1st Concert - What's Yours?

[kap'n krunch]

UK mkII
Jobson, Bozzio & Wetton.
Thanksgiving's eve 1979 in the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan , Puerto Rico.

There hadn't been basically ANY rock concerts for YEARS in PR after "Mar y Sol"(1972!), so this was very special, people were psyched, "Alfa Rock 105"(the ONLY all rock station in San Juan)was playing their live LP, "Night after night" all the time ("Nothng to Lose" being the favorite), so it was a FULL HOUSE!!!!

Apparently , you didn't need to spark up to get high, you just had to breathe...yes, the air was THAT heavy...

They started off with "Danger Money" and then it was all a big blur...Some synth went to hell in a handbasket and Terry had to do a 20 minute drum solo....AWESOME!!!!

 

[rusinurbe]

Dire Straits - 1985 supporting 'Brothers in Arms' - which by the way is a great sounding dual disc.

 

[Quad Linda]

Que?? Can you explain the reason for the seven years, Kap'n, if you know?

Seven years of bad luck...

UK mkII
Jobson, Bozzio & Wetton.
Thanksgiving's eve 1979 in the Roberto Clemente Coliseum, San Juan , Puerto Rico. There hadn't been basically ANY rock concerts for YEARS in PR after "Mar y Sol"(1972!)...

 

[mandrix]

Rod Stewart/Free old Tampa stadium. 71/72? Stage setup on field to play to one side of stadium. Tickets at the gate $2.00. Might have been all of 1000 people there. (All right now.Baby.It's all right now.)
-or-
BB KIng, Large venue club in downtown Tampa near Curtis-Hixon hall about 71/72?

 

[John Svensson]

Ted Nugent in 1976 I think, at some arena West of Ft. Lauderdale in the middle of farmland. Some guys wearing top hats opened for him. Now, I'm not a Ted fan even, but there was this girl named Libby.....

 

[Quad Linda]

Based on the date, I assume Maggie Mae had already been a big hit. Although I'm not doubting your veracity, why was attendance so low?

Rod Stewart/Free old Tampa stadium. 71/72? ... Might have been all of 1000 people there.

 

[kap'n krunch]

Que?? Can you explain the reason for the seven years, Kap'n, if you know?

Seven years of bad luck...

Hey Linda!
Wish I knew why...maybe they got so scared of all the hippies that went and STAYED in PR during Mar Y Sol that they didn't want anymore.
Yes, there was always the Caribe Hilton and all these uppitty hotels that brought famous mainstream artists...
and there's also the factor that although "Salsa" was "born" in "Noo Yawk", PR was THE place for all the big "Fania Records" artists, Ray Barreto, Willie Colón, Celia Cruz, Hector Lavoe-now THOSE concerts were always a full house in the Roberto Clemente and there were so many of them....
I used to work with a recording engineer who saw Santana in the 71/72 tour with Neal Schon in the Hiram Bithorn (baseball) Stadium (the Roberto Clemente is next to it)...
Also there was always the Jets and the Sharks, I mean, you were either a "rockero" or a "cocolo"(salsa fan) and rockeros were not very well considered....

And there wasn't a Rock FM station in San Juan until the late 70s(Alfa Rock)!!! There was only one AM station which only broadcast in English (PR may be part of the US but only about 30% of the population speak English) called "Radio Rock"(RIP)....

That's why I consider myself a "rockolo" ...it's funny how deeply ingrained Salsa music is (it's EVERYWHERE in PR, TV, radio, supermarkets, elevators!) UNTIL you LEAVE PR....then you go..."Heeeeyy, where did it go? I miss my salsa-where's my cowbell for the mambo section?"

Maybe I'll ask some older friends why ...do some research since I always found it curious too....

 

[DKA]

and there's also the factor that although "Salsa" was "born" in "Noo Yawk", PR was THE place for all the big "Fania Records" artists, Ray Barreto, Willie Colón, Celia Cruz, Hector Lavoe-now THOSE concerts were always a full house in the Roberto Clemente and there were so many of them....

