Adrian's Top Five
Five concerts I would go back in time to attend.
Early in September, I took my teenage kids to their first concert. We saw Keane perform at the Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre. Their Keane20 tour, celebrating 20 years of the album, Hopes And Fears, was incredible! I couldn’t have asked for a better show to introduce to my teenagers to the magic of live music. The venue was great. The music was wonderful. The communal experience was ineffable. My teens are still talking about it, already planning their next concert. Such is the power of live music!
One night at dinner, discussing live music, I posed the question,
If you could travel back in time to see any live performance, what would like to see?
We all had a lively conversation about which artists would be incredible to see live and which venues would be awesome to visit.1 So, I thought I would share with you my Top 5 list of live concerts I would travel back in time to attend.
1. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band American Tour
I’ve always wanted to see the Boss live in concert. It doesn’t matter whether I could travel back to his Born to Run tour of the 70s or the Rising Tour in 2002. Springsteen is a powerhouse performer and I think it would be an awesome experience. Springsteen is the ultimate rock star and the older I get, the more I appreciate his music.
2. Elton John at the Troubadour — 1970
Imagine walking into The Troubadour in 1970 for a drink and some music. While you are sitting there, sipping your drink, they introduce the next singer. He has a funny name and is from across the Pond. Out walks Elton John. I wonder if the people listening knew they were being introduced to one of the greatest rock stars ever?
When I brought up Elton John to my teenagers, they were skeptical. So, we watched Rocketman and Elton John: Never Too Late. I think I made my point quite clear.
3. U2 Zoo TV Tour — 1992-93
Seeing U2 live in concert is a bucket list experience for me. I doubt I will ever be able to afford tickets to The Sphere, but I think I would rather see their Zoo TV tour in 1992. I wish I could say I was huge U2 fan my whole life, but as a middle schooler in the early nineties, I wasn’t listening to a lot of music. It’s too bad that my parents didn’t forcee me out of my bedroom and take me to see U2 perform, or at least turn on MTV. I think listening to Pride might have changed my life trajectory!
4. Prince Purple Rain Tour — 1984-85
Again, as a young, white suburban kid, I wasn’t listening to Prince in the 80s. I wonder what my younger self would think of Purple Rain. I doubt I would have fully appreciated what I was listening to. I bet every single show was a monumental performance! It would have been incredible to see Prince live in concert, especially during his Purple Rain tour. Prince influenced some of my favorite artists. A legend!
5. The Beatles at Shea Stadium — 1965
Of course I would want to see The Beatles live at Shea Stadium! Could you imagine? I doubt I would have been able to hear any of their music over the intense screaming from the crowd, but what a concert. I would have been overwhelmed at the sheer size of the venue, but it would have been worth it to see Paul, George, Ringo, and John perform their largest live concert to date. Imagine if this was my first stadium concert!
I really wanted this list to be my Top 10 because there are so many more concerts I would have loved to see if money and time travel were not an issue. What are your picks? Share your favorite concert or any bucket list show you’d love to see live.
Have a great week!
— Adrian
Resources
I highly recommend watching Eight Days A Week: The Touring Years. It is such an incredible documentary and shows clips from their concert at Shea Stadium.
The 50 Greatest Concerts of the Last 50 Years | Rolling Stone Magazine
This is a great Rolling Stone list to browse! Have you seen any of these concerts?
I’m more of a small-venue kind of guy, but these concerts are incredible. The sheer numbers of people in attendance is mind-boggling!
As a teacher, I’m naturally curious. Check out this cool video that explains the science behind why live music is such a memorable experience.
For all of you Keane fans, here are a few videos from their Denver performance.2 I know it’s not the same as seeing it live, but here is a taste of their incredible show.
Sovereign Light Cafe (we all went crazy for this encore performance!)
Want some more of Adrian’s Top 5? Check out a few of my archived posts3.
I’m still planning to take my kids to Red Rocks soon; I just need to find the right concert.
I didn’t film these. Thanks to Andy Settle for posting them to YouTube.
I have no plans to ever make Adrian’s Newsletter a pay-to-read place. If you do want to contribute financially to this Substack (and are able), consider upgrading to PAID.
Great list! I envy your Keane concert… Hopes and Fears was the soundtrack to a poignant time in my life. My best concert was probably Patty Griffin in 2005 at a relatively small venue. Her voice, the lyrics, the intimacy—it was transcendent.
I don't know enough about concerts and concert history. I love the Keane flashback, and I love me some Jack Johnson, Chili Peppers, and had many an Enya CD in high school (really). I've always been interested in being there during the conversation where bands settled on their name. Just hanging out, observing, and realizing how they landed on Hootie and the Blowfish or the Goo Goo Dolls or A Tribe Called Quest. Those seem like fun stories.