What Non Dead Concert Moment Stunned You?

Danny Gatton

Hey fishcane,  I used to see Danny Gatton at the Grog and Tankard in DC when going to AU.  The guy was amazing.  Tragic. 

Far too many to mention them all, but here a few that come immediately to mind...

Sammy Hagar, Winterland 1977 - basically the Montrose band without Montrose, I learned that night what rock 'n roll could be. It stunned me, it amazed me, and it put me on a lifetime path. Particular stunning moment? When someone set off a cherry bomb over the crowd, setting the intensity level to infinity.

Jeff Beck, Greek Berkeley 1980 - I knew he was good but had no idea HOW good. Particular stunning moment? The very beginning, and then every moment after that.

Talking Heads, Greek Berkeley 1983 - beyond any expectations I may have had, beyond any description. Moment? The buildup at the beginning with each song adding equipment and musicians, leading to raging full band versions of Cities, Burning Down the House and Life During Wartime to close the first set. Not sure I've ever been in a more frenzied full crowd dance party. What a fucking band they were.

Janes's Addiction, Shoreline 1991 - stunned is a perfect description of my reaction to the brilliance of that show and that band. Moment? Perry Ferrell climbing up the tent support tower right above my head during Three Days and seeing his otherworldly eyes while he was singing that haunting song. Also, Perry and Ice-T doing Don't Call Me Nigger, Whitey. THAT was definitely stunning.

Phish, Warfield 1994 - The night I really discovered how good that band could be. Moment? When an opera singer slowly stepped to the front of the stage after about 20 minutes of raging electric rock and sang an aria without microphones, just her voice, pure, unamplified, magnificent natural human sound filling the entire room.

Charles Lloyd Quartet w/ Zakir Hussain sitting in, Herbst Theatre SF 2008 - one of those times I actually thought I was elevating out of my seat. Moment? The entire show.

Wayne Shorter Quartet, stunned just about every time I saw that group, well over 20 times. Particular moment? Too many to mention them all/almost every moment was stunning.

Zakir Hussain & Joshua Redman, Miner Auditorium SF 2013 - just saxophone and Zakir, no rehearsal, straight improvisation. Moment? About 15 minutes into the set, when you could see and hear them melt together and become one.

And...

And...

And...

After not going to any non-Dead concerts in a bunch of years I went to a Police show in 82 at Capitol Ctr (MD) and was stunned that people just sat there in their seats and no one smoked weed. Wha???

So, so many moments 

George Jones belting out 50,000 Names to a small room of Veterans, amputees, widows..

I cried in the whole way through. Not a dry eye in the house that day.

As above, so many moments. Maybe most memorable of all, Otis Redding at the Monterey Pop Festival. The Mamas and the Papas there, too. I was surprised their harmonies were so terrific in person.

The Yardbirds in SF, Jeff Beck in Eugene, and so many. I can't really list them because I can't remember. But they'll come to me and it's possible I'll add them to this thread.

The lights for Furthur at the Cuthbert in the rain.

Judit saw Otis Redding at Monterey Pop.

She wins.

Damn.

I did win tickets to Monterey Pop playing cards, so I guess I won. But I think a lot of us have been stunned by concert moments.

Prince - LA Forum 1985 - Purple Rain tour 

That show drove me to love live music.  He was a genius musician.  They bring out a bathtub with a stripper pole in it during Darling Nikki... you get the drift. 

So many good shows that exceeded all expectations, including:

Cheap Trick opening for Robert Plant c. 1988.   Band had never been on my radar and was blown away by how good they were. 

Funky Meters opening for Taj.   Funked it up so hard that I left after three Taj songs that just seemed so anemic in comparison.

Roger Waters doing the Wall.  One of my least favorite Pink Floyd albums but the visuals and whole production was out of this world.  

Phish at the Moore Theater in 1994.  My first Phish show and was blown away by the whole thing.   One of the more memorable parts were the lights.   Very simple (especially considering what the GD were doing at the time) but perfectly tasteful and in time with the music.  Understood right away how CK was the fifth member of the band. 

And of course Billy Strings continues to amaze me each time.  Looking forward to the St. Augustine shows later this week. 

>>>>The lights for Furthur at the Cuthbert in the rain.

This too.  Best Terrapin I have personally experienced.  And that Mountain Song . . .

1990 Latvian Song Festival 10,000+ choir singing ancient songs

It was the first fest that people outside of Latvia could attend since the 1930's

The first time seeing Rebirth Brass Band at the Maple Leaf

Neil Young solo launching into Ohio at the Greek in LA two years ago. The riff that's the backbone of the song remains one of the most iconic in rock and roll, even in its most stripped down form.

A performance of the LA Philharmonic conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen about 25 years ago that opened with Arnold Schoenberg's A Survivor from Warsaw, which reflects the shock and horror of the Holocaust, followed immediately by the opening notes of the first movement of Beethoven's 9th Symphony. This was an epic example of tension and release on a grand scale.

