Top 5 best gigs

Scorpions Reading Festival 1979..last minute replacements as Thin Lizzy pulled out..they rocked the place to the ground and that gig helped their Album Lovedrive go top 10 in the UK

Guns N Roses..first appearence at Monsters of Rock in the UK..they blew everyone else away that day

Led Zeppelin 02 2007...yes I was one of the lucky ones who went..the godfathers of rock played an awesome gig

Iron Maiden Twickenham 2008....been in to them from day one so it was great to see them going back to the earlier songs

AC/DC Wembley 2009..seen them many times before but great to see them still sell out Wembley and show that they are still one of the best!

John Mayall & The Bluesbreakers - Hamburg Fabrik, 1993
Tom Waits - Hammersmith Odeon, 1987
Weather Update - Hammersmith Odeon, 1986
John Martyn - Euston Shaw Theatre, 1990
The Pogues - Putney Whitelands College, 1984

My favourite was the Stranglers at Bangor university in 1976 before Rattus Norwegicus came out. Remember the gig well because i thought the music was a breath of fresh air and because of the ruckus after 45 mins.
Some hippy types objected to "Princess of the Streets" and a melee broke out which was quelled by j j Burnel taking off his guitar and using it like a scythe on the punters in the front row. Plus i had been talking to Hugh Cornwell at the bar before the gig and thought he was a local tramp.

My other favourite gigs were in Germany where i was working at the time. Went backstage at an Ian Dury and the Blockheads gig in Frankfurt and subsequently went on tour with them for another 5 dates until they went into Austria.
Lots of smoking and partying with Kosmo Vinyl and the band ( but Mr Dury himself could be a bit of a disagreeable git)

ZZ Top - St. Francis Xavier Hall(think school gym size) Dublin just before Eliminator became really BIG.
John Martyn - Rotterdam Bar Belfast(think big living room) 2007 check out youtube clip.
U2 - Botanic Gardens Belfast Popmart tour, spectacular show, superb sound quality.
Tom Jones - Odyssey Belfast 27 Oct 2009, what a voice!!!!
Evan Parker and Laurence Casserley - date???? Saxophone solos electronically manipulated in surround sound, amazing!

Its hard to cut it down to five..........................

AC/DC - Kings Hall Belfast 1996, cd quality sound in the worst venue for acoustics in Belfast, and a stunning show.
Queen - RDS Dublin Works Tour, Freddie was astonishing, 15 minute solo spot multitracking harmonys into a choir.
The Stranglers - Ulster Hall Belfast La Folie Tour, flawless and powerful performance. JJ was in dangerous form that night.
John Paul Jones - The Limelight Belfast, Zooma Tour. Played a blinder and then went around chatting to everyone afterwards!
Jeff Beck - 30 July 2009 Ulster Hall Belfast. An amazing performance from an amazing band. Met him after, a real gent!
Bowie - Sound and Vision tour Point Depot Dublin. A great show and a mighty band playing his greatest to that date.
Guns and Roses - Slaine Castle Dublin. The hot numbers, Paradise City, Knockin', Live and Let Die etc..were amazing, the duff ones were forgiven by virtue of the quality of the hot ones.
Rolling Stones - 40 Licks Tour Point Depot Dublin, the best I ever saw the Stones over a 25 year span. Keith was in top form and playing better than at any time in the 90's, or since. Arthritis in his left hand will end the Stones. Check out his fingers in any photo taken in the last 5 years.
Pink Floyd - Momentray Lapse Of Reason tour Docklands London. Truly magical gig. Best sound quality I have ever heard at a gig and a great show. I loved the robot lighting rig, bring it back or lend it to the Oz Pink Floyd who are always totally impressive.
Marc Ribot - Queens University Jazz Festival years ago! Tom Waits and John Zorn guitar player of choice playing an amazing range of musical and improvisational styles. Bursting balloons used for rhythm.
Frank Zappa - 1988 London Wembley Arena. Tightest big band playing the tightest turnarounds and time signatures ever!

Keeping to just 5, alphabetically....

