What are some of your most memorable gigs?

[Peterbean]

On 25/3/2023 at 3:06 PM, mylene said:

Hunters & Collectors Champion Hotel 1984. It was pouring with rain, the supports act (the keyboard player from The Wreckery) sucked, they were playing The Sun Sessions before they went on and most of the audience probably wished they were somewhere else but from the first note of Unbeliever the band completely destroyed everything that had happened beforehand. Everyone was slack jawed from the end of the first song and it continued that way for the whole show. The live album The Way to Go Out was recorded around this time but this gig wipes the floor with it. 

I was fortunate to see them around the same time, maybe year or so before at the original Civic Hotel in Canberra ( it was a yellow tile pub back then) amazing show 

[Pebbles]

Saw plenty of good bands at the Civic in Goulburn st Sydney in the 70-80s .

 Caught the Delines last night at The Great Club Marrickville. US alt country (actually just discovered they describe themselves as ‘retro country’), great female vocalist and excellent band including fantastic trumpet player. Doesn’t get better than great live music in smallish venues. Highly recommended if you can catch them.

Edited June 10, 2023 by Pebbles

[craka]

Black Sabbath fronted by RJD - Heaven and Hell Tour.Festival Hall Brisbane. approx 1980.

Pink Floyd - Brisbane Entertainment Centre a long time ago.

Scorpions -  50th Anniversary Tour.  Palais St Kilda. Centre 6 rows back from stage (1st time they ever played in OZ.)

 

 

Edited June 19, 2023 by craka

[keyse1]

On 11/6/2023 at 9:22 AM, Pebbles said:

Saw plenty of good bands at the Civic in Goulburn st Sydney in the 70-80s .

 Caught the Delines last night at The Great Club Marrickville. US alt country (actually just discovered they describe themselves as ‘retro country’), great female vocalist and excellent band including fantastic trumpet player. Doesn’t get better than great live music in smallish venues. Highly recommended if you can catch them.

Just saw them in Eltham near Lismore 

Great band

Keep an eye out for Melissa Carper she is here in October in Melbourne 

Im assuming that she will be in Sydney and up here as well

Might even fly down for it

[stevoz]

On 22/03/2023 at 11:24 AM, fordute said:

Thin Lizzy.

Myer Music Bowl

Melbourne 1978.

 

Revisiting this thread and noticed this post for the first time. I remember this night well and what a night it was!! Let me explain.....

 

Myself, some good mates and my brother, in his Combi van and another car, all set off from Bendigo late in the afternoon to attend this Thin Lizzy concert (IIRC, it was free?).....but the night went so horribly wrong.

 

In a trip that could have seriously had a movie made out of it.....involving shitloads of dope, a car breakdown, a long walk to the next town to get help from some big burly dudes in the local pub, a stop a bit later in another town to ask a lady in a phone booth to hurry up so we could call a mate's girlfriend in Melbourne before she caught her train to say we would be late.....and then getting hassled by her boyfriend who was watching from their car, to picking up said girlfriend at Spencer St station, to turning up at the Myer Music Bowl and witnessing a car accident where some drunken pedestrians got hit and their drunken mates wanting to punch out anyone who was looking, including us.....we finally made it to witness the last song of the concert, The Boys Are Back In Town.

 

But we were somehow happy with that.....it was their biggest hit, it was 'excellent' and we were so stoned we couldn't give a **** how bad the night went, optimistically claiming "we'll tell our grandkids about this night one day!" Thankfully the trip back to Bendigo went much smoother.....with shitloads more dope! It was one of the weirdest but most exhilarating nights of my life!

 

Glad you enjoyed the concert @fordute.....and you can see why I didn't mention this concert in my post on page 2 in this thread. One song FFS!!

[Ian McP]

Pardon me for saying this but it seems many here are perhaps looking through rose coloured glasses at gigs from our distant past. Were they that good or just nostalgic remembrance of our "youff"? Both gigs from my distant past and in more recent years still remain memorable. Are we more cynical or judgemental in our later years?

regards Ian

[blybo]

2 hours ago, Ian McP said:

Pardon me for saying this but it seems many here are perhaps looking through rose coloured glasses at gigs from our distant past. Were they that good or just nostalgic remembrance of our "youff"? Both gigs from my distant past and in more recent years still remain memorable. Are we more cynical or judgemental in our later years?

regards Ian

That wasn't the case for my post in this thread. The INXS concert was so good I went back a few night later but the 2nd instalment wasn't nearly so good as the audience around us just weren't as into it as the first.

