Do you remember the first time?
The mood meters are pointing to "bad" today for a number of reasons that would be of no interest to you, unless you're interested in uninteresting things, and then they will definitely be of interest to you. Ask me later.
To pull me out of my bad mood, I'm going to take the desperate move of soliciting comments, and that is to ask you all what your first concert was, where it was and when it was. What was mine? Oh! Thanks for asking! My first concert couldn't have been better: Van Halen, the Summit¹ in Houston, summer before 8th grade, 1985. It was the first of three sold-out shows and I was completely floored. My parents took me, and I felt so rebellious when someone unfurled a bedsheet-sign that said "Van Fuckin' Halen". It was classic.
So now I'm going to sit and wait for your comments as a way to pass time until Christian and Ivan take over the DJ decks at the Galaxy Hut tonight at 9:00. That's both an official endorsement and an "or else" that you'd better be there.
¹ Interestingly enough, the Summit was converted into an enormous Baptist church in the '90's, which is part sad, but part great that the same building where I saw Van Halen, Bon Jovi, Cinderella, the Pretenders and the Rockets win the 1986 NBA Western Conference Championship is now full of religious zealots.
18 comments:
9th Grade, April 1988, Cap Centre.
David Lee Roth (Poison opened). Yes, the one where he rides a big surf board over the audience just like in the video. Steve Vai was on guitar.
I'd already been to a few shows at smaller venues, usually with local bands, and some folk concerts that my parents took me to. And of course we went to lots of classical/symphony concerts on school field trips. But this was my first big arena rock show. In storage somewhere I still have the Poison t-shirt I bought that became a classic after their album cover was banned.
Psychedelic Furs, summer before 8th grade in Overland Park, Kansas (outside Kansas City). It was the last time that I ever saw my friend, Bahia, who may have been my most influential friend. She single-handedly had me permenantly labeled "freak" among our classmates.
I remember clearly that Tanya Carter announced to Bahia and me in homeroom one day that she and her youth group prayed for us the night before. I told her not to bother because my own youth group was already taking care of that.
I'm pretty sure that Tanya Carter and her venus-flytyrap bangs are what's the matter with Kansas
Oh, if we're talking about "important" concerts, that's another subject entirely. Seeing Simple Minds at Southern Star Amphitheater (an "amusement park shed"...perfect term, btw) at Astroworld (RIP) at the end of my freshman year was pretty much THE moment where I went from listening to crap pseudo-metal to actually listening to good music that I still love today. It was also the first time I danced like crazy at a show and didn't care what anyone thought of me. The fact that I honestly didn't care that one of my supposed friends said I, "looked like a fag" was a real moment for me.
Another important show was OMD at the Sam Houston Coliseum. I wasn't even that excited about the show, but I danced like crazy, and really found my real appreciation of synth pop that night.
Come on, people. Don't think I don't know that you're looking at this site and not giving up the goods. I happen to know at least two of you have great first shows.
Megarita and Xtian, I'm calling you both out.
All right, all right. First two shows:
Elton John, I think it was Madison Square Garden.
Squeeze.
Both incredible, mind-altering experiences. I'm a pop whore now, what can I say...
You weren't calling me out, but I have a pretty good one - November, 1987 - R.E.M. at the Fox Theater in Atlanta. It was one of the 4 shows that were there - which were the last on that tour (which I guess was right before they moved from IRS to Warner Bros). I had gotten into R.E.M. the summer before at summer camp - my counselor played Life's Rich Pageant all the time, and I was hooked - I'd never heard anything like them before. So, I was able to score some tickets to the show after they went and added 2 more dates at the Fox - since the previous 2 had sold out so fast. I remember waiting on the damn phone forever to buy the tickets, but ended up with pretty decent balcony tickets.
Anyway, at camp, I also had one of those summer relationships that you can only have when you are between the 8th and 9th grade with this girl, Amanda, who lived in Atlanta (I lived in Columbus, GA), and decided to ask her to go with me to the show. I'm pretty sure she had forgotten about me by that fall, but she went with me to the show anyway. So, my dad drove me up there, we picked up Amanda, and went to the show (I'm not sure what my dad did - I guess he hung out in the car or something - because he didn't go to the show - hmmm, I can't wait 'till I have to do that for my kid). The show was amazing. The dB's opened up (which I guess was a little foreshadowing of our moving to Winston-Salem the next year), and then R.E.M. came out and opened with "Feeling Gravity's Pull", and from then on, I'm pretty sure I didn't talk to Amanda the rest of the night. I still get chills when I think about Stipe singing "I Believe" and holding his throat during the "my throat hurts" part. Oh man, so cool. Anyway, discovering R.E.M. that previous summer and then that show really, really changed my life as far as music goes (and probably a bunch of other related things).
That's a great one, Doug! And I was calling you out, just not by name. I just happen to know what Megarita and Xtian's first shows are, and they're worth telling. But that's just as good. Amazing...and in Atlanta, too!
Pity my poor little sister. Her first show? Richard Marx. At the same amusement park shed where I saw Simple Minds.
