1st Concert - What's Yours?

[leevitalone1]

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.

Yeh, I was impressed with that little trick. I'll bet he didn't do it too often though. It looked like it was hard to do, and play at the same time.

 

[user 1679]

Yeh, I was impressed with that little trick. I'll bet he didn't do it too often though. It looked like it was hard to do, and play at the same time.

Well of course he wasn't actually playing. The piano was just a shell, no guts, the music heard was on tape. Still a pretty nifty trick, especially when downing the wine and/or brandy like he was in those days.

 

[leevitalone1]

Well of course he wasn't actually playing. The piano was just a shell, no guts, the music heard was on tape. Still a pretty nifty trick, especially when downing the wine and/or brandy like he was in those days.

You know I never knew that! I always wondered about the weight but it just never occured to me it was empty.

 

[Odys]

Jane's Addiction - somewhere around 1990, perhaps? Miami.

What a great first show!

 

[dr. simple]

Either some of you are lying, or those of us who didn't see bands as cool as The Tubes, Yes, and E.L.P. aren't posting...

So I could lie and say it was Rush on the Signals tour (my SECOND concert), but if I'm honest I have to admit it was Loverboy in 1981 on the "Get Lucky" tour. I was 16 years old, in the front row, and completely enamored. Joan Jett opened, and before her was Point Blank.

Did I mention I saw Rush in 1982?

 

[Mchoop]

Grew up in the Indy area. My first concert was at the Indianapolis Convention Center in approximately 1972 or 73'. It was a Christmas Festival that included bands Flash, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Focus and I believe Cactus. There were probably a few more but it's such a blur.

McHoop

 

[Odys]

Concerts are memories that give us warm fuzzies. Please post the first CONCERT that you attended. A local band/soloist that you heard at a bar doesn't count. It should be someone that you heard in a large concert venue. If they have a dance floor, or tables, it probably isn't a concert hall.

It was '66. Allan Sherman at the Arie Crown, inside Chicago's McCormick Place. The entire complex burned down in '67, was rebuilt and reopened in the early '70's. He did his hit, Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah. Although his career was already in decline, it was a stellar concert. A most clever guy, he sadly died in the early '70's, broke and forgotten. RIP I still remember his music and popped for "My Son, the Box," his complete works issued a few years ago on CD by Rhino Handmade.

If you like musical parodies, seek out this guy's music. You will not be disappointed.

I was just talking to a good friend of mine about Allan Sherman last week. I only knew him from Hello Muddah, but my friend, who's a few years older, grew up listening to all his songs. Too bad My Son, the Box is out of print.

 

[Quad Linda]

Never fear, ALL the Allan Sherman albums are available individually on CD: http://www.tower.com/tower_search/search_2.cfm?keywords=allan sherman&div_id=2 "Music to Dispense With," a promo LP for Scott Paper, "Allan Sherman Pours it on for Carpets Made with Encron Polyester" promo LP, and 37 unreleased and non-album sides are what would be missing from My Son, the Box. So, buy My Son the Greatest and you'll get a couple more rare tracks, so you shouldn't yell.

On the original albums, you still get the schmere, including:
Harvey & Sheila (sung to the tune of Hava Nagila)
Pop Hates the Beatles (Pop Goes the Weasel)
The Drinking Man's Diet
When I'm in the Mood for Love (You're in the Mood for Herring)
The Learner's Brassiere
You Went the Wrong Way, Old King Louie
and Manny Moore!

Order before midnight tonight and you'll be the envy of both Weird Al AND Adam Sandler!

I was just talking to a good friend of mine about Allan Sherman last week. I only knew him from Hello Muddah, but my friend, who's a few years older, grew up listening to all his songs. Too bad My Son, the Box is out of print.

