What was the first concert you ever attended? Mine was James Taylor. What about you?

[debm55]

[FalloutShelter]

1. Mine was-

Donovan at the Felt forum, NYC in 1970.

[debm55]

4. Thank you very much, FalloutShelter and congratulations.

[wcmagumba]

2. Bachman Turner Overdrive with Styx opening...

[debm55]

6. Thank you very much. wcmagumba. I saw BTO a couple of years later at one of those stadium concerts where they had 6/7

groups playing.

[wcmagumba]

10. I remember I took my girlfriend who was the daughter of a conservative small town minister, dad was not happy...

He soon after banned her from going out with me, not that big of a loss, for me...ha ha...

[debm55]

12. Thank you wcmagumba.

[ProfessorGAC]

73. My Funny BTO Tale

Back in '86, we went to see Van Halen.
The opening act was BTO.
On "Takin' Care Of Business" Randy Bachmann played an extended solo.
Now, they were solid, and Randy is a good guitar player, but during that long solo I couldn't help but think "No offense Randy, but nine of these 20,000 people cane here to hear YOU play guitar."
I couldn't help myself.

[Ocelot II]

3. Something with the Minnesota Orchestra (then called the Minneapolis Symphony).

Don't remember specifically, but I was never into popular music even as a kid. I've only ever been to one rock concert, the Rolling Stones' Steel Wheels show some years ago, which was fun but I never felt any need to go to another one.

[debm55]

7. Thank you very much Ocelot II. We all have our likes.

[viva la]

127. Well, if you only go to one rock concert....

the Stones are a good one to choose!

[LuckyCharms]

5. Maybe Humble Pie? Either that, or Hot Tuna with David Bromberg opening the show.

[debm55]

8. Thank you very much LuckyCharms. for sharing,

[perfessor]

33. Hot Tuna plus Bromberg

That’s some serious licks. Jorma and Dave, two of my favorite just-under- the-radar pickers.

[debm55]

36. Thank you very much, perfessor, for sharing with us.

[displacedvermoter]

9. Richie Havens

[debm55]

14. Thank you very much, displacedvermoter. I saw Richie Havens at Penn State.

[OldBaldy1701E]

100. You lucky.... person! (n/t)

[chicoescuela]

11. Van Halen March 1979 $6 ticket Caldwell Idaho

[debm55]

15. Thank you very much, chicoescuela. Wow. 6 dollars for a ticket. Those days are gone..

[dlilafae]

13. AC/DC

Back in Black Tour

[debm55]

17. Thank you very much for sharing with us, dilafae.

[58Sunliner]

114. I saw that tour in Oakland, night show. Edgar Winter played as well.

Those guys were tight.

[boonecreek]

16. Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young.

Auditorium Theater in Chicago. We were in the highest level, the gallery. Talk about the nosebleed seats!

[debm55]

18. HAHAHAHAHAHHA. Thank you very boonecreek. I saw Pink Floyd at Three Riveres Stadium. Dark Side of the Moon tour. We had

nosebleed seats there too.

[mobeau69]

19. Jimi Hendrix

[debm55]

21. Oh wow. That must have been terrific. Thank you very much for sharing with us.mobeau69

[subterranean]

20. The Kinks

I believe it was at the Spectrum in Philadelphia.

[debm55]

22. Thank you very much, subterranean for sharing with us.

[hlthe2b]

23. John Denver--Red Rocks Amphitheater

[debm55]

27. Beautiful music and lovely venue. Thank you very much. hlthe2b.

[electric_blue68]

86. Before my cousin studying at the Uni of Denver took me up into The Rockies by Motorcycle(!), we stopped at Red Rocks..

in the afternoon. So beautiful!
Still have a slide ('79) of the northern rock formation!

[debm55]

130. Thank you very much, electric_blue68

[Fiendish Thingy]

24. The Cowsills

Circle Star theatre, San Carlos CA, 1969.

[debm55]

28. Wow, that's going back. Thank you for sharing with us, Fiendish Thingy.

[Fiendish Thingy]

29. My parents took me

The first concert where I bought my own tickets and drove myself was a triple bill of Kansas, Thin Lizzy, and The Cars (their first national tour) in 1978 at the Cow Palace.

Kansas was awful.

The other two rocked.

[debm55]

37. Yes, I have been to many of those multi group concerts, There is always one that stinks. Thank you, Fiendish Thingy.

[PufPuf23]

64. Saw Zappa /Tom Waits at Circle Star in 1975 but not first concert ever.

Only time at Circle Star; a unique and weird venue with a rotating stage.

