Wow! Who woulda thought?? Who would think that I could go on and on (and on) about the concerts of my past. Well, let me continue!
YES: TALK TOUR 1994. Go figure that I am listening to them right now. Anyhow, YES, featuring the line-up with Trevor Rabin on guitar, Jon Anderson on vocals, Chris Squier... ah, geez, like he HASN'T ever been in the band (oh yes, on bass guitar), Alan White on drums, Tony Kaye on keyboards. Or as I like to refer to the line-up... the 90125 guys! Anyhow, the beauty of this concert, apart from the fact that it's Yes, is that there was no opening act, the show was at the aforementioned Park West, and if you were in the reserved seats, the show was broadcast over an FM frequency, from the soundboard. It was fantastic in every regard. I have only seen YES once, and I am glad that it was with the Trevor Rabin line-up. Not to talk smack of Steve Howe. I would love to see him, someday.
A couple "honorable mentions"...
MIDNIGHT OIL: I saw them twice. Diesel and Dust tour, and then in 1991, with Hunters and Collectors. Hunters and Collectors were an Australian Alternative music band that was known for their horn section. The horn section came out and played with The Oils, which made for a completely fantastic experience.
OINGO BOINGO: Another band I saw three times. The first time was on the DEAD MAN'S PARTY tour, with Wall of Voodoo (sans Stan Ridgeway) as the opening act. The second time was in 1989 on the Boingo Alive tour. The third time, and finest experience, was on the farewell tour, 1995. It was on this tour, which was only 6 or 7 West Coast shows, that they played for 3 hours, and it was truly a farewell concert. This isn't like a Kiss farewell tour (three and counting?), because they were done. Danny Elfman has only done film and TV scores since.
Now, let's move to the 21st Century, if we could. Quite possibly the best concert I have ever been to, and a definite TOP 3 show, was in 2000. The show was...
BT/HOOVERPHONIC at Club DV8. Now, I will be honest in saying that the main reason I went to the show was to see Hooverphonic, who was the opening act. I had recently fallen in love with the music of this Belgian trio. I loved their beautiful melodies, lush production, lovely vocals, and the overall atmosphere of their music. And they were everything I had hoped for. Then came BT. Now, for those of you who may not know, BT is the pseudonym for Brian Transeau, who is a classically trained musician, but Techno music guru. I have seen a documentary, where BT explained that in his composing, he will wire himself to see how his brain responds to certain elements of his music. Anyhow, the one thing that sets this tour apart from his other tours, is that he was touring with an 8(?) piece band. Complete with a guitarist, bass player, female vocalist, turnable artist, among others. What blew me away was the energy and intensity of BT. I cannot describe the incredible energy at that show. Wow. Wowee wow. Just a tidbit of trivia... the backup vocalist was Toddy Walters, who is best known for her work with the South Park guys, including Orgazmo and Cannibal: The Musical.
I will now conclude this post (for now) with another TOP 3 concert...
MUSE: Fall 2007 tour, in support of Black Holes and Revelations. Forget the fact that Juliette and The Licks (that's right, Audrey Grizwold from Christmas Vacation) was the opening act... and I really mean FORGET the fact. Geez. Spinal Tap does not do a more cliche' rock show. Anyhow, I was NOT prepared for the amazing show that Muse delivered. The light show was one of the best I have ever seen, the music was some of the best I have ever heard, the talent some of the best I have ever encountered. I am just hoping (and nearly praying) that they release a DVD of the tour. Check out all the bootlegged clips on youtube.com.
Speaking of light shows... I guess I had better mention
U2: POPMART 1997. I had the privilege of seeing this tour TWICE. The first time was at the University of Utah, where the show was sold out. That was partially due to the fact that U2 had not played in Utah since 1983, when they were supporting WAR. For some reason they had neglected Zion for 14 years, but have been back every tour since. We were fortunate enough to get floor seats, but unfortunate enough to be behind one of the U of U basketball players. That was pretty much what I got to look at for most of the show. So, I was blessed when my sister, Kristy, offered to buy Tiffany and I tickets to see the tour in New Orleans, later that fall. Tiffany worked for Southwest Airlines at the time, and we were able to fly for free. As ironic as it is, Kristy and Tracey (her husband) couldn't go, but we still went. The show was at the Superdome, which holds 80,000 people. So, when the show only sold upwards of 40,000 tickets (more than the Utah show), it was still nearly half empty. Regardless, we had wonderful seats on the side, and I not only saw the enormous screen, but we were able to watch the actual band in action. I am trying to remember the opening act in New Orleans. Three Days Grace? I think that was it. Our Salt Lake performance was supported by Rage Against The Machine, which in retrospect is a wonderful thing. I wasn't a huge fan at the time, but my appreciation for their political views, not to mention the guitar stylings of Tom Morello, have changed my opinion.
Okay. I'm tired of typing. Enough for now...
