There used to be a place in New London, CT called the L & G Club. That place was freakin tiny, and the stage was just high enough that I spent Henry Rollins' entire show with his sweaty nuts about a foot from my face, lol.
Anyway...
I'd always meant to go see the Dead at some point, and had at least three opportunities to do so but just never got around to it. Then Jerry died.
After that, it sort of hit me that I should go see bands play when I had the chance, so I started going to more shows. Then, later on, the local casino a mile down the road opened not just a 10,000 seat arena, but also a
free music venue right in the middle of the gaming floor. So for years anytime there was a band playing there that I'd heard of or that sounded interesting, I'd go catch the show. Sometimes I'd go because I liked the music (or thought I might), other times I went just to be able to say I'd seen <insert name here> in concert. Everything from Herman's Hermits (that guy does a hell of a live show) to MC Hammer to the Trans Siberian Orchestra. My list is ecclectic bordering on random, lol.
There's one concert that I have absolutely
no regrets about missing, though:
My buddy was supposed to get us tickets to go see Great White at The Station in Rhode Island...
He flaked on me at the last minute.
(One of my other buddies had a ticket for the show but ended up having to work that night. Hew kept his ticket taped to his bedroom wall til the day he died.)
First concerts I ever went to were Kool and the Gang (with Taylor Dane opening) at a local festival, I accidentally saw Accept (the Metal Heart tour) at a local amusement part, lol, and my first real concert - Heart... The self-titled album from the mid-'80's.
Some of the best were the Dropkick Murphys, Robert Randolph and the Family Band, and Trans Siberian Orchestra.
Worst show I ever saw was actually Bob Dylan... I'm not a huge Dylan fan, but I figured he was playing a mile from my house for a reasonable price, so I should go, right? There was a small circle of light on the stage with all the band's gear in it. They walked on stage without a single <bleep>ing word, started playing these long, extended jam versions of some of his more obscure songs, did the entire show without a single interaction with the audience, then got up and left.
I'm sure I'm missing a few off the list, since I didn't bother to start the list until my mid-30's, but here it is.
ACCEPT (Metal Heart Tour at Rocky Point Amusement Park) - accidentally, they just happened to be playing out in the midway on the day I was there
Heart (2x) (4 total)
Heart/the Jason Bonham Led Zeppelin Experience
Def Leppard/Heart
Sixpence None The Richer
.38 Special
Debbie Harry and the Jazz Passengers
Burton Cummings (the Guess Who)
Dennis DeYoung (Styx)
Jake Shimabukuro
POCO
Don McLean/Christine Olhman/Meadows Bros.
Christine Olhman and Rebel Montez (2 total)
America (3x)
Bread
John Cafferty and the Beaver Brown Band (7x)
Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (2x)
MC Hammer
Blues Traveller
Trans Siberian Orchestra (7x)
Celtic Woman (2x)
Dropkick Murphys (2x total)
Dropkick Murphys w/ Tiger Army and Darkbuster
Type O Negative/Christian Death
Prong/Clutch/Drowned
Bowser's Rock'N'Roll Party
Nelson
Skid Row
Meatloaf (2x)
Judas Priest (missed Queensryche opening)
Kool and the Gang/Taylor Dane
Henry Rollins
The Misfits/Orange 9mm
Morris Day and The Time
Bob Dylan
The J. Geils Band/Jesse Dee
The Australian Pink Floyd Show
Vince Neil (Motley Crue) (2x)
Classic Albums Live (6x - Fleetwood Mac's RUMORS, Pink Floyd's DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, LED ZEPPELIN II, Prince's PURPLE RAIN, Pink Floyd's THE WALL) This is a band with a very fluid lineup that recreates
exactly note-for-note a different classic album on each tour
The Who/Vintage Trouble
Blue Oyster Cult
The Association
Lita Ford
Jethro Tull
Uncle Kracker
Saw Doctors
Railroad Earth
Herman's Hermits (4x)
The Irish Rovers
Robert Randolph and the Family Band (2x)
Queensryche (2x)
The Reverend Horton Heat w/ Continental
Kix
Company Men
Spin Doctors
Survivor
The Zombies (3x)
Joan Osbourne
Kenny Wayne Shepherd
Vertical Horizon
Robert Cray
QUIET RIOT
Scrap Metal (2x)
Pop Evil
The Marshall Tucker Band
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Boogie Wonder Band
Psychedelic Furs
Living Color
Filter
Leann Rimes
Salt N Pepa
Jana Kramer
Foghat
They Might be Giants
Secret Someones
Blind Boys of Alabama
Jill Hennessy
Gaelic Storm (2x)
Vixen
Los Lobos
Reel Big Fish
Slaughter
Esteban
Stryper
Brian Howe (former Ted Nugent and Bad Company vocalist)
Red Sun Rising
Uriah Heep