The Freddie Mercury tribute concert, aged 16. First time staying away from home without adult supervision, first time in London, first music gig. Took loads of pictures and left my camera on a bus.
The Jam supported by Billy Bragg at Newcastle City Hall back in October 1980 iirc
Had just turned 13, flippin' brilliant.
The Undertones + Moondogs at St Georges Hall, Bradford, 1980
Big Audio Dynamite, Brixton, 1987.
I'm so old that I can't remember. 😳 It would have been around 1972 and I think it was Dr Feelgood. 8)
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.
Beastie Boys, Run DMC and Davy D - Birmingham Odeon 1987, May 26th remember it well!
Real music! Ant n dec's world tour, Sunderland 1995!
Feeder at the Caird Hall in Dundee, 2003. I only lived a few hundred metres away at the time. Was ok I guess.
Tears for Fears. Sometime mid 80s.
Madness One Step Beyond tour at Edinburgh Playhouse probably 1983, they were supported by Joe Boxers and the lead singer from The Bellestars was in attendance watching from one of the posh boxes. Brilliant night!
Marillion. 1988 ish. Liverpool Royal Court.
Iron Maiden, Beast on the Road, Bradford St Georges Hall. 1 March 1982 I think. I was 14.
Bregante - Member
Depeche Mode, Manchester Apollo, 1983
Me too!
First proper gig - The Black Crowes, Aston Villa Leisure Centre in November 1992. Supported by The Verve.
Ace gig both bands were fantastic.
One Direction, Wembley Arena 2013, front row. Got to see right up Harry's skirt.
Iron Maiden, 1980, Middlesbrough town hall, Praying Mantis were the support band. If I remember right the ticket was £1.70 😯
U2 Joshua tree tour Cardiff arms park 1987. Coach trip from the East Midlands. Support was the pretenders, the alarm and some local 2 piece that had a bit of a hit that year but whose name I can't recall.
My taste improved in the following years.
The Stranglers, Black and White tour ('78 I think), Bristol Colston Hall.
Bunch of stuff at student uni but no memory of who. Probably nobody.
But first proper would have been the Freddie tribute concert when I was 18.
Also did a brief weekend bar stint around that time at Butlins and got the pleasure of Showaddywaddy, Black Lace and I forget who else.
February 1980 Def Leppard "On Through The Night" tour, Malvern Winter Gardens.
First "big gig" Rush,brum Odeon same year,Permanent Waves tour.
Michael Schenker Group in 1980
Michael Schenker was the last gig I saw, about a week and a half ago.
Got me a pair of backstage passes today for James at Scala. Wish I had seen them at the peak of their career, but still, will be nice to shake hands with Mr Booth
Bruce Springsteen. Old Trafford 2005. Been listening to him since the early 80s, but that was the first time I managed to get tickets to see him live.
Gary Glitter at the NEC in '91 or so. It got better...
deadkenny - MemberBut first proper would have been the Freddie tribute concert when I was 18.
I'm jealous of lots of stuff in this thread but this one in particular... Not that I would have gone, at the time, but it was the day I started listening to music. 5 minutes into Metallica, my folks are going "what is this rubbish" and I'm going "I have no idea but I'm going to find out..." Genuinely can't even think how much that changed my life. Completely, I reckon.
It'd be either Helloween at the edinburgh playhouse or monsters of rock at castle donington sometime in 1988 - one of those two but i can't remember what came first. For a good few years from the age of 15 i was a rocker with long dyed black hair, skinny black jeans, leather jacket with a cut-off denim jacket over the top covered in patches - needless to say i soon grew out of it when my mate took me to my first warehouse rave inside the M25 back in 1992, first experience of ecstasy as well so my head was most definitely turned for the better 😀
Gillan, December 1981 at Hammersmith Odeon.
Double Trouble tour I think it must have been.
Sheesh......
Depeche Mode - World Violation Tour 1990 I think.
Hawkwind summer 1972 at Guildford Civic hall.
Week or so before a girl I went to school with wanted to go
and see Bowie, I persuaded her to go with me to see Hawkwind instead.
Pink Floyd
1987
Monetary lapse of reason.
At some stadium in Manchester.
Simple Minds, Dundee Caird Hall, 1982
I think it was Jesus Jones at Leeds poly in 1989. Despite that i had great run of gigs 89-91 in my 5th year and 6th form as the Madchester thing kick off. My favourite gig around that time was the Wedding Present Christmas party at the Warehouse in Leeds cracking night.
Saxon at Wolverhampton Civic Hall, probably 1980.
I thought it was great, but heard on the radio next morning that someone had died:(
OP - Wedding Present still going and still great fun live. Go and see them.
For me - Depeche Mode, ca 1985 I think. Memorable for two reasons - one being the first gig and second because the support were some oddballs whose lead singer was enclosed in some kind of shower cubicle contraption and was completely nuddy inside. So you couldn't really see anything in detail apart from light and shade, and being the 80's..... well there was quite a bit of dark. First time I'd ever seen a real life woman in the nude that was.
Queen at Wembley Stadium in 1986.
Fun Lovin Criminals, Rock City, Nottingham, late 90's (I think).
Huey stopped the show whilst a joint was passed up & around the band.
Michael Jackson, Glasgow Green, 1992
Not a bad start
Late 80s, Saxon at the Cresset in Peterborough. Very rock n roll.
The Faces at Blackpool Winter Gardens. Gave my musical taste a kick. Great night.
1st: 1962/1963, the rainbow at finsbury park
stevie wonder, aretha franklin, temptations, four tops, martha reeves and many more on the same bill
2nd: dave dee dozy beaky mick and titch at the marquee club wardour st
3rd: cat stevens at the mayfair theatre
great days indeed
latest was Hozier last week at Brixton acadamy 52 year after my first 🙂
The Levellers @ Civic Hall Wolverhampton
I used to watch my old man's bands most weekends when I was a kid..
First gig on my own was Anthrax in Bristol
Chuck Berry
Bradford Alhambra
Mid 90s