[58Sunliner]

115. We called it little Vegas. Odd choice for Frank.

[MIButterfly]

25. Herman's Hermits. I was 10.

My mother took me and we sat in an auditorium (probably Olympia Stadium in Detroit) filled with screaming pre-teens. I loved it; my mother, not so much.

Every other concert after that, my mother would just drop me off at the door. Hey, years later, I sat through two Julio Iglesias shows with her, so as far as I'm concerned, we were even.

[debm55]

51. HAHAHHAHAHAH. Thank you very much, MIButterfly. That is funny.

[MIButterfly]

55. The second time I took her to see Julio Iglesias,

he said something that made the audience laugh. My mother asked me "what did he say?" and I said "I don't know. I wasn't listening."

[catbyte]

26. Aerosmith

Grand Valley State University 1974. First concert I worked stage security. It was wild, lol.

[WestMichRad]

32. Aerosmith for me, too!

Kansas opened. Battle Creek, MI.

Grand Valley was called a state college back then, if I recall correctly. I remember seeing a play there in the early 70s.

[catbyte]

44. Yep. Actually, it was called Grand Valley State Colleges because there were

Thomas Jefferson College (where all the hippies went), William James College (for those who didn't like grades -- it was pass/fail), and the traditional College of Arts and Sciences. It was so "70s" back then, lol.

[debm55]

53. Thank you very much, catbyte. I saw them in the 90;s and women were taking their tops off. I t was an outdoor venue.

[WestMichRad]

66. Well, clearly,...

I went to the wrong Aerosmith show!

[underpants]

142. Aerosmith too with Golden Earring (1978?) Richmond Coliseum

The Coliseum has been closed for a few years now.

My mom got a younger coworker and her boyfriend to take my brother and me. Since we were going “into the city” of course we had to dress appropriately. Slacks, zip up boots, short sleeve dress shirt, and a tie. I was maybe 11 so I just went with it and sat beside the couple who took us. My brother was 13 or 14 and was mortified. He ditched the shirt and tie behind a fire extinguisher and met up with his friends.

I just remember that everyone else was in black and it smelled funny in there.

[debm55]

145. The one we went to was wild too.

[rsdsharp]

30. First concert ever was Andy Williams. He was at the Iowa State Fair and my sister didn't want to go alone.

I was probably about 12. His TV show was going color that fall and he previewed several matching sweater/slacks outfits.

First rock concert was Sha Na Na.

My first date with my future wife was an Alice Cooper concert. (I’m a romantic devil!)

[debm55]

146. Thank you very much,rsdsharp. I remember watching Andy on his show. Very mellow voice.

[Dulcinea]

31. Journey!

October 5, 1981, Pittsburgh Civic Arena, 2 days before my 16th birthday. I wasn't allowed to go to concerts in those days & I had to fight tooth & nail to go see my favorite band at the time!

[debm55]

147. Thank you very much, Dulcinea.for sharing with us. I liked the Civic/Mellon Arena so much better then the Monster

Concerts at Three Rivers Stadium.

[pandr32]

34. The Doors.

My best friend and I went (13-14 yo) to see them at the Agradome in Vancouver. We took the bus over from West Vancouver where we lived.

[johnp3907]

35. Motorhead!

Last edited Fri Sep 19, 2025, 03:25 PM - Edit history (1)

I dove right into the deep end!

[Nictuku]

38. Country Joe and the Fish

[ballardgirl]

99. Saw them at a piano drop

in rural Washington, outside of Seattle, April 1968. This was the precursor of the Sky River Rock Festival and Lighter than Air Fair in the same area later that year.

[calguy]

39. Tower of Power, Flying Burrito Bros, and REO Speedwagon

This was in 1971 if my memory is correct, and REO Speedwagon was an unknown band at that time. The show was in Monterrey, Ca, and I remember listening to Tower of Power later that night at the final Fillmore live show on KSAN radio out of San Francisco.

[BamaRefugee]

40. The Beach Boys 1966 at Greenville, South Carolina Memorial Auditorium.

They came out on stage riding Honda 50 scooters and wearing the WIDE candy stripe shirts.
Mind Blown.

[Silent Type]

41. Byrds 1971 in Atlanta.

[debm55]

50. Thank you very much, Silent Type for sharing with us.

[House of Roberts]

42. Black Oak Arkansas - 1975 in Springfield, Missouri.

The first time I ever saw a band in person whose music I had heard on Top 40 radio was The Gentrys, whose hit at the time was 'Keep On Dancing' circa 1965. It was at the grand opening of a department store here in Huntsville called Pizitz. So it was kind of a little mini concert, with a few dozen people there crowded around a little raised platform.

