Your First Concert...

I've been to hundreds of gigs, seen untold number of bands, but like a girl, you never forget your first time...here's mine:

I was 15 and won two tickets and a bus ride from a local radio station to the concert hall, I took a buddy of mine, I'm sure we were the youngest guys on the bus, and the older dudes were passing joints around, we might of had a few minor hits but like Clinton we didn't inhale (much).

The band: Hawkwind, for those that know them, it was their The Space Ritual Tour, they had all the band members from the early days, Dave Brock, Nik Turner, I am pretty sure Robert Calvert was there too, Lemmy (later of Motorhead), Del Dettmar and DikMik and others. Openning for then was Timothy Leary's wife blabbering about him, don't really remember much of her...

it was pretty friggen' wild, they have this psychedelic light show, huge band set up, it was pure cosmic bliss and then comes out this large breasted topless dancer, Stacia, I remember thinking: "Are all concerts like this?" They played the entire (double album) Space Ritual and it sounded awesome, everyone in the crowd was rockin', loving these guys, loving the sounds...

So what was your first time like???

Well, technically it would be BB King with my dad at Ontario Place in Toronto. However the first show I went to on my own accord was INXS on the Kick tour. My parents let me go with a couple friends down to the old Grandstand. I think I was 10 or 11.

The first "really cool" show I went to was The Cure w/ The Pixies as an opener. I was about 12 or 13 at the time and begged my parents to buy me a ticket. I was dumbfounded by all the Robert Smith wannabes in the crowd. "No lighters please" The hairspray was a collective bomb waiting to be lit.

1982. Madison Square Garden. Iron Maiden opening for Judas Priest. Number of the Beast/Screaming for Vengeance tour. I was 14.

Maria Muldaur back in the early 70's. Tom Rush was the opening artist. Small intimate stage. Great time and memories and I was young and in love.

My very first a friend got tickets for his birthday to see REO Speedwagon. The band Missouri opened up the show. I was still in high school and REO was on the 9 Lives tour. As usual the opening band sounded bad, we inhaled several roll your owns, quite a different concert atmosphere in those days from today. I remember my friend made arrangements for his sister to take us but it some how eluded him to arrange a way home. i remember standing there in the middle of the night thinking about I'd rather walk home than call the house and wake up my old man and have to explain the stupidity. I wonder if he would have believed all the glowing red eyes were from the bright lights. Luckily my friend was able to call some one.

The Hawkwind concert would have been the best you probably ever heard them, disappointedly I have never heard an acceptable sounding recording, not sure why unless the engineer was hard of hearing. It's a shame too, decent stuff when you are in the mood.

Poppa, I didn't realize you were such a youngster. :)

Iron Maiden & JP that would have been a "1", "2" punch. Hard to imagine Iron Maiden an opening act but that was Priest's pentical era.

...Black Oak Arkansas, and I'd just as soon forget it! 'Yes they call me, hot and nasty...'. Oy vey. I can't remember the year, but it was likely about '73 or '74, after they released Raunch and Roll.

Emerson Lake & Palmer with a full orchestra in Madison Square Garden, on 7/7/77. I was 14. My buddy brought a 6" bong and a quarter-bag. A good time was had.

Judas Priest w/ Dokken
The Tacoma Dome, 1987

It was JP's Turbo Tour. Got there early, watched a cop car get turned on its side, watched a port-o-potty get turned over on its side, with a dude inside it.

Concert was great though.

Parlament Funkadelic. 1973.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by poppachubby

the old Grandstand.

---

That was such a great venue. I miss it. So many great concert memories from that place. My brothers are quite a bit older than me and they used to work there when I was just a tot. My Mom would take me to shows there and one of my brothers or one of their friends would sneak us in for free. I remember seeing Neil Sedaka, Captian and Tennille and Andy Gibb there...I'm sure that there were other shows that I don't remember. Sedaka and Captain and Tennille were my mom's choices. Andy Gibb was mine. Those were the days when I was too young to go on my own.

