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This is a tough one...because I've enjoyed some concerts more than others but they weren't necessarily the best shows.
But I will say #1 for me is:
Motley Crue, 12/31/05 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Just an awesome, awesome time out and it was basically the only real 'original' show they did on that tour since all of their stage talk was completely different.
The others...
Velvet Revolver, 5/12/07 at the Royal Oak Music Theater. Seeing these guys in a small theater blocks from my house was incredible. I was a lukewarm fan going into the show and a die hard leaving. I was about 15' from Slash and was just in awe of the legends rocking out in my hometown.
Van Halen, 10/20/07 at Joe Louis Arena. This wasn't that great of a show by any means but it was the first time I saw Ed and Dave on stage together. I had goosebumps when the lights when out; the emotional impact was so strong, especially during "Runnin' with the Devil"; seeing 20,000 fists pumping under the red lights. It was an amazing sight and I'm sure only a taste of what it used to be like.
Van Halen, 6/2/08 at Van Andel Arena. This was the best of the 3 shows I saw last tour. The band was tight and their interactions were fairly loose; Dave acted more like Dave than any other point of the tour. And to boot, I walked away with an amazing audio recording.
Velvet Revolver, 1/26/08 at the Fillmore Detroit. This was their last show here with Scott Weiland and vocals. The band hated each other at this point and it provided enough adrenaline for them to put on the best show I had ever seen from them. Non-stop adrenaline and power for almost two hours. God, I miss that band.
Motley Crue/Aerosmith, 10/11/06 at DTE Energy Music Theater. Why a show was scheduled outside for mid-October in Michigan is beyond me but it was a damn good time. It was by far the worst Motley Crue show I had ever attended--but it was so bad that it was actually kind of good. It was the first time I saw Aerosmith and while their set list disappointed the shit out of me, they kicked ass. It was cold, rainy, windy and muddy but it was a night I'll never forget (especially considering the fact I was humming "Toys in the Attic" all day in school before the show).
Then after that, two "honorable" mentions would be:
The Who, either 9/29/06, 12/5/06 or 10/21/08. For the first show, it just blew me away how POWERFUL their music is live even without Keith and John. The second show was in Grand Rapids and my dad and I snuck down to the front row which was absolutely unreal. The most recent show was the opening night of the tour--the set list was great and brought back a lot of good memories for me; the opening band was fucking stellar (INWARD EYE) and I've seen them every time they've come back here since, and even sort of befriended them. Check them out, their drummer is the second coming of Keith Moon and he's my age.
Stone Temple Pilots on 7/7/09 in Lansing. I ended up getting about 10' from the stage and it was just friggin' awesome watching these guys play that close. When I saw them last year I wasn't all that impressed nor was I familiar with all the tunes. But by the time this show came around, I was a die hard fan so I enjoyed myself immensely; not to mention the band absolutely kicked ass.
But I will say #1 for me is:
Motley Crue, 12/31/05 at the Palace of Auburn Hills. Just an awesome, awesome time out and it was basically the only real 'original' show they did on that tour since all of their stage talk was completely different.
The others...
Velvet Revolver, 5/12/07 at the Royal Oak Music Theater. Seeing these guys in a small theater blocks from my house was incredible. I was a lukewarm fan going into the show and a die hard leaving. I was about 15' from Slash and was just in awe of the legends rocking out in my hometown.
Van Halen, 10/20/07 at Joe Louis Arena. This wasn't that great of a show by any means but it was the first time I saw Ed and Dave on stage together. I had goosebumps when the lights when out; the emotional impact was so strong, especially during "Runnin' with the Devil"; seeing 20,000 fists pumping under the red lights. It was an amazing sight and I'm sure only a taste of what it used to be like.
Van Halen, 6/2/08 at Van Andel Arena. This was the best of the 3 shows I saw last tour. The band was tight and their interactions were fairly loose; Dave acted more like Dave than any other point of the tour. And to boot, I walked away with an amazing audio recording.
Velvet Revolver, 1/26/08 at the Fillmore Detroit. This was their last show here with Scott Weiland and vocals. The band hated each other at this point and it provided enough adrenaline for them to put on the best show I had ever seen from them. Non-stop adrenaline and power for almost two hours. God, I miss that band.
Motley Crue/Aerosmith, 10/11/06 at DTE Energy Music Theater. Why a show was scheduled outside for mid-October in Michigan is beyond me but it was a damn good time. It was by far the worst Motley Crue show I had ever attended--but it was so bad that it was actually kind of good. It was the first time I saw Aerosmith and while their set list disappointed the shit out of me, they kicked ass. It was cold, rainy, windy and muddy but it was a night I'll never forget (especially considering the fact I was humming "Toys in the Attic" all day in school before the show).
Then after that, two "honorable" mentions would be:
The Who, either 9/29/06, 12/5/06 or 10/21/08. For the first show, it just blew me away how POWERFUL their music is live even without Keith and John. The second show was in Grand Rapids and my dad and I snuck down to the front row which was absolutely unreal. The most recent show was the opening night of the tour--the set list was great and brought back a lot of good memories for me; the opening band was fucking stellar (INWARD EYE) and I've seen them every time they've come back here since, and even sort of befriended them. Check them out, their drummer is the second coming of Keith Moon and he's my age.
Stone Temple Pilots on 7/7/09 in Lansing. I ended up getting about 10' from the stage and it was just friggin' awesome watching these guys play that close. When I saw them last year I wasn't all that impressed nor was I familiar with all the tunes. But by the time this show came around, I was a die hard fan so I enjoyed myself immensely; not to mention the band absolutely kicked ass.
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