National Symphony Orchestra - Children's Series - Fort Meyer Arlington VA, Probably 1956 or 57. The first really moving concert was Glenn Gould at Lisner Auditorium in DC - had to have been 1958 or 59. I can conciously remember Gould and how he horrifed the stuffshirts in the audience.
Hmm from the responses, I guess you're talking about Rock Concerts in which case it would be The Yardbirds' December 23rd show at the Alexandria Roller Rink, in Alexandria VA. |
National Symphony Orchestra - Children's Series - Fort Meyer Arlington VA, Probably 1956 or 57. The first really moving concert was Glenn Gould at Lisner Auditorium in DC - had to have been 1958 or 59. I can conciously remember Gould and how he horrifed the stuffshirts in the audience.
Hmm from the responses, I guess you're talking about Rock Concerts in which case it would be The Yardbirds' December 23rd show at the Alexandria Roller Rink, in Alexandria VA. |
In 1969 - IIRC - at 12 (or so) years old, I tagged along with my older brother to see Mountain play one of their earliest gigs at the Capitol Theater in Passaic, N.J.
Marty |
The United States of America on St Marks in 1968 or so. It was awful. And LOUD! |
For me, I think it was Cat Stevens doing his first two big hit albums Tillerman and then Firecat,back to back. I'm not sure. It's hard to recall that far back. There was so much to do about the latest reprise of an older invention, I believe they called it the 'DRAFT'.
The last half of the sixties were such a volitile era one could not escape from it even with music. Music then dutifully echoed those tumultuous times, underlining the undeniable and at times, woeful losses and literally crying out for positive changes in social reform and the political rank and file. There was much to say and it was said. The content then seemd more akin to delivering a message than to commercial ends, although commerce was in full force as many of the outspoken groups & artists came to grater prominenceÂ… and a fair amount of those one of a kind sorts left the stage forever, and well before their time.
So great was the outcry, so pitiful the change by contrast. MoreÂ’s the pity. Music however made immense strides s the result, or maybe in spite of it all.
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REO Speedwagon (.38 Special opening) 1981 at the Chicago Amphitheater. They were terrible!!
My next concert was Jan 1983, the Who at the Rosemont Horizon on their first "Farwell Tour", they were fantastic. |
Cream, Buddy Miles Express, and Terry Reid. It was Cream's farewell concert, at Madison Square Garden. This was the last time they played in the U.S. They went on to play at the Royal Albert Hall, I believe, and then broke up... |
B.B. King at the University of West Florida field house.I was 14 years old. I will never forget how good he was. |
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Dave Mason in the Fall of 1971 in the Aquarius theatre in Boston. This was also my first exposure to the smell of weed at the tender age of 14. |
At the Fillmore East '70 or '71. Saw Fat Mattress (Noel Redding's band) 3rd billing, Grand Funk Railroad 2nd, and Jethro Tull. What a night!! |
My first concert was actually when a friend in high school invited me to go with her to see a Christian Rock Group at the local fair. It was actually a really good concert though. |
In a club, Herbie Mann, The Lighthouse, Hermosa Beach, 1968. In an arena, the Grassroots, believe it or not, and Credence Clearwater Revival, Long Beach Civic Auditorium, 1969. Then Jethro Tull or Fleetwood Mac, Pasadena Ice House, 1969. |
america, my older sister took me when i was 12. does this count? america? oh my. this may explain some things that are wrong deep in my soul. |
Alan Freed's 1955 Rock&Roll Show.Acadamy Of Music in NYC
A Group named 'The Wrens opened the show and 2-3 hours later "The Cadillacs" Closed the show. |
Richard,
Do you sometimes feel that you're just wandering through life on a horse with no name?
Marty |
REO Speedwagon. Summer 1974. I was 13. |
Buddy Rich and his big band or Cleo Lane with Dankworth & co - can't recall which was first - my parents took me - and it must have been 1970 or so. (My dad played trombone in a jazz band.)
The first concert I paid for myself (as a student who got pocket money from gardening) was in 1979 in Nice, France - Average White Band with Steel Pulse (as the opening band) - that was when my jaw dropped after hearing Steve Ferrone on drums - astonishingly musical performer and a superlative groovemaster. It was the same year that the Police "Message in a Bottle" came out and Copeland became a household name. Great stuff. |
Very hard to remember -but among the first were Bruce Cockburn and Janis Ian, both in London, Ontario. James Taylor and Kim Carnes and Linda Ronstadt at the CNE in Toronto. Exciting stuff! |
Jefferson Airplane, 1967 or 69, University of Hartford, in CT. Boy was that an eyeopener!! |
Smashing Pumpkins -- 1996. I was 13, and rockin' out! |
ZZ top & James Gang in Tulsa, Emerson,lake & Palmer Brain salad surgery in Quad is the I remember
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AC/DC...Back in Black Tour...Fayetteville, NC 1980-1...? |
James Gang, World Theatre, Lane Ave. Col's Ohio |
Stone Temple Pilots, Purple tour. 1995 They were awesome and so was Cheap Trick who opened for them |
Neil Diamond "Beautiful Noise" Tour 1978
St. Paul Civic Center. St. Paul, Minnesota ...... with my FATHER!
