Best gig you have ever been to?

[albionism]

Echo and the Bunnymen - Kilburn National 1985...totally blown away by Pete de Freitas' drumming in particular.
The Specials -The Enmore in Sydney 2010. I was expecting them to be just going through the motions, but the energy on stage was staggering.
Madness - The Dominion Theatre, London 1981. My first ever gig at 10 years old, will always be a very special memory.
The Cure (with James, Lush and All About Eve) - Crystal Palace Bowl,1990.Was worth it if only for the amount of panicking goths that got wasps caught in their hair on that gloriously sunny day.
Anti Nazi League Carnival Against the Nazis, Brockwell Park, 1994. Fantastic line up, fantastic weather, fantastic vibe, fantastic drugs back then.

 

[MillwallShoes]

libertines at brixton academy, probably. they were superb. and although he is a bit of nob, doherty was at the top of his game and had talent.

 

[marty21]

In no particular order

The Cure - Glastonbury - 1986?
Beastie Boys - Chicago 1988
Lindisfarne - The Fleadh in Finsbury Park - 90s, the year Bob Dylan came - he was shit - they were epic
The Pretenders - Bath Pavillion - 1981

ETA Lindisfarne was 1993

 

[Voley]

Hard to pick one but the two that always spring to mind are Neil Young And Crazy Horse at the Phoenix Festival and Nirvana at The Astoria. New Order at WOMAD around the time of 'Low Life' was fucking incredible too.
Best lineup? First day of this:

Highlight of the day: pissing myself waiting for Iggy Pop to come on because I couldn't be arsed to fight my way through the crowd to the bogs.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Not really a gig as such, more a concert. Kodo at Birmingham Symphony Hall. Never heard sound like it before or since. No amplification, just a bunch of blokes with drums ranging from the tiny to fucking massive. Utterly astonishing.

 

[dessiato]

I haven't been to a gig for a couple of years. The last one I was next to the speakers and it blew out an eardrum, permanent tinnitus now. One of the best though was Legendary Tigerman just as he started appearing on MTV. He was at Carpe Diem in Santo Tirso. Before and after he mixed with the punters, bought, and was bought, beers. It was like chatting with a mate who just happened to be playing some music. It was dirt cheap too, we paid 4€ and got a free beer with entry. That year he made his big breakthrough.

 

[ska invita]

Not really a gig as such, more a concert. Kodo at Birmingham Symphony Hall. Never heard sound like it before or since. No amplification, just a bunch of blokes with drums ranging from the tiny to fucking massive. Utterly astonishing.

i love this kind of thing (big drums/percussion) in theory but have never really heard it done...will keep a look out for them.

ive seen a Gamelan troop play, that was great - doesnt really come over on recording but sounds amazing in the flesh

 

[Boris Sprinkler]

Sick of it all
H20
CIV

LA2 about 1995, with a bunch of school mates after we had just finished our GCSEs. We were wasted and the whole place went off.

 

[Utopia]

Bjork - Manchester G-mex 95/96 I think
Super Furry Animals - in a Tent in Llangollen 97ish
Radiohead - in a tent in Victoria Park 2000
Orbital - Homelands 2000
The White Stripes - Brixton academy 2003(I think)
Muse - at Benicassim 2007
Bjork - Manchester Science Museum 2011

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

i love this kind of thing (big drums/percussion) in theory but have never really heard it done...will keep a look out for them.

They don't come to the UK that often and tickets aren't usually cheap but if you can, go.

 

[Firky]

Are they really small or are the drums really big?

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Are they really small or are the drums really big?

The drums are big. Really big. The noise is like nothing you've ever heard. The bass is unbelievable, you feel your entire body resonating with it, all without the need for a PA system

 

[billy_bob]

They don't come to the UK that often and tickets aren't usually cheap but if you can, go.

Seconded. Firky - the drums are fecking massive. It's like being imprisoned in your own heartbeat listening to them.

 

[chintz]

Portishead Glastonbury 95(?) in the Acoustic tent

 

[Pingu]

Are they really small or are the drums really big?

they are just far away

 

[Pingu]

just remembered another gig that was spot on (still not as good as MIG though)

Marillion new years eve in 1985/6 (ish) - the music may be a bit twee but Fish could work a crowd and that night everything gelled

 

[Dr. Furface]

Front 242 at The Astoria
Neil Young & Pearl Jam in Finsbury Park

If that Front 242 gig was the one in '89 then I was at that too, and it was indeed brilliant. As was the Neil Young one, which I also went to. I wouldn't have thought of either as being in my best ever list, but now you mention them they were both right up there. I'll post mine up later when I've got more time.

 

[Geri]

If that Front 242 gig was the one in '89 then I was at that too, and it was indeed brilliant. As was the Neil Young one, which I also went to. I wouldn't have thought of either as being in my best ever list, but now you mention them they were both right up there. I'll post mine up later when I've got more time.

Yes, it was 1989.

 

[Sprocket.]

No particular order.
The Wonder Stuff, Leadmill Sheffield 1988
The Clash, Derby Assembly Rooms 1979
Ian Dury and the Blockheads and Basement 5, Sheffield Top Rank 1979
Placebo, Newcastle Carling Academy 2008ish
The Ramones and The Boys, Sheffield Top Rank 1978
Levellers, Too many to list
New Model Army, Sheffield Plug 2007.

