Concerts that ruled, Concerts that sucked.

[Stump]

I might be bias 

Winners

David Bowie 11/11/78      Adelaide Oval

David Bowie 09/11/83    Adelaide Oval

David Bowie  23/02/04  Adelaide Entertainment Centre,

 

Losers

Everyone else....

[soundfan]

Too many to mention, but a few highlights:

 

Hunters & Collectors, supported by The Stems at The Refectory, St Lucia Uni. Mid to late 80's IIRC, they were touring the Human Frailty album

Recall Mark Seymour chasing a punter through the crowd who had thrown a can of beer at him.

 

Wilco at The Tivoli in Brisbane. Have seen them 4 times at this venue, they tore the house down each gig. The best live band I have seen.

 

The Dirty Three - The Zoo, Fortitude Valley, mid to late nineties. - probably my second favourite band to see live. Asked security after the gig could I go go backstage, and surprisingly was allowed in. Chatted with Mick Turner & Jim White for about 20 minutes.

 

Richard Thompson & Danny Thompson - The Tivoli.  RT and Danny Thompson (acoustic bassist, not related) put on an insane gig.

 

Belle & Sebastian @ The Tivoli - about 5 years back.  Awesome live.

 

Not many poor gigs but Ani Di Franco at the Tivoli comes to mind. Just didn't want to be there, and only played for just over an hour.

 

 

Edited November 3, 2020 by soundfan

[pmac04]

Winners: Coldplay and John Mayer. Two bucket list concerts for me.

 

Loser: Imagine Dragons - don't like their music and had to go with my ex girlfriend. 

[keyse1]

1 hour ago, soundfan said:

Too many to mention, but a few highlights:

 

Hunters & Collectors, supported by The Stems at The Refectory, St Lucia Uni. Mid to late 80's IIRC, they were touring the Human Frailty album

Recall Mark Seymour chasing a punter through the crowd who had thrown a can of beer at him.

 

Wilco at The Tivoli in Brisbane. Have seen them 4 times at this venue, they tore the house down each gig. The best live band I have seen.

 

The Dirty Three - The Zoo, Fortitude Valley, mid to late nineties. - probably my second favourite band to see live. Asked security after the gig could I go go backstage, and surprisingly was allowed in. Chatted with Mick Turner & Jim White for about 20 minutes.

 

Richard Thompson & Danny Thompson - The Tivoli.  RT and Danny Thompson (acoustic bassist, not related) put on an insane gig.

 

Belle & Sebastian @ The Tivoli - about 5 years back.  Awesome live.

 

Not many poor gigs but Ani Di Franco at the Tivoli comes to mind. Just didn't want to be there, and only played for just over an hour.

 

 

I saw that Richard Thompson show

Loudon Wainwright was the support I think

Great night

[soundfan]

1 minute ago, keyse1 said:

I saw that Richard Thompson show

Loudon Wainwright was the support I think

Great night

 

Yeah it was. Forgot about Loudon Wainwright III, I saw him as main act at QPAC I think a few years earlier. A talented and very funny guy.

[Upgrayed]

Chicago Philarmonic : Festival Adelaide  Theater 80s

Jan Garbarek Group   : Festival Adelaide Theater  80s

Ravi Shankar                 : Festival Adelaide Theater   80s

Pink Floyd                      : Thebarton Oval  80s

Roger Water                  : Rod Laver Arena    2018

No best here would go again.

 

Worst was Edgar Winter: Tasmanian University Bar so loud ears rang for 3 days. 

 

[Red MacKay]

I remember another shocker and I was involved back around 15 yrs ago.

 

I was a shareholder in a small winery and we regularly put on a swag of live musos, Americana, singer songwriters etc.

 

So this night we had Janis Ian contracted to sing and play for 70 min. for $10K.

 

Well - she plays for 70 minutes on the dot .....and stopped.  No encore, no thankyou to the audience - nothing.  She just walked off.  Unbelievable!

 

What she played in that 70 min. set was just utter crap.  Her sound guy deserved more praise than her for being able to sync the constant BS loops etc that she was playing to.  Ms Ian only played two of her known songs and horrid versions they were too!