 

[dr8track]

Now that is a fancinating story, about the show put on to get kids out of Portland. and the bad time you had with LSD. I'm sure being so close to CAL. you got some clean shit, but that is a bad place to do the 1st time. Too many people, I would have freaked too. Plus you were way too young to be tripping. Not good for developing minds. I'll bet you don't remember any of the bands either. But cool story anyway.

And being a teenager in the 70's, that bad experience was not enough to make me swear off outdoor rock festivals. Almost exactly one year later, in September of 71, just days shy of my 17th birthday, my friends and I got in the car in Eastern Oregon again and headed to The Satsup Fair and Tin Cup Races, an outdoor rock festival in Satsop, Washington, a small farm community south of Seattle. http://antiques-collectibles-auction-news.com/2008/07/25/invasion-of-the-longhairs-first-legal-rock-festival/ I believe the tickets for the 3 day event were supposed to be $45, but my friends and I climbed over a fence and got in free. "It's a free concert from now on." While I don't remember any of the music or bands from my Portland experience, there were some big names at Satsup. The first night we layed out our sleeping bags right in front of the stage. I specifically remember seeing Wishbone Ash that first night. The second night we were there I recall Ike and Tina Turner performing. We were pretty burned out after two days, so hiked down near a river running through the park to try to get some sleep on the river bank. Woke up in the middle of the night to it pouring down rain. We were drenched and had all had our fill of rock festivals, so in the middle of the night we hiked the couple of miles back up a very steep entrance into the park to find our car. We then drove home, soaking wet and miserable with exhaust fumes pouring into the back seat through the broken out rear side window. But hey, it was only about a 3 1/2 drive home. That was the last outdoor rock festival I ever attended. All my remaining concerts to see acts like Grand Funk, Led Zeppelin, Ted Nugent, J Geils Band, Loggins and Messina, Neil Young, The Tubes, Pink Floyd, Uriah Heep, Steely Dan, Joe Cocker, Sly and the Family Stone and Rush were in the comfortable confines of the Portland Coliseum or the Paramount Theatre in Portland.

 

[leevitalone1]

And being a teenager in the 70's, that bad experience was not enough to make me swear off outdoor rock festivals. Almost exactly one year later, in September of 71, just days shy of my 17th birthday, my friends and I got in the car in Eastern Oregon again and headed to The Satsup Fair and Tin Cup Races, an outdoor rock festival in Satsop, Washington, a small farm community south of Seattle. http://antiques-collectibles-auction-news.com/2008/07/25/invasion-of-the-longhairs-first-legal-rock-festival/ I believe the tickets for the 3 day event were supposed to be $45, but my friends and I climbed over a fence and got in free. "It's a free concert from now on." While I don't remember any of the music or bands from my Portland experience, there were some big names at Satsup. The first night we layed out our sleeping bags right in front of the stage. I specifically remember seeing Wishbone Ash that first night. The second night we were there I recall Ike and Tina Turner performing. We were pretty burned out after two days, so hiked down near a river running through the park to try to get some sleep on the river bank. Woke up in the middle of the night to it pouring down rain. We were drenched and had all had our fill of rock festivals, so in the middle of the night we hiked the couple of miles back up a very steep entrance into the park to find our car. We then drove home, soaking wet and miserable with exhaust fumes pouring into the back seat through the broken out rear side window. But hey, it was only about a 3 1/2 drive home. That was the last outdoor rock festival I ever attended. All my remaining concerts to see acts like Grand Funk, Led Zeppelin, Ted Nugent, J Geils Band, Loggins and Messina, Neil Young, The Tubes, Pink Floyd, Uriah Heep, Steely Dan, Joe Cocker, Sly and the Family Stone and Rush were in the comfortable confines of the Portland Coliseum or the Paramount Theatre in Portland.

But I'll bet you had a great time! there was a rash of outdoor events post woodstock. Everybody had woodstock fever. I missed it being overseas remember reading about it in army news paper, and was home late 69 so I saw what was happening, especially working at the local FM station we got tickets to everything this side of the mississippi. But the stuff on west coast never came in to us,so it's cool hearing about them. And you saw all the heavy hitters too!