My first real rock concert that I went to on my own was either Styx or REO Speedwagon in 1980. Styx was the Cornerstone Tour and REO was the Hi Infidelity tour. They were both at the Grandstand and both in the same summer. I can't remember for sure which one was first. I'd have to go and dig out my old ticket stubs which are in a box in the basement somewhere.

My first was to see Rush as the warm up band for Kiss. It was at the Civic Center in Poughkeepsie NY. The place had the acoustics of a huge bathroom. Our heads hurt for a week, but it was worth it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by frenchmon

Parlament Funkadelic. 1973.

---

So, so lucky. '73 Cosmic Slop, GREAT year.

October, 1968 -- Dallas, Texas -- CREAM, farewell tour.

1975
Outlaws and Steve Marriot & the All Stars opened for Lynyrd Skynyrd at the Spectrum in Philly.

The Outlaws blew LS off the stage both with the opening act and when the 3 guitarists came out and jammed with LS at the end of the night.

LOL, Swish daddy didn't dig the Jim Dandy :)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by poppachubby

So, so lucky. '73 Cosmic Slop, GREAT year.

---

PoppaC...when I was a youngster, I saw about 3 or 4 Parlament concerts and another 2 or 3 Frank Zappa Concerts....My ultimate dream was for Zappa and P-Funk to come togeather but it was only a dream.

Oh by the way...when the "Mother ship Connection" came to town, it was more than just Parlament. They also gave a set with all Funkadelic music, and "Fred Wesly and the Horny Horns" music, and "The Brides Of Funkenstiens" music, and Bootsys Rubber Bands Music. So it was an outstanding show. It was all fun back then.

I've seen many concerts.

Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Count Basies last tour, Maynord Ferguson, James Moody, Prince and many more. John Hicks just to name a few.

Elton John, 1975. About a week before Rock of the Westies was released. I was 15, but my friend was 16, so we drove to the show. He won tix off the radio a day or 2 before the show. 8th row, center. Giant band, epic 3 hour show. They played almost all of GYBR. The moron in the row behind us puked on the poor girl sitting next to me. Yes, it was a very memorable night.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Troy

The moron in the row behind us puked on the poor girl sitting next to me. Yes, it was a very memorable night.

---

It could have been worse though, if she were your date.

1964 or 65 I think. I was 12 or 13. My older brother took me and my brother a year older .
It was a Beach Boys concert,(Brian Wilson still toured back then). The opening bands were Steppenwolf , and Tommy James & the Shondells. It was great.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by frenchmon

PoppaC...when I was a youngster, I saw about 3 or 4 Parlament concerts and another 2 or 3 Frank Zappa Concerts....My ultimate dream was for Zappa and P-Funk to come togeather but it was only a dream.

Oh by the way...when the "Mother ship Connection" came to town, it was more than just Parlament. They also gave a set with all Funkadelic music, and "Fred Wesly and the Horny Horns" music, and "The Brides Of Funkenstiens" music, and Bootsys Rubber Bands Music. So it was an outstanding show. It was all fun back then.

I've seen many concerts.

Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, Ella Fitzgerald, Oscar Peterson, Count Basies last tour, Maynord Ferguson, James Moody, Prince and many more. John Hicks just to name a few.

---

You got to see Funkenstein walk down from the Mothership upon landing? In his pimped out pose?

Frenchie, then you must have seen Glen Goins perform with the mob?!? The Mothership Connection tour he would call the ship to earth. His voice was amazing but so was his guitar playing, a funk legend. What else can I say....so lucky.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Swish

It could have been worse though, if she were your date.

---

he's not saying it wasn't...:ihih:

KISS. Shreveport. 1976.

First concert was a "Free" show, Peter Paul and Mary, opening for Robert Kennedy, 1967/68 at the Jamaica Amory. First pay concert 1970, Madison Square Garden, Rare Earth and other Sly and Family Stone headlined. "I want to take you higher!"

Worf

Aw, the young Worfster with flowers in his hair singing Puff The Magic Dragon, what a picture that is :) Rare Earth live would have been a blast though.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Mr Peabody

Aw, the young Worfster with flowers in his hair singing Puff The Magic Dragon, what a picture that is :)

---

Oh, that was good for a coffee spewed on computer monitor moment! :lol: