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Related: Culture Forums, Support ForumsWhat was the first concert you attended as a teen or adult. Mine was Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon tour in the nose
bleed seats at Three Rivers Stadium. And you? My husband's first concert was the first Woodstock. He was going to college at Cornell wasn't too far from Bethany, NY,
padfun
(1,929 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)FalloutShelter
(14,667 posts)But the first was Melanie at the Asbury Park Convention Hall in 1971
walkingman
(11,192 posts)Mine was Beach Boys - Houston Music Hall 1967 (age 16)
Wife's was Beetles - Sam Houston Coliseum 1965 (age 14)
debm55
(62,101 posts)underpants
(197,370 posts)Richmond Coliseum.
debm55
(62,101 posts)33taw
(3,370 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)33taw
(3,370 posts)Aerosmith was significantly better and they had just started out.
livetohike
(24,448 posts)July 1970 (a few days after my 18th birthday).
debm55
(62,101 posts)DBoon
(25,182 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)IbogaProject
(6,100 posts)Beautiful outdoor venue with seats in close. That tour is covered in the movie Stop Making Sense.
debm55
(62,101 posts)IbogaProject
(6,100 posts)I only got to see them separate after Roger left the group.
debm55
(62,101 posts)Up and over the Ohio River. I never figured out if it was an accident or on purpose.
FalloutShelter
(14,667 posts)It was fantastic.
PufPuf23
(9,973 posts)I saw Talking Heads twice; Friday free concert at Lower Sproul plaza on Cal campus and Saturday at Keystone Berkeley after buying their first album. Was near the Harmon Gym on Bancroft walking to get lunch and to settle into a place to watch the music, the driver of a vehicle asked me where to find Lower Sproul and where to park. The driver was David Byrne. I had never heard of the Talking Heads. The band came out and started playing Burning Down the House.
Ferryboat
(1,279 posts)Just before the release of Dark side of the moon.
My wife Bonnie was Led Zeppelins Physical Graffiti at Seattle Colosuim.
That was one hell of a concert for a first.
debm55
(62,101 posts)tonkatoy8888
(205 posts)1974. Greensboro Coliseum. Lucky me, I got the Clapton who wanted to be a smooth male vocalist. This was the tour supporting the release of 461 Ocean Boulevard with its shitty cover of I Shot the Sheriff.
debm55
(62,101 posts)who sang on the album Jesus Christ, Superstar. It was one of those Festival shows where 8 or 9 bands played separately at the stadium. "Best band was on last. That was Clapton.
tonkatoy8888
(205 posts)NT
debm55
(62,101 posts)Last edited Wed May 20, 2026, 07:05 PM - Edit history (1)
GreatGazoo
(4,732 posts)infamous for the shoe throwing incident. Etta James and Peter Tosh opened.
First concert before teenage years was Ike and Tina Turner Revue from the 2nd row at Kleinhan's Music Hall in Buffalo NY. I was 7YO.
debm55
(62,101 posts)rampartd
(5,202 posts)darkstar
(5,820 posts)Just kidding. Called the loudest band going back then, I think.
rampartd
(5,202 posts)my ears are still ringing.
debm55
(62,101 posts)PufPuf23
(9,973 posts)They were second billed to Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and a band called Clear Light opened.
Later saw Blue Cheer 2nd billed at Fillmore West. Loud.
MoonlightHillFarm
(96 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)Harker
(18,217 posts)May 10, 1975, Folsom Field, Boulder, Colorado.
debm55
(62,101 posts)IbogaProject
(6,100 posts)Steely Dan stopped touring soon after you saw them that year, they didn't tour again until their reunion in 1993. They did keep doing albums until 1980. Here is one of my all time favorite tapes of any artist.
The War Live album is a classic only on vinyl.
Here is an official video from the band from a 1974 show of theirs.
hlthe2b
(114,833 posts)Synchronicity (The Police) at Atlanta Omni
debm55
(62,101 posts)NNadir
(38,647 posts)The next one was Jimi Hendrix, same place.
They had this horrible revolving stage in both cases.
