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Let’s hear from all of you - top concerts?

July 22nd, 2008 Posted by: Dust Devil

Hello everyone,

I have had the fortune of going to a lot of concerts and shows over the years. I always find it interesting talking to others that enjoy music as much as I do and comparing great shows we have seen. I thought it would be fun to compare notes with anyone on the Insider, so without further adieu, I present to you, in order, the Dust Devil’s Top Ten Concerts of All Time. Let’s stick to just the individual artists, festivals being thrown in the mix will complicate things.

1. Elbow at the Bluebird Theatre; Denver, CO; May 2, 2008. I have only been into Elbow for a couple of years now, but it did not take long for my love of the band to grow to staggering heights. This show was the first, and hopefully not the last, time seeing these guys. Every song was played to near perfection, Guy Garvey’s vocals were unbelievable, the set list was flawless, the venue was outstanding and the soundman did a fabulous job on the board. What a great road trip and evening. The version of Newborn I heard that evening nearly brought me to tears, it was that beautiful. Starlings is one of the best opening songs for a set I have ever seen. I guess they put on an amazing performance at this year’s Glastonbury Festival. What is it about Manchester that some of the greatest bands (in my humble opinion) have come from there?

2. Flaming Lips at Red Rocks Amphitheatre; Morrison, CO; September 15, 2007. Honestly, could the inaugural Monolith Festival been headlined by anyone else? Another band I finally had an opportunity to see, the Lips are all about putting on an unbelievable performance for their fans. All the stories I had read were true: the costumed dancers onstage (this time as Santas and aliens); tons of confetti showered everywhere; the giant green balls bouncing around; and of course, the now legendary Space Bubble Wayne Coyne crowd-surfs in to start the festivities. The Flaming Lips would not be able to get away with all the extra-curricular activity if the music was not just as good, and fortunately they have a fabulous library to choose from, starting off the evening with the inspiring Race For The Prize. The band pulled tracks from their entire catalog, including Riding To Work In The Year 2025 from the Zaireeka disc. What a joyous evening!

3. The Ramones and Black Flag at the Palace West; Phoenix, AZ; November 15, 1984. The mighty Ramones, one of my all-time faves, were touring in support of Too Tough To Die, which in many respects was a comeback album for the band. The legendary Black Flag opened the show. Unfortunately, this was during the band’s period when a lot of the original fan base had declined as a result of the band fusing a lot of metal in their attack. Today I can look back and realize the greatness I witnessed that evening, but as a 14 year old kid I was not happy with the change. Henry Rollins, one of the best frontmen you will ever see perform, had long hair back then and was bombarded with insults from the crowd. They put on an intense set, but the crowd was definitely there for The Ramones.

I think (that memory of mine …) that I saw The Ramones play five times over the years, this show being the last time I saw them with Dee Dee on the bass and the most explosive set I had the privilege of seeing them play. Johnny and Dee Dee started the show on top of the huge amps that were on each side of the stage. Smoke was everywhere, then Dee Dee chimed in with his patented “1-2-3-4!” and the band just exploded! EVERYTHING was played, from Blitzkrieg Bop to I Wanna Be Sedated to Pinhead. There were no breaks, just song after song of pure 3-chord madness. Say what you want about the simplicity of this band; without The Ramones the punk scene as it is today would not exist.

4. Phil Collins at US Airways Center/America West Arena; Phoenix, AZ; April 18, 1997. This was my second time seeing Phil Collins and this occasion was on the Dance Into the Light Tour. The popularity Phil Collins had enjoyed in the eighties was definitely gone by now, but that did not stop him from putting on a fabulous show. The requisite hits from that decade were performed to the delight of the crowd, but personally it was the lesser-known numbers that made this a great show for me. Wear My Hat and River So Wide, two tracks from his current disc at the time, were great numbers. Of course, In The Air Tonight was the huge highlight of the evening, particularly when he jumped behind the drums for one of the best climaxes to a song ever laid down on vinyl.

5. Peter Gabriel at US Airways Center/America West Arena; Phoenix, AZ; July 24, 1993. The original lead singer of Genesis was touring in support of the Us record and as usual, pulled out all the stops in putting together an amazing show. There was a stage on one end of the arena and in the middle of the venue was another stage, this one being round in shape. The two were connected by one long catwalk which had a conveyer belt on it that Peter Gabriel and his band used often during the show to create the illusion of movement without moving their feet. A giant video screen that could rotate on its own axis was behind the main stage, offering stunning visuals throughout the show.

It would take pages to describe all the stunning visual affects that occurred during the concert, which lasted well over 2 1/2 hours. The music was just as phenomenal as the majority of his most recent disc at the time was played, as well as a good mix of tunes from his previous efforts. The ending of the show, which took place on the round stage, was the gorgeous In Your Eyes. The song may not have been a huge radio hit, but the enduring quality of that tune makes for the perfect end to the evening when watching this legend perform.

6. Echo and the Bunnymen at Mesa Amphitheatre; Mesa, AZ; 1988. The greatest band of all time (my opinion, don’t have a cow) was touring in support of their self-titled and fifth album, which was a U.S. breakthrough for them. Absolutely one of the biggest mistakes of my musical life was not becoming a fan of this band earlier, because their first four records are, in my opinion once again, the greatest opening run by a band ever, culminating in the spectacular Ocean Rain.

