The WSJ has taken a look at the biggest acts to fill a large venue and are finding that the biggest ones are rapidly aging with no up and comers challenging them for the big stage.
Generation Y (Millennials) and Generation Z don’t go to huge single act performances, they prefer the festivals where their short attention spans are treated to multiple performers in a compressed time frame.
What bands have you seen in 20,000+ people settings that were single act shows (not including the undercard warm-up act)?
These are the 20k+ venues I can remember going to
The Who (Golden Earring warmup) Madison Square Garden
Black Sabbath (Judas Priest, Piper w/ Billy Squier warmup) Nassau Coliseum (?)
Aerosmith (Ted Nugent warmup) Madison Square Garden
ELP – Madison Square Garden
The Police – Madison Square Garden
Blondie – Nassau Coliseum
Heart – Central Park
Rolling Stones (Living Colour warmup) – Shea Stadium
And I can tell you, they allllllll sucked (except Aerosmith/Nugent and Heart)
I much prefer the smaller venues.
Smallest venue ever?
Pete Yorn. About 10-15 people in a radio station. Irony was there.
Smaller venues are great, but I’ve been to some large venues and had a great time also. Last summer we saw Billy Joel at Safeco Field in Seattle and he still does a really good show! I would see him again.
I’ve been fortunate to see about a half a dozen good concerts, the Moody Blues, Heart, Willie Nelson, Eric Clapton, Celine Dion and Jimmy Buffet. All the rest sucked big time. Out of the studio most of these bands couldn’t carry a tune in a barrel.
I’ve noticed that concerts which seem tragic to one person, may be an absolute scream to another, especially after five or six beers.
Depeche Mode at the Rose Bowl, early 90’s. I haven’t gone to a lot of concerts. I wasn’t particularly impressed with their live performance – except it threatened rain all evening and during Blasphemous Rumors there was a little thunder and lightning. That was memorable.
The only large-scale concerts I hear of these days are performers who have been around 40+ years.
Dave Clark Five
The Who
Jethro Tull
Emerson Lake & Palmer
Crosby, Stills, & Nash
Van Halen
Billy Joel
The best venues are clubs.
The hard part is catching great acts in a club.
NAMM shows are also great. If you have a good eye for spotting artists walking around incognito you can get a one on one.
https://www.namm.org/thenammshow/2017
I spotted Eddie Jobson wandering the halls and followed him into a room where he tried out a new product.
I listened to him play for 20 minutes and he talked about the keyboard.
Saw Stevie Wonder all alone in a room playing a new keyboard. He didn’t see me. (Or did he???)
NAMM schedules lots of bands that play in order to show off their sponsored brands, and lots of artists play at the spur of the moment just to jam.
Leon Russell warm-up for Alice Cooper in 1972, Jacksonville Fla.
Don’t remember how I got there or how I got home. All I know is I was seated on the floor and threw the Policeman that grabbed me around the neck and I escaped through the crowd. The three others I went with were put in jail.
Farm-Aid, Willie Nelson & others, Hoosier Dome, Indianapolis, IN, 1990
BB King, 20 years ago, Gary Indiana small venue
Johnny Winters 15-16 years ago, Champaign, IL, small venue
Arlo Guthrie, Decatur, IL probably 15 years ago, small venue
The small venue concerts were exceptional.
The only arena show I ever went to was Iron Maiden many years ago in Chicago, I forget the venue but it was an excellent show.
Small/bar shows are by far the best, they’re more personal. I saw Manowar in front of about 50 people once, best show I ever saw.
Saw the Dead when they still had the “wall of sound”…1973 as I recall, at the newly opened civic center arena, Roanoke, Va. The ticket was 12 bucks and they played almost 4 hours. My ears are still ringing.
Saw Zappa on his “Bongo Fury” tour with Captain Beefheart in ’75 in Charleston, Wv.(Made up my screen name from that show)
They use to do free concerts in the parking lot of the Union Station mall in the 90s in St. Louis in the summer. If you got there hours ahead of time and brought your own lawn chair you could sit right up front. I got to see Kansas and The Band after (they reformed) and The Hooters that way. Kansas was freaking amazing, even 20 years later.
I went to Bush Stadium for Paul McCarthy, it was great if you wanted to pay $75 bucks to watch a big screen of his performance.
U2 outdoors in Phoenix with 40K others. Fantastic show
Not a fan of big box concerts, last one?
Beach Boys, July 3,1976 Anaheim Stadium, a good vibration was had by all.
Only went because Brian was playing.
Mike Love
Brian Wilson
Dennis Wilson
Carl Wilson
Al Jardine
That’s right folks, all the original lineup.
Last time I heard them was in San Diego, they were playing at the place next door to the hotel we were staying at.
