I’ve seen hundreds of live shows. In the late 70s and throughout the 80s I went to clubs almost weekly and tried to see all my favorite major rock acts whenever they were in town, and sometimes I traveled out of town.
Here’s a list of 340 live performances I’ve seen of major act bands and solo artists that I could remember. I’m sure I left some out. Some of these performance overlap in the sense that there were times when there were great opening acts. For example I saw Fastway open for Rush. I listed both Fastway and Rush, so in this case it’s 2 live performances at 1 concert.
| Bands/Artists I've Seen Live | ||
| A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z | ||
| Artist | Number
of Times Seen Live |
Tours and Notes |
| A | ||
| AC/DC (Bon Scott) | 2 | Powerage
Tour - They opened for Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow who were touring their
"Long Live Rock and Roll" Tour. Angus was young and incredible.
Very tight performance. Bon Scott carried Angus through the crowd
on his sholdiers while Angus constantly ripped his long solo - ran all
through orchestra and then even upstairs.
Highway to Hell - Bon Scott and Angus Young rocked a Madison Square Garden that was there for Ted Nugent - they won the crowd nicely though with a tight, hard rocking effort. |
| AC/DC (Brian Johnson) | 1 | Back in Black - Johnson's debut on a mega-successful breakthrough release. |
| Accept | 1 | Balls to the Wall |
| Adams, Brian | 1 | Reckless |
| Alkatrazz | 1 | Post-Malmsteen show. Grahman Bonnet was exceptional. |
| Angel | 3 | The first time I saw Angel was on the "White Hot" tour with The Godz and Judas Priest opening. Priest just released "Stained Class". To this day that show is still one of the best I have ever seen. The other two times I saw Angel was also on the White Hot tour, but on this leg of the tour they opened for Styx who were promoting "Pieces of Eight". |
| Armored Saint | 1 | circa 2006, they opened for The Scorpions |
| Asia | 6 | between 2005-2016 |
| Average White Band | 1 | I was in the front row. I saw these guys primarily because I went to see the opening act. A local band (from Yonkers, NY) called Songs. Songs featured a great guitarist (Louie Pappas I think was his name) and they were sponsored by NEKTAR. However, AWB did perform very well and I enjoyed it. |
| B | ||
| Bach, Sebastian | 1 | circa 2006 |
| Badlands | 1 | ? |
| Bango Tango | 1 | Only because the band I was managing at the time, "No More Johnny" opened for them. |
| Black Crowes | 2 | Saw them as an opening both times before they ever had any radio air play. I thought they were a fair, average rock band. Nothing spectacular, but not bad. Then a month or two later they were the biggest thing to the general public. I still hold to my initial reaction. |
| Black Oak Arkansas | 1 | |
| Black Sabbath (Ozzy Osbourne) | 1 | Technical Ecstasy - WOW!!!!! Awesome show. Right from the opening number - "Symptoms of the Universe" they kicked. |
| Black Sabbath (R.J. Dio) | 1 | Heaven and Hell Tour 1980 |
| Black Sabbath (Tony Martin) | 1 | Headless Cross |
| Black Sabbath as HEAVEN AND HELL | 2 | The Mob Rules line-up reunited as Heaven and Hell |
| Blind Guardian | 1 | Night at the Opera |
| Blue Oyster Cult | 3 | Spectres, and two other times |
| Bon Jovi | 1 | Debut release, he opened for The Scorpions |
| C | ||
| Cars, The | 1 | 1982 |
| Charlie Watts Orchestra, The | 1 | |
| Chastain | 1 | |
| Cinderella | 1 | |
| Collins, Phil | 1 | Well, not really a concert, but I was at his rehearsal for a VH1 taping. It was very cool, I actually leaned on the stage with only a few people there watching. |
| "Concrete
Metal Award Show with Megadeth, Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice n Chains, etc. |
1 | Pretty cool award show. The party I went to afterwards was better than the actual event. Hung out with Michael Schenker a lot. Met a LOT of hard rock and metal stars that weekend. |
| Cooper, Alice (with Vinnie Moore) | 1 | Operation Rock and Roll with Judas Priest |
| Crimson Glory | 1 | -Strange and Beautiful |
| D | ||
| Deep Purple | 3 | -Perfect
Strangers -Bananas |
| Def Leppard | 2 | -On Through
the Night -High and Dry |
| Derringer, Rick | 1 | 1979? at The Lone Star Cafe |
| Detectives, The | 1 | |
| Dio | 5 | -Last in
Line -Sacred Heart |
| Dir en Grey | 1 | 2006? |
| Dokken | 5 | Unchain the Night (4x), then once again around 2008 |
| Dream Theater | 4 | 2005, 2007, 2010 |
| E | ||
| Europe | 1 | Final Countdown |
| F | ||
| Fastway | 1 | Fastway (debut LP tour) |
| Fight | 4 | -War of Words (3x) - I went to
the very first War of Words show to kick off the tour. It was a blast.