----------------
Now playing: Yes - New State Of Mind
via FoxyTunes
YES: TALK TOUR 1994. Go figure that I am listening to them right now. Anyhow, YES, featuring the line-up with Trevor Rabin on guitar, Jon Anderson on vocals, Chris Squier... ah, geez, like he HASN'T ever been in the band (oh yes, on bass guitar), Alan White on drums, Tony Kaye on keyboards. Or as I like to refer to the line-up... the 90125 guys! Anyhow, the beauty of this concert, apart from the fact that it's Yes, is that there was no opening act, the show was at the aforementioned Park West, and if you were in the reserved seats, the show was broadcast over an FM frequency, from the soundboard. It was fantastic in every regard. I have only seen YES once, and I am glad that it was with the Trevor Rabin line-up. Not to talk smack of Steve Howe. I would love to see him, someday.
A couple "honorable mentions"...
MIDNIGHT OIL: I saw them twice. Diesel and Dust tour, and then in 1991, with Hunters and Collectors. Hunters and Collectors were an Australian Alternative music band that was known for their horn section. The horn section came out and played with The Oils, which made for a completely fantastic experience.
OINGO BOINGO: Another band I saw three times. The first time was on the DEAD MAN'S PARTY tour, with Wall of Voodoo (sans Stan Ridgeway) as the opening act. The second time was in 1989 on the Boingo Alive tour. The third time, and finest experience, was on the farewell tour, 1995. It was on this tour, which was only 6 or 7 West Coast shows, that they played for 3 hours, and it was truly a farewell concert. This isn't like a Kiss farewell tour (three and counting?), because they were done. Danny Elfman has only done film and TV scores since.
Now, let's move to the 21st Century, if we could. Quite possibly the best concert I have ever been to, and a definite TOP 3 show, was in 2000. The show was...
BT/HOOVERPHONIC at Club DV8. Now, I will be honest in saying that the main reason I went to the show was to see Hooverphonic, who was the opening act. I had recently fallen in love with the music of this Belgian trio. I loved their beautiful melodies, lush production, lovely vocals, and the overall atmosphere of their music. And they were everything I had hoped for. Then came BT. Now, for those of you who may not know, BT is the pseudonym for Brian Transeau, who is a classically trained musician, but Techno music guru. I have seen a documentary, where BT explained that in his composing, he will wire himself to see how his brain responds to certain elements of his music. Anyhow, the one thing that sets this tour apart from his other tours, is that he was touring with an 8(?) piece band. Complete with a guitarist, bass player, female vocalist, turnable artist, among others. What blew me away was the energy and intensity of BT. I cannot describe the incredible energy at that show. Wow. Wowee wow. Just a tidbit of trivia... the backup vocalist was Toddy Walters, who is best known for her work with the South Park guys, including Orgazmo and Cannibal: The Musical.
I will now conclude this post (for now) with another TOP 3 concert...
MUSE: Fall 2007 tour, in support of Black Holes and Revelations. Forget the fact that Juliette and The Licks (that's right, Audrey Grizwold from Christmas Vacation) was the opening act... and I really mean FORGET the fact. Geez. Spinal Tap does not do a more cliche' rock show. Anyhow, I was NOT prepared for the amazing show that Muse delivered. The light show was one of the best I have ever seen, the music was some of the best I have ever heard, the talent some of the best I have ever encountered. I am just hoping (and nearly praying) that they release a DVD of the tour. Check out all the bootlegged clips on youtube.com.
Speaking of light shows... I guess I had better mention
U2: POPMART 1997. I had the privilege of seeing this tour TWICE. The first time was at the University of Utah, where the show was sold out. That was partially due to the fact that U2 had not played in Utah since 1983, when they were supporting WAR. For some reason they had neglected Zion for 14 years, but have been back every tour since. We were fortunate enough to get floor seats, but unfortunate enough to be behind one of the U of U basketball players. That was pretty much what I got to look at for most of the show. So, I was blessed when my sister, Kristy, offered to buy Tiffany and I tickets to see the tour in New Orleans, later that fall. Tiffany worked for Southwest Airlines at the time, and we were able to fly for free. As ironic as it is, Kristy and Tracey (her husband) couldn't go, but we still went. The show was at the Superdome, which holds 80,000 people. So, when the show only sold upwards of 40,000 tickets (more than the Utah show), it was still nearly half empty. Regardless, we had wonderful seats on the side, and I not only saw the enormous screen, but we were able to watch the actual band in action. I am trying to remember the opening act in New Orleans. Three Days Grace? I think that was it. Our Salt Lake performance was supported by Rage Against The Machine, which in retrospect is a wonderful thing. I wasn't a huge fan at the time, but my appreciation for their political views, not to mention the guitar stylings of Tom Morello, have changed my opinion.
Okay. I'm tired of typing. Enough for now...
----------------
Now playing: Yes - New State Of Mind
via FoxyTunes
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