I used to go to a lot of concerts back in the '70s and '80s and was lucky enough to catch many great ones, some of which I actually remember. Thank God I wrote everything down.

All the venues are/were in Toronto, Canada, unless stated otherwise.

COMMENTS are welcome, even complaints and corrections:

THE REST OF THE BEST (in chronological order)
ARTIST / EVENT	DATE	VENUE	PRICE	OUT OF 10	WHAT ELSE?
Led Zeppelin	June 1969	Free Trade Hall, Manchester, UK	$2	8	The Zep was a year old when I lucked onto this early immersion in superstar rock on a British holiday: "Communication Breakdown", "I Can't Quit You Baby", "Dazed and Confused", "White Summer", "Black Mountain Side", "You Shook Me" and "How Many More Times". With excellent openers Blodwyn Pig and Liverpool Scene. Read an account of it here.
Johnny Winter	Apr 25 1973	Maple Leaf Gardens	$6	8	I have always worshipped Johnny, and he had lots of extra noyze coming from the openers, Slade.
Frank Zappa and the Mothers	May 4 1973	Maple Leaf Gardens	$6	8	I was never a big Zappa fan but he did a fine show. The stunner was John McLaughlin and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, who I hadn't heard before but ended up seeing twice more. Canada's Good Brothers, a ubiquitous warm-up act, usually struggled to live up to their name.
King Crimson	May 18 1973	Massey Hall	$6	8	Warm-up: The Strawbs, a real treat.
Leon Russell	Aug 9 1973	Varsity Stadium	$6	7	The Mad Dogs & Englishmen ringmaster putting on a pretty warm show. Warm-up: Mary McCreary
John McLaughlin	Aug 29 1973	Maple Leaf Gardens	$6.60	8	An excellent double bill with Santana. Stacks of guitar wizardry.
The New York Dolls	Oct 27 1973	Victory Burlesque	$4.90	8	Not quite the Dolls' prime, perhaps, and more pastiche than prancing proto-punk, but David Johansson and Johnny Thunders were a treat to watch. This was also the first of several times I got to see premier Canadian rock band Rush, who handled the warm-up, though I never did see them once they finally got good.
The Edgar Winter Group	Nov 5 1973	Maple Leaf Gardens	$6.60	7	I'd rather see Edgar's brother Johnny anyday, but this was the "Frankenstein" era, and the Electric Light Orchestra were a great opener.
Alice Cooper	Dec 14 1973	Maple Leaf Gardens	$7	8	Nearly a "9" for this tandem bill. Warm-up: ZZ Top, absolutely amazing before they started to get silly in later years.
Captain Beefheart & His Magic Band	Apr 7 1974	Convocation Hall	$4.50	7	I love the Captain, but he was better on vinyl than in this show. Warm-up: Audiomaster
Emmerson Lake & Palmer	July 26 1974	Orchard Park Stadium, Buffalo, New York	$7.50	7	ELP were a little too busy for my head, and Keith Emmerson "bending" his keyboards all over the stage just seemed stupid. Thank God for the warm-up acts: the James Gang and Lynrd Skynrd.
Todd Rundgren	Aug 11 1974	Centre Island	$6.50	8	This was a terrific festival out on the island, with great performances by Rory Gallagher, Dr Hook & the Medicine Show, Status Quo and Foot in Coldwater, plus Diamondback and Abraham's Children.
APRIL 2008, TONY ADDS: A friend and I were just going over on the Island for the day for something to do. When we got there we heard the music and went to check it out, but they wanted $6.50 (your price quote) each for tickets (a lot of money back in those days for 14-year-olds). The part of the island where the bands were playing was separated by water, so my friend and I rented one of those swans that smaller kids would float around in, and when we got as far as we could take it, we stripped down to our jeans, dove in and swam the rest of the way across to where the concert was and quickly ran into the crowd. I remember we pooled our money and bought a dime of pot and got super buzzed. The guy who sold us the pot had his (hot) girlfriend there and she was walking around naked -- I was 14 and it was the first time I had ever seen an older woman naked before, and it was everything I had imagined and better :-) I've been to a 100 concerts since then, but that one was very special. Thanks for having the foresight to keep a diary of your concerts.
