First Concert? Observations?

RUSH - "2112" - International Amphitheater, Chicago, Illinois. Fall - 1978.

Things I still remember:

1. How loud it was and how great it sounded. I probably still like this album because of this concert.

2. How much "smoking" was going on.

3. How long my ears rang for.

Dio w/ Megadeth & Savatage - Spectrum, Philadelphia, PA - Fall 1987

I got the ticket from a HS classmate. Drove him down, but lost him sometime during the show. Waited until most of parking lot was empty and drove home. I think he thought I'd be more into "smoking" than I was/am.

He got 10th row seats, which quickly turned into front row seats after the show started and the crowd pushed forward. Megadeth (who I really wanted to see) were supporting the Peace Sells... record at the time and it was cool getting to see them that close. I vaguely remember Savatage at all...

Dio was... Dio. I've always been familiar with his stuff, but wouldn't consider myself a hardcore 'fan.' About halfway through the set I finally called "uncle" from getting crushed against the barrier and signaled for a guard to get me out and back to somewhere I could breathe again.

And yes... that was my first experience with "ringing ears" as well.

Edit: after petegossett posted, maybe Helloween was the first band. Apparently we both saw the same tour.

The Guess who.

Toronto exhibition grandstand, summer of 1972. I was pretty young, but I knew what that smell was. The sound was like nothing I'd ever heard.

I saw the (Rush) All the world's a stage tour 4 years later at Maple leaf gardens when, I was 14.

Clearly, this thread calls for Heavy Metal Parking Lot, the 30 minute video from 1986.

My first impression of my first concert (it was a mass of classic rock performers) was this:

Do people hear better when they stand up?

Why can't everybody stay seated and listen to the music and relax? I don't like standing for hours.

Rob R.

First concert without my parents, let's see: 1981, HS junior, double date with my g/f, friend, and his g/f. Saw the Moody Blues at the Spectrum in Philly. Surprisingly good show.

Weird Al.
Bellingham, WA 199?

Awful, awful seats.
Still not sure how I talked my mom into buying the ticket, or into letting (young) teenage me go alone.

Ozzy Osbourne with Black Label Society and Atreyu in about 2006. (I'd been to a couple concerts prior to that, but it hardly counts if you're 12 and you go with your parents; Ozzy was when I was 17 and unsupervised)

We bought cheap-ass tickets at the gate from some scalper who was about out of time before the concert started. Got 'em for about $15 a pop, online they were $50ish. Outdoor amphitheater, we were quite a ways from the stage, but the sound was great.

Lots of smoking, though none directly within our group ("honestly sir, I didn't inhale").

First concert: The Go-Go's with Flock of Seagulls as opening act. 1982 I was 16. I took a date. The adult supervision was my 23 yr old sister and her boyfriend.
We traveled in my sister's, then new, Plymouth TC3 of identical appearance.

wvumtnbkr wrote: My first impression of my first concert (it was a mass of classic rock performers) was this: Do people hear better when they stand up? Why can't everybody stay seated and listen to the music and relax? I don't like standing for hours.

Beats the hell out of me... I will admit one of the most enjoyable concerts I ever went to was Judas Priest, mainly because the guy in front of me was there with his g/f and didn't want to be there, so he sat for almost the entire show, so consequently, I could stay seated at the same time. I mean we're already at the back of venue - how much more can you see if standing?

Ozzy and an unknown band at the time Queensryche opening, sometime 1986 in Orlando FL.

I was in the Navy, about a year along, and a friend talked me into getting a ticket when he realized I'd never been to a concert. Also because I had a car and could drive him.

Really glad I discovered Queensryche at that time, I think I liked them better than Ozzy (remember this was 1986 and full on silver glitter pants, no shirt, overweight and huffing and puffing through the lyrics).

Damn. You know, I don't remember. Must not have been that great!!! I think the first BIG concert I went to was Soundgarden opening for Guns & Roses at Joe Robbie Stadium in Miami.

I remember how freaking cold it was (We were on THE top row.) Smelling pot for the first time. I was really excited to see Soundgarden, but Chris Cornell's voice was so pitchy it was painful. Everyone in G&R was drunk or stoned. Sloppy.

I was 5 or 6, I saw Raffi. It was awesome. We got ice cream on the way home.

I went to my first concert back in grade school at an outdoor venue, but I honestly don't remember what it was.

My first memorable concert was during my senior year of high school. My friends convinced me to take my girlfriend at the time to see Old Crow Medicine Show, even though I had never heard them before. It was a tiny two-story venue, and the crowd was a bit nutty. Playing the band's harmonicas whenever the band turned their backs, and my girlfriend got a beer dumped on her from the second level.

Most importantly, what an amazing way to get exposed to a new band. I'm not sure how I would classify OCMS; a little bit of country, a little bit of bluegrass, a lot of drugs, but they put on a great show. I have been fortunate enough to see them twice since.

Dio w/Megadeath & Helloween at Indianapolis in 1987. Borrowed dad's pickup & drove the ~100mi there with a friend. Missed almost all of Helloween, really wanted to see Megadeath but ended up blown away by Dio and his stage show(ironically, I later saw Dio again in the late 90's playing in a converted bowling alley - he still rocked as much, if not more than, he did in that stadium \m/).

The most memorable part? The drive home: 90-miles of barren interstate at 1:30am and people passing us like we were standing still. So I buried the hammer on dad's pickup, the speedo pegged way past its 85mph limit, and I kept it there the whole way to our exit.

This is pathetic.... First concert I wanted to go to was Train (Maroon5 opening act) last summer. Yes... my first concert I was 35yo. Maroon5 put on a really good show and I was impressed with their performance.... it was loud. We got to sit the entire show because we were back row, agaist the wall up top. It was great.

There is one concert that I will always regret missing.

Back in my first or second year of school, The Flaming Lips played a free outdoor show at our band shell. I learned about it the next day. FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU

1992 Day on the Green At the Oakland A's Stadium. I was 18 in town visiting my brother. Line up was Body Count, Metallica, and Gun 'N' Roses.

It was awesome. Was crushed against the fence as GNR opened their set with 'Welcome to the Jungle'

The crowd tore up the turf as the day went on, there were chunks of it airborne almost constantly.

Now not so much memorable about my first concert, but memorable about my first concert back home in Ohio? Lack of "festival seating"

I went to many MANY metal shows in the 80s and very early 90s, mostly stationed in VA. Almost all were festival seating, sit/stand wherever you want depending on how early you got in the door. I took it for granted.

I came home on leave once in Summer of 1990 and saw Kiss was at the Gardens (Cincinnati). Designated seats, you had to sit/stand at THAT seat. I was then reminded this was the home of the Who concert tragedy in '79 (I think) when people rushed the doors when they heard the band tuning their instruments & thought it had started, with first come first served seating.

Not sure if even today you can get festival seating in Cincinnati.

Green Day 1995 in Worcester, MA. Don't remember much because of the "smoking" that took place.

You know, I think it was Pete Seeger. My grandparents took me. I still have the autographed album. I was way young, so I'd guess mid '70s.

Gearheadotaku wrote: The crowd tore up the turf as the day went on, there were chunks of it airborne almost constantly.

Are we going here?

ZZ Top/Outlaws - Alpine Valley Ski Resort - Wisconsin. Awesome early 1980's summer Saturday afternoon. A lot of beer was being consumed (it is Wisconsin) - I hurry to the men's room to find 15+ guys in line behind each urinal. The sinks only had 3+ guys waiting to pee in them. I couldn't wait.............

First concert was Yes, sometime in the 90's.

Impression was that their audience had definitely aged. Lots of staying to your seats, not a lot of up and moving about. Musicianship was excellent though. When I later saw Fish (two girls in college needed a ride, and offered to pay for everything), I couldn't help but compare the two. Even aging, Yes rocked. Fish wanted to have it, and just didn't.

I think my first biggun was ACDC when for those about to rock came out, but it's kinda hazy. There mighta been another one before that but not sure if...What's funny is I still have the tshirt from that show.

Jay_W wrote: I *think* my first biggun was ACDC when for those about to rock came out, but it's kinda hazy. There mighta been another one before that but not sure if...What's funny is I still have the tshirt from that show.

<---jealous. I'd be even more jealous if it was during the Bon Scott era.

I'd have killed to see Van Halen. At the beginning. I've met a bunch of folks who have.

"Dude, how were they!?"

Answer is always the same:

"LOUD!"