Lynn says:

NIN. 1994. Saw them at The Palace and Universal Amphitheater. The Universal show was a religious experience.

Alex says:

Tool. 2006. !st Mariner Arena in Baltimore, one of the craziest experiences of my life.

Leslie Poston says:

Oh, so many! Probably my top five were:

1) Reverend Horton Heat, Circle Jerks, Agent Orange, COC, TSOL and others in Portland Oregon. GREAT pit there, great show, went with good people.

2) Lollapalooza out in Irvine its first year going around.

3) Metallica and Guns n Roses at Hollywood Bowl (before Axl entered the days where his attitude got in the way of his playing shows.) The finale where they sang One and helicopters hovered over the Bowl for effect was one of the best concert moments ever.

4) Aerosmith at Great Woods with Run DMC, Kid Rock - they put on a good show, and it was the last tour Run DMC did before the death of Jam Master Jay.

5) Coachella. Always. If you haven’t been you need to go.

Garen says:

I’ve had a few really good ones, but surprisingly y fav was the Hives, Snow Patrol and Franz Ferdinand performing at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago.  (Soul Asylum is up there lol)

manfmnantucket says:

Easy! 

It was the 50+ Dead shows I saw between 1980 and 1994… there was and is nothing else like a Grateful Dead show!

On the other end, saddest day of my life was Aug 9, 95 when Jerry and my marriage both died.

beth says:

best NIN show is REALLY hard to pick. they’ve all been amazing and unique. but if i had to pick one just based on the significance, i’d have to say that orpheum show a couple of years ago - trent and i were both reconvening after some “lost years”, and it felt like a beautiful reunion as well as an amazing concert experience.

ChrisClark says:

Thanks for the great comments, everyone! Let’s keep ‘em coming. Please pass this on to any and all friends who you think might be interested. This could be the start of a great conversation.

@Lynn - I missed out on the 1994 shows, only experiencing them via Woodstock 94 on Pay Per View, but I remember reading about those shows being absolutely epically awesome.

@Alex - I like Tool quite a bit. Closest I’ve come to seeing them live was hearing A Perfect Circle open for NIN in 2000 (or thereabouts).

@Leslie - I can’t believe you got to see that legendary Metallica/GnR tour AND Aerosmith with Run DMC. I wish I’d seen the latter so damn much. I am an Aerosmith nut and I think they owe the latter half of their career to Run DMC.

@Garen - Glad to hear that Soul Asy-without-the-lum still ranks high on your list. We snuck you off of the lawn and into the pavilion during that show, right?  Good times!

@manfmnantucket - Even if you weren’t a deadhead (the limit of my Dead knowledge extends only as far as “Touch of Grey,” sadly), that was a really sad day. Jerry was an icon. Awesome that you got to see them so much before he was gone, though. Right?

@Beth - That Orpheum show still ranks as my favorite ever. Having the Dresden Dolls open was the icing on the cake for me, even if the audience was restless during their set and not really as into it as a hometown crowd should have been.

Jimmy says:

I’ve been to a lot of concerts. One of my favorite was seeing Kelly Clarkson at the Tweeter Center. 

Hey Chris, remember the time we saw Aerosmith at Great woods, and then they performed in the middle of the audience…

ChrisClark says:

@Jimmy - Kelly rules. I don’t care what anyone thinks of me for admitting that either. I can like Nine Inch Nails AND Kelly Clarkson. It is allowed.

I do remember that Aerosmith show. I think it was Leslie who I was talking to about that show (but it may have been someone else). Anyway, that was really an awesome moment. I loved that show.

Mary Ann says:

Oh chris, great question. My love for Pat Green is unending, everytime Scott and I have seen him in concert it has been, well, I suppose I really can’t put it into words. Pat is my “surrogate” Scott when Scott deploys, Pat is a TX musician, he is a wonderful song writer and so many of his lyrics speak of places Scott and I have been to, so it feels like “home” when I see him live. We have traveled to TX, VA and MA to see him and this year he made it to CT(5 minutes from our house) At that particular concert Scott was deploying in less than 12 hours and it was wonderful to have front row seats and share that concert with him.

Now if I put all my Pat Green concerts to the side, I would have to say the most memorable concert I have ever attended was the Grateful Dead in Highgate, VT that I went to with my dad back when I was in High School. Just a wonderful time with my dad.

Now putting my Grateful Dead concert to the side, Any time I get the chance to sit back and listen to my dad, it brings me peace.

Toby says:

I would have to say the best concert I ever attended was Jewel at the Jorgensen Center at UCONN. It was the beginning of my sophomore year of college, 1997. I am not a huge Jewel fan to begin with, but the tickets were free, so I like free. It is an intimate theatre of only 2600 (I guess it seemed much smaller than that when it was full). She mixed story telling, songs, poetry, and even a little bit of yodeling. I was brought to tears many times, hearing her belt out Foolish Games. It was so pure, simple and natural. I really felt like she was sitting right next to me.
I respect her for her and her amazing talents. Not only is her song writing great, but her story telling and poetry are enjoyable too.

Beth the Bassist says:

I’ve been thinking about this all weekend.  I think a Mike Doughty concert has to win, and I think it is this one

ChrisClark says:

@Mary Ann - Great stories! I’ve seen the pic of you guys with Pat Green, and I know how much he means to you guys. Awesome that you got to see him that day before Scott deployed.

Listening to your dad is also an awesome experience. I know that I find the guy pretty amazing. He should be recorded some day, if he hasn’t been already.

@Toby - Jewel in 1997 and in a small venue must’ve been awesome. She definitely seems like someone who would be better off seen in a small place, where she could provide that kind of intimate experience with the fans.

@Beth the Bassist - I really have to pick me up some Mike Doughty someday. I loves me some Soul Coughing, and I’ve heard you talk about Doughty often enough that I feel like I would really appreciate him, too.

Bethany says:

I think one of the most engaging performers I’ve ever seen live on stage is Jon Bon Jovi. Laugh if you will! But that man loves to perform, and that love is infectious. So Bon Jovi in 1993 was pretty great.

One of the most fun concerts I’ve ever been to has to be Nelson (yes, the twins with the long blond hair). Two friends and I went to see the show as a kind of joke, and we had an absolute blast.

In one of Perry’s writing classes we went around the room and confessed to our most embarrassing concerts. I was winning until someone else admitted they’d seen Tiffany at a mall!

ChrisClark says:

@Bethany - Wow, that story from Perry’s class is priceless. Although I’m not sure if Tiffany beats Nelson in my Book of Lameness. I might have given you the gold, had I been one of the judges that day.