 

I do also feel that when we are younger we are far more impressionable, or maybe we are a bit more jaded as we age so it really takes something special to impress us these days.

[Ian McP]

The atmosphere from the crowd makes so much a difference at a live performance.

Grace Jones: North Sea Jazz Festival 2017

Being there was very special, she was on fire and the audience was going bonkers!

Cramps, back in the mid 80's, I went back for the second show the very next night.

I couldn't quite believe what I'd just seen!

Talking Heads and the Pretenders, Olympic Pool Melbourne late 80's

For me it was the "pretenders" and the Real Thing; what an incredible show!

It was during their Stop Making Sense period. Jonathan Demme went ahead and made that film,

long considered one of the best concert films ever made.

Quite a few performances at Womadelaide have had me literally choking back tears of joy.

For instance, Fat Freddy's Drop, a few years back, seeing them at Womadelaide with the crowd totally in synch with their infectious groove is truly amazing. A religious experience for me.

regards Ian

 

 

[Pops110]

Sepultura supported by Sacred Reich and Allegiance.

1994 at the Fremantle Passenger terminal. The most epic gig ever, stuff legend’s are made of.

 

Great write up here

https://wallofsoundau.com/2017/08/31/gig-rewind-sepultura-1st-september-1994-fremantle-passenger-terminal-wa/amp/

[Bomber Rock]

Putting aside the the Melbourne and Aussies bands I used to watch as a youth, and ignoring the many times in watched The Hives (the most entertaining live band ever) some remarkable live shows:

 

Mars Volta at Festival Hall 2007

 

TV on the Radio at The Hifi Bar, whatever year they toured their first album

 

Sonic Youth at The Metro. They played Daydream Nation in full

[ZEN MISTER]

Memorable perhaps for the level of disappointment attending this performance produced.

ED KEUPPER is indeed one of the real ' elder statesmen ' of Oz Rock. 

I saw Ed premier " HONEY STEELS GOLD " at the Powerhouse in Albert Park on a double with HUNTERS AND COLLECTORS premiering GHOST NATION SOME 30+years ago.

Immaculate sound mixing and totally committed performances from both bands.

In fact, one of those performances so perfect it was hair-raising.

Fast forward to Friday evening in Queencliff.

With bass (Peter Oxley), drums and keys, Ed wandered on to the small stage unannounced, and whilst the gorgeous keyboard intro of ' KING OF VICE' rang out, Ed slammed in over the top and continued to slaughter the rest of the program with endless chording/riffing that even bought looks from his players indicating they, also, were thinking, for f#$@& sake, get it together and wind this up. Sound mix was unforgivable, and when you realise the audience may be applauding  their memories of how Ed could be when he gives a damn, not what they were actually hearing , it just got sad.

Ed announced the advertised brass was not going to happen as the player had returned to Syd-vegas for a new born. OK, no problems. Life happens.

Ed may have enjoyed libations in excess pre-show- not professional !!

I travelled over the Westgate Bridge and the nightmare southern exit for this embarrassment. 

Luckily for Ed, the surfcoast hippies and dreadlocked ' dudes ' seemed to have a good time.

Me - I have memories.

Billy. ( Color me pissed off.)

[mylene]

Once I saw Laughing  Clowns at the Bottom Line in Richmond,  The Connotations were the support,   and they had a fretless bass and Louise  Elliott  on sax and they were completely  out of turne all night,  to make matters  worse they started with their most atonal  song, Collapse  Board. Every time there was a pause in the song a guy called Robert yelled 'tune up!!' but they never  did.

 

Next morning at Camberwell  Market  people were selling  their  entire Clowns collection  it was such a poor performance. 

[Steff]

Gil-Scott Heron at Womadelaide was wasted to the gills and drooling into the mic, couldn't remember his lines, and slurred the rest. His backing band was tight as **** - the instrumental sections delightful.

