Reading through these posts has brought back excellent memories. I've been to many "best" and "worst" concerts...too many to choose just one.
The Jones Beach Theater (Long Island) is my favorite place to see a show. The acoustics are great, if you know where to park it is easy to get out and John Mellencamp had a heart attack there...enough said.
I saw the Psychedelic Furs there in 1987 and Richard Butler pulled a girl up on stage from the audience. Since this was not communicated beforehand to security, the front-stage security staff "walked out" and things got out of control. Dozens of people jumped up on stage and the band kept playing through the mayhem. I also remember the saxophone was too damn loud and my ears rang for hours afterwards. The opening band was The Call, they played to sparse applause, walked off in silence and returned for an "encore". I felt bad for them since you could hear the chirping of crickets as they walked back onto the stage.
I've never been to a bad Depeche Mode show there. I've never been to a good New Order show there.
I've also been to several concerts there that I wouldn't have gone to otherwise. I saw Bryan Adams there, dragged by my wife. I left the show thinking, "that was actually a pretty good concert". Later that night we were sitting in a diner the news came on that Princess Diana had died. Thanks to Princess Diana, I never had to admit to my wife that I enjoyed the show.
To some, the arena is now known as "The Tommy Hilfiger Jones Beach Theater". To me, it's where I saw my first Concert...Depeche Mode in 1986. The two women standing in front of me made-out during "A Question Of Lust". Those were the days...