What’s your fond memory of an intimate show by a famous act?

[The56Kid]

The first time I saw the Derek Trucks Band was at a 450 seat theatre in the suburbs. After the show a few of us got to hang out with Derek and his band. It was right around the summer solstice and the sun was still out even though it was past 10 pm, this blew their minds and they took the opportunity to play some baseball at a nearby field. So we played some baseball smoked a jay and talked music for a while. Afterwards my friend got Derek to sign his guitar and Derek showed him all of the signatures he had gotten on his guitar, it was pretty cool. The next time he came back he played a venue that was 4X larger.

First time I saw Derek was at Antone’s in Austin, TX in ‘93. Maybe 100 folks in attendance. It was a triple bill featuring young up and coming guitar slingers. Headliner was Sue Foley who was in her early 20s at the time. Second act was Jake Andrews who was about 17 then. And opening the show was a 14 year old Derek Trucks and his band. Derek played great, but stood at the back of the stage with a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes and his head down for the entire show. It was impressive nonetheless.

 

[Quadrophiliac]

What excellent timing Quadrophiliac - just got this one in:
https://www.quadraphonicquad.com/fo...-v-bd-maybe-lds-too.19331/page-14#post-420601
Been wanting to see his band or with wife, great player!

Nice! I picked that one up at the show. I've seen both of those acts and they are solid, although I don't think the DTB plays together anymore. The best show that I have seen him play was at the Gorge with the Allman Bros.

 

[Lord British]

Was able to catch Porcupine Tree in Detroit at the Magic Stick back in 2002. Capacity is 500-750, but I would say it was about 3/4 full. Standing room only, and was able to move freely about to get drinks, etc. Incredible. Probably shouldn't be considered a "famous" act amongst the bourgeois, but I know members of this forum might disagree.

 

[hwkn]

I saw Porcupine Tree at an in store performance in the basement of Vintage Vinyl Records in Evanston Illinois back in 1998.There were only about 20-25 of us down there for what was their 1st in store performance with no electric instruments........and about the same time I saw Toad The Wet Sprocket at another in store performance at Rose Records also in Evanston.[the place was packed to the gills].One other performance I saw was The Shadows Of Knight back in August of 2017 at my local public library with a crowd of about 200 with a guest appearance by Skip Haynes of Alliota,Haynes and Jeremiah[only about 2 months before Skip Haynes passed away].

 

[Beefalo]

A few come to mind:

1) In mid-1996 David Bowie had started recording sessions in NYC for the album that would become Earthling. He was so excited by the material being recorded that he decided to road test some of the new songs and quickly announced four intimate club shows in NYC, DC, Philly and Boston. Somehow I was lucky enough to score tickets for the Boston show. It was at the tiny Avalon club on Lansdowne Street. The previous summer I had seen him at Great Woods (on a co-headliner with Nine Inch Nails) playing to 15,000 people, so this small club was quite a change in atmosphere. Bowie was clearly having a great time and loved playing to an intimate crowd. The band (Reeves Gabrels, Gail-Ann Dorsey, Mike Garson and Zak Alford) were on fire. I know fans of The Spiders will give me hell for this, but this was my all-time favorite Bowie band. He previewed a few songs from Earthling that sounded amazing. He mixed in classics ("Heroes", "All the Young Dudes") deep cuts ("Look Back in Anger", "Breaking Glass") and a few of my favorites from his previous CD ("Outside", "Strangers When We Meet".)

2) In late 2009, one of my student workers who was hip to lots of new music told me to check out a band that was apparently making waves in England, Mumford & Sons. I found the video of "Little Lion Man" on YouTube and loved it. They didn't even have any material released in the U.S. yet. Shortly after they announced a U.S. tour. The tour was all small venues because the album hadn't been getting any attention at the time that tickets went on sale. I got tickets to see the them at The Middle East club in Cambridge, MA, in their smaller lower level room. By the time the show came around, the album was starting to get attention and the show had sold out. There were tons of people on the sidewalk begging for tickets. Inside, the tiny room was packed and the energy was high. Within a year the album would be double platinum.

3) In 1983 I was lucky enough to see U2 before they started to play the big places. A local college in Hartford managed to get them for their Spring Fling festivities. (This was a month before the famous Red Rocks gig.) The band played outside in the school's quad. Only about 500 people showed up. War had only been released just two months before so they still weren't all over the radio yet. They were young and had something to prove. (Bono complained that American music critics had been referring to them as a British New Wave band.) Their energy was off the charts. I saw them on many subsequent tours, but unfortunately as their fame grew, their passion diminished. But this performance was absolutely amazing. They were playing their hearts out.

I saw U2 twice on their 1981 tour:
San Jose State University-
It was held in the student union ballroom. This room was built to be earthquake proof and the floor was suspended on something like springs. When the floor got packed and the music started people started moving in time with the music the floor started to act like a trampoline. No kidding. If you timed your jump you could launch yourself 3 to 4 feet off the floor.
We were into Punk Rock so we felt right at home.
Old Waldorf San Francisco

Wish I could have seen Bowie.....

