Mine’s kind of embarrassing. When I was in the 6th grade, my aunt took my older brother and myself to see Rick Springfield and Corey Hart. Louisville, KY. God, that had to have been over 25 years ago (I’m 38 now).
C’mon. Who was yours?
Air Supply.
Thanks, Mom.
Judas Priest, '84.
The Black Crowes opening for Aerosmith, some time in 1990. I was too young to drive, so before October, when I got my license. At the Philly Spectrum. The Black Crowes were TERRIBLE, but Aerosmith was great, IIRC.
Joe
My sis took me to see Green Day. I’ve never been a big fan of them, but it was still pretty cool.
Some Beethoven thing with the Los Angeles Phil at the Hollywood Bowl back in 1979.
Wait, do operas count? Then Die Fledermaus, 1976, at the Shubert Theatre in Los Angeles. Even if it’s more of an operetta.
I hadn’t considered that. Count it, if you want. My 4th grade teacher arranged for all of us to go see a showing of Evita MANY years ago. I don’t count that, since it wasn’t something I would have wanted to attend on my own.
My guitar teacher used to ask this one on the first day of group classes. I am embarrassed to say that mine was Asia. In my defense, I was like 14 years old at the time, and my friend and I got tickets for like $4 because her brothers were scalpers and had bet (incorrectly, it turns out) that the concert would sell out. When it didn’t, they made us an offer we couldn’t refuse.
The first one I attended on my own (with friends) was A Tribe Called Quest in a club in Copenhagen called Alexandra in 1994. Absolutely fantastic! I was 16, and me and a couple of friends took a weekend trip to Copenhagen, stayed with my friends sister in Christiania, got drunk & high and had a wonderful time.
I’ll never let my kid do something like that when he’s 16.
Steely Dan at the Richfield Coliseum, in 1993. I was 12 and I WANTED to go see Steely Dan.
I also remember being an asshole and talking about having gone to a concert for the rest of the year.
Okay, then I’m counting it. I was very relieved that they didn’t throw me out when I took out my lighter and held it aloft during the scene where the jailer is getting his coffee from that huge espresso machine.
Alice Cooper, circa '81 or '82. I believe the opening act was the late great Bill Chinnock (who you’ve never heard of unless you’re on the East Coast and at least 40 years old).
Simon & Garfunkel at the Pontiac Silverdome in 82 or 83.
Smashing Pumpkins, sometime time between 94-98. I remember it was in high school, I just don’t remember when. I won free tickets. Really awful seats, which was okay since as much as I loved the Smashing Pumpkins, Billy sounded awful in concert.
With my family, it would have to be (not the same concert, but same era: I was around 9-11 years old) Barbara Eden (she sang “Spinning Wheel”), Sonny and Cher, and Johnny Cash. That’s not counting school trips to the symphony.
On my own, with friends: Ted Nugent, 1977. I was 16. Expanding that a little, the next year I saw Foghat and the Outlaws, and Ted Nugent, Frank Marino and Mahogany Rush, and I believe Journey at a summer concert. Those were my salad days.
LA Philharmonic at the Greek, I believe. That would have been 1966 or so. Our school GATE program took us to all sorts of things.
The first one I saw on my own was probably Judy Collins at the Santa Monica Civic, 1972.
It was the monsters of alternative rock tour (their name) and the line-up was:
The Sugarcubes
Public Image Limited
New Order
Johnny Cash at the Surf in the early 60’s. Then not another until I took my daughter to see the Bay City Rollers. Yep. She had a plaid scarf. I think she still has it.
Iron Butterfly with It’s a Beautiful Day and an acoustic duo called Too People (who were never heard from again) at the San Diego Sports Arena, late 1969. The Iron Butterfly Live album was recorded at this show.
The Who
1982