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.

Tom Robinson Band, support act was Stiff Little Fingers, .Oxford Apollo , 1978

I think it was Blur on the first night of their seaside tour 1995, the day after they released the Great Escape. Cleethorpes nightclub Pier 39, totally inappropriate venue. Warm up act was Matt Lucas – utter crap.
Damon Albarn spat beer in my face for some reason.

Feeder at the Caird Hall in Dundee in October 2002 I think. My flat was only 200m away at the time. Thought it was ok but not really a concert person.

Chuck Berry at the Bradford Alhambra. ‘96 I think.

Paul Simon – Gracelands Tour, Royal Albert Hall, 1986 (I think)

@uponthedowns

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 may have misremembered, given I hadn’t been born at that point in time.

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 took that as a joke, not for one minute did i think that he/she was one of the 40 or so people actually there. kudos if true tho.

EDIT: ah, it would appear it was actually a joke. anyway, i didnt see you there so you cant have been.

INXS at the NEC in 86/87?

Bowie Wembley Arena May 4th 1976, due to one of the music papers getting the tour dates wrong and again on May 6th for the final night.

Bowie Wembley Arena May 6th 1976, due to one of the music papers getting the tour dates wrong and again on May 8th for the final night.

Tried to edit but reposted in error🙀

Misty In Roots, 1986, Deptford

Queen, Kind Of Magic tour, Wembley, 1986 (also my first introduction to bottled piss throwing in the scrum at the turnstiles). Supported by INXS, The Alarm and Status Quo so a good day all round for a super excited 15 yo.

I saw Sky with my parents at the Capitol Theatre in Aberdeen when my age was still in single digits. Setlist.fm suggests this was either on the 4th of February 1983 or the 18th of May 1984.

There was quite a big gap before I started going to gigs without my parents. I saw Baddiel and Newman at Aberdeen Music Hall in 1992 or 1993, but they weren’t a band, obviously. So skip forward another few years and you get Tori Amos at the Clyde Auditorium on the 22nd of May 1998 and Sparklehorse at the Fleece and Firkin in Bristol on the 21st of July that year. That last gig in particular was probably what really got me going to gigs semi regularly.

I was a bit of a late-comer but saw The Wonderstuff somewhere in Exeter when I was a student. 1989. They had just released ‘HUP’ and The Bass Thing was on bass…

Supported by EAT and Ned’s Atomic Dustbin 🙂

sparkyrhino

Peters and Lee ,Gt Yarmouth early 70’s

Ah. In *that* case, you’ve just reminded me: I saw Val Doonican in St Helier. 1979 🙂

Climax Blues Band at Baswich Church Hall in 1968.

(Although they were called Colin Cooper’s Climax Chicago Blues Band in them days so I also couldn’t get it right)

Charlatans at The Lower Refectory Sheffield, 9th March 1990.

1998 Depeche Mode’s, Music For The Masses Tour. My elder brother was huge fan but had to work, so I went instead, I wasn’t a fan (nor a hater) before the concert but have been a fan ever since.

Oasis at Exeter Westpoint in 1997. Mad for it. Also passed out from a combination of the heat and not eating all day. I’ve never lived it down.

Chaka Kahn. Poole Arts Centre. 1986. It was my mate’s 13 birthday treat. Around the time of the breakdance craze and movie.

Prodigy 1st tour in Panama Joes Cardiff
Not too shabby…. I think?

The Boss at Bramall Lane in 1988 I think, then in sep 1989 I discovered JBs in Dudley as a 16 year old. It’s all a haze, but we saw loads of bands there between 89-91 including Manics, Blur, Ride, Levellers etc. £3 in on a Friday night to the best 300 ish capacity venue in the Midlands/UK.

First real concert was Madness at Edinburgh Playhouse 1983.
It was a bit wild for a 12 year old, they were supported by Joe Boxers.

First over 18’s concert was Half Man Half Biscuit at Coasters in Edinburgh 1986.

Rainbow, down to earth tour supported by Saxon.  Deeside leisure centre 27th Feb 1980.

Saxon at the Cresset in Peterborough c1987 I think.

U2, Cardiff arms park 1987. Joshua tree tour. I was 17. Another bus and ticket deal from a local travel agent. (Hinckley Leicestershire). Broke down on the way I think I remember.

^^^^^^ I was probably at that charlatans gig. @matt10214

Jethro Tull…

@docrobster They had only just released Indian Rope, it was a last minute thing as we were supposed to be going to the House Of Love but it sold out!

Supertramp with Joan armatrading Birmingham odeon about ‘75? 45+yrs ffs