 

What happened to her as a performer?  She was not in a foul mood or the like and she was not stoned or drunk.  Not even standoffish.  She happily signed merchandise and chatted with the audience for two hours  after the gig finished.  Bizarre....

 

But she was complete crap!  So disappointed when you think of how good she could have been in this intimate little venue.

[ZEN MISTER]

18 minutes ago, deblur said:

Chicago Philarmonic : Festival Adelaide  Theater 80s

Jan Garbarek Group   : Festival Adelaide Theater  80s

Ravi Shankar                 : Festival Adelaide Theater   80s

Pink Floyd                      : Thebarton Oval  80s

Roger Water                  : Rod Laver Arena    2018

No best here would go again.

 

Worst was Edgar Winter: Tasmanian University Bar so loud ears rang for 3 days. 

 

When did Edgar Winter play in Tassie? Did he make it to Melbourne ?

[djmt]

Define concert.

Bobby Hutcherson, D.C. One Step Down, 1976. Place held no more than 50. Just released his album Montara. No that wasn't smoke effects.

Roy Ayers, Hugh Masekela, Constitution Hall, 1977. Ultimate musicians, ultimate showmen.

Miles Davis, Cellar Door, 1981. Miles' comeback. Not his best but didn't care.

 

Most disappointing was Herbie Hancock, Sydney Opera House, 2010. Touted as a revisit to his Blue Note days. Played most songs from the Imagine Project, 5 minute Blue Note medley, finished with Chameleon. Terrible sound, terrible acoustics. Think I may have built it up too much in anticipation. 

[Esoterica]

On 02/11/2020 at 1:58 PM, Peter the Greek said:

He's a dick. Don't read his book if you're a fan

Scar Tissue? I really enjoyed that. 

[Upgrayed]

3 hours ago, Anatoly Beaver-Hausen said:

When did Edgar Winter play in Tassie? Did he make it to Melbourne ?

In the seventies don't remember much those days, I was a uni student.

We always drank at the Uni Bar, he was just there. Nice surprise compared to usual local pretenders.

I have no idea if he played Melbourne. 

[timelord9]

Huge thread by the way. 

 

Massive gigs: 

Patrick Lindsay - some new years eve party (Hardware 98?) at Kryal Castle Ballarat.. I swear the floorboards of the main floor were jumping half a metre, the bass was so huge. Great vibes and just incredible electronic techno funk. (Incidentally, that's the time I've heard the most sound ever come out of any speakers. I was working on the setup and during some sound check someone must have f__ked up and the massive rig let out the most unbelievable hellacious [noise?] I've ever encountered. Only lasted a second but every worker on site was literally stunned). I may or may not have been on heaps of acid.

Here's the mixtape: 

 

(see 46:40 and imagine on a 40m high festival system. Wild.)

 

Nile Rogers and Chic - Golden Plains 2012. 

I didn't know much about them prior, and don't worry, Nile Rogers spent plenty of time learning the crowd about exactly who he'd written hits for, how many of them, how long they charted for, yadi yadda. "What?" I thought... "You did ******* not write "Lets Dance" for David Bowie"...." aaaaand... yep, turns out he did.  The acoustics were fantastic, the band were incredible, I may or may not have been on heaps of MDMA, amazing bass player, brass section, the whole shebang. Saw them when they toured again at Billboards and it wasn't nearly as good.  Here's the link: 

 

 

Tool, Offshore Festival, 1997. 

Never seen them before or even heard many of their songs. I was totally transfixed by Maynard James Keenan (blue body paint, seemed like he looked and sang through me, and everyone else, for the entire show). Couldn't believe how good they were. 

Sadly, saw them a few years later at the Myer Music Bowl and they were...sadly...meh.

 

U2 - Zooropa TV Tour - MCG

This was my first real gig. I'd been into them throughout high school, and had just watched ZOOTV on SBS. Amazing stuff. They were opened by Big Audio Dynamite, and (even then!) I thought the sound was hideous. Unlistenable. Then U2 came on and I couldn't believe it was the same sound system. Crystal clear, incredible show. 

 

The Bad: 

The Orb, Earthcore, Mount Disappointment 2001. 

I was overseas and missed the gig. Absolutely gutted. Still gutted.

