10 Bands No Longer Around That You're Glad You Saw Live

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Odys

701 Club - QQ All-Star
Joined
Aug 3, 2006
Messages
725
Location
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Every time I listen to the music of these bands I'm glad I had a chance to see them live while they were still around. What are your top 10? They have to be legitimately defunct, for instance I would love to list the Sex Pistols and Rage Against the Machine, but they keep popping up every so often with a reunion tour. Here are my top 10 in date order:

1. Ramones (Aragon Ballroom, Chicago) - 1978
2. Johnny Thunders (Jonathan Swift's, Cambridge, MA) - 1982 (I would have loved to have seen the New York Dolls, a miss that I'll always regret)
3.Talking Heads (Poplar Creek, Hoffman Estates, IL) - 1983
4. Frank Zappa (Auditorium Theater, Chicago) - 1988
5. Nirvana (Cow Palace, San Francisco) - 1993
6. Cop Shoot Cop (Double Door, Chicago) - 1995
7. Fugazi (Rainbo Roller Rink, Chicago) - 1995
8. R.L. Burnside (Double Door, Chicago) - 1998
9. Joe Strummer & the Mescaleros (Cajun House, Scottsdale, AZ) - 2001 (One of my biggest regrets is never seeing the Clash live, but I still have the Combat Rock CD booklet that Joe signed that night framed on my wall)
10. White Stripes (Mesa Amphitheater, Mesa, AZ) - 2003
 
Great Thread, Odys!!! I'll assume that reunions count, so long as they are now defunct. I hope I was sober enough to have been aware of the correct year.

1- Frank Zappa (Uptown Theater, Chicago) 1981. Wild night is calling! The Return of the Son of Shut Up and Play Your Guitar.
2- Weather Report (Poplar Creek, Hoffman Estates, IL) 1982. Jaco Pastorious, perched atop an amp, playing Purple Haze, as a bass solol!!
3- Sun Ra & His Arkestra (Jazz Fest, Grant Park, Chicago) 1982. Interplanetary!
4- Herb Alpert & the Tijuana Brass Reunion (Poplar Creek, Hoffman Estates, IL) 1984 Hanging backstage w/Herb & Lani. A fond memory!
5- Monkees 1st Reunion (Poplar Creek, Hoffman Estates, IL) 1986. w/Peter Noone, Gary Puckett and the late Rob Grill from the Grassroots.
6- Miles Davis (Chicago Theatre, Chicago, 1987; Orchestra Hall, Chicago, 1988; Jazz Fest, Grant Park, Chicago 1990). Unbelievable!!!!
7- Laura Nyro (The Vic, Chicago) 1988 & 1989. An underappreciated genius!!
8- Spirit (????, Palatine, IL) 1996. Got to meet Ed "Cass" Cassidy and Randy California!
9- Ray Charles (Jazz Fest, Grant Park, Chicago) 1997. "Now, the Raelettes." I commented to those I was with that you couldn't hear them. Ray said the same thing from the stage and started the song over.
10- Loggins & Messina Reunion (Northerly Island, Chicago) 2005. Wow!!

Bonus: although not a band themselves, I was a season subscription holder for the Chicago Symphony under both Sir Georg Solti and Daniel Barenboim. I miss them both. RIP, Sir Georg!
 
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I don't have ten right off the top of my head but Led Zeppelin (1970 and 1975), of course and the original Steppenwolf (1969). David Bowie as he was during Ziggy Stardust and Diamond Dogs (1973 and 1975), Queen (1976).

I did see The New York Dolls at the Minnesota State Fair in the Teen Center (1974). Some of the crowd was heckling them because, by that time, they were no longer dressing like girls. Johansen finally got fed up and yelled to them, "Why don't you go home and polish your old man's tractor?"

Everybody laughed and they continued playing.

EDIT: Oops, I forgot one of my all time favorites - The Litter from Minneapolis. I just thought they were fantastic. Louder than heck. Sadly, their best singer, Mark Gallagher, passed away a few years ago.

Doug
 
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Linda, I'm envious of the Miles Davis shows. I discovered jazz later in life and obviously missed some great Jazz Fests when I lived in Chicago. Zappa at the Uptown must have been incredible too!

Doug, I had Zep tix for the last tour which was cancelled. Never got to see them. The Dolls at the state fair, wow!
 
This is of course, sad, but I really didn't have much of an idea who Miles was until weeks after he passed and a friend who was a jazzhead took me to a tribute show. It'd be a few years before I discovered him through the 70's albums and went from there.

They're still, in theory, around, but I'm glad I got to see a young and hungry Jane's Addiction.

Absolutely agree, Odys, on the White Stripes. Glad I got to see GnR as well right before they fell off a cliff.

Of course, while rather late to the game, for obvious reasons, I can die knowing I saw both The Grateful Dead and Pink Floyd. Hell, I'm even glad I got talked into seeing Genesis instead of going to my senior prom.

