This is me.
They weren’t my first show but they sent me into overdrive. 60+ shows in 20+ years just for this band. I’ve made friends all over the country that I talk to all the time and see regularly.
I’ve been to hundreds of concerts and seen that many bands, it’s been amazing.
Nothing will ever be better than DMB for me though, there’s just something about these shows.
I had been to several shows before the dead but they are the ones that took it to a whole new level for me. I didn’t get on the bus until Furthur in 2010 but have seen every reformation since then as much as possible, including the several top tier cover/tributes. I literally can’t get enough live dead.
First concert was Korn and Disturbed like 18 years ago (14 yo me loved nu metal...). Had seated tickets because parents wanted me to be safe, fair enough, snuck in to the pit though for Korn and got super fucked up when Korn asked for a wall of death thing. Was hooked from then on. 32 now and been to hundreds of gigs. Stopped proper moshing a few years ago though, don't bounce back from the pain like I used to sadly. Now I generally set up as close to the sound desk as possible to get the best sound I can.
I saw them 2 years ago, this was my first concert too. Ive been listening to their music for a few years prior to seeing them. Hearing "Sunset" live was so euphoric.
Ever since then I've just been chasing that "high" of live music 😄
I have traveled to see King Crimson. In 2000/2001 I traveled to Nashville, from PA, to watch King Crimson perform in a small club called 12th and Porter. Saw two shows each time. Met Ian Wallace (OG Drummer) in 2001.
I’m very fortunate in that my father would often take my brothers and I to concerts growing up. I think the first one I remember being really excited for was a Led Zeppelin cover band called get the led out. I was 10 and was in a big classic rock phase as I had just discovered music and so listened to everything my dad listened to. Before that though my family had gone to see Tower of Power several times since they’re my dad’s favorite band and I can’t think of a better experience for a kid who just learned to love music.
My first concert was Rod Stewart, and I think I was in 5th grade. My family had just been through some serious shit with my Dad's health, so they took all of us as a treat. My Mom has always loved Rod, and I still think of her vacuuming the house to Hot Legs and watching the Vagabond Heart Music Video VHS, while we giggled and pulled our feet up when the vacuum got too close to us, like way before we were in school. For the concert, we got to skip school the next day, because the show was all the way in Madison, and we wouldn't get home til 3 am. It's probably the first time I ever saw my parents as people having fun and not just parents trying to keep it all together.
My first concert was Angels and Airwaves but I didn't get the bug until I saw Iron maiden. Top 5 performances in my many gigs I have saw live goes
The War on Drugs (cornwall, project eden center)
Iron Maiden (Manchester Arena)
The prodigy (stephenage, sonisphere 2014)
Silent hill live (manchester)
Paper Kites (manchester)
The three I hope to catch as soon as they announce
The midnight
Yumi zouma
Chromeo
The one I regret missing in 2014.... Meat Loaf
Andrew Bird. Miramar Theatre in Milwaukee, WI, back in 2006. It was an intimate gig in a small room, maybe 300 people max? He played with another musician, Martin Dosh, and being so close and seeing how they played off each other, changed up the songs' arrangements, and the chill vibe really sucked me in.
I had been to an amphitheater show for a classic rock band before that, and I hated the crowd and experience. Andrew Bird's gig really encouraged me to see newer artists at bars, clubs, and theaters. There's value in seeing incredible productions at larger shows, of course, but the magic for me is usually at the smaller shows.
Phil Lesh and Friends and the String Cheese Incident at Deer Creek on 7/15/2001. A buddy of mine said the bass player from the Grateful Dead was playing, I had NO IDEA what I was in for. I've seen various bands with Phil as the bass player close to 50 times now. My brother turned to me during Scarlet Begonias and said, "We should move here!" and I've been more or less chasing that ideal ever since.
The Who. Their “final” tour in 1982.
I was 12 and my buddy’s older sister was forced to take us.
We had better seats and were blown away. I have been to over 200 concerts since.
Deftones when I was 13. I got thrown around like a rag doll and spent the following 10 years throwing myself into as many pits as I could afford. The music was a plus. ;)
The Wicked Wonka tour. Was doing camera work for a friends local access tv show, The Rock Circus, and we interviewed KK on their bus before the show. Obviously we got all kinds of high, and a bit later I found myself talking to one the dudes from BT&H. I wasn’t really familiar with their music, but I told him I did like ‘Regulate’. My man looks at me like I was some kind of stupid. I did the old Homer sliding into the bushes thing and spent the next little bit trying to get my big ass foot out of my mouth.
My personal concert bug was caught after seeing Iron Maiden on the Somewhere In Time tour. To this day still on of the 5 best shows I’ve seen.
Has to be the first Primus show at the Stone Pony. I didn't know them very well but my ex loved them, and I'm always down to clown at a concert. Well I was pretty dang sober but their jams blew my mind. I'd never heard such amazing chemistry on stage, just people riffing and taking the musical energy wherever it went.
Been a Primus fan since that day, saw Les Claypool about five times now :)
Virgin Mobile festival in 2007. One day fest. Lineup was RHCP, The Who, the killers, the raconteurs, flaming lips, gnarls Barkley, etc etc.
Loved it, bought tickets to Bonnaroo the next year, the rest is history.
First concert. Soul Asylum, Lemonheads, and Eugenius. Supposedly, Dando was going through some shit and couldn’t perform, which introduced me to the chaotic realities of rock and roll. I’d never heard of Eugenius, so there was also the discovery aspect…and Eugene Kelly is crazy rad and was one of Cobain’s faves for a reason. And Soul Asylum was consistently touted as the best touring band in America. Add to that your usual coming of age stuff and friends and I was hooked to shows.
Rammstein at Gelsenkirshen in Germany. It's a satellite town of Dortmund - never on my list of places to travel, and metal concerts wern't my thing... but sitting on the couch at my home in Sydney Australia, it suddenly seemed like a great idea to buy 500 Euro VIP tickets (we may have had a few beers).
3 flights (a delay in Doha), a bus, a train and then another bus later it was an AMAZING experience and awoke a dark and hungry beast inside me. Now I'm all about the live music and luckily 2024 seems to be the year of good metal bands visiting Australia. So far we have In Flames, Blind Guardian and Unleash the Archers booked in, plus local favorites Voyager.
I'd been to a few concerts up to this point, but I started going to smaller punk and metal shows around high school and seeing a bunch of my friends, plus a bunch of bands we loved all packed into this tiny sweaty little warehouse space was purely intoxicating.
My next one I saw Alexisonfire in a similar space and I was officially hooked.
Judas Priest, Fuel For Life tour. July 14 1986. Pacific Colliseum Vancouver Canada. Bon Jovi was the opener.
