memorable stage productions from concerts

[cram]

I got in a conversation with a coworker about all the inane over the top production we've seen at concerts. Most of them are Rock concerts as the genre breeds that type of display.

Things we mentioned -

High Rize acts:
This is a phenomenon from what we've found. It actually started the conversation because we were watching a PFunk Allstars show from the 80's in germany and up on a boom crane was the lead singer who barely participated in the opening song of the show. The schtick of it was that he was just up there and sometimes singing with the song. It took a long time for the boom to bring him down and it was humorous in that regard.
It got us talking about others.
DLR in a boxing ring high above the stadium. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XBNQNKHxRrE&feature=related

Sammy used to do aint talkin bout love from the catwalk above and I guess he did it so he could look over the edge, while he sang "I been to the edge" - you can see this on 5150, live without a net in hartford.

aerosmith used to have father time ride down on a harley from the top of the boston garden rafters when they'd do their new years eve show...

Huge inflatable stuff -
Angus behind acdc.
Flaming lips - using the huge hands attached to his hands to get people clapping with the music. I actually think they are in a category all by themselves... I saw recently that he put himself ina bubble that was about 10' in diameter and rolled it over the audience to get on stage and start performing..

Lazer lights and psychodelical presentation -
floyd owns this. I've seen some other good shows with a decent light production

Spinning Stuff -
We've seen spinning drumsets (tommy lee). He actually has recently done a highrise drum solo on the last crue tour...
Neil Pert's set used to rotate as well. I actually think he's airlifted into his set, judging by the 360 surround of percussion...
YES had their entire stage rotate back in 89 or 90. I saw them in Buffalo. It was a great show.


So what say you about the spectical of a concert production? What has impressed you or struck you as funny?

[Smakutus]

Dave rode a surfboard and appeared on a small stage by the sound guy on the Eat Em and Smile tour. The second and third time I saw them on that tour I watched as he was sneaked out there through the crowd. Dave is a showman.

Gene Simmons flying up into the lighting rig to sing God Of Thunder..

The Stones penis balloon thang in the 70's. The balloon girls in 89.

The Pink Floyd pig..

Jeff

[sinner]

Jethro Tull doing their "Passion Play" show had all these "instructions" rolling on a huge screen about how to behave and a big stage with protective screens for the band safety--turns out it was all a joke (or part of the album concept) because just as soon as they started playing, the protective screen lifted.
I didn't get it but they sure played great!

Pink Floyd had big pigs and airplanes flying around--cool but I didn't think it was really necessary or adding anything to the show. Later shows (Wall) seemed better conceived and better integration of music and stage show.

Yes "Tales from Topographic Oceans" era: really beautiful, glowing orbs and otherworldly effects--seemed very appropriate for the music.

Alice Cooper, saw early 70s at the Los Angeles Palladium--great visuals to match the intensity of the lyrics and show!
guillotine, hangman, snakes, straight-jacket!

David Bowie, again early 70s at the Palladium (LA Debut show), not the traditional stage show, no big production, but effective none-the-less with the haircuts, glam clothes and antics on stage--birth of a new era in rock!

Genesis. All of the early Gabriel era Genesis shows had great visuals perfectly integrated with the music/concept. Topped off with "The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway", this was on a par with the best Classical Opera stage designs and luckily I was able to see it up close backstage at dress rehearsals and then front row for the show.

[chrisr777]

Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Live in a Rusted Out Garage

The idea was that they were a bunch of kids playing in a garage. The curtain was a garage door. There were a couple of giant rats doing the narrator duties. They got the odd yell from parents. Intermission came when an exterminator came through to get the rats. It didn't work.


Edit: I mean the exterminator didn't work. The show really worked.

[alschnier]

Flaming Lips, butthole surfers, gabriel (every show has topped my list of hair raising concert experiences)

[Bryan T]

Peter Gabriel seems to love the stage production aspect of his shows. Walking upside, being in a giant ball, etc.

[cvansickle]

I've seen Kiss and Alice Cooper, so 'nuff said there.

Blue Oyster Cult had the huge, fire breathing Godzilla.

Rush, seven (or was it eight?) times. Lasers, videos, flashpots.

Judas Priest had the big-ass Harley for "Hell Bent for Leather."

Iron Maiden on the Seventh Son tour, all kinds of inflatables and of course Eddie the 'Ead!

The Heartfixers with Tinsley Ellis, with Tinsley leaping off the stage and running to the back of the hall while stile playing.