 

Daft Punk, Myer Music Bowl 2007

Maybe whatever was going around that night wasn't that good, but I kind of felt bored by Daft Punk, and that shouldn't happen. Not much happening on stage, music was kind of flat, sound was ok-ish. 

 

Nightmares on Wax - Good Vibrations Festival 2007

What is it with me and festivals and getting cooked in the mid 2000's? Anyway, NOW played a mid afternoon set to a raucous crowd who were ready to git, git down. Sadly, the crew spent more time trying to promise the crowd (who were salivating at this point) that they were going to bring the noise, than actually bringing any noise at all. Each time they threatened to really get into it and start playing amazing music, they'd shut it straight down and start yapping again. Rinse and repeat for the entire set. Eeesh. Anyway, Derrick Carter played later that day and killed it, as per. 

 

Good times!

[Guest Peter the Greek]

2 hours ago, Esoterica said:

Scar Tissue? I really enjoyed that. 

It made me want to try cocaine....not that I did. I found him self indulged. Even his best mate dying from an OD wasn't enough to say you should never touch the ****.  He still glorifies the stuff. I finished it thinking less of him as a person, much, much less 

[Bill125812]

Best

 

Alice Cooper. Welcome to my nightmare. 1977. Brisbane Festival Hall 
 

Gary Neman. 1980 Brisbane Festival Hall 

 

Paul McCartney 2017 Brisbane Suncorp Stadium 

 

Worst 

 

Fleetwood Mac. 2015. Brisbane Entertainment Centre 

 

 

[timelord9]

3 minutes ago, Peter the Greek said:

I found him self indulged...

 

That'd be the coke. 

[Guest Crystara]

Best 

David Bowie Let’s Dance Tour early 80’s

Bob Dylan and Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers early 80’s

U2 and BB King Love Comes to Town Tour Late 80’s

Dire Straits Money for Nothing Tour Early 80’s

Fleetwood Mac Tusk Tour Early 80’s

Loudest Concert Deep Purple Early 80’s ( Ear Ringing for 1 and a bit days)

Worst

U2 and AC DC at Etihad ( the sound is shithouse) 

Meat Loaf at the AFL grand final technically not a concert but abysmal 

[AJL999]

So, so many.       True greats:

Cassandra Wilson @ the Sydney Opera House - a truly magnificent artist with a spellbindingly good band.

Dead Can Dance @ SOH - and you can even hear the results....and maybe me cheering.     Magnificent sound.   Loud as, but crystal clear.     https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Concert_(Dead_Can_Dance_album)

Tina Harrod one evening about 10 years back at Venus 505 in Surrey Hills.   Simple as. Elegant as.   Backing band (Zwartz and others) perfectly in synch, and Tina pouring her heart out singing off her "Temporary People" album.

Police supported by The Models - Sydney showground, 80s.   The Models really gave the Police a scare - they were that good!

Dim and foggy memories of an evening in the Argyle Cut during the Sydney Festival (early 80s?) being dazzled by a Brazilian Samba Band raging at full tilt.   Try staying still with that music!  

 

Duds:

Elvis Costello - State Theatre, 90s?    So bloody loud it was painful!    The music got swamped under the noise!

Dan Sulatn - Metro - 2 years back.    Wonderfulk artist.    Great start...then what was that wierd noise in the niddle of the song?   OH!   Fire Alarm!    "ALL PEOPLE PLEASE EVACUATE".     And that was the end of that!     A real shame.

 

[RoHo]

On 02/11/2020 at 10:03 PM, lebowski said:

in my yoof, back in the 80’s we would be out every weekend in Ye olde Adelaide town and with enough beer I think they were all awesome.

Saw many Australian classic pub bands - 

Lime Spiders

Ed Kuepper

The Divinyls

Hunters & Collectors

Beasts of Bourbon

Painters & Dockers

Mental As Anything

The Clouds

Spy V Spy

Cruel Sea

 

 

Great bands.  Saw the Lime Spiders when they were a 3-piece and the power was simply breathtaking.  

