For me, it was Radiohead's "In Rainbows" tour stop at The Hollywood Bowl (an outdoor amphitheater in the hills of LA).

I saw Girl Talk when I was 16 at a small venue in Bloomington, IN. (It's IU's college town).

Me and 6 friends went together and as the opening dj was playing, we decided to dgaf and start dancing, when everyone else in the venue was sitting down.

After the first dj finished and girl talk came on, we happened to now be at the front of the stage. GT asked people to come on stage and since we were so close, we ended up being right next to him as an army of hip college kids rushed up. This was back before he really blew up so he was still playing off of one jank laptop hacked to shit with crazy aux. cords etc.
(cont)

I saw him at Coachella a few years ago and he surfed the crowd on an inflatable boat. It was AWESOME!

The show got so nuts- we were a sweaty mess of humanity all entranced and throbbing with the beat. The fire department came and made most people get off the stage but around 20-30 people got to stay up including us.

Seriously the best concert I've been too. It wasn't even because the music was "all that amazing". I mean it was good, but I've seen GT again since then and it was nothing like that first time.

By the end I could not stop grinning. I was in love with everything. I had never rolled or anything but that's what I felt like. I called friends just to tell them how much I loved them. For the next month I could look at pictures of that night and just feel bliss.

CRAY
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Radiohead's Kid A concert at Shoreline Amphitheater is the best big outdoor show I've seen. I mean, Kid A was already anthemic for my peer group at that point and they really do put on an amazing large format show.

Runners up would be Bjork and New Order (both also at Shoreline.) Both well past their prime so more a case of "play the hits!" than anything.

As branched about previously, Jeff Mangum this past year was really special. Smaller show but more emotionally enthralling than anything I've seen.

A surprising second place, for me, is probably the Arctic Monkeys. It was a tour for their first (and only good) album, "Whatever People Say, That's What I'm Not" and the super intimate venue and passionate crowd helped make it awesome.

Both of mine are from my time in London. It was the first time I felt like a real composer, so musically that period means a lot to me.

a) Tallest Man on Earth at the Electric Ballroom. Just one guy and one guitar. Complete and utter silence during his songs, complete mayhem in between.

b) London Philharmonic played the entire film score live along with a screening of Lord of the Rings III at Royal Albert Hall. Crazy that they were able to match music to picture for 3+ hours. I had obviously always been a huge fan of film scores but seeing one in this context pushed me over the edge.

3 years ago I saw the Decemberists at Terminal 5 and they played a "Lottery Show."

They brought out huge lottery balls and a fancy announcer and they randomly picked the songs they played. Some of the balls had dares – everyone switched instruments, the singer had to improvise a song, the sound guy had to crowd surf to the end of the room.

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Really awesome show, great energy and great music. Made me like the band so much more.

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1. Arcade Fire at @Greek Theatre in Berkeley, CA (2007)
2. The Chemical Brothers @Coachella (2011)
3. Arcade Fire @Coachella (2011)
4. Radiohead @Roseland Ballroom NYC (2011)
5. Justice @The Expo in San Francisco (2007)
6. Arcade Fire/LCD Soundsystem @Shoreline in Mountain View, CA (2007)
7. Radiohead @Outside Lands Festival, San Francisco (2008)
8. Shpongle @Coachella (2011)
9. Paul McCartney @Coachella (2009)
10. Dr. Dre & Snoop Dogg @Coachella (2012)

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Beat Connection at Knitting Factory in Williamsburg is my favorite in recent memory- they woke me up after some fairly tedious opener, and had me dancing my ASS off.

Definitely worth seeing them if you ever get the chance!

For me it's a toss up between the spectacle of Michael Jackson's Bad tour in 1987 when I was a kid in Australia (magic and moonwalking = awesome when you're 12) and the Smashing Pumpkins' 1995 show in Birmingham UK. It was one of the last shows they did before things started falling apart for the band; a fan died at the show in Ireland a few days later, the their touring keyboardist OD'd and they kicked the drummer out of the band for his drug abuse a few weeks later.
You could really see how much they were enjoying themselves at that show. @Billy even stuck around on stage for ages after their final encore, joking and chatting with the crowd before calling their support act, Filter, back on stage to jam for a couple of songs.

