Well, this Bonnaroo ticket giveaway is certainly our biggest contest ever

I worked for a major East Coast music retailer for most of the '80's and I could pull from my memory any number of stories of concerts past. But the best experience I have had in my concert history was going to see the Stones when they played Scott Stadium with my two boys. We(ex-husband and I) got 6 tickets for the show and told the boys that they could each invite a friend. The excitement and the looks on their faces as they recognized songs was/is something I will treasure forever. I also got to experience this with my youngest daughter last summer when she won tickets to see Lady Antebellum at The Pavillion. Now, who would I invite to Bonnaroo....

Stevie Ray Vaugn concert in Philadelphia, senior year of high school. Stopped to help a woman with two kids change a flat tire on the way there. She was thanking me profusely and in conversation I told her I was on the way to the show...turns out she was related to the bass player in the band - she called ahead and they invited me and my buddies back stage and got to see part of the show side stage then meet the band afterwards - I met Bruce Springsteen and George Thouroghgood that night too!

I have been fortunate to have been invited to alot of major shows .I as well have been to many grateful dead shows bu , i have been back stage at many dave mathews shows (old Friend ) of Leroi moore (deceased ) was there when chelsea clinton was back stage ,lots of secret agents in black suits ,but there was still a nice party back stage regardless of all the suits . another time was at the outback lodge in charlottesville va (now closed ) got tyo be all personal with james cotton ,went back to his hotel room and partied and talked to him nearly all night long ,have met and personally hung out with screaming cheetah wheelies,warren haynes ,derick trucks, buddy miles ,koko taylor,bonepony,southern culture and the skids,gibb droll,terry garland and mark wenner,elephant boy,drin"n"cryin,funkomatic,blue dogs ,seven mary three,magic hat, would love the oppurtunity to see some modern day shows am geetting older now and have not been to any shows since jerry garcias birthday bash at sunshine day dream the year he passed away was the last show i have been to I am a poor old farmer that loves good music and would love the chance to go again ,have a great day ,have a great show if I dont get to see you or it and have a great summer ,thanks for the time ,have a great summer ,peace and love ,leonard cason

I experienced my very first concert at a more advanced age than many. However, the concert that I elected to be my first ever, at the age of eighteen, was not exactly a laid-back, soulful entrance into the world of live music. My friends and I had purchased tickets to a show in Richmond, headlined by the metal bands Trivium and All That Remains. Of course, due to my complete inexperience with concerts of any type, much less metal concerts, I showed up to the venue quite dressed to (in my young opinion) impress. I had on fairly nice jeans, a Ralph Lauren button down, and shoes that were certainly not inexpensive. My friends had been giggling the entire ride there, and I was unsure of their particular reasons for suffering bouts of incessant laughter, but I was quickly about to find out.

As soon as the music started, I thought my chest was compressing with every hit of the kick drum... and mind you, this was a metal concert, with double bass drums in full effect and my chest rapidly compressing. However, the real compression was only starting, as what felt like a horde of elephants began running into me from every direction. I had no idea what to do, and the mosh pit was quickly engulfing the entire floor where my friends has not too inadvertently told me would be "the best place to stand."

A fight for survival ensued, and by the end of it, my jeans had ripped completely off of my left leg, my shirt had buttons torn out, my hair was wild and spiked with sweat, my friend had been trampled in a circle pit and had a rib broken, but most of all, I was carnally ecstatic. My primal urges had kicked in somewhere between the first guitar solo and the second crowd surfing rocker girl who booted me in the back of the head. I had shamelessly turned into one of those animals, pushing, shoving, headbanging, and, of course, having a ridiculous amount of fun.

In 2008, I saw Rush play on their Snakes and Arrows tour. Now I know they have been playing well over 30 years together, but these guys can still rock it. The played two sets, which was a good 3.5 hours of music. It is just so refreshing to see a band play without any openers, just them. This is one of many concert experiences I have been able to enjoy.

The greatest concert I ever attended was Woodstock.

Need I say more?

