Top Gigs

Last Sunday night I did some work around Fox Studios. On noticing a crowd at 9pm I dropped in to find they were only just arriving. A couple of hours later I returned expecting a rush, but found only a trickle departing the concert. Finally a young woman climbed in and informed me the band was still going, after starting 90 minutes late.

‘What stars’, I said, ‘they must have been international’. ‘Yep, Kiwis, Fat Freddies Drop’, she replied. ‘A dub band with a loyal following who didn’t seem to mind’. ‘Any good ?’, I asked. ‘Well, I guess you have to like that sort of music’, she said. ‘It was kind of slow but I didn't mind, I’m a journalist so I got a free ticket. They had a really funny brass section though - they would come on and play one note, then go off’. ‘One note eh ? Sounds like the sort of irony Split Enz mastered’.

This brought back memories of a Lou Reed concert at the Hordern Pavilion, some thirty years ago. After starting late he came on and played three songs, before being carried off stage. This after stating in a pre-concert interview he wanted fans to leave the gig on their hands and knees ! At least he played an extra date for these aggrieved fans.

On Monday evening I carried some fans from a Tommy Emmanuel concert. Or was it Sunday...it gets like that in the cab game. These fans were well into their fifties, which kind of shook me a bit when we got to discussing bands. I keep forgetting how old I really am ! No matter, I asked them, ‘Any good ?’. ‘Sure was’, replied the old fella, ‘the best concert I’ve ever been too. Better than Eric Clapton and all those overseas stars’. Phew, big call.

Later I got to thinking about the, ‘best concert I’ve ever been to’. In my time I’ve seen a few from Lou Reed to The Clash, The Who, AC/DC, Divinyls, Cold Chisel, all knock-out nights. But from memory, and I’m stretching it here, Ian Drury and the Blockheads was a special. Or was it Talking Heads...no wait, The Police...who knows. I don’t even understand why Tim Rogers is good. Shows you how much I know about music.

Risk showing your age by listing in Comments the best concerts you’ve ever seen...

Comments

[Harry Buttle]

Had to be one of countless "Jimmy and the Boys" gigs at the old Cronulla Workers Club.

[Ian]

Without a doubt, for me, it was Tommy and Phil Emmanuel playing together at a concert in Sydney some years ago now. I'm a big fan of people like Mark Knopfler, and have seen him live, but Tommy and Phil together, ya gotta see it to believe it!

[Ben]

A lot of people don't 'get' what is so good about Tim Rogers and You Am I. Usually I ask these people to listen to "Hourly, Daily" from start to finish and then see how they feel. Granted, Tim Rogers' voice can be pretty weak sometimes, but a You Am I live show is a real experience. I've been to see them about 8 or 9 times, and loved every one of them. The are The Who for the current generation.

As for favourite gigs, The Finn Brothers a couple of years ago was a highlight, but I'm going to see Billy Joel in a few weeks so hopefully that'll top the lot.

[jr]

definitely Talking Heads and Pretenders at the tennis centre twenty years ago! Or maybe Bette Midler. OR maybe Party Girls at the Windsor Castle. OR maybe Concrete Blonde at the Metro. OR Fleetwood Mac at Calder Park OR..... welll i've definitely showed my age! But all gigs are good i reckon. Takes a real dud to make it to the 'bad' category (like the 3 song Lou Reed Experience!)

[Herman8]

I'm young it would seem. Gomez, The Turbine Hall, Cockatoo Island, Syndey Harbour, 2005. Bloody marvellous.

[Tom H]

Best? No argument - Deep Purple at Adelaide's Memorial Drive around about 1985ish. The memory of 20 thousand people going absolutely apes..t as the opening bars from "Woman From Tokyo" gradualy changed to the dum, dum, dum of the most famous opening riff in history. Oh man. And the all pervading smell of, ummmm, burning herbs across the oval.

My very first was bloody fun too - Status Quo (at Memorial Drive again) in 1976. God, has it really been 30 years?

"Maybe I won't take drink from the table, reckon I'll lay me straight down on the floor."