I got to see, for the first time, Blondie two years ago and witnessed a 65 year-old Debbie Harry tear the house down.

Who did I waste money on? Wish I hadn't bothered too much with the first KISS reunion.
 
I cheated a little bit by including lineups that no longer exist. In the case of the Little River Band, there are NO original members, but they're still around!

Jellyfish
Owsley
The Knack
Little River Band (when Glenn Shorrock & Peter Beckett of "Player" fame were in the band)
Michael Brecker
Styx (when Dennis DeYoung was still in the band)
Ambrosia (when David Pack was still in the band)
Asia (original lineup)
The Joe Jackson Band (original lineup)
Nickel Creek
 
Hmmm....let's see....can only think of 5 so far, might edit and add later.

Silverhead - Victory Theatre, Toronto (May 1974)
Ramones - New Yorker Theatre, Toronto (June 1977) (saw them quite a few times after that as well)
Rain Parade - Larry's Hideaway, Toronto (July 1986)
Richard Hell & the Voidoids - Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto (1978)
Cocteau Twins - DV8, Seattle (June 1996)
 
I cheated a little bit by including lineups that no longer exist. In the case of the Little River Band, there are NO original members, but they're still around!

Jellyfish
Owsley
The Knack
Little River Band (when Glenn Shorrock & Peter Beckett of "Player" fame were in the band)
Michael Brecker
Styx (when Dennis DeYoung was still in the band)
Ambrosia (when David Pack was still in the band)
Asia (original lineup)
The Joe Jackson Band (original lineup)
Nickel Creek

Holy fuck, you saw Jellyfish. You lucky dawg.

I never saw Jellyfish, but I saw Creed.....twice. Life is cruel. :)
 
I saw a later Joe Jackson lineup with my friend Drew at the Chicago Theatre. We had the first row in the center of the balcony for the Blaze of Glory tour. Although few bought it, I still think it was his best album. I have them all. He performed side 1, then a few hits, and ended with side 2, every track in order. I've seen hundreds, perhaps over 1000 concerts. This ranked as one of the best. He had a 19 piece rock band, NOT an orchestra.
The Joe Jackson Band (original lineup)

DISCIPLINE can make me stronger, if it doesn't kill me first.
 
Can't come up with 10, but:

The Clash - right before London Calling, at the Hollywood Palladium. My first experience watching pogoing and bodyslamming.
Beach Boys original lineup, 1979.
Bruce and the E-street band WITH Clarence and Danny. I'm still bummed out by the loss of the Big Man.
The Who - original lineup. Anaheim Stadium 1975, festival seating (a few years before Cincinnati). Slept in the parking lot waiting to get in. Good times!
Yes - original lineup. 1977
Genesis, 1976. Just missed the Gabriel years. Still a great show.
The Tubes - 1977, Cal State Fullerton. What fun!

and 'NSync! Rose Bowl. Only because I took my two young daughters to their first concert experience. I spent 1 1/2 hours listening to preteen girls screaming like it was the Beatles!
 
DKA: I saw GnR when they still had Izzy. I didn't include them because I wasn't clear on their status, last I heard Axl was the only original member. I saw Pink Floyd too, on the Momentary Lapse of Reason tour, only an honorable mention though because Waters had left by this time. I had tickets to see them for the Animals tour, but couldn't get off my job bagging groceries as a high schooler! What a dumbass!!! My biggest concert regret ever!

dr. simple & Linda: I saw Joe Jackson on the Big World tour (tour before Blaze of Glory). Great show and still one of my favorite albums by Joe. I didn't count him because he still tours, even if it's not with the original band.

doppelbock: I love Richard Hell & the Voidoids. I'm guessing the Horseshoe Tavern was a small venue, wish I'd been there.

1301715426-75_10_31.jpg

elroy: the Tubes were my first concert, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band opened up for them. If I remember correctly, it was the first concert ever at the Uptown Theater, which used to be a movie house. This was in 1975. White Punks on Dope!
 
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During the Big World tour, he notoriously told people sitting up front at Chicago's Poplar Creek, to go somewhere else if they wanted to sit and talk. The album was recorded live to two-track digital WITH an audience. Not a peep from them, but not that night.
dr. simple & Linda: I saw Joe Jackson on the Big World tour (tour before Blaze of Glory). Great show and still one of my favorite albums by Joe. I didn't count him because he still tours, even if it's not with the original band.
RIGHT and WRONG, do you know the difference?
 
