The First Concert You Ever Attended

[doubleM]

Late to this thread. Haven't read back yet...but my first concert was in '80, and it was Earth, Wind, and Fire. I was 11, and it fucking flOOred me. It was in the Salt Palace, in Salt Lake Ctiy, Utah.

[rachel]

Sorry Rachel, I broke a cardinal rule of interacting with a woman.

Did I mention I have gray hair coming in and I'm 28?

so now you're bringing up gray hair?...

[rachel]

Late to this thread. Haven't read back yet...but my first concert was in '80, and it was Earth, Wind, and Fire. I was 11, and it fucking flOOred me. It was in the Salt Palace, in Salt Lake Ctiy, Utah.

I never got the chance to see them; always wanted to. Their music holds a lot of memories for me.

[Jim Alfredson]

It was peer pressure...

Let that be a lesson to all the kids out there.

Wow. They only teach you in school that peer pressure leads to teen pregnancies and drug use, not Nazareth concerts. If they had told me that....

[rachel]

I'll admit that I still crank the volume and drive very fast when I hear "Hair of the Dog"...

I also kind of dig Billy Idol.

OK, this is turning into a derivative of "Taxicab Confessions"

[Noj]

Sorry Rachel, I broke a cardinal rule of interacting with a woman.

Did I mention I have gray hair coming in and I'm 28?   

so now you're bringing up gray hair?...

Someone take this shovel from me, I'm burying myself here.

Sheesh, no wonder I'm single.

How much do you weigh?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Soulstation1]

billy idol HAD some good songs with guitarist stevie stevens (i believe was his name).

flesh for fantasy was a good song

ss1

[rachel]

Sorry Rachel, I broke a cardinal rule of interacting with a woman.

Did I mention I have gray hair coming in and I'm 28?   

so now you're bringing up gray hair?...

Someone take this shovel from me, I'm burying myself here.

Sheesh, no wonder I'm single.

How much do you weigh?

Sorry, couldn't resist.

Could it be the gray hair at 28 thing?

[rachel]

billy idol HAD some good songs with guitarist stevie stevens (i believe was his name).

flesh for fantasy was a good song

ss1

Yeah, I'll admit to singing along to "Eyes Without a Face"

[BFrank]

I'm one of the veterans around here. First real concert I attended (with my older brother) was in September 1953. The Lionel Hampton big band with Art Farmer, Clifford Brown, Jimmy Cleveland, Gigi Gryce and others.

And since most of the posters mentioned  pop/rock concerts, my first experience was the Beatles in 1966.

Both concerts in Paris.

I thought I was a senior member of this board but I was born Setember of 1953!

You got ME by 2 months, buddy! B)

[Upright Bill]

I'm one of the veterans around here. First real concert I attended (with my older brother) was in September 1953. The Lionel Hampton big band with Art Farmer, Clifford Brown, Jimmy Cleveland, Gigi Gryce and others.

And since most of the posters mentioned  pop/rock concerts, my first experience was the Beatles in 1966.

Both concerts in Paris.

I thought I was a senior member of this board but I was born Setember of 1953!

You got ME by 2 months, buddy! B)

At our age 2 months is nothing.

Unless you meant that you were born in July, then its HUGE.

Otherwise 50 is 50.

[7/4]

7/4,

Was that Mahavishnu concert with Jean-Luc Ponty, and it rained like the devil in Central Park? I recall McLaughlin saying, "If you can take it, we can play" before an amazing encore.

Yea, but I don't remember any rain. This was probably in June 74.

[PHILLYQ]

Early 70's.  Free concert at the Bandshell in Renzie Park.  Headliners were Brownsville Station and some other band.  The warm up band:  Aerosmith.

Now I remember...Brownsville Station opened for ZZ Top at that 1974 gig in Central Park. A nice NYC reception for a Long Island band. People were throwing shit at them.

7/4,

I believe I was at that concert. I remember someone near me throwing an apple at the stage. It hit one of the drums, split in half and one half hit the drummer in the head! There was a standing ovation for the accurate throw. LOL

[7/4]

7/4,

  I believe I was at that concert. I remember someone near me throwing an apple at the stage. It hit one of the drums, split in half and one half hit the drummer in the head! There was a standing ovation for the accurate throw. LOL 

Hehe. Yez....the crowd was cheering them on.

I guess it was a combination of really wanting ZZ Top and being sick of hearing Smoking in the Boys room too much on the radio.

Edited April 1, 2004 by 7/4

[A Lark Ascending]

Then Genesis circa Foxtrot in Spring, 1973 back in Oxford.

Bev, you rule! Man, I would LOVE to have seen that. Unfortunately, I was -4 years old (negative four) at the time, so...

It was a very good concert.

Yet even at that early age (17 or so) I can recall comparing it with the earlier Crimson concert and finding it less compelling. Genesis basically played the albums. I especially recall starting to get critical of Tony Banks at that time - all very well played but essentially the same.