[Ian McP]

On 10/09/2023 at 7:30 PM, Steff said:

Gil-Scott Heron at Womadelaide was wasted to the gills and drooling into the mic, couldn't remember his lines, and slurred the rest. His backing band was tight as **** - the instrumental sections delightful.

yes, I was there, a sad demise for a great musician, better to remember him at the height of his powers.

 

 

[Ian McP]

22 minutes ago, Ian McP said:

yes, I was there, a sad demise for a great musician, better to remember him at the height of his powers.

 

 

Another demise was that of the now late Rachid Taha at Womadelaide, incredible the first time, second time the ravages of alcohol and other substances perhaps all too apparent.

https://www.ukrockfestivals.com/womadelaide-2003-rachid.html

https://archive.womadelaide.com.au/2014/program/rachid-taha.html

[Paul Faulkner]

I  saw and heard Nick Mason’s A saucer full of secrets at the Forum. Awesome gig great to hear the old and lesser played Floyd tracks live. 

Edited September 25, 2023 by Paul Faulkner
Extra photos

[Ian McP]

19 hours ago, Paul Faulkner said:

I  saw and heard Nick Mason’s A saucer full of secrets at the Forum. Awesome gig great to hear the old and lesser played Floyd tracks live. 

good to see "olde school" psychedelic lighting tricks at the mixing desk. "Careful with that axe, (oil and dye) Eugene"

[ollie_08]

On 25/09/2023 at 5:50 PM, Paul Faulkner said:

I  saw and heard Nick Mason’s A saucer full of secrets at the Forum. Awesome gig great to hear the old and lesser played Floyd tracks live. 

Yep was there too, enjoyable GIG at a great Venue 

[ollie_08]

Just came across this thread  2 Live performances stand out for me.

 

Neil Young 1985 Festival Hall,  Crazy Horse and the International Harvesters amazing.

https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/neil-young-and-the-international-harvesters-and-crazy-horse/1985/festival-hall-melbourne-australia-63d18a2b.html

 

 

B.B.King Mercury Lounge 1997, from memory the opening of Mercury Lounge Crown. 

[wasabijim]

 

 

from earlier this year 

 

Amyl and the Sniffers supporting Smashing Pumpkins 

Sandstone Point, The world is a Vampire Festival

 

Billy had such stage presence, even when just standing there, I didn't know how much of a guitar man's guitarist he was, and they were tight even when thrashing it out  

 

 

 

[metal beat]

1 hour ago, wasabijim said:

 

 

from earlier this year 

 

Amyl and the Sniffers supporting Smashing Pumpkins 

Sandstone Point, The world is a Vampire Festival

 

Billy had such stage presence, even when just standing there, I didn't know how much of a guitar man's guitarist he was, and they were tight even when thrashing it out  

 

 

 

Great concert.  The  wrestling was awesome as well.

  I have seen Pumpkins 6 times.  They always put on a great show. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 27, 2023 by metal beat

[21stcenturyquaker]

The Black Keys at the Forum Theatre in 2003/4 ish.

 

A whole lot of power from a 2 piece.

[metal beat]

15 minutes ago, 21stcenturyquaker said:

The Black Keys at the Forum Theatre in 2003/4 ish.

 

A whole lot of power from a 2 piece.

 

Without photos, it didn't happen 

[ZEN MISTER]

Last nights' SPARKS show at The Palais in St Kilda. Totally awesome.

Performance and sound mix blissful, and the most ingenious lighting design seen in years. Five minute ovation from a full house 

South Australian and Brisbane listeners - beg, borrow or steal. There is no other band like this.

Billy.

 

 

[Ian McP]

On 27/10/2023 at 8:10 PM, ZEN MISTER said:

Last nights' SPARKS show at The Palais in St Kilda. Totally awesome.

Performance and sound mix blissful, and the most ingenious lighting design seen in years. Five minute ovation from a full house 

South Australian and Brisbane listeners - beg, borrow or steal. There is no other band like this.

Billy.

 

 

Everyone I knew who went were raving about how good they were! Yet still no review in the Age. Shame!