 

[leevitalone1]

Grew up in the Indy area. My first concert was at the Indianapolis Convention Center in approximately 1972 or 73'. It was a Christmas Festival that included bands Flash, Quicksilver Messenger Service, Focus and I believe Cactus. There were probably a few more but it's such a blur.

McHoop

Cactus! great band! met all the members they played a local club here, and it was great! very intimate!

 

[leevitalone1]

Either some of you are lying, or those of us who didn't see bands as cool as The Tubes, Yes, and E.L.P. aren't posting...

So I could lie and say it was Rush on the Signals tour (my SECOND concert), but if I'm honest I have to admit it was Loverboy in 1981 on the "Get Lucky" tour. I was 16 years old, in the front row, and completely enamored. Joan Jett opened, and before her was Point Blank.

Did I mention I saw Rush in 1982?

hahahahaha! thats like if every one who "said" they went to woodstock really went, it would have been 3 million

 

[kap'n krunch]

hahahahahaha! I used to love Alan Sherman I forgot about that tune!
I'd have to say it was Louie Armstrong the 1st real show. There was a R&R show can't remember if it was before LA, like in that wonders movie, that had a bunch of different "stars" on a road show. But CRS about it.

Now,
THAT
is a first rate first concert!!!!
SATCHMO??????
Holy Father of Jazz!!!!!!
You were baptized at the Holy Church of Music, man!!!!
whew!

 

[kap'n krunch]

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 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 (CD4.) 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!

(Apologize for the derail..)
Yes, Linda, I have the Larry Harlow Live in Quad, but I have never decoded it (don't have the right TT nor a CD-4 decoder)...bought it sealed but the vinyl is zero quality...horrible pressing!
S&H to the US is really expensive , so I'll see if any of our European members are into it....

And, BTW, the reason why there were no rock concerts in PR for so many years was that
-no money, and Salsa concerts were a $ure deal
-rockeros were frowned upon and thought to be drug addicts (like there wasn't a LOT of smack involved in those early 70's Fania records!!!!!)
-not a lot of interest
and besides....being a rocker in PR??? Land of Salsa and plena???? HEATHEN!!!!! You were ostracized and left out of your parent's will just for that....
(end of derail)

First Concert in the US:
Sept 25, 1982, JFK Stadium, The Who , The Clash and Santana ("whatapartywhatapartywhataparty!!!!"...thank you ,Daffy!)

First Concert in Madrid:
Gonzalo Rubalcaba in a theater in the Universidad Complutense in Madrid (EDIT: Charlie Haden on bass...can't remember the drummer-I had never heard of him), Feb (?)1991...Cuban virtuoso pianist who would shoehorn a montuno right in the middle of a bebop tune...what a monster!

 

[mandrix]

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?

Well it's a very inaccurate guestimate based on old memories. The stage was setup to play to the middle section of one side of the stadium. If you compare that to the later concerts it was almost like a large outdoor get-together where people keep stopping by to see what's happening. I called an old friend and his memories are about double mine, his estimate is 2000-2500 at most.
In the next 2 years while I was out of the States the concerts would get huge in Tampa, with Led Zeppelin drawing 50K + people in the same stadium. While in the Army a friend mailed me an aerial shot of the Led Zep concert and I was amazed.
Later in late 70's I would go to a Led Zep concert in Tampa. Zep played 3 songs, it started raining, and the band left, hopped on their 727 and hauled ass without telling anyone they were leaving. We got out just as the cops were assembling with riot gear to chase everyone out of the stadium, who were all pissed off because no band, no announcements, no nothing for hours! It was a very bad day with cops beating hell out of people.

 

[mandrix]

Either some of you are lying, or those of us who didn't see bands as cool as The Tubes, Yes, and E.L.P. aren't posting...

