Your best acoustic concert experiences?

[Davis Webb]

Well as my wrist heals I am not playing so I am inspired to talk about guitars, at least.

What were your best experiences as an audience member listening to acoustic guitar? Things that either blew you away or changed you in some way or made you go wow?

Here are a couple of mine;

John Martyn opened for the band Yes, we went to see Yes, during their Tales from the Bottom of the Topographic ocean tour. So on walks John Martyn, as the opening act, solo! I had never heard of him. He had a delay, a tape delay, none of us had every heard those before either. He played a full set to a full multi thousand seat arena, SOLO, using the tape delay to make it seem like he was with a band.

That floored me!

Second incident, I was living in Ann Arbor being a hippy and my roomate gave me a free pair of tickets to see Shawn Phillips. Shawn Phillips, wow. So I went and he did a total evening of solo with the first drum machine I ever heard and the first effects I ever heard. WOW, what a night. I loved his music, u folks remember Shawn Phillips?

And I will never forget seeing Phil Ochs play in Ottawa. Wow. He had a voice of gold, the guitar skills that seemed as good as James Taylor (i know he didnt, but he sure sounded great) and lyrics full of wit and intelligence..yeh that was some night too.

Those 2 artists set me on a path of learning guitar that eventually included Perth County Conspiracy, my first John Fahey concert (wow that was amazing), Oregon and a host of other musical inspirations that were unmatched until I got my first Windham Hill CD, with Michael Hedges....

What have been your most memorable episodes like this? I am sure there are some amazing stories to be told in a crowd like this. Did any of you get a chance to see Lenny Breau?

[Yamartin]

It was just last night, when I heard Leo Kottke for the first time, which is very hard to believe! He opened for John Prine, so I got to hear both my favorite lyicist and my new favorite guitarist. And I'll bet Ann Arbor was a good place to be a hippie. Just sayin'

[Transylvania]

Last Sunday night I heard Tommy Emmanual in Charlotte, NC. It was pretty great.

[mnrunner]

A few weeks ago I got the chance to see Ingrid Michaelson in a small setting of just over a hundred people. Nice, dimly lit cafe with candles all around. Felt like she was playing in someone's living room. It was just her and Allie Moss switching off between guitar and piano. I really appreciate artists like them who truly are amazing at their craft, not just good at projecting an "image". It was an amazing thing to see. Ingrid finished up the night with a solo performance of REM's Nightswimming using just a looping pedal and her voice. Pretty amazing stuff. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G13hB4M4F4A

[rope]

Monte Montgomery at White's Bar in Saginaw (though he is almost not acoustic). It was a fabulous show in a club that really strained to hold 75 people.

Andres Segovia in Ann Arbor. I am sure it was not his greatest show, but it was something to see him under any circumstances.

Tony Rice Unit in Detroit. He played tunes from throughout his catalog. It was stunning to watch Tony and his band members swap one perfect solo after another.

I'd finally have to say Steve Howe, who I have seen solo acoustic a few times. He puts on a great one man show.

[drumstrummer]

I saw Storyhill (a.k.a. Chris and Johnny at that time) as a freshman in college in the fall of 1996 and it made me want to learn play the acoustic guitar. I saw Phil Keaggy that winter and it made me want to quit, but it also inspired me at the same time.

[DrDavid]

Well, Michael Hedges solo twice, back in the day.

THAT was a revelation. I still remember him being introduced by a presenter -- "Now here is the violent side of Windham Hill." And such sweet violence it was.

More recently, Paul Brady solo, front row center, in a little town in Ireland. Consummate singer/guitarist.

..

[graywolfkayak]

Keola Beamer (slack key guitar) and R. Carlos Nakai (Native American flute) at Kiana Lodge in Poulsbo, Washington. This was about five years ago.

I work with a gal whose dad was Keola's teacher on the big island, and he had Keola and RC give a benefit performance for the Suquamish Tribe. It was a dinner event and he got me seated at a front table where I was about six feet from these two amazing artists!

They came back three years later for another benefit concert, and I donated one of my best Native American flutes for an auction. I had originally paid $400 for it, but RC talked about it and gave the history of the NAF. Then he played Amazing Grace like you've never heard it before on this flute. The result? It auctioned for $1450!

Some serious mojo that night...

[David M123]

About 30 years ago, I saw the group Oregon perform live. They opened with Collin Walcott playing sitar, then for the 2nd tune, he moved to tablas and discovered that some time between the sound check and performance time they had become untuned. He proceeded to tune them on-stage. And, let me tell you, for anyone who thinks tuning a guitar by ear on stage is an adventure, tablas are much, much more difficult. It took him at least 10 minutes to get everything right, but that didn’t phase him at all. Instead he made it part of the show, explaining what he was doing, and why it is so tricky, making little expressions of delight or horror when things went right or wrong, and generally turning what could have been an awkward, boring 10 minutes into wonderful entertainment.

The rest of the concert was even better.

btw, Ralph Towner is one of my personal guitar heroes, though I haven't seen him mentioned much here.

[jwing]

I'm not a big Neil Young fan, but I did witness him captivate about 18,000 people with nothing more than his voice and a guitar. I glanced behind me and all eyes and ears in that arena were intently focused on Neil. Nobody was talking or moving.

Another time: Some concert on a summer's eve in the mountains of Utah. The concert MC comes out and announces that there will be a warm-up act, someone I never heard of. Out walks a tall, gangly dude with funny, vertical hair, carrying a guitar. A cello player sits down off to the side and back. They launch into the first song and the cocktail party scene in the audience absolutely stops, riveted by the musicians. It was Lyle Lovett playing "If I Had a Boat." That night, Lyle and the cello player knocked it out of the park, making instant fans of everyone that I talked to about that show. I can't recall the headliner; that's how good Lyle was.

[HHP]

Doc Watson playing a garden concert in Nashville. The New Grass Revival members were on the next blanket to us.

Dan Crary playing The Station Inn in Nashville on a night crowds were kept away by storm warning. Few made it so it allowed for a lot of back and forth dialog with him during the show.

Mick Moloney and various partners played the Daisy Theater in Memphis several times. Really hooked me on Irish music.

[Bob Womack]

I got to see Andres Segovia at a Very Fishy Hall (Avery Fisher), Lincoln Center in 1978. That was pretty exciting. I was about four rows back. He was his usual cranky self, but did it with wry humor.

Bob

[Solosdad]

Two weeks ago my wife and I attended a benefit concert in someones living room here in the L.A. area, which featured Tommy Emmanuel, Richie Sambora and Laurence Juber.It was for the benefit of the Linda McCartney Women and Cancer Fund. I have to tell you it was magical! They all played plugged-in and to be in such an intimate setting listening to these great artists was just plain fun! They played solo and together and Richie made it clear to us that he also was inspired to play with such talent. Richie sand a couple of his signature songs such as "Wanted Dead or Alive". Being new to guitars myself I am now busy learning the riffs! I now have their autographs on the back of my Martin OM 15.

[Maynard9089]

Tomorrow night my wife are seeing Hot Tuna in Rochester,NY. I've been amped for this show for 2 months. Hopefully this will be a memorable accoustic show.

[stratokatsu]

A few years ago, I went to the Main Street Cafe in Homestead, Florida to hear Chris Proctor. For reasons we've never figured out, Homestead was dead that night and there were only 7 people in the crowd. Chris suggested to the sound man that he unplug, and he just sat on the edge of the stage while all 7 of us moved up to the front tables. He played a couple hours within 10 feet of us and it was an incredible experience.