Fania are literally my earliest musical memories. I remember 8-track only because I remember grabbing and looking at stuff like Willie Colon and Charanga '76 in 8-track form when riding around in family cars when I was a little boy.

I buy a lot of the Fania remasters. What they were putting out in the 70's, to me, is some of the purest music ever put to music. If you've never had a chance to listen, go get "Live at Yankee Stadium" or Ruben Blades's "Siembra." There will never be Latin music like that ever again.

 

[kap'n krunch]

Fania are literally my earliest musical memories. I remember 8-track only because I remember grabbing and looking at stuff like Willie Colon and Charanga '76 in 8-track form when riding around in family cars when I was a little boy.

I buy a lot of the Fania remasters. What they were putting out in the 70's, to me, is some of the purest music ever put to music. If you've never had a chance to listen, go get "Live at Yankee Stadium" or Ruben Blades's "Siembra." There will never be Latin music like that ever again.

Amen , brother!
Any early Rubén Blades (with Willie Colón)...you can't go wrong there- but, yes, "Siembra" is the masterpiece there!
(BTW, avoid any early Fania CDs since they are horribly mastered!)

I recorded a Willie Colón CD "¡Y vuelve otra vez!" (1995)(well, everything BUT his voice, which he recorded in NY) and had a blast with the musicians-what a great bunch of talented and humble people!!!

 

[elmer]

That "Nuyorican" sound got it's start with Dizzy Gillespie's Afro Cuban adventures in the late 50's/early 60's. One of the first Nuyorican crossover hits was "El Pito (I'll Never Go Back To Georgia)" by the Joe Cuba Sextet back in '64 or so. Interesting because it later became a minor rock hit for The Blues Magoos. Joe's band used to play a little club in Flushing (my home town) right down the block from my favorite, long gone old style movie theater the RKO Keith - but I digress. The Nuyorican movement is still around but probably enjoyed it's height of popularity when it was co-opted by the local dance scene in the early 90's by DJ's like Todd Terry & MAW ("Little Louie Vega and Kenny "Dope Gonzales). These guys weren't limited to latin music but brought a lot of those influences to the dance scene via Madonna, Michael Jackson, Donna Summers and on and on. I grew up listening to this music - not only as a part of my cultural heritage but because it was such a classic style of "Noo Yawk" sensibilities. This is such a rich and diverse source of musical discovery that is often overlooked - you could spend years following all the variations and still not hear all that it has to offer - I recently discovered a Bronx, NY based duo called Pacha Massive which is a "paella" of Dominican, Puerto Rican, Trip Hop, Electronica, & Reggae - definitely worth checking out.

And oh by the way, just to stay on point for this thread, my first concert was The Nazz, The Vagrants & The Young Rascals (though they had changed their names at that point to The Rascals) at the Singer Bowl in Flushing, NY - August, 1968

 

[ProgRules]

Emerson Lake and Palmer - Richmond, VA. - Nov. 29, 1977. I was 13. A friend's dad took us. There was no orchestra, which was fine with me. The show was amazing!

J. D.

I was at that show! My 1st year at UVA, I got 2 tix but couldn't convince any of my new college buddies to go with me, so I took a road trip by myself. Traded the extra ticket to some guy hawking blotter at the show, which of course ended up just being a piece of paper- obviously didn't see him at the seat. It was a great show. Nice 1st concert!

 

[ProgRules]

Did Greg do the "flip" with the keyboards? I saw a show where he was suspended and they rotated him in the air while playing.