I've seen a ton of shows, but the one that I remember most fondly was the Counting Crows show in '96 in Columbus, OH. They were playing a tiny venue, and I had bought 2 tickets from someone on a Usenet group that had extras. When I met up to buy the tickets just outside the venue, it turned out they were the bassist's (Matt Malley) tickets. This led to great seats, and getting to hang out with the band after the show and talk music...just a great, great experience.

Other "best of" shows would be every Springsteen show, and the "Operation: Livecrime" tour by Queensryche. Yeah, I got weird taste in music.

The best concert I've ever seen, hands down, was Amanda Palmer's "Art Show" for kickstarter members in Berlin earlier this summer. I was a very intimate acoustic set, which was extremely emotional. It helped that the crowd was made up mostly of superfans: most of us backed the project to the tune of $300. So it was emotional all around. When it was happy, it was joyful. When it was dramatic, it was epic.

That show didn't have the best sound, and it wasn't the tightest show ever. It was the first show in a mini tour preceding the big tour, with a fairly new band. But it had power. People made new friends in that show.

Without a doubt seeing Madonna in Barcelona this summer was the best concert experience ever! You don't have to be a big fan to get your money's worth. This woman puts on a show like no other. If you get a chance, go to the show when it hits the US in a month.

Being part of British stalwarts Pulp's last-ever gig in 2002. They held it near their hometown of Sheffield, in a huge former steel mill, and invited loads of support acts like Lemon Jelly, Royksopp, Four Tet, The Kills. It all culminated with an amazing show from the band themselves, and some really emotional encores.

Anyone who's gone to the "last ever show" from a band they love will know it makes it that bit more magical.

All of these went down in Stockholm, Sweden unless otherwise stated.

Orbital and DJ Bennie, Annexet, 1993
My first real concert.

The Chemical Brothers, Lollipop Festival, 1997
I truly lost my shit.

Beastie Boys, Annexet, 1995
The first gig where I really, truly learned some hardcore feels.

Depeche Mode, Globe Arena, 1993
Electronics gone rock.

Bon Iver, Berns, 2008
Utterly intimate.

Okkervil River, Debaser Medis, 2007
The first time I saw them.

LOLLIPOP FESTIVAL, 1996:
Jeff Mills
Underworld
Bob Hund
Beck
Johnny Cash

Dinosaur Jr., All Tomorrow's Parties, Minehead, UK, 2008

Neko Case, Södra Teatern, Stockholm, 2006

Bonde do Rolê, Debaser Slussen, 2007
Sex, pranks, indie, baile funk, favela disco ditties.

Ash, Göta Källare, 2002

I saw many bands at Green's Playhouse in Glasgow, including included Deep Purple, Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath and The Who. In 1971 there was a near riot when tickets for the one date The Who were doing in the city sold out quickly.

What differentiated The Who from other bands was the incredible amount of energy that three of the band put into a gig. The fourth member, John Entwistle , just stood there looking bored but playing the best bass guitar I've ever heard. With other bands, you can sometimes sense weariness if a concert is at the end of a long tour but not with The Who. They were the loudest I ever heard with my ears ringing for 48 hours post-concert.

Their Live at Leeds album caught the energy of their live gigs very well.

@campbellboyd I'd probably loved to have seen Led Zeppelin and The Who. I remember Nick Kent writing passionately about them both playing live.

So many to choose from, too few brain cells to remember as much. Floyd '73 Germany (15 years old) -- any Floyd show actually.

The Ramones in 79 at a small club in Portland, ME on my 21st.

Some 2 day festival at some motorcycle racetrack in Germany -- Rory Gallagher, Small Faces (with Rod) and 20 more early 70s.