I'd like to add a couple more over the years I saw that were forever burned into my soul

Simon and Garfunkel concert in the park with my parents 

Neil Young and Crazy Horse Buffalo 2/16/1991 which was fortunately documented too

https://youtu.be/Faztt1-7jAU?si=XYrfZlxwYgzsAhuJ

> Simon and Garfunkel concert in the park

That was a day filled with stunning moments. NYC at its finest. Thanks for the reminder.

Cameo Theater in Miami 198? Tex and the Horseheads (never heard of em before) opening for Gang Green and Dead Kennedys

Singer for Tex was wrapping up her set when she shoved her entire hand in her mouth and puked on everyone in the front rows.

Stunned me

Jimmy Page and the Black Crowes Jones Beach

The lights for Furthur at the Cuthbert in the rain.

that was an INCREDIBLE night. 

I saw David Bowie at the New Haven Coliseum in March of 1976, and the show opened with a screening of Luis Buñuel's surrealist film Un Chien Andalou, whose most notorious scene features a close up of a hand sharpening a straight razor, and then that razor is used to slit a woman's eyeball. As the short film ended, the screen rolled up to reveal the band wailing on Station to Station.

one that sticks out for me was brian wilson's "lucky old sun" tour around 2008. i had just started to get into pet sounds/smile era beach boys/wilson and didnt have any idea what to expect from a modern day brian wilson show.

the first set was all beach boys classics, mostly focusing on their big early 60s pop hits and not the pet sounds/smile material i was interested in. the whole set was awful, and brian was obviously totally unable to preform any of the songs - you could hear his voice fading in and out as he failed to hit notes or sing lines and they had this whole chorus of other singers that would jump in to cover his misses with these weird synthetic sounding harmonies. often brian would just be sitting behind his piano doing nothing as the band played around him, and once he even asked the band to slow down because he couldnt keep up, into the mic that goes out to the main  PA system. it was extremely difficult to watch and the vibe that someone was just carting this dude out on stage for $$ was strong.

the second set, he played his new lucky old sun album, which was actually written in the modern era for his current vocal range, and it was AMAZING. from the very first note, the whole vibe of the concert changed on a dime...brian hit every note and every line and was the total center of everything happening on stage. his whole vibe and manner went from like a scared little boy to this totally confident commanding energy. the quality of the music and playing shifted from this weird uncomfortable barely listenable pop thing to this sort of angelic symphony where every single note was exactly where they intended it to be. i will NEVER forget the feeling of being so bummed out and so uncomfortable to even be present at a show instantly shifting to one of the most beautiful and joyus concert  experiences ive ever seen. from the first note of the second set, the entire vibe of the concert shift 180 degrees in 5-10 seconds.

My parents took me to see The Nutcracker at the Lincoln Center in New York City when I was 5.  It's the first big music event I can remember attending.  The music, the crowd, the setting all seemed magical.  I was hooked on going to see live music for life.

Stunned.  It's usually been the good kind.

Seeing Max Roach finishing off his set with a drum solo at the Ellington School Of Music in Washington D.C. followed by Gil Scott-Heron  playing Wintertime For America.

Tony Rice sitting in with the Seldom Scene.  
Doc Watson at the original Birchmere in Alexandria, Virginia.

Van Morrison singing It Stoned Me at Wolf Trap Farm Park's Filene Center, where I also saw Dr. John and the Neville Brothers for the first time, and John Lee Hooker work his voodoo on another occasion.

Bill Monroe playing the opening set one frosty January morning in the festival tents set up on the Mall to celebrate Bill Clinton's inauguration.

The Johnson Mountain Boys playing outdoors in little Shenandoah Valley hill towns as part of the Bluemont Concert Series.

Zappa at the Warner Theater in D.C. on the rail in the balcony for 2 nights.

Just reformed ABB at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland with Warren & Woody.

Seeing Kermit Ruffins at Vaughn's in New Orleans' 9th Ward in early 1994 when that scene with free red beans and rice between sets was just starting to happen.

The original Meters playing together both at Jazzfest and at their induction into the Louisiana Music Hall Of Fame.

The Rolling Stones at the Marcus Amphitheater in Milwaukee on the Zip Code tour with Buddy Guy opening and sitting in.

Burning Spear playing a flawless, dominant set at one of the Bob Marley Birthday Celebration shows at Long Beach Arena in the early oughts.

NRPS at Seattle's Triple Door with amazing sound.

Jorma and Jack last Fall in Tacoma from front row right in front of Jorma.

Those are a few that stand out.

Steve Earle opening up about the loss of his son Justin, to include a graphic and detailed accounting of his final minutes on this earth

A grieving father's plea to everyone present about the horror of fentanyl and its ever present danger in disguise

Justin thought he had only bought a little coke. A chilling and sobering way to wrap up a perfect performance

On October 31, 1981 at Radio City Music Hall, I was fortunate to see 

Aretha Franklin. Sure the Good old GD shoe a year earlier at the same

venue was none to shabby.  A year later Aretha just knocked my socks off!

Paul McCartney with remaining members of Nirvana in Seattle 2013.

Paul McCartney and Neil Young playing together at Desert Trip 2016.

Neil Young busting out a seriously deep cut on the fly in Seattle 2015.