I never saw Greg flip the keyboards, but I saw Keith do a lot of pyrotechnics with them... (Being my usual wise-ass self)

 

[ProgRules]

http://www.opb.org/programs/oregonexperience/programs/player/28-Vortex-I
Well, clearly I must have been doing a lot more drinking and drugs during my concert attending years because I'm a little fuzzy on what exactly was my first concert. But... I'm pretty certain my first concert was the Vortex outdoor rock festival in Portland, Oregon. I lived in Eastern Oregon at the time and my friend and I drove my 67 Camaro 200 miles to the concert in McIver State park near Portland. I was about a month shy from turning 17. "In the summer of 1970, some tens of thousands of people converged in rural Clackamas County for an event called Vortex 1. This “biodegradable festival of life” celebrated freedom -- freedom from violence, from drug laws and from clothes. It also served as an elaborate ploy to lure young people away from Portland. And to this day, Vortex remains America’s only large-scale rock festival ever sponsored by a Republican governor." Here is a website that tells all about it; http://www.opb.org/programs/oregonexperience/programs/28-Vortex-I
It was my first experience dropping acid, my first experience with electric cool aid and my first "bad trip." I was so terrified that I'd lost my mind that I never touched acid again. (Although I did my fair share of many other drugs in the years to follow.) Frankly, I don't remember any of the bands that played, but in reading about it online it sounds like it was mostly Portland area bands. But because it was a rock festival in the era of Woodstock, I guess it still counts.
Here is a link to a documentary produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting about the event; http://www.opb.org/programs/oregonexperience/programs/player/28-Vortex-I

One should never have their 1st trip at a concert, imo. It needs to be a very controlled environment with knowledgeable "fellow travelers" who can help if things start going south. I made this mistake once- my first time seeing Pink Floyd, 77 Animals tour, I scored a bunch of hits for my buddies that were accompanying me to the show. One of them had never tripped and I refused to give him any, but he begged and begged and I relented. The rest of us had a blast- few bands could equal PF's presentation/music for an lsd experience- but he had a bummer. Being alone in your head- no matter the quality of the external stimulation- is a recipe for disaster on your 1st trip. Such a shame, to waste a great show on a bad trip. I felt really bad and learned a lesson about giving in to others' desires over my own feelings...

 

[ProgRules]

My 1st show was the Kinks at University Hall (UVA's basketball arena) in 72 I think? I was around 14 and was visiting my brother, with my family and our next door neighbors, during his 1st (and only) year at UVA. I had tried to go to a few concerts in Philly where we lived, but parents always nixed the idea. But my older friend noticed the Kinks were in town, so we got some tickets and my parents were OK with it- probably because it was at UVA. I enjoyed the show, but it was nowhere near the experience that my subsequent concerts would be. I wasn't really into the Kinks at that time and I knew none of the music. It was also the only concert that I went to fairly straight for many years- only substance involved was a quart of beer that my buddy and I split. But after that, concerts required the right "enhancements"- they were a reason (or an excuse) to get nice and high. I never liked alcohol for concerts- too easy to overdo it and miss out on the music. As has been noted, back in the 70s, that smell was an inescapable part of the concert experience, whether you yourself were partaking or not.

 

[Doug G.]

Steppenwolf in 1969 in St. Paul but I don't remember where it was. I was 16.

Doug

 

[Quad Linda]

I discovered Fania because a record store I frequened was in a Hispanic neighborhood. I had never heard this stuff, and bought an LP blindly. Being a percussionist, I started with Acid by Ray Barretto (El Nuevo Barretto.) I was hooked. One of my neighbors was from PR, so we would sit and dig the sounds with a couple pitchers of Pina Coladas. BTW: The 2 LP Barretto Live (on Atlantic) is pretty hot, too.

Immediately after buying Barretto, I returned to buy Fania All Stars at Yankee Stadium and lots more. I was saddened that Columbia did a distribution agreement with Fania during Quad's heyday, yet there were no Fania SQ's. There supposedly was a Larry Harlow Live in Quad. Fania [2 LP] QXSLP-00472 (CD-4.) Has anyone ever heard or seen that? I've rebought several Fanias on CD, as well as several I never owned.

DKA is right. They don't make 'em like that anymore!

Ahora, si!

Fania are literally my earliest musical memories. I remember 8-track only because I remember grabbing and looking at stuff like Willie Colon and Charanga '76 in 8-track form when riding around in family cars when I was a little boy.

