymn of the big wheel", it was light and we were all quite pleased that the world hadn't ended. It also felt quite cool that on Hogmanay everybody in the world seemed to be heading into Edinburgh and we were getting the train out to go to Liverpool, somewhere I've only ever been back to once since then.
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18-02-2021 10:22 AM #30This quote is hidden because you are ignoring this member. Show Quote
You didn’t block my view, but i’d rather have heard Bruce than you😀
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