 

[marpow]

First time I saw Derek was at Antone’s in Austin, TX in ‘93. Maybe 100 folks in attendance. It was a triple bill featuring young up and coming guitar slingers. Headliner was Sue Foley who was in her early 20s at the time. Second act was Jake Andrews who was about 17 then. And opening the show was a 14 year old Derek Trucks and his band. Derek played great, but stood at the back of the stage with a baseball cap pulled low over his eyes and his head down for the entire show. It was impressive nonetheless.

I have all Tedeschi/Trucks Band CD's and have never seen them, but I really want to. They always come to the Bay Area mostly Oakland and I just got to find a way.

 

[The56Kid]

I have all Tedeschi/Trucks Band CD's and have never seen them, but I really want to. They always come to the Bay Area mostly Oakland and I just got to find a way.

I was also fortunate enough to be in Chicago in 2007 for business and dropped by Buddy Guy’s Legends club. Buddy gets on stage with a white girl and asks the audience if they know who she is. Nobody does until I yell out ‘Susan Tedeshi’. On my way out, I was able to shake Buddy’s hand and give Susan a hug.

 

[H.A.L.]

My all-time favorite intimate moment -- backstage with Jefferson Starship at the Catalyst Club in Santa Cruz, 1992. I released an interview I had with Papa John Creach backstage that night (extending to a previous concert in San Jose), as well as a soundboard provided to me by the band afterwards in HAL'S DEATH BY JEFFERSON STARSHIP BOOTLEGS. It has been around in taper circles for years. Here's the latest info I can find on it (but of course I have the originals 8') 8') 8')).

https://www.beehivecandy.com/2015/07/jefferson-starship-santa-cruz-1992.html

 

[robdean]

They are currently residing in the 'Where are they now?' file, but I saw SPINAL TAP at The Borderline in London (capacity 300), met the band afterwards after approaching their PR and asking...

 

[cbmmm3]

I think it was 1988. Small venue. Chick Corea and his Elektric Band. Had a scotch with them. They proceeded to fusion the night away. Awesome band

 

[GOS]

My all-time favorite intimate moment -- backstage with Jefferson Starship at the Catalyst Club in Santa Cruz, 1992. I released an interview I had with Papa John Creach backstage that night (extending to a previous concert in San Jose), as well as a soundboard provided to me by the band afterwards in HAL'S DEATH BY JEFFERSON STARSHIP BOOTLEGS. It has been around in taper circles for years. Here's the latest info I can find on it (but of course I have the originals 8') 8') 8')).

https://www.beehivecandy.com/2015/07/jefferson-starship-santa-cruz-1992.html

Thanks for sharing your moment...and I was able to download from your link. How cool.......

 

[DistantEarth]

I saw Jerry Lee Lewis in Atlanta. The venue announced the wrong date or something and he ended up playing to about 40 people including the staff. It wasn't an epic show and I think he was kinda pissed. He played for about 20 minutes, kicked the piano bench over, and left. Loved it!
Also, Tony Bennett at Music Midtown in ATL, everyone was at TOOL or STP, or some other so there were like 200 people with plenty of room for my girlfriend and I to dance. Tony, called us out, ("This one goes out to those young lovers, dancing" something like that,) and more joined in. That was awesome! The stage and standing/dance area were surrounded by trees so it really felt intimate.

 

[SmcAustin]

RIchard Thompson at the University of Texas Cactus Cafe, capacity 150.

 

[knifeman]

January 1978. George Thorogood and the Delaware Destroyers at the Queen Victoria Hotel, located in the village of Guthsville, PA (north of Allentown). I remember George having a long guitar cord and walking out between the tables. Also, at Allentown Agriculture Hall (not really very intimate) in December 1975, Styx and Rush as support acts for an Ian Hunter-less Mott.

 

[Hamilton59]

This morning I was quickly skimming through the “Yesterday’s Forum Activity” email we now receive and misread this thread as...

What’s your fond memory of an inmate show by a famous act?

Yikes !?!?
I guess that may be one of the few fond memories one would have ....


Ok, my show would probably be David Crosby at the Moonshadow Saloon in Atlanta back around 1982. We were sitting near the front. When he came back from a break, , he sat down on the edge of the stage and played a solo acoustic set. Just Crosby and his guitar. Very Nice.

 

[H.A.L.]

My all-time favorite intimate moment -- backstage with Jefferson Starship at the Catalyst Club in Santa Cruz, 1992. I released an interview I had with Papa John Creach backstage that night (extending to a previous concert in San Jose), as well as a soundboard provided to me by the band afterwards in HAL'S DEATH BY JEFFERSON STARSHIP BOOTLEGS. It has been around in taper circles for years. Here's the latest info I can find on it (but of course I have the originals 8') 8') 8')).

https://www.beehivecandy.com/2015/07/jefferson-starship-santa-cruz-1992.html

May I add that one of my favorite moments ever on that amazing night was having Jack Casady jumping over my legs as I kneeled before Papa?

Thanks to Steve Keyser (the band's manager at the time) and, of course, Paul Kantner for allowing that. I hope my torrented series did the band proud.