The TAC Top 25 Concert Countdown #1 Puttin' On The Ritz

[cramx3]

That's a really cool tshirt

and I'm a bit shocked to see a NPFTD tour show here, but I know you've talked about it before.  I guess you had to be there.

[Lethean]

So, I mentioned the Powerslave show with Accept, but if I'm talking strictly Maiden, this was still a top show.

And no, we are not nearly done with Iron Maiden on this countdown.

Good.   I'm enjoying these posts and the pictures and all that stuff. 

It's interesting reading that Jannick helped make the show better for you, because I've only ever read complaints about his stage presence.  I've only seem them with him and don't really have the same complaints myself.

[cramx3]

So, I mentioned the Powerslave show with Accept, but if I'm talking strictly Maiden, this was still a top show.

And no, we are not nearly done with Iron Maiden on this countdown.

Good.   I'm enjoying these posts and the pictures and all that stuff. 

It's interesting reading that Jannick helped make the show better for you, because I've only ever read complaints about his stage presence.  I've only seem them with him and don't really have the same complaints myself.

I've also only ever seen IM with Jannick and I've never had an issue. 

[TAC]

It's interesting reading that Jannick helped make the show better for you, because I've only ever read complaints about his stage presence.  I've only seem them with him and don't really have the same complaints myself.

I've also only ever seen IM with Jannick and I've never had an issue. 

I think if you only know Iron Maiden with Jannick, then it's not that big of a deal. But he does catch a lot of flack for his stage whooping and sloppy solos and such.

His on stage style is such a contrast to Adrian. The guy owns his side of the stage, and I rate the No Prayer show so high just not for his energy, but for the energy he seemed to pull out of Dave. Back in those days, I always got relatively close to the stage, and I could really see it and feel it.

I'm a big Jannick guy. His guitar solo style, does come off a bit...weird sometimes, but I feel like he tries to differentiate himself from Dave and Adrian. He's actually quite a melodic soloist, as the Tattooed Millionaire album would support. And with all of the jumping around, he has amazing pick control no matter what angle his guitar is in.

Plus he's written some of the Reunion Era's best songs. Him standing next to Steve for The Book Of Souls intro gave me goosebumps.

[TAC]

#18 Monsters Of Rock
         Van Halen
         Scorpions
         Dokken
         Metallica
         Kingdome Come


June 26, 1988
Giants Stadium

Van Halen:
A.F.U. (Naturally Wired)
Summer Nights
There's Only One Way to Rock
Panama
Bass Solo
Runnin' With the Devil
Why Can't This Be Love
Mine All Mine
Drum Solo
You Really Got Me
Sucker in a 3 Piece
When It's Love
Eagles Fly
I Can't Drive 55
Best of Both Worlds
Guitar Solo
Black and Blue
Ain't Talkin' 'bout Love
Superstition
Rock and Roll

Audio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=in59qYW7jjI

Video Pt. 1:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfaE8UUoMmg

Video Pt 2:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qv3RnpWWJvs


Scorpions:
Blackout
Big City Nights
Every Minute Every Day
Rhythm of Love
Bad Boys Running Wild
Make It Real
Coast to Coast
Still Loving You
Don't Stop at the Top
Can't Live Without You
Coming Home
The Zoo
No One Like You
Rock You Like a Hurricane
Dynamite

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SQeg3mY59LM


Dokken:
Tooth and Nail
Just Got Lucky
Burning Like a Flame
Into the Fire
Heaven Sent
It's Not Love
Guitar Solo
Mr. Scary
Dream Warriors
Alone Again
Turn on the Action

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L_aGjXbblE
(footage is from Buffalo a week earlier..)


Metallica:
Creeping Death
For Whom the Bell Tolls
Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
Harvester of Sorrow
Whiplash
Fade to Black
Seek & Destroy
Master of Puppets
Last Caress
Am I Evil?

