Best Free Concert You've Attended?

YellowSnow

2009. Steve Earl solo with an acoustic guitar at the old Easy Street Records in Lower QA (RIP). One of the best country artists of the past 40 years rather easily.

Tequilla

It probably isn’t technically free but Chilifest in Snook, Texas a couple of years ... Pat Green

Doogles

Rebelution was just a college band when I was at UCSB and they would perform all the time on the cliffs overlooking the ocean in Isla Vista.

18, high as a kite watching the sunset with girls everywhere, wondering "can it get any better than this" while they groove all night.

I remember thinking, these guys are pretty legit, and a few years later they popped off with a deal.

YellowSnow

Doogles said:

Rebelution was just a college band when I was at UCSB and they would perform all the time on the cliffs overlooking the ocean in Isla Vista.

18, high as a kite watching the sunset with girls everywhere, wondering "can it get any better than this" while they groove all night.

I remember thinking, these guys are pretty legit, and a few years later they popped off with a deal.

Reggae jam band at Isla Vista? That's about as moist as it gets.

RoadDawg55

Doogles said:

Rebelution was just a college band when I was at UCSB and they would perform all the time on the cliffs overlooking the ocean in Isla Vista.

18, high as a kite watching the sunset with girls everywhere, wondering "can it get any better than this" while they groove all night.

I remember thinking, these guys are pretty legit, and a few years later they popped off with a deal.

Rebelution is good chit. My golf buddy is a big fan of them and reggae in general and we would listen to it in the cart. They were my Summer jam in 2020.

Tequilla

I can’t remember if I had to pay a cover or not ... but Zac Brown Band before they were ZBB at 8.0’s in Sundance Square in downtown Ft Worth

RoadDawg55

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kxLivJwk2OU

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kxLivJwk2OU

Doogles

RoadDawg55 said:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kxLivJwk2OU

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kxLivJwk2OU

This is a great song. Pretty much the vibe of the scene I was describing.

Gladstone

Linkin Park in Hong Kong. When they did Hybrid Theory it was a borderline religious experience.

Fishpo31

I don't know if this technically qualifies, but I'm going with it...97, in the Bay Area on a recruiting trip, a buddy /coach down there asks me when I am leaving, (that night). I tell him, and he says, "change your flight to tomorrow morning", and leaves the room. I am meeting with his players that I am interested in, in his office. Every hour, he comes back and asks if I have changed my flight. I finally tell him, "I'm not changing it until I know the reason". He drags it out, busting my balls, but he eventually tells me, and I call and change it.

His kids were doing event security for fundraising, and the chief called to thank him, and, because his kids did such a good job, to invite he and his staff for the last night. One of his assistants couldn't go, so I replaced him, with the stipulation that I could be fucked if they asked for ID, because my name wasn't on the previously submitted roster. We get to the venue, through security, and go in. No ID check, but I was sweating it right to the end.

We carried catering into the dressing rooms, got to hear the sound checks, all that was left was the passes. The security boss comes up and slaps an O'Doul's wristband on me (I still have it). My buddy asks "What does this do?". She said "you can go anywhere in the building."

We were on the side of the stage when the opener came out...Pearl Jam, opening for the Stones.

Best part of it...I called my boss to ask if I could come in an hour late the next day. He said sure, and asked why. There was silence on the other end, because he had worked his ass off to get tickets in our city, and got shut out...tl/dr/csb

YellowSnow

Fishpo31 said:

I don't know if this technically qualifies, but I'm going with it...97, in the Bay Area on a recruiting trip, a buddy /coach down there asks me when I am leaving, (that night). I tell him, and he says, "change your flight to tomorrow morning", and leaves the room. I am meeting with his players that I am interested in, in his office. Every hour, he comes back and asks if I have changed my flight. I finally tell him, "I'm not changing it until I know the reason". He drags it out, busting my balls, but he eventually tells me, and I call and change it.

His kids were doing event security for fundraising, and the chief called to thank him, and, because his kids did such a good job, to invite he and his staff for the last night. One of his assistants couldn't go, so I replaced him, with the stipulation that I could be fucked if they asked for ID, because my name wasn't on the previously submitted roster. We get to the venue, through security, and go in. No ID check, but I was sweating it right to the end.

We carried catering into the dressing rooms, got to hear the sound checks, all that was left was the passes. The security boss comes up and slaps an O'Doul's wristband on me (I still have it). My buddy asks "What does this do?". She said "you can go anywhere in the building."

We were on the side of the stage when the opener came out...Pearl Jam, opening for the Stones.

Best part of it...I called my boss to ask if I could come in an hour late the next day. He said sure, and asked why. There was silence on the other end, because he had worked his ass off to get tickets in our city, and got shut out...tl/dr/csb

CSB. Third Eye Blind (gay) opened for the Stones when I saw them at the Kingdome in 1997.

Mad_Son

Presidents of the USA and Harvey Danger

YellowSnow

Mad_Son said:

Presidents of the USA and Harvey Danger

My kids love Casper Babypants.

Purple_Pills

KC and the Sunshine Band. A company I worked for hired them to play at the annual Christmas party one year.

El_K

Blind Melon played a free show at RCKCNDY just before they released their debut album.
KISW Pain in the Grass concerts at the Mural Amphitheater were great. Sweet Water was probably the best I saw. Every Friday night.

DerekJohnson

Jean Leloup - Quebec City 1997

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VI3C6MROOvY

RaceBannon

Woodstock turned into a free concert

dflea

El_K said:

Blind Melon played a free show at RCKCNDY just before they released their debut album.
KISW Pain in the Grass concerts at the Mural Amphitheater were great. Sweet Water was probably the best I saw. Every Friday night.

I thought they'd be huge. I was thinking at the time that they'd give PJ a run for their money.

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

LebamDawg

Being an old fart (really, really old) I had the joy of seeing the Dead in Volunteer park when I was too young to be there, but dumb enough to still be there. Also, there were smaller groups that I can't remember exactly who played. Saw them again at Golden Gardens in Ballard, and one of these hippy events Jeff Airplane showed up and Country Joe and the Fish.

Explains my love for old psychedelic rock I guess

Here is one of the posters that were advertising the event - There were quite a few

DerekJohnson

Also... Trolls Cottage 2009

And it wasn't free, but I did see Alice in Chains at the Redmond VFW for $5.

DerekJohnson

Doogles said:

RoadDawg55 said:

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kxLivJwk2OU

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=kxLivJwk2OU

This is a great song. Pretty much the vibe of the scene I was describing.

Just added this to my iPod. Thx