[Greg]

Talking Heads, about 1979, and with the B-52's opening, hands down.

[Lee]

I loved David Bowie in concert! He was magnificent. Also, Theodarakis...the Greek composer who did the music for "Zorba, the Greek" and also "Z". His concert was outstanding. Springsteen, of course, was great!

I like Tim Rogers...and I don't know why! ;)

[Luisa]

Santana at Centennial Park a couple of years ago. That was fantastic. He had the whole festival thing going on.

[Lee]

Yep...he would have been great...that I can imagine, Luisa! :)

[Peter]

Midnight Oil about 1982 at Selinas in Coogee. It was an anniversary night. There was a huge birthday cake on stage. The band played the first song with no lead singer. After that they lifted the lid off the cake and out jumps Peter. Later the band stated chucking cream into the crowd which started a good natured cream fight. A lot of guys had no shirts on as it was hot, so you scraped some off your mate and back it went. That was just part of an amazing rock and roll night .

[Meg]

One of my favourite concerts was also Midnight Oil in Darwin in about 1990. It was an outside concert and packed. Lou Reed a few years later but that was at the Entertainment centre - fabulous to listen to all those songs but those big venues where you are tied to your seat are atmospherically flat. More recently ...The Eels (E played one gig in his pyjamas around 2000) and the Dandy Warhols are phenomenal live - I see them whenever they come out here and it isn't a mega festival gig. Unfortunately great bands come out here and play Livid only in Brisbane then tour the country playing in smaller venues so those in Brisbane who can't cope with festivals miss out.

[Jo]

The 80's was a decade I only kinda remember but without doubt my fave concert would have been Pink Floyd. I had hoped to enjoy a Joe Cocker concert too but it was not to be... he was too drunk to stand up and had to be helped off stage :-(

[Jimi]

Some favourites:
1. Rory Gallagher - the old Capitol Theatre Sydney 1980. I didn't even know much of his music at the time, but he was unbelievable.

2. Ramones - London 1989.

3. Thin Lizzie - outside the Opera House about 1977. They played a sound check early in the morning and played for about half an hour with almost no-one there. Fantastic.

4. Stevie Ray Vaughan - inside the Opera House in the mid 80's.

I also saw Pink Floyd and Deep Purple in the 80's and they were both great. Dire Straits, Joe Jackson, Johnny Winter, Eric Clapton, John Mellencamp, Aerosmith, Tracy Chapman, Motley Crue. I've seen so many I can't even remember them all. It used to be so cheap to see a good international act, and bands like Chisel, Oils etc used to play at your local pub!! There were good bands to be seen every night of the week - and we're talking about suburban Sydney.

[Jimi]

Oh, yes, I forgot to mention Lonnie Mack at the Basement in the mid 80's. Outstanding!!

I seem to remember seeing Tommy and Phil Emmanuel playing together a few times and I think they also played together in a band called "Goldrush". They used to do this trick playing where they both played the one guitar at the same time. One would be picking the strings whilst the other would be playing the neck. Extraordinary!!

Also forgot to mention that I own a guitar once owned by Phil Emmanuel.

[shadow]

Deep Purple at the Horden Pavilion 1975.The walls were shaking.I've still got the buzzing in my ears.
Paul McCartney at the Entertainment Centre about '93
There's a long list but these are standouts

[pat]

Best ever: Spy Vs Spy, Do Re Mi and headlining Hunters & Collectors at Selinas Bar Coogee Bay Hotel 1985.

Sunnyboys at Sweethearts Cabramatta, Hoodoo Gurus and OMD at Balmain close second.

Worst ever: New Order at Enmore. 2 x 15 minute sets during which they repeatedly told the audience to "Get F'd".

Tied with Pseudo Echo at Surfers.

[RCP]

With out a doubt, it was the first Jethro Tull concert in Minneapolis, MN in 1970. Their first US tour and held at a "Theater" (the Guthrie). Our seats were about seven rows from the stage, just off center. Ian Anderson was on fire, charging back and forth with hair and green tails flying!