Your concert experiences: 60s, 70s

I have some great ones. I will have to take a few days and compile a list. My first concert ever to the consternation of my aunts who were in high school and college and forced to take me was the Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl in 65. I was 9. My parents took me to a lot of Vegas acts so I got to see the Rat Pack, Andrew Sisters, Mills Brothers and even Elvis. Attending concerts was a passion of mine my whole life. I so wish I had saved all the ticket stubs as I saw most major acts at sometime or another. One of my only regrets was that I had a chance to see the Allman Bros with Duane and I passed. Arrrrrrrrrrrrgh!

Thinking about this though... I am not sure I want to share some of those experiences. We weren't choir boys in those days! :very_drunk:
 
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I have one concert in the 70's... 1979 I was 9 years old, KISS Riverfront Collisium Cincinasti Ohio. Mom took me and my sister, and we almost got trampeled to death. This was shortly before the infamous Who incident where 11 people died. It was the Dynasty tour and I still remember Ace doing his solo leaning back, Les Paul pointing to the sky and he just walked away and the guitar was in mid air and then wisked up into the rafters.. awesome.
 
Man, were those the days! I feel so fortunate to have seen/heard so much great music in the early-mid 70s.

First Rock show ever at the then new Kennedy Center - Pink Floyd - Echoes tour.
Mahavishnu Orchestra not long after - Birds of Fire Tour, Kennedy Center.
M.O. again (I was hooked) at Morse Mechanic theater, then again American U. outdoor.
Return to Forever (Georgetown U in Gaston hall).
Tony Williams Lifetime (w Holdsy) at the Cellar Door.
Muddy Waters at the Cellar Door (w Pinetop Perkins and Joseph Cotton).
John Mayall (w Freddie Robinson, Blue Mitchell) - Jazz Blues Fusion tour/Boz Scaggs (pre-Disco) double bill DAR Constitution Hall.
The 2nd MO (post-breakup big band ) DAR Constitution Hall.
Frank Zappa w JL Ponty at DAR (Apostrophe tour)
Little Feat (Waiting For Columbus tour - George Washington U Lisner Aud.)
Summer Jam - Watkins Glenn NY (Dead, Allman Bros. & the Band).
Weather Report (Warner Theater)
Pink Floyd (Dark Side of the Moon tour, Meriwether Post Pav)
Santana, also at MPP, BB King @ MPP.
Buddy Miles & Santana at Capital Center.
... and lots of others, but for me, these performances were great.
 
77 - Boston was the headliner with Cheap Trick as backup. General seating! in a 10,000 seat arena. You should have seen the mad rush to the best seats! There were some injuries - was the last general seating show here.

Other memorable shows:
- Rush 77
- Aerosmith 77
- Kiss 78
- Triumph 78
- Ted Nugent 78
- Santana -80
- Queen 79

Back then, you could cut the "smoke" with a knife at those shows!!
 
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cobbler said:
I have some great ones. I will have to take a few days and compile a list. My first concert ever to the consternation of my aunts who were in high school and college and forced to take me was the Beatles at the Hollywood Bowl in 65. I was 9. My parents took me to a lot of Vegas acts so I got to see the Rat Pack, Andrew Sisters, Mills Brothers and even Elvis. Attending concerts was a passion of mine my whole life. I so wish I had saved all the ticket stubs as I saw most major acts at sometime or another. One of my only regrets was that I had a chance to see the Allman Bros with Duane and I passed. Arrrrrrrrrrrrgh!

Thinking about this though... I am not sure I want to share some of those experiences. We weren't choir boys in those days! :very_drunk:
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Share what you wish - I was looking for stories on the shows themselves, but if you have some additional spice, throw it in...The Beatles, Rat Pack, Elvis...that's pretty amazing Cobbler.
 
Van Halen 1980 (women and children first tour I think). Waaaaay too loud. Lost my hearing for 4 days at 19 yrs old - no joke - I attribute much of my current tinnitus to that show.
 
vestapol said:
Man, were those the days! I feel so fortunate to have seen/heard so much great music in the early-mid 70s.

