Best Concert In Indianapolis History

 

Best Indianapolis Concerts
 
News of the recent demise of the Music Mill had me thinking about concerts in Indianapolis.  What was the best show I’ve ever seen in Indy?  It’s sad to say that several of the best in the last thirty years took place in venues that are either gone or no longer used for concerts.  Long before there was a Verizon Wireless Music Center, there was the venue now known as the RCA Tennis Center.  Many of the city’s outdoor summer shows took place in the heart of the city before moving north to Noblesville. 

Also gone is the RCA Dome.  Although many hated the acoustics in the Dome, it was the site of many large, over-the-top shows.  U2 made a visit on the Joshua Tree tour after fans scrambled with a petition to have the city added.  Although they put on a good show, I wouldn’t rate it the best, given their desire be somewhere else. 

Another big 80’s show was the Monsters of Rock tour.  The nearly six hour show included Metallica, Van Halen, Scorpions, Dokken, and Kingdom come. If you couldn’t get the head banging out of your system that day, you weren’t trying.  Pink Floyd made a famous visit to the Dome during the Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour.  Legend has it that a fan decided to attempt to fly from the upper deck while the band was playing Learning to Fly.  He must not have followed the directions. 

But the best show to ever rock the RCA Dome was the Rolling Stones. In fact, the only thing better than the Rolling Stones Steel Wheels Tour concert in Indy was the Voodoo Lounge tour stop five years later.  It boasted the largest stage to ever be assembled in the venue and featured a twenty-seven song set list.  Despite it being the first tour without long-time bassist Bill Wyman, the show was spectacular.  Less than spectacular was opening act Counting Crows. They sounded mediocre that evening and seemed to want to be anywhere than the Circle City.

 

Speaking of opening acts, hands down the worst opening act I ever witnessed was P.I.L. (Public Image Limited. Fronted by former Sex Pistol Johnny Rotten, the band was so bad that the crowd threw shoes, tennis balls, and whatever wasn’t nailed down at the band. After that disaster, INXS took the stage and saved the day. The show took place at Market Square Arena on the incredibly successful Kick Tour. 

I would rate the INXS/Kick Tour show as the best bang for your buck show at MSA.  The band played 2 ½ hours and nobody left the arena without hearing whatever his or her favorite INXS tune might have been. As for best stage show at MSA, it would have to be Def Leppard’s Hysteria Tour.  Find footage somewhere on YouTube of Gods of War and you will know what I mean. 

If an outdoor show is more to your liking, then the Verizon Wireless Music Center is the place to go.  Over the years it has hosted every genre of music and millions of fans have sat in the pavilion or lawn seats.  For me, the best show I witnessed at this venue was Guns N Roses.  It was at the height of their popularity and they clearly showed why they were on top. Sure they showed up forty-five minutes late, but they played nearly an hour longer than the local ordinance allowed. 

I’m sure there will be lots of debate about these shows and several “what about this show” comments, but for my money, the Rolling Stones delivered the best concert in the history of Indianapolis.  Forty plus years of sold out shows in the largest venues in the world will back me up on that claim!