I went backstage to hang with Rob Halford and the rest of Fight.
|
| Firm, The
(Paul Rogers/Jimmy Page)" |
1 | |
| Fist | 1 | |
| FM | 1 | |
| Foghat | 2 | |
| Foreigner | 1 | |
| Frehley's Comet | 1 | |
| G | ||
| Genesis | 1 | Second's Out - It was awesome. Peter Gabriel came onstage for the encores and sang with Genesis. |
| Gillan, Ian (once with B.Torme) | 2 | 1978 and Gillan's Inn (2006) in a great small intimate club. Less than 100 people |
| Girlschool | 1 | |
| Godz, The | 1 | Debut Self-titled LP tour - They opened for Judas Priest and Angel |
| Good Rats, The | 2 | Saw them open for Rush at Nassau Col. |
| Gordon, Robert | 1 | |
| Great White | 4 | |
| H | ||
| Hackett, Steve | 1 | In 2022, he performed Supper's Ready in its entirety |
| Hagar, Sammy | 1 | Poor Sammy Hagar opened for Kiss at their first ever Madison Square Garden show, February 1977. He was literally booed off the stage. He smashed his guitar and yelled to the audience, "F**k you New York!" and charged off the stage. |
| Halford | 5 | Resurrection (2) Crucible (2) Made of Metal (1) Two of those shows were at MSG in NYC |
| Heaven | 1 | |
| Hooters, The | 1 | |
| Howe, Greg | 1 | |
| I | ||
| Immortal | 1 | ? 2003 |
| Iron Maiden (DiAnno) | 1 | -Killers (This was amazing. I knew this band was going to be big.) |
| Iron Maiden (Dickenson) | 11 | -Number
of the Beast -Piece of Mind -Powerslave -Somewhere in Time -Brave New World -A Matter of Life or Death |
| J | ||
| Jethro Tull | 2 | -Songs from
the Wood -Stormwatch |
| Joe Perry Project, The | 2 | Let the Music Do the Talking |
| Journey | 1 | Raised on Radio |
| Judas Priest (with the Metal God, Rob Halford) | 26 |
1 - Stained
Class |
| Judas Priest (Ripper Owens) | 1 | -Jugulator |
| K | ||
| Kansas | 4 | -Power
(Steve Morse was outstanding on Guitar and as usual, Steve Walsh on vocals
kicked) -Spirit of Things -Freaks of Nature |
| King, B.B. | 1 | His last tour which was an embarrasment, I actually walked out. |
| King's X | 2 | King's X
(4th Release) tour - Amazing! Simply amazing. Rival Rush for greatest
trio live and studio. |
| Kingdom Come | 1 | |
| Kiss | 8 | -Rock and
Roll Over -Love Gun -Alive II -Dynasty -Unmasked -Lick it Up -Animalize -Special Club Show tour (1989?) focusing on vintage material like Deuce, Firehouse, Strutter, Hotter than Hell, etc. |
| Krokus | 1 | Headhunter |
| L | ||
| Lee, Alvin | 1 | |
| M | ||
| Mahogany Rush | 1 | |
| Malmsteen, Yngwie | 2 | Odyssey, Satriani G3 |
| Mamas Boys | 1 | |
| Manowar | 1 | Debut Release tour |
| Marillion (Fish) | 4 | -Fugazi
(at Radio City Music Hall) -Misplaced Childhood (They opened for Rush and performed MC start to finish without a break) -Clutching at Straws (Saw this one twice; amazing, Fish jumped into the crowd, put his arm around me and we sang together) |
| Marillion (Hogarth) | 4 | -Seasons