First Rock show ever at the then new Kennedy Center - Pink Floyd - Echoes tour.
Mahavishnu Orchestra not long after - Birds of Fire Tour, Kennedy Center.
M.O. again (I was hooked) at Morse Mechanic theater, then again American U. outdoor.
Return to Forever (Georgetown U in Gaston hall).
Tony Williams Lifetime (w Holdsy) at the Cellar Door.
Muddy Waters at the Cellar Door (w Pinetop Perkins and Joseph Cotton).
John Mayall (w Freddie Robinson, Blue Mitchell) - Jazz Blues Fusion tour/Boz Scaggs (pre-Disco) double bill DAR Constitution Hall.
The 2nd MO (post-breakup big band ) DAR Constitution Hall.
Frank Zappa w JL Ponty at DAR (Apostrophe tour)
Little Feat (Waiting For Columbus tour - George Washington U Lisner Aud.)
Summer Jam - Watkins Glenn NY (Dead, Allman Bros. & the Band).
Weather Report (Warner Theater)
Pink Floyd (Dark Side of the Moon tour, Meriwether Post Pav)
Santana, also at MPP, BB King @ MPP.
Buddy Miles & Santana at Capital Center.
... and lots of others, but for me, these performances were great.
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Damnit, I'm jealous...
 
CodePoet said:
Share what you wish - I was looking for stories on the shows themselves, but if you have some additional spice, throw it in...The Beatles, Rat Pack, Elvis...that's pretty amazing Cobbler.
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Those were my parents (mostly my mothers) influences. My mother actually bought me "Meet the Beatles" as a valentines gift. She did something truly remarkable in hindsight all these years later. She actually bought me two. One to play and one to never open. I still have it today sealed and never opened. I have no idea what it's worth but think that was pretty cool she had the foresight to think of that.

As I have said, I have seen hundreds of concerts and most of the huge names. I went to high School from 69 to 73 so I was at the perfect age for some great music and great live acts. Living in Southern California was a huge bonus with regards to accessibility for sure. One of the best ever live shows and one that probably most dramatically shaped my taste in rock music was the Aqualung Tour of 71 with Jethro Tull. The man was maniacal. You had to be there! It was at the Anaheim Convention Center where many of you have no doubt visited to go to NAMM. Supporting act Livingston Taylor completely took me by surprise. I was a huge James Taylor fan and never made the correlation until he got onstage and sang. It was James brother.

I have seen them well over 50 times over the years and all over the world as well. The Thick as a Brick tour at the Forum was a real standout. Again, you just had to see them back in the day to truly realize how visually impressive and energetic their live shows were not to mention the innovative music.

Damn I am really old. This thread sucks! :pride:
 
Too many to remember. Like the old joke: if you remember the 60's you weren't there. The highlights would include ZZ Top, Ten Years After, Mountain, Traffic, Stevie Wonder, BB King, Kansas, Allman Brothers, Leo Kottke, many more. The weirdest if not the best "concert" was actually in a large club in Chicago in 1969 or 70. I went with a couple buddies to hear the Who. The opening act was a guy we thought was just strange, writhing around on stage making faces. It was Joe Cocker right before he was "famous". After Joe came Buddy Rich, renown drummer, and his 17 (or so) piece big band. The Who came out on the stage which couldn't have been more than a couple of feet high, and we were just a couple of arm-lengths from our heroes. They did a few of the hits, Magic Bus, My Generation, and then Pete announced they would be playing a few songs from their upcoming release, a rock opera called Tommy. I remember being disappointed that they didn't smash guitars. Ah, youth, wasted on the young.
 
Chief said:
The Who came out on the stage which couldn't have been more than a couple of feet high, and we were just a couple of arm-lengths from our heroes. They did a few of the hits, Magic Bus, My Generation, and then Pete announced they would be playing a few songs from their upcoming release, a rock opera called Tommy. I remember being disappointed that they didn't smash guitars. Ah, youth, wasted on the young.
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Those were some of the LOUDEST concerts EVER!!!! It's no wonder Pete is deaf. Your ears rang for days after a Who show back then.
 
In the late 60s and early 70s Dave Stopps ran the Friars club in Aylesbury, which became one of the major venues on the UK tour circuit. I used to go several times a month. The bands I can remember:
David Bowie on the Spiderman tour
Mott the Hoople
Randy California and Spirit
Velvet Underground
Lou Reed
Focus
King Crimson

Then there were loads of bands that are probably only known on the British circuit: Barclay James Harvest, Groundhogs, Edgar Broughton, Rare Bird, Quintesence, Capability Brown, Argent, Wishbone Ash, and Genesis, in the Peter Gabriel days, at a school dance.

For every single gig I was stage front and centre, three feet from the band, hearing them from the monitors more than the pa.
 
