Will's Top 10 Live Music Shows
The reality of my emotional connection to live shows is that most of my top 10 live music shows happened in the 90s and early 2000s. Yikes. Two problems with that: 1) I’m living in the past too much. 2) I can’t for the life of me remember the exact year! If necessary, I’ll give a “reasonably accurate” timeframe.
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John Hiatt at the Leinenkugel stage at the state fair in the late 90s. I have seen him over a dozen times and this wasn’t necessarily the best show I saw but it was free so I am choosing this one. Gotta love the MN State Fair
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Shawn Colvin at the Orpheum or State can’t quite remember. It was 1993 or 1994. The cash machine at Champps disbursed money back then as rolled-up bills in plastic tubes. I received 60 bucks when I only asked for 20! There were ants on my table and I received my meal for free and I went to the concert last minute alone and I found one ticket in the box office as a single seat and it was in the 3rd-row center. I should have purchased a lottery ticket that night.
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Allman Brothers at the Target Center, around 1996. Just overwhelmed by it all!
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Los Lobos at First Avenue in the early to mid-90s. Wow! As my brother used to say, “Pound for pound, the greatest rock 'n' roll band going.”
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Bob Dylan did three shows in three nights in the early 90s at the Orpheum in Minneapolis. They were epic. The rumor was he was newly sober, and it ended up being the start of the “Never Ending Tour” that is still going. I loved those shows.
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More Bob Dylan. I went to nearly 10 shows over three years in the late 90s to early 2000s. His band featured incredible musicians and singers, and he had just won several Grammys. Kind of a golden time. More solo concerts for me—I’d go to general admission, arrive 90 minutes or so early, buy two beers, and have a book in my back pocket. I’d read, and as people started showing up around me, I’d make friends, then ask them to hold my spot and buy them a beer to make sure I had enough to finish the night!
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Lucinda Williams at First Ave with my wife and friends. The Car Wheels on a Gravel Road album had just been released. I was newly married to Bridget, and we were about to start a family! Great memory!
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Chris Duarte in Deadwood, SD. I watched an amazing guitar player reach a sustained, out-of-body state as he blew the outdoor crowd off its feet. Again, the 90s.
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Blind Boys of Alabama in Deadwood, SD. It was a Sunday morning in the Black Hills at a music festival. I skipped mass to go, the weather was bad, and nobody showed up, but we were there, and they blew a small group of us away. A really special time.
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Ladysmith Black Mambazo at St. John’s University in the late 80s. I’ve never seen anything like it since.
There are many recent shows I’ve seen that didn’t make the list. John Prine, Brandi Carlisle, Booker T. & the MGs, Jason Isbell, BR549, Tedeschi Trucks Band, The Mavericks, Steve Earle, and so many more. I cherish these times and look forward to more. What are your 3 favorite concerts?
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