Van Morrison	Oct 21 1974	Maple Leaf Gardens Concert Bowl	$6.50	8	Van can be rough on his band, but I don't think he can ever be bad. A wonderful show. Warm-up: The Persuasions
Paul McCartney & Wings	May 9 1976	Maple Leaf Gardens	$9.50	8	Finally got to see me a Beatle, and it was enjoyable throughout, but only became great when he played stuff by his old band.
Aerosmith	July 24 1976	CNE Stadium	$10.25	7	Pretty good, especially thanks to the openers. Notice the ticket prices starting to hoist? Blame McCartney. Warm-ups: Derringer, Henry Gross, Rory Gallagher
Toots & the Maytals	July 31 1976	Moss Park Arena	$6	8	I'd seen the Maytals open for the Who, and now I was really ready to embrace reggae, and what a place to do it, the sweaty arena full of Jamaican expats feeding me curried goat and rice & peas. Heaven and a high "8". Warm-up: Pan-Demonium
Burning Spear	Aug 21 1976	El Mocambo	$3.50	8	His Majesty the Lion of the parish towns in full swing at the ElMo.
The Ramones	Sept 25 1976	New Yorker Theatre	$5.50	7	The Ramone brothers were moving into their Rock'n'Roll High School phase by this point, but still loads of fun. Warm-up: Johnny Lovsin
Iggy Pop (with David Bowie)	Mar 14 1977	Seneca College	$7	8	Bowie got Iggy out of Berlin and back onstage at last and sat at the keyboards to let him do his stuff. Iggy was fantastic, and Blondie put on a hot warm-up show too.
The Eagles	Mar 30 1977	Maple Leaf Gardens	$10	8	Eagles in full flight with Don Felder cruising. Warm-up: Jimmy Buffett, smilin' wide and high as a kite.
MARCH 2008, WAYNE ADDS: Myself and my friend Jimmy skipped school and headed down to MLG to try and get in for the soundcheck. We hung around out back on Wood Street among the tractor trailers of gear being unloaded and after about an hour, three black limos show up and as they approach the entrance we approach the cars and a back window rolls down and its Joe Walsh, who says, "You guys wanna come in for the show?" We reply, "Sure!". To which Joe replies by laughing his head off and rolling up the window as the cars zoom inside. Dejected but not out, we notice the guy who let them in, a rather older gentlemen with white gloves who's having a smoke. More limos show up and he checks passes and gives out passes to some guests on a clipboard. There were hockey players like Tiger Williams, Jack Valiquette and Don Ashby, and I rememeber Johnny Bower's daughter. Prince Edward, who was going to school in Lindsay, shows up in a limo and he escorts them in. Well it was a long day and it started to rain. Cold, hungry and feeling left out, we were about to give up when the old fellow comes outside once again and we start some small talk. We hear Jimmy Buffet take the stage to a roar as the old fellow reaches for his smokes and realises he's all out. Jimmy says, "Here, have one of mine," and passes his deck of smokes to him, but there's only one cigarette left, so he declines, but we insist. He lights up and finishes it off and thanks us, and turns around to go back in, telling us that's it for him tonight and says goodnight. As we start to head off we hear him yell back, "Hey, you guys want to see the show?" He brings us into the backstage area tells a couple cops that we're guests and then tells an usher we're okay to stand there all night and watch the show. It was truly a magnificent show, and that bastard Joe Walsh walks right by us and hands us a glass of rum and coke with plenty of ice and says, "Here, hold this, I've got a show to do." Welcome to the Hotel California!
The Viletones	June 1 1977	Crash'n'Burn club	$2	8	Toronto's invincible princes of punk knocking the walls down of a spike-friendly, short-lived hole in the wall. I was knocked out. Warm-up: The Curse

