Your First Concert

[Cachoo]

What was your first concert: My parents took my sister and me to an Osmond Brothers concert early 70's. My first concert without parents was The Doobie Brothers. You?

 

[once_upon]

Three Dog Night. One our first dates, maybe 5 months into dating - which as high school students in marching band every Friday night and part time working, probably 6 dates? We were 16 and 17

 

[DFJ]

The best: Rolling Stones, Montreal!!!

ETA: 1965

 

[danafan]

My mom and aunt took me and my cousin to the Jacksons 'victory tour' concert in Toronto in 1984. I think I still have the ticket stub somewhere.

 

[Deleted member 221]

Bon Jovi! Philadelphians count him as one of our own even if he’s from across the river.

 

[Stefanie]

The Dixie Chicks at the MCI Center in DC in 2000 (or maybe it was 2001--one of those two years because I was in high school)! I can still remember getting lost in DC while trying to get home that night.

 

[annie720]

The Association in the late '60s or early '70s. My older brother took me as a birthday present.

 

[Frau Muller]

Ballets de San Juan at the gorgeous Tapia Theater in Old San Juan, April 1959...I still have the treasured playbill. The Puerto Rican Institute of Culture used to hold an annual Festival de Teatro Puertorriqueno, every April at the Tapia - a mix of spoken theater and ballet. My grandma & mom figured that, at age 3, I could handle the ballet portion...I still have vague recollections of a pink piggy on pointe...the main character in Juan Bobo y Las Fiestas. By age 6-7, I was taken to a kid's matinee by the local symphony orchestra with guest solo cellist Pablo Casals, no less!

 

[quartz]

Queen. At the CNE in Toronto 1979. My friends were appalled that I took joints from strangers. Lol….

 

[Cachoo]

Queen. At the CNE in Toronto 1979. My friends were appalled that I took joints from strangers. Lol….

I was such a dweeb. I asked "What's a Doobie?" And then the lights went out for the show and it was "oooohhhhh."

 

[AYS]

I always have to share my first concert story when the topic comes up because it was so absolutely incredible. Elton John, Madison Square Garden, Thanksgiving night 1974 (I was about a week shy of my 14th birthday). The Caribou tour - EJ himself was incredible - opened with Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding, which started in a darkened arena with strobes flickering. But the mind-blowing happened when John Lennon came out on stage and performed When I saw her standing there, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, and Whatever Gets You through the Night. When the crowd realized what was happening, it was mayhem, in the best way.

I was one of those screaming, crying fans we've seen footage of from the Beatles' 1964 tour.

 

[Judy]

What was your first concert: My parents took my sister and me to an Osmond Brothers concert early 70's. My first concert without parents was The Doobie Brothers. You?

Same here but my parents made my brother take me .

 

[alexikeguchi]

I went to numerous classical music concerts earlier in life, but my first rock concert was Simon and Garfunkel at the Paris Hippodrome. I really wanted to see the Rolling Stones there just a few days later but was at the mercy of my French hosts, and apparently Simon and Garfunkel was preferable among 15-16 year old girls in Paris lol. When my exchange sister came to New York, we went to Queen at Madison Square Garden.

 

[DFJ]

I was just thinking further about my above post. Oh, those were the days. I begged my father for the money to buy my ticket. A whopping $3.25.

After my purchase I showed my dad a picture of the band. Poor man almost had a heart attack. Such innocent times.

 

[Cachoo]

I was just thinking further about my above post. Oh, those were the days. I begged my father for the money to buy my ticket. A whopping $3.25.

After my purchase I showed my dad a picture of the band. Poor man almost had a heart attack. Such innocent times.

I still have my Springsteen/E Street ticket for 1984. Four hours for $17. Not bad...

 

[Susan1]

Paul McCartney, with my husband, February 12, 1990, Riverfront Coliseum (whatever it is called now). It happened to be the anniversary of our first date. My usual long story. I was upstairs on a Saturday morning and heard about it on the radio. I went flying down the stairs screaming. "Paul McCartney - we have to go we have to go".

So, you had to get line tickets from Camelot Music when they had them. During the week some time, they said you could get them. I called Camelot from work to ask if they had them. He said yes. It was right before lunch and I said I'm going to lunch. I worked close to the mall. I got there and I said I just called about the line tickets. He said "what did you do, take the Concorde". har de har har. Got the line tickets. The next Saturday, we had to go to Camelot and wait in line. The desk was in the back of the store, and we started out in the mall right at the door of the store. I was so afraid they were going to run out. People were letting other people get in line with them because you could get 6 tickets, and we all got sick of it and kept yelling "no" and telling them to get out of the line. I thought there was going to be a fight.

But, got the tickets. I kept them in my underwear drawer. Everybody at work knew I was going. The day of the concert, a couple of the guys were standing in the hall around the corner from my desk and stage whispering about "some rock star's plane that just crashed landing in Cincinnati". Oh brother. And when I was leaving early "wait, can you do this first". No. Bye.