A moment I will never forget......The date was August 6, 2005, the place was the Portsmouth Pavilion, the band - Widespread Panic. It was a beautiful night with the sun setting on one side of the pavilion and a giant ship sitting in the harbor on the other side. One of the first songs played was a cover of "No Sugar Tonight" which really got the crowd rolling. The set list as a whole was amazing and they finished off strong with a cover of "Lawyers, Guns, and Money." As soon as that song ended the lights flicked on and "Baba O'Riley" starts blaring on the speakers. The entire crowd joined in, like it had been practiced a 100 times, singing at the top of our lungs. The most emphasized line being the last of course, "WE'RE ALL WASTED"!!!! Every time I hear that song now, it takes me back to that moment immediately.

I went to see the Beach Boys at Constitution Hall. We arrived really early and were sitting on the front steps waiting for the doors to open. After a while, a guy came out and asked us if we would like to get in free. Sure, no problem, we said.

We went up on stage and helped them set up. We built the drum riser out of beer cases, but the Daughters of American Revolution representative came out and objected to having alcohol on stage, so we took it back down.

We then went back stage to the green room and partied with the Beach Boys, and their most delicious entourage. A lot of crazy things went on, but what happens in the green room stays in the green room.

We sat on stage for the concert. Every member of the band had a shadow musician standing nearby. These shadow guys played all the music and did most of the singing, as most of the Beach Boys were in no shape to perform.

We had an awesome time.

I didn't get into Phish until their first hiatus back in 2000. I was invited to a 99 show in NC but declined because I didn't need to waste my time with "phish" when pink floyd was doing me just fine. Boy was I wrong. That all changed when I bought the white tapes demos at Plan 9 for Christmas. I was never the same and knew that I had to see them live one day.

Well that day came and it was glorious. However, I'm going to talk about my favorite show and unfortunately that was not it. My favorite came in 2009 when I was treating my Dad to his first Phish show at Meriwether Post Pavilion in Maryland. 15 August 2009 changed his take on music completely. After the show he couldn't stop going on about how talented they were and how much fun he was having as well as everyone around him. I was happy that he was able to understand my passion for the band. It was such a treat to share that with him. He's seen 9 shows since then, all with me as his show buddy! Take us to ROO! (por favor)!

I've certainly been to many many concerts over the years. I started going to them when I was 4 years old my dad used to bring my sister and I to the Ben & Jerry's festival in Vermont every year, but I have to say one of my favorite concert stories involves the wonderful Dropkick Murphy's. It was the day before Thanksgiving, 2006 I believe. I was a Freshman in college and all of my friends had left town for break because of a massive snow storm that was coming. I didn't have a car at that point in time and I made the trek in the cold from the UVM dorms all the way to Higher Ground in South Burlington. It was quite the walk! Anyway I ended up going to the show by myself, which I don't really mind. I ended up running into some of my high school friends there while waiting in line. At that time in my life I was all about getting to the show super early so that I could be right up front. And in the case of this concert I was more than up front, when we got inside Higher Ground I realized there was no barricade so i planted myself right against the stage with my buddies by my side. The show was fantastic, the Dropkicks never disappoint, and Big D and the Kids Table (one of my favorite ska bands ever!) opened and also were phenomenal. It got to be the end of the show, the encore was coming up, I had bruises all over my arms and stomach from being pushed against the stage and trying to hold my ground amongst the hundreds of people behind me. The Dropkicks began playing their wonderful song "Kiss Me, I'm Shitfaced", and everyone started surging forward. Now this is the time that all of the ladies in the crowd are invited on stage to dance around, but no one was running up. I had no way to get onto the stage myself as I was pinned down, but then suddenly out of nowhere a guy behind me grabs me and throws me onto the stage. I actually ended up landing in between the legs of Al Barr, the lead singer. I ended up crawling through his legs, and luckily he's so tall he didn't trip over me, but I stood up and suddenly mass amounts of women started joining me on the stage. I was jumping around and singing in the mic with Ken Casey, the bassist. It was amazing! At the end of the song when everyone got off the stage I totally gave Ken a big hug and I will certainly never forget that moment! Best Concert Ever!

Paul Simon and Bob Dylan. IT was the first and only concert I ever attended with my father. We were on vacation in VA Beach (from Ohio). The price was $12. It was my first ampitheater show. I was 14. And my dad enjoyed it. Not just along for the ride to chaperone. Never forget it.

