1. Gladys Knight & The Pips(throughout their career)
1a. While home on leave in June 1974, I went to the Apollo Theater and saw The Voices of East Harlem, The Persuasions(highly underrated acapella group), comedian George Wallace, and Gladys Knight & The Pips on the same bill for a grand total of $5 per ticket for great seats. Talk about entertainment value.
2. The Jackson Five/Jacksons(1970-81) anywhere and everywhere from New York to LA including Lake Tahoe. I attended the Victory Tour in Denver in 1984; A huge disappointment.
3. Earth Wind & Fire(1977-78) Madison Square Garden and The Nassau Coliseum
4. Stephanie Mills at the Greek Theater in Los Angeles in 1980. She opened for Teddy Pendergrass and stole the show. Teddy never got the audience back that night.
5. In July 1972 the Rolling Stones were at Madison Square Garden(Stevie Wonder was the opening act; Imagine that). Tickets were sold in packages of four at $6.50 per ticket by lottery for which one had to submit a postcard(I do not remember if postcard submissions were limited). My postcard was one of the fortunate selections, so the train was taken into the city on a Sunday to pick up my tickets. A soon as I exited the line with my $26.00 purchase, there were hordes of people begging to purchase my tickets. I sold three of them right there for $20 a piece with every intention of attending the concert. The evening of the concert, I , again, took the train into the city and soaked in all the pre concert excitement that permeated the perimeter of the The Garden. It was electric. And there in the crowd was a stunningly attractive woman in bell bottom jeans and a tie dyed shirt holding a cardboard sign offering $25 for 1 ticket. Ignoring the attractiveness of the woman was much easier than walking away from a $18.75 profit, so I was on the next train home certain that I would one day catch The Stones in concert. It never happened. And it was not as if they broke up and quit touring. What did happen was that the ticket prices escalated past my discretionary income. I did, however, eventually see Stevie Wonder at Radio City in 1987(1988 maybe).
6. BB King at the Circle Star Theater in San Carlos CA in 1974. King opened for The Spinners, but it was King singing the blues and playing Lucille that won the night for me. There was a saxophonist in King's band that had been with him over 20 years.
7. Richard Pryor, New Year's Eve 1978, the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles. Patti LaBelle was the opening act. Pryor was never funnier. it was the concert that would eventually be released as Wanted: Live in Concert.