What was your first live gig?

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…..

Simple Minds – Wembley Arena – 1985. I was 17.

the mighty Hawkwind at the brangwyn Hall in swansea…I think it was 1972 I was 16 years old. I was the space ritual tour. It was utterly amazing and very loud ….and yes pedropete I also emerged a different person 🙂

Public Enemy, 1988, UEA, Norwich.

1979 , Edinburgh Rock Festival , The Undertones , Squeeze , Talking Heads , Van Morrison…. 😀

Judas Priest!!! 1980 supported by Iron Maiden – Brum Odeon – Bloody long time ago….must be getting old!

Local college band. First proper paid gig was Elvis Costello, going to see him in Paris in May 🙂

Misfits at the LAII in ’99.

It was bloody ace too even if it was Michael Graves on vocals rather than Danzig. I was only 16.

Showaddywaddy. My parents took me when I was a nipper.

My first gig without parents was 808 State at the GMex, with N-Joi and the Sugarcubes supporting them. Bjork was screechingly awful but everything else was great.

the moshpit in Biohazard was the first of the day and was quite an eye opener

we hunkered down behind a crash barrier with some cider and a ‘teenth to avoid extreme & aerosmith

also did this one the following year

I went with my parents and brother to see Sky at the Aberdeen Capitol. I think they were touring Sky Five Live so it looks like it would have been 1983 and I’d have been 7 or 8.

After that there was a long break until I saw Tori Amos at the Clyde Auditorium in 1998. There was a much shorter gap between that and my third gig, Sparklehorse at the Fleece and Firkin in Bristol the same summer.

Portishead live at Ashton Court in Brizzle at the Free Festival, back in the daze of ’97 ish? I was at the front crushed against the barrier and I asked… “Why haven’t I heard this band before and where are they from” 😳

The DJ who did the warm up was absolutely awesome, some great scratching and dropping a huge amount of awesome tunes.

I don’t class hearing Kylie, Jason, Big Fun, Sonia, London Boys at a hitman n her roadshow soundcheck as a “live gig”, but if I did that would’ve been 91-93’ish.

Now thinking about it, I’m not sure if Chicane live at Lakota was before Portishead, it really was a daze back then.

Monsters of Rock 1981

AC/DC
Whitesnake
Blue Öyster Cult
Slade
Blackfoot
More

I was 15 – asked to borrow £20 off my Mum to go with a mate from school

Terrifying to a young lad like myself bit brilliant except for the bottles of piss and the ‘toilet’ facilities

The Jam, Crawley Leisure Centre Feb 23rd 1981.

My abiding memory is ending up on the track with a load of skins and punks running down the platform towards us.

Found this via google which seems to agree 🙂

The list is long enough as it is but doesn’t include a lot of Jam gigs including the infamous Jam and Purple Hearts gig at Crawley Leisure Centre in February 1981. Weller had a dreadful cold and about 8 of us got detached from the main group of Mods after the gig (because we had to go back to get my brother’s Parka) and were left having to square up to about 60 punks and skins at the end of the platform at Three Bridges Station, the cavalry arrived in the form of the Brighton/Hove/Worthing lot just in the nick of time as we were about to be overwhelmed and get a good kick-in – Happy Days

Pink Floyd, Earls Court on the Division Bell tour 1994. Dad managed to get 2 tickets, but they weren’t together. I was surrounded by aging old-timers who took a boat load of drugs then passed out.
Given what little Floyd I’d listened to (I was into Levellers / Wonderstuff etc. and only went as I’d been promised a trip to Tower Records) it was like listening to the biggest hi-fi in the world. The pyro was pretty cool, even from my seat half way back I could feel the heat from the flames.

I think it was guns and roses at wembley in about 1991

Public Image Ltd. Aberdeen Capitol 1986. 2nd gig was Public Image Ltd Edinburgh Playhouse 1987. I managed to get a live CD of this gig off EBay a few years ago.

Iron Maiden with Anthrax supporting.
Cascais Portugal 1989

very excited just got tickets to take the wife to see Tindersticks at Warwick Uni Arts centre in April 🙂

Monsters of Rock 1981

AC/DC
Whitesnake
Blue Öyster Cult
Slade
Blackfoot
More

Plumber – I was there too !!.

I was with a girlfriend and i’d left my motorbike on an estate close by. Went to get it afterwards and it wasn’t there. Bloke came out of his house, told us that he had put it in his garage as it was raining and would I like a cup of tea ! 🙂

Sparks 1974 Hammersmith Odeon (Apollo now).

That started me off going to live gigs regularly a couple of times a week, best was the Rezillos last gig in London (before the comeback tours) in a very packed Marquee club about 1978/9, The Jam in Paris was a blast as well.

Next gig is Lush in May at Camden Roundhouse, surprised I’m still at it!!! 🙂