At first I thought about doing a 5 favorite concerts list then the idea changed to my top live songs but eventually came to the conclusion that all of that had been done before so decided to combine those with a few more ideas and just call it my favorite concert "moments."
So, in no particular order.
Favorite Concert
Metallica, Kid Rock and Sevendust on January 7th, 2000 at the Target Center in Minneapolis.
I was working at Sioux Falls, South Dakota rock radio station 103.7 The KRRO at the time and for that show we hosted a bus which listeners paid to get on then got a ticket to the concert. The drive to the Twin Cities was fun in and of itself but then there was the show!
This was my very first Metallica concert (yes, late bloomer) and had actual hair back then that was long on top so during all of the performances there was lots of head banging and hair flying. Man, I miss my hair!
Sevendust was tight and Kid Rock was awesome. This was before Joe C. died and he came out wearing a Randy Moss jersey, which drove the crowd crazy, as you can imagine. Then, during one part of the set, Kid went around and played every single instrument. And what can I say about Metallica? BLEW MY MIND!
Favorite On-Stage Announcing
I've been very lucky to have a job that has afforded me the opportunity to go on stage before concerts and do some announcing from time to time. I was going to say my favorite was Collective Soul at the Washington Pavilion in Sioux Falls, because that was my first major one but I think I'll go with Ozzfest, 2nd stage, Floatrite Park Amphitheater in Somerset, WI, June 2001.
Not only was I doing a stage announce at OZZFEST! But this was also an excuse to propose to my girlfriend Jodi. Believe me, it was a very complicated operation. Not only did I have to contact the right person, get to the right area but also convince Jodi to be with me the WHOLE time. It got worse as the wait back stage got longer and longer but then Jack Osbourne came strolling in so we got to talk to him for a few minutes, which was a nice distraction.
So, it finally came time to go on stage and do the deed. Mudvayne had just got done playing so there was fake blood everywhere! Not the most conducive environment to ask someone to marry them. Oh, I forgot to tell you why I wanted to do it at Ozzfest. We had met there a year earlier. Okay, so there I was, microphone in hand, in front of thousands of people, talking about what, I don't remember all the while thinking about how I'm going to transition to the proposal and how I'm going to say it, then it just happens!
She said yes of course.
Our marriage didn't last but my memories of that day will forever.
Favorite Recorded Live Performance
I promise to make this one a LOT shorter. My pick for this category is Nirvana's "The Man Who Sold The World" from the band's Unplugged In New York CD.
I've always loved Nirvana but feel an especial connection to Kurt Cobain. That's because we were both born on the same day and year but that's not the reason this is my favorite live performance. It is because this was one of those songs that helped me discover other music, particularly that of David Bowie, who did the tune originally. I had been more familiar with his later stuff like "Let's Dance" and "China Girl" but this got me interested in what came before and those tunes are real good stuff!
When one artist helps you discover another, you know they're doing their job.
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