Henry203
(968 posts)NNadir
(38,647 posts)Henry203
(968 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)cos dem
(945 posts)So jealous you got to see PF on the DSOTM tour.
I did get to see PF on the Division Bell tour.
debm55
(62,101 posts)The Madcap
(2,082 posts)Favorite part was the Chris Squire bass solo and "The Fish."
stopdiggin
(15,688 posts)and unfortunately - the lasting takeaway there was .... Sound was pretty much crap ... (and I think Grace Slick was even bitching about it on stage .. ??) Making an otherwise BIG evening - something of a disappointment.
Kinda turned me off 'concerts' - or at least big ass venues - for a considerable while
( an attitude that more or less persists clear through today. if I can see someone in a small to mid-sized 'joint' - cool! if you're selling tickets in something that looks like a football stadium ... that's pretty much a pass. )
debm55
(62,101 posts)50,000 plass many more of the sod. I did Festival seating once on the sod and did not like it at all.
Henry203
(968 posts)That being said I saw everyone including Cream, Blind faith, Led Zep's 2nd tour in the USA. That Allman brotrhers at the Fillmore east, Joplin,. I had tx to see Hendris at band of Gypsy's at the Fillmore and didn't go. It There was a snowstorm.
You name the band I probably saw them.
debm55
(62,101 posts)He never went to another one.
Henry203
(968 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)LetMyPeopleVote
(182,727 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)windje
(89 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)riversedge
(81,710 posts)One of my first concerts. what a night to say the least
ABBA tour
Sep 27 1979
St. Paul Civic Center This Setlist St. Paul, MN, USA
https://www.setlist.fm/setlist/abba/1979/st-paul-civic-center-st-paul-mn-53dfcfbd.html
debm55
(62,101 posts)MIButterfly
(3,201 posts)It was probably at the old Olympia Stadium in downtown Detroit. My mother and I were in a whole roomful of screaming pre-teens, probably in the cheap seats. We were pretty far away.
My first concert as a teen was Paul Revere and the Raiders because I was so madly in love with Mark Lindsay. By that time, my mother would drop me off at the door and come back way after it was over to pick me up. Seriously, my mother was NEVER sitting in the car waiting for me whenever I left anywhere; I always stood outside, long after everyone else was gone, waiting for her at least 15-20 minutes. And even back in the 60s, downtown Detroit was not the safest place for a 15-year-old girl to be standing alone on a street corner after dark for any length of time.
debm55
(62,101 posts)GreenWave
(12,848 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)The Madcap
(2,082 posts)I really enjoyed the 11-17-70 live album where his band was piano, bass, and drums.
debm55
(62,101 posts)The Madcap
(2,082 posts)Well, maybe not Caribou so much, but I really like the early 70s albums the best (Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across the Water, Honky Chateau, and the aforementioned 11-17-70).
BTW, the expanded re-release of 11-17-70 is worth a listen.
debm55
(62,101 posts)CurtEastPoint
(20,112 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)buzzycrumbhunger
(2,232 posts)Last edited Wed May 20, 2026, 01:22 PM - Edit history (1)
I think I was in the 9th grade. Woodstock had happened and we lived right next door to a college where he was slated to appear thanks to their fine farts group.
Not at all the same kind of crowd. This was in a nice auditorium and there were people in suits, saris, as well as subdued students. He played everything hed done at Monterrey and then some, and I was shocked that music that was so hugely improvisational was pretty much note for note.
Of course, my older brother by then was a junior in HS and for some reason, had been allowed to take off for California (hitchhiking!), where he was jumping on the stage in Boulder to kiss Janis Joplin, saw Hendrix at the Fillmore, and who knows what other excitement. He actually came home weeks later after hed stepped on something and got an infection in his foot, was taken in by the Hells Angels, when a biker chick pierced his ear with a knitting needle, and I think got scared by some of the crap going on there. He flew home just when the news broke of the Tate-LaBianca murders
Ive been to tons of concerts sinceRush (three times), AC/DC (with Bon Scott, then twice with Brian Johnson), UFO, Van Halen (twice), Nugent (Cat Scratch Fever tourbefore we knew what a douchebag he was), too many others (plus drugs) too remember them all. I really hated being stuck in Iowa, but the Midwest was really the bread and butter for rock bands, at least back in the day.
