Your First Concert was.....


My first concert was Arlo Guthrie at the Shaffer (sic) Music Festival in Central Park, NYC. It cost 2 bucks and it was for his "Running Down the Road" album.
dreadhead
Blue Oyster Cult, Black Oak Arkansas, and Wet Willie...

It was about 3.95 Tickets probably ranged from 3.95, 4.95 to 5.95... now they're 10x's that!

BOC was touring on their Spectres LP. Didn't really know what to expect, and I wasn't too familiar with any of the bands, but I wanted to go to a concert, and they were the next one to come up...

O

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It was either Bruce's "Born to Run" tour or Alice's "Welcome to My Nightmare" tour. Can't remember exactly, too much you know what. But both were in 1975. I think.
Jethro Tull's "A Passion Play". They came out and played "A Passion Play" for 30-40 minutes. This being my first concert, I thought that they were finished and it was over. Then Ian Anderson stepped up to the microphone and said "Now for our second number"!
Jefferson Airplane in the Surrealistic Pillow days. I was a high school student; my sister was in college and her friend "knew the band". I've never been the same since ;~).
The Iguanas, a local band from Ann Arbor, Mi. This was at a sock hop at Ann Arbor Pioneer HS, probably circa 1965. I was all of 12 years of age, helping lug around equipment for the band as my sister's boyfriend was the bass player. The lead singer was one James Osterburg Jr., later to become Iggy Pop!
I used to see Black Oak in Asbury Park NJ. They would end their show by smashing 2 guitars together. They were great. I still play their first album.
I saw the Jefferson Airplane in Asbury Park for the Volunteers album. My friends Dad put bread in his ears to help with the volume. All those fists pumped in the air changed everything for me.
11/17/73 - Focus, with the Spencer Davis Group (no Steve Winwood) opening, at the Felt Forum (now known as The Theatre at Madison Square Garden).

My friend and I bought tickets just a few days before the show and ended up in a row of folding chairs set up in front of the regular seats. Man, it was loud.

Next up would be Yes at MSG on the 'Tales From Topographic Oceans' tour.
Calloway, met too: Iron Butterfly= Innagoddadivada baby...

BTW, my best concert was, maybe you heard of it? WOODSTOCK- From Richie Havens to Jimi...
Hannah Montana , Dec, 2007. Cost me $2500 per ticket but the show was AMAZING!!! I'm still singing those tunes in my head!
The Grateful Dead at a Chinese New Years show in Oakland about 20+ years ago.
They sucked so bad as to be unbelievable!
(And, to top it off, the acoustics in the place sucked too.)

However, several years later, I went to another Dead show, where they were backing up Bob Dylan, and it was much, much better.)
Guy Lombardo, Dave Clark Five, Iron Butterfly, now that's what I'm talking about.
Warrenh, this post is for your first concert not your best concert. Let's try to stay focused.
Elephants Momory, Cactus, and The Bob Seger System, on the same night in that order at the Orlando Sports stadium in1970 or maybe 71.
Allman Brothers either at the Georgia Tech Collesium or the Atlanta Civic Center 1970. I saw them at both that year.
They were always playing in Piedmont Park, which is where I first saw them, but I am not sure that qualifies as a concert or just a gathering of Hippies :-)
Bo Diddley in Lubbock, Texas, probably 1959 or 1960. Quite an experience for a 14-year-old white kid from West Texas.
Depeche Mode at the LA Coliseum in 1998 during the live recording of the "101" album. It was an incredible day with opening acts OMD, Thomas Dolby, and Wire Train. This was back in the day when the local alternative radio station, KROQ was in its prime with Jed The Fish, Poorman, and Richard Blade. At one point, the entire stadium was involved in food fight! This still ranks of one of my favorite concert experiences.
ELO, Deep Purple & the no show opening act Elf (Ronny James Dio's band) - Dec. 1974. Tickets were 4.50, 5.50, 6.50. A cello blew up during ELO's show. The front and back just blew off and a roadie put out the small fire with an extinguisher.