Video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XluL5WHO3uk


Kingdom Come:
Shout It Out
Living Out of Touch
Pushin' Hard
17
What Love Can Be
Get It On
The Shuffle





Going to this show was an amazing experience. We went down and stayed with my college roommate (in the Anthrax shirt below), who lived in northern NJ. We got there and started partying. the main draw for us was Metallica, so we partied until we heard Kingdom Come start playing. We walked in during their last song.
It was my first time seeing Metallica and they were great. They opened with Creeping Death, and while the place wasn't full by that point, everyone who was there was fist pumping Die Die Die chants. It was really wild.

I had seen Dokken a couple of times before. Live they were always solid. I always thought Don Dokken's stage banter was some of the worst I've ever heard, but I thought he was a decent frontman this show. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed Dokken.

Scorps and VH did what Scorps and Vh do, which is to put on a great show.



Unfortunately I only took a couple of pics during the show. We weren't very close, and the couple VH shots I took were terrible. I did manage this pic of Metallica on stage..




Here's a couple of shots of a 19 y/o TAC. One is when my buddy and I stopped on the highway to take a pic in from of the NJ sign, and the other is us drinking beers in the parking lot before the show..

[DragonAttack]

They did two nights at the Pontiac Silverdome, but I was in the Upper Peninsula for two weeks during that time.  I also recall buying a Kingdom Come CD the following year.  Rather enjoyed it.

That must have been one lonnnnnnnngggg day for you. 

Hotel or drive back that night?

[cramx3]

I love how you saw these amazing concerts at Giants stadium, I never saw a concert there (but some football games). You may find it interesting to know a concert that could be top 3 for me was Iron Maiden at IZOD center (also known as Brendan Berns, Continental Airlines and so on) but that was during the time when they almost finished the demolish of Giants stadium. I'm pretty sure I have a picture of the parking lot before the show with just the endzone bleachers left to destruct.

[TAC]

Hotel or drive back that night?

My college roommate lived in Wayne NJ, so we stayed at his house for the weekend.

I love how you saw these amazing concerts at Giants stadium

Well, this was the only one, but I did see a number of shows at the Brendan Byrne Arena

[King Postwhore]

Went to the show in Oxford Ma.  Got back to my friend's camp at a late.  Puked a million times outside that night.  Oof.

[TAC]

Lightweight.

[King Postwhore]

I drank for half the stadium.

[TAC]

And puked for the other half.

[King Postwhore]

Felt like it. 

[wolfking]

Those sunglasses should have been illegal.

And you were friends with Ralph Malph, cool shit.

[TAC]

And you were friends with Ralph Malph, cool shit.

I was a cross between the Fonz and Potsie. Probably more Potsie..

[wolfking]

And you were friends with Ralph Malph, cool shit.

I was a cross between the Fonz and Potsie. Probably more Potsie..

 

[SeRoX]

Nostalgia all over. Thank you for the thread TAC. I follow.

[King Postwhore]

I remember enjoying Kingdom Come.  Metallica was their typical great thrash.  Dokken I loved so I enjoyed the set. Saw the Scorps in 84 then this. They always rock,,  VH were great live.

[TAC]

Nostalgia all over. Thank you for the thread TAC. I follow.

Glad you're following along Serox! Thank you.

I remember enjoying Kingdom Come.  Metallica was their typical great thrash.  Dokken I loved so I enjoyed the set. Saw the Scorps in 84 then this. They always rock,,  VH were great live.

Joe, not sure if you remember, but the Scorps did their own tour that fall and had Kingdom Come opening. I saw the show in Worcester.

[King Postwhore]

I only saw them at the time on the Love at First Sting tour with Bon Jovi opening.

[El Barto]

#18 Monsters Of Rock
         Van Halen
         Scorpions
         Dokken
         Metallica
         Kingdome Come

That was kind of the final installment of the Texxas Jam. Before that they'd always take two different package tours and merge them for one giant show. In this case they just brought TMoR to town. It was most notable for Sammy's voice going out pretty early on, resulting in Van Halen coming back and causing a riot years later. 