End (The first time was the night we flew back from our honeymoon-Bahamas
to NY-what a way to end the honeymoon!!! Awesome!) -Holidays in Eden |
| Megadeth | 2 | Once with Judas Priest, and another time only 2 songs at The Concrete Convention |
| Metallica | 1 | -And Justice For All |
| Miller, Steve | 1 | |
| Missing Persons | 1 | This was before their first album came out. I only went because on the radio they said Terry Bozio formerly of UK's new band. It was at My Father's Place in L.I.. I sat at a table with David Johansen. |
| Moody Blues | 2 |
-Octave |
| Moore, Gary | 1 | -Run For Cover |
| Moore, Vinnie | 1 | -The Maze He was absolutely amazing. His band was tight and his performance was stellar! |
| Motley Crue | 1 | -Girls Girls Girls |
| Motorhead | 4 | -Ace of Spades , Inferno (2) |
| Mr. Big | 1 | |
| MSG (with Barden on vocals) | 1 | -Built to Destroy |
| MSG (with McAuley on vocals) | 6 | -Perfect
Timing -Save Yourself -MSG (Unplugged) |
| MSG (with Keeley on vocals) | 1 | -Unforgiven |
| Musical Box | 2 | Lamb Lies Down on Broadway; and obscure cuts tour |
| N | ||
| Nazareth | 3 | -No Mean
City -Cinema (2) |
| Nektar | 5 | -Magic is
a Child (2) -Roye Albrighton's Nektar (3 x Man in the Moon1979) |
| New England | 1 | Debut LP Tour - They opened for Kiss one year. Good show, and very good debut LP |
| Nugent, Ted | 2 | -Cat Scratch
Fever -Double Live Gonzo |
| O | ||
| Ozzy Osbourne (with Randy Rhoads) |
2 | -Blizzard of Oz; The first leg of the tour was in small intimate theatres (I saw it at the Capital Theatre in Passaic NJ - Rhoads was AMAZING!) then the second leg of the tour was in arenas; ie. Nassau Colliseum. |
| Ozzy Osbourne (with Brad Gillis) |
3 | -Diary of
a Madman -The NYC club show where Ozzy did all Sabbath material - That show was recorded and released as Speak of the Devil |
| Ozzy Osbourne (with Gus G) | 1 | - at MSG (Halford opened supporting Made of Metal) |
| P | ||
| Petrucci, John | 1 | Solo band with Mike Portnoy on Satriani G3 tour |
| Pink Floyd | 1 | The Wall (The Original tour with R.Waters) at Nassau Colliseum |
| Pink Floyd (w/out Waters) | 3 | Momentary Lapse of Reason |
| Piper (Billy Squire) | 1 | |
| Plant, Robert | 1 | |
| Point Blank | 1 | |
| Primal Fear | 1 |
-Black Sun |
| Q | ||
| Queensryche | 10 |
-Warning
(Saw this one 4 times and its still the best tour they ever did)
|
| Quiet Riot | 1 | |
| R | ||
| Rainbow (with Ronnie James Dio) | 1 | Long Live Rock and Roll (for about a 30 minutes though. Blackmore's sound was a bit off and he left ater a couple of songs. Dio came out and broke the news to everyone. We all got refunds, which I immediately exchanged for Jethro Tull tickets - got to see a great vintage AC/DC show (Powerage) for free as they were openers. |
| Rainbow (with Graham Bonnett) | 2 | Down to Earth (with Graham Bonnett) |