Motley Crue and Tommy Lee's drums: on the Theater of Pain Tour, the drum riser tilted forward. On the Girls Girls Girls tour, the whole kit was lifted overhead and spun around.

SRV, holding the vibrato bar and flipping his guitar around the stage floor like a frying pan.

Jimmy Buffet had a tiki bar on his stage.

Dio on the Sacred Heart tour, a whole castle set on stage and a dragon too.

I'm sure there's more...

[sinner]

Anyone see Keith Emerson riding on the spinning piano?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSm5IQFaTZA

[chrisr777]

Anyone see Keith Emerson riding on the spinning piano?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uSm5IQFaTZA


Actually, I was at this show.

Me and 500,000 of my closest friends.

[DWB1960]

Queen: News of the World tour.

[JCM 800]

Metallica on the Load tour. Stage was in the round and the whole thing blew up at the end. Lights and roadies falling from the rafters, a man on fire running across the stage. It was awesome.

[Smakutus]

Metallica on the Load tour. Stage was in the round and the whole thing blew up at the end. Lights and roadies falling from the rafters, a man on fire running across the stage. It was awesome.

And Justice For All was cool too.. Building the set behind the band as the show went on and then having the lighting truss "fall" at the end.. Great show.

Jeff

[jmecale72]

Spinal Tap- Stonehenge!

'Nuff said!!!

[guitgator]

ZZ Top's Worldwide Texas Tour in the 70s including a buffalo, a longhorn steer, buzzards and rattlesnakes.

nothing says "quality" like live critters

[UndergroundVint]

I believe U2's PopMart tour was the most expensive rock show ever ever put on. Most impressive too in my opinion.

[Boomer]

The Tubes were always presenting amazing stage shows. The shows were so much a part of the music that I don't think you could separate the two. You needed to experience The Tubes live to 'get it' up to the 'Talk to You Later/She's a Beauty era.

I always enjoyed David Bowie shows but my favorite was the Thin White Duke tour in support of the Station to Station album. Bowie in a white shirt and black jeans and the stage production using only white lights. It was the least ostentatious show with the best musical presentation up to that point.

[bluesjunior]

I saw the ZZTop tour in 1980 it was when they had some cattle etc on stage.

The Pink Floyd have always had great stage sets all the way back to the 60's.

My personal favorite set is Neil Youngs Live Rust tour with the giant amplifiers etc. For a guitar player the first time I saw that it was like WOW.

[franksguitar]

Pink Floyd hands down for staging & production quad sound etc.

[PapaMidnite]

Pink Floyd Animals ,With the Wolfs walking around the stage ,Also Kiss front row center the heat from the pyro tech.was amazing .BOC, Rush . even Zappa,But really the best one I've seen Muddy Waters just sitting on a stool with one light shining down from above ,Head down just playin.. Clapton joined him with tears 15,000 quiet people one of the last shows he did still get chills

[mprvise]

All the big ones I've seen have been mentioned.

But one of the top stage production memories for me was at a festival I played about 10 years ago (on the site where Wakarusa will be held this year). One of the very late night sets after we played was this band in costumes that had a full puppet show going on in front of them while they played. It was really well done for a bunch of crazy hippies. There must have been 12-15 people involved, including the band. At one point the puppets were passing around a bong and taking hits. :bong It was NUTS, and I'll never forget it. The music wasn't bad either. I never saw or heard anything about those guys after that night.

[jaycee]

Back in the late '80's i saw Dio with Vivian Campbell on guitar. He had this huge dragon head sticking up above the drum riser that he would slay during a song. That show was Halloween night! My mom wouldn't let me go, but i went anyway and i'm glad i did. Also i saw Marylin Manson on Halloween and he had some cool stage stuff going on. The crowd for that one was entertaining as well. Got backstage passes but MM never came out. The band did, but i didn't give a crap about them.

[dwes]

I saw a ton of the '80's metal big stage productions as well as U2, Floyd, Rush - all amazing.

The one I missed... Ozzy with Randy. The Castle. ( I did catch a similar stage with Jake).

[RGB]

Saw ELP back in the '70's and they didn't use the flying piano, but Emerson came up on hydraulics from under the stage wearing a mask and playing some type of organ...and Palmer's spinning drum riser with the gongs was pretty cool too...Tame by today's standards, I guess, but we were amazed!

...could've been the hallucinogenics, though...;)

[FeloniousBishop]

Motley Crue - First time I saw the the drum riser rotated 90 degrees so Tommy was facing the floor while he did his solo. 2nd time I saw them the drum riser rotated 180 degrees so he was upside down.