Lynyrd Skynyrd July 4th festival 75 Birmingham AL. 18 minute Freebird with fireworks while city officials try to shut them down since it was after midnight and Van Zandt was having nothing to do with that having sipped on half a fifth of Jack Daniels while on stage (I had great view of stage from maybe 40 yards away. $1.99 ticket since it was 199th Birthday of USA

Easily, the Def Leppard Hysteria Tour in 1988.

The peak of hair band mania.
Acid wash jean jackets and Sun-In bleached (oranged) hair throughout the arena.
Wannabe Anglophiles.
"Armageddon It" as an anti-war, protest anthem.
Concert in the round.
....And the drummer only had one arm.

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In 2009 I saw Streetlight Manifesto and Reel Big Fish at the Exit In in Nashville. It was the first time I had ever seen Streetlight perform live and watching Thomas Kalnoky's hand turn in to a blur as he played their already-fast songs was amazing. Reel Big Fish went on to play some unreleased songs from their new 80's cover album, so that was a treat as well.

Steely Dan in London 1996, & George Michael in Helsinki 2007, two concerts that will live long in my memory. Perfection in musicianship & atmosphere.

For out-of-body experience there was a Grateful Dead show at the Meadowlands in 1983 or so. Maybe something was in the water :-) I was transported somewhere else.

For artistry, a one-time tour of Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock, Dave Holland and Brian Blade played Carnegie Hall in 2007. The arrangements and playing were incredible works of art. Radio recordings of the Europe dates are available.

In 2006, also at Carnegie I saw Steve Reich and ensemble perform Music for 18 Musicians (I saw that played at the Bottom Line, probably in 1980) and then the Kronos Quartet came out to play Different Trains. Pat Metheny performed Electronic Counterpoint. My hair stood on end all night.

Back in the summer of 1986 I was in between school and college and enjoying a bit of down time when my brother scored us tickets for Queen at Knebworth Park. None of us knew it at the time, but of course it turned out to be Queen's last ever concert.

When Queen performed I honestly don't recall taking my eyes off the stage for the entire performance. Freddie Mercury was by far the best front man of any band ever and he managed to entertain all 200,000 of us. I often think back to that concert and that time and regret not seeing Queen in concert one more than that one occasion.

Being a kid who grew up in the 1980s I enjoyed attending a great many concerts by influential bands. In 1983 I saw Depeche Mode at the Hitchin Regal in a concert recorded for the BBC's Sight and Sound concert series - this was one of their first ever concerts and the first time they were on TV. Tickets were free and the concert was awesome. I wasn't to see Depeche Mode again until I caught them at the Birmingham NEC in 2005, a mere 22 years later.

Holy Fuck at the Way Out West festival in Gothenburg, 2008, was the first time I felt fresh funkiness combine with electronics and rock instruments since hearing Kraftwerk's epic remix album "The Mix", from 1991.

While the video here is crappy and I freaked out while filming, the song - "Red Lights" - is as though Neu met New Order and hooked up with James Brown.

Kings of Leon, Manchester, 2011.

My first ever concert. I remember being apprehensive but it was absolutely amazing! The set list was spot on and the crowd were singing and dancing. We were in front of the stage about 30 or 40 metres back with a great view. Close enough to see but just outside the chaos that was the mosh pit.

The only downside was that we weren't quite far enough back to be away from the barrage of flying bottles, and people that steadily rained down. I have to admit that after being sprayed by a suspiciously warm liquid i will buy a £1 rain cover next time. But still, amazing day, great band and great crowd. I would recommend them to anyone!

Or it was a performance of La bohème in the late 70s in Edinburgh. The two leads were Dennis O'Neill and Marie Slorach and it was conducted by Alex Gibson. I have seen this opera many times before and since but none approached the heights of this one. This was partly due to Slorach having a light voice and figure that made death by tuberculosis believable.