Saw Ed Kuepper reasonably recently and marvelled at how chatty and humorous he was.  Back in the day (80's) he was much less sociable!    I remember a gig at The Corner in Richmond, he's in the groove and the bass players amp falls off its stand with a thus onto the floor.  Roadies come on, bass player has to stop, fix up the amp and then resumes.   Ed didn't even look around to see what was going on, just kept playing.  Single minded is Ed.

 

Saw Neil Young and Sonic Youth do "play the most recent album from front to back" type gigs.  Greendale and A Thousand Leaves respectively.  Great gigs.  The Greendale gig was an absolute hoot with the live "play" accompanying the music.  When artists like these are still cranking out great music then I want to hear it, not just oldies I've heard a hundred times before.  I don't need to hear Cinnamon Girl any more, great song that it is.  A lot of people will probably disagree with me!

Gotta love Neil. Saw him at the Tennis Center, bro managed to score seats 5 or 6 rows from the front.  This was ?late 80's when most of the audience still wanted to hear Heart of Gold and the hits.  He starts off the show solo acoustic with an 8 minute song, Ordinary People, that had hadn't been released.   I loved it but it didn't go down well with the Harvest freaks.

[frednork]

57 minutes ago, RoHo said:

Great bands.  Saw the Lime Spiders when they were a 3-piece and the power was simply breathtaking.  

Saw Ed Kuepper reasonably recently and marvelled at how chatty and humorous he was.  Back in the day (80's) he was much less sociable!    I remember a gig at The Corner in Richmond, he's in the groove and the bass players amp falls off its stand with a thus onto the floor.  Roadies come on, bass player has to stop, fix up the amp and then resumes.   Ed didn't even look around to see what was going on, just kept playing.  Single minded is Ed.

 

Saw Neil Young and Sonic Youth do "play the most recent album from front to back" type gigs.  Greendale and A Thousand Leaves respectively.  Great gigs.  The Greendale gig was an absolute hoot with the live "play" accompanying the music.  When artists like these are still cranking out great music then I want to hear it, not just oldies I've heard a hundred times before.  I don't need to hear Cinnamon Girl any more, great song that it is.  A lot of people will probably disagree with me!

Gotta love Neil. Saw him at the Tennis Center, bro managed to score seats 5 or 6 rows from the front.  This was ?late 80's when most of the audience still wanted to hear Heart of Gold and the hits.  He starts off the show solo acoustic with an 8 minute song, Ordinary People, that had hadn't been released.   I loved it but it didn't go down well with the Harvest freaks.

Ha, same thing happened in 2013. Neil was great, as was Crazy Horse, half the people left halfway through the gig as he wasn't doing greatest hits but I loved it.

[Ian McP]

Over the years the appeal of "concerts" has declined, who now wants to pay $200+ to sit in the gods where every second person is filming their "experience" on their phone. You can't see the band without the aid of binoculars or have to settle for some huge video screen? Once smoking was banned it was back to the pubs for me or better still small intimate venues. Hey, you might even get to chat with the artists and get a record signed by them!

In the glory days, the late 80's, early 90's, (don't quote me on exact dates) of the late lamented Continental in Prahran saw many, many international acts and locals as well, in comfortable surrounds and great acoustics.

Big concerts now far better as a multiple day event such as Womadelaide. Simply can't beat it for the vibe! Open air, choice of multiple stages, get up close or just mosey around the back. Been to every one except the very first.  Way better value than blowing all your cash on just one artist! East Coast Blues and Roots Festival in Byron Bay was good when it was "blues and roots" 2004 was a killer lineup, spoilt for excellent acts over the whole festival.

Fat Freddy's Drop, now there's a band that hits a monster groove live and never lets up. Played at two Womads to ecstatic crowds.

 

[Ooogh]

5 hours ago, RoHo said:

Great bands.  Saw the Lime Spiders when they were a 3-piece and the power was simply breathtaking.  

Saw Ed Kuepper reasonably recently and marvelled at how chatty and humorous he was.  Back in the day (80's) he was much less sociable!    I remember a gig at The Corner in Richmond, he's in the groove and the bass players amp falls off its stand with a thus onto the floor.  Roadies come on, bass player has to stop, fix up the amp and then resumes.   Ed didn't even look around to see what was going on, just kept playing.  Single minded is Ed.

