Madison Square Garden's 50 greatest moments -- I'm stumped

Also, I'm a little perplexed as to why "Happy Birthday Mr. President" ranks below CCNY's NCAA/NIT win and just ahead of Grandmama's four-point play. Seems that should be a slam-dunk top 10 moment, given how much it gets referenced in popular culture.

 

I'm shocked that Springsteen's HBO telecast "Live in New York City" (plus the cooresponding CD and DVD) didn't make the Top 50... plus there's the 1978 show where his mother came out on stage and told him to play one more encore. The Thanksgiving 1980 show. Heck, he should have made the Top 50 for the 10-night stand.
Springsteen's 10 night stand (June 12, 15, 17, 20, 22, 23, 26, 27, 29, July 1)
Billy Joel's 12 night stand (Jan. 23, 26, Feb. 2, 9, 11, 16, 25, 27, March 2, 4, April 19, 24)
Bruce's 10-night stand was more compact than Joel's 12 night stand. With Billy Joel, you had some breathing room between shows. With Bruce, it's 10 shows in 19 days.

 

I thought that the JFK/MM thing was top 5 for sure.

As to Bruce, with the exception of MUSE, he really hasn't had any legendary (for him) concerts at MSG. Yes, the first show after 41 Shots was a huge event. And the 7/1/00 tour finale was awesome, but tarnished a little as a histornical moment because the ESB then went back on the road two years later.

I thought that the 10 night stand in 2000 (I was only at 8 of the shows) should have made it, but it can't be a top 5 moment.

 

Jordan's 55-point game at the start of his comeback was only No. 33? I realize Jordan wasn't a New York athlete, but c'mon. There are not 32 events greater or more significant than that.

 

I too was at 8 of the 10 shows (missing nights 2 and 3). I'm saying that the 10 night stand (or at least July 1) should have been a Top 50 moment. Besides as great as the final night was, night 4 (June 20) might have been better.

 

I wasn't at 6/20 (or 6/26), but it's hard to do better than 7/1. After the five-pack, you get E Street Shuffle/Lost in the Flood. In addition to all of the standards, you get a good Thunder Road and The Promise in the encores, as well as Blood Brothers. The band was just absolutely on during that stand.

Look at the set list -- 28 songs and about 3:30:

CODE OF SILENCE / MY LOVE WILL NOT LET YOU DOWN / PROVE IT ALL NIGHT / TWO HEARTS / ATLANTIC CITY / MANSION ON THE HILL / THE RIVER / AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS)/ THE PROMISED LAND / YOUNGSTOWN / MURDER INC. / BADLANDS / OUT IN THE STREET / TENTH AVENUE FREEZE OUT - IT'S ALRIGHT - TAKE ME TO THE RIVER - RED HEADED WOMAN / E ST SHUFFLE / LOST IN THE FLOOD / BORN IN THE USA / BACKSTREETS / LIGHT OF DAY / THE PROMISE / RAMROD / BOBBY JEAN / BORN TO RUN / FURTHER ON UP THE ROAD / THUNDER ROAD / IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND / LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS / BLOOD BROTHERS

 

I agree that 7/1 was an amazing show (that I was in the rafters for). However Take 'Em, Candy's Room, and a stunning NYC Serenade (plus some great seats side stage) made 6/20 for me:
CODE OF SILENCE / TAKE 'EM AS THEY COME / PROVE IT ALL NIGHT / TWO HEARTS / CANDY'S ROOM / INDEPENDENCE DAY / AMERICAN SKIN (41 SHOTS)/ THE PROMISED LAND / YOUNGSTOWN / MURDER INC. / BADLANDS / OUT IN THE STREET / TENTH AVENUE FREEZE OUT / SAINT IN THE CITY / THE GHOST OF TOM JOAD / NEW YORK CITY SERENDADE / LIGHT OF DAY / FURTHER ON UP THE ROAD / RAMROD / BOBBY JEAN / BORN TO RUN / GROWIN' UP / THUNDER ROAD / IF I SHOULD FALL BEHIND / LAND OF HOPE AND DREAMS

 

If I'm not mistaken, when Snuka jumped in the Backlund match, he missed. It was a WWWF title match, and Backlund won. But that was the match that spawned Mick Foley's career.

In the cage match with Muraco, Snuka's leap hit its mark and he won the match.

 

This is from Neil Best's column in Newsday today:

Tomorrow it's MSG's turn, when it partners with WNBC to air the finale of "The 50 Greatest Moments at Madison Square Garden" on Ch. 4 at 7 p.m. (It will repeat on MSG at 10 p.m. Monday.)

We won't ruin the surprise about No. 1, but the contenders in chronological order: the 1970 Knicks, Ali-Frazier in 1971, the Pope's 1979 visit, the 1994 Rangers and the Concert for New York in 2001.

Highlights include an emotional chat with Walt Frazier in the Knicks piece and firefighter Mike Moran offering a pointed suggestion for Osama bin Laden in the most memorable quote in Garden history.

 

My top 3

- Concert for NY - when Hillary and Susan Sarandon were booed

- Willis returns

- Mike Milbury and Terry O'reily Climb into stands and beat the crap out of some unruly Ranger fans. Including Milbury taking a mans shoe off and wacking him over the head with it.

 

Just saw a commercial in which they preview the top five. Not sure why I thought that the Concert for NY had been covered. In my opinion, that was nowhere near a top 5 moment -- it was a mess of a concert and an event. And I don't remember the Pope's visit to be that big of a deal.

 

But the fact that Susan Sarandon and Hillary were booed makes it the top event in my book.
Overall it was a mess but then again at that time the whole city was a mess.