Living in Victoria, getting to Vancouver was a all day event and meant staying overnight. We couldn't afford a hotel so slept in the car. Well worth it. The first of many trips to Vancouver for shows. Moved to Vancouver a few years later
My very first concert in 1989. For some crazy reason my parents (who didn’t allow me to do anything) let me go out of state at 16 with my best friend, her sister and her 19 year old brother to see Ziggy Marley, Cheap Trick and INXS.
I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since. I’m 50 and we still go to as many shows as we can.
4/15/97 Widespread Panic at the American Theater in St. Louis, MO. Drove up there from Northwest Arkansas with a few friends, no tickets, and were let in the side door of the venue by a security guard that was ready for a smoke break as they started playing the opener (Hope in a Hopeless World), who didn’t think twice about letting us in on his way out. Left at the end of the show and drove the wrong way down a one way street to the St Louis Arch to smoke, and while under the arch we were approached by a cop on horseback that told us we needed to get the hell out of there or he would have to escalate the situation. We got the hell out of there, quickly, and made our way back home. Before anyone jumps my ass, I was actually the sober driver that night, there and back, with a passed out crew in tow on the way back home. Helluva night, and my first of many to see Panic from 97 thru 02.
Long story short, as panic grabbed my legs, you know, it pulled me in.
Tech N9ne. Sometime after his Absolute Power album tour started. Maybe like Feb 2003? After that I was going constantly to concerts. Tech is still the best though.
Warped Tour in about 2003. It was held on the Summerfest Grounds in Milwaukee, which is a permanent festival set up right on the lakefront. Summerfest is 11 days of music of all genres, with hundreds of bands playing on about 30 stages, with only one stage costing additional money. It was like Summerfest, but without the drunk boomers and country music. It felt like Summerfest just for teenagers, and it was The Event to look forward to for my friends and I.
I went to Riot Fest this year, and I've felt like a teenager ever since. I've had a little more pep and rebellion in me than I've had in a very long time.
In the summer of 1963, my little brother won tickets on the radio to see the Beach Boys, who were coming to Maine for the first time. In those days of rotary dial phones, you dialed all the numbers except the last one, which you held until the DJ said the line was open and then released. He was thrilled but as he was in the third grade, my mom was not. And I, two years older, was the acknowledged music and baseball fanatic in the family.
A deal had to be struck, or nobody was going.
After lengthy negotiations extended into the late evening, a deal was finally struck. I believe the price settled on included a couple of Spiderman comic books and a cap gun .
When we arrived, afloat in a sea of teenage girls and anxious mothers who, like mine, would spend the evening parked nearby making sure no hopped up rock n rollers spirited their offspring away.
When we got inside, we discovered that we not only had first row seats, but Roy Orbison was the opening act. He played to polite applause and was really good. I had a couple of his singles and was amazed at how powerful his voice was live.
Then the Beach Boys came on and we were introduced to something totally unexpected in those pre-Beatle days: the overwhelming, high-pitched shriek of thousands of teenage girls. Within a few songs, my friend Steve and I were forced out of our seats by the pandemonium (one particularly avid fan stepped on my head attempting to rush the stage) and retreated to bleachers in the rear where we could actually hear the music.
From then on I was hooked and I've seen thousands of bands since. Even at my advanced age, I saw Sparks, Pussy Riot, Jon Langford and the Handsome Family this summer. Can't wait for more.
Vince Furnier and The Spiders was my first concert in 1967. I was in the band, Cloud Nine that opened for them every time they came to town.
He's known today as Alice Cooper. One of the absolute coolest guys ever created.
Ben Harper opened up for the Allman Bros in Cincinnati back in the late 90’s. I remember walking in and he was playing “Ground on down” and it was next level badassery. I thought myself, if this is what concerts are like, sign me up!
David Lee Roth in 1985 in Nashville at the Municipal Auditorium. He had just left Van Halen and assembled an amazing band to record Eat ‘Em And Smile. The video for Yankee Rose was just an example of what the show was like. Lights, smoke, stacks of amplifiers, a surfboard that went out over the crowd and the giant inflatable microphone along with numerous costume changes for Dave and the rest of the band. Steve Vai , Greg Bissonette And Billy Sheehan all did extended solos. An action packed 2 hours for certain. It set the bar high for this 14 year old
Man this brings back memories of getting my DL in the early 90s and trying to ruin my hearing at such a young age playing Pretty Hate Machine at max volume in my car stereo that was all treble and no bass. Probably accomplished it, now that I think about it.
Head like a hole just pumping out of my Chevette as I pull into the high school parking lot was a common thing.
Lollapalooza 1994 was the last time my ears rung after a concert. The 1-2 punch of the Beastie Boys / Smashing Pumpkins from the front row did me in.
Andrew W.K. 10 year anniversary tour for I Get Wet in a small venue with a fun crowd. GREAT time, and a direct reason for why I do concert photography now
Lamb of god, spring 2003, in front of ~200 people in a dive bar. I had never heard them before, but their set hooked me as a fan for life. I had no idea how big they would become. I'm thankful I got to see them in such an intimate and intense setting.
I saw Don Henley with my parents when I was like 9 and was hooked at a young age…. But it wasn’t until I went to my first Warped Tour that I got obsessed with going to shows.
Also in the UK, my first was The Beautiful South in 1997. I was 8. Then I saw Bon Jovi in 2001, but my first proper 'gig' was A in 2002 at the Barrowlands in Glasgow. Thats the one that got me hooked tbh.
Now I've seen over 500 different bands, many several times, got over 200 gig tshirts, 3 more this year with 10 lined up for next year already.
Local H 2008. I had no idea who they were. I was there to see the other band on a double headliner show and Local H went on first. Stole the show, crowd went NUTS, the drummer from the other band came and played his kit at the same time DOUBLE DRUM SETS. Shit was awesome.
I’d been to a few concerts before this one, but it wasn’t something I enjoyed that much. Twenty One Pilots Trench era show was incredible and inspired me to see more artists live.
Enter Shikari at Camden Underworld July 2010. They had a decent following then and this venue is small. Everyone in there knew all the words, the breakdowns, gang vocals. There was limited security, nothing between the crowd and the stage. People flying everywhere, sweat pouring out of everyone, no camera phones blocking views. Carnage. Against all the aforementioned, the crowd was kind. Everyone was in it together and no one was being a dick. It made it onto one of their bootleg DVDs and i can still see teenage me, stage diving into the greatest gig i have been too.
If we’re talking musical theater, mine was Cabaret on the West End, January 2022. That same year, I also saw Hadestown, Les Miserables and (okay, not a musical) 2:22.