Roland said:
In the late 60s and early 70s Dave Stopps ran the Friars club in Aylesbury, which became one of the major venues on the UK tour circuit. I used to go several times a month. The bands I can remember:
David Bowie on the Spiderman tour
Mott the Hoople
Randy California and Spirit
Velvet Underground
Lou Reed
Focus
King Crimson

Then there were loads of bands that are probably only known on the British circuit: Barclay James Harvest, Groundhogs, Edgar Broughton, Rare Bird, Quintesence, Capability Brown, Argent, Wishbone Ash, and Genesis, in the Peter Gabriel days, at a school dance.

For every single gig I was stage front and centre, three feet from the band, hearing them from the monitors more than the pa.
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Randy California was such an underrated guitarist. I loved Spirit. The Twelve Dreams of Dr. Sardonicus was a classic and one of my all time favorite albums. Spirit played regularly at The Golden Bear club in Huntington Beach. Great band! It was a sad day when we lost him. Rod Argent played here a couple times. Never saw him. Did see Wishbone Ash and Genesis in the Peter Gabriel days. Never got into the Phil Collins Genesis that much. Not nearly as good as the previous incarnation IMHO. King Crimson was awesome and another favorite. Our own Clarky here plays with a former member. And who can forget Ian Hunter singing "All the Way to Memphis"?

Maybe I am jaded or just plain old and set in my ways but I think music back then was so much better. Not to say there isn't some great stuff being created today but I just don't think its as prolific. There was so much blossoming talent in the 60's-70's.
 
I'm envious guys. I was born in 65 and my first concert was in 79 (Kiss). Not one of the classics for sure but I wanted to point out something about my experience as a 14 year old in rural SC that maybe some of the younger guys have never considered.

There was no MTV, VH1, YouTube etc. All you had were magazines, cassettes, albums and some old left over 8 tracks. I'll always remember my first reaction when the lights came on and the band was there in front of my eyes. All I could think and even say out loud was "They move! They're real!". Lol. It could've been any of the other bands that I listened to religiously at the time but the amazement in my eyes was that I had never seen even a TV interview of these bands. Just posters and mags and spent hours behind the turntable trying to figure out licks. Like Dwezzile said about meeting Eddie for the first time as a youngster, they my have well been super heros.

As a side note, I seen an interview of an American rock musician (can't remember who it was now) who said what he remembers most about seeing the Beatles when they first came to America was the smell of urine. He said the front rows were filled with girls piss'n themselves. With the lack of media bombing our senses constantly, live shows were more powerful then.
 
My first shows were around '69 when I was 11. All these were in Memphis.

Three Dog Night, of course. That was the first.
Second was Creedence just before they broke up. Tower Of Power opened for them.
Chicago with Terry Kath. The Chicago III tour.

Other early ones of note:

Bowie twice in one night on the Spiders tour. He played a 7:30 and 10pm show.

Double bill of T. Rex opening for Humble Pie--Bolan took a bullwhip to his Les Paul while it sat on a stand feeding back and snapped off the strings one by one with it.

Little Feat on the Waiting For Columbus tour. Bonnie Raitt opened for them.

Mott The Hoople on a triple bill with Jo Jo Gunne and Robin Trower. Trower was the opening act.

Mott The Hoople with Queen as the opening act.

ELP on the Brain Salad tour.

Billy Joel a couple of times at a little venue called Lafayette's on Overton Square. Kiss actually played there too on their first tour, but I didn't like them even back then.

J. Geils Band on the Centerfold tour with some band called U2 as the opening act.

Many more, but those happen to come to mind at the moment.
 
Roland said:
In the late 60s and early 70s Dave Stopps ran the Friars club in Aylesbury, which became one of the major venues on the UK tour circuit. I used to go several times a month. The bands I can remember:
David Bowie on the Spiderman tour
Mott the Hoople
Randy California and Spirit
Velvet Underground
Lou Reed
Focus
King Crimson

Then there were loads of bands that are probably only known on the British circuit: Barclay James Harvest, Groundhogs, Edgar Broughton, Rare Bird, Quintesence, Capability Brown, Argent, Wishbone Ash, and Genesis, in the Peter Gabriel days, at a school dance.

For every single gig I was stage front and centre, three feet from the band, hearing them from the monitors more than the pa.
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Ah yes, a few gigs at Friars, including Spirit... also:
John Martin
Rory Gallagher
Marillion as a support band
U2 as stand-in support band. Most of the crowd stayed in the bar waiting for Rory Gallagher... me and ~12 others were blown away!