We were about halfway up, along the side. I could see him clearly. I almost cried when he came out. It was great.

Second time (I have a lot of Paul concert memories) - divorced and working at NCR. May 5, 1993. A lady I used to work with at Qsource called and told me he was going to be in Cincinnati again. This time at Riverfront Stadium. Let's go! We went to get the good ol' line tickets at good ol' Camelot Music in the mall on a Saturday. Her ex-boyfriend, who I met when we worked together, worked in IT at NCR and when they broke up, he asked me out. No way. I called her immediately. So there we are standing in the mall and he is in line with some girl, with the two of us two people behind him. hee hee

So day of concert, me driving on I-75 in concert traffic at rush hour! We ended up stopped on the highway for about 15 minutes cause people had nowhere to go. I had no idea where we were supposed to park, got off the exit everybody else did and there was a parking lot with an "open" sign. Pulled in and got the last spot, right by the exit. We said Paul helped us. Friend's ex and the girl sat two rows ahead of us, even with third base line (Paul took up the whole outfield) in good baseball seats. She brought binoculars too. Tickets back then were like $35. I've never been to any other concerts.

 

[Jot the Dot Dot]

Would you believe Cheech And Chong when I was 13? With my Dad, and my younger brother! Years later, I met Tommy, and got him to sign a copy of The I-Chong for my sister.

 

[Cachoo]

Would you believe Cheech And Chong when I was 13? With my Dad, and my younger brother! Years later, I met Tommy, and got him to sign a copy of The I-Chong for my sister.

I will forever love Santa Claus and His Old Lady.

 

[Jenny]

Ah, memories of lining up overnight to score concert tickets, or taking your chances and buying from scalpers at the venue, in the days before they all got cell phones and fixed the prices so you couldn't negotiate any more, and long before Ticketmaster/StubHub made it near impossible for mere mortals to buy concert tickets!

For me it was Supertramp, summer of 79

 

[Japanfan]

The concert I remember first going to was David Bowie - may not have been the actual first, but is the first I recall.

It was awesome. Bowie is an incredible performer.

 

[Winnipeg]

Bowie was my first. He was amazing.

 

[Evgeniafan]

The concert I remember first going to was David Bowie - may not have been the actual first, but is the first I recall.

It was awesome. Bowie is an incredible performer.

Bowie wasn't my first,but his was one of the best I ever saw.

 

[PRlady]

James Taylor, Academy of Music in Philly, 1969. Carole King opened for him and we didn’t know who she was.

This was after years of being taken to classical music concerts by mom. Little white gloves and all, not kidding.

ETA: I think 1976 was CBGB with Patti Smith. Oh did I think I was cool.

 

[SkateSand]

My first concert was The Turtles as the headliner and Buffalo Springfield as a supporting act. I remember some of my friends (a lot of us from school attended this concert - I was there with three other school friends) almost left at intermission because they thought the concert was over, being completely clueless about intermissions.

 

[Judy]

Ah, memories of lining up overnight to score concert tickets, or taking your chances and buying from scalpers at the venue, in the days before they all got cell phones and fixed the prices so you couldn't negotiate any more, and long before Ticketmaster/StubHub made it near impossible for mere mortals to buy concert tickets!

For me it was Supertramp, summer of 79

Supertramp!

 

[Jenny]

I remember some of my friends (a lot of us from school attended this concert - I was there with three other school friends) almost left at intermission because they thought the concert was over, being completely clueless about intermissions.

LOL off topic but reminds me of the first time I took my husband* to the ballet, and at second intermission, he's headed toward the doors outside. I stopped him and said there's a third act, and he's like there is? to which I pointed out that the sleeping beauty was in fact still sleeping, so yeah, there's another act.

*In his defense, he has grown to appreciate ballet very much in the years since, and has a good laugh looking back at those first experiences!

 

[skatemomaz]

Bruce Springsteen 1973, my sister and I were huge fans. He was playing the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix, a theatre in the round and not a bad seat in the house. Tickets were $20.

 

[SamChez]

The Carpenters, 1975, Hays Kansas. Later that year, Barry Manilow, Linda Rondstadt. We got the big-city pop concerts that year.

 

[Cachoo]

The Carpenters, 1975, Hays Kansas. Later that year, Barry Manilow, Linda Rondstadt. We got the big-city pop concerts that year.

Small world---was Gross Memorial Coliseum finished by then? I applied for and was on Concert Committee for a couple of years. I was amazed that we were so far away from EVERYTHING but could get these fun concerts. Early 80's for me..

 

[another sk8rmom]

For me it was Peter Frampton, Lynyrd Skynard, J.Geils Band, Dicky Betts at JFK Stadium in Philly 1977