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QotD: Thanks for the Memories

Apr 4, 2007
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What are the 10 most memorable music performances you've seen? (Remember, "memorable" may not be good.)
Submitted by Bill.

This is in no particular order:

U2 War Tour in 84. Firstest U2 live ever.

REM Green Tour in 89, which was attended with my best friend (who is still my best friend), Brian (who is now my brother in law), Bill (who is now my husband), and my then boyfriend Todd (who was Bill's best friend at the time) with whom I got into an argument somewhere between Throwing Muses and the start of the main attraction.

U2 Joshua Tree Tour in 87 (20 rows back, on the field, at the now gone Three Rivers Stadium) I got separated from my friends and ended up on the shoulders of some guy named Duncan waving an Irish flag.

REM's last tour with Bill Berry (1995?). Among other things, I was terribly hung over. I had a single ticket and hitched a ride with my then French teacher and her boyfriend. I was introduced to samosas that day (great hangover cure!) It was outside, pouring down rain, and I ended up covered in mud. And Bill Berry's CAT scan was in the tour book.

U2 Zoo TV tour on November 3, 1992. This was the day I voted in my first presidential election. I then hopped on a tour bus with some friends to see my boys up in Vancouver, BC. I called my baby sister (then 3) from the rest stop in Cle Elum, WA. The opening acts were Public Enemy (they wouldn't let the Flav into the country!) and the Sugar Cubes. And I got to find out that Clinton won the election on Zoo TV. Awesome! Oh--and I just had a flash back to some random chick who asked me if Sunday Bloody Sunday was some cover song, because she was like, their biggest fan ever, and she'd never heard it before.

Tori Amos 1997 or 1998. The first concert I attended with Bill since we'd seen REM together back in 1989. We were on the floor because the idiot at NRM couldn't figure out how to sell us the more expensive reserved seating we wanted, and Bill had something of a panic attack while there. We left before the show was over, unfortunately.

John Williams conducts John Williams. Pgh Symphony Orchestra. I think this was 1996 or 97. It sounds corny, but hearing the themes from Indiana Jones and Star Wars conducted live by the man who wrote them was pretty amazing.

Pgh Symphony Orchestra Mostly Mozart program. With Bill back in 2003? Among other things, they did the full Requiem with the Mendelson Choir. Simply outstanding!

Another Pgh Symphony Orchestra memory: hearing the overture for Tannehauser live. I couldn't tell you who was conducting, or what else was on the program. TANNEHUASER!!! ZOMG! I think I cried through the whole thing. One of these years, I'll win the ticket lottery for Bayreuth and see the full production live, which will blow the rest of this list out of the water.

Britney Spears in Cleveland, back before the head shaving ppd & drug weirdness, maybe 98 or 99? My brother, bless his heart, used to have the worst crush on Britney Spears (her first album, anyhoo). And my mom paid me $100 to schlep his then teeny bopper arse to Cleveland to see his "girlfriend." It was beyond disturbing to see all of these pre-teen girls dressed up like little Lolitas, It made me feel incredibly old. Although the whole experience made me feel very protective of her when I see trash about her coming out in the news. That poor girl has been so exploited. No wonder she's so messed up!

Runners up would be U2 Elevation Tour in 2002(?) and seeing Evelyn Glennie with the PSO.