So I could lie and say it was Rush on the Signals tour (my SECOND concert), but if I'm honest I have to admit it was Loverboy in 1981 on the "Get Lucky" tour. I was 16 years old, in the front row, and completely enamored. Joan Jett opened, and before her was Point Blank.

Did I mention I saw Rush in 1982?

LOL! When you were about 10 I saw Pink Floyd play WYWH & Animals and it was without a doubt the best concert I ever went to. Maybe not music you like, but there it is. :sun

 

[magicmarkie]

Kraftwerk September 1975-I was 16, had just bought the album and loved it and found out that they were playing at a local theatre. The gig was horrendously loud but saw them everytime they played London for the next 15 years or so. Have been loving the weird stuff ever since.

 

[Quad Linda]

Yes, kap'n, THAT was an INCREDIBLE first show!! Pops, Satchmo, the Father of us all. Proponent of Swiss Kriss laxative, which he even passed out to Royals when he met them. "Leave it all behind ya!" he'd say. Although others have approached his technical prowess, no one has come close. His effervescent personality has yet to have anyone get in the same universe! "The Angel Gabriel sent to earth." leevitalone, do you recall the year? I believe he died in '71.

A few years ago, I headed to Corona, Queens. A pilgrimage to Louis' home, now a museum. He had a killer audio system, w/a reel deck and Marantz seperates, all built into a custom wall unit. He also had the kitchen cabinets and fridge painted turquoise, like his Cadillac. GM got him the paint. Would they do that for you? Despite the special paint, the home and neighborhood are as unpretentious as the man. A painting of his beloved wife Lucille hung on the wall. I felt I knew him so much better from visiting there. Although I shot lots of pix, I lost them because my phone died before I could dump them to PC. One of my fave Pops numbers, from a TV appearance w/his pal Jack Teagarden: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKVHCllEFwQ

peterzach, Donovan deserved to get into the Rock & Roll Hall. My Daughter and I met him several years ago, and he couldn't have been nicer!

magicmarkie, did Kraftwerk utilize any visuals back in '75? Were the doing any tracks from Radioactivity at that point? Did they do any of the old stuff like Ruckzuck or Klingklang? I saw them in '98, and it was the best visual show ever! And they had the robots of themselves gyrating.

Now,
THAT
is a first rate first concert!!!!
SATCHMO??????
Holy Father of Jazz!!!!!!
You were baptized at the Holy Church of Music, man!!!!
whew!

 

[dr. simple]

Maybe not music you like, but there it is. :sun

Whatever would make you think that Pink Floyd is maybe not music I like???

 

[OldAsMono]

Whenever I discuss my first concert(s) I have to start by saying my brother was four years older then me and we both enjoyed basically the same kinds of music. I was in sixth grade, so about 1968, and the band was playing at what was his high school and eventually would be my high school. The headliners were The Doors and it was before the release of their second album and their first album was definitely a hit. Included in the night was The Standells ("Dirty Water") and The Coasters ("Charlie Brown"). I was in ah of the entire night. I loved watching the 3 or 4 guys in the back of the auditorium using overhead projectors with clear trays of colored liquid that they would jiggle and jive to the music for our psychedelic light show. I remember seeing Jim Morrison back stage before the show being just a normal guy and then a completely different showman that was on the stage. They were great and before the later concerts of occasional overindulgence by Jim. My second concert was the Cream Farewell Tour at the fabulous Forum In Los Angeles but that is for another thread. Maybe one of the best things is that I clearly remember the whole thing because...come and guys & girls I was only in sixth grade and no illegal mind altering substances had ever entered my body...yet.

Living in the LA area my whole life gave me exposure to many concert opportunities. The list continued with having the joy of seeing great bands at the Roxy on the Strip. Highlights include Genesis still with Peter Gabriel and Frank Zappa (different shows). I'll stop by saying David Bowie and the Spiders from Mars at the Santa Monica Civic still sends goose bumps through my neck.