Vote for the best concert in Quad-Cities history: The Timeless Tickets Tournament, Part 2
What's the greatest concert in Quad-Cities history?
That's a tough question when you look at it from afar. The hundreds and thousands of shows that have come through this area make it an overwhelming task.
But when you break it down into each year, it gets a little easier.
That's what we did with Timeless Tickets, a six-month series that picked the best concert of the year each year since 1960, a year after Buddy Holly made his one and only visit to Davenport.
Using just those 64 shows, finding the greatest local show ever booked is a bit more possible, thanks to a massive March Madness-style bracket.
The bracket is seeded by year (i.e. the most recent year will go against the oldest one, so on and so forth). That's given us some really strange and entertaining match-ups.
Scroll to the bottom of the story to see the full bracket, including links to the s.
Now, we need your votes to narrow it down, round by round.
We started last week, with the first 16 match-ups of the first round. In it, we saw performers like Jimi Hendrix and Simon & Garfunkel move on with decisive wins.
Now, we're onto the second set of opening match-ups.
So what's the criteria?
That's totally up to you. It depends on what's most important. You could pick based solely on your musical taste, or you could go off of how influential each artist was at the time of the show.
Each Timeless Tickets also has its own story — the Notorious B.I.G. show almost didn't happen because of the heat, Vampire Weekend played an encore for some free pizza, Pearl Jam played one of their albums in full for the first time ever, etc. — so feel free to use that in your voting criteria, too.
When it's all said and done in a few weeks, we'll have a winner. The greatest concert in Quad-Cities history.
Here are the final 16 match-ups of the first round:
Bobby Vee (1961) vs. The Bill Bell Jazz & Heritage Festival (2022)
This is one of the most unique first round match-ups, because it's the only one that includes a local act. The 2022 Bill Bell Jazz & Heritage Festival was notable, because it was the last one Polyrhythms co-founder Nate Lawrence was around for before his death in 2023.
In this bracket, the jazz fest will stack up against teenage heartthrob Bobby Vee's visit to the Col. Ballroom in 1961. If you don't know Vee for his music, you certainly know him for his fashion: The Daily Times in Davenport credited the singer with popularizing V-neck sweaters at the time of the show.
Round 1, Match-Up 17
You voted: Bobby Vee (1961) The Bill Bell Jazz & Heritage Festival (2022)Nirvana (1993) vs. DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (1990)
This one might start intra-generational warfare with the '90's kids. My apologies.
Grunge gods Nirvana played Palmer Auditorium just months before singer Kurt Cobain's death, and shortly after the release of their final LP "In Utero." The Moline Dispatch called it the biggest punk show in Quad-Cities history.
A few years earlier, a different sort of phenomenon came to the Q-C in the form of hip-hop. The Fresh Prince — award-winning actor Will Smith — paid a visit to Wharton Field House in Moline, just months before his "Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" sitcom hit the air.
Round 1, Match-Up 18
You voted: Nirvana (1993) DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince (1990)Eric Clapton (1974) vs. Jason Isbell & Justin Townes Earle (2009)
In terms of metrics, the Eric Clapton Timeless Tickets story was one of the most popular in this series. Perhaps it's because, in 1974, Clapton brought up to 25,000 fans in Davenport to the most-attended show in local history. There were 66 drug-related arrests in the crowd. Another state had to send in financial aid for local bondsmen. It was wild.
The Isbell and Justin Townes Earle show was a much quieter affair, held at the beloved local spot RIBCO, which closed late last year. After this modest gig, Isbell went on to win Grammy Awards as one of the nation's most respected Americana songwriters. Earle found success, too, but passed away in 2020.
Round 1, Match-Up 19
You voted: Eric Clapton (1974) Jason Isbell & Justin Townes (2009)Dolly Parton (1977) vs. Miranda Lambert & George Strait (2006)
This pairing must be a nightmare for all local country fans. It feels pretty surreal that either Dolly Parton or Miranda Lambert could have once been opening acts. But that was the case for both of these.
Parton opened for Mac Davis in 1977, a decade before Dollywood. Lambert opened for country icon George Strait in 2006, then came back for a headlining gig at the Mississippi Valley Fair later that year.
Round 1, Match-Up 20
You voted: Dolly Parton (1977) Miranda Lambert & George Strait (2006)Julien Baker (2017) vs. Ike & Tina Turner (1966)
Sometimes the genre pairings on this bracket make me chuckle. This is one of those times. Julien Baker, the beloved indie songwriter known for her role in Grammy-winning supergroup boygenius, played two small shows in the Q-C in 2017. Her boygenius bandmate Phoebe Bridgers played here the year before.
