Great Gigs

[john]

Hi Gang

 

What are the greatest gigs you have been at?

 

Please, just one gig per post, and if you can manage a story of something that happened at the concert, something you witnessed, or experienced. What made the gig stand out?

 

Cheers

 

John

[MisterB]

The most surprisingly great gig I've ever been to was Paul Anka, here in St. John's, Newfoundland. My wife bought tickets for her parents and us for this concert in 2007. She dragged me along very begrudgingly. Why the f*** would I want to go and see Paul Anka?

 

Anyway, there was no opener, just Paul Anka and a small-ish big band came out and did a single 3 hour set.  The guy would have been 66 years old at the time, and he does a 3 hour set - the only time he left the stage was to come down into the audience. His band consisted of the absolute best in the business, and as a trumpet player at the time, I was delighted to see two absolute greats of lead trumpet playing sharing the very demanding role.

 

Anka had released an album of jazzy covers of 80's and 90's rock songs a couple of years prior (not on my radar at all) and he did these along with his oldies.

 

Shockingly good concert. High energy and very entertaining.

 

 

Edited October 28, 2023 by MisterB

[McnaughtonPark]

Like Rich, one concert in particular stands out, and it’s surprising as well.  Dan Fogelberg.  
 

1983.  I had just graduated boot camp and was home on Christmas leave.  My older sister had gotten me a ticket and she and I went while my girlfriend babysat her daughter.  
 

The first thing I noticed was the variety of people who were there, all age groups from the very old to the very young.  Calm is how I would describe the scene inside the Peoria Civic Center that night.  Hanging from the ceiling was the largest American flag I’d ever seen and on stage stood a lone grand piano, black.

 

A hometown boy, many in the audience personally knew him or his family.  His father, of “The Leader of The Band” was a school teacher so you can imagine all the prior students of his and Dans teachers and friends had gathered in the thousands and it seemed like everyone we met had their own personal story about their experiences with the Fogel family.  
 

I’ve never experienced anything like it since, a great night all in all.  RIP Dan, thanks for the memory.

Edited November 3, 2023 by McnaughtonPark