Ok, you clamoring masses! The first concert I ever attended was Depeche Mode, Black Celebration tour at Merriweather Post Pavillion. Book of Love opened. My big brother took me. I remember that Saturday afternoon feeling like the longest of my life. I just could not wait. I'm fairly certain I watched a good portion of the "Sgt Peppers Lonely Hearts Club Band" movie (starring the Bee Gees and Peter Frampton) on television to pass the time. At the concert I remember striking up a conversation with the stranger sitting next to me, who was really hyped that this was to be my first concert. "You will feel it in your chest!" he proudly forecast. Big brother took me to my next two shows as well, which were the Monkees at the Patriot Center (for my birthday) and...here's the part where Areseven get's reeeeeaaaalllly jealous...the Smiths at the Smith Center on the campus of George Washington University (Queen is Dead tour).
No pity for you, RebaLu. The best first shows are the ones where you're almost sick with excitement for, as I'm sure you must have been for NKOTB. That's a fantastic first show...definitely a music moment. It's as great as someone who grew up in the '70's and their first show was the Osmonds.
Xtian, it's true that my jealousy over your Smiths-show attendance knows no bounds. But I had actually remembered it wrong: I thought the Smiths were your first and Depeche Mode your second. It's even better that DM was your first. It's just so great to finally get to go to a CONCERT and have it be some massive, thousands-strong, audience-goes-nuts-when-the-lights-go-out kind of show.
I just can't imagine there was a whole lot of people really going nuts when Richard Marx took the stage. More like a lot of, "Excuse me...could you sit down, please?"
thank god for mary mary and her wacky habit of keeping ticket stubs!!!
i was a junior before my first concerts! and can you believe that i passed up The Joshua Tree tour tix? I was too afraid to ask permission as a sophmore! WHAT?!?!
squeeze - sat, march 12th 1988 at springfield(MASS) symphony hall at 8:00 for $17.50
george thorogood - wed (what were our parents doing letting us out on a wed?), march 16th 1988 - springfield(MASS) civic center - 7:30 for $16.50
I dont recall buying a george t tshirt, but I do remember drinking liquor in an alley pre-concert and tracey getting on a biker dude's neck for a better view.(and this is suburbia?)
i dont know how i didnt end up a felon.
The Cure, September of '89, Disintegration Tour, Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham. Like so many young 120 Minute watching goth wannabe girls raised in the south, I was all about the Cure, Smiths, Echo and the Bunnymen, etc. during those formative late junior high/early high school years. I went to this show with my pal Amanda who was too way too punk rock for Aycock Middle School. I was also heavily obsessed with REM at this time and I saw them a couple of months later at the Greensboro Coliseum which rocked.
The Jacksons - Victory Tour, the summer before 8th grade in 1984 in Philadelphia, PA. My dad took my sister and I and I thought I was going to die. I can still remember the very carefully chosen outfit that I wore - right down to the silver glove (which wasn't one of those tinsel-woven sad excuses for a glove, oh no, it had - er has - sequins all over it.) It was a great first concert.
Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Fox Theatre, Atlanta, GA, 1985 (I think - pretty sure I was 13). Yep, I love my answer to that question. As far as any of my schoolmates were concerned, there was no question that I was a total fag. But there was this late 20's-early 30's musician-type cool dude next to me who jumped in to protect me when some other people were being jerks and trying to take my seats. During the break between acts (that is, after Belouis Some), "Planet Claire" was turned up to 11 and everbody went crazy and jumped around a lot. At the end of the show, Mr. Cooldude turned to me and said "Nice partying with you," which was probably the coolest most rock'n'roll moment I've ever had.
I went with my friend Keela, a total New Wave chick that nobody understood, and we vowed we'd see Depeche Mode, whom nobody had ever heard of, next time they came through town. I don't know what happened to Keela, and I still haven't seen Depeche Mode.
Also, chances are good that I was at the same R.E.M. show Doug went to. I went to three of those four shows, only taking a night off to see Rush and MSG at The Omni. Neal Peart's drumset spun around him! Awesome!
Mine was INXS and Ziggy Marley at the "old-new" Charlotte Coliseum. For the record, the "new-new" Coliseum would be the one where the Bobcats play, but this was where the Hornets played. It was September of 1988, I think.
I really wanted to go to that INXS show (i think it was 1989 actually - if i'm not mistaken - since I lived in W-S then), but for some reason I got grounded or something (maybe it was on a week night?) and wasn't allowed to go. I still regret that since everyone told me how great it was the next day.
June 28, 1983 The Centrum - Worcester, Massachusetts
U2's "The WAR Tour" with The Alarm as the opening band.
12 years old.
Having a brother and sister, 12 and 10 years older, certainly had perks, especially since they were punkers feeding me a steady diet of the Pretenders, Talking Heads, The Fixx, The Clash, and so many others. The teasers teased because I was confident Def Leppard wasn't going to be the biggest band of the 80's. Sure the Def had great hair, but were they ever talented enough to pull off an encore of Party Girl, 11 O'Clock Tick Tock, I Will Follow, and 40?
michael michael,
the fact that you know what SONGS were played on the encore totally explains how you are married to mary, mary. cuz that is spooky.
peekay
Peter, Paul, and Mary at Gammage Auditorium when I was, like, four.
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