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

[wolfking]

I truly think Tim has a signed copy of that photo of Kip on his bedroom wall too.

I didn't even need tape to stick it up there.

[TAC]

[Grappler]

I got the jacket yesterday and I have all the patches here except the main back patch of the QR Mindcrime logo. But while I like the jacket (it's like this gray/black washed thing), and will wear it, I'm unsure if I am going totally 80s and putting the patches on or not. I'll wait until the back patch gets here, lay everything out, and then take a picture and see if I like it. If you're lucky, I'll share that picture with you, fellow old fogey! 

You could always do just the back patch. 

[Stadler]

I truly think Tim has a signed copy of that photo of Kip on his bedroom wall too.

I didn't even need tape to stick it up there.

We will not be shaking hands tomorrow. We might not even fist bump.   

[Samsara]

Fucking Tim... 

Stads, photo op with Tim, or I call BS. Even better if its captured with you revolted at his hands. 

[TAC]

6. Dream Theater



March 30, 2006
Orpheum, Boston


Setlist:
The Root of All Evil
I Walk Beside You
Another Won
A Fortune in Lies
Take the Time
Caught In a Web
Raise the Knife
Strange Deja Vu
---
About to Crash
War Inside My Head
The Test That Stumped Them All
Endless Sacrifice
Sacrificed Sons
Octavarium
Wait for Sleep
Learning To Live


Bootleg from Endless Sacrifice on...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qIjX6Q-ZftQ






Having missed the 6 D's and Train Of Thought tours, when DT came back in 2005 opening for Megadeth on Gigantour, it was the first time seeing them since the SFAM tour 5 years earlier. Finally, I would be able to witness one of the legendary "Evening With" tours.

They were still juggling setlists so I had no idea what we were going to get. Also, the spectre of the Radio City show the following night made me extremely nervous for my show. They cancelled in Detriot, I believe, because they had to rest James' voice. I figured the Boston show, being the 3rd of a 4 night run, ending in NYC, could be sacrificed for the video shoot, if it meant having James at his best.
I was pleasantly surprised when the show went on.

I thought the setlist was outstanding. I Walk Beside you won me over with how much energy it had. Another Won, Raise The Knife..amazing. Not a huge fan of Caught In A Web, but they did a great version of it on this tour. Take The Time was fantastic. I thought ending the first set with Strange Deja Vu was a bit disappointing but the rest of the first set was outstanding.

Once I heard the opening three tracks of the 2nd set, it was obvious they were playing the full Six Degrees the following night. But Octavarium was phenomenal live as was the '06 version of Learning To Live.

James was outstanding I thought.

A funny story is that during the first set, MP was all pissed off about something. All while playing, he was yelling at someone off stage and just being pissy.
At one point, MP and James seemed to have words with James' back to the crowd, and he turned around shaking his head back and forth as if the say "WTF is up with this fucking guy.". It was really interesting to watch it all.

Unfortunately no pics, which is too bad because we had third row balcony on JP's side.


The other cool thing about Boston is..well..Berklee is here. I love watching The Score So Far doc. It shows how DT spent their afternoon hat day walking around Berklee. They show a pic of JP sitting on the sidewalk waiting for Rush tickets. Well, I'll be walking that same sidewalk to see JP there tomorrow night.

[cramx3]

That's still a pretty cool set, I like ending it with Learning to Live.  This was shortly before my time as a DT fan.  I remember looking at the sets from this tour and thinking "WOW what a band to be able to play these shows!"  and then being upset that I didn't discover them early enough to see them at either Radio City or Convention Hall in NJ from that tour.

[King Postwhore]

I was there as well. It was a great show.

[Lethean]

Now I don't have to be jealous, because I saw a few shows on this tour, including Radio City.  Awesome awesome show and tour. James sounded great, the changing setlists were fantastic, and the sets were nice and long. 

[wolfking]

Nope....still jealous.

[Zoom E]

Nice. I didn't catch this DT tour either. How long was the set? Looks like a good two hours, at least.

[TAC]

How long was the set? Looks like a good two hours, at least.

The bootleg says 2 hours and 30 minutes of music, not including the intermission.

[Stadler]

Nope....still jealous.

Me too.   Grrrr.

[axeman90210]

That was a great tour. I caught the CT show and then ended up in the 5th row (albeit way to the side) for Radio City.

[TAC]

I love the CT show. That’s one boot I really enjoy.

[axeman90210]

I love the CT show. That’s one boot I really enjoy.

I had to go and look up the whole setlist because I didn't remember a ton offhand other than absolutely losing it when they started The Glass Prison (the first DT song I ever heard, still one of my favorites, and responsible for so much of my subsequent musical journey). Where do you get these various boots for different shows?

[TAC]

5.  Def Leppard
         Krokus
      Gary Moore


June 25th, 1983
Cape Code Coliseum


MY FIRST CONCERT!!!


