The Five Best Greeley Stampede Rock Concerts – Butch’s Top 5

One of my top five favorite guitar players of all time, and the most underrated ever, C.C. Deville, was ten feet in front of me while Bret Michaels sang some of the best ballads from the 1980's. I also remember Poison's drummer, Ricky Rocket doing one of the best drum solos I had ever seen at the show. Plus, one of my favorite childhood bands happened to open that show, the Spin Doctors.

I have huge respect for Kid Rock, but quite honestly he is not my favorite musician to listen to, so I wasn't all that excited to see him live. That quickly changed on a rainy July night in 2009. Kid Rock literally gave all he had that night. Between the huge gold disco ball hanging in front of the stage to the shirtless guitar solo in the pouring rain, that is one stage show I will never forget! Neither will my shoes which had to be thrown away due to the mud.

I love every part of Cheap Trick, from Robin Zander's attire to Rick Nielsen's crazy guitars. The show was great, but the real reason I put this so high on my list was because of what happen before the band ever went on stage... I did! For the first time in my 20 some year life going to the Greeley Stampede, I got to go on the stage I had watched all those years and grab a mic to introduce Cheap Trick to the stage. It was like my career had come full circle, and something I won't ever forget!

By 2003 I had been to quite a few rock shows, but I don't there was ever one that made me sit back and say wow! A sold-out show to almost 14,000 people packed into the Stampede Arena and not a single person ever sat down. There were people in their 50's and 60's, teenagers and children. There were cowboy hats, baseball caps, nose piercings, eyebrow spikes, tattoos and plenty of head bangers - women with bangs and men with mullet hairstyles reminiscent of the 1980s, it didn't matter, everyone loved that show that night. I vividly remember Def Leppard loving the crowd and saying at the end of the show "Greeley, we are going to tell the whole Fu**ing world about this place!"

I have scoured the internet to try to find out what year Steve Miller was in Greeley, but I found nothing. Maybe I was the only one who loved it as much as I did. It had to be late 90's sometime I'd guess. The first real rock concert I can remember going to, and a fond memory I have with just me and my dad hanging out. We also listened to Steve Miller tunes in the car, and I absolutely loved singing along to all of them that night. I also remember smelling something that smelt like a skunk... Yes it was also the first time I was around marijuana. Two firsts all in one great night! My favorite concert ever at the Greeley Stampede.