 

[MrSki]

The Stranglers April 3rd & 4th 1980 When Hugh Cornwell was banged up.
Support included Joy Division(Ian Curtis had a fit on stage due to the strobe lighting), UB40 & Steel Pulse.

Special guests included Ian Dury, Toyah, Hazel O'Conner,Robert Smith, Robert Fripp,Jake Burns,Wilko Johnson, Phil Daniels & a host of others. Went on the 3rd with enough money for a t-shirt & was that good that I spent t-shirt money on ticket for the 4th. £3.50 IIRC

 

[DrRingDing]

stones hype park 69 ( in a papoose, 2yrs old ) , Clash 83 Fair Deal brixton , Primal Scream 91 leicester sq empire, on cleanest white doves evah,they came on at 1.00 am, Screamedelica, perfection.

Oh you looky bastard.

 

[DrRingDing]

Chemical Brothers at Glastonbury 1999. Having spent two days wandering round in masses of mud, wondering if it was worth it, and veering strongly towards 'no.' And the Chemicals did have a tendency to do play five really good minutes and then just bloody noodle about for ten minutes. But they were just brilliant, the intro to Private Psychedelic Reel was totally mind-blowing.

Indeed they were amazing. I double dropped some proper old school quality pills. Off my old tities I was.

BTW 1999 was bone dry.

 

[belboid]

Aah, 97, not 99

 

[MillwallShoes]

anyone see dylan at the royal albet hall in 66? lucky

 

[Dr. Furface]

The Clash - Derby Kings Hall '77
David Bowie - Stafford New Bingley Hall '78
Parliament/Funkadelic - Birmingham Odeon '78
Joy Division/A Certain Ratio/Scritti Politti - Electric Ballroom '79
Bruce Springsteen - Birmingham NEC '82
The Birthday Party/Einsturzende Neubaten/Malaria - The Lyceum '83
Fela Kuti - Brixton Academy - '83
Tom Waits - Dominion Theatre '85
The Smiths - Brixton Academy '85 (their last ever gig)
Pet Shop Boys - Wembley Arena '89
Miles Davis - Royal Festival Hall '91 (his last London show, he died 2 months later)
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - Royal Albert Hall '97
Kraftwerk - Brixton Academy - '04
LCD Soundsystem - The Astoria '07
Fever Ray - Brixton Academy '10

If I had to pick just one I guess it would be Bowie in '78, which was the perfect time for me to see him. It was split into 2 parts - the first half was all Station to Station/Low/Heroes material (my fave Bowie period) and then the 2nd half was the older crowd pleasers from Ziggy/Aladdin etc. Awesome.

 

[seeformiles]

Thin Lizzy - Belfast 1982
Dr John - Belfast 1985
Taj Mahal - Belfast 1987
Pink Floyd - Wembley 1988
Hawkwind - Leeds 1989 (Tbf Hawkwind are a good night out any old time with the right drugs!)
The Rutles - Leeds 2001
Love - Leeds 2001

Loads more but those immediately spring to mind.

 

[Kaka Tim]

Portishead Glastonbury 95(?) in the Acoustic tent

Wow - you actually managed to get in past the Hillsborough-esque crush outside?

 

[ringo]

Roughly in order

Bernie Flint - Bournemouth 1977 - My first gig i think, with me mum
Thin Lizzy - Brighton Centre 1983
Pogues every St Patricks night @ Hammersmith Palais 1985 & 1986, Brixton Academy 1987, Town & Country 1988
Black Roots - Brighton Top Rank 1987 (first reggae gig)
Misty In Roots - Brighton Top Rank 1989
Black Uhuru - Glastonbury 1989
Gregory Isaacs - Brighton 1989?
Happy Mondays - Glastonbury 1990
Bunny Wailer - Brighton Essential Festival some time in the early 90's
Dennis Brown - Bournemouth 1992
The Orb & Primal Scream benefit gig for miners - Sheffield Arena 1992
Stone Love Sound System with Tony Rebel, Beenie Man etc - Reggae Boys fund raiser, Kingston, Jamaica, 1998
Capleton / Buju Banton / Luciano - Three Mile Island, London 2000
Abyssinians - Ocean, Hackney - about 2003?

First Fat Boy Slim gig on Brighton beach though not sure if you can call it a gig or a DJ set. Might include those epic Orbital gigs at Brixton Academy too.

 

[sim667]

1999 - Fear Factory (Who destroyed), supported by spineshank and fear factory, who both smashed it .

REM (again 1999) - Glastonbury

Tool - 2005 ish (i think) at brixton

NIN - everytime ive seen them

Atari Teenage Riot - 2012 (comeback gig)....... There are no words, but I think I may have been helped along by a few other bits and pieces. But I felt like I had been battered by audio at the end of it.

DJ Sets, ive seen too many amazing ones, but Hellfish B2B DJ Producer at BFW last year was something else

 

[chintz]

Wow - you actually managed to get in past the Hillsborough-esque crush outside?

I was in there way before the crush started, the downside of this was watching that bloke out the lemonheads, who was off his head, do his set.