Your very first concert?

Van Hagar. Bachman Turner Overdrive opened.

I was 16 and it was a String Cheese Incident/Gov't Mule/Phil Lesh and Friends concert at the Greek Theater in Berkeley, CA. It was great. The entire theater was lit up with bowls, which was a sight that I couldn't have compared to anything until my first Big Game Eve bonfire rally as a student there. Also, my dad was attacked by a morbidly obese meth addict accusing him of being "part of the machine keeping me from my crystal" and had to be calmed down from near hysteria by a bunch of hippies. It was a fucking glorious experience.

growing up in small town canada, "technically" my first concerts would have been either Our Lady Peace, or the Tea Party when I was.. 15? 16?

however my first "real" concert, that didn't take place in some cheesy local auditorium, would probably be nine inch nails.

i was (cliched, i know) in the midst of depression in 2005, saw that nine inch nails (a band i'd been a fan of since just after Downward Spiral) was touring clubs for with teeth. not being quite right in the head, i simply picked a date on their tour (May, and in Philadelphia), found tickets on ebay, booked a flight, and flew solo to my first "real" concert. it was a 2 day booking at the electric factor in philly, and i got tickets to both shows.

the first night was my first pit experience, i nearly died during march of the pigs and never felt more alive.
the second night i spend on the balcony, just.. taking it all in.

needless to say, changed my life, haven't stopped driving/flying to completely out of the way concerts since.

Tower of Power at the state fair

I always wonder how to answer this question. Was it the Amy Grant/Michael W. Smith concert that I was dragged to when I spent the night at a friend's house (I like this one 'cause for some reason I have a mad crush on Amy Grant)? Was it the Hank Williams Jr. with Ricky Van Shelton as the opening act when I was some age that i don't even remember (this is saying a lot cause I remember every important event in my life and when it happened. I remember this happening but I truly have no clue when it happened)? Maybe it was Aerosmith and Skid Row on the Pump tour when I was in the 8th grade. Yeah, that probably should count. It was at the Frank Erwin Center on UT campus in Austin. Those are my first technical concerts.

I'm into music at 33 cause when I was 17 I saw Uganded Giant, Product, Beanpole, Kid's Meal and Gut play at Lil' Vegas Pizza Parlor in Copperas Cove, TX. I was three years older than I was at the Aerosmith concert yet I consider that one "my very first concert."


Sometime close to the concert that changed my life at 17

Which one was fucking first?

The Jackson's Victory Tour- Age 11 -Atlanta Fulton County Stadium

The rails were coming off the Michael Jackson train, but I refused to get off. Stuck around longer than I should. Remember nothing but empty spectacle.

Unfortnately, I was not allowed to go to Prince & the Revolution's Purple Rain Tour even though given a ticket because the show was rated 'R'.

Thanks a lot, Mom and Dad!

If this question is only and purely quantitative then it means nothing. I might have been dragged to a concert when I was six months old. Does that count as my first concert? Or maybe you went to a handful of concerts (cultural or friendly peer pressure) and then went to one that, 20 years later you consider your first real concert. I think there is a quantitative and a qualitative answer to that question and that's what I tried to answer.

Yeah. Unless you went to one at 3 months of age. Then that one would be first. Because it was earlier.

The question is pretty straightforward. If you were "dragged" (what, against your six month old will?) to a concert at six months old, then sadly it might not mean much to you, but the story of being dragged (carried, really) to said concert is the story, whether or not it has any special meaning to you.

Strange as it may seem, "Your very first concert?" may have less to do with you than you think. Just fucking answer it and get your head out out of your ego.

How was Van Hagar, Phil? Did Sammy yell, "We're all 5150!!!!!!"

I don't remember. I was 15, and I was on my big brother's shoulders in the 10th row. I recall thinking it was awesome. I wish I could bend space and time and randomly decide some other concert was my first concert, but there it is. I recall it rocking.

Ego is as ego does. I did answer the question in the first paragraph. I chose to separate concerts that I was taken to and concerts that I chose to go to. Big fucking deal.

Garth Brooks when I was just a little guy. Remains to be one of the best live performances ever.

You mentioned first concertS. You confused my widdle bwain.

I was asked a question and then I answered it.

Horribly.

You win.

I'm sorry.

My first concert was Duran Duran. Some people regret the person they lost their virginity to, me I have this.

Ewww.

American Head Charge. My friend got his chin cut when it was hit by a beer bottle. Now his chin frowns. It's awfully bittersweet.

Rob Zombie at the Tabernacle in Atlanta in 2002. This was the Demon Speeding tour and he was still in ultra theatrical mode. Fantastic experience and I've never missed a Zombie concert since.

Whitney Houston. I was 12.

Prince, I was 16.

U2, Joshua Tree tour. Had Los Lobos and Buckwheat Zydeco on the bill with them.

Vanilla Ice at the Birmingham N.E.C.

ZZ Top when I was 9 or 10. I remember their stage show being absolutely huge, and thinking every band put on these huge performances for their shows. No idea what my first concert was without my parents, but I was around 14 or 15 when that happened. Probably RHCP or NIN with my brother.

Age: 9

Year: 1984

Concert: The Jackson 5 "Victory Tour" (which ironically featured a good amount of MJ's solo hits).

So jealous. I would have loved to see that tour live.

Vanilla Ice/New Kids on the Block

I sure was one badass kid back in the day.

Sting on the NOTHING LIKE THE SUN tour. Great show, too.

Edit to say I saw some tours with the Houston Rodeo (including Elvis Presley!), but for me those don't really count. You know what, I take it back, Elvis should count.

So... my first concert (when I was 4!) was Elvis.

