Top Shows: More Honorable Mentions

The following are a few more honorable mentions to complement my Top 10 list. Jump all the way to the bottom of this journal page to view the Top 10 list in the correct order.

--James Taylor: Sultan's Pool, Jerusalem, Israel, 1988. James Taylor was the very first concert I ever saw when I was a little kid, and it was so awesome to see him again for sentimental reasons. I still knew every word to every song. But to see him in such an exotic locale as Jerusalem, sitting on a grassy lawn surrounded by stones that were well over a thousand years old was beyond transporting. Didn't hurt that he wished a close friend of mine a happy 18th birthday to the whole crowd.

--Sting: Pine Knob Music Theatre, Clarkston, MI, 1985. Yes I was still young enough that I was forced to bring my Mom to the concert with me, but considering Sting was on tour for Dream of the Blue Turtles, she dug the music as much as I did. Branford Marsalis toured with Sting, as his performance on this album was what really launched his career. Plus, I got to hear Sting do tons of Police tunes that I would have seen if only my Mom had let me go see the Syncronicity Tour for my 13th birthday. No, I still haven't forgiven her for it. ;-)

--Second Lollapalooza: Montage Mountain, Scranton, PA, 1992. This was one of those religious experience type concerts for anybody who was in the throes of the current grunge phenomenon. Check out this lineup: Pearl Jam, Soundgarden, Ministry, Lush, Jesus and Mary Chain, Ice Cube and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Blood Sugar Sex Magik was currently my favorite album, and Flea is still one of my top 5 bass players of all time, so I was particularly psyched to see the Chili Peppers (even though Anthony Kiedis has a hard time staying on tune live). But a couple of the acts that I wasn't necessarily there to see really stood out. Ministry had possibly one of the most violent pits I've ever witnessed (from a distance), with a display of testosterone that was truly staggering. Ice Cube was the first rap artist I ever saw (Ice T's Body Count the previous year doesn't count, as that was hardcore), and he controlled the crowd in a way I'd never realized was possible.