The wedding present in The Mandella Hall Belfast, around 1987ish i think.
I'd just like to say that I am very envious of quite a few of you. And I'm also younger than quite a few as well!
Currently listening to live recordings from the 1974 Knebworth Festival. Cost of one day ticket was £3 on the door. 😀 Was very expensive at the time but line up included Van Morrison and the Allman Brothers, utterly brilliant.
Jimi Hendrix at the Troutbeck Hotel Ilkley 1967.Chaos! Awsome! I believe the hotel is now a nursing home
Really lucky to be there mate
First gig for me was the NME Tour at Manchester Academy in 2001. Four bands on, being Amen, JJ72, Starsailor and Alfie. Only went for Amen and because I thought the female bassist in JJ72 was fit. Mainly was dragged along by my mate who loved everything indie.
First group was 1973, Ike and Tina Turner doing nut bush city limits at the heavy steam machine which I think was some where near Stoke but its so bloody long ago that I could have the location all mixed up.First big band was 1973,Genesis doing the selling England by the pound tour at Liverpool Empire, this was the first tour that Phil Collins was lead singer after Peter Gabriel said thanks but no thanks. I don't think I will ever forget the special effects which by today's standards were tame but in those days they were simply stunning.Many years later I refused to even admit to owning a Genesis album let alone queuing to see them ! ah the fickle days of youth. 42 years later I still get a thrill out of seeing good acts in smaller venues.
cinnamon_girl - Member
I'm so old that I can't remember. It would have been around 1972 and I think it was Dr Feelgood.
I think you are out by 2 or 3 years unless you were lucky enough to drop on them right at the start. I saw them for the first time at Salford uni in 78 with Blonde headlining the gig.There was no doubt they were brilliant live, I also saw John Copper Clarke, and Wild Will Barrett and Jon Otaway there. Top venue with a capacity of circa 1200.
Simple Minds backed by Lloyd Cole, The Waterboys, BIg Audio Dynamite and Dr and the Medics 22nd June 1986 at MK Bowl.
1973,Genesis doing the selling England by the pound tour at Liverpool Empire, this was the first tour that Phil Collins was lead singer after Peter Gabriel said thanks but no thanks
Gabriel didn't leave until 1975.
#GenesisNerd
Believe it or not (and it is hard to believe for a number of reasons) Steeleye Span 1976
The next was Thin Lizzy the following year. Perhaps I should just say that was my first "proper" gig. TBH is has all been downhill since that performance.
What, exactly, is wrong with Steeleye Span?
From an almost identical thread started by barnsleymitch three years ago:
Steeleye Span, Lacock Folk Festival, forty years ago last year. Next gig was Emerson, Lake and Palmer, Trilogy Tour, St David's Hall, Cardiff 1972. Steeleye played Chippenham Folk Festival last year for the 40th anniversary, and I met Maddy Prior afterwards and had my copies of Below The Salt on original vinyl and CD signed. Great gig.
Saw Thin Lizzy maybe half a dozen times, including the Black Rose and Johnny The Fox Tours, and the Reading Festival, and Phil Lynott with Grand Slam at Golddiggers in Chippenham, one of his last ever gigs before he died, my ears are still ringing from standing in front of the speaker stacks; didn't know about hearing protection back then!
808 State at Village Underground in 2012. Think I was born a couple decades too late...
monkfish - Member
The stranglers cambridge corn exchange 1979 can't remember a single thing about it.
So wanted to go to that and my folks wouldn't let me. Said I was too young 🙁
durhambiker - MemberFour bands on, being Amen, JJ72, Starsailor and Alfie.
Most ridiculous lineup in the thread!
Guy I know , I used to play cricket with him, his first gig at the age of 28 was Mumford and Sons. Words cannot express the pity I felt for him
Led Zeppelin at Knebworth 1979. As a 15 yo it was an eye opener. Hells Angels with a joint as big as a house and the first time I saw a naked lady that wasnt in a book!
Todd Rundgren was on the bill and various others I had never heard of but he was good. The second weeks gig had New Barbarians (Wood/Richards) would like to have seen them.
The Damned - The Sandpiper at Nottingham - 1978.
I've no idea, my parents took me along to all sorts of stuff in the sixties from jazz to a hippy folk festival. The first one that was my initiative was Slade in 72 with Keep on Rockin' and Get Down Get with it in the set. Gigs after that were something of an anticlimax with the exception of Blondie in Barbarella's.
The last gig was junior and his band, their early performances were good musically but a little timid so I got the band members watching old Slade vids with Noddy working the crowd. It made me smile when junior ordered the crowd around Noddy style, he still won't use Nod's best joke though.
bigblackshed - Member
1973,Genesis doing the selling England by the pound tour at Liverpool Empire, this was the first tour that Phil Collins was lead singer after Peter Gabriel said thanks but no thanks
Gabriel didn't leave until 1975.
#GenesisNerd
I looked it up, it was Oct 23 1973.
Apologies I should have made myself more clear, I didn't mean he wasn't there,I meant as a Genesis newbie I was expecting to see Gabriel up front and friends who were in to Genesis suggested Gabriel didn't want to.Hence my surprise to see Phil Collins acting as the lead singer and TBH I cannot remember much about Gabriel that night apart from him having a strange outfit on and wandering around the stage, he seemed quite peripheral.
