Monday, August 7, 2006

Summer Concerts Poll: Best Concert of the 80s?

Ahhh, the 80s. Those were the days, eh? A simpler time, when all you needed to do was look at the hair to know exactly what genre of music you were dealing with. Peroxide blonde and spiky? It must be a white wedding!  Ink black and spiky? There's no cure, so meet me at the cemetery gates. Red and spiky? Girls just wanna have fun, you fool. Floppy bows on bed-head? Bouncy pop a la material go-go girls. Perms teased within an inch of their lives? Slap a headband on it and it's hair metal. Add makeup and it's glam. Add both and it's Dee Snyder. But what was the best of the best in the 80s? Well, that's up to you to decide... 

Who was the best concert of the 80s?
Tell your tales: It's a dead man's party, so let those skeletons out of your concert closet!
 
You voted on these choices:
--LIVE AID
--Motley Crue
--Duran Duran
--Bon Jovi
--The Police
--Madonna
--Run-DMC
--Billy Idol
--John Cougar (before and after the Mellencamp)
--The Go-Gos
--Squeeze
--Public Enemy
--Bruce Springsteen
--Poison
--Depeche Mode
--Cyndi Lauper
--Guns 'N' Roses
--Van Halen
--R.E.M.
 
School us on our glaring omissions:
State the obvious: Tell us which ones we missed!
 
You're never just a number to us:
Vote in this week's poll: Your opinion counts!

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

NoVaNoCaro says:

Saw Skid Row and Bon Jovi. Kiss and Whitesnake back in the 80s. Kiss with Ted Nugent. Whitesnake I don't even remember. I've seen Kiss like 6 times. HUGE kiss fan back in the day. I wanted to be gene simmons.

Anonymous said...

Oh man, so many quintessentially 80s shows!
--Styx's Mr. Roboto tour in 83
--Robert Plant & the Honeydrippers in 84
--Sting's Dream of the Blue Turtles tour in 85
--Power Station in 85
--Til Tuesday in 85
--Peter Gabriel's So tour in 86
--Paul Simon's Graceland tour in 86
--Howard Jones & The Thompson Twins in 86
--INXS Kick tour in 87
--Bryan Ferry's Bete Noir tour in 87
--The Sugarcubes / New Order / P.I.L. in 89
--R.E.M. / Indigo Girls / Throwing Muses in 89

One of the most amazing concerts I remember from the 80s was Paul Simon's Graceland tour. Ladysmith Black Mombazo & Miriam Makeba came all the way from South Africa, and the Graceland songs were just phenomenal from first to last.

INXS at The State Theater at U of M was the first time I ever saw raw sexuality onstage. I remember it to this day. 'Nuff said.

On the other hand, there were stabbings at Joe Jouis Arena at the Styx show. That and the dramatized Kilroy Was Here story-line of the Mr. Roboto tour should count for something, right? Maybe not. What can I say, I was 13 and impressionable.

Biggest regret? I completely ignored The Sugarcubes during their set. To this day, it's the one and only time I ever "saw" Bjork. Though you couldn't actually say I "saw" her sing a damned note. WAH!!!!

Anonymous said...

3modernkids says:

I totally put Band Aid.

dooo they knoooow iiiit's christmas time aat aaaallll....?

Anonymous said...

IllinChillinAustin says:

I still have a soft spot for my first ever concert -- Def Leppard Pyromania, with Bon Jovi opening.  Fireworks, loud music, high evergy, packed house...  For a barely-14-year-old, it was mind blowing. Joe Elliott could've told the crowd to stand on their heads and bark like dogs and I would've done it.

Anonymous said...

Miss Fancy Pants says:

bon jovi, baby!

Anonymous said...

mama bear says:

Three concerts from the 80s are still in my top ten ever.

U2 touring for "Unforgettable Fire."  Granted I was a hormonal 8th grader, but it was one of the most goosebump inducing, emotionally engaging concerts ever.  The music soared, Bono inspired and the crowd continued to sing the second encore of "40" long after the band had left the stage for good.  Peace, love and happiness indeed!

