Bands or Artists you saw in their prime?

[megoat]

I saw the Replacements in early '85 on the Let It Be tour. They were my favorite band at the time--I don't think I was quite 15 yet. Bob was still in the band and I remember at one point he just stopped playing and put his guitar down and started talking to some girl while his band mates continued on for a few songs. Of course the whole show was a drunken mess interspersed with brief moments of clarity and brilliance!

[torgospizza]

Van Hagar, Motley Crue, Quiet Riot, The Smithereens, Untamed Youth, Loudness, Twisted Sister, and--get this--The Jackson Five. I was only five or six, and barely remember it.

[Zemo]

Jethro Tull-Late 70's
Eric Clapton-1980

The Top two

[MLoudin]

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band in '74 and every tour since
Go-Go's-1982
Lots of others, but perhaps not prime...

[SeattleEd]

Jesus And Mary Chain - PsychoCandy tour at Santa Monica Civic with Specimen and Butthole Surfers
Nine Inch Nails - Pre-Pretty Hate Machine live at Helter Skelter in Hollywood.
Doves - First US tour in Seattle
The Strokes - First US tour opening up for Doves. No one knew who they were.
Firehose - Fromohio tour. College show
Black Rebel Motorcycle Club - Pre-BRMC. First Seattle show and blew away so many bands they ended up having labels fight over them.
Lush - First US tour and amazing live. Opened up for Cocteau Twins
Cocteau Twins - Second US tour after so many years.
The Church - Pre-Starfish tour right when they signed with Arista.

[Blue Meanie]

Tears for Fears during the Sewing The Seeds tour
Crowded House during the Woodface tour
U2 1st and 3rd night of the North American Joshua Tree Tour (Nassau Coliseum)...It might be considered their prime IMHO the Unforgetable Fore Tour is probably their prime.
Heart during the Heart and Brigade Tours
Metallica when they were part of the Monsters Of Rock Tour...It was the "And Justice For All" tour.
The Alarm during the "Eye Of The Hurricane" Tour...to this day it's my one regret that I didn't stay to see the main act...Bob Dylan. That's right, The Alarm opened for Bob Dylan. I was young and stupid to realize how much of a lyrical and story telling genius Dylan was. Couldn't get past the so called "Whine" in his voice.

I know my bro has seen more shows with acts in their prime. Being 3 and half years older than me he got to see some great acts just as they were hitting their stride.

[Johnny]

The first concert I ever saw was in the mid to late seventies:

Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention.

I saw U2 very early on right after Boy I think.

Rod Stewart, Atlantic Crossing tour.

Genesis way back.

I saw Queen in the early early eighties.

The Police early eighties also.

I won pair of tickets to KISS in the late seventies and sold them.
I really wish I had gone to that show.

Same thing with the Beach Boys.

The Tubes

Cheap Trick

Van Halen

Wendy 0 Williams and the Plasmatics in a small club in the eighties.

I saw Johnny Cash way back.

I saw Simple Minds in a small club way back.

Styx Equinox tour.

Iggy Pop in a small club.

David Bowie Let's Dance tour.

The Kinks

Peter Gabriel

Heart

BTO

Elton John

Eurythmics

Depeche Mode

Bryan Ferry and Roxy Music

Supertramp Crime Of The Century tour.

There are many, many more that I am forgetting right now.

[Blue Meanie]

The problem with this thread is the word "Prime". A couple of people have mentioned McCartney tour in '89/'90, and I am a HUGE McCartney fan and saw him in a preview of his tour in '89 at the Lyceum Theatre in NYC...for FREE (Thanks the Wings Fun Club) , but in my opinion it wasn't McCartney in his prime. Prime would have been Wings Over America in 75/76.

I've seen Clapton like 6 times since his Behind the Sun tour in '85...was it his prime? Some say his Cream or Derek and the Dominoes stuff was his prime. Same goes for Elton John...I've seen him 6 or 7 times since his Reg Strike Back Tour...his prime was surely in the late 70's early 80's. So prime is all subjective.

On a side note...I'm a little surprised about Julian Lennon being mentioned twice. I saw Julian back in '86 Secret Value of Daydreaming tour at Radio City Music Hall. It was a great show...up until Sean came out on stage and sang with him on the last number of the night.

[The Bat]

The problem with this thread is the word "Prime"

Agreed...I could have listed a lot more Bands that weren't exactly in their "prime"...but not that old either.

[stuart]

I saw ZZ Top in Atlanta for the Afterburner tour and saw them in Memphis for the Recycler tour. The shows were great. My ears are still ringing - 20 years later