Hot tub, some cold adult drinks, my lovely wife and the Beach Boy, there was only one left, Mike Love.
They didn’t play it but I enjoyed it, “Games Two Can Play”.
Weirdest venue ever-
Gibson product demo day in a grungy loft in Manhattan. Went with Pinko because he was friends with the Gibson rep.
Place was hot and cramped. I don’t play guitar, so I was bored… until Elliot Easton came in and started trying out a guitar. Then Ricky Byrd came in. Then Ace Frehley. Then Carlos Alomar.
Then they played a song.
Weird.
Elliot Easton outplayed all of them, easily. Not even close.
The original Quiet Riot, with Randy Rhodes in Pasadena 78
Black flag backyard party temple city 77
Kiss forum 78
The tubes Greek theater and the following night riverside 81
Michael Jackson victory tour, dodger stadium 84, company I worked for printed their tour programs and Tito made a stink about how small his name appeared in the program so we had to increase the font size so he didn’t feel small. 😂 5 pallets of programs went missing from shipping and ended up at the rose bowl flea market being sold for big money.
Eagles forum long run tour 79
Sugar ray, Hollywood palladium 99, had to go because daughter and her friend wanted to go, so I had the chaparrón. Of course as always tag along everclear was playing too.
Metalica death magnet tour dec 12 2008, Ontario ca.
But, there’s nothing like the tubes, best show ever and light years ahead of the rest. RIP Vince Welnick.
Saw the Tubes in an 800 seat venue.
Great show.
Elliot Easton, left handed awesome sauce.
What Do You Want From Life?
The first concert I saw was back in 1981 or 82. The Police played in Champaign, Il. Joan Jett opened. Some time in the early ’90’s I saw the Clash and U2 in St. Louis. Most shows I have seen were in smaller venues. The last one was a death metal show in a bar in Chicago. The headliner was Deicide. Death metal isn’t reaaly my thing, but five bands for $20 is pretty cheap enertainment. It was fun and loud.
I saw Roy Buchanan and Johny Winter at a small club in Albany early 80s.
Oh yeah, queen at Irvine meadows sept. 11, 1982 w billy squire opening who sucked. Stay in the studio billy, you sounded better bouncing tracks you can’t do live.
I Played in a lot of going nowhere bands and give it up to raise my family and move on with plan B, C, D. Best choice I made as the life of a debaucherous starving musician was not what I wanted for my family.
The Who 6x
Springsteen 5x
Yes (the only terrible concert I’ve been to, and it was my 1st one in ’73)
Aerosmith (with Ted Nugent, same tour BFH? circa ’75)
Van Halen
McCartney
Heart
Fleetwood Mac
Billy Idol 2x
Sugar Ray
Huey Lewis 2x
The Kinks 2x
Stevie Nicks 2x
Roger Waters (music was great, couldn’t stand the political BS, left early. It was after The Who so I was already satisfied)
Smaller Venues:
Deep Purple
Brian Setzer
Daughtry (wife needed a date)
Southside Johnny
Thorogood
Elton John (last year in Vegas. Very impressed)
Pat Benatar 2x (saw her coming up in ’80 and on the way down a few years ago)
I love live music. It is really cathartic for me. Smaller venues are great but I don’t mind bigger venues.
Best live performamces that were better than the studio cuts-IMHO. ZZ Top,RUSH,UFO,Triumph,Kansas. Saw them all at the Tucson Community Center in the 80’s. VAN HALEN absolutely sucked live! Lord, good times and great Rock…
Best arena concerts:
Chicago, mid 70s
Genesis, early 80s
Dan Fogelberg, late 80s/early 90s
Moody Blues, late 90s
Best small venue:
Larry Norman, 150 seat capacity, early 70s
Laurence Juber, 40 seat capacity, mid 2000s
PS, the Laurence Juber concert – sat front row and asked him if I could video tape it. He said yes. I still have it somewhere.
Guess I’m old.
Eric Clapton and his band – Capitol Center – SUCKED.
Jefferson Starship – Capitol Center – Great.
Grateful Dead – Stadium – Great.
Allman Bros. – Stadium – Great.
Janice Joplin – UoMD – SUCKED – Van Morrison opened – Good.
Leon Russell – Stadium – Great.
Dave Mason – Kennedy Center – Great.
Pink Floyd – Stadium – Great.
Bunch of bands – Rockingham Speedway – hot.
Crow – PGCCC Community Center – Good.
Tom Petty – No.VA. – Great.
BB King – Solomon’s Island – Great.
Harvey Chown – Bar in DC – Great.
Maynard Ferguson – Calvert County HS – Great.
