Back in the 1980s I went to a lot of concerts in Boston, all over New England, and Canada. My tastes then, as now, are eclectic in that I like just about every type of music except opera, rap/hip-hop, and most heavy metal. Here’s a list of bands or performers I’ve see in concert. Again, not for bragging rights so much as to also hear about who you’ve seen performing live.
GRATEFUL DEAD – OMG I was a Deadhead there for a few years when I was a teenager. I saw them many times in concerts. Total trip, man. O! The hippie-ness of it all! I have maybe a dozen of their songs on iTunes but I don’t listen to them ever anymore.
BOB MARLEY – I was only 16 but I’m glad I got to see him before he died.
JIMMY CLIFF – A couple of times.
PETER TOSH – A couple of times. Yeah, I like Reggae music.
ELVIS COSTELLO – My first date ever with a guy was to an Elvis Costello concert. I remember practicing how I would ask him to go with me and being all jittery when I did finally get up the nerve to ask him. We had a great time and we became hump-hungry teenagers in love for a year or two – my first boyfriend.
PATTI LABELLE – Three times that I remember… She was over-the-top incredible as a live performer. Amazing set of pipes.
DIANA ROSS & THE TEMPTATIONS – They played at an outdoor concert on Boston Common (Park). I watched the concert with some friends from a balcony of an apartment building right across the street from the concert, so a bird’s eye view from like 10 floors up.
CHAKA KHAN – Same scenario as outdoor Diana concert – watching from balcony across the street. Chaka was sooooo trashed (booze? drugs?) she barely was able to function. Not that great a concert.
PATTI SMITH – She was so trashed that she actually had to be escorted off the stage halfway through her first song because she couldn’t perform. Though I liked her album “Easter” I wasn’t a big fan and, besides, she was just the opening act for… you guessed it… the Grateful Dead.
SYLVESTER – Saw Sylvester perform at a seedy club in Boston’s “Combat Zone” (Red light district). And then again, in NYC.
CAROLE KING – Yup.
DIZZY GILLESPIE – Saw the jazz legend perform one very snowy, cold evening in a surprisingly small old jazz club in Vieux Montreal. There were just 3 tables-worth of people at the whole club, not a lot had ventured out in a raging blizzard. The management moved everyone to the front because, you know, why not. So front row seat. Our table was celebrating a friend’s birthday and Mr. Gillespie did songs for the birthday girl and he came down and sat with us during intermission. Amazing.
RANDY TRAVIS/TAMMY WYNETTE/K.T. OSLIN – This was a triple header classic country concert. I was in it totally to see Tammy Wynette.
I know I’m forgetting some other ones. Maybe I’ll remember one day.
Feel free to leave a comment about concerts you’ve seen!
MATTHEW'S ISLAND 
Wow, what a great list, Matthew! I’m a bust when it comes to concerts. I’ve seen a few Mexican artists like Eugenia Leon and Betsy Pecanins. I wanted to see the Monkees when I was a kid, but my folks wouldn’t let me go to Buffalo. I HAVE seen Liza Minnelli on stage twice, once in NYC and once (I still can’t believe it) in Guadalajara. I met the lead singer of Cuca at an antique show and was putting on the moves (he has great insect tattoos) when screaming fans came for his autograph. I had no idea who he was.
Except for a (NHL) hockey game once in a blue moon I’m just not into the whole huge crowd thing anymore. I haven’t been to a concert in a long time.
I’m jealous because of Sylvester.
To be honest most of these concerts I saw in my wilder youth. I remember the booze, drugs, and people I was with more than the performers and concerts. By the time I saw Sylvester perform those two times he was getting pretty large and older – didn’t sound so good one of the times and the other I think he was just lipsynching. But it was fun all the same and I wish you could have been there!