Two Questions: Your First Concert and Your Favorite Concert(s)

[Mike 03]

1. What is the first musical concert you remember seeing?
2. Of the concerts you have been to, what was your absolute favorite (or you can list a couple, or three...)?


1. When I was like eleven years old my parents took me to see Joan Baez. I don't know if that counts. The first concert I went to because I wanted to was Springsteen, "Born in the U.S.A." tour, Los angeles, 1985. It was amazing, but I can't call it my favorite.

2. My favorite(s). The very first leg of the U2 Zoo TV Tour, when they were performing at indoor venues and before they started playing coliseums. But honestly: Jesus and Mary Chain, with Mazzy Star opening for them, at the Hollywood Palladium, probably in 1994/5? Also, LOVED seeing Smashing Pumpkins at Lolapalooza after the release of "Siamese Dream."

favorite: Jesus and Mary Chain, and seeing Mazzy Star open for them and--sadly but memorably--seeing Hope Sandoval throw down a microphone and leave the stage in a state of rage..

[Roon]

1. It was the 70's and I saw the orininal KISS perform

a band called breathless opened up for them.

My favorite concerts were all ten dead shows I have seen and Roger Water's radio KAOS tour.

[flvegan]

2. First: Kiss, on the "Crazy Nights" tour

Best: Tough one. I have to go with either The Cult on the Sonic Temple tour (I got to hang out with the band at the hotel after the show), my first Beastie Boys show on the Check Your Head tour (tiny venue, way up front) or the Monsters of Rock tour with Faith No More, Guns and Roses and Metallica. It was just an incredible concert, and before Axl started being an uberdick every night.

[Ohio Joe]

3. First was....

The Kinks. I've seen them three times and always awesome.

Best... hmmm, I saw Huey Lewis and the News in the early 80's at the Orange County Fair Grounds. A beautiful day for an out door concert. They were on stage for over four hours, played all of their biggest hits (which were "The Shit" back then), plus a very extended a capella (sp?) session covering big hits from 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's. It was sweet!

[BulletproofLandshark]

4. First: R.E.M. and Luscious Jackson at the San Diego Sports Arena in '95

Best: Rush at Nissan Pavilion in Bristow,VA in 2004.

[Forkboy]

5. First concert I saw was Neil Diamond with my father when I like 6 or 7.

First one I saw that was my own choice was Kiss (I'm more embarrassed by that than the Neil Diamond one).

I've literally seen a couple hundred shows by now, so singling out one is impossible. But here's a handful of bands that I've seen at least 5 times that never failed to deliver the goods.

Ed Hall
The Melvins
The Didjits
The Cows
Alice Donut

[htuttle]

6. First: Foghat at Alpine Valley

I think Black Oak Arkansas opened for them. I guess that dates me.

Best? Hmm... much harder. ZZ Top at Alpine from the lawn seats in the early 80's was amazing (or I was just really wasted...). Ozzy on the Blizzard of Oz tour was amazing (6th row seats at the Riverside!). Rush on the Moving Pictures tour was amazing (I had 3rd row seats for that one).

Oh, Ministry on the first leg of their Land of Rape and Honey tour (with Motorhead opening) was really good too...

I've been pretty lucky, concert wise. :shrug:

[Initech]

7. First: Beck shortly after Midnite Vultures was released

Favorite: That would be the Nine Inch Nails tour last year. It was so fuckin' awesome I would up going to three shows on the tour - Inglewood, Sacramento, and Vegas. Each one was different - LA had a nice mix between venue and crowd, Sacramento had a great crowd (but Arco Arena is not the best venue for concerts) and Vegas had the best venue. Hell that show was fuckin' tailor made for Vegas. Trent should've considered taking up permanent residence at Planet Hollywood.

A close second would be Tool on the 10000 Days tour at Nokia Theater in LA. To see a show on such a huge spectacle like Tool's in such a small venue was fucking indescribable.

[MountainLaurel]

8. First: Poison, can't remember the opening band

Best: Tina Turner, with Cyndi Lauper opening. My friend and I just stood there agog, saying "She is 59 years old." He saw her last year, when she was 69, and she was still kicking it.

[1gobluedem]

9. First: The Osmond Brothers at Cobo Arena in Detroit

My grandmother took me; I was in sixth grade.

Favorite: The Temptations (the original Temptations) and Four Tops together. Wow.

[Tom Kitten]

10. 1st Question: Jethro Tull w/opener Robin Trower

Jethro Tull did "A Passion Play" in full, as their first song. Then they did "Thick as a Brick", followed by "Aqualung", and "Crossed Eyed Mary"...I guess we left early as I heard they did "Wind Up" as an encore but didn't see it.
BTW, Robin Trower did great...did almost all of his 1st album "Twice Removed From Yesterday" but he had had a short set...