The very first concert I saw was Sonny & Cher and they were still married, and obviouslt Sonny was still alive! He just couldn't sing worth a darn! Anyway, I guess you can say that was the beginning of it all-my uncontrollabe love of music, especially live music! Would love to get Bonnaroo tix!

O.K. so we went to see some dead shows @ RFK, well the shows were great, and we all kinda over indulged. Anyway we were heading back to C-ville, and I decided to take a nap(passout). Anyway I woke up kinda hazy and looked up to the fromt seat. What I saw was kinda puzzled me, I saw my two friends playing cards and cutting up limes on the center consel. Thinngs only got stranger. I also noticed we were about 8 feet in the air going backwards with traffic coming at us. I thought we had gone to the great gig in the sky, but we we had broken down and were on the back of a tow truck coming back to town.

Ya boi went to da Dr John concert at da Lewis Gahdens in Cap City a few years bak. Da rain wuz pourin lik in da MIssy Elliott jam, so much dat cha boi had fishin waders on mane! Nobody wuz in da crowd cuz it wuz rainin so hard, so I wuz in da front row, in full fishin gear, listenin to da Nite Trippa put it DOWN like it wuz a concert at my own crib mane.
**
SN - did my mane really up dere jus admit to bein wit Janis Joplin?? YOU NASSSTY TWIN!

One of my most memorable concert moments was seeing the Stones in '90 (Steel Wheels Tour) in my hometown. It was in an outdoor football stadium and one of my friends stood in line all night to get tickets. He came back to my apartment the next morning really excited that he'd gotten seats on the field, 30th row. We got to the concert, only to find out that the seats were 30th row of section M!! Now, there were 50 rows in each section and A-L in front of us. You get the picture. From where we were sitting, we might as well be sitting on our sofa at home! Despite the tight security, I was determined to get closer to the stage. Living Color was the warm-up band, and I spent their entire set, sneeking past guards, crawling over and under chairs. It took me over an hour, but by the time Living Color was finished, I had made it to the second friggn' row! They announce the Stones, the place goes nuts, and the opening guitar sound to "Start Me Up" is blearing through the speakers. Jagger comes running on stage and was no more than 10 feet in front of me! All of the sudden, the damn usher starts checking tickets!! I'm freaking out, and it obviously shows, because the girl next to me yells in my ear, "You don't have a ticket, do you?" "Obviously not!" I replied. "Hold on", she says. When the usher got up to me, she pulls me close and puts a lip-lock on me! The usher is pulling on my shirt, but to no avail. He ended up giving up and I stayed there for the whole show.

I was hooked on concerts at my first show. I saw Billy Joel and Christie Brinkley walked right past me and she was HOT! I was like 15 and thought if he could get her then anything was possible at a concert :)
Oh Yeah, I have family in Manchester, TN too that I would love to visit :)

Well this is easy since i've only been to one concert. It was Weezer when i was 12. Got the tickets for my birthday. It was the craziest thing i've ever been to. A lot of stuff happened you wouldnt of thought would happen at a Weezer concert. One guy was chugging out of a mini keg, a guy streaking on stage (i was scarred for life) and one guy took a mic from one of the warm up bands and made it all the way to the lawn before he got wrecked by a security guard. Then when Weezer came on everybody shut up and was mezmorized. They played for like 3 and 1/2 hours! Rivers came out in the pit and just chilled with people after the show. Anyway thats my favorite (and only) concert story.

Id LOVE to go to Bonnaroo and have wanted to go for years. And the one year I can go i diddn't have the money. I would lose it if I got to see Eminem and Arcade Fire and Chiddy Bang. Anyways it would be the best graduation present ever if i got tickets to Bonnaroo. Thanks for listening!
Evan

