The 40 greatest concerts in Boston history: 29

TOM PETTY, a guy who looks roughly the same now as he did in the 1970s.

No doubt, there have been dozens of legendary Geils shows over the years at just about anywhere you can play in and around this town. But, as Mark Kates remembers, there was always something special about the shows at the long-gone Cape Cod Coliseum. “There were two aspects: there was the gig and there was the parking lot. I’m not exaggerating — the parking lot was insane. So, you’re 18, you’re outta the house, and if you can get out to the Cape, I mean, what could be better? Part of the thing for that band is that they were so uniquely Boston. And the Coliseum became the place to go see them. So the Cape would become the gathering place for all these kids from the Boston rock scene whenever Geils played the Coliseum. It just symbolized what being young in New England was all about. And to get to see Tom Petty before anyone really knew who he was — that was great.”