I like some of the responses. I went to band and orchestra concerts from a very early age. First rock concert I saw where the band's name was on the ticket was with my parents. It was a band called Chase, a one hit wonder and it would have been very early 1970's. They were similar to Blood Sweat and Tears and Chicago. First concert on my own with tickets (and not chaperoned by school) was Spyro Gyra in 1980.
What was your first concert?
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My first concert was in 1985. It was Ratt with Bon Jovi as the opening act at Blossom Music Center in Ohio. I went with my neighbor Eric who's a few years older than I am. I think I was around 15 at the time and remember drinking beers in the parking lot before the concert. The show was great and my ears rang for about two days afterward. Really loud. We had pretty decent seats and it was a great show.
How about this as well... The worst concert I've ever been to. The worst concert I ever went to was Kool And The Gang. My friend came over on a night I was supposed to go out with my girlfriend and begged me to go to a concert with him. His grandparents bought tickets and had an extra one. He didn't want to go himself and was dragging me along. He wouldn't tell me who it was that we were going to see until I'd agree to go with him but I wasn't having it. Finally he was like, "Alright, this sucks man, it's Kool And The Gang". My girlfriend was cool about it and was like, just go and have fun. I remember the opening act was a comedian that wasn't very funny. They boo'd the guy off stage so we had some extended silence before the main act. I guess they sounded alright, I recognized Celebration and maybe one other song that they sang. Just wasn't the type of music I was listening to at the time. We still laughed and had a good time, so not all that bad I guess.
How about this as well... The worst concert I've ever been to. The worst concert I ever went to was Kool And The Gang. My friend came over on a night I was supposed to go out with my girlfriend and begged me to go to a concert with him. His grandparents bought tickets and had an extra one. He didn't want to go himself and was dragging me along. He wouldn't tell me who it was that we were going to see until I'd agree to go with him but I wasn't having it. Finally he was like, "Alright, this sucks man, it's Kool And The Gang". My girlfriend was cool about it and was like, just go and have fun. I remember the opening act was a comedian that wasn't very funny. They boo'd the guy off stage so we had some extended silence before the main act. I guess they sounded alright, I recognized Celebration and maybe one other song that they sang. Just wasn't the type of music I was listening to at the time. We still laughed and had a good time, so not all that bad I guess.
Ratt in the 80s must've been amazing.
Led Zeppelin in 1975 at the Sam Houston Coliseum.
Bush. No Doubt, and Goo Goo Dolls. My future wife was there also, before we ever met. Fun stuff.
Worst concert? Easy, that was the Romantics at the Twin City Fest back in the 1990's. The band wasn't bad, but it was late May and we were experiencing a late frost. Not a good time for an outdoor concert. One of my older brothers had a great "worst" concert experiences with an Ozzy show in 1982 at the Assembly Hall in Champaign. He describes it very well that, Ozzy appears at the top of a staircase in an electric chair, the band is playing and Ozzy struts down to the mic, screams into it and passes out. The official report is it's a reaction to a rabies shot.
It was a pretty cool show. Crazy loud to where you felt it thumping in your chest, tons of flashing lights. I remember the drummer would throw his sticks in the audience while he was playing. Mid play he chuck a stick and reach down and grab another and not miss a beat. It was pretty cool. I almost caught one. I've been to a ton of concerts and either I'm more deaf than I was then or they aren't quite as loud as they used to be.
Bon Jovi was great, probably slightly better than Ratt at the time. It was their Runaway album tour and you knew that they were going to take off.
Motorhead at Glasgow's Barrowlands in 2003 (I think, possibly 02 though). So not in their prime, but still played loud and fast!
Not my first...but very memorable was VoiVod and Celtic Frost at L'Amour in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. I was just out of High School if memory serves. I had an izod golf shirt and jeans on...totally out of place for this show. We got there a little late and missed some of VoiVod's show. At that time, Bay Ridge looked to me as if it had been bombed out. We departed as quickly as we could.
Once upon a time I was a bass player for a band in Boston. We did a show at the Channel, and Danzig was the headliner. He wasn't at all friendly, unlike the guys in GBH, who we also did a show with at the same venue on a different night. The guys in GBH were AWESOME. They invited us back to their dressing room "for deli platter and beer." Danzig didn't give a damn. He grunted at us as. Whatever.
I love the Danzig albums I - IV, but yeah, I don't think I've ever heard anyone describe Glenn as a nice guy. He's probably perpetually angry over his manlet height. Which is silly. I'm 5' - 7" and not mad at the world about it.
The Police picnic in Toronto summer 1980 or 81? The lineup was great; Joan Jett, Talking Heads, English Beat, Flock of Seagulls and The Police. They put on a great show, might have been some other bands too, but this memory is enveloped in a purple haze. What I do remember, is I had a damn good time!
I did fall a sleep at a Hawkwind gig in Edinburgh Playhouse 1982.
My one concert regret is that I never saw Motorhead live.
At 65 he still looks like he could tear off your head and...…..
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Dylan and The Band, LA Forum 1974.
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REO Speedwagon, early 80's, Gary Richrath, the band still played rock and roll. Don't get me wrong Dave Amatto is a good guitar player but Gary had a knack for playing very bright.
I think the first non-classical concert was Pete Seeger in 1967 at our high school, after a legal battle that tried to ban the concert. We also had BB King and Richie Havens perform at school. After high school, many others.
Wow Pete Seeger at your HS.
The Grateful Dead in 1977. I was 11 years young, sitting in the 2nd row. Well, I actually stood on my chair to see over the front row. I would see the Grateful Dead another 50+ times in my day before Jerry died and hundreds of other concerts. Going to concerts were some of the best times of my youth. It didn't hurt that my sister was a GM at Ticketmaster for a long stretch.
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