AC/DC - Hammersmith Odeon - Highway to Hell tour (1979?)
Dumpy's Rusty Nuts - Chislehurst Caves (early 80s)
Motorhead - Marquee - Another Perfect Day tour - (1983)
Queen - Lewisham Odeon - Crazy tour (1979)
Thin Lizzy - Rainbow - as seen on the Live and Dangerous DVD (1978)

strangely the only person at more than one of these was Brian Robertson (Motorhead and Lizzy)

Led Zepp Dundee 1971
Led Zepp Dundee 1973
Zappa Edinburgh 1977
Oscar Peterson Edinburgh late 70's
Colin Towns (ex- keyboard Ian Gillan Band) and the Norddeutsche Rundfunk Big Band play the Music of Frank Zappa " Hot Licks (and Funny Smells) Edinburgh 2008

In no particular order, and I'll probably change my mind in 5 minutes but:

The Electric Prunes - Canterbury Fayre 2002
Marillion - Aberdeen Capitol, Fugazi tour
Hawkwind - Choose Your Masques tour, Aberdeen Capitol (1982?)
Faust - Aberdeen Tunnels (2006?)
Guru Guru - Burg Herzberg Festival, Germany, 2004

Incidentally, I am so jealous of Carradale seeing Oscar Peterson. I don't know much at all about jazz, but Mrs Spacepig is a big jazz fan. Last Christmas I wanted to get her a CD but didn't know what to get. So I went onto a jazz website and asked for recommendations and Oscar Peterson kept getting suggested. So I went and bought her a live boxset and was blown away with it. She plays piano and told me afterwards that she always hated OP because she knows she will never be as good as him. But still it gets a regular spin and since then we've picked up a healthy collection of his CD's.

Gets a bit difficult over time I must say. However, for sheer exhilaration and musical magic: Richard Thompson, solo, at Tilleys in Canberra in '04 (I think) which beat his next gig there eighteen months later, and that was damn good. After that it's a mixture of favourites and times/places: Yes at the Empire Pool in '77, Peter Gabriel at Hammersmith Odeon in '77, Genesis at Earls Court in '78, Bowie at Earls Court in '78, King Crimson at Aylsebury Friars in '81, Deep Purple/Free/Manfred Mann's Earthband/Chain (Oz blues band ) at Beatty Park Aquatic Centre in Perth, Western Australia for $12 in '71, Paul McCartney and Wings at The Entetainment Centre in Perth W.A. in '75, Frank Zappa at Hammersmith Odeon in '77, Clannad at Perth Concert Hall in '90, The Mahavishnu Orchestra at the Perth Concert Hall in '74........have I got to five yet? Did I mention Steely Dan at the Australian Institute of Sport in '07?

Zep Knebworth 4.8.79
Clash Cambridge Corn Exchange late 1977
Metallica Donington 1985
Sisters of Mercy Electric Ballroom summer 1984
Guns n Roses Hammersmith 1987

Can't limit it to 5. Seen many live, these stick in the brain for all the right reasons.

Queen/ Status Quo/ Zeno - St James's Park Newcastle 9th/7th/1986 ( INXS were a no-show due to road crew being stuck 300 odd miles away on the M25)
Def Leppard/ Gun - Earl's Court - 26th/6th/1992
Rush/ Primus - Wembley Arena 17th & 18th/4th/1992
Kiss - Wembley Arena 25th/11th/1996
Eric Clapton/ The Who/ Bob Dylan/ Alanis Morisette - Hyde Park 29th/6th/1996
Aerosmith/ Lenny Kravitz/ The Stereophonics/ Black Crowes/ 3 Colours Red - Wembley Stadium 26th/6th/1999.
Bon Jovi/Dan Reed Network - Wembley Arena 4th/1st/1990
Motley Crue/ White Lion/ Skid Row - Wembley Arena 2nd/11th/1989
Motley Crue/ Killing Joke - Wembley Tent - 19th/6th/ 2005
Pink Floyd - Earls Court ( When the stand collapsed) - 12th /10th/ 1994 rescheduled 17th/10th.
Paul Mccartney - Earl's Court - 15th/9th/1993
The Who/ Razorlight/ The Zutons/ Ocean Colour Scene - Hyde Park - 2nd/7th/2006
Muse/ The Zutons - Earls Court - 19th/12th/2004
Manic Street Preachers - Wembley Arena - 7th/12th/ 2002
Marillion/ Jadis - Newcastle City Hall - 1st/8th/88
Iggy Pop - Newcastle City Hall - 15th/6th/1987
Red Hot Chili Peppers/ James Brown - Hyde Park - 25th/6th/2004