Inspiration is one thing I crave, its one thing that many people search and adventure for. Its something people insanely desire almost like a lust. Well sometimes you don't even have to go out and find it, just hits you whenever you least expect it. One of those moments had to be the long thrilling night of Friday June 11th, 2010 at bonnaroo, slightly intoxicated on things you could easily guess I entered the "What stage" and pushed through to the front row. I had been a KOL fan for a long time and was excited to no bounds. Incredibly happy we waited chanting for them to come out. A acid headed hippie chick and I began to discuss what our favorite KOL song was and we both agreed on King Of The Rodeo. As KOL enters and begins to play this aura surrounds me, I look around and see these people in a trance, my friends, myself. I feel this enlightening sensation that wow, Im connecting with a few thousand people. The feeling itself was a intoxication of its own. KOL followed their set with the Pixies Where Is My Mind. The crowd goes insane, literally all the Lsd heads were probably losing their minds as soon as the the first verse "With your feet in the air and your head on the ground" hit. Through out the song I see vision, (their black and white vido playing in the back, and light show didn't help) basically when all was said and done, I began to see the portal donnie darko see's when he encounters frank in the movie theater. When all was said and done they begin to come to an end and play Sex on fire. While grooving out to the song, The hippie chick taps me on the shoulder quite excited. With a intense smile she yells "this is our song" "our favorite song" "OUR SONG", I begin to laugh and soon she follows. When KOL finished, the show had left me aww struck. By far it had been the best show, but I was a little disappointed. I wanted more. My friends wanted more. As people began to slowly walk away, I started to chant Knocked up. My friends began to chant with me knocked up! soon the whole area began to chant KNOCKED UP. They returned and played knocked up and a few more songs. Never had I felt that intensity from a crowd. That inspiration has put me on a new journey of music. If possible I want to feel those insane feels with thousands of people. Except I want to be the one supplying the amazing music

BuzzFest, Richmond, 1996. (104.7 "The Buzz"; Cracker, The Rugburns, FooFighters, Squirrel Nut Zipper, etc. all-day, outdoor music show). Leaving the gates to return to car, against rules. Arguing while under influence with security woman who, on Monday morning when I started my new job, was my immediate supervisor. We glanced, had a moment of recognition, but never mentioned it. The Marilyn Manson foreshortened pig people I saw (?) everywhere at the show were pretty awesome too.

Without a doubt, John Mayer. I was front row with my friend, Sarah, and we just about DIED every time he looked in our direction. Just hearing him sing and play guitar within a few feet of me made it an experience I will never forget! Appearing on the Jumbo Tron numerous times was a little awkward, but hey it's not something that happens everyday!

My 1st concert was aerosmith mid 90's in dallas, of course the show was "Amazing" but leaving was unforgettable too.....while stuck in the miles of traffic thru the residential area's the I gotta pee and cant hold it urge hit. After hearing "Living on the Egde" jumping out of the car in the traffic wasn't a "Crazy" idea, and releaving my "Bitch's Brew" by the bushes on a strangers lawn wasn't a big deal either.....but the photo the next day in the paper was!
There it was my blacked out booty with the headline "Shame, shame, shame on you babe"!

The best concert experience was watching Midnite at Cervantes Ballroom in Denver. World-class reggae in a run down joint in the middle of Five Points. The oxymornic juxtaposition of the content and the environment enhanced the vibes.

Second place was the time I saw Jesus freestyling with Buddha on top of Mount Olympus (since these aren't being verified or anything).

I will never forget Lollapalooza 2010. I had never been to a big music festival and all my favorite bands were playing so there was no chance in hell I could miss it. So my husband and I packed our bags and flew to Chicago. We made it through the gates just as Matt & Kim started... Amazing! Next the Black Keys... Wow! Then The Strokes... Mesmerizing! It was a great start to an awesome weekend, until... I woke at 4am to my husband screaming bloody murder so we rushed to the emergency room and he was diagnosed with a kidney stone. Hours later we were still there and Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zero's were going to start and so I had to find a way to get us out of there. I called the hotel to see if they had a wheelchair, which they did, and begged the doctor to medicate him and discharge him. We made it there just in time. But I guess no one had anticipated how big of a crowd this band could draw because they had them on the smallest stage with the smallest crowd space. My claustrophobia kicked in to high gear and then the nausea. We had to get out of the crowd and we had to do it quick. So we sat back and listened from a far. I had to say I was disappointed with myself. The next day he was feeling much better we got right up front for MGMT. They put on an amazing show. Sadly the weekend was coming to a close. We sat among hundreds waiting for our favorite band of all to start... Arcade Fire. They opened with Ready to Start from there new album. I was in awe. They really are an amazing band and can play an even more amazing show. Then my husband cries to me in pain. His kidney stone started moving again and we had to get out of the crowd, again. So we went to the back and sat under a tree. This time I was disappointed in him. I couldn't help it but neither could he. And then he told me to turn around. I was starstruck... It was Jade and Nico from Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros. My husband said don't bother them so I let them be. So we sat next to them listening to Arcade Fire finish out the festival. As Arcade Fire left the stage the security quickly started urging people to leave. We stould up at the same time Jade and Nico did so I couldn't help myself. I turned to Jade and started to tell her how beautiful her voice was and how much we loved their band dearly and several other things. I even wanted to ask her for a hug but I didn't want to freak her out. And then she says to me, "You are so sweet, can I give you a hug?" AGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!! YES! She wrote the sweetest autograph ever, too. "I love Dawn, Says Jade!" Thank you kidney stone!!!!!

