The following are some honorable mentions of shows that were unforgettable, but couldn't push the others out of the Top 10.
--Audioslave at last year's Lollapalooza: Nissan Pavilion, Middle of Nowhere, Northern VA, 2003. Audioslave completely stole the show. Again, being at the front of the pit probably really changed the experience for me. Incredible. Incubus was almost as fantastic. Their playing was right on, and Brandon Boyd is, well, let's just say he's the sexiest alterna-boy out there. (Feel free to retch again, but charisma is a big part of performing, and we gals account for a lot of record and ticket sales.) Jane's Addiction were fun after all these years, Queens of the Stone Age had a relatively strong show, but couldn't quite compete. Jurassic Five is one of my favorite hip-hop bands, but the engineers just couldn't figure out their sound and make it work at an outdoor venue. I guess that's a hazard of being the only hip-hop group in a sea of rock distortion and feedback. I'll have to see them again. Chalie 2na, Cut Chemist, I need more!
--Paul Simon: Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI, 1986. This was his tour in support of Graceland, and he brought along many of South Africa's foremost performers. Not only was this an amazing performance on Paul's part, but I also got to see Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Miriam Makeba perform with him. Felt like history being made.
--Bryan Ferry: Meadow Brook Music Festival, Rochester Hills, MI, 1987. This was Bryan's tour in support of Bete Noir, but it was his performance of the songs from Roxy Music's Avalon that were unforgettable. That is one of my all-time favorite albums, and I got to sit in the third row to see him croon those tunes. In particular, More Than This, To Turn You On, While My Heart is Still Beating, and the female vocal solo on Avalon. Practically out-of-body experience-inducing.
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I was never a huge fan of either Soundgarden or RATM...and frankly, when I heard that Chris Cornell had hooked up with Tom Morello et al I had visions of some frightening major label 'supergroup.' Think: Van Hagar. Needless to say, from the very first guitar riff and Cornell shriek I had to clear away all my cynical ranting and raving. Now that I'm in my 30s it's not very often that I'm willing to stand in the pit along with a gazillion sweaty kids half my age...but this was worth the random drunk teenager floating over my head. I'm not sure what anyone espected, but Audioslave completely blew away the crowd and the crowd returned with an equally enthusiastic response. It was 45 minutes of pounding rock music. Yeah ok..so Audioslaveslave isn't anything earth shattering, but here was a case where the performance surpassed the music. I got nostalgic for a lighter and my old Led Zeppelin albums -- on vinyl.
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