CSNY acoustic 'Southern Man' at Bridge School, Oakland 1988.

David Bowie playing an obscure Neil Young song in Vancouver 2003.

attended many shows at the old Sweetwater saloon in Mill Valley , most Stunned was when Carlos walked through the front door with his guitar in hand And sat in with Mr Lucky...wonderful night of blues

Standing in a crowded room at House of Blues Vegas to see Maceo Parker at 2006 Vegoose.

Big tall dude behind me taps me on shoulder to ask me to help create a path... then the short guy behind him reaches out to me and smiles: it was Prince, arriving as a surprise guest performer!  I froze and about stopped breathing.

Paul McCartney with that great band of his teleported me back to being 9 years old dropping needles again and again on Beatles 45s, and listening to hit after hit on am radio, and it was the most basic of tunes that put me in over the top - I Saw Her Standing There. I was filled with pure Joy with a capital J the whole show, could not stop moving in my seat. I've seen almost everyone and nothing comes close to the way I felt that night. 

Ack, I meant to add this link to my post, as I discovered that some photographer had uploaded a folder of images from that surprise performance... good to see the images so many years later...

https://www.gettyimages.com/photos/vegoose-music-festival-2006-night-2-m...

I had seen about six dead shows in the previous month and half and went to see Laurie Anderson. So completely different and just and incredible show. She is always worth the price of admission.

Sinead O'Conner on the Lion and the Cobra tour singing a few songs a cappella with just a drum machine. That voice other worldly.

Joan Armitrading in Concord NH. Didn't know one song of hers when I went in and came out a life long fan

Fionna Apple on her first tour at the Warfield commanding the stage like seasoned pro as a teenager. 

Peter Gabriel on one of his first tours as a solo artist after leaving Genesis. Someone had spray painted Rael on the front door of the Orpheum in Boston. 

David Bowie at the Warfield 

The first time seeing a particular genre of music has often been stunning, or at least mesmerizing, like the first time I saw King Sunny Ade playing West African High Life, or experiencing Zydeco for the first time on a head full of mushrooms and being entranced by the washboard.

Ken ain't wrong about Waters' solo The Wall tour.  It was one of the most spectacular shows I've seen.

Wish I'd seen Danny Gatton more than the one time I saw him as part of a benefit for his old drummer from Danny & The Fat Boys, Dave Elliott, who needed dual hip replacement surgery.  Just one short set on a bill with Bill Kirchen and Too Much Fun, the Tom Principato Band, and others.  Danny was gone just a few months later.

....

Re Gatton ...i was at this show.. 

https://youtu.be/KIijiOvkpDs?si=MVTbDb1D5OdMSVF3

id also like to add the 2 Sweethearts of the Rodeo shows I saw back to back in Albany with Stuart/ Hillman/Mcguinn to my list

and yes the Wall show was another level good

yes, the Wall!!

Fun to reminisce, I'll play:

1977 - ELO at the Cow Palace.  Three moments:  Entering the venue, my first indoor show, the intensity and weirdness of Steve Hillage in long flowing robes playing space-rock lead guitar.  Then, during ELO, lasers were still legal to aim into the audience.  Aimed at a mirror ball and shooting all over the venue.  Aimed at a cello, the player spun the cello shooting the laser in all directions.  And, the amplified cellos, low notes actually moving my internal organs!

1978 - Rush at the Cow Palace on the Hemispheres tour.  Geddy Lee playing bass pedals, complex bass lines, and singing.  La Villa Strangiato.

1978 - Johnny Winter at the Old Waldorf.  Johnny came out alone, sat on a stool, sang a couple verses, then just started jamming.  Minute after minute of Johnny going off, eventually I turned to my friend:  "This is still the first song!"

1979 - Todd Rundgren solo at the Old Waldorf.  At the grand piano playing "Can We Still Be Friends" and a ballerina enters, pirouetting across the stage.
      
1979 - Allman Brothers at the Oakland Coliseum.  Reserved seats.  As we thought the end of show was nearing, we'd move to an open pair of seats closer to the stage at the end of each song.  Made it to front row center, for the encore break.  But not a simple encore, they played at least another 30+ minutes, including Whipping Post, and we danced like it was a GD show.

1981 - King Crimson at the Old Waldorf.  I believe it was during The Sheltering Sky.  Fripp was soloing so hard he ALMOST stood up off his chair!

1983 - BB King at the Saddle Rack Club in San Jose.  4 of us scraggly young white guys were in line for the late show as the early show ended and people filed out.  They took our tickets, and we walked into the empty venue, settling in at a table, front and center.  Eventually, someone came through and put Reserved signs on tables around us.  Behind that area, the venue started to fill up.  As showtime approached, the tables around us filled up with very well dressed, very African American folks.  Someone from the venue approached us and said we were at a reserved table.  We explained that when we arrived no one was here and no sign was on the table.  We looked back, and behind our section the place was filled all the way to the back.  The worker heard our story, left, came back, said we could stay, and put gold star stickers on us.  BB came out, acknowledging many of the special guests around us.  During the encore break as people cheered, we stood right next to the low stage and banged our hands on the stage to help bring the band back out.