The date was December 6th. The year depends on where I start. I woke up that morning in the year, December 6th 2010, a mere 23 years old, and skateboarded to school - skiffing off local cars as they passed. After my band failed their audition for the high school talent show, I ducked out of school to visit the local loon Dr. Brown - we always used to hang out and talk crazy. That night he said he was going to test out one of his new experiments, and he wanted me to meet him at the local mall parking lot. I met him there, he told me to get in his car - a surprisingly stylish car for such an old guy - and he wasn't a stranger anymore so I did.

Next thing I know, where in the parking lot of the Altamont Speedway. Doc says we are here for a Grateful Dead concert, to see the boys in their prime, but all I see are leather vests. I know my rock history, so I look around and realize where we are - and I grab Doc's arm, telling him we need to get the hell out of here. Before I can get his full attention, a 23-year-old woman starts giving birth in the middle of the parking lot, and the Doc runs to help.

Opening band is the Rolling Stones, they’re getting onstage now but half of the crowd doesn’t care as this is a Dead show – but the front area towards the stage starts getting wild as the Jagger fans get into the music and clash with the security, being provided by the biker gang The Hells Angels. Bottles and punches are thrown, and violence begins to erupt. I look over and see a man pull clutching a revolver under his shirt, so I look over to one of the Hell’s Angels on guard and alert him. First I see him approach the man and grab his gun, the both of them holding it in the air as they scuffle. Then, I see the biker stab the gun-wielding man several times, and I am running the hell out of there.

I bullet through the crowd, running into Doc Brown who is cutting the umbilical chord of a newly-born half-African American, half-latino infant, and pull him away, barreling towards the car. We hop in the Delorean and try to gun it to 88, but there are too many people in the parking lot, and we’re hitting Hell’s Angels left and right. Finally we hit our desired speed and our tires are on fire – Altamont is history. And it was not cool.

The very first concert I went to was pretty special, Metallica's Justice for All tour. I wasn't deeply into metal but a few friends of mine were. We had general admission/floor tickets and got there super early. We were on the rail, front and center. What was equally special were all the hot chicks surrounding me waiting for the opening band: The Cult. They both put on a great show, my ears were ringing for two days and my first kiss lasted a lifetime. Cheers,

Modest Mouse... Birmingham Al

I am 52 and have never been to a concert in my life.... I don't like loud music or large crowds...

Van Halen 1984! I was 15 and tickets were still "general admission". My girlfriend and I were committed to getting front row seats and convinced our parents to let us miss school on Friday to stand in line. We got in line Thursday afternoon and after 2 days of sleeping out at the venue, we were let in the stadium. The next two hours were amazing. We were pressed against the baracades in the from row so much so that even lifting your feet off the ground, you didn't fall. Crushed between random sweaty people for 2 hours as the band played some of it's best songs was a once in a lifetime experience.

I'd love to take my kids to Bonaroo to experience something similar.

Van Halen 1984! I was 15 and tickets were still "general admission". My girlfriend and I were committed to getting front row seats and convinced our parents to let us miss school on Friday to stand in line. We got in line Thursday afternoon and after 2 days of sleeping out at the venue, we were let in the stadium. The next two hours were amazing. We were pressed against the baracades in the from row so much so that even lifting your feet off the ground, you didn't fall. Crushed between random sweaty people for 2 hours as the band played some of it's best songs was a once in a lifetime experience.