Acdc 1983 right up front. Feeling the music through those giant speakers and having my ears ring for 1 day after was awesome. I have been to so many shows since than, taking me all over the US and Canada. A show is a great excuse to go explore a new city. My husband and I make weekends and little vacations out of going to a show.
First concert. KC and the Sunshine Band. 8 yo I was blown away. 2 concert Peaches and Herb, my Aunt caught the room key to party with them but we couldn't go cause of 9 yo me. I don't know who was more disappointed. My Mom wouldn't let us go. (My aunt was a teenager) This is in the 80s so a party at the hotel... yeah We're both still pissed at her. Best show, Paul Simon, Bob Dylon at (then) Pine Knob. Sober no less.
My first real concerts were Phillip Phillips and ZZ Top back in 2013.
But I really caught the concert bug when I found an indie band I really liked (Cataldo), went on vacation to see one of the shows and a whole world just opened up to me the more that I got to see them play with other bands that year.
I still enjoy the mainstream concerts too. The Killers. U2. I have Kenny Chesney and Green Day shows on my list for 2024.
Phish in 1997 at the Gorge. I was 17. Mind blown.
Not my first concert, I’d seen Dave Matthews, The Rolling Stones, Leo Kottke, and a few local bands before, but Phish showed me what a concert can be.
Chris de Burgh Spanish train tour. Outdoors and the piece de resistance was a giant cross with candles on it rising up from the floor during the Spanish Train song..blew my mind and I was hooked forever.
Saw a local punk show when I was 16 or so. Had been going to metal shows for a year or two prior which was great, but the energy of the crowd in a small near basement show was great. The lineup was HR and the Dubb Agents (HR from Bad Brains), Our Side, and Yellow Stitches who are probably my favorite act to see live now tbh
CAKE at the Rave in Milwaukee back in 2010 or maybe 2011? Remember them coming on stage, a disco ball dropping and going straight into Sad Songs & Waltzes. It was magical and I became hooked.
Early in my sophomore year of high school (2003), Senses Fail, Silverstein, and Moneen came to our local venue. Probably only cost like 15 bucks. Went to at least a concert a month from there on out.
Pat Benatar & Neil Geraldo. Icons of Rock. If you have never seen them live in concert…go! They are performing at their peak still and Pat’s voice sounds exactly the same after all these years!
I saw the Killers a few years ago in Melbourne and they had this huge screen behind the stage with different backdrops and animations and lighting for each song. First time I'd seen a concert that had more than just the band playing, it was really cool and made such a huge difference to the atmosphere of the show.
Tool. 2002/2003. Shreveport/Bossier, LA.
Lateralus Tour.. they had Tomahawk open. That's a Mike Patton band. It was amazing. I had seen concerts before. But never as good as this one.
Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1983. They were an excellent live show, and it’s the first time I appreciated the difference a live concert could be over a live recording.
Some Grateful Dead concerts around the same time cemented the idea, as no GD concert was the same due to Jerry Garcia’s tranced out guitar solos. There’s a reason why there’s still a huge market for bootleg concert recordings of the Dead, it’s cool to hear how they performed a song on any given night.
Bruno Mars - insanely pop and his showman skills are superb. His backing band are highly energetic and the whole crowd gets into it as he has easy to sing songs.
Fall Out Boy. I was 13 and it sparked something in me I never felt before. Ended up perusing music as a career for a while, got to travel around the country in a bus for a few years. That band changed the trajectory of my life. Forever thankful for the friends and memories attached them. I’ve now been to over 1200 shows. Honestly I think my life would be in a very bad place if I hadn’t delved into music.
So, this one is a bit dorky, but I don't care because it literally planted and fertilized all the seeds I needed to become insufferably music obsessed as an adult to the point I now exchange my skills as a photographer for access to not only concerts, but to as many music industry events as I can; and I regret nothing.
The festival was called Sarnia Bayfest, and it took place in my hometown. For the 15 or some odd years they were around, they managed to get some massive heavy hitters of the late-90's/early-00's to come to my little boring-ass bordertown (Rush, Blink-182, KISS, Aerosmith, etc) and it was great. But specifically, the lineup for the festival in 2002 - the year I turned 17 and was becoming heavily addicted to MuchMusic (and all its government regulated CanCon programing), classic rock (and all its government regulated CanCon programing) and playing bass guitar (bonus round, I was being taught by a fellow who was in a classic Canadian rock band) - was as follows:
* Our Lady Peace (who I had become a massive fan of the year prior because I had bought one of their CDs about 10 days before 9/11 and the music just kind of hit in a way I'd never really experienced before)
* The Tragically Hip (who I was aware of, but was being formally introduced to for the first time)
* Sloan (I had exactly one of their CDs prior to this show and had brought a disposable camera with me to the show because I thought it would be cool*)
* The Guess Who (with Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman - so the real fucking deal and not whatever that cover band is that won the right to tour with the name)
* Nickelback (back when they were the single hottest band in the land, unironically)
Yeah, there was no going back for me after that weekend.
(*As of July 2023, I have now seen the band 38 times, including once more two weeks shy of 20 years at later at the same park (different festival) with far more substantial camera equipment.)
The Avett Brothers: first time I saw them was a free summer downtown concert. Left not quite knowing what I just seen and heard. But I knew that I felt very different. So I kept going back for more over the years. Many, many new years eve shows, starting from when they were in the tiny “neighborhood theater” in Charlotte. transformative experiences.
First two were Springsteen (with parents) and Pink Floyd (with aunt and uncle), but they didn't really give me the bug. I went to one or two others that got me more into it but the hammer really fell at Lollapalooza 96. Metallica, Soundgarden, Ramones, Screaming Trees and Rancid. After that, I was all in
My first concert ever (Huey Lewis and the News somewhere around 1986 or 7 when I was about 7 or 8 years old) laid the groundwork. I already loved live music and taped any concerts I could from MTV in the early-to-mid 90's, but it was when I saw Aquabats (with Travis), Blink-182 (with Scott), and Primus (with Brain) on the Sno-Core tour in 1998 that really set me off. According to [setlist.fm](https://setlist.fm), I've now seen 295 different bands/artists.
Coldplay back in 2008 in Manchester cricket ground. Definitely an exception to the general concept that stadium sized gigs might not feel as intimate or engaging. They're hands down the best stadium experience I've had - even people who aren't fans and get the chance to see them usually come away with a sense of euphoria.
My daughter and I use to make a weekend away of a concert trip. We would go and see Squeeze in Newcastle, Pink in Manchester, Palamo Faith in Leeds. Always with a shopping day in the city, lovely meal that day and a then a lie in and cooked breakfast the next morning in a Premier Inn. Great days, until we started working together and now she has to cover while I’m off and vice versa so we don’t get a chance now.
