My life in concerts

[ForeverAutumn]

So I was looking for an old photo album last night, when I came across another old photo album which has all of my concert ticket stubs from 1981 - 1992. It was pretty cool to go through them. I remember that I wrote all of the opening acts on the back of the stubs too. Only, I put them in one of those old photo albums that had sticky cardboard covered with clear plastic (you know the ones I mean) and now some of the tickets are too stuck to peel off.

Here's my list if anyone cares.

Band/Opener/Ticket price (where available)

1981
Styx/$11.50
REO Speedwagon/The Rockets/$13.00
Alice Cooper/Goddo/$10.50
Triumph/Harlequin/Teenage Head/$12.50

1982
Journey/Greg Kihn Band/$12.00
Ozzy Osbourne/Rick Santers/$12.50
Elton John/Quarterflash/$13.50
Queen/Billy Squire/$13.50
Black Sabbath/Johnny Van Gelt/$13.50
Ted Nugent/Cheap Trick/Coney Hatch/$13.50
The Who/Joe Jackson/$20.00
Van Halen/The Powder Blues Band/$12.50
Rush/The Payolas/$12.50 (side note: my last Rush concert cost $130 a ticket!!!)
Aerosmith/Nazareth/Rose Tattoo/$13.00 (for floors!!!)

1983
Chicago/$14.75
Simon and Garfunkle/$17.75 (outside, in the rain...woke up with laryngitis the next day)
David Bowie/$22.50
Steppenwolf/$13.50

1984
Chris DeBurgh/$15.00 (4th row floors)
Yes/$16.00
Elton John/$22.00
Jethro Tull/$16.50

1985
BTO/$5.00 (but you had to pay to get into the theme park)
Rick Wakeman/$8.00
Squeeze/$5.00 (same theme park)
Moraz and Bruford/$12.50

1986
Jackson Browne/$5.00
Bob Seger/$22.00

1987
Alice Cooper/$20.00
David Bowie/Duran Duran/$31.75
Heart/$23.50

1988
Pink Floyd/$30.25
John Cougar Mellencamp/$28.75
Aerosmith/$28.75
Steve Miller/$26.00

1989
Blue Rodeo/$21.00 (this was about the 12th time I'd seen them, but the first time I had to pay)
The Who/$33.50
The Doobie Brother/$29.00
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers/$7.00 (theme park price went up!)

1990
David Bowie/$32.25

1992
Dire Straits/$34.05 (by far one of the best shows I've ever seen)
John Denver/$10.53 (another price increase at the theme park)
The Tragically Hip/Sons of Freedom/$24.00 (my ears rang for three days - no joke)

Styx was my first official concert that I went to without a parent. So I know that's the beginning. But I also know that I'm missing lots. There were more Rush concerts. At least one Supertramp show. I know I saw Iron Maiden during that period. The Who, at least once more. I was surprised to see that I had seen Aerosmith twice...don't remember that. I've seen Elton John three times but only have two ticket stubs.

Man, I wish that I had kept this up past 1992. I don't know why I stopped saving the stubs. But it was cool, last night, to think back and reminisce about the shows...who I went with...how stoned we got...etc.

Too bad I didn't have more years like 1982!

[rufus]

that's it?!!! in my peak concert-going years, probably from 1983-1988, first years out of college, i probably saw that many in a single year.

[BarryL]

1985
BTO/$5.00 (but you had to pay to get into the theme park)
Rick Wakeman/$8.00
Squeeze/$5.00 (same theme park)
Moraz and Bruford/$12.50

How is it that you went to see Moraz/Bruford and Rick Wakeman and I didn't?

How is it that you even knew in 1985 who Moraz and Bruford were?

So, where was it, and what do you remember? My guess, it was at the El Macombo, and you remember nothing. Do you know which one is the drummer?

[MasterCylinder]

The Bad News:
you are showing your age here.




The Good News:
You are younger than I thought.




The News for your Brother:
The rest of us knew who Bruford & Moraz were in 1973.

[ForeverAutumn]

How is it that you went to see Moraz/Bruford and Rick Wakeman and I didn't?

Because you were too busy sticking your nose in a book while I was out partying with the big boys.

How is it that you even knew in 1985 who Moraz and Bruford were?

Look at the household I grew up in...how could I not?

So, where was it, and what do you remember? My guess, it was at the El Macombo, and you remember nothing. Do you know which one is the drummer?

Give the man a prize! You guessed correctly, Bruford/Moraz were at the Elmo. I remember it as being a really great night with us sitting about 15 feet from stage!

Wakeman was at the Copa. I don't remember ever being at the Copa or seeing Wakeman. Finding this ticket stub was a surprise to me. Now where did I put those memories?

[ForeverAutumn]

The Bad News:
you are showing your age here.

Why? Because I started going to concerts in 1981 or because I can't remember half of them?

[BarryL]

Wakeman was at the Copa. I don't remember ever being at the Copa or seeing Wakeman. Finding this ticket stub was a surprise to me. Now where did I put those memories?

I worked during the CNE at the Grandstand for about or four years and saw all of the shows, which means that I saw Frank Sinatra. Now, I know that I saw him, but I have no recollection. Of course, at 14 or 15 years old, I know that I didn't want to see Frank Sinatra. How I wish I had those memories back today! (of course, I also saw Sweet open for The Bay City Rollers. I'm glad those memories are gone.)