Def Leppard:
Rock! Rock! (Till You Drop)
Rock Brigade
High 'n' Dry (Saturday Night)
Another Hit & Run
Billy's Got A Gun
Mirror Mirror (Look Into My Eyes)
Foolin'
Photograph
Rock Of Ages
Bringin' On The Heartbreak
Switch 625
Phil Collen Solo
Let it Go
Steve Clark Solo
Wasted
Stagefright
Travellin' Band


Krokus:
Long Stick Goes Boom
Heatstrokes
American Woman
Rock City
Screaming In The Night
Eat The Rich
Stay Awake All Night
Headhunter


Gary Moore:
Wishing Well
Back On The Street
Cold Hearted
Nuclear Attack
Always Gonna Love You
Guitar Solo
End Of The World
Rocking Every Night




Def Leppard:
Audio from Allentown 6/27/83 (2 days after I saw them!)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WNP4-pIbNRE

Video from Montreal June 9th 1983
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvDz1HXG63E


Krokus:
Audio from Allentown 6/27/83
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u5K5lmZJuec


Gary Moore:
Audio from Allentown 6/27/83
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yb-HdWFu050

This boot surfaced in the past year and this set from Gary Moore had kind of been one of my Holy Grail recordings.






The anticipation for my very first concert was something that I am not sure was ever replicated. I remember keeping my ticket ( which I bought with money I made covering a paper route for the person that was delivering our papers. I actually took the route over and did it for a year.) in my top bureau drawer, and I think every night I went to bed, I took it out of the Ticketron envelope and just stared at it. Just had to make sure it was still there.

I was 14 in the summer of 1983. I went with two friends and one of their father drove us. He didn't come in with us, but I think went somewhere to kill time. I remember he stood in the back of the small arena and watched the end of the show. Anyway, the fact that a parent was bringing us I think made it ok to get the thumbs up from my father.

The Cape Cod Coliseum was a very small "hockey barn". I actually played in a Pee Wee tournament two summers before. It was apparently owned by Vince McMahon, and during that tournament, we saw Vince in the lobby. I was a wrestling fan at the time of that hockey tournament, so I knew who he was, and I was struck at how tall he was.
The really cool thing about the Coliseum is that it was out in the middle of nowhere with a huge grassy area around the building which was great for tailgating. I saw my second concert there two months later, Iron Maiden, and I remember playing in a soccer game before the concert.

At this point, I was a huge Def Leppard fan. I remember them coming the previous March opening for Billy Squier. I also liked Krokus a lot, and really liked Gary Moore's new album, Corridors Of Power, still a Top 50 album to this day. So I knew all three bands, but really it was Def Leppard that I was waiting on.

This also means that the first live band I ever saw on stage was indeed Gary fucking Moore!
His band:
Ian Paice, Neil Murray, and Neil Carter. Fuck yes! I knew Ian Paice and Neil Murray were part of his band, but I immediately recognized Neil Carter on stage. An actual member (to find out UFO was done at this time) of UFO!

Krokus was really cool. I don't remember anything in particular other than them looking cool as shit. Hey, I was 14!!

I was blown away by Def Leppard. Yeah, they were never really the same, but this was pre-accident Rick Allen, and this was a great first step in my concert journey.

[wolfking]

Old school Gary Moore!  Still jealous. 

[Zoom E]

That’s a great triple bill and an awesome first concert. I think we discussed this before, but I saw Leppard less than a month after you on July 20th, but the support act was Uriah Heep.

[TAC]

Weird.. I went to shake Stadler's hand tonight...

[wolfking]

   Outstanding!

[Zoom E]

How else should someone react to meeting real life TAC? 

[TAC]

 

[wolfking]

How else should someone react to meeting real life TAC? 

 

[TAC]

4. Helloween


September 14, 2018
The Palladium, Worcester



Setlist:
Halloween
Dr. Stein
I'm Alive
If I Could Fly
Are You Metal?
March of Time
Perfect Gentleman
Starlight / Ride the Sky / Judas
Heavy Metal (Is the Law)
A Tale That Wasn't Right
Pumpkins United
Drum Solo
(Dani Löble live & Ingo Schwichtenberg recorded video)
Livin' Ain't No Crime (partial)
A Little Time
Waiting for the Thunder
Sole Survivor
Power
How Many Tears
Eagle Fly Free
Keeper of the Seven Keys
Guitar Solo Kai
Future World
I Want Out




As noted earlier, I became a Helloween fan very early on. I followed them quite closely until Michael Kiske left.
When they resurfaced a year or so later, I ordered their new CD singles on Import. Perfect Gentleman and Mr. Ego. Suffice to say that I did not like the songs, or the voice. I basically cast aside the new Helloween.
1996 brought Michael's Instant Clarity album, a great album that featured both Kai Hansen and Adrian Smith. From that point on, Michael would release a number of quite iffy albums, but still his voice was magic to my ears. I gave up on ever seeing him live again.
I would eventually come to love the Andi Deris version of Helloween. Unisonic was all win as it marked the return of Kai and Mickael. A Helloween reunion seemed inevitable.

The fact that Worcester was one of a handful of dates for their US tour was a stroke of luck. I bought those tickets, what seemed like a year in advance, and just waited. Watching footage from the tour on youtube, the band was tight. They seemed to be enjoying themselves.