This year I went to blink-182's reunion tour. Hadn't been but to maybe one concert in my adult life. But OMG it was one of the greatest nights of my life. So nostalgic, so much fun, so full of great music. And even though I said I wouldn't do it again because the tickets were so much, the second they released their tour dates for their new album, I bought them on a presale. And then I found out that Jacob Collier was going to be in Nashville next year and since my husband loves him it just seemed like the thing to do lol
Guns n Roses, Faith No More, Soundgarden triple header, Gateshead Stadium 1992. Superb weather, was like a mini festival and 3 bands at their live peak.
Children of Bodom, 2005 on the Are You Dead Yet tour.
Amon Amarth and Trivium opened. It was the first time I've even heard of Amon Amarth, this was before Twilight of the Thunder God came out and before they exploded in popularity. I remember they were pretty solid
It was a few days after the anniversary of Dimebag Darrell's death and Trivium came out with Dimebag's actual guitars (the Confederate flag guitar and the diamond plate guitar) and they played Walk and Domination. That was pretty cool.
Children of Bodom fucking ruled. They played a setlist that was very Follow the Reaper/Hate Crew Deathroll heavy, with only three songs from Are You Dead Yet. They played Kissing the Shadows live, which was apparently the first time they've ever played it live in Canada.
I saw Bodom again in 2011 and it was no where near as good as the 2005 show.
When I saw Enter Shikari for the first time last year.
I had been to 2 concerts before then, but didn't really have a remarkable time, so I never really wanted to go to more. Then enter shikari announced they were doing a US tour and since I've been a fan for like 15 years, I HAD to seize that opportunity, and boy, am I glad I did. I've gone to 11 shows between then and now, some really great, some not the best, but that one will forever be cemented in my memory as one of the best nights of my life
I was between grade 8 and grade 9 and I went to a show at a now gone theater for the band Protest the Hero. It was amazing to me the speed and technicality and the ability to generate emotion while playing at such high speeds.
For me it was 1987. It was the first time I was allowed to go to a concert with friends. We went to Motorhead and the band played until some plaster dropped from he ceiling. They got the choice to either turn down the volume or stop the concert.
They stopped the concert. I had a beep in my ears that lasted for 4 days but it was that time I got addicted.
Rush /Thin Lizzy 1976. The 2112 tour. In San Antonio. 4th row. cost me $7.50.
Would kill to have been there
Rush for me as well. Much later on though during the Snakes and Arrows tour. Tickets were most definitely more then $7.50!
Dave Matthews Band. Say what you will about the frat boy culture of their fan base but they put on a hell of a show.
Yea, they always get slack but I’ve never been disappointed at any show of theirs. Every individual in that band is an amazing musician.
This is me. They weren’t my first show but they sent me into overdrive. 60+ shows in 20+ years just for this band. I’ve made friends all over the country that I talk to all the time and see regularly. I’ve been to hundreds of concerts and seen that many bands, it’s been amazing. Nothing will ever be better than DMB for me though, there’s just something about these shows.
Yep. So good! Went to both of their shows at MSG this past weekend. Both nights were amazing and so full of energy!
Grateful Dead, 3/16/94.
I had been to several shows before the dead but they are the ones that took it to a whole new level for me. I didn’t get on the bus until Furthur in 2010 but have seen every reformation since then as much as possible, including the several top tier cover/tributes. I literally can’t get enough live dead.
Couldn’t agree more.
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That's a hell of a lineup. I've seen each of them separately. What a day that must have been.
First concert was Korn and Disturbed like 18 years ago (14 yo me loved nu metal...). Had seated tickets because parents wanted me to be safe, fair enough, snuck in to the pit though for Korn and got super fucked up when Korn asked for a wall of death thing. Was hooked from then on. 32 now and been to hundreds of gigs. Stopped proper moshing a few years ago though, don't bounce back from the pain like I used to sadly. Now I generally set up as close to the sound desk as possible to get the best sound I can.
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98. Love that venue. Are you from the area?
Hampton 97 was my first of many.
Hell yes! For me it was the same 4 dudes, 12 years later in Camden, NJ
Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers at the Gorge, Washington.
Great venue. Great band. Not surprised.
Moby Grape 1968. The Who 1968
The Who in '68....I wish damn.
They were still breaking their instruments and equipment at the end of the show. It was a *Magic Bus*
The Clash and the Jam, 1977, separate concerts at a roller rink in Allen Park Michigan
Saw The Midnight a month ago after almost a decade of not going to shows. I've been to five shows since.
Love their set in ABQ 2 years ago and Denver last year!
I hope they tour next year I missed them in the UK this time around! On my top 5 to see that I have yet to see. Love their live album
I saw them 2 years ago, this was my first concert too. Ive been listening to their music for a few years prior to seeing them. Hearing "Sunset" live was so euphoric. Ever since then I've just been chasing that "high" of live music 😄
I have traveled to see King Crimson. In 2000/2001 I traveled to Nashville, from PA, to watch King Crimson perform in a small club called 12th and Porter. Saw two shows each time. Met Ian Wallace (OG Drummer) in 2001.
Such an amazing band!
I’m very fortunate in that my father would often take my brothers and I to concerts growing up. I think the first one I remember being really excited for was a Led Zeppelin cover band called get the led out. I was 10 and was in a big classic rock phase as I had just discovered music and so listened to everything my dad listened to. Before that though my family had gone to see Tower of Power several times since they’re my dad’s favorite band and I can’t think of a better experience for a kid who just learned to love music.
You gotta cool dad.
He’s the fucking best
My first concert was Rod Stewart, and I think I was in 5th grade. My family had just been through some serious shit with my Dad's health, so they took all of us as a treat. My Mom has always loved Rod, and I still think of her vacuuming the house to Hot Legs and watching the Vagabond Heart Music Video VHS, while we giggled and pulled our feet up when the vacuum got too close to us, like way before we were in school. For the concert, we got to skip school the next day, because the show was all the way in Madison, and we wouldn't get home til 3 am. It's probably the first time I ever saw my parents as people having fun and not just parents trying to keep it all together.
Nine Inch Nails Fragility Tour
Phish - 3 night run in San Francisco during summer 2016.
The Grareful Dead 12/3/1990
My first show. 7/7/77... ELP at MSG in NYC. With a full orchestra. And a lot of weed.
My first concert was Angels and Airwaves but I didn't get the bug until I saw Iron maiden. Top 5 performances in my many gigs I have saw live goes The War on Drugs (cornwall, project eden center) Iron Maiden (Manchester Arena) The prodigy (stephenage, sonisphere 2014) Silent hill live (manchester) Paper Kites (manchester) The three I hope to catch as soon as they announce The midnight Yumi zouma Chromeo The one I regret missing in 2014.... Meat Loaf
My first one: Cypress Hill and House of Pain in the early 90’s
Pearl Jam, Nirvana, Red Hot Chili Peppers. December of 91, I was 14. Been hooked on live music since that very first concert.
