For reminiscing about concerts from back in the day, whatever that means to you. This topic comes out in other threads of course, but here’s a dedicated one.
As of a couple days ago it’s been 23 years since the first time I saw U2, on the Elevation tour. I had just finished my freshman year of college. We had GA tickets and got in just on the outside of the heart (if you remember how U2 set up their stage back then). It was very cool.
I remember it well, and it is still my favorite arena concert I’ve been to. (have not been to a lot, but still.) It maybe doesn’t quite make my list of pivotal moment concerts but nonetheless a very fond early concert memory.
I first saw U2 play live in 1984. It was at a small stadium called th Apollo. I will never forget the audience roar near the end of “A Day With Out Me” It was the Unforgettable Fire tour.
This is the only post-2000 performance of “Famous” that I’m aware of. Matt cracks up while singing it and then trashes it afterwards: “if you ever don’t like a song, don’t put it on the record. just f’in erase it.”
The best concert I went to before the advent of R.E.M was the Kinks in NYC. I had front row seats. This was just after the ban on them playing live in the US was lifted (still don’t know what that was about ) and they were stunningly good. Towards the end, Ray and Dave decided to have a brawl. Dave pushed Ray back, sending amps and roadies flying. I didn’t know this was a very Kinks thing to happen, and I was massively relieved when they came back on, looking daggers at each other. The fight wasn’t an improvement to the gig, but the whole thing was forever memorable. I got to hear all the songs about the U.K. they wrote in exile, and nobody really got hurt.
I wish I had seen Vertical Horizon live, but by then I was living in the U.K. so missed out.R.EM. are by far the best live band I’ve seen, closely followed by Springsteen, and The Kinks. Solo acts, Ray Davies and very recently Jake Bugg. He is stunning. He’s world class top excellence in every way.
This is not the gig I saw The Kinks at. Hatred was written years after the brothers’ on stage carnage. I think it’s hilarious. Who said the pen is mightier than the sword?
ETA— In this performance they also do a very different number, Celluloid Heroes. It’s Ray meandering down Hollywood Boulevard and imagining all the named stars underfoot. I think it’s beautiful.
ETAA— seems this video cuts off after Hatred, so Celluloid Heroes isn’t in it. Instead you get a demonstration of Dave Davies placing “tragic underpants” over Billy Crystal’s face.
16 years ago tonight I saw James in DC, on what was their first US tour in 10 years at the time.
One of my favorite concerts, one of the best examples of “feeling connected with the audience” I can remember.
At the end they did the first couple notes of “Born of Frustration” before stopping and switching unplanned to “Don’t Wait That Long” which someone had requested on a sign. They then went back to “Born of Frustration” after that (which is good as it’s one of my favorites). In addition to a bunch of classic songs and some from their then-new album.
From going to concerts in DC I’m used to musicians thinking that a DC audience definitely wants to hear the band’s opinion on DC politicians. Though at this show I remember that Tim Booth mainly wanted us to know that he didn’t like Tony Blair, which was a new one for me.
