I was 14 when I saw Van Halen on their 1984 tour in, well, 1984, almost exactly 18 years ago to the day (May 4 that year). Rush then came to town a couple weeks later on their Grace Under Pressure tour. After that I saw Ratt, Bon Jovi, Poison, Great White, Whitesnake and several other 80s hair bands. I haven’t been to a rock concert since 1989.
Pat Benatar with Saga opening, early 83 I think. Great show by both.
I really miss the 80’s.
Poison and Tesla in, I’m guessing 1988 or 89. I was about 13, and my mom went with me. I thought I was going to die of embarassment, but she ended up having a better time than I did.
Lollapalooza 1992, I was 14 years old. It had Lush, Pearl Jam, Jesus & Mary Chain, Soundgarden, Ice Cube, Ministry and Red Hot Chilipeppers.
Colin
Wow, I’m feeling like an old man here.
My first concert was the Dallas stop of the Police’s Synchronicity tour, circa 1981 or so. I was in sixth grade. I showed up at school the next day with my sleeveless concert t-shirt and, for that single day, I was the coolest kid at Blanton Elementary. I neglect to tell anyone that my parents had taken me. 
A graybeard checking in.
First rock concert was Jimi Hendrix at the Electric Factory in Feb. '68.
What a show! What a venue! A heritage psychedelic dungeon, with body racks along the back, day-glo monkey bars, body painting and of course the light show. The price - $2.75.
Went to a great assortment of shows there that year. Cream, Jeff Beck Group, Mothers of Invention, Ten Years After and more I can’t remember. (It WAS the sixties.)
Although these bands were popular in my small circle of friends, they hadn’t really caught on with a wide audience yet. We’d always show up a couple hours early convinced it would sell out, only to be alone on the street in front of the venue killing a couple hours. We did end up right by the stage for all the shows.
It worked out for the best one time though. We were hanging out when Zappa and the Mothers showed up for sound check. They kinda laughed at us for lining up so early, but we got to talk with them and got all of their autographs.
Van Halen (With David Lee Roth) - Glens Falls Civic Center in Glens Falls, NY (1981).
The first big rock concert I attended would have to be Neil Young in 1986 during the Garage Band tour. Absolutely kick ass show!
Kiss in 1980. I was in second grade, totally forced my parents to take me. Well worth it.
Jackson Brown’s Running On Empty tour in '78 although it wasn’t exactly “big”.
That would probably belong to ZZ Top opening for the Stones in '79.
Thompson Twins and Berlin in 1983, on Boston Common. Followed a few weeks later by Rick Springfield and Corey Hart.
Teeheehee…
Ozzy w/ Motley Crue back in '87. Yet another day that has me amazed that I am alive and don’t have a criminal record.
My brother wanted to take me to see Aerosmith when they played my hometown back in the early 70’s, but the 'rents shot that down. Probably a good thing too 'cause the fans ended up trashing the place.
I saw Eric Clapton back in 88 on his 25th Aniversery show. I wore my t-shirt the next day to school and a couple of people said something. I knew little about him, but my mother took me and it wasn’t all that bad.
I’ve been to very few. Not my cup of tea. I was (am) a big Rick Wakeman fan, so I saw his Journey to the Center of the Earth tour at the Boston Music Hall (now the Wang Center) back in 1974. I thought it was awful – so loud you couldn’t appreciate the music (he had a full orchestra to back him up), and the cheesy “special effects” of inflating dinosaurs didn’t make up for that. I went back home and put on the tape.
When I passed my orals for my doctorate I celebrated by going to hear ** Crosby, Stills, and Nash** at Park West, on a hillside outside Salt Lake City. Without the overamped sounds it was a helluva lot better.
Another oldster here. Can relate to the 'rents shooting things down, my mom wouldn’t let me see the Beatles at Shea Stadium, nor let me go to Woodstock.
1970 was my first big year. Fleetwood Mac (the Peter Green version) in '70. Mothers of Invention in '70. Jethro Tull, got tear-gassed at that one.
The Who (shook Pete Townshend’s hand) in '70. Rolling Stones/BB King in '71.
AC/DC, December 12th, 1983. Fastway opened for them. Then it was VH’s 1984 show on March 16th '84. and maybe Rush was soon before or after VH… Saw a bunch after that and then lost interest after Monsters Of Rock in Foxboro.
Another old guy checking in…
My first big show was October '68. I saw Cream and the Terry Reid Group outdoors at Chastain Ampitheater in Atlanta.
The second show was the killer: summer '69. Jimi Hendrix Experience, the Vanilla Fudge, the Amboy Dukes and the Soft Machine at Atlanta Municipal Auditorium. Admission couldn’t have been more than $5.00!
Labdad
So true about the price of admission. Back in the Old Daze, I rarely paid more than $5.
These days I tend to be rather cranky about paying $75 a ticket to be in some huge stadium when I remember some of the cool outdoor shows I saw, let alone the more intimate places.
Weird Al Yankovic, Starplex in Dallas, ca. 1986-1987. He opened for the reunited-minus-Mike Monkees and was vastly superior.
First stadium concert I saw was The Who at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas in 1989. Good show, but the most memorable part was the opening act: Stevie Ray Vaughn!
This was, like, the Who’s second or third final tour. I’ve lost track.
Buddy Rich around ‘83. Ok, not a huge rock concert, but the first of any kind I had ever been to. It was at Dallas’ outdoor ampitheatre. I was about 11 & I loved Buddy for two reasons -
- I was planning on playing drums in 6th grade band, and
- He performed a “drum-off” with Animal on the Muppet Show!
The first big arena concert I attended was the Jackson Victory tour in 84. I went with my family. I wanted to see Van Halen instead. Stop laughing.