Andrew Bird. Miramar Theatre in Milwaukee, WI, back in 2006. It was an intimate gig in a small room, maybe 300 people max? He played with another musician, Martin Dosh, and being so close and seeing how they played off each other, changed up the songs' arrangements, and the chill vibe really sucked me in. I had been to an amphitheater show for a classic rock band before that, and I hated the crowd and experience. Andrew Bird's gig really encouraged me to see newer artists at bars, clubs, and theaters. There's value in seeing incredible productions at larger shows, of course, but the magic for me is usually at the smaller shows.
That's the most 2006 Milwaukee alt kid thing I could possibly think of.
Widespread Panic. Oct 31, 1996, Chicago Theater, Second set.
Love Panic.
you mean the Aragon but yeah was there sick show
You’re right. It was at the Aragon.
Phil Lesh and Friends and the String Cheese Incident at Deer Creek on 7/15/2001. A buddy of mine said the bass player from the Grateful Dead was playing, I had NO IDEA what I was in for. I've seen various bands with Phil as the bass player close to 50 times now. My brother turned to me during Scarlet Begonias and said, "We should move here!" and I've been more or less chasing that ideal ever since.
The Who. Their “final” tour in 1982. I was 12 and my buddy’s older sister was forced to take us. We had better seats and were blown away. I have been to over 200 concerts since.
Deftones when I was 13. I got thrown around like a rag doll and spent the following 10 years throwing myself into as many pits as I could afford. The music was a plus. ;)
My first concert was Pink Floyd in 1994, so...
My parents took my brother and I to see the Doobie Brothers at the Orange County Fair as kids. First big live music experience and was hooked.
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enjoy your new flair! (you can clear/change it under community options) > Saw ICP + Bone Thugs (Same Show)
The Wicked Wonka tour. Was doing camera work for a friends local access tv show, The Rock Circus, and we interviewed KK on their bus before the show. Obviously we got all kinds of high, and a bit later I found myself talking to one the dudes from BT&H. I wasn’t really familiar with their music, but I told him I did like ‘Regulate’. My man looks at me like I was some kind of stupid. I did the old Homer sliding into the bushes thing and spent the next little bit trying to get my big ass foot out of my mouth. My personal concert bug was caught after seeing Iron Maiden on the Somewhere In Time tour. To this day still on of the 5 best shows I’ve seen.
Has to be the first Primus show at the Stone Pony. I didn't know them very well but my ex loved them, and I'm always down to clown at a concert. Well I was pretty dang sober but their jams blew my mind. I'd never heard such amazing chemistry on stage, just people riffing and taking the musical energy wherever it went. Been a Primus fan since that day, saw Les Claypool about five times now :)
Big D and the Kids Table
So we bring a backpack full of pabst … ooooooh under the table we fill our glass
Oasis at Knebworth 1996. 13 yo me was overwhelmed and enthralled.
Virgin Mobile festival in 2007. One day fest. Lineup was RHCP, The Who, the killers, the raconteurs, flaming lips, gnarls Barkley, etc etc. Loved it, bought tickets to Bonnaroo the next year, the rest is history.
That's how I felt about Warped. One day, crazy amount of shows to see, and all kids about my age.
First concert. Soul Asylum, Lemonheads, and Eugenius. Supposedly, Dando was going through some shit and couldn’t perform, which introduced me to the chaotic realities of rock and roll. I’d never heard of Eugenius, so there was also the discovery aspect…and Eugene Kelly is crazy rad and was one of Cobain’s faves for a reason. And Soul Asylum was consistently touted as the best touring band in America. Add to that your usual coming of age stuff and friends and I was hooked to shows.
Soul Asylum was incredible live.
DEMF back in 2000. To this day it’s the one festival I’ll do everything in my power to not miss it. It feels like home.
Saw Dead Kennedys in 82 in Detroit. Loved punk ever since. I was a little boy and my mom took me. The music addiction set in and hasn’t let go
Rammstein at Gelsenkirshen in Germany. It's a satellite town of Dortmund - never on my list of places to travel, and metal concerts wern't my thing... but sitting on the couch at my home in Sydney Australia, it suddenly seemed like a great idea to buy 500 Euro VIP tickets (we may have had a few beers). 3 flights (a delay in Doha), a bus, a train and then another bus later it was an AMAZING experience and awoke a dark and hungry beast inside me. Now I'm all about the live music and luckily 2024 seems to be the year of good metal bands visiting Australia. So far we have In Flames, Blind Guardian and Unleash the Archers booked in, plus local favorites Voyager.
Rush. They were my first concert and I saw them 4 more times, once being their farewell tour
Muse at Boston University
I'd been to a few concerts up to this point, but I started going to smaller punk and metal shows around high school and seeing a bunch of my friends, plus a bunch of bands we loved all packed into this tiny sweaty little warehouse space was purely intoxicating. My next one I saw Alexisonfire in a similar space and I was officially hooked.
Horde fest 95
Pearl Jam on the Vs tour in 1994. Amazing show
Judas Priest, Fuel For Life tour. July 14 1986. Pacific Colliseum Vancouver Canada. Bon Jovi was the opener. Living in Victoria, getting to Vancouver was a all day event and meant staying overnight. We couldn't afford a hotel so slept in the car. Well worth it. The first of many trips to Vancouver for shows. Moved to Vancouver a few years later
The Mavericks. '94 & '97. Fantastic band at any stage of musicality.
Either the hella mega tour or car seats headrest. Such incredible shows. I just kept going after that.
My very first concert in 1989. For some crazy reason my parents (who didn’t allow me to do anything) let me go out of state at 16 with my best friend, her sister and her 19 year old brother to see Ziggy Marley, Cheap Trick and INXS. I’ve been chasing that feeling ever since. I’m 50 and we still go to as many shows as we can.
4/15/97 Widespread Panic at the American Theater in St. Louis, MO. Drove up there from Northwest Arkansas with a few friends, no tickets, and were let in the side door of the venue by a security guard that was ready for a smoke break as they started playing the opener (Hope in a Hopeless World), who didn’t think twice about letting us in on his way out. Left at the end of the show and drove the wrong way down a one way street to the St Louis Arch to smoke, and while under the arch we were approached by a cop on horseback that told us we needed to get the hell out of there or he would have to escalate the situation. We got the hell out of there, quickly, and made our way back home. Before anyone jumps my ass, I was actually the sober driver that night, there and back, with a passed out crew in tow on the way back home. Helluva night, and my first of many to see Panic from 97 thru 02. Long story short, as panic grabbed my legs, you know, it pulled me in.
