I'm gonna let the rest of y'all answer considering I haven't experienced much of the tours of my favorite artists for the most part.

If you care to, explain why they're the best.

Prince's Musicoloy tour.....it's really quite self explanatory when you think about it. I f I told you why it was the best then i'd be here ALL DAY or night long with a LONG ASS POST!

The 92' P-Funk reunion at the
Regal theater in Chicago....
A night I will never forget...

James Brown at the Arie Crown in 87'...

Zapp/Roger at the Regal in 89'

Gil Scott Heron at a
small club called Georges in 88'
His performance of "Angel Dust"
was mindblowing....
[Edited 3/14/05 18:38pm]
[Edited 3/14/05 18:43pm]

Um...let's see as far as tour's I've attended

PRINCE-Jam of the Year '97 (my first ever Prince concert...he hadnt been to Phoneix since the '1999' tour until this tour)

U2-Elevation Tour '01...band came full circle...tour rocked...nuff said

LUCINDA WILLIAMS-Really...any LW show is amazing but the 2001 'Essance' tour was amazing

JANET-'Velvet Rope' 1998 tour...front row...damn what a night!

SARAH MCLACHLAN-'Surfacing' tour 1997..this was the non-Lilith tour she did between summers that year...it was 2 hours of Sarah at an outdoor venue in Mesa, AZ and it was just beautiful.

RADIOHEAD-'Hail To The Thief' tour...2003....first time I saw them live...WOW

ROLLING STONES-'40 Licks' tour 2002...again...first time I attended a show of theirs and it rocked. Sheryl Crow opened and she rocked too!

I never got to go to my first concert until after I graduated high school in 1985, so my favorite artists had already had their best tours. Tours I missed that I would love to have seen would have been:

Rick James' "Fire It Up" Tour with Prince in 1980.

Prince's "Dirty Mind" Tour in late 1980 (which didn't come down here).

Lakeside, Shalamar, and The Whispers in 1980 and 1981.

Bill Summers & Summers Heat, Sun, Frankie Smith, and Kleeer in 1981.

Rick James' "Street Songs" Tour with Teena Marie and Cameo in 1981.

Prince's "Controversy" Tour in 1981 (which didn't come down here).

Prince's "1999" Tour in 1982 with The Time and Vanity 6 (which didn't come down here).

Rick James' "Cold Blooded" Tour in 1983 with New Edition and The SOS Band.

Prince's "Purple Rain" Tour in 1984 (it came close...to New Orleans...but dammitt, we got snowed in).



Best tours that I did get to see after I graduated:

The Barkays, Con-Funk-Shun, and Klymaxx in 1985.

Morris Day, Ready For The World, New Edition, and Doug E. Fresh in 1985.

Prince's "Jam Of The Year" Tour in 1997. (He finally brought his ass back down here for the first time since 1980).

The Time in 1997.

The Barkays and J. Blackfoot in 1999.

The Barkays and The SOS Band in 2000.

The Time in 2001.

The Time again in 2001.

The Barkays and Lakeside and 2002.

Prince's "Musicology" Tour in 2004 (In another city. Once again, he didn't look this way).
[Edited 3/14/05 19:34pm]

Unfortunately, I've only seen these on DVD or video:

U2 - Zoo TV and Elevation In my opinion, U2 is the consumate live act, and these two shows really show that; Bono can work a crowd like no other, and the boys know how to make an arena or stadium feel like a club. One show was an extravaganza of special effects and staging, and the other show was just a stripped down display of raw power.

Prince - Sign and Lovesexy Prince at the peak of his powers, 'nuff said.

Bowie - White Light tour (was that what it was called) or the one supporting Low and "Heroes" I really like the concepts of these shows, especially the White Light show. The Thin White Duke is my favorite Bowie ever.

Talking Heads - Speaking in Tongues tour The tour that Stop Making Sense came from; the band was on top form, set list was amazing, and the set itself really would've been something to see.

Prince - Jam of the Year 1997. It was my 1st Prince show and will always be my favorite even though Ive seen him 5x since then.

ODB ..I mean, D'angelo--Voodoo Tour, Radio City Music Hall, 2000.

One of the best performances I've ever seen. Impressive gang of musicians who soloed their asses off. And Mos Def opened (filled in for an ailing Q-Tip).