debm55
(62,101 posts)Pisces
(6,337 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)They were just starting out. It was before the lawsuit when he wanted to change labels. Kids from Phillie knew he was. but the yunziers had no idea. I went. And it was one of the best if not the best I had gone to. This was around 1974
Pisces
(6,337 posts)johnnyfins
(4,051 posts)mike_c
(37,139 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)RandySF
(86,728 posts)Eastern Michigan University 1997.
debm55
(62,101 posts)IA8IT
(6,463 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)ProfessorGAC
(77,392 posts)Chicago's International Amphitheater. I believe it was early '71.
My mom's younger brother agreed to take us, as I was the oldest at 14.
He was a 50s guy so he pretty much hated it, but he did take us.
Being my first rock concert, I remember being a bit stunned at how loud it was!
And to think that later in life I played in a band for 20 years with one of the biggest sound systems around.
I guess loud didn't scare me.
debm55
(62,101 posts)Mine was Bob Dylan and Joan Baez at the Masonic Auditorium in S.F. in 1967...I am very old!
debm55
(62,101 posts)50 Shades Of Blue
(11,509 posts)Included him, Chad & Jeremy, the McCoys, the Outsiders, Len Barry, B. J. Thomas, Norma Tanega. A few more that still haven't sprung to my old mind.
debm55
(62,101 posts)Picaro
(2,442 posts)Hampton Roads Coliseum. Tripping my brains out on some excellent orange barrel acid.
Was a great concert.
Also, the penultimate Led Zeppelin show in the US.
debm55
(62,101 posts)IrishAfricanAmerican
(4,520 posts)There was a blizzard that night too!
debm55
(62,101 posts)them in concert, but I did really like their songs.
MichMan
(17,459 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)LoisB
(13,587 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)TexasBushwhacker
(21,317 posts)I was 16 and went with my 2 best friends, Barbara and Carolyn. It was GA and people immediately piled up in front of the stage. We didn't want to stand through the whole concert, so we looked around for seats in the stands. We spied some seats up and behind the stage. Since his piano was sideways, with his side to the audience, behind the stage ended up being great seats!
debm55
(62,101 posts)sinkingfeeling
(58,110 posts)Mad_Dem_X
(10,240 posts)If I could go back in time, I'd go to 1964 and see The Beatles.
debm55
(62,101 posts)LudwigPastorius
(15,090 posts)It wasn't the classic lineup, but it was a solid version of the band, and a really good show.
debm55
(62,101 posts)Lochloosa
(16,814 posts)Edgar was inside Tully Gym with no air conditioning on FSUs campus. Todd was outside in the stadium.
It was eye opening to say the least
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debm55
(62,101 posts)wanderer54
(110 posts)Saw them in Raleigh nov 10 and then in Greensboro nov 12
Also Beatles Concert Shea Stadium Aug 1965
(BUT ONLY OUTSIDE STADIUM)
debm55
(62,101 posts)Response to debm55 (Original post)
wanderer54 This message was self-deleted by its author.
Mad_Dem_X
(10,240 posts)My parents took me and my younger sister. I had bought a stuffed toy dog, and we gave it to one of the security guards to give to Rick. He probably never saw it, but...we had a good time at the show.
debm55
(62,101 posts)Mad_Dem_X
(10,240 posts)And Rick got the dog from an ex-girlfriend. I can't believe I still remember that, LOL!
debm55
(62,101 posts)patphil
(9,251 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)ten.
Cloudhopper
(187 posts)First balcony, first row, unobstructed view: $7.50
debm55
(62,101 posts)msongs
(74,307 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)Figarosmom
(13,847 posts)And it was really a dance since they didn't have rock concerts persa yet.
And Steffanwolf at a bar with an outdoor dance floor in Lake Geneva, called Majestic Hills in 1968
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First real concert was The Lemon Pipers at Summerfest in 1968.