Also notable for how big they would become: AC/DC and Judas Priest at Skindles Hotel Maidenhead. Capacity ~200

One more: '78 Sabbath gig at the Hammersmith Odeon. Rather tired, I thought. The hyperactive support act, however, was some Californian band I'd never heard of... Van Halen. "WTF?"


Reading back: it seems I favour the small-scale, unexpected performances the most.
 
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Despite my ravings, I am actually a bit of an introvert, and have never liked crowds or concerts. But I've been to a few:
1) My first concert without my parents (folkies - my dad played with Woody Guthrie and Leadbelly back in the day), was Stevie Wonder with guests like Billy Preston and Roberta Flack - at Madison Square Garden. I am not sure how old I was - 12? 14? This uptight white boy ended up on his seat, dancing his ass off!
2) Jethro Tull, Rory Gallagher, Robin Trower, Shea Stadium - Again, I was pretty young. Sound system was horrible. Rained on and off. Still one of the best concerts I ever attended.
3) The Clash - The Palladium, NY. Loudest show I ever went to - even in back, at the bar, my lungs were vibrating out of my chest. Incredible sound of Marshalls just at the edge of melting down. I believe that some of the London Calling double LP came from this concert.
4) Innumerable Zappa concerts at the Palladium in NYC. I used to hitchhike down from college in the mid '70s and watch Zappa all week. Fantastic. Wish I'd caught the shows a few years earlier that became the Roxy and Elsewhere LP though!
5) The Who - where was it? Springfield Mass, I think. 2nd loudest concert.
6) Aerosmith - Madison Square Garden - not actually one of my favorite bands, but this is when they were still boogie and not turgid schmaltzy ballads. Pomp. Train Kept a rolling, seasons of whither - all m faves.
7) Queen - I *think* MSG - MEGA POMP! Great concert
8) Sun Ra - little club on 23rd st. Man o man.
9) James Blood Ulmer - same club, I think. Double man!
10) Glenn Branca at... Tier 3? The Dive? I don't remember. Opened up the top of my head.
11) XTC at Danceteria. Ya know, this band NEVER EVER recorded in the studio like they played live. I first heard 'em live on the King Biscuit Flour Hour and was amazed. Saw 'em at Danceteria AT the front of the stage - 2 feet from 'em. Small crowd, but WOW - one of the best concerts ever - I feel like I'm walking 10 feet tall, Helicopter, all the Drums and Wires period stuff - FANTASTIC!
12) Lots and lots of bands at CBGBs (where I hung out, and also played occasionally): The police, Richard Hell and the Voidoids, Jonathan Richman, The Ramones, The Talking Heads (even then, David Byrne was annoying!), all sorts of other great bands (including mine, Things Fall Apart), that no one's ever heard of.
13) Bruce Springsteen, several times, but the best was the opening of the Brendan Byrne Arena - and I smuggled in a camera with a long lens. We were dead center, 13th row. Great shot of him waltzing with a young boy - here, on my website: Images - Miscellany - Samuel Claiborne* - can't seem to ever post images here - always get errors.

I am sure there are more but...

Never saw the BEATLES though! Day-am, Cobbler!
 
Ah ha! At last, a thread I'm still to young for! Yeay!!!

First proper gig was Quo in '84 on their 'End of the Road Tour' - gotta love the fact that they're still at it some 30 years later and they'd been over 20 years at it then! :lol
 
Probably some data corruption in that area of the hard drive, but let's see...

(openers listed before headliners)

~1970 Tower of Power/Santana
~1971 Loggins & Messina/Elvin Bishop Band/Stoneground
8/12/72 Grateful Dead
~1973 Earthquake/Mahavishnu Orchestra/Emerson, Lake, & Palmer
~1973 Lynyrd Skynyrd/Elvin Bishop Band/Marshall Tucker
~1973 Yes
<memories of 1974 redacted by CIA>
3/23/75 Earthquake/Graham Central Station/Tower of Power/Santana/Joan Baez/Grateful Dead/Jefferson Starship/Doobie Brothers/Neil Young with Bob Dylan & The Band
~1975 Van Morrison
~1975 Dan Hicks & his Hot Licks/Albert King
~1975 King Crimson/Tens Years After
~1975 Yes
~1975 Little Feat/Fleetwood Mac
~1976 Who/Dead
~1977 Return to Forever
~1978 Weather Report

Tons of other stuff in there amoungst the damaged bits. Fun Stuff.
 
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