Prog Concert Memories

Saw some great bands back in the early 70's ...

when i mention to folks that i saw the "Mighty Zep" i usually get their attention real quick.
however, the best concert i ever witnessed - bar none - was Jethro Tull's Thick as a Brick.
interesting 'cause it leads the PA Top Prog albums list...

actually,  Led Zeppelin was dull in comparison to the Tull event.
Plant was arrogant & Page should have hired a back-up rhythm guitarist for touring.

The one that always comes to mind was seeing King Crimson at the Atlanta Agora (Discipline), I was too young to be there, friends and family gathered a few tables together on the balcony area.  I got a concert shirt.  One day I wore in to school and a substitute teacher in one of my classes thought it was satanic. 

I don't remember much about my first prog concert, Kansas at the Georgia Tech amphitheater or something...

Pink Floyd, the Animals tour, February 1977. Very impressive indeed...

Floyd at Knebworth  75,  Sound of Crying Baby at the start and all that Pink Smoke  and the same year YES  At Reading , there was  huge storm before yes hit the  stage so they came on over Hour Late and there was so Many people locked outside, the Police made the Festival open the Gates to let them in, to stop trouble, and i lost my Running Shoes in the Mud ,  Floyd The Animals Tour at Wembley Empire Pool   simply Stunning  , The Wall at Earls Court i went all 5 nights ,  and every time i saw Hawkwind  lost count but must be over 300 times or more since 1975  ,  Oh yeah and Supertramp  at Reading the same year as YES they played under huge Umbrellas   ironic as it was Pissing down on us the Crowd , Still to this day I remember the haunting  Piano to the Start of Crime of the Century  echoing around the Site   awwsome   

Edited by Hawkwise - June 15 2008 at 18:31

I'll re-post my list from this thread: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=47956

I've seen (sadly only) 4 concerts in my life, and only one of them being "prog" (-related, some would argue). That actually happened to be this past Thursday (June 12) when I went to see Sigur Ros at the Uptown Theatre in Kansas City. There wasn't much in the way of stage antics beyond the lights and marching brass section, but the music absolutely blew me away. The emotion and sheer power of their music was the best it has ever  been delivered to me. Not a single song was a "dud", or even the least big boring; the whole performance was moving.

It is easily the greatest concert experience I've had (although to be fair it is arguable that at the tender age of 11 I was too young to fully enjoy/experience Elton John when I saw him with Billy Joel during the "Face To Face" tour).

As with By-Tor I would have to go with Rush last month. It was my first and best concert.

Damn, I'm wearing the shirt I saw from the concert 3 days after . It's not prog-related in any way so don't ask. I bought the long sleeve Rush one, which kind of sucks because I'll have to wait through the summer to wear it.

Didja see me by chance? I was the long haired guy headbanging in the second row on Geddy's side (because there wasn't very many of those...)

Where were you seated?

Well, you got my seat perfect so I'm going to assume you saw me or something. Oh the rewards of tireless sitting up at the computer mashing the refresh button until the fanclub presales went on...

... *twitch*

Looks like you still had decent seats though!

Yes in the round was terrific but the ultimate (though not really prog) was the Ronnie Lane Appeal Tour with Beck, Page, Clapton, Cocker and a great cast of other players