1st Concert - What's Yours?

[krkier]

I think my first concet was a Chris Barber concert at the "Swimming Opera" (Schwimmoper) in Wuppertal. That must have been in the early seventies, I cannot remember exactly. I went with my parents, my dad was a Jazz fan listening to Louis Armstrong, Benny Goodman, and the like. (War generation).





The place is called "opera" because it's a bath with two viewers echelors, so that public can view swim contests. Since the audience can view from both sides of the pool they placed the stage in the water, with a footbridge.

-Kristian

 

[lmwallnj]

My first concert was Chicago & The Beach Boys at Madison Square Garden in 1975 -They each played seperately and then came out and played a few songs together at the end.
A few months later I was back at MSG to see Paul McCartney and Wings - "Wings Over America" tour - I had a seat opposite the stage high up in the nose bleed section - ticket price was $12.50.

Lou

 

[Neb-Maat-Re]

Fleetwood Mac on the Tusk tour, early 1980 at Festival Hall, Melbourne.

It was the start of Year 11, the pentultimate year of High School - the show was on Sunday night, and four of us travelled down from the country by train and crashed at one guy's older brother's place. Missed school on the Monday, and got a dressing down by the Year Coordinator on Tuesday. Well worth it.

No point asking him if he had ever skived off school to go to a concert - we knew he had completed HS at 14, gone to Uni at 15 and had his first degree by 18.

 

[Bonzodog]

I think my first concet was a Chris Barber concert at the "Swimming Opera" (Schwimmoper) in Wuppertal.

Amazing looking venue.

How were the acoustics?

Looks like they were rather live.

 

[Quad Linda]

Photos of my first concert venue, the Arie Crown Theater at Chicago's McCormick Place, the largest Convention Center in the US.

McCormick Place, built in 1960:


Original Arie Crown during Auto Show:


McCormick Place in ashes, 1967. The original Arie Crown is at the upper left in photo:


Arie Crown Theater today, rebuilt in 1971:

I've heard and seen dozens of shows there. including Santana & Third World, Angela Lansbury in Sweeney Todd, Bryan Ferry, and La Cage Aux Folles.

McCormick Place today, building on left replaces original structure and houses Arie Crown, which is at the upper left. Lake Shore Drive, an expressway divides the complex. A pedestrian bridge spans it.:

 

[krkier]

Original Arie Crown during Auto Show:
View attachment 9014

Uhuuu.... So this is an auto show? One car, and hundreds sitting around in far distance?

I wonder if the car's engine hood moves and the car starts to sing!

-Kristian

 

[Doug G.]

Things were a bit more understated in the sixties. Nowadays, they would have the cars flying out over the seats, flashpots going off, and Lady Gaga doing her thing over the seats with the cars.

Doug

 

[Quad Linda]

No, the car did standup.

Uhuuu.... So this is an auto show? One car, and hundreds sitting around in far distance?

I wonder if the car's engine hood moves and the car starts to sing!

-Kristian

 

[elmer]

My first concert venue - The Singer Bowl - originally built for the 1964 Worlds Fair for various performance events. My first concert was there in 1968 - The Vagrants(Leslie West), The Nazz (Todd Rundgren) and The Rascals (not a bad triple bill). Now it's the Arthur Ashe Stadium at the US Open

 

[GeezerJem]

Hawkwind - Southampton Gaumont December 1980. Got a pin badge to prove it. Had recently bought the superb LP 'Levitation' on blue vinyl. ' A headphone album ' as described on the cover. I was 14.... I reckon my dad must have dropped myself and a chum off, parked up somewhere and then taken us home. Memory not supa clear.... Big spacey sound, lots of dudes in Afghan coats and a bit smokey. Fan-blooming-tastic !

Saw Don Williams there a short while later. Much more civilized. No smoke anywhere to be seen. I remember my dad saying that the tickets were very expensive and he hoped I enjoyed it. D.W. was very, very good.

 

[Neb-Maat-Re]

No, the car did standup.

"I just drove in from Detroit ... "

 

[Quad Linda]

A curvy Corvette showed me her headlights.

"I just drove in from Detroit ... "

 

[Doug G.]

And a funny thing happened on the way to McCormick Place tonight. I was right on her bumper on the Dan Ryan Expressway.

Ba dum bum.

I still remember seeing the story about that fire in the papers and how fast it burned. Or, actually, how fast the exhibits inside it burned.

Doug

 

[skindzier]

Deep Purple 1985 (Perfect Strangers reunion tour) Atwood Stadium, Flint Michigan. Blackfoot opening. I was hooked for life. Most recent, some 300+ concerts later was BRUUUUUUCE in Denver in November. Going to the Who next month...

 

[Bonzodog]

Photos of my first concert venue, the Arie Crown Theater at Chicago's McCormick Place, the largest Convention Center in the US.[/ATTACH]

It’s interesting that the Las Vegas Convention center advertises it’s self as one of the largest convention centers at 3,200,000 sq ft & the McCormick advertises it’s self as the largest at 2,670,000 sq ft.

The CES left McCormick because it was no longer large enough.

I guess that’s the world of advertising

 

[OptiquesJeff]

Hawkwind - Southampton Gaumont December 1980. Got a pin badge to prove it. Had recently bought the superb LP 'Levitation' on blue vinyl. ' A headphone album ' as described on the cover. I was 14.... I reckon my dad must have dropped myself and a chum off, parked up somewhere and then taken us home. Memory not supa clear.... Big spacey sound, lots of dudes in Afghan coats and a bit smokey. Fan-blooming-tastic !

Saw Don Williams there a short while later. Much more civilized. No smoke anywhere to be seen. I remember my dad saying that the tickets were very expensive and he hoped I enjoyed it. D.W. was very, very good.

Hawkwind on the Levitation tour for your first show? YOWZA!!!!!

(MAJOR Hawkwind fan here...my wife has toured and played with MANY Hawks -Tim Blake, Harvey Bainbridge, Nik Turner, Alan Davey, Nik's Space Ritual...- and ex-Hawks, and several -Nik Turner, Harvey Bainbridge, Alan Davey- have stayed at our house and cottage!)

 

[phydo]

The Beach Boys on their "Good Vibrations" tour in Kansas City, Missouri. Second concert was Paul Revere and the Raiders.

Justin

 

[cutter]

It was Kiss with Detective opening 1977.

 

[Dixie4]

I think the first concert i went to was Status Quo / NEC Arena Birmingham U.K. ( Went with my cousins, big fans, can't say that i was / am )
First concert on my own was either Billy Joel / The Bridge Tour, or Janet Jackson / Control tour ( again both at the N.E.C. )
First stadium concert, Michael Jackson / BAD Tour ( my favourite all time artist ! )

 

[surteess]

First one that I went to was Deep Purple in 1974 - with Tommy Bolin it was here in Auckland NZ, at Western Springs Statium (which is actually a volcano bowl !!) - there were 75,000 tickets sold + a few thousand gate crashers!! Tickets were NZ$4.75 ea

Since them 6 more times a different places around the world.

Next month they are back here in Auckland - on my Birthday (guess what I am getting for my birthday present!!) - my partner got tickets row 9 center wow!!! (she has never seen them before, but I have been blasting out the music for a few weeks now!!). Tickets were NZ$135 ea.