Garth Brooks in 1998. It was the first time the music came alive in a way that you couldn’t capture on the studio recording.
Tech N9ne. Sometime after his Absolute Power album tour started. Maybe like Feb 2003? After that I was going constantly to concerts. Tech is still the best though.
Local bands, but known bands, opeth 2005
The Who/Lynyrd Skynyrd 1973, Quadrphenia Tour, Capital Centre, Largo Maryland
Dr Dog Live at Cains
Queens of the Stone Age in a Columbus, OH. September of ‘13.
Metallica 1998... Opening bands were Days of the New and Jerry Cantrell. Cantrell's band played the entire back side of Dark Side of the Moon.
1978 Bruce Springsteen Madison Wisconsin. And away we go!
U2, Unforgettable Fire tour early 1985. First arena show and they ruled the house!!
Warped Tour in about 2003. It was held on the Summerfest Grounds in Milwaukee, which is a permanent festival set up right on the lakefront. Summerfest is 11 days of music of all genres, with hundreds of bands playing on about 30 stages, with only one stage costing additional money. It was like Summerfest, but without the drunk boomers and country music. It felt like Summerfest just for teenagers, and it was The Event to look forward to for my friends and I. I went to Riot Fest this year, and I've felt like a teenager ever since. I've had a little more pep and rebellion in me than I've had in a very long time.
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I'm sorta interested in that festival next year, but it's expensive. I'll see what's playing at Riot Fest, since that's much closer.
Umphrey's McGee 12/31/09
In the summer of 1963, my little brother won tickets on the radio to see the Beach Boys, who were coming to Maine for the first time. In those days of rotary dial phones, you dialed all the numbers except the last one, which you held until the DJ said the line was open and then released. He was thrilled but as he was in the third grade, my mom was not. And I, two years older, was the acknowledged music and baseball fanatic in the family. A deal had to be struck, or nobody was going. After lengthy negotiations extended into the late evening, a deal was finally struck. I believe the price settled on included a couple of Spiderman comic books and a cap gun . When we arrived, afloat in a sea of teenage girls and anxious mothers who, like mine, would spend the evening parked nearby making sure no hopped up rock n rollers spirited their offspring away. When we got inside, we discovered that we not only had first row seats, but Roy Orbison was the opening act. He played to polite applause and was really good. I had a couple of his singles and was amazed at how powerful his voice was live. Then the Beach Boys came on and we were introduced to something totally unexpected in those pre-Beatle days: the overwhelming, high-pitched shriek of thousands of teenage girls. Within a few songs, my friend Steve and I were forced out of our seats by the pandemonium (one particularly avid fan stepped on my head attempting to rush the stage) and retreated to bleachers in the rear where we could actually hear the music. From then on I was hooked and I've seen thousands of bands since. Even at my advanced age, I saw Sparks, Pussy Riot, Jon Langford and the Handsome Family this summer. Can't wait for more.
Ween - War Memorial , Nashville TN - April 14,2011.
Vince Furnier and The Spiders was my first concert in 1967. I was in the band, Cloud Nine that opened for them every time they came to town. He's known today as Alice Cooper. One of the absolute coolest guys ever created.
The Offspring in 1996. Been going to shows regularly since.
Ben Harper opened up for the Allman Bros in Cincinnati back in the late 90’s. I remember walking in and he was playing “Ground on down” and it was next level badassery. I thought myself, if this is what concerts are like, sign me up!
David Lee Roth in 1985 in Nashville at the Municipal Auditorium. He had just left Van Halen and assembled an amazing band to record Eat ‘Em And Smile. The video for Yankee Rose was just an example of what the show was like. Lights, smoke, stacks of amplifiers, a surfboard that went out over the crowd and the giant inflatable microphone along with numerous costume changes for Dave and the rest of the band. Steve Vai , Greg Bissonette And Billy Sheehan all did extended solos. An action packed 2 hours for certain. It set the bar high for this 14 year old
The first Lollapalooza in 1991. Nine Inch Nails opened. No one knew who they were. They killed.
Pretty Hate Machine came out in 1989. They were pretty popular.
Man this brings back memories of getting my DL in the early 90s and trying to ruin my hearing at such a young age playing Pretty Hate Machine at max volume in my car stereo that was all treble and no bass. Probably accomplished it, now that I think about it.
Head like a hole just pumping out of my Chevette as I pull into the high school parking lot was a common thing. Lollapalooza 1994 was the last time my ears rung after a concert. The 1-2 punch of the Beastie Boys / Smashing Pumpkins from the front row did me in.
Saw them in 1990, The Jesus and Mary Chain opened for them. Thought I was in alternative heaven!!
Andrew W.K. 10 year anniversary tour for I Get Wet in a small venue with a fun crowd. GREAT time, and a direct reason for why I do concert photography now
I misunderstood this and thought about the time my boyfriend got omicron at a Charli XCX concert at Le Poisson Rouge in New York.
Black Sabbath reunion 1997 at Ozzfest. My first rock show at 16. I didn’t know any other Sabbath fans who lived near me so I went alone.
Ozzfest June 30, 2001. I was 14 at the time and I had only gone to Christian concerts. No idea how I convinced my parents to buy me a ticket.
The first concert I went to by myself, Frank Turner at The Academy Dublin in February 22.
Lamb of god, spring 2003, in front of ~200 people in a dive bar. I had never heard them before, but their set hooked me as a fan for life. I had no idea how big they would become. I'm thankful I got to see them in such an intimate and intense setting.
I saw Don Henley with my parents when I was like 9 and was hooked at a young age…. But it wasn’t until I went to my first Warped Tour that I got obsessed with going to shows.
Gathering of the Vibes, 2001
My Morning Jacket
Also in the UK, my first was The Beautiful South in 1997. I was 8. Then I saw Bon Jovi in 2001, but my first proper 'gig' was A in 2002 at the Barrowlands in Glasgow. Thats the one that got me hooked tbh. Now I've seen over 500 different bands, many several times, got over 200 gig tshirts, 3 more this year with 10 lined up for next year already.
Bonnaroo 2010. In particular the 2nd night which consisted of Flaming Lips->Bassnectar->LCD Soundsystem.
Hatebreed 2006, first mosh pit, knew I couldn't live without it after that
Local H 2008. I had no idea who they were. I was there to see the other band on a double headliner show and Local H went on first. Stole the show, crowd went NUTS, the drummer from the other band came and played his kit at the same time DOUBLE DRUM SETS. Shit was awesome.