Blondie	Aug 3 1978	El Mocambo	$6.50	8	Debbie Harry's 25th-birthday present to me was a show that rocked in a way that I didn't think possible with this band. Sensational. Warm-up: The B-Girls
"The Last Pogo"	Dec 1 1978	Horseshoe Tavern	$3	8	The Viletones, the Mods, the Scenics, the Secrets, Cardboard Brains, the Ugly, Teenage Head and the Curse closing down the ancient Horseshoe, or was it signalling the demise of punk?
MARCH 2008: Paul Richmond of Toronto's Zest Radio sorted out my calendar for the Last Pogo, pointed out that it wasn't on September 2, as I'd previously posted, but December 1. He also provided the full list of bands and recalled "a special appearance by the police, Toronto's finest, at the end of the evening". The show, Paul points out, was promoted by The Garys, and the emcees included Johnny Garbagecan, Margarita Passion and Lance Charles. Colin Brunton made a movie of the event and is making a sequel called "The Last Pogo Jumps Again" to celebrate the 30th anniversary. It's due out on the anniversary, next December 1, so I'm glad I got the date right. The Last Pogo, says Brunton's website, was "the best going-away party ever, a benchmark in Toronto punk, the last big blast before moving on to their new club, The Edge. The evening ended with the cops shutting down the show - and the crowd tearing the place apart."
The Buzzcocks	Sept 7 1979	New Music Hall	$8	8	The Viletones getting an opening set on a proper stage, with further scintillating warm-up from the Gang of Four.
The Specials	Feb 25 1980	Palais Royale	$?	8	A ska-crazy night by the lake on a terrific dance floor. Warm-up: The News
The English Beat	Oct 3 1980	Concert Hall	$8.50	8	The Beat were way ahead of the competition. A hell of a show. Warm-up: Truths & Rights
Bow Wow Wow	Oct 2 1981	Concert Hall	free	8	I never could get enough of Bow Wow Wow in those days and was sorry I never got to see Adam & the Ants. Malcolm McLaren knew what he was doing. Warm-up: The Shakin' Pyramids
King Crimson	Oct 22 1981	El Mocambo	free	8	I had a great interview with Adrian Belew for NOW magazine before the show and kept buying up all the Crimson albums ever after. Amazing stuff from the stunningly talented Belew, Robert Fripp, Bill Bruford and Tony Levin.
"Police Picnic"	Aug 13 1982	CNE Stadium	$22	8	You're guaranteed satisfaction when you have the Police, Joan Jett & the Blackhearts, Talking Heads and the English Beat all at one event. Superb.
Steel Pulse	Aug 19 1982	Concert Hall	$10	8	This incredibly slick English band churned up reggae as fundamental as anything in Jamaica and made it sexy too.
The Pretenders	Nov 22 1986	Maple Leaf Gardens	$20	8	Iggy Pop as a warm-up act seems a bit of overkill when you've got someone as entrancing as Chrissie Hynde performing.
Rita Marley & the Wailers	Aug 2 1987	Varsity Arena	$27	8	Rita brought the kids along, Stephen and Ziggy before they got the Melody Makers going, and Chalice and Messenjah were there too. A sensational evening.
Peter Murphy	Apr 28 1988	RPM club	$15	8	Murphy clearly didn't need the rest of Bauhaus anymore. He was spidery, sleek, compelling and, yes, scary enough all by himself. Marvellous. Warm-up: Passion Fodder
Jane Siberry	May 26 1988	Ontario Place Forum	$3	8	Jane is Canada's most underrated, undiscovered and undeniably gifted singer-songwriter. Life is not complete without her.
Iggy Pop	Aug 16 1988	RPM club	$20	8	Iggy as good as I ever saw him, at full power, jumped up on wrecking-ball guitar work by a genuine Pistol, Steve Jones. Warm-up: The Soup Dragons
Jackson Browne	June 25 1989	Molson Park, Barrie, Ontario	$17.50	8	This was billed as the Mariposa Festival, which seemed a stretch given the bill and locale, but Jackson is the universe's best songwriter and his tunes got the full treatment here thanks to David Lindley & El Rayo-X.
Bryan Ferry	Feb 23 2004	BEC-Tero Hall, Bangkok	free	8	The Pretenders opened for and stole the show from a tiring Ferry. See my review for The Nation.
The Eagles	Oct 15 2004	Impact Arena, Bangkok	free	8	Return to excellent form for the band and a massive score for concert-poor Bangkok. See my review for The Nation.

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THE REST OF THE BEST (in chronological order)