[debm55]

49. Thank you very much, House of Roberts. I remember Black Oak Arkansas.

[True Dough]

43. I was sitting behind you at that James Taylor concert, deb!

You sure did get up and go to the washroom frequently!

[debm55]

48. HAHAHAHAHA. You are so funny, True Dough.

[buzzycrumbhunger]

45. Ravi Shankar!

My brother had hitchhiked to the west coast and jumped the stage in Boulder to kiss Janis, continued west and hit the Fillmore and saw Hendrix , Country Joe & the Fish, and who knows who else. He was eventually taken in by Hell's Angels and got an infection when some biker chick insisted on piercing his ear with a knitting needle (?!) and he wound up in the ER with a bad infection and had to call home for a ticket back--not terribly disappointed because the Manson murders just broke... (apparently yeah, *those* Hell's Angels). It was a weird adventure for a guy who hadn't even graduated HS yet.

I was like 10 then, and not allowed to do anything so exciting... However, the college next door to us sponsored Ravi and I was allowed to go. He did everything from his live Monterrey album, and it was awesome! For all the improvision in Indian music, it was amazingly close to the album (and more).

[debm55]

46. I would have loved to see and hear Ravi Shankar. Thank you buzzycrumbhunger for sharing.

[Mad_Dem_X]

47. Sonny & Cher

With comedian Kip Addotta opening. I was just a little kid, so most of his jokes went right over my head.

[ariadne0614]

52. Beatles, 1964, Milwaukee.

Tickets were $5, and sold at a tiny hole-in-the-wall downtown shop—Nick Toppings (?).

[Mad_Dem_X]

74. Lucky you!

I'd love to go back in time and be a teenager in 1964 (I wasn't born until '66).

[ariadne0614]

96. It was an amazing time.

The clips in this YouTube reaction video brought back favorite memories of the delight they brought into the world.

?si=PRRGWlBD5lBlqQFg

[flor-de-jasmim]

54. The Beatles, 1965 in Las Vegas.

[Tiny Tabby]

56. Joan Baez in Berkley

In the early 60s. Bob Dylan, unknown, came on the stage and they sang Blowin' in the Wind and maybe one more song together.

[debm55]

57. Wow, That sounds like a great concert. Thank you for sharing Tiny Tabby.

[BarbaRosa]

58. Herman's Hermits,

Honolulu. The opening act was a new up and coming band from England named The Who.

[electric_blue68]

89. Wow, in Honolulu! ...

Back here in NYC in '67 a DJ was holding a multi-band concert way down in Brooklyn while we lived about 2 miles from the top of Manhattan Island. Almost positive Hetman Hermits were the headliners.

My cousin had turned me on to The Who in '67, and they were on this bill. But my parents wouldn't let me travel all the way down there. I was 14.

[tonkatoy8888]

59. Technically

the first concert I attended was the North Carolina Symphony playing, among other things, Stravinsky's Firebird ballet score.

The first non-classical concert was either Bill Monroe & the Bluegrass Boys or Allman Brothers. My older brother took me to both, and I can't remember which one happened first.

[JBTaurus83]

60. Stevie Nicks with Sheryl Crow.

[LoisB]

61. The Isley Brothers.

[patphil]

62. The Ventures in the summer of 1964 at Glens Falls, NY high school.

[debm55]

71. Thank you very much, patpil for the memories.

[applegrove]

63. A christian Bob Dylan in the early 1980s.

[debm55]

70. I remember that, Thank you applegrove for sharing with us.

[PufPuf23]

65. The Doors at Winterland in San Francisco late 67 or early 68.

Freshman in high school.

[debm55]

69. Wow, that's great. Thank you PufPuf23 for sharing.

[ProfessorGAC]

67. Grand Funk Railroad

My uncle took me and a couple cousins. Early '71 would be my best guess.
I was a freshman in HS.
Pretty sure it was at the Chicago Amphitheater, but I may be misremembering.
What I'm sure of is that is was the loudest thing I ever heard to that point.

[debm55]

68. Thank you very much ProfessorGAC. I really liked Grand Funk ,

[Harker]

72. Odetta in a restaurant lounge, Boulder, Colorado, 1968.

First rock concert... Henry Gross, War, Golden Earring, The Doobie Brothers. May 10, 1975, at Folsom Field in Boulder.