Relax, have a Goose Island Imperial IPA and Go Pack Go!
Janis Joplin San Francisco three nights in a row 1968
not always great but when she was she was blindingly brilliant
A very odd billing at the time(early 70s) First band Gentle Giant, next up Humble Pie, last band The Edgar Winter Group
Van Morrison at the San Bernadino fairgrounds. 1972 I believe. Cool thread!
-John
I saw Focus as well. They played Hocus Pocus and variations of it the whole show. It was still fun. I saw the Allman Bros just when Duane died but Berry was still alive. They did not cancel the tour.
Jackson Browne on his "Running on Empty" tour at the great outdoor Blossom Music Center in Ohio. I played that album hundreds of times before I went and I'll never forget the sound of the first note of that live music, magical. Thanks for taking me back. I still have the LP.
ZZ Top, Afterburner tour 1986. The big Sphinx that served as the backdrop for the stage set snorted up a big white sheet that covered the whole stage before the band came on (it was in a conical shape, cresting near the Sphinx's nostrils) with a loud snort, to kick off the show. It was funny to me at the time, but I was too young to understand the joke. Great show.
Tough to remember, but first and second (I think!) were Iron Butterfly and Steppenwolf in about 1967.
Jimi Hendrix, Houston 196?. Second row left and the guitar went up in flames. Also was the first album I purchased, didn't have a clue who he was but liked the cover. Are You Experienced?
I won tickets from the local radio station to see Fanny, Jose Feleciano and the Guess Who. Blew me away (that is the Guess Who and Jose)! The first concert I bought tickets to was David Bowie at the Tower theater. Bowie took it up a whole nother level and still stands as one of the finest shows bar none!
38 Special in '82. Although I was not a big fan and the chicks we brought with were fat, the joint that some stranger passed to me was pretty cool.
Creedence Clearwater Revival (post Tom Fogery) at the Met Center in Bloomington, MN in 1972. Opening acts were Freddie King, and Tony Joe White. I was 14 and man it was LOUD. I was probably 25 feet in front of John Fogerty. I wish I would have paid more attention to Freddie, but I had no idea who he was at the time...
The Outlaws at the old Paramount Theater in NYC. 1978 I believe. We all went to McCann's near the Garden because no one checked ID (we were 16). My friend fell asleep through the whole show and only woke up for "Green Grass..."
ZZ Top with KISS (an unheard of group at the time) opening up for them.

I was a little under the weather by the time ZZ Top started playing and fell asleep 20 minutes into ZZ Top.

I never quite lived that one down. I also doubt that ZZ Top had KISS open for them again.
Dreadhead, once you post your thread it happens organically. Let go and let god; and stay fpcused....

:)
Joe Walsh and the James Gang back in 1970 in a small hall in Wheeling WV. It was hard to beleive that 3 guys could make so much music. This was way before synthesizers.
Bob Dylan and The Rolling Thunder Review in Springfield, Mass., in 1975. I knew even as it was happening how very lucky I was to be there, in row 11.
Queen- A Night At The Opera tour, 1976, at the Civic Center in Philly.

Cheers,
John
Supertramp, Breakfast in America Tour, in the outdoors at Alpine Valley, Wisconsin. Can't remember if it was 1979 or 1980.
The Doors, August 1968, Cleveland Municipal Auditorium, $4

Morrison was wasted and was in his provoking a riot phase. It was not what I'd hoped for musically, but it was an interesting experience. Actually, I've heard worse concerts recently because the sound is often so loud now that it's difficult to tell if any music is being played.
For any of you Children of the mid-late 70's, remember Exile? They had a big hit with "I want to kiss you all over...". Anyway, they were a local band from Paris and Richmond, KY and they used to play dances/sock-hops at my high school before they made the big time. They were mostly a cover band when they played the local prom, but they did have a bit of success on the national scene.

If I don't count Exile at my local High School gym, it was Uriah Heep at Rupp Arena (Lexington, KY), followed quickly by Rush in Lexington, Louisville and Cincinnati and Kiss in Lexington, Louisville and Cincinnati.

I got a job with Andy Frain Security at Rupp Arena and saw basically every major rock show that was touring from 1978-1981. Now that was a good time! Saw everybody and got paid for it. Plus hanging out with some of the bands had its benefits!.....

Enjoy,

TIC
Mine was also Jimi Hendrix (Winterland), so there must be some older guys around here. Krellman, that was way cool when he Ian Anderson said " now for our second number, Thick as a brick"! Great show. My second was Buffalo Springfield at a college gym.
Aerosmith, spring 1974, just after release of Get Your Wings. Precluded by free Grand Funk Railroad concerts at Riverside Park.