 

Saw Neil Young and Sonic Youth do "play the most recent album from front to back" type gigs.  Greendale and A Thousand Leaves respectively.  Great gigs.  The Greendale gig was an absolute hoot with the live "play" accompanying the music.  When artists like these are still cranking out great music then I want to hear it, not just oldies I've heard a hundred times before.  I don't need to hear Cinnamon Girl any more, great song that it is.  A lot of people will probably disagree with me!

Gotta love Neil. Saw him at the Tennis Center, bro managed to score seats 5 or 6 rows from the front.  This was ?late 80's when most of the audience still wanted to hear Heart of Gold and the hits.  He starts off the show solo acoustic with an 8 minute song, Ordinary People, that had hadn't been released.   I loved it but it didn't go down well with the Harvest freaks.

And that is why Neil Young will always be the coolest cat in town, he does his thing and if you don’t like it well, tough.  I asked my wife who she would be if she could be any musician.  Neil of course! He is the coolest of them all. 

 

Anyhow, off to spin some Neil, Greatest Hits rather than Trans, he might be the coolest, doesn’t mean I am.......

[zenikoy]

5 hours ago, RoHo said:

Saw Neil Young and Sonic Youth do "play the most recent album from front to back" type gigs.  Greendale and A Thousand Leaves respectively.  Great gigs.  The Greendale gig was an absolute hoot with the live "play" accompanying the music.  When artists like these are still cranking out great music then I want to hear it, not just oldies I've heard a hundred times before.  I don't need to hear Cinnamon Girl any more, great song that it is.  A lot of people will probably disagree with me!

Gotta love Neil. Saw him at the Tennis Center, bro managed to score seats 5 or 6 rows from the front.  This was ?late 80's when most of the audience still wanted to hear Heart of Gold and the hits.  He starts off the show solo acoustic with an 8 minute song, Ordinary People, that had hadn't been released.   I loved it but it didn't go down well with the Harvest freaks.

 

I saw that 1989 tour in Perth. Brilliant show with the old classics and a sneek peak at the yet to be released future classic "Freedom" album. I remember the "Heart of Golders" exiting during the glorious second half! Neil playing an upright piano with his bottle of beer starting to foam out the top mid song, to his disbelief. 

 

4 hours ago, frednork said:

Ha, same thing happened in 2013. Neil was great, as was Crazy Horse, half the people left halfway through the gig as he wasn't doing greatest hits but I loved it.

 

Didnt see this show but remember the radio promotion announcing Neil Young & CRAZY HORSE but playing Harvest tracks in the background. Me thinking, "Oh this is going to end in tears"

Edited November 4, 2020 by zenikoy

[zenikoy]

10 minutes ago, Ooogh said:

And that is why Neil Young will always be the coolest cat in town, he does his thing and if you don’t like it well, tough.  I asked my wife who she would be if she could be any musician.  Neil of course! He is the coolest of them all. 

 

Anyhow, off to spin some Neil, Greatest Hits rather than Trans, he might be the coolest, doesn’t mean I am.......

 

I think you would enjoy this podcast....

https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-rivals-57847258/episode/disharmony-part-3-young-vs-crosby-71543715/

[Cloth Ears]

In pretty much random order...

Men At Work - Cricketer's Arms Hotel

Mike Oldfield - Palais (1982)

Meatloaf - Palais (mid-80's)

Albert Collins - Festival Hall (80's?)

Roger Waters - Rod Laver (2013 and 2018)

P!nk - Rod Laver (2018) - not so much a concert as a show

Kylie - Showgirl (2006) - ditto

Russell Morris - Publican, Mornington (2019)

Vince Jones - Mornington Peninsula Gallery (2016)

James Morrison - Mornington Peninsula Gallery (2017)

Sean Kelly, Cal McAlpine, Spencer Jones, Andrew Duffield - Duke of Windsor (Prahran) (early 00's?)

 

Bummers

Didn't get upstairs to see The Dead Kennedy's in 1982 at Monash because I was just too stoned!

[Pete Gardner]

I have kept every concert ticket since 1979. Top 8 in order of preference with Joe Bonamassa my only negative experience.