I buy a lot of the Fania remasters. What they were putting out in the 70's, to me, is some of the purest music ever put to music. If you've never had a chance to listen, go get "Live at Yankee Stadium" or Ruben Blades's "Siembra." There will never be Latin music like that ever again.

 

[leevitalone1]

My 1st show was the Kinks at University Hall (UVA's basketball arena) in 72 I think? I was around 14 and was visiting my brother, with my family and our next door neighbors, during his 1st (and only) year at UVA. I had tried to go to a few concerts in Philly where we lived, but parents always nixed the idea. But my older friend noticed the Kinks were in town, so we got some tickets and my parents were OK with it- probably because it was at UVA. I enjoyed the show, but it was nowhere near the experience that my subsequent concerts would be. I wasn't really into the Kinks at that time and I knew none of the music. It was also the only concert that I went to fairly straight for many years- only substance involved was a quart of beer that my buddy and I split. But after that, concerts required the right "enhancements"- they were a reason (or an excuse) to get nice and high. I never liked alcohol for concerts- too easy to overdo it and miss out on the music. As has been noted, back in the 70s, that smell was an inescapable part of the concert experience, whether you yourself were partaking or not.

Yes it was! a show in Sracuse once had some dudes behind us who pulled out a huge ( like big bamboo) (well before that came out,) rolled in newspaper of all things, He raised his arm and pulled the sucker out. It was truly arms length. It went down the back row, up mine and right when it was my turn, it went out to a kid stnding there and he got nailed! The cop was wlking away holding the still smoldering monster by the top as if it was a sack of poo. It was refered to as the "Gorilla"
never saw another like it. ( I have wittnesses!) But, yes you just needed to show up and breath to get wacky. We always wondered about the cops getting a freebie.

 

[strat54]

Quote: The spinning piano was done for a few shows on the 74 tour. ( I meant this as a reply )

I saw him do it two times, once when he hit his head on the piano opening a small bloody gash, he continued playing though and completed the show with a band-aid. I wonder if that would happen with today's artists who aren't even playing or singing live half the time.

 

[peterzach]

My first concert was YES "Going for the One' tour in Sept 1977 in Vancouver BC.
Donavon was opening act and he was pretty good but when YES took the stage it was a very magical experience for me as I had listened to these songs on LP but now finally got to see these amazing musicians perform live and I was not disappointed. Other highlight was the the light and laser show to go along with the music. I also remember it being quite smokey in the arena from all the people smoking all kinds of different things and I was not familar with these strange new odors as the smells I was more accustomed to were more fowl ones(my Dad was a chicken farmer).
The concert experience got me hooked and over next year saw Aerosmith(with ACDC opening, had never heard of them,they really rocked the place) and my only time seeing one of my favorite bands of all time Queen(with Thin Lizzy opening, if I remember correctly).

I see someone posted the setlist for YES from 1977:

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/yes/1977/pacific-coliseum-vancouver-bc-canada-2bd320da.html

peter

 

[leevitalone1]

My first concert was YES "Going for the One' tour in Sept 1977 in Vancouver BC.
Donavon was opening act and he was pretty good but when YES took the stage it was a very magical experience for me as I had listened to these songs on LP but now finally got to see these amazing musicians perform live and I was not disappointed. Other highlight was the the light and laser show to go along with the music. I also remember it being quite smokey in the arena from all the people smoking all kinds of different things and I was not familar with these strange new odors as the smells I was more accustomed to were more fowl ones(my Dad was a chicken farmer).
The concert experience got me hooked and over next year saw Aerosmith(with ACDC opening, had never heard of them,they really rocked the place) and my only time seeing one of my favorite bands of all time Queen(with Thin Lizzy opening, if I remember correctly).

I see someone posted the setlist for YES from 1977:

http://www.setlist.fm/setlist/yes/1977/pacific-coliseum-vancouver-bc-canada-2bd320da.html

peter

I'll bet that was one to remember! In those days they were all still young and on top of the game. I'll bet just inhaling there was a help also. Like all the old shows were.