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debm55
(62,101 posts)Johonny
(26,701 posts)Before Charlie became a sellout loser for bland born again movement.
debm55
(62,101 posts)u4ic
(17,147 posts)My best friend and I went. She'd just turned 16, I was still 15. I still love their sound.
debm55
(62,101 posts)Wiz Imp
(10,546 posts)Had to stay in line overnight in order to get tickets at the local National Record Mart in the morning.
debm55
(62,101 posts)Wiz Imp
(10,546 posts)I've seen Springsteen 43 times in 14 different cities and 24 different venues since then.
nuxvomica
(14,268 posts)Not completely sure of the year.
debm55
(62,101 posts)retread
(3,937 posts)by electric with the Hawks. My memories are it was sparsely attended and we sat in the cheap seats for the acoustic set but moved down to much better seats during intermission.
debm55
(62,101 posts)MiHale
(13,209 posts)Grande Ballroom, Detroit.
debm55
(62,101 posts)ariadne0614
(2,204 posts)Tickets were $5 each.
Mad_Dem_X
(10,240 posts)I wish I could have seen them live.
ariadne0614
(2,204 posts)Eternal gratitude to my mother for making it happen. She drove us all the way downtown from the northwest side, to the Nick Toppings hole-in-the-wall shop where the tickets were sold. The night of the concert, she and my dad drove my two sisters and me to the Milwaukee Arena for the concert.
A year later, I saw the Rolling Stones at the auditorium. They werent as popular, so I hot a 3rd row center seat.
debm55
(62,101 posts)litwoken
(6 posts)Mine was YES 90125 tour at the Greek Theater in Berkeley CA. Great show. Also saw their Union tour there with every living member that used to be in the band at one point. That was even better!
debm55
(62,101 posts)OnionPatch
(6,344 posts)And my first big concert was Pink Floyd, but it was the Animals tour in Cleveland.
debm55
(62,101 posts)johnp3907
(4,349 posts)Stanley Theater, 1983
debm55
(62,101 posts)FM123
(10,386 posts)I saw Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers at the Sportatorium in South Florida! It was great! And Tommy Tutone (867-5309) opened for him....
debm55
(62,101 posts)The Who and Lynyrd Skynyrd. St Louis Arena.
debm55
(62,101 posts)lark
(26,120 posts)I saw the debut of Dark Side of the Moon in SF. Bonus - I was on acid, walked in and found 4 seats in row 4 - amazing!
debm55
(62,101 posts)waterwatcher123
(555 posts)My sister used to work at Pickwick International. So, we got free or reduced price tickets to concert acts all the time. The radio stations in Minneapolis used to promote concerts for a song too (KDWB 63 sold tickets for $.63 to promote acts like Kansas and Little Feat).
debm55
(62,101 posts)electric_blue68
(27,445 posts)Last edited Wed May 20, 2026, 04:24 PM - Edit history (1)
It '65 (I was 12) my mom took me, my sis, and a cousin to the then new concert venue in Central Park - it was the ice skating rink (w/o the ice😉 ).
Some weeks later with a different adult and friends saw The Beatles at Shea Stadium.
I've seen The Who, U2, Springsteen, Patti Smith Group my favorites at least 15 times each. Others: once to around 3, or 4times like; The Clash, Midnight Oil, most of the original CBGB'S bands, Mavis Staples, Yes, C,S,N&Y, Richie Havens, Marshall Crenshaw, Peter Gabriel, The National, Allman Bros.
About 225+ shows, and around 275+ performers. I attended 3 big benifit shows where there were a a whole bunch of performers. I had a list I kept (adding to) for years in a cute mini "looseleaf" notebook which I lost. 😑
I love music, especially live; rock, orchestral, world.
debm55
(62,101 posts)electric_blue68
(27,445 posts)I go w my sis /or friends.
I'm happy to go by myself; I often chat w a few people - but sharing it w "my" peeps in the live moment is a treasure!
debm55
(62,101 posts)love_katz
(3,289 posts)1969 at the Memorial Coliseum in Portland, Oregon. Fantastic concert!
Great music and great times.
debm55
(62,101 posts)LSparkle
(12,237 posts)Oakland-Alameda Colliseum. Opened with We Will Rock You/We Are The Champions with Mercury in spangles.