Sting at the Masonic Temple in Detroit.  Brandford Marsalis was in the band.  It was supporting the album "Nothing Like the Sun."  I was blown away by the energy of Sting's performance and the improvisation on every track was incredible.  I don't go to shows to hear a song that sounds exactly like it did on the album, and Sting totally delivered!  We were even treated to an acoustic version of "Roxanne," a track that he had sworn off at the time.

Last but certainly not least, the Smiths.  Morrissey was at peak form, running amok and writhing around all over the stage.  Angst at it's best.  Plus, I'm just pleased as punch I can say I saw the Smiths live!!  ;-)

Anonymous said...

Prince, The Time, Rick James, & George Clinton

Anonymous said...

The best concert , and I've seen many good ones, and a few bad, was Pink Floyd hands down. Their show was pure, it is a audio and visual evperience

Anonymous said...

I was 17 in 1988 and a metalhead (still am w/ less hair!) and seen many shows before but, a friend had tickets for Pink Floyd and absolutely begged me to see them live "it's utterly F**king Fantastic" Well goes to say he was right, it was the most incredible show I'd EVER seen!! The smoke swirling in RFK under the lights & full moon, the awesome laser show, the quadraphonic sound system, the illicit activities going on. I became a Floyd fan immediately and saw all 4 shows at Caps Center (don't know what it's called now) and traveled to Philly to see 2 shows there. Maybe the "illicit activites" going on had something to do with it, but these shows I will remember vividly for the rest of my days...

Anonymous said...

You missed The Cars & The Go Go's

Anonymous said...

Where's KISS?

Anonymous said...

I'd have to say next to Pink Floyd, Rush was an amazing live band.

Anonymous said...

the j.geilsband if you haven't seen it . it ain't nothing 'but ahouse party. believe me the house is rockin'.

Anonymous said...

I worked for a local promoter in the eighties.  We forgot Ratt, Poison ,INXS
and of course SEGER

Anonymous said...

where's Prince and M. Jackson, they may be freaks now, but they ruled the eighties! Admit it people!!

Anonymous said...

A/C/D/C,,,,,,,FOURNER,,,,,TOM PETTY,,,,,,LED ZEPLAN

Anonymous said...

A/C/D/C,,,,,,,FOURNER,,,,,TOM PETTY,,,,,,LED ZEPLAN,,,, The 80"s is when ROCK WAS ROCK!!. JUDIS PREST,,,,. CONTRIBUTE TO THE OLDIES!!!!

Anonymous said...

A/C/D/C,,,,,,,FOURNER,,,,,TOM PETTY,,,,,,LED ZEPLAN,,,, The 80"s is when ROCK WAS ROCK!!. JUDIS PREST,,,,. CONTRIBUTE TO THE OLDIES!!!!

Anonymous said...

judas priest

Anonymous said...

L.A. in the 80's had the best concerts in small places: (1) the infamous Go-Go's Christmas show at the Whisky-A-Go-Go. A drunk and barefoot Belinda romped through Walkin' In The Sand and growled through We Got The Beat. (2) the Pretenders at the Santa Monica Civic. Chrissie Hynde was on the prowl while the drummer pounded the beat. Ah, the intoxication of youth! ; )

Anonymous said...

L.A. in the 80's had the best concerts in small places: (1) the infamous Go-Go's Christmas show at the Whisky-A-Go-Go. A drunk and barefoot Belinda romped through Walkin' In The Sand and growled through We Got The Beat. (2) the Pretenders at the Santa Monica Civic. Chrissie Hynde was on the prowl while the drummer pounded the beat. Ah, the intoxication of youth! ; )

Anonymous said...

As always,the Allman Brothers.

Anonymous said...

How could you forget one of the longest running and biggest concerts of the '80's --- Def Leppard. From High N Dry to Pyromania to the unforgettable Hysteria, they have to be one, if not the #1, show and album(s) band of the '80s!

Anonymous said...

def leppard sold more albums in the 80s than any other band,how can you not include them.!! THEY STILL KICK ASS!!!!