1WHO 1976
2Chicago 70s
3Supertramp 70s
4The Doobie Brothers 70s
5Fleetwood Mac 70s
6Ramones 80s
7Devo then later the same night the Dead Kennedys early 80s
8Police x2 80s
9Bauhaus 80s
10The Sisters of Mercy 80s 90s
The Human League 80s
Simple Minds 80s
Clash & Who 80s
Tubes PG Bowie samenight 80s
The Cramps 80s
Jeffrey Lee Pierce 80s
Dead Can Dance x2 90s
 
Well lets see, I'll have to throw in Mott The Hoople at the Hollywood Palladium, the New York Dolls at the whiskey, this is early early 70s, Genesis with Peter Gabriel, original Yes with Bill Bruford as their Drummer, Black Sabbath, Strawbs and King Crimson at the Santa Monica Civic 1974?, Sparks, The Long Ryders, Oasis. The Kinks twice in 1973 and 74. A Monkees reunion near the time Linda saw them. Much later a Traffic reunion tour that was great.... does that count?
But I missed some big ones, never saw Pink Floyd, Zeppelin, or the original Who lineup. This is a fun thread
 
doppelbock: I love Richard Hell & the Voidoids. I'm guessing the Horseshoe Tavern was a small venue, wish I'd been there.

elroy: the Tubes were my first concert, the Sensational Alex Harvey Band opened up for them. If I remember correctly, it was the first concert ever at the Uptown Theater, which used to be a movie house. This was in 1975. White Punks on Dope!

Yes, the Horseshoe was a (still is maybe?) a club in Toronto. Started out as a C&W place but got taken over buy a promoter into the punk and alternative stuff....I saw many amazing shows in that place! R Hell was great...loved watching Bob Quine on guitar!

Alex Harvey *should* have made my list. I had tickets for a Manfred Mann & SAHB show ('75 maybe?) and was right near the front of the line to get a good seat. Guy came out and said Alex was not playing (depending on who you ask it was the equipment not getting there or problems at the border). I had bought the tickets just to see Alex so being so disappointed we just left.

Might have put the Tubes on the list but the place they played was horrible - terrible sound and poor sight lines. They might have been great but I couldn't see or hear anything worthwhile unfortunately.
 
Zappa (Chicago Auditorium 1988 - Both nights!!)
The Clash (Aragon Ballroom 1982)
UK (Opening for Jethro Tull) - Bozzio/Jobson/Wetton
The Police & XTC (Aragon Ballroom 1980)
Eagles (Chicago Stadium - 1978)
Chicago & The Beach Boys (Chicago Stadium 1975 - first concert with two friends and our moms)
ELO (Chicago Stadium 1978 - Out of the Blue Tour with the spaceship)
Emerson Lake & Palmer (Early 90's reunion Poplar Creek - front row)


The one that got away - King Crimson (Poplar Creek - horrible storm flooded the theater and we didn't find out about the cancellation until we were about to pull into the lot)
 
I saw a later Joe Jackson lineup with my friend Drew at the Chicago Theatre. We had the first row in the center of the balcony for the Blaze of Glory tour. Although few bought it, I still think it was his best album. I have them all. He performed side 1, then a few hits, and ended with side 2, every track in order. I've seen hundreds, perhaps over 1000 concerts. This ranked as one of the best. He had a 19 piece rock band, NOT an orchestra.

DISCIPLINE can make me stronger, if it doesn't kill me first.

I would've loved to have seen that tour. I've got all his albums as well, and I agree that Blaze of Glory is underrated. I saw him on the Night Music tour, but seeing the 25th reunion of the original band was the best!

In every dream home... a nightmare.
 
Zappa (Chicago Auditorium 1988 - Both nights!!)
The Clash (Aragon Ballroom 1982)
UK (Opening for Jethro Tull) - Bozzio/Jobson/Wetton
The Police & XTC (Aragon Ballroom 1980)
Eagles (Chicago Stadium - 1978)
Chicago & The Beach Boys (Chicago Stadium 1975 - first concert with two friends and our moms)
ELO (Chicago Stadium 1978 - Out of the Blue Tour with the spaceship)
Emerson Lake & Palmer (Early 90's reunion Poplar Creek - front row)


The one that got away - King Crimson (Poplar Creek - horrible storm flooded the theater and we didn't find out about the cancellation until we were about to pull into the lot)

UK are playing like 3 shows this year( Wetton, Jobson and Bozzio) just FYI...so I'm not counting them since it was MY FIRST CONCERT in 1979!!!

The Who (with the Clash as opening act)-Sept 25, 1982 Philly (no Moonie , but with the Ox)
Kiss-reunion Tour 1997 ,Madrid
Van Halen-Philly, Oct '82
Emerson Lake and POWELL (the best drummer they ever had)- Boston Opera House 1986
ELP- Halloween, '92 Madrid
Yes- classic Lineup- Madrid 2003
King Crimson x3 - 1984 Philly, 2000 and 2003 Madrid
Genesis- 1983 Philly
Dan Reed Network-opening for UB40(?)-Great Woods, MA 1988
David Bowie-Sound & Vision Tour- May '90 Orlando....

EDIT: (how could I forget?)
Cocteau Twins- Pachá Disco , 1993 Madrid
 
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