1973 I believe. An acquaintance of mine claims to have been there and that Brian Jones was brilliant that day.
(For those who came in late, Jones left the band in 1969 and died in the same year)
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Ledd Zeppelin Sydney 1972
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Correct about Brian Jones, Mick Taylor was excellent as his replacement. A mate reckons the Stones decorated the stage so that it looked like a swimming pool, in homage to Jones, but l don’t recall if that was the case. I do remember that they had a huge body guard who sat on one side of the stage throughout the entire show. Another mate taped the show.
Either, just the best live concerts
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I very much doubt that.
There were a couple of beach umbrellas which I would imagine were there for shade.
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Def Leppard - In the Round, early 90’s at Rod Laver.
Having the whole stadium full, no bad seating or restricted viewing, amazing crowd noise. Band members jogging back and forth to different stage areas, Rick Allen drumming from the centre on a slowly rotating platform.
…and DL always put on an amazing show.
Special mention to Aerosmith, just an amazing show.
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That image is taken from the same side as our seats, but we were right up the back.
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It’s interesting, as this thread has been done a number of times, and the “best live concert” always ends up back at some massive stadium rock concert from the 70s and 80s.
Sure that sort of concert has its place, but it’s also not the only definition of a great live concert.
For me, I’ve seen plenty of fantastic and memorable concerts. The defining factor for me is the connection of the band/musician to the audience.
Off the top of my head (and this is going to miss so so many)
Any WPA Central Club Christmas shows
The Dirty 3, Meredith 2004
Dan and Al, Last Drinks at the Punter’s Club, 2001.
Beck, The Forum c 1996
Ween, the Evelyn, c 1995
Billy Thorpe, Queenscliff, just before he died
Rage Against the Machine, BDO c1995
Soundgarden, Lollapalooza Santiago, c2014
Haim, Laneway c2015
I’m missing electronic shows, jazz shows and classical shows in a while bunch of smaller venues, but I need to do some work…
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Oils at Kooyong, 1985, Species Deceases tour
Oils, Concert for The Kids, 1991, Myer Music Bowl (made their Tennis Centre gig I’d seen a couple of weeks earlier pale into insignificance).
Radiohead & Big Heavy Stuff, early 1998, Festival Hall, OK Computer tour (in Feb after a week of 35+ degC days and the venue’s AC was buggered - it was HOT AS HELL in there, from both a temperature and musical perspective!)
Green Day, Festival Hall, 1996, Insomniac Tour (support from The Fireballs, whose schtick The Living End proceeded to lift wholesale and make a killling from…)
Blur, The Metro, 1997, Self-titled album tour
Cheap Trick, early 1988, The Palace (2nd loudest concert I’ve been to)
The Cult, The Palace (can’t remember the date, 1987-ish?, loudest concert I’ve been to)
They Might Be Giants, 1990, National Theatre, Flood Tour (sitewide conga-line - avec the two Johns - out of, and back into, the venue during the encore).
Billy Bragg & Weddings Parties Anything, Her Majesty’s Theatre, 1989, Worker’s Playtime tour
Depeche Mode, Melb Tennis Centre, 1994, SOF&D tour
Living Colour, 1993-ish, The Saloon Bar (it was only 3-4 songs, played to the lucky punters who just happened to be there on the night but… wow…)
Hoodoo Gurus & The Fauves, Prince of Wales, 1992-ish (so crowded it was awkward to even take a drink from your can of beer).
TISM, Chisolm Frankston Campus, v.early 90’s on a Tuesday night (the most frantic and all-encompassing moshpit I’ve ever experienced… came away with dirty footprints all over my T-shirt…)
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Pearl Jam…Rod Laver Arena 1998.
The War on Drugs…Myer Music Bowl 2023
Grinspoon…Pelly Bar Frankston (Guide to Better Living Ann Tour)
Spiderbait…Corner Hotel (Ivy and the Big Apples Ann Tour)
Tool…Rod Laver Arena
Just some that stick out for me for a variety of reasons. Some big arenas, some legendary pubs…one things in common they all rocked and left nothing behind.
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Big yes to WPA and Beasts of Bourbon Christmas Show at Central, and Tex, Don and Charlie at Meredith. Can’t remember the years.
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Was Tex, Don and Charlie 1995? I think around there. Rained all day Saturday in my memory.
My first big concert 
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Faith No More, Monash Uni, 1993
Just stumbled across the audio on YouTube but haven’t listened yet
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28 Days, Rowville Community Center, 1999
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Foo Fighters, Hi-Fi Bar, 2000
Cool to see them in a venue this size. Standing next to Chad Smith who then gets called up to play a song.
At The Drive-In, Hi-Fi Bar, 2001
Their BDO set the next day was a bit of a letdown, too much Fugazi-wannabe crowd policing, but this show was explosive.
Bikini Kill, Summersault Fest, 1995
Just seeing a predominantly female crowd lose their ■■■■ to all their songs, they rocked out.
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Ani DiFranco National Theatre 1997ish, in this case “predominately” would mean everyone except for 6 guys. And it was awesome.
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Daft punk in the late 2000s was epic.
Tame Impala after their 2nd album when ever that was…
Khruangbin in 2022 was the tightest band I’ve seen.
Best random local band I saw was Sunnyside.
Can never go wrong in a small venue jazz club.
Not old enough to have seen anything pre 2000s but I’d do anything to go back in time to see a grateful dead, steely Dan, Allman brothers concert.
If anyone was to say any concert on acid then they’re probably correct.
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The stage was all white and decorated with some sort of painted dragon design. After Chain finished playing, the roadies dismantled the entire stage, revealing this painted white stage beneath, which a couple of them polished by hand. All the guitars were brought out and everything was tuned, so that when the Stones came on stage, they just picked up the guitars, turned to face the audience, and went straight into Brown Sugar.
And yes, Mick Taylor was playing.
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Agreed- was at both concerts as well!
But
Spy v Spy at the corner would have given them a run for their money.
As well as Hunters and Collectors at the Collendina
And Santana at Rod Laver was loud- but due to a shi@#y mix. Bass up WAAY too high. Ruined the first half of the show.
On great gigs:
Icehouse at the Venue, very late 80’s
The Bit*h Magnets, ( cross pollination of The Chantoozies and Australian Crawl playing 60’s covers)
Joe Cocker at the Entertainment center, mid 80’s
Muse at Rod Laver
No Nonsense at the Cross Keys…
And a pop up cover band doing R&B/soul songs, with Bobby Bright and Ross Hannaford up front, and basically the Farnham band backing- at a pub in Kew/Hawthorn. Brilliant