Great concert beginnings

[kplamann]

The other day somebody posted this:



The guy says cheesy stuff to the audience, he even does not quite sing in tune, but who cares - what a great beginning to a great concert!

I tried to think of other great starts and came up with these:

Mid 1970s Wings



ZZ Top on Rockpalast 1980



I saw that live on TV as a teenager. It was six o'clock in the morning in Germany and I still remember how electrifying that moment was. And it immediately made me want a Les Paul soo badly ...
A couple of years later I got a used 1983 Les Paul Standard which looks just like that one. Even now I can look at it and still feel very cool.


Any other suggestions?

[fuzzbender]

My favourite is Robert Plant's taut' intro to

'this is something that we decided was an apt title for a thing that was called The Song Remains the Same'

aka the intro remains the same

[schnulli]

Another Rockpalast goodie: Steve Miller from the 1983 Loreley festival (what a show : The Stray Cats, Dave Edmunds, Joe Cocker, U2, Steve Miller Band)

I always loved that opening and the posh suits .

Boy, do I miss the Rockpalast nights .

[kplamann]

Come to think of it, that's not too shabby as a kick-off for a rock concert either ...



especially given that they were indeed Rocking All Over The World ...

[Post Toastie]

[Skully]

Originally Posted by kplamann

I tried to think of other great starts and came up with these:

Mid 1970s Wings

That was the one I was going to post, but you beat me to it.

Not technically perfect, but powerful:



Is he playing an Omnichord? Does anyone remember those? Apparently, U2 used one on "The Joshua Tree," though not in the same manner.

[Lone Bear]

sorry for the ad.

At the other end of the spectrum, in 1978 James Taylor walked out to center stage by himself carrying an acoustic guitar and simply said, "Hey y'all."

[kplamann]

Great suggestions, thank you!

[HoodieMcFoodie]

I liked Talking Heads intro to Stop Making Sense.

[trev333]

I was at the Roundhouse in London to see a Split Enz concert late '77 or early '78 ....

it was pretty rowdy for the first few acts.... full house, a lot of punks down the front doing the pogo, slam dancing,etc...

the lights dimmed as Split Enz were about to come out... a hush of expectancy went over the crowd....

then... on a dark stage with a single spot ..this huge drawstring sack sort of moved into the light.?... huh? .. oo's and ah's... wtf is this?.....

and in an instant the band emerged from the sack, instruments full volume.. playing...

"When my baby's walking down the street, I see red , I see red , I see red "...... really effen LOUD!....

the place went from still silence .. to full on ballistic pogos and wild shouting.... in about 5 seconds or less..... the whole place started jumping at the same time..... a 30 yd thick wall of people, down the front went mad!....
I was up on the balcony area looking across a moving sea of people that looked like a storm at sea.....

it was the most incredible opening for a show I've EVER seen....... and one of the best shows I'd been to.....

and the first time I'd seen guitars without cables... radio gear?.....

[castpolymer]

Fall 1988 in Denver at McNichols Arena. AC/DC's " The Razor's Edge " Tour. I will never forget Angus playing " Heatseeker " while coming out of the floor of the stage in an ICBM.

[sacizob]

Went to see "The Wall" and before it started there was this homeless person walking around the floor seats with a shopping cart. He eventually worked his way way to the stage climed up on stage and took off his coat and hat. It was Roger Waters and the show started. Very cool!

[AirBagTester]

Originally Posted by sacizob

Went to see "The Wall" and before it started there was this homeless person walking around the floor seats with a shopping cart. He eventually worked his way way to the stage climed up on stage and took off his coat and hat. It was Roger Waters and the show started. Very cool!

That is brilliant!

[vortexmike]

I remember hearing this on Made in Japan in 1973 (??) and was totally blown away ..



It is still a great opener !

[Bob Mc]

I saw a Black Crowes clip on Youtube where they started a tune before the curtain went up. Pretty simple idea, but it rocked pretty hard.

Sound familiar to anyone?

[adeiderich]

Saw the Stones in '81 (Buffalo, NY) and they opened with "Under My Thumb" which I always felt was better than the "Start Me Up" opener that they've been using on a regular basis since then.

[Tdub]

I think this is an awesome intro to a concert. No introduction, just the band starts and at :30 Rodgers comes out blazing from behind the speakers.

[sax4blues]

I saw Ted Nugent at Winterland in the 70's. He came out and just started screaming, saying "if you want to be just a little bit mellow, turn around and get the F#%@! OUT OF HERE". The girl in front of me pulled her boyfriends arm and made him leave.

[1293]

Welcome back my friends to the show that never ends. Ladies and gentlemen; Emerson, Lake, and Palmer!

[xMercury69x]

One of my all-times favorites is Peter Gabriel

The third album had just come out and I was living in Montreal, where Genesis/Gabriel are revered like gods. Anyway, the Forum is a-buzz and a-blaze and the lights go down and there is this sinister, pounding drum. nothing seems to be happening onstage, but now there are hand-held spotlights, meant to look like flashlights, entering the arena from several different areas. As they wind down towards the floor, everyone starts to realise it's the band. They get up on stage and the song is...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vAzUh_H7yV0

So awesome...