@Cougar:
First proper gig was Donington ’90 for me. Thunder, Quireboys, Poison, Aerosmith, Whitesnake.
I was there, too... you didn't wave 😉
First proper gig:
Motorhead, Bristol Studio, 1989. I still have the t-shirt 🙂
Start as you mean to go on!
Simple Minds, Dundee Caird Hall, 1982
Someone at the local travel agents was a massive music fan and used to organize tickets and busses to ferry teens to all the local gigs from Coventry up to Manchester.
I'd forgotten that! same from Reading to gigs in London, organised by the coach co - travel and entry included. The standout was a coach load of goths to see Siouxsie and the Banshees at the Albert Hall. No drinks on the coach not particularly enforced as the premixed 2 litre bottles of snakebite and black were passed round.
Therapy? at Sheffield octagon, April 1994 I think. Awesome
Thin Lizzy at The Winning Post Whitton Middx. After Whisky in the Jar but before The Boys are back in Town so probably 74 or 75. Cost me £1.
AC DC bingley hall Stafford 1979,Jesus it was loud.
The Jam - Leeds Queens hall 1982 - so many people were at that gig that i met later in life - including my future BIL. Amazing gig.
Charlie Pride when I was a nipper.
Happy Mondays was my first gig that I was allowed to with mates.
Also Thin Lizzy, Southampton Gaumont Dec 1977. I still think that it was the best live show that I have ever seen, closely followed by Jethro Tull in the early 80’s
Either "Diamond" Dave Lee Roth or Heart, can't remember which. I was 16 so presumably this was 1988 or thereabouts. I'd like to say my taste in music has improved, but according to my daughters I'd be wrong 🙂
Steeleye Span, among quite a few others at the first, and only Lacock Folk Festival, May 1972. The next actual gig was Emerson, Lake & Palmer on the Trilogy Tour, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, the same year.
Next ones were, in no particular order, Supertramp, at Chippenham Technical College, a warm-up gig prior to the release of Crime Of The Century, 50p/ticket, and I saw them at the Colston Hall later that year, 1974, when I also saw Pink Floyd at Bristol Hippodrome on the Wish You Were Here Tour.
There have been a great many other gigs since.
Accept 1983. Got dragged along by a metal head friend and I was allowed to go as it wasn’t a scary punk gig (which my parents barred me from, I was 13)
Blew me away and created my my 80’s love of early thrash (it was just hard core punk with solos and satan after all)
Billy Bragg on his Red Wedge tour when I was 6. At an old peoples home.
July 81, Royal Wedding day all dayer at the Mayflower Club, Belle Vue, remember only two bandsOblivionandVaricose Veins`. Everyone walked back down to Piccadilly after and the Apollo was kicking out at the same time, chips and gravy at a late night chippy and the last bus back to Oldham, halcyon days.
Stranglers, Edinburgh playhouse, 5th March 1990
November 8th 1990.
A coach trip by magpie records in Worcester to see Queensryche at Newport centre. The Empire tour where they played the entire mindcrime album. It was awesome.
I was 16 and nearly got into a couple of fights, cos, well, Newport is rough.
Hadn't got a clue how to get back from Worcester at gone midnight though. Fortunately a coupe if guys in 6th form managed to fit me in their chevette.
Marillion 1988 Edinburgh Playhouse
Elder son ha ZZ Top 2017 (I think) Manchester O2
And younger son will be Alice Cooper 2022 Leeds Arena supported by The Cult (hopefully)
The Eagles - 1976 New Bingley Hall, Stafford.
My 17 year old friend has passed her driving test that week. She borrowed her mum's mini to drive us from Stockport, crashing it on the way home. Her father was not very pleased when he had to collect us all.
bigblackshed - I was at that Queen gig (Knebworth). There was a massive food fight. The security guards were taking the whole ticket and not giving back the stubs, then selling them on outside the gates. The park was heaving. It took us 4 hours to drive out of the grounds, but well worth being covered in food and drink, and not being able to get to a loo. Superb.
Oasis, Kentish Town Forum August 1994
It was a about a week before Definitely Maybe was released and pretty sure I also passed my driving test that week.
Peters and Lee ,Gt Yarmouth early 70’s
Llama Farmers at Blackheath Halls in 2000(? Maybe 99).
