Hey, Dayton music lovers. What was your favorite concert?

Concerts, especially summer concerts, are a big deal for most folks. Which leads to this question to you, dear readers: What was your favorite concert? The shows that you saw in Dayton or the surrounding towns? What was the concert that blew you away and never left your your heart?

I can tell you mine right away. It was the Boyz II Men/Babyface/Brandy concert that was held at the Ervin J. Nutter Center on Jan. 14, 1995. It was incredible. Boyz II Men were in their prime, Babyface was at the peak of his powers, and Brandy was a new, young talent with a long career ahead of her. It was a fantastic show that friends of mine still talk about to this day.

Enough from me. We asked several other people to share their favorite shows with us.

Chris Corwin: I know a lot of people will say Gem City Shine, and while that was a once-in-a-lifetime experience and while it was amazing, my favorite concert was in the mid ’90s. I believe in 1995, Ray Charles performed with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra at the Dayton Convention Center. They built an intimate stage that had tables out in front with white linen tablecloths and candlelit centerpieces. They even served a dinner before the show. Not a large crowd, and it was just Ray on a piano with the DPO behind him and it was the best. Such a special moment.

Christopher Joseph: Yikes! That’s a hard one. Between my very first concert in Hara Arena at 14 watching Jam Master Jay kill a set of turntables with Run DMC, which influenced me to be a DJ. Or, the infamous Def Squad show at UD Arena ‚when EPMD was joined by Redman and Das Efx for “Headbanger,” and a group of provoking athletes took advantage of UD’s metal folding chairs by slinging them into helpless music lovers.

Also, hanging with Prince and Aaliyah (R.I.P.) at the Nutter Center backstage. Janet Jackson (at the Nutter). Hopping so hard with my boys at A Tribe Called Quest at Miami of Oxford, we had to sit down we were so dizzy! Hanging with Arrested Development at Wittenberg University getting into a philosophical debate with Speech. LL Cool J at Central State University and again, hanging with him at Classic Records in Dayton. Many more shows in Cincinnati and Columbus. I miss the most local crews the Komandoz with the OGC tearing it up at Club Safari or Toomb shutting down Memorial Hall.

Gregory DeGroat: That would be Earth Wind and Fire before they got famous, While I was a student at Wright State in like, 1974 or so. Baddest band I had ever heard. I was just walking on campus and happened upon this band performing on a makeshift platform. As I recall, they were kinda high off the ground and I was like, “Forget class!” (laughter) They may have even been playing ”Evil” or something like that. Don’t quote me on the song though.

Adrienne Soden-Merrida: Back in the day when CityFolk was still a thing, they got some really big names in the jazz community to come, and Poncho Sanchez was one of them. He got everyone dancing and there was so much joy and the show was great.”