[abq e streeter]

11. several "firsts": "major" national act :Sly and the Family Stone with Steve Miller Band

opening . To this day one of the better shows I've ever seen ( summer '69). 1st local bands: Shadows of Knight with the New Colony 6 , summer of '67. Saw Pete Seeger with my mom and aunt when I was about 5 . Favorite show ever was my second Bruce Springsteen concert in '78; which slightly edges out my first Springsteen show in '75 ...Just saw him again 2 weeks ago and by god (and/or goddess) they're STILL amazing. Dylan and the Band opening night of Dylan's "comeback" tour in '74 was also an incredible experience. Other memorable shows include 1st two Mitch Ryder shows (78 and 79), 1st Los Lobos , Alice Cooper, at my college's homecoming dance in'70 (OK, actually didn't remember much of that night, but seem to remember being pretty impressed)) , 1st Leon Russell concert in'72...Other great shows: Rancid, The Cramps, and last but NOT least : Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros. ( All the great blues artists I've had the privilege of seeing in bars would be a different category than "concerts" I guess).

[NightWatcher]

12. First: Screaming Trees and Soul Asylum. Fav: Bob Dylan and Merle Haggard with my dad

seen the Dead a few times. I also enjoyed White Zombie and have seen them twice. I saw Elvis in utero, but I guess that doesnt count.

[janx]

13. First: The Moody Blues when I was 14...

After that, there were MANY concerts I attended with my brothers and friends. One of those would have to be a Bowie concert when I was about 16 or 17. I was a YES head and loved going to a Rick Wakeman concert. I love Dave Matthews concerts and saw them at Red Rocks during the 90s. I went to a local Bare Naked Ladies Concert in Boulder--outside--when I lived near there. I have seen U2 in concert as well, but that was in a very crowded stadium.

I still like classical and jazz/blues and have seen great performances of those. I would like to go to the Telluride Bluegrass festival but have neither the money nor the time at this point.

[LibDemAlways]

14. OK, this dates me.

First: Double bill - The Who and Herman's Hermits (unlikely pairing) at the Anaheim Convention Center sometime in the 60's.

Favorites: Elton John at Dodger Stadium 1975, Springsteen in LA in 87, and Green Day in LA in 2005.

[SoxFan]

15. OK

First: The Joe Perry Project at the local fairgrounds, July 4th weekend, 1982. First "big" concert was Rush at the Worcester Centrum in 1982.

Best: U2 at the Worcester Centrum, April 1985, Unforgettable Fire tour.

Honorable Mentions: The Kinks, Worcester Centrum, 1983; The Alarm, Capital Centre, Landover, MD, March 1986 (opening for Pat Benatar, of all people).

Best Bargains: Concrete Blonde, Steve Wynn, The Sidewinders @ The Channel, South Boston, 1990, $8.00
Smithereens, Violent Femmes, Lemonheads, Better Than Ezra, Offspring, Eve's Plumb, Possum Dixon, Deadeye Dick, WZRH-FM Zephyrfest, City Park, NOLA, 1994, $8.00

[abq e streeter]

22. I didn't list The Alarm among my absolute best, but they really were pretty damn good in person

I was fortunate to see them in a place that held a few hundred. Much better live than I expected them to be.

[SoxFan]

26. Their opening slot w/ Benatar made Rolling Stone

It was supposed to be an article on Benatar, but The Alarm's 8 song opening set took up half of the article.

[Inspired]

16. First - Foghat. Favorite - INXS for the extreme fun, Springsteen for the music.

[mtowngman]

17. Both at the Spectrum in Philly

First: The James Gang with Joe Walsh opened for Johnny Winter-probably 1972

Best: Pink Floyd-Animals tour (before the wall) I think 77-78ish-they started out by doing the entire Animals album. Took a break and then did the entire Wish You Were Here album, took another break and ended with Us and Them and Money.

These are big concerts, nowadays I try to catch the smaller, more intimate shows and a lot of those rank among my favorites. Last summer, for example, Dar Williams did a free show at a little park right here in Camden County and it was a great show.

Worth noting are Peter Gabriel at the Tower Theater 1980 and my first Springsteen show at the Trenton War Memorial-pre Born to Run-like "73 or '74

First Grateful Dead concert-1973 at the old Philadelphia Civic Center

[Arkansas Granny]

18. The first concert was in the early 70's and I saw Sugar Loaf, Dr. Hook

and the Medicine Show and Rare Earth. It's hard to say which one was my favorite, but it would be a close toss up between Pink Floyd, The Eagles and CSN.