I'd love to take my kids to Bonaroo to experience something similar.

My obsession with concerts began early on - mainly due to my cooler, original hipster brother. (Let's not count the time I saw britney spears when I was 11) There was a 2 month span when I saw the Dismemberment Plan and Postal Service in DC. And then Ted Leo in Richmond. I was 14 and he took me along for the ride. He somehow got me in even though they were 18+ shows. Ever since, I've been hooked to live music.

Best cville concert: Decemberists in 09 at the Pavilion. Best location for the concert, intense energy and god their outfits were on point. Would love to see them again, and again.

My best concert experience is also my most recent - Jazzfest 2011, second weekend, New Orleans, LA. Wandering around a fairground in the hot sun drinking beer and eating fine samplings of Louisiana cuisine (Alligator Pie, Cajun Duck po' boy, Fried Green Tomatoes), is blissful enough. Then you add the opportunity to see over 10 music acts at any given time, and you're in heaven. Saturday's highlight was Jimmy Buffett, who serenaded huge crowds of margarita-filled gen-Xers and pot-smoking baby boomers alike. Sunday brought Michael Franti & Spearhead. Possibly the best act we saw at Jazzfest, Franti's music inspired happiness and positivity. He was unselfish and humble, giving stage time to other performers, and running through the crowd (yes, through the crowd) singing and jumping. My friend gave him a pat on the back as he whizzed past. Then, I went with my best friend to see the one and only Sonny Rollins on saxophone. We wandered over to see the Neville Brothers. It was Mother's Day, so I called my mom and she stayed on the phone for 40 min taking in the tunes with me. We met up with the rest of our group at Robert Randolph & the Family Band to end the day. RR goes through introducing the band members during the fade out of "Ain't Nothin' Wrong With That" at the end of the show. He introduces the drummer, who rears back and heaves his drumstick into the crowd. It careens off of the hands of someone 5ft. ahead, and comes to a rest in my hand. I turn my head to show my best friend what I've caught, and he gazes back at me with the same disbelieving expression on his face. I look back up at the drumstick, and we are grasping it with one hand each--we grabbed it at exactly the same time. The autographed, splintered drumstick is a tangible artifact which, in years to come, will remind us of the intangible memories from that sun-soaked weekend of musical revelry.

My favorite concert experience would definitely have to be when I saw Weezer live for the first time in Atlanta. A bunch of my friends drove down from Chattanooga and met up before the show. We had floor tickets, and we somehow made our way up close to the stage before they went on. Angels and Airwaves opened for Weezer, and after they finished playing I looked on the floor at my feet and there was one of the picks that Tom Delonge had thrown out during the show! We managed to get a little closer before Weezer went on and we ended up being so close that I could see the sweat dripping from Rivers Cuomo's face! They put on an incredible show, so naturally I was pumped about seeing them again last summer at Bonnaroo. I would love to go back again this year!

There are many concerts to remember...Van Morrison at Constitution Hall in DC. Smokey Robinson at Carter Barron Amphitheater and elsewhere. But two stand out...one was the Rolling Stones at RFK stadium. A person I was with wanted to visit a friend who had seats waaay up...so we set out and found our way up to the friend's seat at the top of the stadium and then, suddenly, all the lights went out. We couldn't see a thing. Then eerily, the music started for 2000 Light Years From Home, and strobe and laser-type lights begin coating the stadium in other-worldly colors and patterns....until the lights came on the band. Very weird and fun.

Then there was the Stones concert at Scott stadium in Charlottesville. I got caught in traffic on 64...it was a mess. I finally got to my reserved parking space at Wahoo Wash...but it was packed. The manager on duty found a place for me in the back. I got parked and walked and ran to the stadium. The opening act was already over. I went to enter, but was told I had to go around the stadium to another gate....I got to the gate, entered and got myself ushered to the floor, abut twenty rows from the stage. I finally got to my seat, and about sixty seconds later, the Stones came on. Aaahh, I thought. Perfect timing.