| Ray Vaughn, Stevie | 2 | |
| Rex (Rex Smith) | 1 | |
| Riot | 2 | Swords and
Tequila Restless Breed |
| Rods, The | 1 | Let Them Eat Metal |
| Rush | 11 |
-Hemispheres
(Awesome, the best Rush show I have ever seen - they did 2112 in its
entirety) |
| Santana | 5 | |
| Sarantino, Blues | 1 | |
| Savatage | 1 | Power of the Night |
| Saxon | 3 | Denim and
Leather Rock the Nation |
| Scorpions | 7 | -Lovedrive
(Awesome - they opened with "We'll Burn the Sky" Also played classics
like "He's a Woman", "Steam Rock Fever" and "In Trance" |
| Starz | 1 | |
| Styx | 2 | Pieces of Eight |
| Symphony X | 4 | V, Odyssey (2x), Paradise Lost |
| T | ||
| Tesla | 1 | |
| Testament | 2 | 1990, 2003 |
| Thin Lizzy | 1 | 2004 - with John Sykes and Scott Gorham. Amazing performance with Sykes' incredibly eerie vocal resemblence to Phil Lynott and stellar guitar work. |
| Three Dog Night | 1 | |
| Till Tuesday | 1 | |
| Travers, Pat | 6 | - Crash and
Burn - 4 times in 80s & 90s - 1 2018? |
| Triumph | 2 | Allied Forces |
| Trower, Robin | 1 | 1985? |
| Twisted Sister | 10+ | Endless
club shows years before they released their first disc Then I did see them on the "You Can't Stop Rock and Roll" tour |
| U | ||
| U2 | 1 | 1987 - I only went to take someone who was into them. They were okay, but I found it to be a little boring after a while. |
| UFO (Schenker) | 2 | Walk on Water - One of the greatest shows I have ever seen - though I am very partial - Schenker is my guitar idol and they performed some of my all time favorited tunes - practically the entire Strangers of the Night LP |
| UFO (w/Atomic Tommy M) | 1 | Misdemeanor |
| UK | 2 | Night After Night in 1979, Reunion in 2004 |
| Uriah Heep (John Lawton) | 1 | Innocent Victim (1978) |
| Uriah Heep (Bernie Shaw) | 2 | Wake the Sleeper, Into the Wild |
| V | ||
| Vai, Steve | 3 | Twice headline (2006, 2010?) and then again on Satriani's G3 and once as a guest on Zappa Plays Zappa |
| Van Halen (David Lee Roth) | 2 | Van Halen
Van Halen II |
| Van Halen (Sammy Hagar) | 1 | |
| Victory | 1 | |
| Virgin Steele | 1 | They were really bad. When they tossed their albums into the crowd, the crowd wung them back at them |
| W | ||
| Waters, Roger | 2 | Radio Kaos |
| Waysted | 1 | UFO's Pete Way's band with other UFO guitarist Paul Chapman. |
| Whitesnake | 1 | Whitesnake (Still of the Night) |
| Who, The | 1 | 25th Anniversary Tour |
| Winter, Johnny | 1 | |
| Wireless | 1 | |
| Wood, Mark | 2 | Voodoo Violence |
| X | ||
| XYZ | 2 | Hungry |
| Y | ||
| Y&T | 4 | - In Rock
We Trust (2x) - Down for the Count - in 2019 |
| Yes | 3 | Tormato (78 & 79) and the anniversary show at MSG in 2005 |
| Z | ||
| Zappa Plays Zappa | 2 | |
| Zebra | 10+ | So many club shows prior to them signing with Atlantic, then at least once per release as well |