Top Concerts

After heading out a couple of weeks ago and finally seeing The D, I thought about the best shows I have ever seen. So here is a brief rundown of the top 5 concerts that I have attended.

Tenacious D 2006 UIC Pavilion – They simply rocked the fucking place. It has been a couple of weeks and I needed that time to put the show into perspective. They opened doing an acoustic set which was great. Then, they came back with a full band rocking out the rest of the show. Their encore of Tribute was reason enough to have seen them. I’ve been to a lot of concerts in my day and this one is now in my top 5.

The Who 1989 Alpine Valley – I have been a fan of the band forever so, it was kind of a dream realized to be able to see them live. They did a three hour show with Pete Townsend taking over a middle set to play some solo stuff. It was everything I could have wanted in a Who show.

Stevie Ray Vaughn 1990 Alpine Valley – We all went to see Eric Clapton and Vaughn was the opening act. I was already a fan, but many others in our group just had a passing interest in the man. After that show everyone would be a fan. There was no doubt after seeing both artists who put on the better show. Stevie Ray Vaughn and Double Trouble simply blew everyone who was there away. Sadly, two days later he would be dead in a tragic helicopter crash which made the show all the more memorable.

Living Colour 1989 The Rivera – My friend Chris had bought four tickets and offered one to me. At the time I had heard one song by the band and didn’t own their record yet. So, I went along not knowing what to expect and they blew my fucking socks off. The energy that night was amazing and they simply put together a set that you could not help but be blown away by. They made a fan out of me for life with that performance.

Peter Gabriel 1992 Rosemont Horizon – I went to the show with just my ex-girlfriend. The Rosemont Horizon is a shitty place to see a concert. The acoustics suck and it is very sterile. With all that said, this is still my favorite concert of all time. The man simply put on such a performance that I still can’t describe. A true musical genius and innovator.