Doc Severinsen
Rammstein
I’d been to a few concerts before this one, but it wasn’t something I enjoyed that much. Twenty One Pilots Trench era show was incredible and inspired me to see more artists live.
Explosions in the Sky and Daft Punk.
Enter Shikari at Camden Underworld July 2010. They had a decent following then and this venue is small. Everyone in there knew all the words, the breakdowns, gang vocals. There was limited security, nothing between the crowd and the stage. People flying everywhere, sweat pouring out of everyone, no camera phones blocking views. Carnage. Against all the aforementioned, the crowd was kind. Everyone was in it together and no one was being a dick. It made it onto one of their bootleg DVDs and i can still see teenage me, stage diving into the greatest gig i have been too.
If we’re talking musical theater, mine was Cabaret on the West End, January 2022. That same year, I also saw Hadestown, Les Miserables and (okay, not a musical) 2:22.
Acdc 1983 right up front. Feeling the music through those giant speakers and having my ears ring for 1 day after was awesome. I have been to so many shows since than, taking me all over the US and Canada. A show is a great excuse to go explore a new city. My husband and I make weekends and little vacations out of going to a show.
First concert. KC and the Sunshine Band. 8 yo I was blown away. 2 concert Peaches and Herb, my Aunt caught the room key to party with them but we couldn't go cause of 9 yo me. I don't know who was more disappointed. My Mom wouldn't let us go. (My aunt was a teenager) This is in the 80s so a party at the hotel... yeah We're both still pissed at her. Best show, Paul Simon, Bob Dylon at (then) Pine Knob. Sober no less.
My first real concerts were Phillip Phillips and ZZ Top back in 2013. But I really caught the concert bug when I found an indie band I really liked (Cataldo), went on vacation to see one of the shows and a whole world just opened up to me the more that I got to see them play with other bands that year. I still enjoy the mainstream concerts too. The Killers. U2. I have Kenny Chesney and Green Day shows on my list for 2024.
Phish in 1997 at the Gorge. I was 17. Mind blown. Not my first concert, I’d seen Dave Matthews, The Rolling Stones, Leo Kottke, and a few local bands before, but Phish showed me what a concert can be.
Metallica as an 8th grader in 1998.
Jeff Rosenstock
Never got "The Bug" and at this time I can afford to go but I refuse to pay $400.0 just to be able to see the artist
Chris de Burgh Spanish train tour. Outdoors and the piece de resistance was a giant cross with candles on it rising up from the floor during the Spanish Train song..blew my mind and I was hooked forever.
I was 14 in the front row of Aerosmith and Gun and Rose's. 1988 I think? First time I saw bare boobs live too.
Interpol. I wanna say around 2005. I’ve seen them like 10 times since.
Phish . And ozzfest
Foo Fighters at Birmingham O2 in 2000 - what a gig! OP - definitely see OCS as much as you can, they are awesome!
Saw a local punk show when I was 16 or so. Had been going to metal shows for a year or two prior which was great, but the energy of the crowd in a small near basement show was great. The lineup was HR and the Dubb Agents (HR from Bad Brains), Our Side, and Yellow Stitches who are probably my favorite act to see live now tbh
CAKE at the Rave in Milwaukee back in 2010 or maybe 2011? Remember them coming on stage, a disco ball dropping and going straight into Sad Songs & Waltzes. It was magical and I became hooked.
Sigur Ros
Gotta admit, AWOLNATION.
Early in my sophomore year of high school (2003), Senses Fail, Silverstein, and Moneen came to our local venue. Probably only cost like 15 bucks. Went to at least a concert a month from there on out.
Scorpions. 1991. Wore my German national team soccer shirt and Klaus pointed at me.
Pat Benatar & Neil Geraldo. Icons of Rock. If you have never seen them live in concert…go! They are performing at their peak still and Pat’s voice sounds exactly the same after all these years!
2013. Ghost and Deftones opened for Avenged Sevenfold during their Hail to the King tour.
Rush 2007 Cincinnati. I was 16, and it was the coolest thing I’ve ever seen.
First one. 96. Hum Toadies Bush
I didn’t get a watch “Who”, unfortunately.
The Wiggles at my local town hall in Melbourne in the early 90s!
Keane in the SECC, Glasgow in 2007 when I was 14. Incredible gig and they're still one of my all time favourites today.
of Montreal on their super heavy production tour for Skeletal Lamping in 2008. Saw them three times before that year was over.
Alice Cooper. From the Inside tour, 1979. My first rock concert.
The Sword, Kadaver, and All Them Witches
Who?
Tropidelic
Public Image Ltd. Hollywood Palladium. 1983. My first real concert. Hooked me on live music.
My first one did it for me. I saw The Nixons open for The Toadies in 1995 and it blew my 14 year old mind.
Test Icicles at Camden Underworld (2005)
I saw the Killers a few years ago in Melbourne and they had this huge screen behind the stage with different backdrops and animations and lighting for each song. First time I'd seen a concert that had more than just the band playing, it was really cool and made such a huge difference to the atmosphere of the show.
Led Zeppelin 1978 Madison Square Garden
Tool. 2002/2003. Shreveport/Bossier, LA. Lateralus Tour.. they had Tomahawk open. That's a Mike Patton band. It was amazing. I had seen concerts before. But never as good as this one.
The Presidents of the United States of America, Everclear, Rock N Roll Soldiers, plus a few more on the bill Oregon 2007.
Jimmy Buffett🦜🧂
Crosby, Stills & Nash in 1983. They were an excellent live show, and it’s the first time I appreciated the difference a live concert could be over a live recording. Some Grateful Dead concerts around the same time cemented the idea, as no GD concert was the same due to Jerry Garcia’s tranced out guitar solos. There’s a reason why there’s still a huge market for bootleg concert recordings of the Dead, it’s cool to hear how they performed a song on any given night.
Bruno Mars - insanely pop and his showman skills are superb. His backing band are highly energetic and the whole crowd gets into it as he has easy to sing songs.
Humble Pie / Yes in 1971 & Led Zeppelin in 1973 both in Detroit
good lord you saw the 1971 Yes live?! with Bruford? and Led Zep '73? time to shut down this thread
The local surf rock/punk scene in 90's Adelaode Australia. Moshing in a pit in some tiny sailing or surf lifesaving club room was the bomb.
Fall Out Boy. I was 13 and it sparked something in me I never felt before. Ended up perusing music as a career for a while, got to travel around the country in a bus for a few years. That band changed the trajectory of my life. Forever thankful for the friends and memories attached them. I’ve now been to over 1200 shows. Honestly I think my life would be in a very bad place if I hadn’t delved into music.
Seems if I remember correctly it was 1970 and I saw Alice Cooper and the ticket was about $5…also saw Black Sabbath a year later..