Ian Gillan Band, Double Trouble tour, 1981 at the Liverpool Empire, supported by....Budgie! Let's rock!
The Lemonheads in London when I was 16 or 17. I was a fan and chaperoning my sister and her friend, who spent the gig on my shoulders. I think my next gig was Dinosaur Jr. The early 90s were a brilliant time to be a teenager.
The police 1980 Milton Keynes Bowl.
Mad Caddies & Fenix TX at the garage in glasgow I think.
I watch a flaming droplet fly up into the air from a fire breatheron the stage* it arked high and came down slowly as i was wedged in the front, it went straight into my eye**.
*I think it was one of the Fenix TX band members rather than a professional one.
**it was out by the time it hit me but wholy shit it stung.
Dr Feelgood, 1982 at Salford Uni Union bar. Wilko Johnson looked like he hated the lot of us!!
Monsters of Rock 88. I was 14. Lots of hair, denim and warm cider. It was awesome.
Montgomery - was at another show on that tour, Budgie were the better act for me.
Foo Fighters at Newport Lesiure Centre. Followed the next night by the Prodigy in the same venue! 1995 I think, was still in high school anyway. Third gig though was a long time afterwards, System of a Down at Brixton Academy in 2002 possibly. I'm not great at remembering dates.
CountZero
Steeleye Span, among quite a few others at the first, and only Lacock Folk Festival, May 1972. The next actual gig was Emerson, Lake & Palmer on the Trilogy Tour, St David’s Hall, Cardiff, the same year.
Bloody hell I was there too, my mum was a massive Folk fan and I got dragged along, I was only 8 at the time and fell asleep at 8:30pm but it meant my mum didn't have child minder worries.
I would have loved to see the Supertramp gig as Crime Of The Century is still one of my favourite albums.
First real gig would have been The Jam 1979 Colston Hall Bristol
ACDC, Leeds Queen's Hall, 1981 followed by Ozzy a couple of months later at the NEC in Birmingham
Motörhead at Hammersmith Odeon Christmas 1990 aged 15.
Told me mum that I was going to a party at lee’s house. Lee told his folks that he was going to a party at my house….
Happy days😄
Sex Pistols, Lesser Free Trade Hall, 1976.
Some random rock and roll band with my parents in the 60s. They went dancing and there were live bands.
Then we went on holiday to a folk festival in the South West around 68/69. I can find no trace of it on the Net.
The first of my choice was Slade at Birmingham Town Hall in early 73. Oh for a time machine.
Magnum, October 1986 at St Georges Hall in Bradford.
OMD Liberator tour, Royal Court Liverpool, '93(?).
Ian Gillan Band, Double Trouble tour, 1981 at the Liverpool Empire, supported by….Budgie! Let’s rock!
I think I was at that gig as well! Definitely saw Gillan at the Empire around that time anyway. My only memory of the gig was the cages on either side of the stage which had topless girls dancing!
Iron Maiden, Beast on the Road tour at St George’s Hall Bradford 1982 as a 14 yr old doing something without mum and dad sorting it all out for the first time.
The Clash, 1980, Bristol, at the, ah hem, Colston Hall. Crap venue syndrome, was a bit boring TBH, saw them a couple of years later at the Locarno and were brilliant.
Rainbow 78/79 ish at Newcastle City Hall
Kiss at Bingley Hall in Stafford 1984 I think so I was twelve. It smelled like a cow shed (it was) but they were pretty epic.
I was there for the Dynasty tour 5th September 1980 (still got the ticket), went to see them on the last UK tour with the same mate
Sex Pistols, Lesser Free Trade Hall, 1976.
A lot of quality first gigs here but if that's true, and I'm pretty sure it isn't, you've won the thread.
I'm surprised no one has claimed The Spiders from Mars last gig at the Hamersmith Apollo in 1973. If everyone who claimed to be there actually was then there must have been 500,000 in the audience.
My first gig. Roxy Music at the Glasgow Apollo 1982 and I still have the programme.
Terrorvision at the LCR in Norwich.
Twas great.
Loads of little local bands in the mid-ish 80s ('87/'88) - The Black Sky and The Jilted Brides were my regular local gigs.
First 'proper' gig was Transvision Vamp at Rock City in '88 (a bit of Googling tells me it was October 10). They were way better than they had any right to be.