A few people have mentioned Summerfest 2005. I was there too and i've totally forgotton how much it cost but how many times did Oteil's band, Derek's band, Warren's band, and the Bros all share the same bill? That was a once in a lifetime value for me!
Also, seeing DTB at the Grand Emporium in Kansas City twice in 99 for like 10 bucks or so were great. The venue was so small that the band would have to walk through the entire crowd to get to the stage so you got to meet all of them and they would visit with everybody afterwards. In fact, every single show I got to see at The Grand Emporium was a great value.. Walter Trout, Brian Auger, Eric Sardinas, Brian Lee, Bobby Bland, etc...... It's a shame the venue closed but Knuckleheads has picked up the slack for KC small venues and I got to see John Hammond down there for not much money.
Edit: The Mule never played the Grand, but damn, one time they played the Beaumont Club in Westport and Chuck Leavell was there and Oteil on bass, and I got to ride the rail for the whole show and was about 4 feet from Chuck. I was so close I was talking to Chuck between songs lol! Great Value! Much better ticket price than the next time I saw Chuck which was The Brothers 50...The bummer is that I got a setlist signed by Warren, Matt, Chuck, and Oteil, and that is the one setlist that got away. I can't find it anywhere!
I keep remembering great values. April 11, 2000. Derek Trucks Band opened for John Scofield at Liberty Hall and down the street at The Granada was The Mule. After watching DTB and some Scofield, we left to go to the Mule show. By the end of the show, DTB and John were on stage too..
4/11/00
Lawrence, KS Granada Theatre
Set: Wandering Child, Mule > I've Been Working > Mule, Rocking Horse > No Need To Suffer, Life Before Insanity, Lay Your Burden Down, Bad Little Doggie, I Can't Quit You Baby, Left Coast Groovies > Drums > Matt/Warren > jam > Lively Up Yourself > Painted Silver Light > Creep
Encore: 32-20 Blues *, Pass The Peas **, Afro Blue **> Drums ***> Bass **> Afro Blue **> My Favorite Things tease **> Afro Blue **
Setlist Notes: * Derek Trucks on guitar, Yonrico Scott on drums and Matt on percussion; ** Derek and John Scofield on guitars, Yonrico on percussion; *** Yonrico on percussion
I've seen several shows, but I'm gonna say the best value was probably the first Crossroads Guitar Festival in Dallas in 2004. We went on the last day of it, which was the day of the Cotton Bowl concert. So many great players. Tickets were just $60 each!!! We got to see the following in order: Neal Schon, Steve Vai, Sonny Landreth, Larry Carlton, Pat Metheny, John McLaughlin, Robert Cray, Jimmie Vaughan, Hubert Sumlin, Booker T. & The MGS, Bo Diddley, David Hidalgo, Joe Walsh, Vince Gill (w. guest Jerry Douglas), James Taylor( w. guest Jerry Douglas), Vishwa Mohan Bhatt, B.B. King, Buddy Guy (w. guest John Mayer), Santana, Eric Clapton (w. guest Jeff Beck), ZZ Top
Another one just dawned on me. Bonnie Raitt in like 2000 or 2001 at Oldsmobile Park in Lansing, MI. It was the single A stadium for the Cubs. I think they are affiliated with Toronto now. I worked security for the team's games and was asked if I wanted to work that night. Hell, yeah. I ended up walking her to the stage from center field. I stood by the side of the stage and I would have for the whole show but my radio went off and I had to go up to the concourse to "work". Still watched the whole thing for free. Actually got paid. 😊 Her keyboard player whose name escapes me sat at a table by the front gate hawking his solo cassette. So I watched him doing this for a while.
The next night Skynyrd played the same stage. The Lansing Convention & Visitors Bureau didn't need me to work and didn't comp my entrance. Bastards. 😉 I still had my credentials and tried to get backstage but no dice.
Everything in Moderation. Including Moderation.
Jones Beach, sometime around 2003. Unless I was halucinating at the time, I remember tailgating before the show, and walking toward the venue to get food and go to the bathroom. I saw a small crowd gathered around a mini van. I went to check it out, and it was Warren sitting on a chair doing an acoustic set in front of about 10 of us.
In 1978 and for $25, it was Boston followed by Heart, and headlined by Jeff Beck.
1972-Memorial Coliseum, Tuscaloosa, AL. Rolling Stones Exile Tour with special guest Stevie Wonder.
1974 felt forum nyc
james cotton, charlie daniels and marshall tucker
Curious to as what members here would categorize as their best concert value ever.
Not a list. The one.
It may be because of the performer(s), the ticket price or a combination of both. Paying a high ticket price for the experience of your choice could very well be your personal best value.
Mine is a combination of the performers and the ticket cost. Was either my junior or senior year in college, I saw Son Seals open for Muddy Waters. The concert was held in a ballroom of the student union, a flat tiled floor, there was no stage. Everyone sat on the floor crossed legged.
Son opened with a soulful blistering 30-45 minute set. Really outstanding.
Then Muddy came out and for his entire performance was standing inches away from where I was sitting. Right from the get go when Muddy exclaimed "I'm a king bee!", it was a fabulous set of music. Muddy's set ran right at an hour.
The cost with student ID, one dollar.
That's mine, the magnitude and importance of the performers and all for one hundred pennies.
Yours?
$15 bucks for Woodstock 1969
Well let's see Woodstock 69 was FREE, and 3/11/1971 Allman Brothers Band, Elvin Bishop, and Johnny Winter And., at the Fillmor East. The tickets were $5.50, five rows back Duane side. I don't expect greater concert value than those 2 events, I'm a lucky guy.