The backdrop of the stage reminded me of the cover of the Crocodiles record. The band confidently strode onstage and simply blew their fans away with a setlist including tunes from all five records. Naturally a big bulk of the set was from their most recent record, but the power of the Bunnymen was always in prime display on their older tracks. Do It Clean, Crocodiles and Zimbo were played with precision, but in typical Bunnymen fashion still had that primal edge that set them apart from their peers. Pete de Freitas was a spectacular drummer, Les Pattinson as smooth as it comes on the bass, Will Sergeant was pure innovation on the guitar and Ian McCulloch was a dominant frontman.

What a fabulous concert, I really do miss this band with this line-up!

7. REM at the Palace West; Phoenix, AZ; July 29, 1985. This was the first time I saw the college radio kings at the time, REM. This tour was in conjunction with the release of the phenomenal and often overlooked Fables Of The Reconstruction album. The band was in stellar form on this evening. Peter Buck was a monster onstage, his guitar work playing havoc with my senses. I can still remember the brutal attack of Feeling Gravity’s Pull and the sounds of a train leading in to that song. It was so loud in that venue and just added to the explosiveness of the tune. Michael Stipe was as intense as a caged animal and attacked the music with power and tenacity. They lost their edge for a long, long time, but their latest effort Accelerate is a pretty solid return to form.

8. Ghostland Observatory at the Fox Theatre; Boulder, CO; April 19, 2008. I had never even heard of this duo when I saw them at the Monolith Festival in 2007 and needless to say was blown away. When they released their third disc in the spring of 2008 and were not coming to Phoenix on their tour, I decided to make the trip to Boulder to see them. Holy cow!

Take electronica and mix it with rock and roll, punk and funk and you have somewhat an idea of what the Ghostland Observatory does, but even then the music is much too eclectic to try and describe. Thomas Turner is responsible for the bulk of the actual music, but the key is the presence of frontman/vocalist/guitarist Aaron Behrens. An absolute wildman on stage, the crowd was treated to a display of dancing and showmanship not many frontmen can equal. Imagine a combination of James Brown, Mick Jagger and Prince. I kept watching the dance floor and EVERYONE was moving the entire show. This is a duo that has some serious power live and the fact that this is coming from just two people is amazing.

9. James Galway at the Phoenix Symphony Hall; Phoenix, AZ; September 9, 2006. Years ago I played in my grade school band and quit doing that once I hit high school. A big mistake, because as I grow older I develop more and more of an appreciation for classical music. I first heard James Galway, the Man With the Golden Flute, on The Return of the King soundtrack and was really impressed, so when I saw he was performing with the Phoenix Symphony I decided to go. What a show! He plays with such beauty and is a fabulous showman, dancing around the stage as he plays and exchanging banter with the audience in between pieces. During intermission he even stayed on the stage and took questions from the audience, then stuck around after the show to sign autographs for his fans. He returns to Arizona in March 2009, I highly suggest you go.

10. Slayer at Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum; Phoenix, AZ; May 23, 1991. The kings of metal (once again, my opinion) were touring with Megadeth and Anthrax on what was billed the Clash of the Titans Tour. A truly brutal line-up, the three bands rotated during each stop of the tour as to who was the headliner. How lucky for Phoenix that Slayer was the headliner on this day.

Alice in Chains were on the bill, opening for the aforementioned three bands and touring in support of the Facelift disc. All I can say is Alice in Chains were a great studio band, but live they were absolutely worthless. Megadeth and Anthrax tore things up, but let’s fast forward to Slayer.

I have seen Slayer numerous times and they are one of the few bands in this world capable of inciting a riot on any occasion. Seasons in the Abyss was the current album they were touring in support of, and this tour was so successful that a double-disc live document, Decade of Aggression, was later released with disc one representing the set-list from this tour.

What an intense evening! Slayer employs a double-lead guitar attack with Kerry King and Jeff Hanneman swapping duties, even in mid-song. As fast as Slayer’s music is, Tom Araya sings the vocals, rather than just screech them. Dave Lombardo was incredible on the drums, employing a vicious double-bass pedal attack.

The highlight of the concert easily was early in the show when Slayer performed War Ensemble. The crowd, already seriously hyped up, went into a frenzy. There was already a massive mosh pit in front of the stage, but now the masses sitting in actual seats rushed the floor, creating a second pit behind the soundboard. As an audience member who stayed in my seat, it was an intense and scary scene to watch. This band is a menace anytime they play and I love every second of it.

Let the critiques and your lists begin!

Cheers!
The Dust Devil

A MOST HONORABLE MENTION - I have to do this for personal reasons. My best friend was a gentleman by the name of Ron Pratt, who unfortunately passed away a few years ago. I met Ron back in the summer of 1985 when I was working at a pizza restaurant in Phoenix, AZ, that featured a Wurlitzer organ. Ron was the singing entertainment on Fridays and Saturdays. He had performed in Las Vegas previously and was a member of the Fabulous Phoenicians during this time period.

Ron Pratt was a fabulous vocalist, had a wonderful stage presence and was an engaging personality onstage. He was awarded Male Vocalist of the Year in Phoenix back in 1987. I apologize for not remembering the name of the publication which gave him the award.

Obviously since I was working there I had the opportunity to see Ron Pratt perform every weekend for a couple of years. As a 16 year old I was not a big fan of mellow pop music and big band, but hearing Ron’s renditions of classic tunes such as Ole Man River and New York, New York turned me on to genres of music I had previously ignored.

Ron Pratt was a wonderful artist and a dear friend. I miss watching him perform. I couldn’t decide on one performance of his to put in my Top Ten, but he most definitely deserves to be there.

Filed under: My Take