At my show, the most notable thing was just how much interplay and respect between the members there was. Kiske and Deris seemed to really like each other and it was so joyful. Kai and Sasha played together like they had been bandmates and friends for years.

It was clear to me that Dani Loble held this ship together. He turned in one of the greatest live drumming performances I've ever seen. He was on point the whole show and was truly the engine behind the band.

And then of course....Michael Kiske. 
What can I say. My all time favorite singer. His voice gives me chills. Seeing him a mere 30' from me was something that I never ever thought possible.
This evening brought so much of my musical journey full circle, and I will be forever thankful for being there.




Pics!!















The Drum solo featuring Dani and Ingo was tearjerking. It was really awesome and shows the amount of care put into this show.




The Kai medley might be the single fucking coolest concert moment I've ever witnessed.

[Lethean]

 

That's awesome TAC.  I'm only a very very casual listener of Helloween, but I enjoyed reading that.  I'm glad Kiske finally came back; I didn't see a reunion show but it seemed like a great success.

[TAC]

That's awesome TAC.  I'm only a very very casual listener of Helloween, but I enjoyed reading that.  I'm glad Kiske finally came back; I didn't see a reunion show but it seemed like a great success.

Thanks Lethean. I think you're near Chicago? is that right? They're playing there next May.

[Lethean]

That's awesome TAC.  I'm only a very very casual listener of Helloween, but I enjoyed reading that.  I'm glad Kiske finally came back; I didn't see a reunion show but it seemed like a great success.

Thanks Lethean. I think you're near Chicago? is that right? They're playing there next May.

I'll probably check that tour out unless something else comes up.  I saw Kiske with Avantasia so I didn't mind missing the 2018 tour too much.  It was probably too close to ProgPower and the Angra tour that I saw a bunch of shows for. 

[Zoom E]

Amazing photos, TAC. Another show I’m super jealous of, as I have yet to see Helloween live.

[wolfking]

I shouldn't be surprised this is so high in here but I am.  Speaks volumes this being at number 4 with the amount of shows you've seen.

[TAC]

I shouldn't be surprised this is so high in here but I am.  Speaks volumes this being at number 4 with the amount of shows you've seen.

It's really the years that I have spent listening to Michael Kiske. Even though his music hasn't always been  , I have always found it meaningful. His voice has a God-like quality to me in both his singing and overall message and approach. I have stayed extremely close to his career since he left Helloween. He just doesn't bring out great memories from being a kid, but has been even more impactful to me as an adult.
I'm truly grateful that I got to see him, and yeah, I've seen a lot of classic shows and all, but none really match the amount of appreciation that I had standing there. It was actually quite a fulfilling experience.

[DragonAttack]

Simply love the stories and write ups.  You should have had your own radio show!   

[Lethean]

I shouldn't be surprised this is so high in here but I am.  Speaks volumes this being at number 4 with the amount of shows you've seen.

It's really the years that I have spent listening to Michael Kiske. Even though his music hasn't always been  , I have always found it meaningful. His voice has a God-like quality to me in both his singing and overall message and approach. I have stayed extremely close to his career since he left Helloween. He just doesn't bring out great memories from being a kid, but has been even more impactful to me as an adult.
I'm truly grateful that I got to see him, and yeah, I've seen a lot of classic shows and all, but none really match the amount of appreciation that I had standing there. It was actually quite a fulfilling experience.

This is awesome.  I can relate even though it's with different bands. 

[wolfking]

I shouldn't be surprised this is so high in here but I am.  Speaks volumes this being at number 4 with the amount of shows you've seen.

It's really the years that I have spent listening to Michael Kiske. Even though his music hasn't always been  , I have always found it meaningful. His voice has a God-like quality to me in both his singing and overall message and approach. I have stayed extremely close to his career since he left Helloween. He just doesn't bring out great memories from being a kid, but has been even more impactful to me as an adult.
I'm truly grateful that I got to see him, and yeah, I've seen a lot of classic shows and all, but none really match the amount of appreciation that I had standing there. It was actually quite a fulfilling experience.

Fair play.  Even though I'm not massive on this new Helloween, 10-20 years ago, we wouldn't believe in the slightest that this line-up would eventuate.  So outside looking in, it's kinda a big deal.  I get that.

[Stadler]

I shouldn't be surprised this is so high in here but I am.  Speaks volumes this being at number 4 with the amount of shows you've seen.

It's really the years that I have spent listening to Michael Kiske. Even though his music hasn't always been  , I have always found it meaningful. His voice has a God-like quality to me in both his singing and overall message and approach. I have stayed extremely close to his career since he left Helloween. He just doesn't bring out great memories from being a kid, but has been even more impactful to me as an adult.
I'm truly grateful that I got to see him, and yeah, I've seen a lot of classic shows and all, but none really match the amount of appreciation that I had standing there. It was actually quite a fulfilling experience.

So there were two singers on stage that night?  Michael and the guy that took his spot after he left? That must've been pretty cool.