What are your Finest Live Performances from the 1980s/Early 90s/pre-Nirvana? (Major, Indie and Local). Here are mine... MAJOR: ---------- 1) The Replacements - RE: their 3 records: Let it Be, Tim and Pleased to Meet Me...I dont think there has been as good a trilogy by any band before/after - got to see them on their Dont Tell a Soul and last tour (too bad it was after Bobby got fired and Chris quit) for All shook Down at Bogarts/Cincy where we heckled the Goo Goo Dolls so bad that their fat bass player stopped playing mid-song and got into a shouting match with us. Who woulda thunk that they would strike it rich by basically stealing the Mats sound and hitting the top 10 billboard. On that last tour, the Mats were polished and incredible. I then saw PW at least 10 times solo in the 90s...one of my top songwriters/performers ever. 2) R.E.M. - much like the Mats, their 3 record and initial E.P. were a pretty amazing run - Chronic Town, Murmur, Reckoning and Fables of the Reconstruction, the band was mysterious and haunting when they 1st arrived on the scene YET they were one tight unit and jammed hard (Folk Punk?). I saw them in Miami Oh on their Lifes rich Pageant tour which was amazing I will always regret that I missed them at their peak. I wouldve liked to see them in their heyday of playing dive bars VS an arena w/ 10 K other fans. The next day, I went to a record store to see if they had the Connells new record Boyland Heights and they didnt -BUT- the extremely cute Indie girl at the counter GAVE me a promotional cassette copy of it for FREE because nobody there knew who they were...I was in heaven that trip. 3) U2 - saw them on their Joshua Tree tour - closest thing to a revival through a rock band with 20+ K people at Kiel auditorium in STL. I saw then Connells the next night at Blueberry Hill, see more below. Best 2 day rock experience of my life!!! 4) OZZY Osbourne/Blizzard of Oz - My official 1st concert when I was 13 years old in 82 which happened to fall on my birthday (1-27). I feel; fortunate that I got to witness Randy Rhoads literally two weeks before the airplane accident which took his brilliance from us. He is by far my favorite guitarist. His inventiveness and classical influences were something nobody in this world will ever be able to match. This show actually had to be rescheduled because OO had had to have medical treatment for potential rabies from an earlier show (long story) a month earlier. I also won an autographed copy of the Diary of a Madman L.P. from K-SHE 95 Real Rock Radio that week. STILL THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER....thanks to my brothers. 5) the Grateful Dead - saw them at Freedom hall in 1989. It was just a a fantastic party!!! INDIE: --------- 1) Camper Van Beethoven - what a fun live band, I saw them five times throughout the Kentucky region on their Our Beloved Revolutionary Sweetheart and Key Lime Pie tours. Greg Lisher has to be one of the most exceptionally underrated guitarists of the 80s, as well as the rest of the group. I had the pleasure of seeing Jonathan Segels brillance twice before he left the band and actually fell for his replacement, Morgan Fichter (in a fanboy kinda way). She was just pretty, classy and cool in an Indie chick kinda way and extremely talented as well. IMO. CVB are def. the most inventive rock band from a small surf town in California EVER. 2) The Connells - the polarity of seeing U2 the night before and then seeing and hanging out w/ the Connells just blew my 20 year old mind at that time. It was the 1st time I saw them and I actually had a beer and a long chat with Mike Connell (their primary songwriter and guitarist) and we sparked up a friendship which lasted about 6 years. His down to earth attitude gave me the confidence and made me realize that maybe I could do my own music myself. I kept in touch with him through the U.S.P.S. for several years and sent him tapes of my original song. He was very encouraging and he added me+1 to their guest list any time they made it to Louisville, Cincy and St. Louis. Ive had to have seen them at least 30 times over the years. Did anyone here see them when they played UK during their Ring tour? That was actually one of my favorite shows and 1st time I partied at UK. LOCAL (LOUISVILLE KY)*: ------------------------------- 1) Paul K and the Weathermen/Prayers 2) Love Jones 3) the Julia Set 4) Crain 5) kinghorse 6) Big Wheel (wish I couldve seen Squirrel Bait, unfortunately they broke up before I moved to Kentucky) 7) Hula Hoop 8) slackshop 9) Bush League 10) jakeleg *I was incredibly fortunate to live in Louisville from 1987 to 2010, miss it and one day, want to get there. I know Ive failed to remember a TON of incredible bands, its my all time favorite scene in the world. My apologies to all Ive left out. Please write me an angry reply to this post chastising me for my forgetfulness, OK?
Posted on: Sat, 08 Mar 2014 22:46:15 +0000
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