Prolly s’more, lost in the mists of dementia and/or drugs and/or alcohol.
izlamo delenda est …
Heart in vegas, bleeech!
Vandenberg w, yngwie malmsteen, man what a premadona he was. At the troubadour and they sucked. But it was free for me. Just wanted to see if he was as bad as they said he is. And he is!
Rod Stewart Greek theatre had the wife wake me when it was over. 😂
Good times.
Saw procol harum about 1973. Conquistador time frame. Little known opening act. The Eagles.
Steely Dan about 1974. The power kept going out when they got loud. They were really pissed and stopped touring not long after.
Saw Joe Jackson, Frank Zappa, Rolling Stones and J Geils in Naples Italy.
Led Zeppelin about 1978 Terrible acoustics in the old cap center in DC. Maryland actually.
Pretenders and B52s. Good show.
Elvis Costello a few times
Smash mouth were good
U2 sucked plus they were mocking America. Fuckers. I walked out.
I’m going to see one of my favorites in may. The Pixies.
Can’t believe I forgot The Dead Boys at Whiskey a Go Go in ’80 during my Punk phase. Actually I was so drunk I don’t remember most of it.
ZZTop-1986 (first ever concert)
Pink Floyd-1987, 88, 94
The Who – 89
Stevie Ray Vaughan (Stray Cats)-1989
Eric Clapton (with Robert Cray and Stevie Ray Vaughan opening)-1990 the day before Stevie passed
REM-1989
Rolling Stones-1990
Oh and then there was the Carson City speedway concert right after graduation. Girlfriend at the time and I scraped together enough dough to buy a cheap bottle of wine. Neither of us were experienced drinkers.
All of the big SF bands were there; Santana, Jefferson Airplane, Boz Scaggs, Tower of Power.
Well, girlfriend started non stop puking because of the wine. Pretty distracting. I don’t remember much after that other than a cop rapping on the car window telling me that it wasn’t safe to sleep in the car with the motor running. It was cold. Chick puked all the way home.
I don’t supposed that needing a bank loan to go to a concert has anything to do with in, and the fact that scalpers scoop all of the tickets in ten minutes.
OMG, you want me to count them?
I’ll try to remember, some of them I was pretty wasted.
Van Halen
Judas Priest (3x)
Iron Maiden (2x)
Scorpions 3(x)
The Who (2x)
Aerosmith
38 Special
Metallica (3x)
Lynyrd Skynyrd (2)
Pear Jam
Neil Young
Foreigner
Ted Nugent
AC/DC (3x)
ZZ Top
Thorogood ( same concert as ZZ but blew them away)
Rush
Roger Waters (The Wall)
Black Sabbath
Journey
Blue Oyster Cult
Damn Yankees
Allman Brothers
Aldo Nova
UFO
Alice Cooper
I’m positive there are more but it’s still early and I have only had one cup of coffee.
Going back over that list plus having worked around a lot of heavy equipment over the years reminds me why I’m pretty much deaf in one ear and can’t hear out of the other.
Before The WHO crushed them in Cincinnati (1979), all the concerts allowed people to get up front with “festival seating.”
Since then I buy the best seats I can get up close.
I have great seats for an upcoming small-venue BOSTON concert.
And no, Sib hasn’t been with the band for some time.
Rolling Stones, Soldier Field, ’78
The next night was sitting in a Blues bar with my squeeze watching/listening to Muddy Waters. Slow night as only about 30 people there.
In walks the Stones and they play for about 30 minutes with MW. By then the word had got out….and they left. It was surreal.
Many concerts for many years…don’t remmember them all
Does Trump, Mobile, 20K count?
Last Willie Nelson concert was kind of funny. He’d sing the first line or two, then the crowd sang the rest. He kind of mailed it in.
Widespread Panic at the Bomb Factory in Deep Ellum Dallas-1996. Soulhat at The Hop near TCU in Ft Worth-late 90s, about 10 people showed up cuz all the cool ones were in Dallas to see Dave Matthews, pulled up a stool & sat about 15 ft in front of the band by myself, greatest show ever
Does this mean sign language may not need to be a required in grade school?
Well I have been to a few large venues and smaller venues in my day
but I have seen quite a few great bands but hands down without a doubt the best band I ever saw live was The Cars. ( Why they still aren’t in the Hall of Fame is a shame)
Black Sabbath
The Who
Jethro Tull
Uriah Heep
Deep Purple
Humble Pie
Pink Floyd
Emerson Lake and Palmer
Genesis (the Lamb Lies down on Broadway tour)
Zappa
Monty Python (it was at the Hollywood Bowl. I forget if it holds that many, don’t think so)
Bowie (Scary Monsters tour)
I was at Cal Jam 1, when I was just a sprout. I don’t remember if anybody was a headliner
Gad.