Technically it was when I was much younger and dragged to a Backstreet Boys show, of which I'm not proud of. But I'd rather say it was Muse when I was 16 or 17. A good show as well, though I went alone. Everyone I knew in school had shitty taste in music (Limp Bizkit, Linkin Park, Evanescence...).

Rush (for 'Hold Your Fire') back in 1987 at the Met Center in Bloomington, MN. It was an awesome show. I was 17.

That year, I also saw Pink Floyd (for 'A Momentary Lapse of Reason') at the Metrodome and Cheap Trick at Valley Fair.

edited to add: Don't disparage Van Hagar. I saw them in 1988 on their Monsters of Rock festival tour (for 'OU812') and they were great.

Same here, but in my defence: I was only twelve. And it was around the time they had 'The Reflex' and all, my dad took me cause we got free tickets through my uncle. Saw Paul Simon on the Graceland tour one year later, that made a much bigger impression (with a huge African band, Ladysmith Black Mambazo & all).
First time I went on my own though, I was 15, and summer festivals were starting to become a rite of passage around here. It was an alternative festival in Belgium that nowadays is one of the biggest of the season. The line-up was STELLAR: Dinosaur Jr, Sonic Youth, Ride, The House of Love, Black Francis doing an exclusive set of Pixies songs solo, The Pogues, and The Ramones headlining. They had a largely forgotten funkmetal band called Limbomaniacs lined-up to open, which was actually one of the reasons I was going (I was completely into crossover at that point). Those were cancelled at the last moment, to my dismay, and were replaced by a little unknown band called... Nirvana. Who noone really paid attention to really. Then exactly a month later, they released 'Smells Like Teen Spirit'.

Hmm, I think it was 1982 (not 100% sold on the year, perhaps 81) - at the Astrodome during the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo - Crystal Gale.

Van Hagar in '95 during the balance tour in Ames, Iowa. Were they in their prime? No, but Eddie is still Eddie and for that reason alone it will probably never be topped for me. Fifth row, a chick in a skimpy outfit next to me got escorted back stage about fifteen minutes before the show ended, some guys in their late thirties stole beer from some late teens/early twentysomethings and threatened to kick the shit out of them. Almost caught a beer cup thrown by Micheal Anthony and my roommate found one of his bass picks. Good memories, and holy crap was it really 13 years ago?

Judas, do they still have concerts at Valley Fair? Went last summer, had a giant piece of grease pizza and went on Wild Thing. That ended my day of actually going on the rides.

2004, AFI. The experience was on par with being in 'Nam. It was a strange day that day.

The funny thing being I had met the frontman I think a month earlier so I was stoked to see the show.

Proudly ... an Iron Maiden/Anthrax double bill when I was 15 or 16. Man, I wish I still had that t-shirt (and that it could come even close to still fitting).

BTW, Van Hagar was my second show. Strange, how much they're showing up here.

That is so very awesome. I wonder if there are enough of us to make a "Shitty Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo Concert" thread. I got stuck with Billy Ray Cyrus at the peak of Achy Breaky Heart.

Sweet Jesus Billy. I'm shocked you made it out alive.

I honestly don't know if they still do concerts there or not. I haven't been to Valley Fair in probably 10 years.

Cheap Trick there was pretty surreal. Remember 'This is Spinal Tap', when the band plays their Jazz Odyssey? The crowd was kinda like that. The band was pretty much at their nadir of popularity ('Lap of Luxury' was a couple of years away), so they played the entire concert by request. People would shout out a song and they'd play it...I shit you not, they played 'She's Tight' at least 3 times.

Sighs. I was there too. I hate to even admit this, but I probably saw every show between 91 and 00 (company I worked for had season tickets - perk for the upper mgmt). If I ever see Reba, George Strait, Brooks & Dunn or Alan Jackson again then I just might have to off myself.

1991, Faith No More at the Toledo Sports Arena.


Now there is something not to be ashamed of.

For the life of me I cannot remember the opening act.

Funny thing is that in Jr. High, early HS little headbanger Swice saw a lot of concerts. Queensryche, Metallica, Lynch Mob, Suicidal Tendencies, Anthrax... my friends always seemed to be getting tickets.

Most shameful concert? 1993 Salt N Peppa in Knoxville, TN.

Sounds like you were quite the headbanger/meathead in your younger days Swice.

Kind of weird, no? But for some reason that was the trend in our subdivision.

Me too. I fought tooth and nail with the people I went with to leave early, or at least let me go outside and enjoy the cold weather and hot chili. I don't think I will ever attain that level of my "I hope you die so I can fuck your achy breaky skull" stare again.

Sighs x2. I've been stuck at all of those shows myself. My dad's companies have always had tickets, or we had friends that got us tickets. First my sister went through her shit kicker phase, so I got stuck going, then my dad fancied himself a cowboy and I got stuck going to some more. What makes it worse is the copious amounts of amazingly hot women that go apeshit for that crap. You really want to stare at them bouncing around in their skin tight jeans and ropers, but then you just want to hate fuck them.

I love/hate you.

Hey it could have easily been grunge or hip hop at that time.

Die fantastischen Vier at the sweet age of 15.

Queensryche. Wow. One of the few bands I haven't seen that I regret not seeing. Their Empire album floats in my Top 10 Rock Album list. Oddly enough, I was just listening to that album on the way into work this morning.

I wouldn't call that one shameful at all. Shoop, Shoop baby.

I've seen QR twice: Once for 'Hear in the Now Frontier' (when they still had Chris De Garmo) and again for their Greatest Hits CD. They were great the first time and utterly horseshit the next time. Listen to 'Empire' and enjoy it, but don't waste your time going to see them at this point.