Bands You've Seen In Concert The Most?
Tuesday, March 15, 2011 at 12:01AM The other day, our very own Christian asked me which band I've seen the most times in concert. I said "Um, let me think" and then I realized I honestly have no idea how many times I've seen each particular band live.
This surprised Christian. See, he's seen Iron Maiden live nine times and he said "Surely, there must be a band you've seen live at least nine times." And there probably is...especially festival bands like Slaughter and Skid Row. Still, it's hard for me to keep track. I don't keep ticket stubs or anything - or really a master list. I have a rough list buried somewhere on this site but it doesn't list the number of times I've seen each band. That said, there are a few I do know...
I've seen Aerosmith three times. Those concerts are ingrained in my memory. I've seen Kix six times (at least) and maybe they are the band I've seen live the most times. There's Motley Crue, Def Leppard and Poison, too course...all coming in at five times live (at least, each)...but no one like Christian's ever-growing Iron Maiden track record.
Which band have you seen the most times live in concert?
Reader Comments (33)
Haven't got the list in front of me but Iggy Pop, Hard-Ons, Sick of It All, Beck and D.A.D are up there as artists I've seen more than five times.
Others I've seen at least 10 times off the top of my head are... Cheap trick, Child's Play, Britny Fox, Ratt, Night Ranger, and REO Speedwagon. I'm sure I am forgetting a few.
Lucky for me I've worked in the field of music so many shows I've attended I didn't have to pay for.
AC/DC-5 times
Aerosmith-5 times
Alice Cooper-4 times
By the way, there is a great site for concert nerds like me. It's called Songkick and it allows you to keep track of all the shows you've seen, as well as share photos, ticket stubs, videos, etc. My list of past shows (which is about 95% accurate -- it's missing some club shows from way back when) is here:
http://www.songkick.com/users/eboy71/gigography?tab=artist
Grateful Dead 3x
Alice Cooper 3x
The Who 2x
Queensryche more than 10 times.
Ramones -- 14x, fortunately with the original line-up at least 8x. RIP.
AC/DC -- 11x including '78 off "Powerage". I got to see 'em 3x with Bon Scott. Unbelievably, the last time I saw 'em was off "Ballbreaker" at Madison Square Garden. Hey, wait, I saw 'em 12x if you count one of the few times they've done a record signing. That was at Virgin Megastore in Times Square off "Stiff Upper Lip". I got the band to sign the mini album version of "Back In Black" that came with the "Bonfire" box set in silver pen. Apparently, it was only one signing per person, so when I tried to get Angus to sign "Stiff Upper Lip" for me, security swooped in. Angus intervened and signed it. All the band were super nice and Angus was particularly "graceful", shaking my hand twice in between spinning around. Killarious! I also had a funny experience with Brian Johnson, years earlier, which I've related on this site before -- I ran into him on 53rd and 7th right after I watched him he put a crying brunette into a cab around 1 p.m. and I had a 10 minute conversation with him about the new album (which turned out to be "Razor's Edge"). So, I guess you could also say I met Brian Johnson twice. Once on the street and once at a rare record signing appearance.
Cheap Trick -- 8x, the first time off "Heaven Tonight", right before "Dream Police" was released, the last time, last year at Ram's Head Live with 2 keyboardists and an additional guitarist as the guys from Jellyfish opened for 'em and then played with 'em during their set. Phenomenal! I also got to meet the boys after they played the U.S. Naval Academy in '82 at The Afterdeck at the Annapolis Hilton right on the harbor. Nielsen was a riot. That was also the first time I saw Kix as Kix cuz they opened for 'em. I also ran into Paul Reed Smith before the show. I once knew him as I used to watch him make guitars when I waitered at a restaurant right next to the little townhouse on West Street where he used to make 'em. His workshop kinda looked like one of those exhibits in Williamsburg where a guy is makin' mandolins or somethin' but in this case it was electric guitars! I remember leanin' in his back door, smokin' a Marlboro one day, askin' him what guitar it was he was workin' on and he said, "Number 26.". Anyway, I digress -- Paul was bummed Nielsen wouldn't buy one of his guitars. I told him not to worry about it and reminded him he had Santana, Perry and Nugent as clients and he was gonna get other people. Did he ever! Back to the show -- needless to say, Trick and Kix blew the hats off those Navy Midshipmen who made up 99% of the audience.
Aerosmith -- 5x, the first time off "Get Your Wings", the last right after Tyler's throat operation. I even got to see 'em off "Rock In A Hard Place", without Perry when Jimmy Crespo was the guitarist. That was damned good, too.
Ted Nugent -- 5x, the first with Aerosmith off his first album when he just killed it. That was when Derek St. Holmes was the lead singer. I saw 'em twice with that line-up. What a world of difference he made. Once he was gone, it really was a slow death we had to witness, the final death nell sounded when Van Halen opened for 'em off their first album. As I've mentioned here before, they left him clad in a loin cloth, swingin' in the breeze on his rope swing, doing a Tarzan routine.
I've seen many, many bands 1, 2 or 3 times. Oddly, I confess, I managed to miss, unfortunately, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Def Leppard and Priest. I've pretty much seen all the other biggies at least once, including Led Zeppelin off "Presence", third row.
Hopefully Ozzy and Tony can get together one more time. I'll probably catch Def Leppard finally. There's always a chance for Priest. However, it's highly doubtful I'll get to see Blackmore reunited with the rest of DP. I've seen most of the Glam/Hair acts and will see quite a few more at M3, albeit, not in original or classic line-ups.
Bring Back Glam!
I have seen most of my favorites except for Ozzy, Megadeth, Rush, Van Halen WITH david LEE roth. saw them with Hagar. Saw David solo..so..i guess, i kinda saw them ?!?
rush 18x
springsteen 12x
poison 11x
oasis 22x
flickerstick 14x
crue 6x
bon jovi 10x
man so many more just cant think straight hungover lol
Kenny, when you say L.A. Guns 27 times, is that both versions (tracii and phil/steve).
For me, strangely, the band I have the most is GWAR, 11 times.
POISON - 20 (once on Flesh and Blood and 19 times since they reunited in 1999)
AEROSMITH - 13 (From 1993 Get A Grip Tour to now, could be a couple more as well)
CRUE - 12 (again, could be one or two more if i had to go back and count concert ticket stubs - didn't see them live for the first time until 1997 GENERATION SWINE, yes friends, unfortunately I never saw them back in day)
The one that TAKES THE CAKE FOR ME THOUGH IS......
SAMMY HAGAR! I've estimated about 35 shows, possibly more (and NOT INCLUDING the Four times I've been down to Cabo either for his Bday Bash - and this is only since Marching To Mars in 1997 and doesn't include VAN HALEN). HELL, I saw the Living' It Up tour 5 times in a week during the summer of 2005. YES, talk about LIVING' IT UP!!! HAGAR ROCKS MY WORLD!!!
i'll have to think on other bands (hell, i saw laguns alone 5 times just last year-both versions together)
this list could get real interesting if i sat down and looked back. WOW!
Can someone please build me a time machine? I'll owe you.
Yeah, I forgot to mention one other band I've managed to miss over the years.
I'M jealous of you characters who have seen Poison, whether in the immediate past or way back when!
Kari, I am so jealous you saw 'em off Flesh & Blood when Brett still attempted to actually sing.
Still, I'll be happy to see 'em up close, point blank and VIP this Summer, even if Michaels is only just talkin' the lyrics these days. It is, after all, the classic line-up, regardless of the fact Michaels will be mailing it in.
I'm shootin' for The Hollywood Bowl!