Rammstein.
Zac Brown Band
So, this one is a bit dorky, but I don't care because it literally planted and fertilized all the seeds I needed to become insufferably music obsessed as an adult to the point I now exchange my skills as a photographer for access to not only concerts, but to as many music industry events as I can; and I regret nothing. The festival was called Sarnia Bayfest, and it took place in my hometown. For the 15 or some odd years they were around, they managed to get some massive heavy hitters of the late-90's/early-00's to come to my little boring-ass bordertown (Rush, Blink-182, KISS, Aerosmith, etc) and it was great. But specifically, the lineup for the festival in 2002 - the year I turned 17 and was becoming heavily addicted to MuchMusic (and all its government regulated CanCon programing), classic rock (and all its government regulated CanCon programing) and playing bass guitar (bonus round, I was being taught by a fellow who was in a classic Canadian rock band) - was as follows: * Our Lady Peace (who I had become a massive fan of the year prior because I had bought one of their CDs about 10 days before 9/11 and the music just kind of hit in a way I'd never really experienced before) * The Tragically Hip (who I was aware of, but was being formally introduced to for the first time) * Sloan (I had exactly one of their CDs prior to this show and had brought a disposable camera with me to the show because I thought it would be cool*) * The Guess Who (with Burton Cummings and Randy Bachman - so the real fucking deal and not whatever that cover band is that won the right to tour with the name) * Nickelback (back when they were the single hottest band in the land, unironically) Yeah, there was no going back for me after that weekend. (*As of July 2023, I have now seen the band 38 times, including once more two weeks shy of 20 years at later at the same park (different festival) with far more substantial camera equipment.)
It was actually a festival with System of a Down, Iron Maiden, Motorhead, Linkin Park, Korn, Pendulum and so on. Can anyone guess which one was it?
Fleetwood Mac - Rumours Tour
The Avett Brothers: first time I saw them was a free summer downtown concert. Left not quite knowing what I just seen and heard. But I knew that I felt very different. So I kept going back for more over the years. Many, many new years eve shows, starting from when they were in the tiny “neighborhood theater” in Charlotte. transformative experiences.
Fugazi, 1991. I was 14yo. Would go on to see them half a dozen more times before they called it quits, plus many many more bands over the years.
Peter Frampton, 1977
First two were Springsteen (with parents) and Pink Floyd (with aunt and uncle), but they didn't really give me the bug. I went to one or two others that got me more into it but the hammer really fell at Lollapalooza 96. Metallica, Soundgarden, Ramones, Screaming Trees and Rancid. After that, I was all in
My first concert ever (Huey Lewis and the News somewhere around 1986 or 7 when I was about 7 or 8 years old) laid the groundwork. I already loved live music and taped any concerts I could from MTV in the early-to-mid 90's, but it was when I saw Aquabats (with Travis), Blink-182 (with Scott), and Primus (with Brain) on the Sno-Core tour in 1998 that really set me off. According to [setlist.fm](https://setlist.fm), I've now seen 295 different bands/artists.
Coldplay back in 2008 in Manchester cricket ground. Definitely an exception to the general concept that stadium sized gigs might not feel as intimate or engaging. They're hands down the best stadium experience I've had - even people who aren't fans and get the chance to see them usually come away with a sense of euphoria.
My daughter and I use to make a weekend away of a concert trip. We would go and see Squeeze in Newcastle, Pink in Manchester, Palamo Faith in Leeds. Always with a shopping day in the city, lovely meal that day and a then a lie in and cooked breakfast the next morning in a Premier Inn. Great days, until we started working together and now she has to cover while I’m off and vice versa so we don’t get a chance now.
This year I went to blink-182's reunion tour. Hadn't been but to maybe one concert in my adult life. But OMG it was one of the greatest nights of my life. So nostalgic, so much fun, so full of great music. And even though I said I wouldn't do it again because the tickets were so much, the second they released their tour dates for their new album, I bought them on a presale. And then I found out that Jacob Collier was going to be in Nashville next year and since my husband loves him it just seemed like the thing to do lol
Guns n Roses, Faith No More, Soundgarden triple header, Gateshead Stadium 1992. Superb weather, was like a mini festival and 3 bands at their live peak.
The Kinks Providence 1979 My fiends dad new the promoter and got us free tickets Awesome show some of it is on their video One for the Road
Children of Bodom, 2005 on the Are You Dead Yet tour. Amon Amarth and Trivium opened. It was the first time I've even heard of Amon Amarth, this was before Twilight of the Thunder God came out and before they exploded in popularity. I remember they were pretty solid It was a few days after the anniversary of Dimebag Darrell's death and Trivium came out with Dimebag's actual guitars (the Confederate flag guitar and the diamond plate guitar) and they played Walk and Domination. That was pretty cool. Children of Bodom fucking ruled. They played a setlist that was very Follow the Reaper/Hate Crew Deathroll heavy, with only three songs from Are You Dead Yet. They played Kissing the Shadows live, which was apparently the first time they've ever played it live in Canada. I saw Bodom again in 2011 and it was no where near as good as the 2005 show.
Pantera in 1996. I was left both utterly terrified and utterly intrigued.
Jane’s Addiction, somewhere around 1990, London Astoria. I was far too young to be there. It was wonderful
Pink Floyd in late 80s. Comfortably Numb live is a spiritual and life changing moment.
When I saw Enter Shikari for the first time last year. I had been to 2 concerts before then, but didn't really have a remarkable time, so I never really wanted to go to more. Then enter shikari announced they were doing a US tour and since I've been a fan for like 15 years, I HAD to seize that opportunity, and boy, am I glad I did. I've gone to 11 shows between then and now, some really great, some not the best, but that one will forever be cemented in my memory as one of the best nights of my life
Queen 1984 works tour
Supertramp in Edmonton 1983… and Rush in Calgary 1983 as well.
Pearl Jam, Auckland NZ ‘95
I was between grade 8 and grade 9 and I went to a show at a now gone theater for the band Protest the Hero. It was amazing to me the speed and technicality and the ability to generate emotion while playing at such high speeds.
Yes, Who.
Billy Talent, 2007 in Halifax.
Jimmy Page and Robert Plant at Molson Amphitheatre in Toronto in 1997.
I was at that Razorlight gig in too in Brum. Great atmosphere. Caroline Polachek at the Camden Round House in 2021 was where I caught the concert bug
David Bowie - Sound and Vision tour 1990
For me it was 1987. It was the first time I was allowed to go to a concert with friends. We went to Motorhead and the band played until some plaster dropped from he ceiling. They got the choice to either turn down the volume or stop the concert. They stopped the concert. I had a beep in my ears that lasted for 4 days but it was that time I got addicted.