I imagine many of us have been to a music performance before. But the truth is, some concerts are much better than others. Being a guitar player and loving music as I do , I've been to many performances in my years. Some big. Some small. Some with well known rock stars. And some with new bands on their way up.
Here's some of the best shows I've seen and some things I figured out about going to a performance on the way.
Larger Isn't Invariably Better
I've been to some very big shows, including the mother of all concerts Woodstock. Although that show was smashing, the undeniable fact that it was very big wasn't the reason why I relished it. It's probably the indisputable fact that Woodstock was beyond control that made it engaging and fun. The confusion surrounding the over-crowded, food-less, no-place-to-go-to-the-bathroom scene, was what made it memorable. We all made the very best of an awkward situation. We all subconsciously agreed to make is something none of us would ever forget. I believe that's a crucial take-away.
As far as surprising smaller shows, one of the very finest performances I saw was Little Feat at my varsity, University of Massachusetts, back around 1974. The band wasn't yet popular and the concert was attended only by about a hundred people, although it was clear this was a great band on the way up. The concert was held in the Student Union Ballroom. It would probably hold only 500-600 concert goers when full.
And this room held many performances while I was in school there in the 60's and 70's. I also saw Jonathan Edwards, Bo Diddley, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Hound Dog Taylor in this hall, among many others.
Another little concert that was unusual for me was seeing The Nazz at The Tea Party in Boston. The Nazz was Todd Rundgren's first band and, like many bands I loved, weren't super popular but had some great tunes. They had Hello It's Me which later would be re-done by Todd Rundgren as a solo artist and be a massive hit for him. At the time, Nazz was emerging and that show was attended by less than 20 people. I believe the band was a bit disappointed, but still put on a brilliant concert.
My First Concert
If you like music you always remember your first massive show. Mine was seeing The Kingsmen at The Surf in Nantasket Beach just south of Boston in around 1965. The Kingsmen had the gigantic garage rock hit, Louie Louie, so actually seeing them was special. But even this show was relatively tiny. The Surf only held around 1000 folk. Today a band with a triumph like that will be playing to 30-40,000 folk at a time.
But the majority of my live shows back then were in small clubs seeing local or regional bands. Still those shows were always notable to me and a big part of why I wanted to be a musician.
So over time I saw many shows. Here's a few of the highlights I remember...
- The Allman Bros at Orpheum in Boston around 1971.
- Boz Scaggs, Curtis Mayfield and Brewer and Shipley at an external UMass concert in 1970.
- Allman Bros and Bonnie Raitt at UMass Alumni Stadium in about 1980. What was special about this day was both The Allman's and Bonnie Raitt showed up and jammed with NRBQ later that night at a little club called The Rusty Nail in Hadley Mass.
- Any NRBQ show at The Rusty Nail.
- B.B. King Live at the NAMM show playing to about 20 folk in a back room. (Don't get me started about the shows I saw at the National Association of Music Merchant's conventions)
OK I could go on for an extended period of time, I've seen so many great shows. Hope that affects you to make your own list of your favourite concerts.
Here's some of the best shows I've seen and some things I figured out about going to a performance on the way.
Larger Isn't Invariably Better
I've been to some very big shows, including the mother of all concerts Woodstock. Although that show was smashing, the undeniable fact that it was very big wasn't the reason why I relished it. It's probably the indisputable fact that Woodstock was beyond control that made it engaging and fun. The confusion surrounding the over-crowded, food-less, no-place-to-go-to-the-bathroom scene, was what made it memorable. We all made the very best of an awkward situation. We all subconsciously agreed to make is something none of us would ever forget. I believe that's a crucial take-away.
As far as surprising smaller shows, one of the very finest performances I saw was Little Feat at my varsity, University of Massachusetts, back around 1974. The band wasn't yet popular and the concert was attended only by about a hundred people, although it was clear this was a great band on the way up. The concert was held in the Student Union Ballroom. It would probably hold only 500-600 concert goers when full.
And this room held many performances while I was in school there in the 60's and 70's. I also saw Jonathan Edwards, Bo Diddley, The Mahavishnu Orchestra, and Hound Dog Taylor in this hall, among many others.
Another little concert that was unusual for me was seeing The Nazz at The Tea Party in Boston. The Nazz was Todd Rundgren's first band and, like many bands I loved, weren't super popular but had some great tunes. They had Hello It's Me which later would be re-done by Todd Rundgren as a solo artist and be a massive hit for him. At the time, Nazz was emerging and that show was attended by less than 20 people. I believe the band was a bit disappointed, but still put on a brilliant concert.
My First Concert
If you like music you always remember your first massive show. Mine was seeing The Kingsmen at The Surf in Nantasket Beach just south of Boston in around 1965. The Kingsmen had the gigantic garage rock hit, Louie Louie, so actually seeing them was special. But even this show was relatively tiny. The Surf only held around 1000 folk. Today a band with a triumph like that will be playing to 30-40,000 folk at a time.
But the majority of my live shows back then were in small clubs seeing local or regional bands. Still those shows were always notable to me and a big part of why I wanted to be a musician.
So over time I saw many shows. Here's a few of the highlights I remember...
- The Allman Bros at Orpheum in Boston around 1971.
- Boz Scaggs, Curtis Mayfield and Brewer and Shipley at an external UMass concert in 1970.
- Allman Bros and Bonnie Raitt at UMass Alumni Stadium in about 1980. What was special about this day was both The Allman's and Bonnie Raitt showed up and jammed with NRBQ later that night at a little club called The Rusty Nail in Hadley Mass.
- Any NRBQ show at The Rusty Nail.
- B.B. King Live at the NAMM show playing to about 20 folk in a back room. (Don't get me started about the shows I saw at the National Association of Music Merchant's conventions)
OK I could go on for an extended period of time, I've seen so many great shows. Hope that affects you to make your own list of your favourite concerts.
About the Author:
Rick Honeyboy Hart is a long-time blues guitar player. He teaches blues guitar on his website and writes about live concerts like seeing B.B. King live.
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