Transvision Vamp at the Aston Villa Leisure Centre, either 89 or 90. I'd lived in various small villages before going to uni so it was my first real chance to go see a band. And, y'know, Wendy James.
Most recent was last Tuesday. Halestorm, Shinedown, Black Stone Cherry.
Next is Bowling for Soup in a week, then Thunder and Terrorvision the week after.
Big Country Oct 6th 1984 Steeltown tour supported by White China, a cracking band in their own right? Lancaster University !!
First one was either the Undertones (supported by Sham 69 I think) or the Jam (possibly supported by Secret Affair), Guildford Civic Hall, around 1980. Those were the days...
Saturday July 6th 1985
Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band
Wembley Stadium
Me and Graham Dietz (RIP)
Not a bad inaugural gig IMHO as we were only 16
Seem to remember the tickets were £17 but can't remember if there were any support bands, but I do remember the gig was 4 hours long, and I was wearing canvas espadrilles.
Halogen (sic) days.
Northwind - Member
durhambiker - Member
Four bands on, being Amen, JJ72, Starsailor and Alfie.Most ridiculous lineup in the thread!
Yes, slightly odd lineup. 3 bands that fit, one that certainly didn't.
This thread has certainly changed my perception of the average age of STW 😆
In 1993 my dad and my uncle took me to see Crowded House at the G-MEX. it was ace. I was 13.
Ozzy Osbourne 1997 osmosis tour at Newcastle city hall. Not the best gig ever but I was chuffed to see a rock legend!
Dr Feelgood Cheltenham Town Hall 1975 I reckon
Black Sabbath - Technical Ecstacy tour, May 1977 Southampton Gaumont ( now the Mayflower)
Screaming tinnitus for a number of days after.
Great to see a few Rush experiences, they were awesome live.
ERM dead or alive.
I think you are out by 2 or 3 years unless you were lucky enough to drop on them right at the start. I saw them for the first time at Salford uni in 78 with Blonde headlining the gig.There was no doubt they were brilliant live,
@ pb2 - they played in a pub with no seating and this was before they hit the big time. I've been trying to find some gig listings but no luck. Can't even find the venue, probably been turned into retirement flats!
Actually I think my first gig was Black Sabbath at the Royal Albert Hall in 1971. Rock bands were banned from there after that, it was rather messy.
It was possibly Jane's Addiction at the Hummingbird in Brum - Ritual d' habitual tour? 1988/89? not sure?
It should have been Queen at Wembley in 1986 - one of my friends had a spare ticket and invited me to go with him and his family, I was only 13 and my parents said no 🙁
Then Carter USM played at our school in 1990 which was my first bigger than in a pub concert
Cinnamon Girl's memories of Feelgood gigging in 72 are sound.
supertramp at b'ham odeon about 1974 sadly cant remember last gig I went to possibly bootleg beatles and strolling bones at sheff poly NMB? just remembered it was some school bands do at the o2 in leeds not a great night...
Freddie And The Dreamers at some holiday camp on the Isle of Man early 60s.
First proper gig was Black Sabbath at Bradford St. Georges Hall 1975ish
That was good!
What, exactly, is wrong with Steeleye Span?
Nothing, I meant that for me as a 16 year old whose main musical tastes at the time was by then very much towards the heavy metal end of rock having transitioned through from prog rock, it was ironic that my first gig was a folk/rock band that I had enjoyed as a 10 year old. Indeed, Hark, the village wait was the second album I bought (Sgt. pepper's being the first).
In my 50's I listen to Hark, the village wait and pleased to see the king much more frequently than Iron Maiden or Thin Lizzy
It was possibly Jane's Addiction at the Hummingbird in Brum - Ritual d' habitual tour? 1988/89? not sure?
I went to that. Top gig. Also saw them at Brixton on the same tour.
Freddie And The Dreamers at some holiday camp on the Isle of Man early 60s.
Game over. You win.
First proper gig was Queensryche and Lynch Mob at Newport Centre, on their Empire tour. so 1990 I think. closely followed a month or so later by Billy Idol and Gene Loves Jezebel at the NEC.
First Live gig would have been Love/Hate wasted in America tour at the Krazyhouse in Liverpool, must have been 1991. I was 16, the doorman asked me how old I was - and I said 16 not knowing I had to be 18 to go in. The 2 older lads I was with promised to vouch for me and thankfully the doorman took pity, maybe due to my barefaced honesty and let me in.
Went to the Krazyhouse pretty much every week from then on and saw some great bands like Naplam Death and GWAR there. If I wasn't there, I'd be at the Royal court basement gigs.
The oneI really missed was going to a party opposite my house to see a local band....they became The Beatles!
One of the earliest was The Who at the Cavern club
Gary Moore at the Manchester Apollo in 1985.
The Pogues - Edinburgh 1988 - they were pish.
2 weeks later - The Wonderstuff - before they went folky and got shit.
@ pb2 - they played in a pub with no seating and this was before they hit the big time. I've been trying to find some gig listings but no luck. Can't even find the venue, probably been turned into retirement flats!Kudos to you CG, I'm impressed by your pioneering style and eclectic musical taste.
Another one for Rush.
In my case, February 1978 at the Liverpool Empire on the Farewell to Kings tour.
Think I've still got a t-shirt from the gig somewhere.....