I’m ancient
Never liked arena concerts and never went to hardly any.
I did see Frank Zappa (early seventies)
Played in the contracted backup band for Smokey Robinson and the Miracles for a local concert.
Same thing with Bob Hope (and skipped it the next time).
Played in an opening band for the Guess Who at a Rock Festival. I was stage-side very close when Burton Cummings performed.
… a few other events as well.
I have never been to a concert.
Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention early 70’s when I was in HS, Mason Proffit (still one of my favorite bands from the early 70’s), June 1971 at the Gonzaga University Pavillion, Johnny Cash at the old Spokane Colisseum, Arlo Guthrie, San Diego Oct. 1973, others include small concerts with my kids include Riders In The Sky at a folk festival Summer of 88. My son still has a toy sheriff’s badge signed by all of them, he was 6 at the time. But the best was The Tannahill Weavers a Scottish band who played at the Viking Tavern to a standing room only crowd in the Spring of 1984. Loud bagpipes and fiddles inside a small tavern really gets your adrenaline running. It was a great concert and I didn’t know a didgereedoo could sound so good in Celtic music.
And the mini Woodstock type concert at Farragut State Park on Pend O’reille Lake in N. Idaho over the 4th of July weekend in 1971. That was something else, it was a free love, free for all and drug fest that I still don’t know how they got away with. I was 18 and was drunk most of the 3 or 4 days it went on and froze my ass off because we were sleeping on the ground in our sleeping bags and it was below freezing at night but we had fun.
Great thread! I love reading what band you saw and when. I only went to a few concerts back in the day and kinda regret I didn’t go to more when I was younger. Saw Pat Benatar, Rush, Adam Ant, Foreigner when I lived in Columbus OH and every John Mellencamp concert both there and here. Saw JM up in Vancouver BC and had seats in front of a drunk Indian ( Native American) who yelled the lyric “Check it out!!!!” during the whole show. Ugh.
I fondly remember The Adults, local punk band in Columbus, who played at my art school dance parties. We’d go see them around town too. “F*ck Art-Let’s Dance!” was their big hit!
Neil Diamond x10
Jethro Tull x4
Meat Loaf x3
The Blues Brothers (1981 – fantastic)
Peter Gabriel
Judah Priest
Dio (LAST IN LINE – epic)
Fifty years from now, the only big rocker left will be Keith Richards, touring as The Rolling Stone.
First of all, the WSJ sucks. Arena Rock is waning? Has there been ANY decent rock genre music since the late nineties? No, really, has there? I’m drawing a blank. Personally I think it’s a myth that you have a ‘good’ time in an arena or a field filled with 20,000+ screaming, sweating, drunk/high individuals, waiting in line for everything, having your view of the stage blocked, being bumped into incessantly. But they used to sell those tickets.The best ‘concert’ ever for me though was in 84, Austin Opera House (Austin Tx.) for the Ramones, with the “Offenders” opening. Right at the stage. All of the above was experienced with relish.
That’s fooking funny @VV.
Only regret is never seeing DEVO while they were alive. I loved me some DEVO.
I had the good furtune to be around San Diego when Top Reggae groups first started touring the U.S . They played to a 300 person max. You were like part of the stage it was so personal.
Peter Tosh
Meditations
Burning spear
Eek-a-Mouse
Yellowman
Itals
Jimmy Cliff
Gladiators
Isreal Vibrations
Black Uhuru
Don Carlos
steel Pulse
Ziggy
Shabba Ranks
Bunny wailer
Greggory Issacs
@ loads more
BabyMetal at Wembley…
Concert that I most wanted to see …….Bee Gees (One Night Only) 1997 Las Vegas! Saw them in 1970 with Dionne Warwick opening……………..old times were great!!
Ozzie, No More Tours Tour. Rock the phuck ON!
I was in the 82nd Airborne and was training West Point Cadets in the summer of 1976, and the Rolling Stones were practicing at airport hanger at the airport were our barracks were. We could hear them playing all the way up on the hill. The next evening we ventured down to the hanger and were invited in to watch them practice for their upcoming USA tour. It was freaking amazing and we got to meet the band too.
2nd favorite concert was Dire Straits in Houston performing live and broadcast on the King Bisket Flower hour. It was 3 hours long and they sounded like they were in a studio.
Genesis
Grateful Dead
Pink Floyd
The Who
Foreigner
(I’m a reformed hippy 😉
Chuck Mangione (Chataqua Institute)
Stellar!
Iron Maiden x2
Motley Crue
Pink Floyd
Rush
Neil Young
Grateful Dead
All in Buffalo, NY, then
Kiss
Tool
Richmond Va