[Anguyen92]

I read that when this bill came to the Coliseum in LA, Metallica caused a huge frenzy to the point where their power went out and everyone in the GA area was going crazy throwing chairs and stuff.  When you see shots of that show, the capacity crowd look monstrous compared to when I was there yesterday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc11Og9Qmh0&ab_channel=Milanicachannel

[TAC]

Before that they'd always take two different package tours and merge them for one giant show.

Is that how they did it? Grabbed two tours in the area and make one show? I did not know that.

I read that when this bill came to the Coliseum in LA, Metallica caused a huge frenzy to the point where their power went out and everyone in the GA area was going crazy throwing chairs and stuff.  When you see shots of that show, the capacity crowd look monstrous compared to when I was there yesterday.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cc11Og9Qmh0&ab_channel=Milanicachannel

Wow, that's fucking crazy!

[Zoom E]

That’s a nice line-up, but how are Dokken billed above Metallica?

[KevShmev]

That’s a nice line-up, but how are Dokken billed above Metallica?

While One helped them get more popular due to its play on MTV, Metallica had not broken big in the mainstream yet.

Dokken was still fairly popular due to the A Nighmare on Elm Street soundtrack song (Dream Warriors) and then a few songs from their '87 album receiving massive heavy airplay on MTV.

[Zoom E]

That’s a nice line-up, but how are Dokken billed above Metallica?

While One helped them get more popular due to its play on MTV, Metallica had not broken big in the mainstream yet.

Dokken was still fairly popular due to the A Nighmare on Elm Street soundtrack song (Dream Warriors) and then a few songs from their '87 album receiving massive heavy airplay on MTV.

I’m just thinking of when I saw Metallica on the MoP tour in 86. They played an ice hockey arena, but only the lower bowl seats were sold. Still, it was a big crowd and I don’t think Dokken would have drawn a quarter of that audience. Maybe it’s a regional thing, but I don't recall Dokken being that popular.

[KevShmev]

That’s a nice line-up, but how are Dokken billed above Metallica?

While One helped them get more popular due to its play on MTV, Metallica had not broken big in the mainstream yet.

Dokken was still fairly popular due to the A Nighmare on Elm Street soundtrack song (Dream Warriors) and then a few songs from their '87 album receiving massive heavy airplay on MTV.

I’m just thinking of when I saw Metallica on the MoP tour in 86. They played an ice hockey arena, but only the lower bowl seats were sold. Still, it was a big crowd and I don’t think Dokken would have drawn a quarter of that audience. Maybe it’s a regional thing, but I don't recall Dokken being that popular.

I don't think any of their songs at the time were big top 40 hits, but they were an MTV favorite, and it seemed like a lot of people in school at the time talked about them (8th grade and then my freshman year of HS). 

[jammindude]

At this moment in time, they were probably equally popular. But 1) Dokken had been popular for longer (they were peaking after 3 straight hit albums) and 2) they had the more popular audience.

I don’t think the commercial world knew what to do with someone like Metallica…or their audience.

I’ve told this story before, but when this tour came to Seattle, the crowd was mostly there for VH/Scorps, and most had never even heard of Metallica. And almost none had EVER seen a mosh pit, nor been to a show that had one. When Metallica first took the stage, more than a few of that crowd were a bit freaked out.

[TAC]

I'll update in a little bit. Been out all day!

That’s a nice line-up, but how are Dokken billed above Metallica?

Dokken was much bigger at this point. This was a few months before Justice came out and their first run of shows since the theater tour after Jason joined the previous fall. My picture shows mow many (or how few) people were there for Metallica. The place filled in big time as the day wore on.

At this moment in time, they were probably equally popular. But 1) Dokken had been popular for longer (they were peaking after 3 straight hit albums) and 2) they had the more popular audience.

I don’t think the commercial world knew what to do with someone like Metallica…or their audience.

I’ve told this story before, but when this tour came to Seattle, the crowd was mostly there for VH/Scorps, and most had never even heard of Metallica. And almost none had EVER seen a mosh pit, nor been to a show that had one. When Metallica first took the stage, more than a few of that crowd were a bit freaked out.

