Being at the 4th of July concert by the Pops was a bit of a special event concert – not so much because it was the once-a-year event, but because it was the first concert with Steven Tyler singing after his throat surgery. 

It got me thinking about a conversation I had with a friend a few months ago about other "Special Event" concerts I’ve been to.  These are concerts that aren’t just a regular tour supporting another new album release, but once-in-a-lifetime opportunities or times you’ve seen a band on their last tour (because someone in the band died and/or the band broke up) or on a reunion tour or a special night of a tour.  Here’s my list:

• U2 on the ZooTV tour, the biggest production to date for a tour
• KISS on their last tour WITHOUT make-up
• KISS on their (first) reunion tour with make-up BACK on
• Soundgarden (now broken up) when they opened for Neil Young in 1993
• Blind Melon (Shannon Hoon is now dead) on the same tour in 1993
• What appears to be Pink Floyd’s last tour ever (as of right now) in 1994
• Eagles on their first reunion tour
• Van Halen with Sammy Hagar
• Little Richard (not sure if he’s still performing any more)
• Roy Orbison (died in 1988)
• Reunited J. Geils Band in 1995
• Squirrel Nut Zippers, who don’t appear to have done much since 2000
• Seeing Billy Joel in a Q&A session at the Providence Performing Arts center
• Attending Woodstock ’99
• Saw Rage Against the Machine on their last tour in 1999
• Jimmy Page with the Black Crowes in 1999
• Judas Priest with Ripper Owens…
• …and Judas Priest back with Rob Halford
• Aerosmith with Kid Rock and Run DMC
• The short-lived "reunion" tour of Guns N’ Roses in 2002
• First night of the Aerosmith/Lenny Kravitz tour in 2005

Some are more momentous than others, but they are all kind of special for various reasons.  I’d be curious what some of my reader’s "special concerts" might be – what bands you saw before they broke up, before an artist died or special performances you may have been witness to!