[BarryL]

The News for your Brother:
The rest of us knew who Bruford & Moraz were in 1973.

FA's favorite bands growing up and well into her 20's and perhaps 30's were Sonny & Cher, Bay City Rollers, Andy Gibb, The Partidge Family, and Donny Osmond. Yeah, she liked Al Stewart too, but personally, I think she was dragged (or drugged) along to the El Mo by the boys. She wasn't always as cool as she is now. She's leveraging a serindiptious finding of concert tickets to score points with the cool prog component of this board.

As proof of her general lack of Moraz/Bruford knowledge, when Yes were in town recently, at an autograph session she had Wakeman sign his name to the Relayer album. OOOPPS. Just for that, Wakeman refused to share his curry with her, and Jon Anderson did not shake her hand.

As for me, I've never seen the Bruf play live, although I have seen Moraz play with Yes and the Moody Blues. Now that was a waste of talent.

[MasterCylinder]

Why? Because I started going to concerts in 1981 or because I can't remember half of them?

Because you started going to concerts in 1981 (STYX) "without a parent".


LOL !

[ForeverAutumn]

FA's favorite bands growing up and well into her 20's and perhaps 30's were Sonny & Cher, Bay City Rollers, Andy Gibb, The Partidge Family, and Donny Osmond. Yeah, she liked Al Stewart too, but personally, I think she was dragged (or drugged) along to the El Mo by the boys. She wasn't always as cool as she is now. She's leveraging a serindiptious finding of concert tickets to score points with the cool prog component of this board.

As proof of her general lack of Moraz/Bruford knowledge, when Yes were in town recently, at an autograph session she had Wakeman sign his name to the Relayer album. OOOPPS. Just for that, Wakeman refused to share his curry with her, and Jon Anderson did not shake her hand.

As for me, I've never seen the Bruf play live, although I have seen Moraz play with Yes and the Moody Blues. Now that was a waste of talent.

I had Wakeman sign Relayer on purpose, just to see what he would do. You're just jealous because all he did was autograph your CD and didn't write a cool comment on it like he did on mine (all we have to do is figure out what he wrote! )

At least I wasn't a starstruck, stammering mess. Wakeman didn't share his curry with me because you had already drooled in it. As for Jon Anderson, he was too busy, wiping your cold sweat off his hand, to shake mine.

And to be fair, I didn't like Donny Osmond until I saw him in "Joseph".

[ForeverAutumn]

Because you started going to concerts in 1981 (STYX) "without a parent".


LOL !

Hehehe. Yeah. One of the benefits of having (much) older brothers who were ushers at the CNE Grandstand (summer concert venue and original home of The Toronto Blue Jays for those not in-the-know) was that my mom used to take me to concerts and my brothers would sneak us in for free. Shhhhhh. Don't tell anyone.

Mom would take me to the shows that she wanted to see. I remember seeing Neil Sedaka and we saw Captain and Tennille with Andy Gibb opening (he was dreamy). I didn't care. When you're a kid, any big concert is fun.

I was 15 in 1981. Do the math.

Edit: I was trying to think of what other concerts my mom took me to. I vaguely remember seeing Sonny and Cher too, come to think of it. I'm going to have to ask her if she remembers who we saw. Oh, and BTW, just to somewhat protect my reputation...I was about 8 or 9 when my mom was taking me to these shows, not 15.

[Celtic Bob]

No concerts come here but in the past few years I have seen a few on trips to Toronto. Here are a couple of reviews of some shows I have seen.

http://www.metal-rules.com/concerts/poison/poison.htm

http://www.metal-rules.com/concerts/Poison2003.htm

http://www.metal-rules.com/concerts/Helix-July2004.htm

http://www.metal-rules.com/concerts/...nniversary.htm

http://www.metal-rules.com/concerts/...August2004.htm

http://www.metal-rules.com/concerts/...r-Sept2004.htm

I wish I had kept all my ticket stubs or had written down all the show and dates I saw bands.

[ForeverAutumn]

Hey Bob, I was at that Poison show in 2003 too. A cool story about how we got there...We went to see a filming of the Mike Bullard Show and Bret Michaels was one of the guests. It was the same evening as the Poison show at the Amphitheatre, which we did not have tickets to. During a commercial break, Bret came over to the audience and told us that anyone who wanted to go to the concert should give their name to Bullard's staff and then head on over to the show...tickets will be waiting at the box office. So, we gave our names and, sure enough, by the time we got to the show, the list had been faxed over and we were in. It was a great show and we had a great time. Based on that experience, I would pay to see them again. Bret seemed like a pretty down to earth guy, and he sure knew how to treat his fans.

I wanted to go to that Alice Cooper show too, but was out of town that week.

Great reviews that you wrote. And excellent pics. Next time to head to Toronto for a show, let me know. I might be there too!

[Celtic Bob]

Thanks for the compliments.
Hopefully Motley Crue will reform and tour there next summer. If so i will be there. If not i'll probably come up for another Poison show. Hahahahahaha! I'll definitly let you know.