Metallica absolutely crushed their slot. Playing to FM radio fans of VH/Scorps/Dokken really helped them.

[King Postwhore]

Tim, dead on.

[bosk1]

Legendary tour.  Wow.  I remember it.  Didn't go, but in retrospect, it would have been killer.

[TAC]

17.  UFO


November 2, 2019
Worf's Den
Mohegan Sun, CT


Setlist:
Mother Mary
We Belong to the Night
Run Boy Run
Venus
Lights Out
Burn Your House Down
Fighting Man
Only You Can Rock Me
Cherry
Love to Love
Too Hot to Handle
Rock Bottom
Doctor Doctor
Shoot Shoot


Most of you know that I'm a huge UFO fan. I spent my high school years listening to more UFO than any other band. It's hard to rank my Top 3 bands of Dream Theater, Iron Maiden, and UFO.


I started The UFO Discography And Listening Party Thread with this:

When I pass away, and they perform a Rock And Roll autopsy on me, on my brain they'll find Dream Theater. In my heart, they'll find Iron Maiden. There's a good chance they'll find Alice Cooper on my liver..

But on my soul..well, that's where they'll find UFO.

Sometime when I feel bitchy (Sometimes??  ). I often rail against people that go see old legacy bands. Like this summer's Def Lep/Crue tour, or any recent Kiss tour. I say the say thing..Why would anyone go see that show? The setlist never changes! They just play the same old songs!

Well I myself am guilty of this. TBH, I've not always extended myself to see UFO. The fact that their setlists over the last 15 years was quite static always pissed me off. I get playing 4 or 5 classics at every show. But UFO often played the same B-level tracks tour after tour, and frankly, I don't understand why. Maybe they're easy for Phil to sing. I mean, he continues to sound amazing into his 70's.
UFO had their final run of dates scheduled for this fall in Europe, but Phil recently suffered a heart attack and those shows have been cancelled...for now they say. It's quite possible UFO has played their final show.

When they announced  the stop at Mohegan Sun, I knew this was probably the final area stop for them, so I made it a point to go.

I let all of my issues with the setlist fade away and simply enjoyed the show for my inner 16 y/o TAC.
What was really cool about this show was that Neil Carter had rejoined the band on Keyboards/Guitar. After Paul Raymond passed away in April of 2019, Neil agreed to do the rest of the Farewell tour.
I actually love Neil Carter. He joined UFO right before they released The Wild The Willing And The Innocent, and played on their Mechanix and Making Contact albums, the latter being the final album of UFO's Original Era. He then became Gary Moore's right hand man.

The other thing that was cool about this tour, and this show, was that Vinnie Moore was on fire. Generally I had very high hopes when Vinnie joined the band, but Phil took the band into a real bluesy/Rolling Stone-ish direction. So while it's not all that heavy, it's still pretty cool, and there are tons of great songs throughout. It just seemed that this being the last UFO tour, Vinnie was NOT holding back.

Sometimes it's not just reliving your youth, but to me it's nourishing your soul, and that's what happened on this night.


Some pics of the show...

[King Postwhore]

Shit Tim. Never saw UFO but that looked amazing!

[wolfking]

 

That's a nice rounded setlist too considering the length.

[El Barto]

I don't think Dokken ever had any real popularity, but they were extremely well known for a number of reasons, and were generally well regarded. They were one of the ubiquitous openers, and they got tons of MTV time. They're not a band people would go out of their way to see, but a whole lot of people knew them and liked them. Looking at SetlistFM, their first six Dallas shows were 5 arena and one stadium gigs. That was opening spots for BÖC, Dio, Twisted Sister, Priest, Aerosmith, and the Monsters of Rock. The MoR tour was probably their pinnacle, and after that it was all down hill. Metallica was exploding in popularity at the same time. After that tour they were selling out arenas.

17.  UFO


November 2, 2019
Worf's Den
Mohegan Sun, CT

How can you not love Neil Carter? That dude stole the show, I thought. Dude rocked harder than all the others combined.