First concert without parental attendance. Chicago "Hot Streets" Tour 1979 at the same venue. |
The Who at the Fillmore West in June 1969. 3 bucks general admission. They performed two sets. Set 1 started included Heaven and Hell, Can't Explain, Tatoo, I'm a Boy, Substitute, Happy Jack, A Quick One, Summertime Blues,Shakin'All Over and My Generation. No instruments smashed. Set 2 was all of Tommy, a reprise of Summertime Blues and Shakin' All Over, and finished with Magic Bus. It was the first and best Who show I saw. Saw them again at SF Civic in 1971, the infamous 1973 Cow Palace show in which Moonie collapsed with a drug OD, and the Oakland Colloseum show in 1976. None of those subsequent shows matched the energy of the 1969 Fillmore show. The Who in their prime years were nuclear and I feel so lucky to have been there. |
Adam Ant and Gary Glitter (for real). |
New York Philharmonic peforming Prokofiev's: "Peter and the Wolf". |
April Wine, 1976 or 77, Niagara Falls Memorial Arena. The opening act........RUSH! Partway through the tour Rush's current LP 2112 took off and Rush split from the April Wine tour and headlined their own. |
Kansas, 1977 at the Allentown Fair. I got too high and passed out. |
KISS in the Summit, Houston, TX. I was in 5th grade. I can't remember the year exactly ( I think '77 or '76) but the opening act was an unknown band- STYX! |
Lou Reed in the early 70's. he did a 30 minute version of heroin that blew my mind. think i was only 14 at the time but really into music already. sister and boyfriend took me. it was a small venue/big bar downtown chicago. $10 for a great show/time. |
My parents took me to hear Ferrante and Teicher when I was about 5. |
Led Zeppelin, March 31, 1970 at the Philadelphia Spectrum. |
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Rock; Janice Joplin circa 1967, Indiana State Fairgrounds Coliseum.
Went with my best friend Maria. Too young to drive, her dad said, now girls, don't smoke any of those "funny" cigarettes.
Ahem...there were a few of those passed around that night. Can't remember who was second on the bill.
Classical: I don't remember my first classical concert, although it was undoubtedly a chamber group of some stripe. I've been to far more of those than anything else in my life. The ISO used to come to our high school for an open rehearsal every year, if that counts. Although I'd heard a live orchestra before playing for the ballet, I remember the sound of the ISO in our auditorium as absolutely thrilling. I'd probably have been around 14. I'd been to ballet performances and chamber concerts before that, and played in recitals/chamber groups many times by then. |
Archie Bell and the Drells,, 67' Junior Prom JFK HS Paterson NJ |
The Tubes, 1975
PNE Gardens, Vancouver, BC |
Gladys Night & the Pips at Westbury (NY) Music Fair. |
Jethro Tull at the forum (I think) sometime in the 70's
It's kind of a blur because I went to sooooo many concerts
growing up. ELP I think was my 2nd. Hey there was a lot of
toking goin on ya know. |
During the "Battle Of the Band Days" I remember The Grass Roots was one of the bands . I was in the 4th grade and took my girlfriend. |
I went to the C.S.N.&Y. concert at Varsity Stadium in Toronto in '74. I was at the top and watched as huge clouds of "smoke" broke away and drifted off. David Crosby knocked Neil Young on his ass on stage when he started ranting about being all bummed out. That's all I remember. |
Rare Earth, about 1972. First time I smelled weed as well. |
Don Henley. Think it was late late 80s or '90/'91. Lawn seats with binoculars at Blossom Music Center in northeast Ohio. Then it was Marilyn Manson in October of '96 and everything went downhill from there. LOL!!! |
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Sonny and Cher, Miami, Fla., 60-something, when Sonny wore all the fur stuff.
The noted actor Anthony Quinn stomped out after the first song. No one cared. |
REO Speedwagon at the Omni in Atlanta |
reading over this, it looks like REO Speedwagon may lead the voting in being the most seen band on here for a first concert. Who knew?
They were not good either time I saw them. Maybe they were better ealier.
Someone here was at my wife's first concert, Kiss at the Summit in Houston (which ironically is now a church). |
At least the one I best remember.. Absolutely Unique experience, a few dozens of people laying at the ground on the top of the St.Elias hill in the centre of Delphi ancient place (itself a unique place from many points of view) at 11 o'clock at night, only the stars above and total darkness and I.Xenakis in the console with 8 speakers put around the top of the hill towards the inside where we lay, sending random electronic sounds from all over!!!! what did you say??????
thanks! |
