I’d probably go for the 1991 Monsters of Rock concert in Moscow. Must’ve been hell of a time.
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Any concert by The Presidents Of The United States Of America.
They are (were) an actual rock band that played actual rock music, you know?
not a concert but a place - CBGB. It would have been really cool to frequent and see a ton of amazing bands get their start.
Mozarts last concerto
Sky River Rock festival 1968. First outdoor rockfest, a precursor to the later ones like Woodstock, so I guess that makes it historic.
There is an alleged jam session with no recording available that people say was the highlight.
Some people will know this show from their tapes as the name of the location: Betty Nelson’s Organic Raspberry Farm.
The first time Bob Dylan brought out an electric guitar would be cool to be a part of, if nothing more than to see everyone freaking out (mostly booing and throwing stuff on stage, I believe).
Johnny Cash at Folsom Prison, if I don’t have to be a prisoner there. Maybe I can be a guard or something for a day.
The first show of Pink Floyd’s original The Wall tour.
Nirvana, Alice in Chains, Pearl Jam MTV Unplugged (any of them).
Not really historical yet but any and every Jesse Welles concert I’ve missed so far. I’ve only seen him once so far and regret missing his first show close to me but plan to see him every time he comes nearby going forward, so long as I can afford it. Thankfully he’s not big enough yet for super expensive tickets, when I saw him the tickets were for a very reasonable price. It would be nice if he could go to some smaller cities or towns close by though, I hate big cities.
For classical, I’d absolutely love to see Horowitz performing Rachmaninoff’s 3rd piano concerto (Op. 30) with LSO/Coates in 1930. It’s my favourite recording of my favourite classical piece of music, but the audio quality is awful. Rachmaninoff was actually a friend of Horowitz and attended the show, and said that performance was the closest he had heard to what he had in his head when writing the piece. It was even closer to his original idea than what Rachmaninoff himself had done, and I believe Rachmaninoff stopped playing it live afterward, saying it had already been perfected and gave Horowitz his personal blessing to perform it on his behalf (not that he needed permission, but it was more symbolic than anything).
1985 Rock in Rio, for the fact that over 1.3 million were in attendance and could see Queen, AC/DC, Iron Maiden, Ozzy Osbourne, Scorpions, Yes, and James Taylor. The sheer number alone would’ve been a sight to behold, to say nothing of the stellar lineup.
Honorable mention goes to KISS’s first reunion concert at Tiger Stadium back in '96, to see Ace and Peter’s renewed passion and for my love of Tiger Stadium itself.
Eras Tour Vienna night 2. 💔💔💔
First and Foremost:
Woodstock.
Basically any Beatles concert in their “we’ve discovered LSD” prime would be on my list
I’d choose the concert at which Beethoven’s 5th Symphony was premiered. The full program for the evening was as follows:
First Half
Symphony No. 6 in F major (Pastoral), Op. 68
Aria: “Ah! perfido”, Op. 65 (for soprano and orchestra)
Gloria movement from the Mass in C major, Op. 86
Piano Concerto No. 4 in G major, Op. 58 (performed by Beethoven as soloist)
Second Half
Symphony No. 5 in C minor, Op. 67
Sanctus and Benedictus movements from the Mass in C major, Op. 86
Solo piano improvisation by Beethoven
Choral Fantasy, Op. 80 (finishing the evening with choir, vocal soloists, piano, and orchestra)
I simply would like to have been present when the most recognizable piece of music ever written first hit the public’s ears, as well as have the chance to see the man himself performing at the top of his game.
I happened to be in Seattle for two days in 1991 when Nirvana was at the Paramount. I didn’t have tickets but a big regret is I didn’t take a taxi to at least be outside.
I did see Nirvana on their first tour when they made it all the way down here. It was a good time but I don’t really remember it as transcendent. There were fewer than 50 people there! In a local bar. I did get to meet them, they came all the way across the country in a little white van.
Bonnaroo 2009.
Specifically for Beastie Boys, as it was their last concert.
Queen, Montreal 1981. U2 Rattle and Hum Depeche Mode, Some Great Reward Most of the Lolapaloozas especially 91, 92 & 93
Not the question you asked, but I love listening to MiracleAligner’s stuff on YouTube and often imagine how cool it would be to take a time machine back to classical rome and play a show in a bar l.
Rite of Spring debut in 1913
I remember hearing a story that Diaghilev was actually delighted after the show because he knew that controversy puts asses in your theater seats.