ZZ Top in 1981 - amazing lazer light show with huge 3D objects formed in the space of the arena.

ELO in the 70s - spaceship took off from the stage.

[Garygtr]

My personal favorite set is Neil Youngs Live Rust tour with the giant amplifiers etc. For a guitar player the first time I saw that it was like WOW.

+1, the giant amps, Star Wars roadies....remember the giant tuning fork they would drag out?

[cram]

+1, the giant amps, Star Wars roadies....remember the giant tuning fork they would drag out?

I think I recall the foo fighters stage containing a bunch of amps randomly placed as the backdrop. it looked cool. I saw this on tv at some point...

This one cracked me up -
Neil Young and Crazy Horse - Live in a Rusted Out Garage

The idea was that they were a bunch of kids playing in a garage. The curtain was a garage door. There were a couple of giant rats doing the narrator duties. They got the odd yell from parents. Intermission came when an exterminator came through to get the rats. It didn't work.

I'm digging the stories for sure.

[Solomon]

I am going to take a little different approach and mention Radiohead on the recent In Rainbows Tour. It stands out to me for the fact it was fairly simple but worked so well with the music. Several what looked like aluminum poles hanging down over the stage lit with varying LED lights. Was a very effective and cool effect.

[cram]

I am going to take a little different approach and mention Radiohead on the recent In Rainbows Tour. It stands out to me for the fact it was fairly simple but worked so well with the music. Several what looked like aluminum poles hanging down over the stage lit with varying LED lights. Was a very effective and cool effect.

Visual effect like that is cool as well. I've seen a TGP'r with a huge backdrop that was a tapestry with a really cool setup that was discrete. If you light something like that up, I think it's a beautiful presentation.

another in a similar vein -
Tom Waits and his utility bulb hanging from the mic stand is cool as hell too. it shines light up at his face and enhances the lines, which fits the mood of his tunes as well.

[Terry McInturff]

Bowie's "Glass Spider" production was pretty good.

As an example of how riveting Bowie is by nature..even I didnt recognise the fact that the lead gtrist was Peter Frampton until Bowie introduced him.

[The Last Rebel]

Ted Nugent used to be pretty wild when he did huge stadium shows. Riding a buffalo on stage, flaming arrows, loincloth, swinging onto stage, that kind of stuff.

[SL_22]

Saw the Crue w/ Tommy's upside down spinning drum riser on the Girls tour. Their entire backline of lighted amps were on hydraulics that lifted them to varying heights throughout the show.
On the Dr. Feelgood tour, Lee had a drum set that rigged in the rafters that took him from the front of the stage the back of the arena.
DLR had a boxing ring drop from the rafters on the Skyscaper tour.
His Eat'em & Smile stage had a massive light show & the surfboard he rode over the audience.
Tom Keifer of Cinderella peformed Don't Know What You Got, on a white baby grand piano suspended above the crowd on their LOng Cold Winter tour.
Bon Jovi had a giant catwalk drop for the lights that went from stage to back of the arena on their New Jersey tour.
All of the hair bands had huge light & stage sets. But those are the ones that stand out.
Unfortunately, I didn't see Iron Maiden on the POwerslave tour. From the photos/video I've seen, that has to be the greatest of all time.

[chrisr777]

I think I recall the foo fighters stage containing a bunch of amps randomly placed as the backdrop. it looked cool. I saw this on tv at some point...

This one cracked me up -


I'm digging the stories for sure.

I found a song from the Crazy Horse Rusted Out Garage tour.

I had forgotten about the cockroaches.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aQ4E38IKosU

[devinb]

Talking Heads, Stop Making Sense???

[todd richman]

Queen The Game Tour 1980
Pink Floyd Division Bell
Triumph Sport of Kings 1986

[TonyVt]

I would have to say either Phish's NYE Hot Dog Float show or their NYE Aquarium show.

[bynt]

Porno for Pyros took the cake for me on their first album's tour. Let's see:

A sad clown that slit his throat in front a mirror,

an interracial lesbian couple making out on trapeze bars

Naked bass player

Perry Farrell uncorking and chugging a bottle of red wine in one pull

and the coup de gras was like a ten foot tall transvestite that um...um... "relieved" herself on the front row (gratified herself in a lone sense to the point of climax at the expense of the front row-yes, it was fake as was the aforementioned antics)

It actually worked. It sounds really horrible now that I"m typing it. I'm hestiant to call it a good show, but it really was I guess.

[Ian Anderson]

The Ramones.. Had a big curtain that said Ramones.