First concert.

[the mojo hobo]

I think it was 1966, I wasn't yet old enough to drive, my mom took me and my sister, who was (and still is) a huge fan:

The Beatles - Chicago Amphitheater

[Nocturnal]

My first concert was Kansas on the AudioVisions (1980?) tour in Nashville, Tenn. Seemed to think that it was cool at the time, but looking back..........

[Freuds_Cat]

My first two gigs were Slade, 1973 and 1974, I was coming up 12 for the first one, & the band were at the peak of their success in the UK. In '75 I saw Slade again and also Status Quo, both bands come to think of it who didn't crack the States at the time, or much since. The next year I saw Nazareth, who were supported by Snafu which featured a little known guitarist by the name of Micky Moody - later ones of the brains behind Whitesnake.

I have a Snafu LP somewhere around here, they did a great version of Neil Youngs Ohio.

[Denis]

My dad took me to see KISS in '77 or 78. Still have my ticket stub, my tour book and the KISS belt buckle my dad bought!

[TBird1958]

1973

Seattle Coliseum, Alice Cooper - Billion Dollar Babies tour

Flo and Eddie opened the show, which was also me first date. I was in 9th grade and took a lovely (chesty) or so I thought, girl named Barbie Kost.
I never thought of music the same after that show, no more AM radio pop for me! it was all glam and rock! 

[Freuds_Cat]

My first concert was an Australian affair in 1975 that included Hush, John Paul Young and Avalanche.  Followed shortly thereafter by Status Quo. Same tour that Mark would have seen.

[clankenstein]

hush.theres a band i had forgotten about .i saw them supporting dragon.

[Chris P.]

My first one was BZN. A really cool band! Like the Dutch Beatles, but vocals shared by a woman and man.

Please, Rob, don't spoil this for me... I'm ashamed already.... I was taken by my parents... But I went to a lot of concert to make it better....

[Big_Stu]

I have a Snafu LP somewhere around here, they did a great version of Neil Youngs Ohio.

Cool, they put a couple of reissue albums out on CD a few years ago; Snafu & Situation Normal. I still have a promo sticker from that gig which I got Micky Moody to sign when I met him at a gig recently.

[uwe]

Rainbow in autumn 1976. First Rainbow gig on German ground after Blackers had gone AWOL from ze Pürps. Dio/Powell/Bain/Carey line up, half of which are no longer with us. My dad took me and a friend, waiting patiently in the car park of the hall while the concert took place. A few years later he would at least grudgingly admit while forcibly co-listening to a Rainbow keyboard solo with classical influences I was treating myself with over our living room stereo "that this is not quite as bad as the noise you usually hear, it's actually listenable!"



Blackmore was at his peak back then as regards both his enigmatic Man in Black image and his jaw-dropping guitar playing ranging from the introspective to the dramatic. I had never seen Purple before (we were in Africa for most of the early seventies), so hearing Rainbow tear into Mistreated as the second song in the set, after Kill the King, was a revelation. Plus, they had this one of a kind rainbow shape lighting rig which was awesome when it worked (as it did that night).

They had an opening act. Some unknown Aussie band. Lead guitarist played in a schoolboy uniform and presented his naked pimply butt to the audience. How talent- and hopeless can you get me thought back then. Those guys and their screechy singer will never make it.

In hindsight, perhaps, I wasn't entirely correct in that last assessment!  

[gearHed289]

KISS - Destroyer tour, full stage set, August '76 at the old Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta. With guests Blue Oyster Cult (Reaper tour), and Johnnie and Edgar Winter, plus a bunch of other bands that we missed. I think Bob Seeger??? My mom ended up taking me.  Crazy night, and somewhat frightening at times. We parked in a pretty sketchy neighborhood. I was 12.

[Pilgrim]

For my girls' first concert, I took the family to see Bruce Springsteen and the E street band a few years ago in Denver's Pepsi Center...and we were on the third level next to the stage.  Unfortunately I've learned that the acoustics are incredibly bad on that level - the whole concert sounded muddy.  Same problem when I went to see McCartney, and when I saw Bob Seeger (and with Seeger, there was the problem of the fat biker lady in the Harley T-shirt who was in my line of sight and decided to stand up and dance through much of the concert).

I took my wife to see Rascal Flatts last year at the Pepsi Center and sat on the first level - MUCH better.  I've learned that if I'm going to spend the $ to attend a concert in the Pepsi Center, I'll spend enough to sit on the first level, or I won't go. 

We had a great experience a couple of years ago when I took the whole family to see the Moody Blues in the Wells Fargo theater in the Denver convention center - excellent sound and gerat show, even without an orchestra backing then.  I've seen the Moody Blues live four times dating back to the late 60's.

There's also a local theater in Fort Collins where Dick Dale appears - hopefully he'll be back now that he's feeling better.  My girls had a BLAST seeing him.

[ramone57]

my first show was Cheech & Chong with Steely Dan as the opening act in '72.

[kungfusheriff]

MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice. I was 14. 

My son's is much cooler. Los Lobos, free show in the park, Albany NY.

[uwe]

MC Hammer and Vanilla Ice. I was 14.  

You're a brave man, Shawn, a very brave man. Outing yourself like this here.   There is not really that much than can be done about having witnessed a Vanilla Ice concert, the damage to a young boy's psyche is permanent.  Alembics are just a symptom.   But to redeem yourself: Did you at least like MC Hammer better?