Ike & Tina Turner, on the other hand, played a four-hour set at Davenport's Masonic Temple in 1966. It caught the duo fresh off their success for "River Deep - Mountain High," later regarded as one of the best songs of all-time.
Round 1, Match-Up 21
You voted: Julien Baker (2017) Ike & Tina Turner (1966)Depeche Mode (1985) vs. Reba McEntire (1998)
Just when you thought the juxtaposition couldn't get any sharper, here's Reba McEntire and Depeche Mode. McEntire performed alongside Brooks & Dunn in one of her many sellouts at The Mark in the '90s. Some fans lined up at 3 a.m. Others traded in guns to get a ticket.
The Depeche Mode gig was a bit more improbable. They played at Augustana College in 1985, and the entire thing was booked by students. The sold-out gig cost $40,000 to book, and the student who did it, Bill Roderick, held onto the contract as a souvenir.
Round 1, Match-Up 22
You voted: Depeche Mode (1985) Reba McEntire (1998)Pearl Jam (2014) vs. Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)
Pearl Jam's show at The Mark in 2014 was not only one of the most iconic shows at the arena. It was one of the most iconic shows in the history of the band, too. They played "No Code" in full for the first time, and Eddie Vedder even tossed us Quad-Citians a bone with an improvised track called "Moline."
Creedence Clearwater Revival, though, played the Orpheum Theatre in Davenport at the group's 1969 peak. It came less than 10 days after the group played Woodstock, and a few months before the release of protest anthem "Fortunate Son."
Round 1, Match-Up 23
You voted: Pearl Jam (2014) Creedence Clearwater Revival (1969)Prince (1982) vs. Destiny's Child (2001)
This is easily one of the trickier match-ups in the first round.
Do you take Prince, two years before "Purple Rain" and many decades before his fateful stop at a Moline hospital? Or do you take Destiny's Child, at the peak of "Say My Name" and at the precipice of Beyonce's ascendence into household name status? Good luck.
Round 1, Match-Up 24
You voted: Prince (1982) Destiny's Child (2001)Lil Durk (2022) vs. Patsy Cline & Loretta Lynn (1962)
You can't help but laugh at even seeing these names in the same sentence. But it's not as absurd as you might think. After all, shortly after Lil Durk's 2022 show at The Mark, he released "Broadway Girls," his crossover rap-country hit with star Morgan Wallen.
Patsy Cline & Loretta Lynn, of course, came from a different era of popular country music. Tickets were just a dollar each when the twangy two were joined by Flatt & Scruggs at the Masonic Temple in 1962. Sadly, a year after the show, Cline died in a tragic plane crash.
Round 1, Match-Up 25
You voted: Lil Durk (2022) Patsy Cline & Loretta Lynn (1962)Janet Jackson (1994) vs. Kenny G (1989)
Kenny G is one of the few instrumentalists to make this bracket — alongside Yo-Yo Ma's centennial celebration at the QCSO. The Quad-City Times called his performance at the Adler Theatre in 1989 "one hot concert." But they called Janet Jackson's 1994 gig at The Mark the arena's "hottest show yet." The show was seductive, expensive and extremely well-attended, cementing The Mark as a new stomping ground for the world's biggest stars.
Round 1, Match-Up 26
You voted: Janet Jackson (1994) Kenny G (1989)Taylor Swift (2010) vs. REO Speedwagon & Blue Oyster Cult (1973)
Strap in for this first round heavyweight bout.
In 2010, Taylor Swift was not quite the supernova she is now. Before she was the biggest musician on the planet, Swift charmed Quad-Cities superfans of all ages and played songs from her early, country-leaning days. The state of Illinois named the day she came to town "Taylor Swift Day."
The REO Speedwagon & Blue Oyster Cult show on the Davenport riverfront in 1973 was dubbed the city's "first rock fest," one of many unruly outdoor shows in that decade. There were 13 arrests and several people treated for drug poisoning. An alderman even got put in cuffs. Don't fear the reaper.
Round 1, Match-Up 27
You voted: Taylor Swift (2010) REO Speedwagon & Blue Oyster Cult (1973)Avril Lavigne (2005) vs. Journey, Van Halen & The Doobie Brothers (1978)
Pop punk or pop rock? Something tells me there might be a generational divide in the votes on this one. Avril Lavigne came to The Mark at the height of the emo era on rock radio, playing songs like "Sk8er Boi."
The three iconic rock bands, though, played a show years in the making in 1978. After many promoters tried and failed to get a fest on Credit Island, it was Journey, Van Halen and The Doobie Brothers who took the stage when it finally got done.
Round 1, Match-Up 28
You voted: Avril Lavigne (2005) Journey, Van Halen & The Doobie BrothersColter Wall (2018) vs. Sonny & Cher (1965)
The Colter Wall Timeless Tickets story is less about the country star, and more about the venue: Codfish Hollow, Maquoketa's crown jewel. Wall played at the barn a few short years after his hits "The Devil Wears A Suit & Tie" and "Sleeping on The Blacktop." It was an understated, modest performance.
Sonny & Cher, on the other hand, brought the "threat of pandemonium" to the Q-C when they played the RKO Orpheum Theatre in 1965. Local teens went wild as the then-together duo celebrated their anniversary on stage.
Round 1, Match-Up 29
You voted: Colter Wall (2018) Sonny & Cher (1965)Metallica (1986) vs. Elton John (1997)
Here's another doozy. Elton John's 1997 gig at The Mark broke records, becoming the fastest sellout in the history of the venue. Not to mention, the show itself came shortly after John paid tribute to the late Princess Diana at her funeral.
Metallica, on the other hand, played the Col. Ballroom amid a grander controversy around the violence of heavy metal. It didn't matter. They packed the Davenport venue, and went on to be one of the decade's defining bands.
Round 1, Match-Up 30
You voted: Metallica (1986) Elton John (1997)The Turtles (1970) vs. Maroon 5 (2013)
You could argue that Maroon 5 was the last "current" radio rock band to play The Mark, dating back to their 2013 appearance with Neon Trees. Bonus points on this one for the Trees bassist Brendan Campbell being a Quad-Cities native.
At Augustana College in 1970, The Turtles played "Happy Together" for local pop fans. Months later, they weren't so happy together anymore and broke up.
Round 1, Match-Up 31
You voted: The Turtles (1970) Maroon 5 (2013)Creed (2002) vs. Ozzy Osbourne (1982)
The story behind this Creed show at The Mark might be one of this series' bests. Here's the short of it: a local teenager met the band at this show, stayed in touch and later played a sound-check with the group at their Chicagoland show months later. That sloppy show was the one that, by all accounts, broke the band up.
While the Osbourne show doesn't quite have the same lore, Ozzy himself is a story. The unhinged metal singer came to Davenport's Palmer Auditorium in 1981 on tour for his debut solo album "Blizzard of Ozz." The place was packed. On the other side of the Hawkeye state, months later, Osbourne bit the head off a live bat.
Round 1, Match-Up 32
You voted: Creed (2002) Ozzy Osbourne (1982) Timeless Tickets: 2010-2023Since 2010, the Quad-Cities have seen stars like Taylor Swift and Paul McCartney. Acts like Lizzo and Colter Wall also stopped by, before their fame.
Top StoryWhen Taylor Swift played The Mark in 2010, she was the next big thing. Now, she's one of the biggest stars in music history.
Top StoryIn 2011, an 18-year-old Ariana Grande sang in an NBC-televised skating and gymnastics show at The Mark.
Top StorySeven years after winning "American Idol," Carrie Underwood sold out The Mark for her "Blown Away Tour."
Top StoryMaroon 5 and Neon Trees sold out The Mark in 2013. It was one of the last big gigs at the venue headlined by a newer rock band.
Top StoryPearl Jam played their album "No Code" in full at the iWireless Center in 2014.
Top StoryThe Quad City Symphony Orchestra's principal cellist couldn't sleep after sharing the Adler Theatre stage with Yo-Yo Ma in 2015.
Top StoryBefore she became a household name, Lizzo took the Daytrotter stage in Davenport in 2016.
Top StoryYears before they won Grammys as supergroup boygenius, Phoebe Bridgers and Julien Baker played small shows in Davenport.
Top StoryCountry star Colter Wall played two shows in the Quad-Cities area in 2018.
Top StoryIn 2019, Paul McCartney became biggest star to ever play in the Quad-Cities. Fans flooded the Moline streets for his show at The Mark.
Top StoryOne of 2020's few major concerts in the Quad-Cities was headlined by polarizing country stars Jason Aldean and Morgan Wallen.
Top StoryEast Moline rapper Torrian Ball opened for two of the last three rap headliners at The Mark: Lil Wayne and Lil Durk. He's opening for the next one, too.
Top StorySince the days of Bix Beiderbecke, jazz has soundtracked the Quad-Cities.
Top StoryThe Timeless Tickets series ends where it started: the Capitol Theatre.
Entertainment Reporter