[Upthevibe]

75. debm55..........

Great post!

For me it was Grand Funk Railroad. I lived in Corpus Christi, TX and we didn't get a lot of big names. It was around '72 or '73.

[gopiscrap]

76. Beach Boys

[Bob in the Land]

77. Dave Clark Five. December 17, 1964

[Chipper Chat]

78. Roy Rogers and Dale Evans.

And of course Trigger but he didn't sing.

[Bristlecone]

79. Rolling Stones.

[choie]

80. Doobie Brothers!

[retiredwelder]

81. Concert

The Beach boys and Sam the sham and the pharaohs, sometime around 64.

[TheFarseer]

82. The Urge

With POD at the Ranch Bowl.

[oberle]

83. The National Symphony

at Constitution Hall in Washington DC. I fell asleep.

[marybourg]

84. Paul Simon and Arthur (as he was then) Garfunkel singing

“Earth Angel” in the schoolyard of P.S. 183 in Kew Garden Hills, Queens. They were in the 7th grade and I was in the 8th, although I was slightly younger. Sure didn’t sound like Pat Boone!

[electric_blue68]

87. Oh, what a memory!

😄
NYC'r here. Not my first concert but saw S & G at Forest Hills Tennis Stadium in ? '68, or '69. My dad drove me, and my cousins out there.

The planes heading LA Guardia Airport occasionally drowned them out!

[BlueKota]

85. The Beach Boys

[electric_blue68]

88. Eric Burden The Animals. Opener - Mitch Ryder and The Detroit Wheels in '65.

I might have been to a Leonard Bernstein's Young People's Concert first.

[hunter]

90. I don't remember. My mom worked in radio, knew a lot of artists, and got free tickets.

Even without those connections concerts then were hardly any more expensive than going to the movies.

I suppose this would have been paradise had I been interested in music but I was a weird kid more interested in electronics and computers, obsessively so. At smaller venues I'd be bothering the audio and lighting guys if I got the chance.

It's not a concert, it's an off-Broadway musical, but I remember Godspell was a pretty big deal so maybe that counts.

The first concert I attended as a wild young thing with an actual girlfriend, not a kid dragged along by family or peer pressure, was Rickie Lee Jones. It was not a good time for Jones, she required a whole crew to prop her up, much like Ronald Reagan did during his second term. The audience was subdued, haunted by memories of Janis Joplin.

[TexasBushwhacker]

91. Leon Russell 1973 n/t

[Wolf Frankula]

92. The Doors

With my first girlfriend. Jim Morrison could hold an audience in his hand.

[justaprogressive]

93. mine.

played w/some friends at a coffee house I wuz like 14. The audience was kind

[debm55]

144. Thank you very much, justaprogressive. Congratulations.

[LudwigPastorius]

94. The Allman Brothers first reunion tour 1979

No Dwayne, of course, but Gregg, Dickey, and the boys were in fine form.

[debm55]

143. Great group. Thank you for sharing with us, LudwigPastorius

[ArnoldLayne]

95. Emerson Lake and Palmer August 1974 in Pittsburgh Pa.

[debm55]

140. Oh, I lived in Pittsburgh at the time, Would have really liked to have seen them. Was at Penn State in 1974. Thank you,

Arnold Layne. Did you see at the Mellon Arena?

[NNadir]

97. Cream at Madison Square Garden. The next concert was Jimi Hendrix, same venue.

They had a rotating stage, which sucked, but what did we know. We were kids.

[debm55]

138. Classic rock. thank you very much, NNadir.

[ballardgirl]

98. Could have been Buffalo Springfield

It was so long ago, but they played in a very small Seattle venue in maybe 1967.

[debm55]

136. Thank you very much ballardgirl for sharing, The first time I saw Bruce Springsteen was at a bar in NJ. Cost was $5.

[OldBaldy1701E]

101. The Eagles.

1976

The Long Run Tour.

Norfolk Scope, Norfolk, VA

No opener.

Three and a half hours.

They opened with 'Hotel California'.

However...

The first rock concert that I ever attended was the talent show where myself and two friends played two songs that we wrote. Two guitars and a drummer. We were all 11-12. Both of us pulled our amps over, and, during his solo, the drummer lost a stick. He did not have a replacement. We were playing in the gym, half court, and that stick literally hit the wall under the basket. He had to get up... in complete silence... walk over to the baseline, retrieve his stick, wall back, and continue the solo.

Oh, what a night.