[riverdale]

19. 234

1. Stevie Ray Vaughan, 1985

2. Pearl Jam, Smashing Pumpkins, Red Hot Chili Peppers at one show
Think that was in 1991. At the time no one had heard of Pearl Jam, but they kicked ass. The Pumpkins newest release was Gish if I recall correctly, so they weren't a big deal at the time either. Eddie Vedder did some stage diving. I made sure to remember the name Pearl Jam so I could look for their album :)

[bluesbassman]

20. First: Tower of Power at Winterland - Favorite: California Jam

A close second for favorite would be my mom taking me and some buddies to see Brownsville Station when I was 15. She got so contact high loaded that I had to drive home.:)

[Meshuga]

21. Kiss in Rio (1983)

1. My first concert was kiss live in 1983 in Rio de Janeiro. They still had the mask and Vinnie Vincent was on guitar.

2. My favorite convert was Jane's Addiction at lolapalooza in the early 1990's.

I like the small venues and George Clinton/P-Funk is my favorite live act of all time. I like the looooong shows.

[SKKY]

23. First was Rod Stewart "Bondes have more fun" tour in 1978...

...favorite? The First Lolapalooza at the World Music Theater in Chicago.

[BarenakedLady]

24. First : Cool and The Gang

Best: Barenaked Ladies...every time.

[Bennyboy]

25. First: Herman's Hermits and the Who....

1965, Sacramento Memorial Auditorium. I took Donna Butterfield and my parets drove us. Really really really hated The Who.(got over it). They were just so out there and radical and the Hermits were just nice boys.

Next was The Grateful Dead NYE 68-69. my cousin Skip took me. They passed around Kool-Aid and he told me "Don't drink too much". To this day, my Mom says, "you were always different after that weekend with Skip". Everything changed that night.

My favorite was The Dead any time they played. they did something that nobody else did and it was great and never got old.

The Last Waltz. The movie does not do this show justice. almost like two different events.

The Deepest End (Gov't Mule) 17 bassists and lots of other guests. New Orleans 2002. Show went till 5 AM. Warren Haynes is freaking GOD.

Leftover Salmon every time I see them they just blow my mind. my kind of music, fun fun fun.

String Cheese Incident on NYE. Incredible themed shows. Fire dancers, arielists, trip rooms, art everywhere, tightrope walkers...too much. As many GD shows I saw on NYE, nothing comes close tot he energy of SCI on NYE.

SCI at Hornings Hideout. Tripping at some summer camp with your favorite band.

Bruce Springsteeen 12-15-78 Winterland. listen to the show, you'll know why (www.wolfgangsvault.com)

The Rolling Stones Some Girls tour Oakland on Micks birthday. peter Tosh opened the show and at the end of his set he started throwing spliffs off the stage. I jumped up and grabbed on. put that thing in my pocket for later. Dropped some liquid too. During Santana I went to the top of the collesium and puffed that spliff down. Got really high. really really really high.

There was a tightrope walker between the scoreboards. windy day too..... Five large helicopters circled the stadium. Just as the tightrope walker got to the other end, the helicopters opened their doors and brazillions of multi colored ping pong balls rained down on the crowd as a million multi colored balloons went skyward. Trapeze artists dropped out of the stage opening and the band kicked in. the single most intense moment of my life.

the band was incredible that tour too, one of my favorite albums too. But that balloon/ping pong ball thing was TOO MUCH!

[bluesbassman]

27. The Who and HHs are a crazy bill.

I'm sure there were some confused people on both sides of the fence that showed up for those shows.:)

[Bennyboy]

28. The Who were totally unknown then......

At least to most people that were there.

[Common Sense Party]

29. First: Def Leppard, Pyromania tour. Uriah Heep opened.

Favorite? That's a tough one.

Probably U2, Joshua Tree tour.

Close second: R.E.M., Document tour--Palmer Chiropractic college

Close third: Cheap Trick and REO Speedwagon. Fun concert.

[carlyhippy]

30. 1st concert-Ted Nugent Wango Tango tour, best concert Heart 1986

Carly

[tabbycat31]

31. first and favorite

First-- Mariah Carey at MSG in 1993. She was building a house in the town my dad works for (the house has since burned down) and needed town approval on a crapload of stuff. She gave everyone who gave her the approval she needed tickets to her NYC show.

Favorite-- Nine Days, Trenton NJ 4-4-01. It was right after I turned 21 and they dedicated a song to me for my 21st birthday (and said I was drunk 24 hours a day)

[Symarip]

32. First big show: Oingo Boingo, Irvine Meadows 1989

First club show: No Doubt with Sublime opening, World Beat Center 1991

Best is a tough call because I guestimate I've been to over 200 shows. Any Boingo show is pretty spectacular be it at the Palladium in LA or one of the various super arena's for Halloween (it's a So Cal thing - you wouldn't understand). Hepcat at the World Beat in 97 when the lights went out and Alex and Greg sang four or five old Jamaican songs A Capella. Speaking of Jamaicans, Desmond Dekker put on an amazing show a before he passed. Saw him at the Del Mar Fairgrounds in 05. Mr. Bungle in TJ but I don't really remember too much of that show. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones with The Pietasters in 96 at SOMA in San Diego.