Mad_Dem_X
(10,240 posts)Another tour I would have liked to have seen. Love Queen!
debm55
(62,101 posts)dickthegrouch
(4,691 posts)Tiny 200-seat 'theatre" but I was a flautist at 13 and given permission to be an usher for the concert.
He was charming and a fantastic player.
I met Marisa Robles a few weeks later (Harp player).
But I think you meant rock concert; and that was 10cc a few weeks before "I'm not in love" became a hit.
I paid 10p (UK currency) for that ticket
debm55
(62,101 posts)RazorbackExpat
(974 posts)Yehudi Menuhin was performing. He was one of my favorite musicians at the time, and I was so excited to maybe see him live in concert. There were two ladies ahead of me in the ticket line, and they wanted to sit next to each other, but they had tickets in different parts of the hall. When they scored tickets together, the one lady turned to me and asked me if I'd like to buy her ticket for $5. Of course, I said yes. Although it was technically against the rules, the Carnegie Hall people let me slide because I was in uniform. The ticket was for the uppermost row of the nosebleed section, but I didn't care because it was Yehudi
Menuhin, and Carnegie Hall. But, unfortunately, the concert was a big disappointment, because the music was modern crap, instead of baroque which I come to expect because of Menuhin's excellent performances of the Brandenburg Concertos.
debm55
(62,101 posts)Vinca
(54,425 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)mountain grammy
(29,264 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)mountain grammy
(29,264 posts)Brought back lovely memories.
Niagara
(12,215 posts)chosen and was an entire family event that was 3 hours from home.
I was a pre-teen and we were looking for our seats at the venue. I looked around and there was another girl there from my school. I was a tad embarrassed to be spotted at this event as this isn't what I would have chosen.
To make a long story short, I witnessed Randy Travis, Dolly Parton and Dwight Yokem individually on stage all at the same venue. That Dwight Yokem was quite the on stage character as well. He would put his back to the audience, play his guitar and shuffle across the stage while swinging his butt.
Now as an adult I'm glad that I had the opportunity to experience these three country "greats" even if it wasn't in my preferred genre of music at the time.
I'm more happy that I got to experience Dolly Parton especially.
debm55
(62,101 posts)karynnj
(61,149 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)hot2na
(463 posts)My first live concert was the J. Geils Band at Madison Square Garden, on November 30th 1973. The opening act was Brownsville Station (Smokin in the Boys Room).
debm55
(62,101 posts)some_of_us_are_sane
(3,732 posts)Mine was Judy Collins at Heinz Hall, then Neil Young at the Civic Arena.
debm55
(62,101 posts)Arena. Thank you some_of_us_are_sane.
some_of_us_are_sane
(3,732 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)got to see them.
-misanthroptimist
(1,842 posts)Great show.
Still, I'd rather have seen the Floyd.
debm55
(62,101 posts)MissLilyBart
(170 posts)It was the Straight Shooter tour, so... 1975?
I think I still have the t-shirt, in a box up in the attic.
My husband has a much better 'first concert' claim, though. His was Genesis, touring the Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, in 1974.
debm55
(62,101 posts)lapfog_1
(32,018 posts)debm55
(62,101 posts)PufPuf23
(9,973 posts)My parents sent me from Humboldt County to a Marin County boarding school in Fall 1966, 3 weeks later went to Haight-Ashbury.
Saw lots of music. Later lived in Berkeley on and off between 73-87. Liked rock and roll. Went to only 4 shows between 1989 and 1994, then Samantha Fish club dates in 2018 and 2019.
Saw Pink Floyd do Dark Side of the Moon at the Cow Palace circa 74 or 75. King Crimson opened. Saw Pink Floyd circa 69 or 70 at Fillmore West too.
Have never been to a large stadium or festival show ever, did not transition well from the ballrooms and clubs. Biggest venue ever was Bob Dylan and Tom Petty at the Shoreline Amphitheatre IIRC 1987. The one exception to festival was went to Tribal Stomp at Berkeley's Greek Theatre in 1978 with a bunch of Bay Area 60s bands plus Allan Ginsberg, Wavy Gravy and other 60s luminaries.