FWIW I now have that didn't mean to treat you oh so bad song stuck in my head
[Reply]

Emerson Lake and Palmer at Municipal Auditorium in 1975. It was general admission.
[Reply]

Rolling Stones. Sun Devil Stadium. 1982. George Thorogood opened and might have been better than the Stones.
[Reply]

My first 3 concerts were all awful:

Bon Jovi/Skid Row
Nelson
Poison/Warrant

I mean, it was the late 80s and I was in 6th-7th grades, but it’s still tough to admit. My mom wouldn’t let me go to the shows I wanted to at that age so I had to take what I could get. Also, Nelson was her choice. She loved Ricky Nelson when she was young.
[Reply]

not my first but i was at that one as well
[Reply]

Rossington-Collins Band around 1980. They were some of the surviving Lynyrd Skynyrd members. In Norman OK.
[Reply]

If you consider 1960s/70s Neil Diamond rock, he was my first — May 1977 at the Greensboro Coliseum. I think my parents wanted to go and took 11-year-old me along to expose me to live music (my younger sister was left with a sitter).

Otherwise, my first true Rock Concert was Peter Frampton, August 1977 in Greensboro , which I asked to go to (Mom took me). Openers were .38 Special, then an up-and-coming regional band; and J. Geils Band, which back then were still true to their bar band roots, before they became an MTV-fied pop band in the 80s. They blew the roof off that night, did two encores, which was very rare for a warm-up act.
[Reply]

My First?

The Grass Roots - 1964? 65? Somewhere thereabouts.........

*correction*


The Beach Boys - 1966 - about three months before the Grass Roots.
[Reply]

1980-ish

Rush on the "Permanent Waves" tour. .38 Special opened (always thought that was an odd pairing).

I don't remember much of it though.
[Reply]

Bon Jovi/Skid Row doesn't sound bad.

LOL@Nelson.
[Reply]

My first concert was Van Halen at Kemper Arena in 1984, which was a great year for concerts for me, as I saw them twice, Rush & Gary Moore, Ratt at Starlight, Dio and so many others that year.
[Reply]

I was visiting friends in the bay area out in Cali circa 1986. He got a tip that a band playing at a local bar called "Soft White UnderBelly" was really Blue Oyster Cult. We got tickets. It was them. Sitting in the middle table. They were working on new material but they did all their hits too. Were doing shots with the audience. Eddie Money came up and did a blues song with them. Was a really cool experience.
[Reply]

I met both Nelson brothers and their drummer, Bobby Rock, at Guitar Center Sherman Oaks back in 1993. Surprisingly, they were both really cool dudes.

I didn't even know what to say to Bobby, as his girlfriend, who was carrying his baby, was murdered at an ATM the week before. I could tell the brothers drug him out of his house to keep his mind off of it but it was obvious that the dude was struggling.
[Reply]

Eurythmics in 1987 at the Country Club in Reseda, CA. Was 17 years old. My brother was a bouncer at the club and he got me in for free plus a VIP stamp to go upstairs and a 21+ stamp to buy alcohol. His advice: "Buy Long Island Ice Teas"

it was their second or third album so they weren't as popular as the "Sweet Dreams" days but it was a small venue and they put on a great show, really loud, lots of talking to the audience the vibe everywhere was great, people all seemed pretty chill and really into it.

I think I bought three Long Island Ice Teas. Don't remember much else. But I do remember trying to pick up on a real-live adult lady after the lights went on. was like "Hey this is great, right?" and she said "Thanks. I have a ride home." and I was like, "cool, I don't even have a driver's license." And she tapped me on the belly and dismissively said, "Take care of yourself sweetie."

I went to school the next day with a wicked hangover but feeling like a champion.
[Reply]

If I’m completely honest, I have a soft spot for the first couple Skid Row albums. Bon Jovi is a hard pass.
[Reply]