Yes, i kept my bloody ticket stubs!!!!

Spacepig.

Find Peterson and Count Basie on youtube. Their fiirst Satch and Josh album is really good. Also on youtube Peterson and Andre Previn maybe

Hi Carradale, thanks for the tip.

I just previewed the Satch and Josh CD on Amazon and it sounds great. So that's her Christmas CD sorted out now for this year already.

Glad to be of help. Make sure it is the first one.

Any chance of telling me which particular pair of shoes or bag Mrs Carradale does not own yet?

Don't you think she has enough shoes and handbags? Why not give her something nice like - a Lamborghini?

ac dc in 1980s with brian johnson, wembley stadium,had a little drink all night ,nothing to much ,wanted to get off at high wycombe ,ended up in banbury ,best gig ever !

Rory Gallagher-Marquee !974
Stray- Marquee !974
Black Sabbath - East Ham Granada !973
The Jam -Hammersmith Palais
Joe Satriani -London Guitar Festival at the Exel 2007

Ry Cooder - 25/10/80 Victoria Apollo London - Borderline had just come out and it was brilliant

Randy Newman - Royal Festival Hall - February 2000 -got to meet the man, backstage, afterwards - brilliant.

Don McLean - Birmingham Town Hall - about 1974 - my first gig!

The Manfreds - Camberley Theatre - just a great night out.....

Richard Thompson - A 1000 years of popular music, just after the LP had come out, so I guess we're talking early this decade.

OK - here's my five - all in Manchester:-
Steely Dan - Palace Theatre 1973
Bowie - Free Trade Hall 1972
Hendrix - Palace Theatre 1967
Genesis - Free Trade Hall 1977
Eddi Reader - The Lowry 2005

Narrowing it down to 5.........OK here goes!
Stiff Little Fingers - Student Union Bar, Ulster Poly 1978 - 1st gig and 1st underage pints!
The Damned - Ulster Hall early 80's
The Long Ryders - Nelson Mandela Hall mid 80's - such a breath of fresh air when the World had gone electronic and OTT
The Pixies - Ulster Hall 1990
The Church - Vicar Street Dublin early 2000's

Couldn't agree more P Bell. The Kings Hall must rank as one of the worst music venues ever!

My beloved JAMES give the best Arena ever and are now back in business. Went to all the pre Christmas gigs in the 90's at the MEN in Manchester - what a fantastic night out.

Hendix 1967, phildee.

Respect!

I was at this concert too! I was astonished as I had never heard anything like it and I was horrified by the spitting. The air seemed full of flying phlegm. I remember that the bands van was trashed after and I feel sad about that now. It was, as you say, such a breath of fresh air and I got the album as soon as it came out

To many to mension....from festivals in 68 to present,from bands/artist to
the present,the 'on the bus tour of 72',the Hyde parks,the Finsbury parks
...social sec at two higher education establishments.....!!!!!!!
....can't limit to Top 5,more like the Top 100!

Edit: Smitty didn't catch you at the Zappa gig at Wembley in 88!!!!!

status quo: glasgow apollo 1979
motorhead :glasgow apollo 1980
rush :glasgow apollo 1980
whitesnake :glasgow apollo 1981
kiss :glasgow apollo 1983

runners up

ozzy osbourne blizzard of ozz:glasgow apollo 1980
saxon:glasgow apollo 1980
zz top:glasgow apollo 1983
blue oyster cult : renfrew ferry 2002
rush :secc 2004
kiss :secc 2010