Whereas with Crimson I'd heard none of the music before (Larks Tongues in Aspic was still six months away); and it was pretty clear that beyond the islands of the arranged parts there were long stretches of improvisation.

I don't know if the Crimson experience got me interested in improvisation; or whether there was already a latent interest in the latter than came to the surface.

Which is not to put down the Genesis concert. It was great. I still like those early Genesis albums - bought 'The Lamb' on CD a few weeks back and it sounded wonderful.

Edited April 1, 2004 by Bev Stapleton

[Jim Alfredson]

Tony Banks was a lot of things, but improvisor is not one of them! That's for sure. Just listen to the live album from 1973. They play those songs exactly as on the record. That's probably one of the things that led to Gabriel's departure.

Still, it would've been awesome to see that line-up then. I envy you! For five lads, they certainly put out a lot of sound!!

Another band I wish I had seen live is Jethro Tull from the Thick As A Brick days. John Evans does some great Hammond work on that record.

[A Lark Ascending]

I think Bill Bruford might have had Banks in mind when he commented about prog rock having little or no jazz and being basically Anglican church music! As you say, no improviser...but a great player.

It would have been interesting to hear Genesis a couple of tours earlier - Nursery Cryme time. I first heard them on the radio when they did a session for John Peel (a very well known UK alternative DJ). I happened to tape it and after a few plays was hooked...especially on Giant Hogweeds!!!

Peel went on to make Genesis one of his great dislikes!

Now Jethro Tull I never much cared for. I had 'Thick as a Brick' for a time when it came out but sold it after a year or so. They were always a bit lumpen for me. I did like some of the early singles. I can still recall Ian Anderson on 'Witches Promise' on Top of the Pops and wondering 'What on earth is this about?'

I also hold a grudge against Andersron and Barre. At some point in the mid-80s they turned up at Fairport Convention's annual Cropredy weekend in Oxfordshire. They also brought with them hundreds of Jethro Tull fans and proceeded to overrun badly, cutting the Fairport set.

Cropredy was never quite the same again. The small, cosy folk-rock festival became something much bigger.

I'm sure it helped Fairport pay their mortgages, however!

[JohnJ]

First concert was Roxy Music at the Rainbow in London in 1973.

Most boring was probably Genesis at the Knebworth festival in 1978.

[chris olivarez]

7/4,

   I believe I was at that concert. I remember someone near me throwing an apple at the stage. It hit one of the drums, split in half and one half hit the drummer in the head! There was a standing ovation for the accurate throw. LOL 

Hehe. Yez....the crowd was cheering them on.

I guess it was a combination of really wanting ZZ Top and being sick of hearing Smoking in the Boys room too much on the radio.

Tommy James and the Shondells played a concert at a park in Phoenix years ago.I wasn't there but somebody I knew was and they told me that the group got through one number and somebody whacked Tommy with a grapefruit and that was it ,the group bailed after that. Now that was not a very nice thing to do but I have to admit I wasn't as upset about it as I should have been.

[chris olivarez]

I saw John Evan with Jethro Tull right about the time he joined the group. Ian Anderson introduced him and then dissed Evan . I don't think Anderson meant anything by it but Evan didn't appear to be amused but the show went on and Evan played very well. He didn't play B3 but he might have had access to one as the opening group had one. However,Evan played the piano very well.

[rachel]

First concert was Roxy Music at the Rainbow in London in 1973.

Love them.

[Aggie87]

My first concert was also Donny & Marie, at the Budokan in about 75-76. My parents went to this, and took me along. I don't recall wanting to go at all, but I was about 10-11 at the time, so you go where you're taken.

I quickly developed a liking for KISS after that, and my first "real" concert was seeing them in Frankfurt, with the original Iron Maiden lineup as the openers. This was either 1979 or 1980. Criss was no longer in the band, but they had Eric Carr and were still wearing the makeup. It was a fun show - spitting blood, breathing fire, ridiculous drum solo on a ridiculous elevating riser. I was an Ace man at the time, so had to stand stage right to watch his playing. Actually Iron Maiden made a bigger impression on me that KISS that night, probably because they seemed to be more talented musicians, despite there similar reliance on theatrics.

I used to go to the old "Golden Summer Nights" concerts in Germany, as well as the "Rock am Ring" at the Nurburgring, up until the mid-80s. Those festivals were alot of fun, and had a wide variety of rock & pop artists. I'm too old for rock concerts anymore, with the exception of seeing Yes evertime they passed through Stuttgart over the past five years.

[Shrdlu]

1955, Louis Armstrong and His All Stars: Trummy Young, Edmond Hall, Billy Kyle, Arvell Shaw and Barrett Deems.

They were preceded by Gary Crosby (Bing's son).

[frank m]

Some guys from the ship (navy) were going to 52nd st. to hear Billie Holiday. (1945) After that there was no turning back.

[Jim Alfredson]

Wow!!!