[debm55]

137. HAHAHAHAHh. Great post, OldBaldy1701E. Thank you for sharing.

[Bmoboy]

102. My junior high orchestra

They were very good.
My buddy Angelo played violin.
The first one where tickets were not free - The Limelighters.

[debm55]

135. Thank you so much for sharing with us, Bmoboy.

[Bayard]

103. Styx, and Sugarloaf opening

Senior in high school. Our whole class went up to King's Island in Cincy on school buses. They locked us in for the night--whoo whoo, a big deal!

Actually, I guess the first concert was in grade school when we went to the Louisville Symphony Orchestra. I fell asleep.

[debm55]

134. Thank you ,Bayard. I really liked Styx. I took my classes to the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, also.

[Turbineguy]

104. GF Handel Organ Concerto in B-flat

I was about 11. My Uncle played Viola in the orchestra so I suspect we got in free.

[debm55]

132. Thank you very much, Turbineguy. for sharing with us.

[bullimiami]

105. Tiny Tim. In the Boom Boom Room at the Fountainbleau.

My grandfather was Maitre’d.

[debm55]

126. HAHAHAHAH. Thank you bullimiami. That sounds interesting.

[Keepthesoulalive]

106. Murray the K Brooklyn

I don’t remember most of the acts but I do remember Lenny Welch.

[debm55]

125. Thank you very much for sharing, Keepthesoulalive.

[DBoon]

107. Frank Zappa 1974

Shrine Auditorium, Los Angeles

[debm55]

124. Thank you, DBoon for sharing with us.

[AltairIV]

108. Grand Funk Railroad at

Shea Stadium July 1971. I still have the tickets.

[debm55]

123. Great music. Thank you very much, AltairIV, for sharing your memories.

[tblue37]

109. Trini Lopez. I was 14 & I took my 18 yr old sis, who loved him, as her birthday present.

[debm55]

122. Thank you very much, tblue37. What a great present for your sister.

[MichMan]

110. Elton John at the Pontiac Silverdome

It was the "Louder than Concorde, but not quite as pretty" tour of 1976

[debm55]

121. Thank you very MichMan for sharing with us. Love Elton. Especially his early music.

Last edited Sun Sep 21, 2025, 01:38 PM - Edit history (1)

[lapfog_1]

111. Elton John

with an unknown opening group named Fleetwood Mac

[debm55]

120. That must of have great. Thank you very much for sharing with us,lapfog_1.

[zeusdogmom]

112. Henry Mancini 1967 Mankato State Gymnasium

First professional concert. I loved his music.

[debm55]

119. I agree with his music, Thank you very much, zeusdogmom.for sharing your memories.

[58Sunliner]

113. Paul McCartney and Wings, BTO.

[debm55]

118. Sounds like it would be a great concert. Thank you very much. 58Sunliner.

[Wiz Imp]

116. Bruce Springsteen, Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, 1985

Stood in line all night to get tickets at National Record Mart the next morning.

[debm55]

117. Thank you , very much. Wiz Imp.

[Maine Abu El Banat]

128. Alvin Lee

Had a band called Ten Years Later. Kind of a follow up to Ten Years After.

[debm55]

129. Thank you very much, Maine Abu El Banat. I remember Alvin Lee in Ten Years After.

[UpInArms]

131. Bread ... with Santana as the backup band

1972

[debm55]

133. Wow. Two totally different types of music. Thank you UpinArms.

[YodaMom2]

139. Don Ho

at the old Circle Star theatre in San Carlos, CA. It was in the 60’s - maybe ‘67? I was pretty young - 7 or 8.

The theatre was literally a circle - round, with a revolving stage in the center. When he sang his big hit “Tiny Bubbles”, he asked all the children in the audience to come up on stage and sing along. I can remember standing right next to him, popping bubbles that were coming out of a bubble machine behind him.

The problem with a revolving stage: when the song ended and the children came off the stage, we weren’t in the same place where we went *on* the stage. I recall being a bit scared that I couldn’t find my parents. But my big sisters were with me, so that helped.

[debm55]

141. What a great post. Thank you for sharing with us.YodaMom2.

[aka-chmeee]

148. The New Christy Minstrels 1966ish n/t

[Morbius]

149. Rush

Moving Pictures tour. Quite good. I recall this: after meeting my girlfriend, later fiancé, later wife, I found out she had never been to a concert. Well, I decided, we have to remedy that! With a friend from work, we made it a foursome seeing AC/DC. She became a HUGE fan, and remains so to this day.