Favorite Milwaukee Concert

[cheese plate]

I went to the Brown County Arena (Green Bay) a good number of times in high school, and while I liked some of the big show elements (lasers, lights, smoke, thousands of big-hair gussied up metal chicks), musically it just seemed like a joke to me. I just decided fairly early on that it's not my bag. But I definitely understand that others prefer it, and that there are massive stage shows and so on you just aren't going to get at a small show.

[thefragile]

Originally Posted by ranger17

saw NIN along with the Jim Rose(?) side show and Marilyn Manson (early on) here in Madison some years ago. They were great live, loved the visuals on the big screen during "Hurt".

Wasnt my usual "crowd" per say but that was quite the night.

I saw them with the Jim Rose Circus too & Pop Will Eat Itself at the Mecca in like '95 or something. I don't even remember the show really, lol. I can say I've now seen them twice but I don't know if that's really fair considering I don't remember the show. And I'm not even sure why I went, if it was for them or Pop Will Eat Itself, I don't remember being a huge fan of NIN back then but maybe I was, lol.

[almost3am]

hmmm, best in Milwaukee...that would rule out Monsters of Rock (Metallica, Dokken, Scorpions, and Van Halen...the Sammy version) back in like 1988 because it was at Alpine Valley.

It also rules out the concert that Stevie Ray Vaughan died after, because it was also at Alpine Valley (Stevie, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton)...awesome...1990 I think.

Maybe the Femmes and Bodeans at Summerfest in like 1986? Hard to remember the year, I went like 5 years in a row to see them both perform. I played the '86 album of Bodeans like 5 million times in the first month it was released, and the Femmes were at their peak.

I also saw (don't laugh)...Bon Jovi at Miller Park. It was for the Miller Brewing 150th anniversary, so i was on the field about 30 feet away from them. It was pretty cool.

I think my favorite concerts were in the late 80s and early 90s, because my friends and I would go crazy at those concerts. Great memories of fun music and general craziness. Off the top of my head in Milwaukee...I think...Billy Idol, Def Leppard, Rod Stewart, David Bowie, Bryan Adams, Paul Simon, INXS, Don Henley...all within a few years.

[Vegas_Cabbie]

Originally Posted by almost3am

hmmm, best in Milwaukee...that would rule out Monsters of Rock (Metallica, Dokken, Scorpions, and Van Halen...the Sammy version) back in like 1988 because it was at Alpine Valley.

It also rules out the concert that Stevie Ray Vaughan died after, because it was also at Alpine Valley (Stevie, Robert Cray, Buddy Guy, Eric Clapton)...awesome...1990 I think.

Maybe the Femmes and Bodeans at Summerfest in like 1986? Hard to remember the year, I went like 5 years in a row to see them both perform. I played the '86 album of Bodeans like 5 million times in the first month it was released, and the Femmes were at their peak.

I also saw (don't laugh)...Bon Jovi at Miller Park. It was for the Miller Brewing 150th anniversary, so i was on the field about 30 feet away from them. It was pretty cool.

I think my favorite concerts were in the late 80s and early 90s, because my friends and I would go crazy at those concerts. Great memories of fun music and general craziness. Off the top of my head in Milwaukee...I think...Billy Idol, Def Leppard, Rod Stewart, David Bowie, Bryan Adams, Paul Simon, INXS, Don Henley...all within a few years.

There's nothing wrong with the Bon Jovi concert at all... Like them or not, they are ridiculously successful group... And the environment must have been something amazing being down on the field.

[cheese plate]

Originally Posted by Vegas_Cabbie

There's nothing wrong with the Bon Jovi concert at all... Like them or not, they are ridiculously successful group... And the environment must have been something amazing being down on the field.

A guy I know who was in NYC (the pre-cleanup scary/dangerous NYC) and was one of the small original group of CBGB's regulars (and therefore "a punk") told me stories about JBJ walking past their window all the time "with hilarious poodle hair and an acoustic guitar" and them throwing beer bottles & yelling/harassing him constantly. Years later, it was clear JBJ had "won" and dude fully admitted this, though I still know which side I would have been on and still am on

JBJ's real name is John Francis Bongiovi, Jr, typical Jersey Italiano, but people couldn't pronounce it correctly so he changed it. He would demo with a producer (his cousin and fellow Bongiovi) constantly and work on his "image" because he wanted to make it so bad...eventually there was a nationwide new band submission search that turned into hundreds of local radio albums across the country, leading to a few signings (like Twisted Sister), including "John Bongiovi." I'm sure that record is worth some cash now!