Normally, in Scotland anyway, applause begins was the curtain starts to descend. However, at this performance, the audience was silent as the curtain came down and the last chord from the orchestra faded. The silence lasted for what can only have been a few seconds but seemed much longer as no-one wanted to break the spell that the performance had cast over us. Wild applause followed.

The list is endless, but going to see David Sanborn after he had just finished recording an album was amazing. He started the concert playing in a very experimental style. When he finished he walked up to the mike and said, "It nice to not have to be so fucking analytical for a change". Although he played a lot of chart toppers and stuff from the new CD, the band continued to take long solos and generally have fun playing together without the steady prompting from the recording engineers to "do one more take, please".

Also being a child of the 80's and a lover of hair metal, the best concert I had seen was Iron Maiden, back in the late 80's.

While it wasn't their best show (it was in a smaller concert venue) it was still Iron Maiden and they sounded great there.

I wish I could've seen one of their large banner shows during the 80's.

My first answer was Dave Matthews Band at The Gorge (George, WA). Killer scenery and a very festival feel. BUT, then I remembered I got to see Tim Hecker perform 'Ravedeath, 1972' at a church in Edinburgh. Heavy experimental electronic organ music in a church. It was haunting. Exhausting. Unforgettable.

I've been to hundreds of shows, but one of the few that stands out was a small John Legend show in 2004. Kanye was on his first tour for "College Dropout", with John Legend and a few other new artists accompanying him. After the Kanye show, he did a small intimate performance at a Toronto Jazz lounge called, Trane Studio.

It was just John Legend, a mic, a baby grand piano, and about 30 people in attendance. Not a single one of the major stadium concerts I've been to can compare to a new, unproven artist living out their passion and leaving their heart & soul in a room.

GangStarr at DNA Lounge, San Francisco, maybe '90. Jackson 5 at Circle Star Theater in San Carlos, CA—'72. I was a kid. An infant! Still in the womb, even. Johnny Mathis at Carnegie Hall, maybe '93. Public Enemy, Heavy D & the Boyz, Naughty By Nature, Kid 'n' Play, Queen Latifah & the Safari Sisters, Big Daddy Kane, Digital Underground (w/Tupac) at what was then (is it still?) the Shoreline Amphitheater in CA. Must have been '91? Carole King at NYC's Beacon— '93 or '94. Jay-Z's Reasonable Doubt Anniversary Show @ Radio City—'06. Jay-Z & Kanye's The Throne tour, Bercy Arena, Paris, June 2012. Neil Diamond @ Madison Square—maybe '93. Rakim w/The Roots at NYC's Blue Note—'11. This is the best question. I used to review shows for a living.

The best show I have ever seen was Muse in Madrid, with "The Resistance Tour".
An incredible stage, sound and ligths effects.
But also, a show full of surprises, like a dancer hanging from an airship.
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The first concert I ever saw was Missing Persons in the mid '80s, which at the time was certainly the best concert I'd ever seen. I met, and received a kiss from, the lead singer after the show and I still haven't washed my face to this day ;).

In retrospect though, the best concert I've ever seen was the Red Hot Chili Peppers on their Mother's Milk tour in '90 or '91. It was outdoors at the University of New Hampshire. It had rained the day before and the audience was on a grassy hill descending toward the stage. The band was on FIRE, doing acrobatics, rocking hard, and of course wearing next-to-nothing. The moshing throngs pulsated as we slid down the muddy hill throughout the show. I left dirty, tired, bruised and exhilarated.

My favorite concert (in recent memory) was a small one for The Civil Wars held in San Francisco at the Great American Music Hall. This was before they won a Grammy and before the big mad rush of general fans.

The most stunning part was as soon as John Paul White opened his mouth to sing with Joy Williams, the entire venue was silent - the point where everyone was sitting forward in their seats and holding their collective breath. Probably one of the best live and intimately acoustic shows I've heard in a while. It was so magical that people didn't even clap after the first song because no one wanted to break the spell.

Completely different feel since it just depended on two singers and the instruments that they love :)