The Black Keys concert last September in Charlottesville. The show was postponed 5 days due to a death in the family of one of the band members. My friends and I arrived early enough to snag front row. The Whigs opened and were fabulous. I managed to get one of their set lists and had it taped in front of me on the wall for the rest of the show. The Black Keys were amazingly awesome, and being so close made the experience much more intimate. My friends caught the pieces of Patrick Carney’s drumstick. The show ended and in all the post-show frenzy my Whigs set list got swiped. As the Black Keys stage was being broken down, a man balled up one of their set lists and threw it into the crowd. I got most of my hand around it, but so did a man who was about 250-300lbs. My 120lb female self didn’t stand much of a chance, but I planted my feet and didn’t let go. He eventually gave up “because I was a girl”. My friends congratulated me and were also relived that I survived. We took pictures with the Whigs and talked to them- which made the experience personal-they’re great guys. It was a definitely a night I’ll never forget.

Probably another comment here in a long list of Dead shows but I had to mention it...
This was Dylan and the Dead and in the "DEAD" of one of the summer's hottest nights: June 25th 1995.
My friend had the terrible luck of being given something he should not have and I went to this show w/ a terrible head cold and heavy fever myself.
So these were actually the last few years of general admission whereby everyone rushes to the stage to get the best placement so one could imagine by the 1rst set we were starting to roast from the sweat, humidity and ciggy smoke.
It was just by the beginning of their 1rst set that my friend says to me: "Oh no, I've blacked out, I can't see (his vision was already pretty bad sans glasses) and I'm heading down." He said so like a giant vacuum he vanishes from my view into the consuming crowd.
So I'm worried to say the least, I'm sick as a dog and my ride has just disappeared so what choice did I have but to face the band and laugh to myself at Dylan's "tough guy" leather outfit in horrid temperatures!!
By the time they got to "Ballad of a thin man" I went searching to find him, I thought all was lost and I was starting to panic for his condition and my own way home (least of all).
Before I started looking I saw him, WAY above the crowd being passed over to the section that was away from the heat and a little cooler as well. He was happy to (barely) see me holding two large cups of ice water.
Nevertheless that same night we drove back to C'ville very slowly and with one light working.....LOL.
Even if this story doesn't win I'm happy people will read it and get a laugh and a good ending as well.
BONNAROOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!

Mike Ness in Philadelphia ca. December 1999. It was a three-piece band, and I'll never forget when the stand-up bass player opened a longneck, held it to the frets to play a solo, then chugged the entire bottle of suds whilst continuing to play. It don't get much more rockabilly than that.

Sorry, email was wrong in previous comment - fixed above!

I've met many bands, and been backstage a time or two, but my greatest concert experience didn't have any pointless banter or cheesy meet and greet photos. My best concert experience was seeing Arcade Fire in Atlanta last August. It was, pardon my cliche, a religious experience, seeing this band that has influenced myself and so many other bands I hold near and dear to my heart. From the moment they hit the stage there was this sudden energy in the crowd that didn't go away well until we were all in the parking lot. They had this power about them, from Regine's graceful "fairy"-like dancing, to Win's intimidating scowl and aggression, to Will's energetic and border-line insane drum-banging, we were in awe. I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face, not to say I'd want to, and I remember turning to my equally awe-struck friend and saying, eyes wide, "I'm in love!" It sounds goofy to say, but I meant it. They are true performers and I felt their heart going into every note of every song, and that isn't something you can fake. After the show my friend asked if I wanted to stick around and see if we could meet the band. It was the first time in my life I declined. It felt like it would be asking too much, after seeing them put so much energy and heart into that show, to ask of them another moment of their time seemed greedy. I spent the drive home reflecting over every song and by the time my head hit the pillow I was still mulling over how one show could affect me so much. It took me weeks to stop telling everyone I knew again and again just how great the show was, and I still march around telling anyone who will listen they are the greatest live band playing today. I count down the days (11) until I get to see them again, and it would be, though not necessary to enjoy something so perfect, even better with a VIP view.

Lollapalooza 2010 Chicago!

I miss BuzzFest! =(

Best festival story is hanging out George Clinton and the Parliament then hippie girls writing designs all over my body while listening to Wilko.

Does anyone happen to have 2 extra tickets to Grace Potter & the Nocturnals at the Jefferson? I'm dying to go. If you do, please email me at (no, really, do email me at that email. didn't want to post my email publicly.)