Best free concert you've been to

[JoeA]

Saw Dave Brubeck and Ella Fitzgerald at a park in Clearwater back in the '90s.

Enjoyed it a lot more than I expected to.

FL?

I lived in Clearwater for about 12 years (mid 80's to 90's). I was going to say BTO at the park downtown by the intercostal on the 4th of July!

 

[King Schultz]

FL?

I lived in Clearwater for about 12 years (mid 80's to 90's). I was going to say BTO at the park downtown by the intercostal on the 4th of July!

That was it!

I lived in Tarpon Springs for a couple years. . . now that I think of it, it was in the 80's, not the 90's.

But that's where it was and it was the 4th.

 

[YachtClubWoman]

2005 - Elton John in Philadelphia for 4th of July on the Parkway

 

[JoeA]

That was it!

I lived in Tarpon Springs for a couple years. . . now that I think of it, it was in the 80's, not the 90's.

But that's where it was and it was the 4th.

I think it is called Coachman Park!

 

[cornflkgrl]

Fourth of July at the U.S. Capitol, overlooking the National Mall with hundreds of thousands of people celebrating, followed by fireworks behind the Washington Monument. Amazing.

We did this back in 98 (?) when we lived outside DC. Awesome experience. Sat right up by the stage. Best fireworks display I've ever seen (until I saw Wishes -- I actually think Disney's fireworks are amazing)

But it was very memorable.....especially taking the metro home at the end of the night. I do believe this is where I developed my fear of enclosed spaces. I Thought I was going to die of suffocation in a strangers armpit or by stampede.

 

[Cogswel_Cogs]

Elvis Costello on Colbert Show

Not really concert but friend knew my brother and myself are huge fans so he got us in.
We were there for the show but also there for the rehearsal which was bizarre. What was so strange was were the only people in the audience so Elvis was basically starring at us the whole time. It was an odd feeling.

 

[King Schultz]

I think it is called Coachman Park!

Okay, I had to go back and check. . . it was Coachman Park, it was free, and it was Brubeck and Ella, but it was in October of '84, not the 4th of July.

I'm sure I saw a free concert there on the 4th when I lived down there, just can't remember who.

 

[low-key]

Im one of the people who ever seen a free concert by someone famous

 

[bcla]

Elvis Costello on Colbert Show

Not really concert but friend knew my brother and myself are huge fans so he got us in.
We were there for the show but also there for the rehearsal which was bizarre. What was so strange was were the only people in the audience so Elvis was basically starring at us the whole time. It was an odd feeling.

I've only seen him at a paid concert. Berkeley Community Theater in 2002. Beautiful venue too - an Art Deco building built as a WPA project in the 1930s on the campus of Berkeley High School. I bought my ticket the day before the concert when a block of mid-orchestra seats were made available. I was checking Craigslist then and someone posted in the for sale section that tickets were just released. I worked nearby and could even walk to the venue.

 

[jevs]

Im one of the people who ever seen a free concert by someone famous

+1

Stood and listened to plenty of pretty good buskers though.

 

[bcla]

+1

Stood and listened to plenty of pretty good buskers though.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Aerosmith at UMass in 1974. Okay, not really - when they finally settled on a venue (will it or won't it rain?) and opened the doors, I got lifted off my feet in the crush until about 20 feet inside. Ended up watching on tv in my room.

So I guess the best free concert was the Boston Pops 4th of July about 20 years ago. One of my friends called about 4 PM; she was watching it on tv and decided we should go. People camped out two days before the event, we got there two hours before it started. Pushy friend found us enough space.

 

[MomofKatie]

Sure. However, I was thinking about what they would have played in 1984. Maybe Radio Free Europe. I listened to an alternative rock station back in college, and after the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989, It's the End of the World as We Know It was on their regular rotation for a few weeks.

My favorite R.E.M. song is probably Orange Crush.

I looked it up, and I saw them play in Spring of 85, actually (knew it was freshman year, but couldn't remember if it was early fall or late spring). They were about to release Fables of the Reconstruction, so they played a couple songs off that album. One was definitely Driver 8.

 

[Momurtag]

best free concernt was at the VP fair 4th of July 1998 at the ARCH FUEL.
And they are back with 311 this year.

 

[Tuffcookie]

Peter Noone and Herman's Hermits played at a car show at a Piqua mall parking lot about 5 years ago.

TC

 

[bcla]

I looked it up, and I saw them play in Spring of 85, actually (knew it was freshman year, but couldn't remember if it was early fall or late spring). They were about to release Fables of the Reconstruction, so they played a couple songs off that album. One was definitely Driver 8.

Found the playlist. It did include Driver 8 and Don't Go Back to Rockville (as an encore).

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/rem/1985/legion-field-athens-ga-73d6fa05.html
http://members.iinet.net.au/~darryl74/1985.html

Strangely enough, no Radio Free Europe. Kind of reminds me of the time I saw Elvis Costello in concert and he didn't play Alison. R.E.M. apparently played in Berkeley that summer, but I had no idea who they were at the time (I was in HS).

 

[Party.Of.4-NY>>>FL]

Garth Brooks free concert in Central Park (NYC) can't remember the year but it was around 1998 or there about.
It was said that almost 1million attended. I'm skeptical of that number, but certainly a few hundred thousand.

 

[Disneylover99]

I saw Blue Rodeo at a free outdoor concert in Ottawa and Honeymoon Suite perform in a car dealership parking lot in Toronto. Both concerts were about 25 years ago.

 

[Mokat76]

Alabama in 1989 at Naval Station Norfolk. Also on stage that day were Ricky Skaggs, Kathy Mattea and others I can no longer recall (I was heavily medicated due to severe bronchitis and a sinus infection but determined to go--I'm lucky I remembered my name at that point). It was terrific.

 

[RedAngie]

Garth Brooks free concert in Central Park (NYC) can't remember the year but it was around 1998 or there about.
It was said that almost 1million attended. I'm skeptical of that number, but certainly a few hundred thousand.

I'm always skeptical of the crowd estimates for free concerts, World Series victory parades, NY Eve in Times Square, and the like.