I love music. It’s one of my biggest passions in life. I’ve been to hundreds and hundreds of concerts since I started going back in 1994. My first concert ever was Beck at Toads Place in New Haven, Connecticut and from there I was hooked. I was hooked on the music, the energy, the shows, the crowds and the experience. If you follow me then you know I am all about experiences and I like to experience everything. So these are more or less the 30 best concerts I’ve been to in my life.
Here are a few stipulations I made when coming up with this 30 Best list; which is the first one I’ve done in a long time.
– I have to have been to the concert….obviously
– I can only choose 1 concert per artist. This is because I’ve been to dozens of Nine Inch Nails concerts and several concerts of several artists like Pearl Jam, Metallica, Billy Joel, Korn, AC/DC, etc.
So with those simple rules here are the 30 best concerts I’ve been to in my life!
1. Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie, Nassau Coliseum, Uniondale, New York 1995
2. The Rolling Stones, Brisbane Entertainment Center, Brisbane, Australia 2003
3. Billy Joel, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, New York 2013
4. Pearl Jam, Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland 2000
5. Ozzy Osbourne, New Haven Coliseum, New Haven, Connecticut 1995
6. Bruce Springsteen, Madison Square Garden New York, New York 2016
7. Beck, Toads Place, New Haven, Connecticut 1994
8. Korn, 9:30 Club, Washington DC 1996
9. Metallica, Downing Stadium, Randalls Island, New York 1996
10. Red Hot Chili Peppers, Jones Beach, Jones Beach, New York 2004
11. AC/DC, MGM Grand Garden, Las Vegas, Nevada 2010
12. Rage Against the Machine, Roseland Ballroom, New York, New York 1996
13. Helmet, Globe Theater, Norwalk, Connecticut 1996
14. Primus, Western Connecticut State, Danbury, Connecticut 1995
15. Blink 182, Wine Amplified, Las Vegas, Nevada 2014
16. Marilyn Manson, 7 Willow Street, Port Chester, New York 1996
17. Stevie Wonder, Bottle Rock Music Festival, Napa, California 2016
18. Jimmy Buffett, Jones Beach, Jones Beach, New York 2014
19. Soundgarden, Downing Stadium, Randalls Island, New York 1996
20. Sick Of It All, Tuxedo Junction, Danbury, Connecticut 1996
21. U2, Madison Square Garden, New York, New York 2014
22. Lenny Kravitz, Bottle Rock Music Festival, Napa, California 2016
23. Aerosmith, Brendan Byrne Arena, East Rutherford, New Jersey 1995
24. The Ramones, Meadows Music Theater, Hartford, Connecticut 1995
25. Zac Brown Band, Reliant Stadium, Houston, Texas 2015
26. George Clinton, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 1996
27. Guns N Roses, 1st Bank Center, Broomfield, Colorado 2011
28. Madonna, Madison Square Garden, New York, New York 2013
29. Katy Perry Superbowl Halftime, University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale, Arizona 2015
30. Mumford and Sons, Whelan’s, Dublin, Ireland 2013
The reason Nine Inch Nails and David Bowie is #1 in the 30 best concerts I’ve been to in my life is because the memory of that particular show is still so vivid. Nine Inch Nails was my favorite band in high school and I saw dozens of shows in a few year period. That show was legendary for me because my friend and I led the charge onto the floor at Nassau Coliseum that night and everyone formed one enormous mosh pit.
The music was off the charts and I always loved David Bowie as well. Seeing his set was awesome but seeing Bowie and Trent Reznor, the Nine Inch Nails singer, sing Johnny Cash’s Hurt was epic-and that’s a word I don’t use lightly. It was so cool, the set was so cool, the gear they wore was cool and the crowd was awesome. I’ll never forget that night on Long Island.
What was your favorite concert?
I am surprised with you being a big fan of Nine Inch Nails that you think they covered Cash when it was the other way around. Hurt was written by Trent Reznor in 1994 and covered by Johnny Cash many years later, just before he passed away.
If that’s true then I learned something new!
Exactly what I was thinking. Anyone that was a fan of Nine Inch Nails in the mid-90’s should know that Hurt is a Nine Inch Nails original.
I don’t claim to know everything but that’s good to know! Trent knows how to write songs!
Foo Fighters in LA
Foo Fighters are one band I’ve never seen that I want to see…just never worked out but love Dave Groel.
Your list is all over the place! Marilyn Manson and Katy Perry?!
I like a wide variety of things just like music!
Jay-Z at Yankee Stadium!
Had a lot of friends go to that. I saw him with Kanye in LA…worst show I’ve beer been without question.
Queen in Paris…hands down best of the best.
I bet that was awesome…only heard amazing hangs about Queen live. I was too young before he died.
Oh man so many good bands. I thought I was really the only one who likes Helmet, Haha.
Helmet rules!
Lee,
I attended the same David Bowie and Nine Inch Nails concert but at the Shoreline Amphitheater south of San Francisco. However, my number one would be David Bowie’s Serious Moonlight tour which I saw at the Oakland Coliseum on September 17, 1983 which may have been too early for you. I was in college during the 1960’s in the Bay Area so I grew up with the Summer of Love and all that. Rock on.
Darrell
We like a lot of the same music Lee. My fave concerts: U2 at Wembley, Chili Peppers in Brisbane (I was pregnant with Kalyra so it was her first concert!) Pearl Jam at a festival in Sydney when I was 19 (mad love for them) Lenny Kravtiz at Sydney Entertainment Centre (I touched his legs and dredlocks and swooned as I was so obsessed with him) Robbie Williams at Phoenix Park (insane – 100,00 people there) Jack Johnson (in a small outdoor ampitheatre in the forest by the lake in Raleigh North Carolina) Ben Harper – Greek ampitheatre + Bryon Bay Bluesfest (we had media passes and were the only ones sitting in on his warm up. He thanked us.) Gosh and so many more. I’m going to stop now as I could talk music all night. I don’t go to concerts or festivals enough anymore. I could always be found in the mosh pitt or stage diving. Thanks for the memory lane trip!
A couple of great Summer shows at Pier 84 in NYC – The Clash in 1982 and U2 with The Alarm in 1983. Strange to see Mayor Koch doing the intros at the U2 show.
Always liked Mayor Koch! Sounds like a few awesome shows!
Wow, 30 Best Concert! Hey, you are so lucky you had the opportunity to enjoy this special concert. I really love traveling and this type of function.
Paul McCartney at the Fabulous Forum in Inglewood, near LAX, Los Angeles, California, November 1989.
That tops my list.